Tçnâ koe Luke,

 

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND
MEETINGS ACT 1987: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF REQUEST

 

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request
dated 8 June 2026, for information on the closure of Kennedy Good Bridge
and Melling Bridge on 20 April 2026.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 20 working days from the date it was received. Based on this
timeframe, you can expect a response by 6 July 2026. If we are unable to
respond by that date, we will notify you of an extension.

 

If the information you have requested is no longer required, we would
appreciate you letting us know.

 

Please note that we may publish our response to your request, including
your name, on Council’s website if we consider there is a public interest
in sharing the information provided to you. You can view published
responses at: [1]Proactive releases | Hutt City Council.

 

Ngâ mihi nui,

 

Rebekah van der Splinter
Senior Advisor (Official Information)

 

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010 
P: 04 570 6666  |  W: [2]www.huttcity.govt.nz

                                                              

-----Original Message-----
From: Luke Howison <[FOI #34877 email]>
Sent: Monday, 8 June 2026 6:01 pm
To: Information Requests <[Hutt City Council request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Kennedy Good and Melling Bridge
closures, 20 April 2026

 

[You don't often get email from
[3][FOI #34877 email]. Learn why this is
important at [4]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Dear Hutt City Council,

 

I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act
1982 relating to the decision to close Kennedy Good Bridge and Melling
Bridge on the evening of Monday 20 April 2026.

 

Specifically, I request:

 

1. Any written criteria, protocols, or thresholds used to determine when
these bridges should be closed due to river levels or flood conditions —
including any formal trigger points such as river gauge heights, flow
rates (cumecs), or freeboard margins.

 

2. The river gauge readings and/or flow rate data recorded at the time the
decision to close the bridges was made (approximately 8pm on 20 April
2026), the anticipated readings given the forecast rainfall, and the
readings at the time they were reopened (approximately 3am on 21 April
2026).

 

3. Any internal communications (emails, meeting notes, text messages, or
briefing documents) between Hutt City Council staff and/or Greater
Wellington Regional Council staff relating to the decision to close the
bridges on that evening.

 

4. Any engineering assessments or advice provided to the Lower Hutt
Controller prior to the closure decision.

 

5. Records of the post-closure engineering inspection carried out on the
morning of 21 April 2026, including the findings that led to the bridges
being reopened.

 

6. Data on previous occasions when Hutt River levels reached or exceeded
those recorded on 20 April 2026, and whether bridge closures were
implemented on those occasions.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Luke Howison

Naenae, Lower Hutt

 

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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

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[5][FOI #34877 email]

 

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ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
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References

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