14 February 2025
Over 370 slip and dropout repairs, 87 culvert replacements and hundreds of kilometres of drainage upgrades across more than 145 rural roads. And the list goes on...
Rural communities and industry across Tairāwhiti can expect to see significant contractor activity on local roads as our recovery repair programme ramps up again.
Two major Government-funded programmes of work are about to hit top gear, seeing more than $78m spent on repairing more than 600 cyclone-damaged sites over the next 3 years, excluding bridges.
Almost 100 slips and dropouts have been repaired so far, but Tim Barry, Council Director Lifelines says further repairs cannot come soon enough for rural communities and the local economy.
“These repairs will go a long way to improve the safety and connectivity for local people and industry who use these roads every day,” he said."
Iwi Prioritised Community Projects is a $27m, 3-phase programme of works, funded by Government and administered by National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF)."
The focus of the programme is improving the resilience of alternative evacuation routes as identified by iwi and community stakeholders.
“We must acknowledge the role of iwi leaders in securing this funding for our rural communities as well as community stakeholders for their involvement in identifying and prioritising sites for repair,” added Mr Barry.
The first phase includes improvements on routes such as Mata, Ihungia, Waimata Valley, Wharekopae, Whakarau roads and connecting routes.
The second and third phases are currently being scheduled into packages for tender to local contractors.
The $51m slips and dropouts programme will address the most complex and high priority dropout sites across the region.
Funded by NZTA and Government, and administrated by NIFF, this is the fourth and largest phase of dropout repairs since Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.
A specialist contractor panel has been established with the expertise to complete the most complex works.
Work is already underway on specific sites and packages of work are being prepared for tender to the panel.
Mangatu Road slip repair