SH10 Kāeo Bridge upgrade

21 June 2024

The old and the new- Kāeo Bridge (February 2022 and May 2024)

Kia ora koutou and welcome to the final update for Kāeo Bridge Upgrade.

Thank you to everyone in the community who has been part of this journey. We know this new bridge will make it safer and easier to move across the river and will help support tourism and broader economic development for the region.

Since the bridge opened to two lanes in February, the team has been winding up the last few activities and packing down the site office. We’ve now finished the roundabout artwork and planting adjacent to the bridge.

In summer we will return to Kāeo to apply the ‘second coat seal’. This is an extra layer of chip seal used to add durability to the new pavement. We will communicate the timing for this when it is confirmed.

More information on the latest work is below, thank you to Marisa Woods for her photography.

Mahi Toi on the barrier and roundabout

The design team, led by Kura Te Waru-Rewiri and Frances Goulton, used five designs to tell part of the Whangaroa story, specifically reflecting the Pāhūhū area.

The patterns of Takitoru, Aramoana, Kāruhiruhi, Puhoro and Aronui symbolise our connection to nature, and importantly, the relationship between the people living in Whangaroa, the land, the sea and the sky.

The text, ‘He Wenua Rangatira’ was included for its deep historical significance, and for its beautiful meaning for everyone travelling through our region. The team chose to use the original spelling of ‘wenua’ in recognition of He Wakaputanga where it was first recorded in the written form.

This project reflects our rich history, landscapes, and the collaborative spirit of whanaungatanga that makes up who we are as Whangaroa tangata/Whangaroa people, tangata whenua and tangata tiriti

Acknowledgments to the creative art team of: Tash Nikora, Lorraine King, Ariana Howell, Breeze Durham, Rongomai Hoskins, Hori Te Tai, Gail Richards, Korey Atama, Amelia Blundell.

Schools plant their seedlings

In February 2023 we embarked on an adventure with Totara North and Kāeo schools, holding a planting day with each and potting hundreds of native seeds collected by Matua Roger Kingi and his moko. Over the last 18 months our Tamariki have cared for their seedlings, growing them into mighty natives for the bridge landscaping.

In May our plan came to fruition, when the seedlings were planted around the bridge where they contribute to the transformation of the new bridge.