TREC Tairāwhiti recovery update

Issue 23

13 June 2025

Tēnā koe

In this edition, you can read about strengthening work restarting at Rotokautuku (Waipau) Bridge near Ruatoria, see a photo of our repairs at Opape in action during recent heavy rainfall, and hear about our latest progress at Hikuwai Bridge No.1 on State Highway 35 (SH35).

We’ve also shared a few helpful winter driving tips from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Thanks for your patience as we continue our recovery mahi.

Crews back on-site at Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge

Crews repairing Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge on SH35, near Ruatoria have restarted strengthening work after making essential modifications to the design.

Crews are working beneath the bridge throughout the final phase of work with project completion expected by August 2025.

Please follow the 30km/h temporary speed restriction which is in place during the day and be tolerant and respectful of our crews working hard to get the mahi done, so they get home safely to their whānau after each shift.

For further information, read the traffic bulletin here.

Crews will be working beneath the bridge until August.

Mōrere works near completion

State Highway 2 (SH2) at Mōrere, just north of Wairoa, has had a refresh over the past few months. Crews have almost finished repairing and resealing the highway and installing safety barriers, making this part of the road smoother and safer. 

This work follows extensive drainage upgrade work to help address previous challenges with road movement in the area.

Smoother driving at Morere.

SH35: Hikuwai Bridge update

As part of the enabling works for the Hikuwai site, Parata Contracting Ltd is building a 250m temporary realignment of SH35 to provide more working space for teams to construct the replacement bridge.

As crews progressed the work, they found that the ground layer was softer than expected which would have impacted the structural integrity and performance of the road surface.

To address this, the team used a soil stabilisation technique involving lime treatment. When lime is mixed with soil, it alters the soil structure, improving its strength.

The image below shows the rotary hoe (machine) mixing quicklime into the ground layer to strengthen it and reduce future maintenance.

Read more about the project here.

Soil stabilisation using a lime treatment in progress.

Follow TREC progress on an interactive map

TREC and local contractors continue to make solid progress to complete Cyclone Gabrielle recovery work on state highways in Tairāwhiti. Construction is now complete on 82% of the projects in the region (faults we have fixed).

Keen to see what’s done, where we’re working now, and what TREC work is coming up next? Check out the map – it’s updated fortnightly.

Opape repairs complete

Repairs to the 5-metre deep underslip at Opape on SH35 are now complete.

The team used gabion baskets to stabilise the area and made significant drainage improvements to help reduce water pressure on the nearby hillside, minimising the risk of further movement in the road.

A key part of the upgrade was installing a new larger 600mm diameter culvert (replacing the previous 450mm pipe). The new 1200mm diameter manhole is fitted with a dome to cover it and help prevent blockages to maintain a consistent flow of water away from the area.

The drainage improvements in action, working as expected to move water away.

Drive to the conditions

Winter has arrived, so too has the potential for snow and ice-covered roads in some parts of the country, along with heavy rainfall and wind.

Winter brings with it a different set of driving skills and you’ll need to adjust your driving to keep yourself and other people travelling safe.

Remember to turn your headlights on, increase your following distance and drive to the conditions.

NZTA has put together a video on handy tips for anyone driving in winter conditions, view it here.

Before heading off on a trip, check the roads and the conditions with the NZTA Journey Planner and MetService forecasts websites.

State highway snapshot

Below is a snapshot of construction works either underway or coming soon. You can also view completed, current and future work sites on our interactive map.

Here are some of the construction terms we use:

• Buttress – supporting structure
• Counterfort drain – drain that improves slope stability by controlling groundwater
• Dolosse - interlocking concrete blocks
• Gabion wall - baskets filled with rocks
• MSE (Mechanically Stabilised Earth) – a retaining wall construction technique used to stabilise slopes
• Rip rap - large rocks
• Rock revetment – protection
• Scour - erosion
• Shotcrete – sprayed liquid concrete
• Soil anchors/soil nails – a device used to hold, restrain and support structures
• Willow wall – using willows as ‘living walls’ to stabilise slips

SH2 underway (link to map and website)

• Otoko Hill (site K) - overslip repairs
  Otoko Hill (site M) - underslip repairs

SH35 underway

• Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement – enabling (early) works
• Mangahauini Gorge - investigations to support future recovery work
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 2 – soil nails, buttress and rip rap at the bottom of the existing gabion wall
• Kopuaroa Slip 1 – reinstate SH35 to 2 lanes by installing a soil anchor and shotcrete wall
• Kopuaroa Slip 2 – build a 250m long buttress to support SH35 and provide additional drainage
• Tōrere – underslip and overslip repairs
• Paronga - D9 Gully Site – buttress wall with MSE. Two faults to be repaired to reinstate state highway to 2 lanes
• Kemps Hill subsidence – buttress repair using a willow wall. Three faults to be repaired to reinstate state highway to 2 lanes
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge repairs – strengthening works
• Makatote dropout #3 – reinstating state highway to 2 lanes, buttress support and rip rap to prevent future river erosion

SH35 coming soon

• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge revetment – repair the scour at the south end of the bridge and construct a major revetment with dolosse for future-proofing
• Makatote dropout #2 – buttress support and rip rap to prevent future river erosion

Whakapā mai – Get in touch

• Email us
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Call us: 0800 80 TREC (0800 80 8732)

If you spot an issue at a work site after hours, call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 444449).

Sign-up to receive these regular newsletters:

• TREC Pānui (general newsletter)
• TREC Hawke's Bay regional update
• This TREC Tairāwhiti regional update

Local road network

Gisborne District Council is responsible for local roading recovery projects. More information.

Up-to-date information on local road closures.