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Takitimu North LinkContractor’s newsletter - Te karere a te kaikirimana |
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22 August 2025 |
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Inspiring students into infrastructure | Te whakaaweawe i ngā ākonga ki te mahi tūāhangaOver 290 students from 13 secondary schools and other education providers in the Western Bay of Plenty had the chance to visit the Takitimu North Link project in July. The visit set out to inspire rangatahi into jobs and careers in construction and infrastructure – getting a close up look at a major construction site in action. The event was held in conjunction with Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Beca, Stevenson, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), BBO, Connexis, Toi-ohomai, MITO, BCITO, and EarnLearn. It included job opportunities for school leavers, information about on the job training and tertiary options. Students had the opportunity to speak to many teams working on the project (a Road of National Significance), who shared their experiences working in the industry, including their own career pathways. Areas included operating trucks and other heavy machinery, traffic management, kaitiaki and Māori partnerships, construction, engineering, ecology, law, accounting and finance and project management. Students saw one of the most impressive areas of site at Minden Gully, and had a chance to view the working lab, climb into a 30-tonne moxy truck and other big machinery, as well as learn about the huge variety of roles involved in a project of this scale. Fun was had on the day, with a communication game with blindfolds and radios, some fierce competition to set up a mock traffic management site in the shortest possible time, the opportunity to dig in some dirt with the archaeology team and a bridge building competition using ice block sticks. NZTA staff were able to share our Emerging Professionals programme with students, while also providing some information about how to get your driving licence and heavy vehicle licence, this being an important aspect to working in the infrastructure sector. Feedback from the students: “We enjoyed all the hands-on stuff like the digger, the walkie talkie game, and the traffic management team. I’d like to be a civil engineer, but it’s been interesting to see how many people are needed to build a road and the different behind the scenes jobs needed like office admin.” Paige, Te Puke High School “I learnt a lot of new things and had a fun day. I’ve got an idea of the tradie life and future opportunities. I’d be keen to do something hands on – it’s good to stay active for your physical and mental wellbeing.” Hohepa, Tauranga Boys’ College Neke atu i te 290 ngā ākonga o ngā kura tuarua 13 me ētahi atu kaiwhakarato mātauranga i te rohe o Tauranga i whai wāhi ki te kaupapa o Takitimu North Link i te Hūrae. Ko tōna whāinga he whakaaweawe i ngā rangatahi ki ngā tūranga me ngā mahi tūāhanga - otirā i whakatata rātou ki tētahi wāhi hanganga hohe. He mea whakahaere ngātahi tēne kaupapa me Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Beca, Stevenson, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), BBO, Connexis, Toi-ohomai, MITO, BCITO, me EarnLearn. I uru ngā arawātea mahi mā ngā tauira wehe i te kura, he mōhiohio mō te whakangungu mahi me ngā kōwhiringa ako. I whai wāhi ngā ākonga ki te kōrero ki ngā kāhui mahi huhua o te kaupapa nei (He Huarahi Anganui ā-Motu), otirā i puta ā rātou wheako o te mahi i te ahumahi nei, me ō rātou ake huarahi mahi. Ko ngā mahi nei ko te taraiwa taraka me ētahi pūrere taumaha, te whakahaere i ngā rori, te kaitiaki, me ngā hononga ki te Māori, te hananga, te pūhanga, te koiora, te ture, te kaute me te ahumoni, tae atu ki te whakahaere kaupapa nui. I kite ngā ākonga i tētahi o ngā wāhi hirahira rawa i te Whārua o Minden, ā, i kite i tētahi taiwhanga pūtaiao, i kake i tētahi taraka moxy, e 30 tana te taumaha, me ētahi atu mīhini nunui, tatū noa ki ngā momo tūranga maha o te kaupapa rarahi nei. He rā pārekareka, otirā he kēmu whakawhiti reo me ngā mata kāpō me ngā reo irirangi, otirā he whakataetae nui ki te whakarite i tētahi wāhi whakahaere huarahi horihori i te wā poto, te arawātea ki te keri i te oneone me te kāhui mātai whaipara, me te hanga arawhiti ki te rākau aihiparaka. I āhei ngā kaimahi NZTA ki te whakatu i tā mātou hōtaka o Emerging Professionals ki ngā ākonga, me te tuku mōhiohio mō te whiwhi raihana taraiwa waka me ngā mīhini taumaha, otirā he wāhanga hirahira o te mahi tūāhanga. Anei ētahi kōrero a ngā ākonga: "He pārekareka ki a mātou ngā mahi ā-ringa pēnei i te keri, te kēmu reo irirangi me te kāhui whakahaere huarahi. Ko taku hiahia kia tū hei kaipūhanga, engari he mīharo te kite i te huhua o te tangata ki te hanga i tētahi huarahi me ngā mahi o muri pēnei i te whakahaere tari." Paige, Te Kura Tuarua o Te Puke He nui ngā akoranga, he rā pārekareka. He whakaaro tōku o te ao o te ringa rehe, me ngā arawātea anamata. E rikarika ana ahau ki ngā mahi ā-ringa - he pai hoki te koiri hei whakapakari i tō taha tinana, taha hinengaro hoki." Hohepa, Te Kura Taitama o Tauranga |
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Forecasting in action: How improved monitoring helped weather the July floodsWeather events are common in the Bay of Plenty, and this winter’s rainfall is reminiscent of the intense downpours we experienced in the summer 2023 when 2 cyclones hit the upper North Island within 5 weeks and flooded the project’s Wairoa River Bridge construction site. Following that event, our environmental team collaborated with NIWA to improve forecasting capabilities. One key enhancement was adding the Kaimai Range to our monitoring programme, as heavy rainfall there affects the Wairoa Valley area. This part of our construction site is particularly vulnerable to flooding when the river breaches its banks and that’s exactly what happened on 30 July 2025. We knew that the significant rainfall in the Kaimai Range – forecasted to exceed 150mm in a short period of time – combined with saturated catchments and prior rain, would pose a flooding risk. The worst flooding to site occurred overnight and was still evident at daybreak. Early that morning, the environmental team checked live river levels via the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website. Seeing it was the same height as during the January 2023 flood, they promptly alerted the wider team to avoid entering the valley and to secure machinery and vehicles until conditions were confirmed safe. Fortunately, the site held up exceptionally well and once it was safe, the environmental, earthworks, and structures teams inspected the area. The rain stopped by 10am, allowing river levels to recede more quickly than during the 2023 flood. This is a great example of how refinements to NIWA’s forecasting software, allows us to assess site-specific risks rather than relying solely on broad regional warnings, and respond accordingly. Pictured below: View from the Wairoa River Bridge site camera at 7:30am on 30 July 2025 showing part of the site underwater. This river site is built up with rock, so the flood water drained away easily. |
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Pictured below: Wairoa River Bridge site looking across Wairoa Valley at high tide – 30 July 2025. |
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Wairoa River Bridge Takes ShapeThe Wairoa River Bridge site has reached a significant milestone with the arrival of the beams spanning over the Wairoa River. The team and other river users will start to see what the bridge will look like in its the completed state. The rest of the beams will arrive over the next few months connecting the east and west sides of the river.
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180-tonne crane assembled at Fifteenth Ave on-ramp siteAs part of piling work underway at Fifteenth Avenue for the new on-ramp, a 180-tonne crane has been brought into the construction site, and we now have one crane at the bottom and one crane at the top of this very steep and narrow site. It was a cold start for the team delivering the crane in early August, but they were rewarded with a stunning sunrise. This crane, which is so big it had to be brought in in sections and assembled on site, is being used to finish the last of the piling which is due for completion in September. Once the piling is complete, works will continue in preparation for bridge beams to be installed later this year. |
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SH2 tie-in – where Stage 1 and Stage 2 meetThe area where Takitimu North Link Stage 1 and Stage 2 meet is referred to as the SH2 western tie-in. Over several months NZTA has been looking further at the connection between Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the project, and the design and construction sequencing. In late 2024, some funding was brought forward to align the long-term layout under Stage 2 as part of the Stage 1 contract currently in construction. Bringing this work forward will significantly improve the impact on road users (traffic management) and reduce re-work when Stage 2 construction starts, it also made refinements under new Roads of National Significance (RoNS) guidelines. We’ve been consulting with Western Bay of Plenty District Council, QEII Trust, and local residents at Loop Road on a revised design over recent months, and this work is nearly complete. We’ll have more to share about what the pathway looks like to when the Takitimu North Link Road will be opened, for Te Puna and the Minden area, later this year. Pictured below: SH2 western tie-in, with Loop Road (left) and Minden Interchange (top right). |
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Latest Photos |
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SH29/Fifteenth Ave on-ramp – A 180 tonne crane has arrived on site in preparation for the construction of the on-ramp. The remaining 3 abutment piles are currently underway and due to be completed September 2025. |
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SH29/Takitimu Drive Toll Road Flyover – The bridge deck has now been completed with the last of the concrete laid. The team are now pouring concrete barriers and installing railings, this work is due to be completed and then expansion joints poured later this year. |
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Smith’s Farm bridge – Concrete pouring for the abutments is underway. In September 11 bridge beams will be brought in and installed. |
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Wairoa River Bridge – Beams have now been placed over the river span of the river bridge (see Wairoa River Bridge story above). 24 bridge beams will be installed in the coming months. |
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Wairoa Road – Tie in works on the southern end of Wairoa Road will begin later this year. We are currently bringing this area down to road level. |
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Minden Gully –Minden gully bridge on ramp and mainline decks are under construction. Concrete pours will continue over the next month. |
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Stay ahead of roadworks: Get weekly updates straight to your inboxWe’re changing how we tell you about upcoming roadworks, focusing more on using emails. Sign up to receive regular email updates about upcoming maintenance on Bay of Plenty state highways. Emails and social media are now the way most people prefer to hear about the maintenance we’re doing, and they’re more cost-effective and efficient – for example, we can easily tell you about late changes to works happening, such as when planned roadworks are affected by the weather. Our Facebook page will continue to share updates about significant maintenance that we’re doing, but we’ll have a more comprehensive preview of upcoming work in our emails and will tell you about work happening on state highways in your region in the week ahead. Our website has a full list of maintenance emails for every region – if you regularly travel across regions, sign up for emails from the regions relevant to you. In some cases, you'll also get printed letters from us about work happening in your area. |
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More information |
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Read more and sign up for updates about the project at:
Takitimu North Link Stage 1 Project Team
Phone - waea ki 0800 865 776 |
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