TREC Tairāwhiti recovery update

Issue 32

17 October 2025

Tēnā koe

In this edition we share updates on some of our current and upcoming projects along State Highway 35 (SH35), including work in the Waiapu River near Ruatoria, final touches at Paronga (D9 Gully) and further recovery work at Ōpape in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Our major projects see crane deliveries at Hikuwai Bridge, mini milestones at Rototahe, upcoming traffic changes at the State Highway 2 (SH2) Hakanui Straight project, and an up-close look at de-fishing as part of the Mangahauini Gorge project on SH35.

Thanks for your patience as we continue this important mahi.

Keeping it local

Around 200 concrete dolosse (large concrete blocks) made locally in Ruatoria will be used to help rebuild and protect a cyclone damaged area beneath the Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge on SH35. 

The dolosse were made by local company Ron Hedley Ltd and will be transported just metres from their yard to the work site. 

Cyclone Gabrielle caused serious flooding and erosion beneath the bridge. Repairs to bearings and cross bracing are nearly complete. The next phase focuses on rebuilding and stabilising the riverbank and protecting the bridge foundations from future floods.

A blessing was held earlier this month with Reverend Connie Ferris, local contractors, and the TREC project team ahead of work starting in late October.  

Access to the Waiapu River will be restricted during work, which is scheduled to be complete in April 2026, weather permitting. 

Local hapū representative Tui Warmenhoven says Rauru a Toi hapū kaitiaki are working closely with TREC’s environmental team to uphold cultural values, protect taonga species, and preserve the mauri of the awa.

Find out more.

Reverend Connie Ferris, local contractors, and the TREC project team at the Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge site blessing on 6 October.

Cruising down State Highway 35

Did you spot the 280 tonne and 70 tonne cranes being transported to SH35 Hikuwai Bridge this week?

Various parts (including arm sections up to 86 metres long and a base the size of a small house) are being transported on several large trucks this week and carefully assembled on site.

The smaller crane was assembled first and is being used to put together the larger crane. They will be used to lift and place parts of the new bridge.

This specialised machinery will help create a permanent connection for SH35 communities.

Thanks for your patience while we bring it all together.

A section of the larger 280 tonne crane in the foreground and the smaller 70 tonne crane in the background.

One down, 7 to go at SH35 Rototahe

The first of 8 culverts (large pipes) has been installed at SH35 Rototahe as locals Parata Contracting Ltd and TREC gain momentum working at this flood resilience site. 

As well as lifting the road by almost 1 metre, a total of 8 culverts (6 new ones and 2 replacements) are being installed to help move more water away from the area.

All but 1 culvert is 1200mm wide, ensuring the area can handle a significantly higher amount of water flow in a weather event. 

Other work includes the road shoulder widening currently underway on the eastern side of the highway. 

Our environmental teams have also been busy de-fishing the surrounding swale areas to move these aquatic locals safely away from the work before construction moved in. A swale is a shallow, planted channel that slows and filters stormwater.

During last week’s de-fishing, our ecologists successfully captured and relocated 3 adult longfin eels from the swale; a surprising find given the seasonal timing. 

Work is expected to be completed in early 2026.

Culvert 1 under construction. This culvert sits beneath the project’s site access point, so was completed first.

Final push for SH35 Paronga (D9 Gully)

The Paronga (D9 Gully) project is entering its final phase and is on track to be completed by the end of October. 

Crews have built up the underslip with 24 layers of structural fill since August 2025. We are now at the road pavement level which will be stabilised and sealed with bitumen.

The final piece of the puzzle is to replace a culvert (large pipe). Half has been installed under the northbound lane with the second half to be completed under the southbound lane. A ‘flume’ (pipe extension piece) will then be connected to help guide water or runoff away from the road and prevent erosion. 

Further drainage work near this site has recently been confirmed and will get underway in early 2026.

Repair work at Paronga will be complete this month.

Aquatic life in good hands at Mangahauini Gorge

Check out these photos of our ecology team and hapū kaitiaki de-fishing as part of the Mangahauini River work earlier this month on SH35.

Before we can start shaping the new ‘roughened channel’ to help steady the riverbed and protect the highway from erosion, we need to safely relocate fish and eels (tuna) to another part of the river.

It’s quite an operation. Despite the cyclone damage, there’s still plenty of life in the awa.

After isolating the work area, the team uses nets and low-voltage equipment to gently catch the fish. Each one is counted, identified and moved to a safer stretch of the river.

Various species, including eels (tuna) and bullies, have been relocated so far, with more work planned this month.

Meanwhile, the construction team has been busy, starting to place the first hanbars (large interlocking concrete blocks) in the river - marking a key milestone in the project.

The hanbars, along with large rocks and other material, will form the roughened channel.

Birds-eye view of SH2 Hakanui Straight project

This drone photo of the Hakanui Straight project shows just how far the team has come in upgrading this flood-prone stretch of highway.

The large culverts (pipes) are nearly all in ready to help move more water away from the area. The 24/7 stop/go traffic management is expected to lift within the next week or so. 

A major traffic switch, moving vehicles onto the newly built-up area, is planned for November. Keep an eye out for more details in the next newsletter. 

If you’re travelling through the site, please remember: the traffic lights are carefully timed to allow one direction through at a time. Running a red light throws the whole system out of sync and can cause crashes and delays. 

Find out more.

Recent drone photo of the Hakanui Straight project showing the progress that’s been made.

Short delays for further scour protection at SH35 Ōpape

From next week our crews will be back on SH35 at Ōpape in Eastern Bay of Plenty. They’re carrying out planned additional scour (erosion) protection and future-proofing works at an underslip site repaired in winter.

Work will take around 5 days to complete. It includes installing larger 300mm diameter rocks beneath and around the recently installed ‘reno mattresses’ - shallow baskets filled with rocks. This work will provide added protection from the impacts of heavy rain and scour (erosion) caused by the nearby stream.

Expect short traffic delays of up to 5 minutes at times.

Freight minds come together in Tairāwhiti

Last week TREC joined the NZTA Tairāwhiti Freight Forum in Gisborne to update and connect with freight company owners and operators in the region.

TREC’s Tairāwhiti Construction Lead, Andrew Shannon presented an overview of current and upcoming projects as well as hot spots across the rohe as we head into the busy summer construction season. We appreciate the time and insights shared by all those who attended.

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:

• Bund – embankment that creates a barrier
• Buttress – supporting structure
• Counterfort drain – drain that improves slope stability by controlling groundwater
• Gabion wall - baskets filled with rocks
• Hanbar – specially designed interlocking concrete blocks
• MSE (Mechanically Stabilised Earth) – a retaining wall construction technique used to stabilise slopes
• Reno mattress – shallow basket filled with rocks
• 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
• Swale - a shallow, planted channel that slows and filters stormwater
• Willow wall – using willows as ‘living walls’ to stabilise slips.

SH2 underway (link to Otoko map and web page)

• Otoko Hill (Site K) - overslip repairs.
• Otoko Hill (Site M) -  underslip repairs.
• Hakanui Straight (formerly called Nesbitt’s Dip) project – flood improvements.

SH2 coming soon

• Faram’s - underslip repairs.

SH35 underway

• Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement – enabling (early) works.
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 2 – soil nails, buttress and rip rap at the bottom of the existing gabion wall. 
• Mangahauini Gorge – river works, drainage and culvert upgrades, highway repair and rebuild.
• Kopuaroa Slip 1 – reinstate SH35 to 2 lanes by installing a soil anchor and shotcrete wall.
• 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.
• Rototahe – flood resilience.

SH35 coming soon

• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge revetment – scour protection.
• Maraehara – underslip repairs​.
• Uawa River Scour – 2 underslips to be repaired to reinstate state highway to 2 lanes.
• Kopuaroa – drainage improvements.
• Paronga (D9) – drainage improvements.

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.