Takitimu North Link

Contractor’s newsletter - Te karere a te kaikirimana

30 July 2024

Connecting with our communities - Te tūhono ki ō mātou hapori

We enjoyed the long tail to summer on the Takitimu North Link project this year, and, in this issue look back on significant progress on the project at Cambridge Road bridge, Wairoa bridge, Wairoa River bridge, and our largest fill site at Smiths Farm.

In the winter months when sites aren't quite as busy, we've spent time with communities over Matariki and with tamariki and rangatahi from local schools and training institutions during the months of June and July. This month we provide a look back at some of the community activities we hosted, attended, and supported.

Anō te pai o te hikuroa o hineraumati ki te kaupapa o Te Ara o Takitimu ki te Raki i tēnei tau, kāti, i tēnei putanga ka anga whakamuri ki ngā kokenga nui o te arawhiti o te Ara o Cambridge, te arawhiti o Te Wairoa, me tō mātou putunga oneone nui rawa kei Smiths Farm.

I ngā marama o te takurua, kāore i pērā rawa te pukumahi, nā reira i noho tahi mātou me ngā hapori i te wā o Matariki, me ngā tamariki, rangatahi hoki o ngā kura tūtata me ngā kura wānanga i ngā marama o Hune me Hūrae.  I tēnei marama ka hoki whakamuri te titiro ki ētahi o ngā mahi ā-hapori i taurimatia, i tae atu ai mātou, ā, i tautokona hoki e mātou.

Kia haumaru te haere. Safe travels.

200 students visited the Takitimu North Link construction site and office in June

Inspiring students into infrastructure

Over 200 students from 7 secondary schools and other education providers in the Western Bay of Plenty had the chance to visit the Takitimu North Link project in June. 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 and Stevenson, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, BBO, Connexis, Toi-ohomai, MITO, BCITO and 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 and other big machinery, as well as learn about huge variety of roles involved in a project of this scale.

Fun was had on the day, with some fierce competition to set up a mock traffic management set piece in the shortest possible time, the opportunity to dig in some dirt with the archaeology team and a bridge building competition using tin foil.

NZTA staff had some great yarns with students about our Emerging Professionals programme 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.

Some of the feedback received from the schools:

"Loved the interactive aspects also the viewing of the progress on the bridge. The students all had a wealth of information it was great. Thanks for the great day" - Te Puke High School

"It was excellent, fabulous to have a variety of career options. The kids all said how fabulous it was. Can't wait for next year" - Tauranga Girls' College

Above: Cambridge Road, June 2022 and Cambridge Road, June 2024

Te Ara o Cambridge - Cambridge Road bridge

The new bridge at Cambridge Road was completed in April 2024. Work is progressing well on the Moffat Road / Cambridge Road East intersection.

While this work is underway the St Andrews Drive roundabout is closed - work is on track to complete late September.

Works include relocating utility services, drainage, curbing and footpaths, retaining walls and raising the level of the roundabout to fit the new alignment.

Take care when travelling in this area – this is still one of the biggest areas of construction on the project. Detours are in place, please follow the signs.

Read more about the Cambridge Road work site here

Above: Wairoa bridge, June 2022 and Wairoa bridge, June 2024

Te Arawhiti o Te Ara o Wairoa - Wairoa Road overbridge

This 100 metre bridge at Wairoa Road was built in 2023, tie-in works have been completed to connect the new bridge and crews are progressing well with earthworks underneath. There will be a 21 metre cut down to the new road level.

Above: Wairoa River bridge, June 2022 and Wairoa River bridge, June 2024

Wairoa River bridge - Te Arawhiti Taupua o Te Awa o Wairoa

The temporary construction bridge is in full use to allow hauling material across the river while the permanent bridge is being constructed. Work on the permanent bridge began in November 2022 and there'll be 80 beams for the 355-metre bridge across the awa and flood plains. 24 have been placed to date. 

The bridge is approximately 10 metres above the river bank.

Above: Fill 13, June 2022 and Fill 13, June 2024

Smiths Farm - Fill 13

This is the largest fill area on the site, with the ground being raised around 22 metres. We can only fill 6 metres each year and then we need to let it settle into place, here, we have 10 to 12 metres remaining.

We are also preparing the ground and doing earthworks for the 25m long Smith’s Farm Road bridge, which will provide access under the new expressway.

Looking east with Te Puna at the top of the image

Western tie in at SH2

Good progress is being made at the western tie in to SH2. 15 Copper Skinks and 443 native fish were found and relocated as part of environmental work at this location.

Work is underway to relocate utilities and services to enable construction of a large culvert. 

Moko Mārama

A story of community, connection and collaboration.

The unveiling of the name of a lizard sculpture at Te Puna Quarry Park had its beginning in the discovery of native Copper Skinks (mokomoko) on the Takitimu North Link project.

The mokomoko were relocated to Te Puna Quarry Park in November 2022 where they are in a safe, predator reduced natural environment to ensure their ongoing survival. At that time, the students of Te Puna Mātauranga, Te Puna School helped release the mokomoko.

Artist Mike McCarthy, a Te Puna Quarry volunteer, and project construction hand Shane Ladkin, got talking about some offcuts of reinforced steel on the project which could be used in the Te Puna Quarry Park.

Mike formed the mokomoko from the repurposed materials recovered from the Takitimu North Link worksite, using manual bending techniques and welding. When completed the sculpture was gifted to the quarry awaiting her name.

In July, Te Puna Mātauranga students gifted the mokomoko the name, Mārama to acknowledge the Ngā Mārama people of the land where the quarry park is located and Whakamārama which is the name of the whenua and upper bush area. Also, the Māori name for moon is Mārama, the female energy, very relevant during Matariki. Mārama can also mean ‘enlightenment’ or to ‘be enlightened’.

The tamariki, their whānau, Pirirākau hapū members, the project team and quarry park volunteers celebrated the unveiling of the name Mārama with waiata and haka performed by the Te Puna Matauranga group.

Mike McCarthy, artist, said, “The creation of this sculpture was made possible by many serendipitous moments where things happened as almost willing it to happen.”

Shirley Kuka, Head Kaiako, Te Puna Mātauranga said, “We wish to extend our genuine thanks and appreciation for this opportunity to name and unveil Mārama the majestic mokomoko at Te Puna Quarry Park. The occasion was so very uplifting and encouraging for our students and whānau to be able to show our support and contribute towards a very important and historic kaupapa such as this."

A special acknowledgement to quarry volunteer, Ata Ellery, who brought Mike and Shane together in their collective shared vision in the creation of Mārama.

Mārama’s journey is one of the ways the Takitimu North Link project is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability, social outcomes and being a good neighbour in the community. We are really proud of the team who have enabled this collaboration – and the joy Mārama will bring in her new home at Te Puna Quarry Park.

Planting at Tauranga Adventist School

The Takitimu North Link project will see close to 1 million plants planted over the duration of the project, and at Matariki – a time to share and reflect – we invited our project neighbours, the Tauranga Adventist School students, to plant the area bordering their school.

On 26 June they planted 800 plants sourced from our micro nurseries and local suppliers with support from our horticulture team.

25 Year 7 and 8 students took part and learnt about looking after the whenua, and for those leaving at the end of the year, this was an opportunity to leave a legacy for future students.

Bethlehem College Kindergarten

Bethlehem College Preschool and Kindergarten had a pesky possum problem. One of their students Philip was so upset about a possum that was eating mandarins on the property he wrote a letter to about it.  Upon hearing this, Philip’s dad, Sarel Van Der Berg who is a pavements engineer on the Takitimu North Link project, asked our environmental team if they could help so they lent the kindy a possum trap and showed the children how to set it up. Lo and behold, the possum was caught on the first night.

Te Puna Kindergarten Matariki celebration

The team were happy to be invited to Te Puna Kindergarten’s Matariki celebration in late June. The celebration included a hangi where kūmara harvested from the pits laid down by the children earlier in the year were cooked. This was an opportunity for the children to experience the process of growing and eating their own kai, with support from the project’s Planting Coordinator Chrissy McLeod.

Te Puna Early Learning Centre

As a contribution towards the centre’s Matariki celebrations, Carmel Lapwood, project Communications and Stakeholder Manager attended and gifted an English and te reo Māori version of the children’s book My Mum is Queen of the Road by Jennifer Beck to the children.  In the book Ari and Isabella play with trucks and diggers, making roads in a sandpit. Ari tells Isabella that his mother is a road worker who works the stop/go sign and is called Queen of the Road.

More information

Read more and sign up for updates about the project at:
nzta.govt.nz/takitimunorth

Takitimu North Link Stage One Project Team
Te Tira Mahi o Te Ara o Takitimu Wāhanga Tuatahi

Phone - waea ki 0800 865 776

Email - īmēra info@takitimunorthlink.co.nz

Website - paetukutuku nzta.govt.nz/takitimunorth