TREC Tairāwhiti recovery update

Issue 31

2 October 2025

Tēnā koe

This edition brings you the latest on our recovery work across the rohe; from concrete blocks heavier than elephants arriving at Mangahauini Gorge, to planned overnight road closures on State Highway 2 (SH2) in Hawke's Bay, and the Hikuwai Bridge main build getting started.

Thanks for your ongoing patience as we carry on with our mahi with local contractors and hapū kaitiaki by our side.

Hikuwai bridge build begins

In an exciting milestone for State Highway 35 (SH35) communities, the main Hikuwai Bridge build is getting underway after the successful completion of enabling (early) works. 

If you're driving north of Tolaga Bay, you’ll see more crews and machinery on site as work gains momentum.

The replacement bridge, pictured below, will be 2-lanes wide, approximately 100m long and follow the same alignment as the old bridge.

This vital connection will be stronger and more reliable for the future.

TREC is delivering the build supported by main contractor CLL and local contractors.

More information.

Keep up to date with project progress on our website.

Artist's impression of the Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement.

Speaking of bridges...

We’re gearing up for the next phase of recovery work at Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge near Ruatoria on SH35. We’ll share more details including a start date in the next newsletter.

Big blocks, big milestone: first hanbars on site

We’re taking big concrete steps forward with our recovery work at Mangahauini Gorge on SH35.

The first of 1,300 large concrete blocks, known as ‘hanbars’, arrived on site near Tokomaru Bay last week.

Weighing between 5 and 10 tonnes each, these heavyweights will help form a new ‘roughened channel’ in the river that will help steady the riverbed and protect the highway from erosion.

The team is currently de-fishing the area to safely move fish away from the work as we prepare to divert the river so we can start on the roughened channel. The first hanbars are expected to be placed in the river by the end of this month.

Check out our video below.

Clearing the way: slip removal in full swing

Work to remove slip material (around 50,000 cubic metres!) that initially blocked the Mangahauini River and damaged SH35 is also tracking well. Crews have removed around 8,000 cubic metres so far.

Our new project signage and brochures are now out in the community - keep an eye out! If you haven’t seen them yet, you can download both from the project website. 

Slip material being removed at Mangahauini Gorge.

Travelling on SH2 north of Gisborne this month?

Expect 24/7 stop/go traffic management in place at both of our SH2 sites - Hakanui Straight project (near Te Karaka) and Otoko Hill site M - at times throughout October.

Please allow for delays of up to 10 minutes.

Quick reminder: Our traffic lights are automated to let 1 direction through at a time. Driving through a red light risks a crash and throws the system out of sync, causing delays for other drivers while crews reset the timing.

Thanks for helping to keep the site and other road users safe, and traffic flowing.

SH35 Rototahe flood resilience update

Enabling (early) works are progressing well with site set-up underway and installation of the first culvert (large pipe) on the western side.

Local contractors Parata Contracting are making the most of the dry weather and will soon start on road widening on the western side.

De-fishing was also undertaken by our ecologists this week to safely move fish away from the work area as part of our efforts to protect our environment.

The highway is down to 1 lane and drivers should expect short delays when travelling through. More information.

Site set up in progress at Rototahe.

Progress at Otoko Hill - Site M

Here's a progress photo of work at Site M on Otoko Hill (SH2) where crews are repairing an underslip beneath the highway.

This site will have traffic lights in place throughout October as it's down to one lane while work is underway.

Culverts, bulk fill and a traffic switch: Hakanui upgrade in full swing

At 1.8 metres wide, new culverts (large pipes) being installed at the Hakanui Straight project site, near Te Karaka, are built to handle serious water. 

Hard to miss right now, soon the culverts will be buried, quietly doing the heavy lifting to keep the highway dry and flood resilient. Three culverts totalling 118m long will be installed under the highway over the next month.

Later this month, traffic will move onto a new road alignment, so crews can finish placing the culverts under the highway.

Along with the culvert work and a swale (a shallow, planted channel that slows and filters stormwater), crews are removing vegetation and the top layer of soil on the southern side of the highway. This step, called ‘stripping’, prepares the ground for bulk fill - the material we’ll use to raise the highway by around 3 metres.

Find out more.

A culvert being installed at the Hakanui Straight project.

SH2 overnight full road closures (Devil's Elbow, Hawke’s Bay)

From Sunday 16 November to Friday 5 December full overnight road closures will be in place on SH2 in Hawke's Bay between Waikoau Hill, south of Tūtira, and Aropaoanui Road for 3 weeks. These will be from 9pm to 5am, Sunday to Thursday (5 nights each week).

If you’re travelling between Gisborne and Napier please allow enough time to make it to a closure point before 9pm during those 3 weeks.

More information.

SH2 Hawke's Bay closure map.

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
• Willow wall – using willows as ‘living walls’ to stabilise slips.

SH2 underway (link to Otoko map and web page)

• Matawai Road – willow wall to stabilise slip.
• Otoko Hill (Site K) - overslip repairs.
• Otoko Hill (Site M) -  underslip repairs.
• Hakanui Straight (formerly called Nesbitt’s Dip) project – flood improvements.

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.
• Makatote dropout #2 – buttress support and rip rap to prevent future river erosion.
• Rototahe – flood resilience.

SH35 coming soon

• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge revetment – scour protection.
• Maraehara – underslip repairs.
• Uawa River Scour – two 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.