Earthworks are well under way on Fill 9 in Zone 2 of the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway.

Steady progress as Te Ahu a Turanga enters 2nd construction year

Now into its second year of construction, the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway is making good progress despite recent challenges from an extremely wet finish to 2021 and the arrival of Omicron to the region.

Earthworks crews had to down tools for three weeks in December as torrential rain battered Palmerston North but they have since made up for it with some record-breaking days, including moving more than 100,00 cubic metres of earth in one week and more than 20,000 cubic metres in a single day. 

More than 2,000,000 cubic metres of earth has been moved to date and the team is on track for moving half of the project’s total earthworks this year. A 90T excavator has been added to the machinery line-up and scrapers are running in all but one of the earthworks zones.

At the eastern end of the alignment, the public can see the completed Cut 30 and partially completed Fill 21 from the current highway in Woodville. Further uphill, Cut 28 has commenced, and machinery can be seen on the skyline, bringing the first of 1.2M cubic metres of material downhill to Fill 20.

When finished, this cut will be around 50 metres deep. Pine trees in this area have been removed and a permanent treatment pond has been excavated for use as temporary storage for construction water.

There continues to be a lot of construction activity to see from the temporary carpark by the entrance to the Manawatū Gorge Walk. At the Parahaki Bridge site, piling for one of the bridge’s three piers is completed and a retaining wall is being built for the third pier on the KiwiRail side of the Manawatū River.

Nearby at the Eco Bridge site, work has begun on a causeway - a highly engineered embankment to form a continuous crane pad. Proof bores have been drilled and the first of eight dewatering bores have been installed. Dewatering bores are being used to help manage high artesian water pressure.

Access tracks from Saddle Road into the project area are nearing completion, which will make it easier for construction machinery to access the Eco Bridge site and the largest cuts and fills on the project.

On the landscaping front, we will be planting at three farm sites this year, and over 600,000 native plants are being cultivated. Animal and plant pest control continues in our existing ecological offset sites.

The project’s workforce is at near full capacity for the season with around 250 people on the job. The project is also providing work for 40 local businesses which are subcontracted for specific services, including concrete cutting, forestry, scaffolding, traffic management, pest control and more.

And like the rest of the country, the project is doing all it can to keep our people safe amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Stringent health and safety measures have been in place for some time, yet, despite the best plans and extreme care taken by staff, there have recently been COVID-19 cases onsite. Those affected have followed the appropriate isolation and testing procedures and have been supported by the project’s Wellbeing Team.

We have been prepared for COVID-19 to have an impact on our region and our project and now is the time when we must continue to do everything possible to put the health and wellbeing of our people first.

To view the latest flyover with commentary from Construction Manager Mike Cassaidy, go to www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/te-ahu-a-turanga/

Members of the Te Ahu a Turanga Alliance whānau remove tuna from a net during a defishing expedition.

Fishing master class in the hills

Fishing for tuna, bullies and crayfish may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think about the Ruahine Ranges, but the maunga is home to a variety of fish, which live in the streams and ponds that flow down to the Manawatū River.

Project Ecologist David Pickett recently organised a ‘Fishing Master Class’ for the ecology and Kaitiaki teams, to provide an opportunity for everyone involved in defishing to learn from each other. 

“Iwi had expressed a wish to lead the defishing onsite and there had been concerns about the electric fishing protocol on mature tuna – stunning fish for capture. We used fyke nets (compartmentalised nets that separate fish by size) and went over how to fish a stream to save and relocate the fishlife and spent a day fishing for tuna (eels) at catchment four in Cook Road.

“It’s a soft-bottomed stream that flows through a native QEII area and flows to a wetland and pond, then out to the Manawatū River. It’s one of the higher value stream systems in the project area and has a good flow that can support big fish,” David says. 

David worked with Kaitiaki Coordinator, Poutiaki Taiao, Terry Hapi, Ecologist Seamus O’Mahoney, and Kaitiaki James Kendrick and Jarrod Hape to coordinate efforts between ecologists and Kaitiaki to learn from western and Māori perspectives, taking the best parts of both traditions.

How defishing works

David explains how defishing works, and when it’s needed: “There are three streams onsite with significant native fish populations: the Mangamanaia, the Mangakino (tributary to Pohangina) and an un-named stream in Zone 3. Before construction can start in an area with a stream or pond, the area needs to be defished to ensure there is no fishlife before the machines move in.

“Using traditional defishing methodology, pools are dug and a tī koura – a bundle of Manuka and foliage – is placed into the water. The fish come and eat the bugs in the vegetation and hide underneath it and are caught with nets. Once you get to a low enough catch rate you move the methodology to muck-out.

“The fish that are salvaged are relocated downstream to similar habitat types to where they were moved from. There are about 15 different species that have been identified in the Environmental Management Plan but the species we are seeing the most are longfin tuna (eel), shortfin tuna, common bullies, upland bullies, and koura (crayfish) in certain catchments.

“The fish are put in a bucket with an oxygenator before being relocated downstream. Eels don’t mind living in mud but they’ll come out to get oxygen. With a muck-out, a digger operator works under the instruction of an overseer who guides the driver to slowly create catch pools.

"They take little scoops and spread it out on the side of the stream, where the mud is carefully sifted through by ecologists and Kaitiaki. A recent muck-out saw the successful relocation of 16 eels and 62 koura in the last remaining pools.

“Often, to make sure we’ve got the very last one, we’ll drive away and get a cup of tea, and when we get back a few more have appeared. The goal is to safely relocate every last fish.”

Engineer Chrissy Reid, foreground, speaks to members of the Conservation Works Scheme about some of the mahi on Te Ahu a Turanga.

Conservation Work Skills offers a practical learning opportunity for locals

In partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, Te Ahu a Turanga is half-way through the second intake of the Conservation Work Skills programme after a successful pilot last year.

The 12-week programme supports people to re-integrate into the workforce.

The team will get hands-on experience working alongside our landscaping, ecology and environmental teams. Throughout the programme, the team will develop their interpersonal skills and qualifications, enhancing their skills for employment.

The CWS crew will work with some of the Te Ahu a Turanga landowners and support them with ecological offset works, along with supporting Kaitiaki to carry out some of the iwi aspirations and cultural outcomes enhancing local knowledge around Matauranga Maori.

The programme aims to encourage locals into sustainable employment by providing the opportunity to work alongside potential employers, showcasing their abilities while building on their knowledge and skill sets.

There will be a third intake in early June targeting the Tararua District.

If you know of someone who would like to apply, please encourage them to send their CV to jobs@teahuaturanga.co.nz. Recruitment for this intake will begin mid-May.

The Shared User Path for Te Ahu a Turanga will run the length of the alignment between Ashhurst and Woodville.

Public interest in Recreational Path Fund

A number of proposals for recreational paths near the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway were discussed during a hui in Ashhurst in February. 

Waka Kotahi introduced the Recreational Paths Fund to support the creation of recreational paths in the region that may connect to Te Ahu a Turanga’s Shared Use Path

The hui, held both online and in person at the Village Valley Community Centre in Ashhurst under COVID-19 protocols, featured proposals from members of the public, Tararua District Council, Palmerston North City Council and equestrian groups.

The Waka Kotahi team is currently revisiting the criteria for the path and will go out stakeholders with this once formed. An additional hui to discuss proposals will be held in April, with meeting details to come.

A view of the work currently under way on the Western Roundabout on SH3 at the Ashhurst end of the alignment. To the left is the Te Ahu a Turanga site office, Te Whare Pumanawa.

Work under way on Western Roundabout

People heading to the Manawatū Gorge Track along Napier Rd (SH3) will have seen some activity on both the northern and southern sides of the road.

This work is the early stages of the construction for the Western Roundabout, which marks the beginning point of the western end of the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway.

The roundabout will be located in the area between the intersection of Napier Rd and Fitzherbert East Rd (SH57) and the Te Ahu a Turanga site office, linking both SH3 and SH57 to the new highway.

The works on the northern side include earthworks, ground improvement and the creation of a sediment control pond.

A new road will also be built in this area to take road users from the roundabout to a new carpark being built for those wanting to access the Gorge Track and the Western Gateway Park. Road users will eventually be transferred to the new road to allow work to begin on the roundabout itself.

On the southern side of the road, earthworks are taking place ahead of the realignment of Fitzherbert East Rd into the roundabout. A spoil site has also been created in this area.

Members of the public are advised to be cautious when travelling to the Manawatu Gorge Track due to the increase in trucks and machinery crossing the road.

Max Sercombe is a welcome addition to the team working at the Parahaki Bridge site.

2021 Concrete Industry Apprentice of the Year joins Te Ahu a Turanga team

A rising star joined the Te Ahu a Turanga project in January and he’s gone straight into the action in the Structures team working at Parahaki Bridge.

Max Sercombe, 21, has joined the project from the Transmission Gully project, where he completed a three-year apprenticeship for HEB through BCITO.

Max was named the winner of the 2021 Concrete Industry Apprentice of the Year in February. The judges credited Max’s combination of technical skill and personal qualities as the factors that carried him across the line ahead of many others who had recently completed a BCITO concrete qualification across Levels 3-5.

We need your help

I’d like to extend a big thank you to anyone who has taken the time to complete our communications and engagement survey. We value your feedback, which helps us to ensure we’re doing everything we can to meet your expectations. If you’ve not yet had a chance to do the survey, you can find it here.  

Ngā mihi nui,
Jonathon Howe
Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Manager
Te Ahu a Turanga Alliance

More information

For more information, please use one or more of the following methods:

nzta.govt.nz/teahuaturanga

facebook.com/nztacni

twitter.com/wakakotahicni

0800 740 560

teahuaturanga@nzta.govt.nz