TREC Tairāwhiti Recovery Update 

Issue 11

28 November 2024

Tēnā koe

Welcome to our fortnightly Tairāwhiti TREC e-newsletter, where you can find the latest information on recovery progress across the rohe.

This edition includes news about our work on SH35 and SH2, and an update on the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) renewals programme.

All go on SH35

We have around eight active sites in construction on State Highway 35 (SH35) this week with the majority scheduled to be completed before Christmas.

The image below shows the team hard at work at Oweka, repairing another underslip on the network. We completed this job this week.

Take a closer look at our state highway snapshot section further down to see the projects we have recently completed, have underway or are upcoming.

Oweka project progress.

Local hapū led a karakia to kick-off construction

TREC is busy working on a number of projects at the far end of SH35 including some sites in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Scheduled to get underway next Monday 2 December in the Bay of Plenty is an underslip repair at Te Anaputarua (Aka Whanarua).

Stormwater management and drainage will also be improved to help prevent future erosion.

This work will take about six weeks either side of the Christmas roadwork shut-down period from 19 December 2024 to 6 January 2025.

Crews will be working Monday to Friday, from 6am to 6pm. During this time, the road will be down to one lane, with a stop/go traffic management system in place and a temporary speed limit of 30 km/h.

Between 6pm and 6am, traffic lights will be in operation for people travelling through the work site.

Weather dependant, the goal is to finish by late January.

Karakia to mark work starting at Te Anaputarua (Aka Whanarua).

Planning underway at Tōrere

TREC is finalising the design work to repair both an overslip and underslip on SH35 at Tōrere, near Ōpōtiki.

Work will involve underslip repairs with an anchored shotcrete wall and overslip repairs with reinforced earth walls, revegetation and drainage improvements.

We plan to have approved resource consents by February 2025, with construction expected to start after Easter. 

The team is currently engaging with our Iwi partners, the Ministry of Education and the nearby Te Kura O Tōrere.

Keep an eye out for more information about this site. This will be one of our larger projects at the top end of SH35.

Early photo of the over and underslips at Tōrere.

Renewals programme update

NZTA’s annual summer road renewals programme in Tairāwhiti is progressing, with crews on track to finish most of the major road replacements by Christmas.

Road replacement involves removing the existing road surface and underlying structure and replacing it with new materials.

Crews recently finished work at Wharekahika (Hicks Bay), Te Araroa, Goldsmiths (Ruatoria) and Kopuaroa. They are currently working on SH35 Waiapu Road, between Waiau Rd and Pourau Rd.

Work on the remaining sites will be underway in 2025.

Extensive reseal work is also underway across the network to extend the life of the roads.

Drivers are advised to plan for short delays, with stop/go traffic management and speed restrictions in place on each site.

If you’d like weekly emails detailing high-impact road works sites in the region, please email lynne.chaffey@downer.co.nz.

SH2 Otoko Hill update

Currently we have one site underway (G) and we're making good progress. The site was temporarily reduced to 10km/h speed limit while an underslip was repaired and has returned to 30km/h.

We have just recently completed work at site (L).

State highway snapshot

Below is a snapshot of construction works either recently completed, underway or coming soon: 

SH2 recently completed 

• Otoko Slip Soldier Pile Walls. 
• Otoko Hill Slip #3 - Hill stabilisation and drainage improvements.
• Otoko Overslip #2 - Hill stabilisation using counterfort drains.

SH2 underway

• Otoko Hill Slip #2 - Hill stabilisation using soil anchors, shotcrete, and rip rap (large rocks).
• Waikohu Bridge #3 - Repair scour around bridge pier with rip rap (large rocks).

SH2 coming in early 2025

• Rakauoroa – Reinstate underslip using soil anchors and shotcrete.
• Otoko Hill – Major drainage to stabilise slopes.
• Allen’s Existing Wall – Reinstate underslip under existing wall using soil anchors and shotcrete.

SH35 recently completed

• Oweka – Fix underslip with a reinforced buttress (supporting structure).
• Ihungia Road – Fix underslip with buttressing (supporting structure) and rip rap (large rocks).
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 1 – Buttress (supporting structure) and rip rap (large rocks) at the bottom of the existing gabion wall to stabilise SH35 until Stage 2 works start.
• Hikuwai Bridge No.1 early investigations – Drilling for soil samples and using electro-seismic scanning to find underground obstructions to help with the bridge design.
• Mangakuri Stream Bridge – Riverbed and slopes lining with rock.

SH35 underway

• Te Anaputarua (Aka Whanarua) – Soldier pile wall with drainage improvements.
• Jeru Culvert – Replace culvert segments and clear out riverbed from built-up aggregate.
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge repairs – Reinstate bridge bearings and strengthening works.
• Makarika Valley dropout #3 – Reinstating state highway to two lanes, buttress support and rip rap (large rocks) to prevent future river erosion.
• Kopuaroa 1 Stream Bridge – Scour protection beneath bridge using soil nails and shotcrete (sprayed concrete).
• Mangahauini Gorge Major Project early investigations - Drilling for soil samples to help with the design of this major project.
• Whakaari Bluff rock revetment – Road buttressing (supporting structure) and rock revetment (protection) on a major scour done on SH35 by the Hikuwai river.

SH35 coming in early 2025

• Awatere Gully – Buttress wall with gabions (baskets fill with rocks) to repair the underslip.
• Kemps Culvert – Follow the Stage 1 SH35 repair, reinstate the inlet/outlet of the culvert and construct further drainage improvements.
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge – Repair the scour at the south end of the Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge and construct a major revetment with dolosse (interlocking concrete blocks) for futureproofing.
• Kopuaroa 1 Slip – Reinstate SH35 to two lanes by installing a soil anchor and shotcrete (sprayed concrete) wall.
• Kopuaroa 2 – Build a 250m long buttress (supporting structure) to support SH35 and provide additional drainage.
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 2 – Install 160x9m long anchors to permanently support SH35.

Road notifications

A stretch of SH2 will be closed for three nights next month just south of Wairoa with no detour.

The road, between Ohinepaaka Stream and Waihua River Bridges, will close Monday 16, Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 December, between 8pm and 5am each night.

Crews will be finished onsite and the road fully reopened at 5am on Thursday.

More information.

Whakapā mai – Get in touch

For more information on the Transport Rebuild East Coast project:

• Email us: info@trec.nz
• Website: www.nzta.govt.nz/trec
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/east-coast-trec
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/nztahbg
• 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 newsletters:

• TREC Pānui (general newsletter)
• TREC Hawke's Bay regional fortnightly update
• This TREC Tairāwhiti regional fortnightly update

Local road network

Gisborne District Council is responsible for local roading recovery projects, for more information please click here. 

For up-to-date information on local road closures please click here.