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Project update |
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1 March 2024 |
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Kia ora and welcome to the latest newsletter on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway – the 11.5km route to reconnect the Manawatū, Tararua District, Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa, replacing the closed State Highway 3 Manawatū Gorge route. |
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With all 42 beams of the Eco-Viaduct Bridge now in place, work has started on the bridge deck (bottom). Big year of construction ahead for Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua HighwayAfter a short break over the Christmas and New Year period, the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway team have made good progress so far in 2024. 2023 saw many important milestones reached across the project, including moving 6 million cubic metres (m3) of earth, installing the first form traveller on Parahaki Bridge, planting the 1 millionth native plant and installing all 42 beams on the Eco-Viaduct Bridge.
Since January this year, the project has continued to make significant inroads, with a key result being the completion of bulk earthworks. About 6.4M m3 of earth has now been moved, with about 100,000 m3 more expected to be moved this summer. About 5km of 9km of network drainage has been installed and about 12km of 35km of pavement drainage. ITC ducts, which provide space for the laying of telecommunication wiring, have also been installed along the Shared Use Path, which runs alongside the road. Aggregate for the road surface can now be laid across about 6.5km of the 11.5km highway, and aggregate stockpile sites have been set up in the middle and at the eastern end of the site to reduce truck movements on the surrounding roads. At the Parahaki Bridge site, 11 of 27 concrete segments have been poured, which means the bridge deck from the southern abutment to pier 1 is close to being connected. All 27 segments should be completed by late 2024. On the Eco-Viaduct bridge, 224 panels have been placed, with about 100 more to be placed throughout March. The bridge is on track for completion in the last quarter of 2024. About 1.3M native plants have been planted to date, with landscaping set to recommence in May. The team aims to plant about 500,000 plants by October. Project spokesperson Grant Kauri says while the construction achievements are impressive, there are other aspects to the project that are equally as important. “I’m particularly proud of how the project continues to set new standards for iwi partnership, health and wellbeing, and broader outcomes. These are the things that ensure we leave a legacy that lasts long after the highway opens. “I’d also like to thank the public for their support and continued interest in this project. We look forward to sharing more about the progress of this vital North Island connection with you throughout the year.” Below: Work on Parahaki Bridge, across the Manawatū River, is progressing well, with form travellers installed on pier 1 and pier 2 to allow for construction of the bridge deck. Cut 13, the largest cut on the project with 2.2 million m3 of earth moved, is completed. Construction of the road surface (pavements) is now underway. |
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Matt, Helen and Mya Mataki make up three generations of whānau working on Te Ahu a Turanga. Project Alliance unites three generations of whānauFor one of the project’s newest engineers, coming to work feels just like being at home. Mya Mataki – who joined the project in 2023 as a graduate engineer working for HEB – is the youngest of three generations of her whānau working on the site. Her uncle, Matt Mataki, is working as a contractor in network drainage and pavements. Matt originally started on the Alliance working for Goodmans in a leadership and development role, but has since joined local business, Graham Civil Contractors. Mya’s grandmother, Helen Mataki, is one of the project’s kaimaihi, representing Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Kauwhata as part of the project’s iwi directorate, Te Putahi. Helen has been with the team since 2021. Mya says having whānau working on the project makes it extra special for her. “It’s nice to come in and see Nan every morning, get a hug and a hot chocolate. And it’s cool to be able to talk to Uncle Matt about engineering stuff.” After growing up in Feilding, Mya went to study engineering in Auckland. She joined HEB in January as part of its graduate programme, spending some time in the Heb Tendering Team in Auckland before transferring to Te Ahu a Turanga. Part of the drainage team, Mya is working on a range of areas, including the creation of fish passage and shotcreting (spraying concrete). Helen says the opportunity has literally brought Mya back home. “Having Mya here has been wonderful, just to see her more because she’s been away for seven years, so to have her back has been a real blessing.” Mya plays canoe polo for the NZ Womens Team (Paddleferns); and represented them at the Oceania Champs in Hastings in 2023. |
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Members of the Te Ahu a Turanga project team speaking to Bunnythorpe students about ecology and kaitiakitanga. Project staff share knowledge with local rangatahiStudents from schools in Tararua and Manawatū have been gaining valuable insight into how Matauranga Māori and western science work in unison on Te Ahu a Turanga. Kaitiaki James Kendrick and Site Ecologist Caitlin Lavery spoke about kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and ecology to students, staff and parents at events at Kumeroa School, near Woodville, and Bunnythorpe School, near Palmerston North, in November last year. Their presentation at Kumeroa School involved Caitlin describing some of the plant and animal life living near the project, while James provided korero on a selection of taonga. During the Bunnythorpe visit, Caitlin and James were joined by Legends Xcavations Owner/ Operator Brado Roberts, and members of the wider Kaitiaki, Ecology and Environmental teams. The team used a similar approach to an earlier visit to Ashhurst School; installing an artificial tuna (eel) enclosure, complete with live tuna, on the school field. Using the makeshift enclosure as a backdrop, the team spoke about their work to protect and sustain the environment on the project. During both visits, members of the project’s Communications and Stakeholder Engagement team provided the wider school community with information about the project, as well as a chance to view the latest project flyover video and ride the Drive the Highway simulator in the Mobile Visitor Centre. In addition to the work in Ashhurst, Kumeroa and Bunnythorpe schools, the project has also engaged with Whakarongo School, Ruahine School, Ross Intermediate, Hato Pāora College, Woodville School, Tū Toa, Mana Tamariki, Manukura School, Woodville School, Christian Cornerstone School and Aokautere School. More school engagements are being planned for 2024. Below: Students from Kumeroa School checking out the Drive the Highway simulator inside the Mobile Visitor Centre during an information session at their school. |
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Walkers registering for the walk at the Woodville end of the project. Hundreds walk the highway to raise $40,000 for the communityHundreds of people got a close-up look at the construction progress on Te Ahu a Turanga during the Walk the Highway event on Sunday, 21 January. The walk is a fundraiser for the Woodville Lions and Woodville School, who organise, manage and promote the event, with some support from the project team. This year’s walk, the fourth since the project was announced, was the biggest ever, with tickets selling out in advance and more than 1500 people taking part. The event raised about 40,000, with all of the funds going back into the community. To start the day, participants arrived at the Woodville end of the project and took a bus over the Saddle Road to begin the walk from Ashhurst end. Despite the heat on the day, and some rain showers making parts of the road a bit slippery, most walkers reported being delighted with the opportunity to experience the enormous scale of the project. What made this year’s walk different from previous events was that earthworks were all but complete, making it a relatively smooth walk compared to the hilly trek encountered on previous walks. Below: Walkers at the Woodville end of Te Ahu a Turanga. |
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The capsule being fixed into place at the northern abutment of Parahaki Bridge. Time capsule placed at Parahaki Bridge siteFuture generations may get a glimpse into the construction of Te Ahu a Turanga through a time capsule encased in the northern abutment of Parahaki Bridge. The one-metre-long steel cylinder was attached to the reinforcing inside the abutment on Wednesday 31 January, ahead of the final concrete pour of the mass block the following morning. With 711 m3 of concrete now surrounding the capsule, it probably won’t be uncovered for many years, however a small plaque will be added to the abutment to mark its location for future generations. Among the items placed inside the capsule included: clothing and PPE from the companies working on the site, a replica of one of the moa bones found on the site, maps, newsletters, plans, drawings, a small hoe carved to represent the project values, newspapers, coins and the names of all inducted project staff. The time capsule also included a letter written to those who open it, giving some background into why Te Ahu a Turanga was being built and giving context to some of the major issues of our time. |
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More information |
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For more information on the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, please use one or more of the following methods:
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