TREC Tairāwhiti recovery update

Issue 15

21 February 2025

Tēnā koe

This month marks two years since Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread damage and destruction.

The impact on State Highway 2 (SH2) and State Highway 35 (SH35) was enormous and local roading crews and our teams have worked hard to reopen these routes and keep them open. 

The good news is TREC recovery work is more than 80% complete in terms of the number of faults fixed. We’re on track to finish most of our recovery work by mid-2025 with four larger projects – Mangahauini Gorge, Hikuwai Bridge No. 1, Nesbitt’s Dip and Rototahe continuing into 2026. 

In this edition we share information about work on SH35 through the Mangahauini Gorge and in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. There's also a Hikuwai Bridge No.1 update and a reminder about an upcoming NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) SH2 closure. You can read about our recent progress in this update and check out our new interactive map of work sites.

Thanks again for your ongoing patience as we carry out this important mahi.

SH35 Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement

The bridge design has reached 50% and is going through reviews. 

The work to demolish the remainder of the old bridge is out for tender and we’ll share news as more is confirmed. 

The TREC team continues to work closely with Iwi and hapū, landowners, Gisborne District Council, and local contractors to design and deliver the project.

The remainder of the old bridge is shown here in front of the Bailey bridge.

SH35 Mangahauini Gorge update

Recovery works in the gorge continue. Additional emergency works and early earthworks started in January to stabilise the badly damaged sheet pile wall area and allow the river to flow closer to its pre-cyclone alignment, away from the highway.

Investigations to help with future work are ongoing, and the team is working with Iwi, hapū, Gisborne District Council, and others during the design phase. 

We’ll share more information as the designs for this work are finalised.

TREC is working on designs for additional recovery work in the gorge, including drainage upgrades and river and road work.  

SH2 update

There are now just three of the nine sites left to complete on Otoko Hill. Weather dependent, we’re aiming to complete these by late 2025.  

Tree felling and drainage upgrade work scheduled to get underway this week has been deferred until late February / early March. We will share a date on our website shortly. 

A reminder that next week, from Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 February, SH2 through Waioweka Gorge will be closed each day for important maintenance work.

This work, being led by NZTA Bay of Plenty will see the highway closed between 10am to 6pm each day.

Six of the nine sites on SH2 Otoko Hill are complete.

SH35 Eastern Bay of Plenty work

SH35 Opape – in progress 

Work to repair an underslip at Opape in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is progressing well. The team is on track to finish in about a month.

In the photo below you can see the gabion baskets (rock filled cages) on the left that have been installed and the team removing material to make room for the next ones to be put in.

SH35 Te Kura O Tōrere - starting soon 

We’re also starting to plan work to repair the slips near Te Kura O Tōrere, near Ōpōtiki.

• Underslip (below the road) - will be repaired with an anchored shotcrete wall. Long steel rods (anchors) are drilled under the road to help stabilise the land, then sprayed with a liquid concrete which hardens into a wall.
• Overslip (above the road) - will be repaired with reinforced earth walls built up and covered in vegetation to stabilise it. Drainage improvements will also help move the water away to where it needs to get to.

This is a big piece of mahi to complete both above and below the road to make it more resilient for the future. 

While repairs are underway, this section of SH35 will be down to one lane for up to six months to keep the crew and travelling public safe. Thank you for your support and patience while we deliver this important repair. We’ll share more information about start dates shortly.

Seven sharp salutes the mana wavers

A huge mana wave back to our traffic management teams. These legends of the network are out there in rain, hail and shine. They keep everyone safe - crew, road users and each other - while we progress cyclone recovery work across Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay. 

Some of the crew from JT Contractors were featured on Seven Sharp on Monday, demonstrating how a smile and a wave can send out positive energy to people travelling through our roadworks. There were some pretty inventive waves on show! Kei runga noa atu!

As roadworker Karl says in the video: “We’re doing our job, making everyone safe so they’re getting home safe. Makes the day better and happier.”

But it’s more than a fleeting wave or a smile. As JT Contractor Director Kat Taylor says, ”Despite the challenges and devastation from the recent cyclones, we at JT Contractors have seen so many wins, proof of the resilience, love and strength of our people in Te Tairāwhiti.”

Please be mindful of road workers when you drive through our worksites. The people working are local – your friends and whānau – and we want them to make it home safely each night.

You can watch it on TVNZ here. 

Kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) in the community

Thanks to everyone who came to Wharekahika and Tokomaru Bay last week to see us at the Rural Support Roadshow events.

TREC joined other agencies including Gisborne District Council (GDC), Ministry of Social Development (MSD), Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and Trust Tairāwhiti.

It was a great chance to connect, share information about local TREC projects, answer questions and listen to feedback.

Our SH35 TREC project manager Austin Whaiapu gave updates on work happening around Kopuaroa, north of Tokomaru Bay and in the Mangahauini Gorge.

We showed people the new interactive digital map which shows where we’re working, what’s coming up, and where we’ve completed work. We also got to see how Wharekahika locals are recycling their glass bottles into sand to use in landscaping and other cool projects.

Keep an eye out for us at future Rural Support Roadshows. Thanks again to GDC staff for organising these events.

State highway snapshot

Below is a snapshot of construction works either underway or coming soon. You can also view sites on our interactive map.

Here are some of the construction terms we use below:

• Buttress – supporting structure
• Counterfort drain – drain that improves slope stability by controlling groundwater
• Dolosse – interlocking concrete blocks
• Gabion wall – baskets filled with rocks
• MSE - (Mechanically Stabilized Earth) – a retaining wall construction technique used to stabilise slopes
• Rip rap – large rocks
• Rock revetment – protection
• Scour – erosion
• Shotcrete – sprayed liquid concrete

SH2 underway 

• Otoko Hill Slip #2 (site G) - Hill stabilisation using soil anchors, shotcrete, and rip rap 
• Allen’s Existing Wall (site J) – Reinstate underslip under existing wall using soil anchors and shotcrete 
• Morere – Counterfort drain installation 

SH2 coming in early 2025

• Rakauroa – Reinstate underslip using soil anchors and shotcrete
• Otoko Hill – Tree removal and major drainage to stabilise slopes

SH35 underway 

• Makatote dropout #2 – Buttress support and rip rap to prevent future river erosion
• Makatote dropout #3 – Reinstating state highway to two lanes, buttress support and rip rap to prevent future river erosion
• Kopuaroa Stream Bridge – Scour protection beneath bridge using soil nails and shotcrete 
• Mangahauini Gorge early investigations - Drilling for soil samples to help with the design of this major project
• Mangahauini Gorge early works - River training and sheet pile wall strengthening
• Awatere Gully – Buttress wall with gabions to repair the underslip
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 2 – Soil nails, buttress and rip rap at the bottom of the existing gabion wall 
• Kopuaroa 1 Slip – Reinstate SH35 to two lanes by installing a soil anchor and shotcrete wall
• Kopuaroa 2 – Build a 250m long buttress to support SH35 and provide additional drainage
• Opape underslip – Buttress with gabion wall

SH35 coming soon

• Kemps Hill Subsidence – Buttress repair using a willow wall. Three faults to be repaired to reinstate state highway to two lanes
• D9 Gully Site – Buttress wall with MSE. Two faults to be repaired to reinstate highway to two lanes
• Waiapu revetment – Repair the scour at the south end of the bridge and construct a major revetment with dolosse for futureproofing
• Hikuwai Bridge No.1 Replacement – Enabling works
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge repairs – Strengthening works

NZTA - have your say on lower speed limits

NZTA is asking if people want to keep the 80km/h speed limit on SH35 between Makorori and Pouawa.  

The Government's new approach to setting speed limits allows NZTA to consult to see if there is public support for the reduced speed limit at this location, instead of seeing it reverse to 100km/h later this year. 

Speed limits on the following sections of SH35 are set to revert to their previous higher limit without the need for consultation:

• SH35 Okitu - From approximately 390m north of Sirrah Street to approximately 100m south-west of Wairere Road.
• SH35 Gisborne - From approximately 60m east of Wheatstone Road to approximately 20m north-west of Coldstream Road.

For more information on changes to speed limits and to submit feedback on Makorori to Pouawa visit www.nzta.govt.nz/speed-consultation. 

Consultation closes on 13 March. 

Whakapā mai – Get in touch

• Email us
• Website
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• 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 (fortnightly)
• This TREC Tairāwhiti regional update (fortnightly)

Local road network

Gisborne District Council is responsible for local roading recovery projects. More information.

Up-to-date information on local road closures.