TREC Tairāwhiti recovery update

Issue 43

10 April 2026

Tēnā koe

In this issue we share a video showing recent work at the Hakanui Straight flood resilience project on State Highway 2 (SH2).

We also share updates from our State Highway 35 (SH35) projects at Mangahauini Gorge, Hikuwai Bridge, Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge, and Maraehara.

Thanks for your ongoing patience and support as we continue our Cyclone Gabrielle recovery mahi.

With a weather warning in place for this weekend, please stay safe. Keep an eye on the NZTA Journey Planner for up-to-date travel information and follow their Facebook page.

Hakanui Straight flood resilience – preparing for completion of works

Construction continues on the final stages of the Hakanui Straight flood resilience project. Our video below gives a good insight into why this project is so important for the wider Tairāwhiti community.

Our teams are in the final few weeks of work to ensure this stretch of SH2 raised by nearly 3 metres will provide a safer, more reliable connection for local whānau and road users.

Upcoming one-hour road closure

Please note a small section of the road at the Hakanui Straight project (between Poynter Road and Pitcher Road) will be closed between 6am and 7am on Sunday 26 April for a community event to celebrate the completion of this project. Traffic management will be in place to keep people safe. 

SH35 Mangahauini Gorge – upcoming traffic changes

Work is progressing at Mangahauini Gorge as crews continue strengthening the river control structures that protect SH35 during periods of high river flow. 

With structural reinforcement now in place, the next phase involves:

• completing further stabilisation works along the gorge, and 
• managing river alignment to reduce future scour (erosion caused by the fast-moving water in this awa). 

To safely carry out this work, upcoming changes to traffic management will begin from mid‑April. From next week through to August, the road will be single‑lane with 24/7 temporary traffic lights with up to 5 minutes delay. As works progress, traffic will switch between the northbound and southbound lanes, but will stay single‑lane until the work is complete. 

When traffic shifts to the northbound lane road users will be on the new road alignment, which is a big milestone for this project.  

These traffic shifts allow crews to safely access different parts of the embankment and river structures while keeping SH35 open for the community.

Mangahauini culvert work

Around 500 metres south of the main Mangahauini site, culvert (large pipes) and drainage work will also begin next week.

A new culvert will be installed under the full width of the road which requires excavation, so traffic will need to share a single lane while construction is underway.

The road will be reduced to one lane under stop/go traffic management Monday-Friday between 7am and 6pm. The works are expected to take 9 weeks to complete, although this may change depending on weather and ground conditions.

A 30km/h speed restriction will be in place, and delays of up to 5 minutes are likely.

Thanks for driving safely so our hard working crew can get home to whānau after each shift.

The new alignment of the road being built is on the right-hand side.

SH35 Hikuwai Bridge progress and kura connection

With the new Hikuwai Bridge piling now complete, crews are focused on pile caps, abutments (structures at the ends of the bridge) and building a Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) wall. 

The wall will be built between the bridge abutments and the existing ground, holding the road above in place.

We also had a special visit from Te Kura o Mata, located inland from Tokomaru Bay. Tamariki were treated to an up-close view of the works by Senior Project Manager Fred Witton.

You can also take a closer look at the intricacies of bridge piling on page 6 of our Hikuwai photo spread in our recent TREC Pānui.

Left to Right: The northern abutment is making good progress; Te Kura o Mata on-site with Fred Witton on right.

Foundations locked in at Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge

Cyclone Gabrielle caused serious flooding and erosion beneath the Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge on SH35 near Ruatoria. It damaged the riverbank and parts of the bridge structure.

We’re working on rebuilding and strengthening the riverbank and adding long-term protection to guard it from future flood events.

Beneath the surface, crews have been busy locking the riverbank protection structure into place, burying hanbars (large concrete blocks) deep within the riverbed to form a solid anchor.

With the first row of the foundation secured using the hanbars, an initial row of dolosse (a different type of large concrete block) has been placed, as shown in the photo below. Rock armour (large boulders) will be installed on the riverside to protect against scouring.

Following completion of the foundation works, rock bags will be installed with additional dolosse placed above. This will form a layered protection system to provide long‑term stability and erosion resistance for the riverbank.

This layering will continue for a number of weeks, with the project expected to be completed mid-2026.

First line of dolosse (large concrete blocks) installation has now been completed.

Steady progress at Maraehara

Crews are busy at Maraehara on SH35 repairing a section of road that failed after Cyclone Gabrielle. 

A 38 metre long counterfort drain has now been installed to improve drainage and reduce movement in the area. These drains are full of perforated holes to capture water from inside the ground and keep it moving away.

A shear key is also being constructed as part of the repairs. This is an engineering technique used to act as a barrier to the hillside moving and underground drainage to improve the ground stability.

Devil’s Elbow recovery: a major milestone reached on SH2 in Hawke’s Bay

A recent 4km road rebuild (asphalting) at Devil’s Elbow on SH2 in Hawke’s Bay marks the end of all major recovery construction in this part of SH2.

Eleven post-cyclone recovery projects were delivered across the Devil’s Elbow corridor. This included major underslip repairs, drainage improvements, and building a 12m-high retaining wall at Devil’s Corner where a 40m-long, 10m-high underslip took out the southbound lane.

These works have restored the road and provided a more resilient, reliable connection for people travelling south to Napier. 

Check out our Devil’s Elbow wrap-up video to see how far we’ve come.

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.

SH2 underway

• Hakanui Straight project (formerly called Nesbitt’s Dip) – flood improvements.
• Faram’s – counterfort drain installation.

SH2 coming soon

• Otoko Hill road resurfacing.

SH35 underway

• Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement.
• 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.
• Tōrere – underslip and overslip repairs.
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge revetment – scour protection.
• Maraehara – underslip repairs.
• Uawa River scour – underslip repairs.

SH35 coming soon

• Kopuaroa – drainage improvements.
• Kopuaroa – pavement works.
• Kemps Hill (Stage 3) - underslip repair.

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.