Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s news it will invest $22 million across 18 projects in the West Coast to improve roading resilience.

A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state highway network from future severe weather disruption.

Roads in the region that will receive funding from the Transport Resilience Fund are:

SH6 Gates of Haast river erosion

SH6 Wanganui River Protection

SH6 Whataroa River Protection

SH73 Rock Shelter DSA and Strengthening

SH73 Otira River Bridge Abutment Protection

SH6 Buller Gorge Rock Scaling

SH6 Douglas Culvert No.2 Replacement

Cascade Corner

Cobden Hill West

Depot Creek

Ormon Falls

East of McGraths Corner

McGraths Corner

Whites Bridge West Approach

Rocky Point

SH73 Candys Bend Scouring

SH6 Meybille Bay Slip

SH6 Epitaph Slip – Remote Monitoring­­­­­­

The Haast to Hawea section of SH6 has also been identified by Waka Kotahi as a high priority for improving the overall resilience of the state highway corridor, with planning work programmed for the 2024-27 NLTP period.

“State Highway 6 is prone to closures from slips, rock falls, and flooding. Additionally, the West Coast is susceptible to adverse weather events,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.

“Many roads in the region have experienced repeated extreme weather events in recent years. We need to repair our state highways after these events and also build greater resilience so they’re less affected in the future.

“Safer and more resilient roads will also help support tourism on the West Coast – a key industry for the region and for many locals,” he said.

“Investing in resilience creates savings down the road, as well as ensuring communities aren’t cut off and isolated after extreme weather.”

Transporting New Zealand Interim chief executive Dom Kalasih said increasing the resilience of the roading network is a top priority for its freight operator members.

“Having a reliable and resilient roading network is essential to supporting the mining, agriculture and forestry industries that drive the West Coast’s economy – and the same goes for New Zealand’s entire national transport system.

“Severe weather events are occurring more and more frequently, wrecking New Zealand’s vulnerable roading network, and putting people’s safety and the security of the supply chain at risk,” Kalasih said.

“Our members want to see our regional roading connections strengthened against adverse weather impacts like slips, rock falls, and flooding.”

Transporting New Zealand is calling on the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 to make road network resilience the overarching strategic priority.

“The Transport Resilience Fund is a good start, but we need all transport investment decisions by Waka Kotahi and councils to have resilience at front-of-mind,” said Kalasih.

“Transporting New Zealand hopes the next government will amend the draft GPS document to elevate road network resilience and maintenance considerations.