In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle causing havoc on the district’s roads, our focus was on restoring access to closed routes and making roads safe for users, involving clearing materials, installing signage or positioning one-way controls.

Following this initial response work, efforts were focused on clearing materials from roads, ensuring drains and culverts were operating correctly, and completing minor repairs to the roading network. Permanent repairs to reinstate roads, alter routes, or build walls all require thorough investigation, design and construction process. This takes time but ensures that any repairs and solutions are well planned and durable.

Funding challenges have also meant that some sites are currently unfunded.

Our roading network plays a crucial role in our community's safety and accessibility, so ensuring that it remains in serviceable condition is a top priority for us.

We currently have two buckets of cyclone recovery-related funding available to carry out repairs to our district’s roads: one for ‘Planned Response’ work (completed February 2023 to July 2024), and one for ‘Recovery’ work (being carried out now, until end of June 2025), both of which sit outside of Council's funding for general road maintenance and repairs.

We have also received $11 million from the Crown as part of the National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Ltd funds. This funding will be used to rehabilitate four key complex repairs in the district, which have suffered due to the extreme weather events of the past year.

Separate to the post-cyclone response and recovery programmes, general land transport road maintenance and repairs are joint funded by Waka Kotahi and Council via local ratepayers’ contributions. Waka Kotahi provides Council a FAR (funding assistance rate) of 59% of funds to complete general maintenance and repairs on our roading network, and we fund the balance of 41%. When the district undergoes a state of emergency or significant weather event such as Cyclone Gabrielle, Waka Kotahi will enhance the FAR and provide us with a higher percentage.

We prioritise repairs to the roading network by assessing the site’s impact to road users, factoring how severe the damage is and so how much the road user is impacted; and how many people use the road and are impacted by the issue. We also take into consideration the likelihood of the site worsening if left untreated, which allows for flexibility when prioritising repairs and the order of work.

We have been engaging with community through drop-in sessions and public conversations, listening to residents’ feedback, and using the gathered data to inform our prioritisation of work as it affects the community.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council cannot afford to fund the recovery independently, as the impact on rates would be too significant. We rely heavily on NZTA to co-fund transport repairs caused by weather events, so it is crucial that we align with NZTA's funding requirements and processes.

We have had to work closely with NZTA to understand the specific funding criteria applicable to the recovery efforts following Cyclone Gabrielle, including investigating repair solutions and gaining individual funding approval for each damaged site. This process has taken time and required careful planning and documentation to ensure all repair solutions meet NZTA's standards and criteria to qualify for co-funding, and contributes to long-term resilience of the district's transport infrastructure.

Now in our third year of recovery efforts, Council has repaired almost all of the minor roading repairs identified as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, and 24 simple and complex repairs to bridges, landslides and erosion damage, thanks to government funding. The continued funded cyclone recovery efforts will see work on 30 critical road projects in 2025, as well as repairs to four key recovery sites on Wimbledon Road 1.3 and 9.5, Elsthorpe Road, and Fletchers Crossing.

A good investment of public money reinstates the damaged asset (i.e. rebuilds the road).

Investigation ensures a better understanding of what caused the issue or damage and informs the design of a robust solution that minimises the risk of the same thing happening in the future.

Design work produces fit-for-purpose solutions, ensures engineering requirements and compliance are met, and provides clear instructions for the construction phase. Having clear instructions for tender and construction streamlines the process and reduces the need for ad hoc decision-making. Spending time and money on getting things right at the outset is the most cost-efficient way to renew an asset.

General maintenance and repair work on the district’s roads fall under a separate category to Council’s post-cyclone response and recovery work and so has a separate source of funding.

General maintenance and repair work consists of those issues on the roading network that do not result from Cyclone Gabrielle or other extreme weather events, but rather from age, wear, and tear, and so runs alongside the cyclone response and recovery work.

You can find more information about Council's roading network and any general maintenance repairs or weather events that may be impacting our roads here.

We are bound to comply with the traffic management requirements set by national standards. These standards are designed to keep both road users and road workers safe in the event of an identified fault on the road or work to repair the fault. Yes, there is a cost to complying with these standards, but it is done with the right intent and could save lives or prevent injuries. Public interference with traffic management or the removal of traffic cones pose an unnecessary cost to projects and public safety risk.