‘We’re still stuck’

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Tensions have been running high in Tokomaru Bay over the district council's handling of convoys which have proven a lifeline to residents needing to access Gisborne.

Following Cyclone Gabrielle, the small town has been cut off from Ruatoria in the north and Gisborne in the south due to slips and washouts on State Highway 35.

But on March 5, Te Akau o Tokomaru Civil Defence began group trips to and from Gisborne on dangerous backroads which bypass the closed section of highway near Tolaga Bay.

The convoys began independent of the council, but Civil Defence — many of whom are volunteers — piloted the trips in council-marked vehicles.

Te Akau o Tokomaru Civil Defence logistics volunteer Colin Skudder said travelling in convoy had been important for safety reasons, as an RT (radio) was essential due to the presence of logging trucks.

“We were doing it voluntarily. We were taking time off work to lead these convoys through,” Mr Skudder said. “The thing with Gisborne is a lot of people have forgotten we're still stuck in our little town.”

Last Wednesday, Tokomaru residents were told via a community Facebook page that the organised convoys would be stopped and were encouraged to complain to the council about the matter.

A number of users expressed frustration, with one saying he needed to get to town to collect his wife's medication.

The council responded by saying it would begin three convoys a day to and from Tokomaru Bay, starting on Friday.

But this has come as only partial relief to Civil Defence, who say they feel unappreciated for the long hours they've already put in following the cyclone.

A member of the group — who did not wish to be named — said they were fatigued from running the convoys on top of 20 hour days they had already put in.

When concerns were raised with the council, along with the need for a contingency plan for when the state of emergency was lifted, it took two weeks to receive a response, the person said.

The council has contracted the convoy work to a third party who are operating from opposite ends of the Tokomaru Bay and Gisborne route, piloting vehicles to a halfway point at the Tauwhareparae and Hokoroa intersection.

Council community lifelines director David Wilson said Civil Defence had asked for a formalised convoy system but there had been a delay in organising this.

“We apologise to the Tokomaru Bay community for any frustration this has caused.”

Mr Wilson said the convoy had been using council staff vehicles, as the organisation was fortunate enough to have four staff volunteers in the Tokomaru Bay Civil Defence team.

The council is using contractors who are qualified in health and safety on roads.

“We also want to ensure those volunteers who are leading the convoys are able to take a well-earned break or head back to their normal roles and responsibilities.”

In the past couple of weeks, up to 30 vehicles at a time have travelled in a group at predetermined times on Thursdays and Sundays.

Normal journey times of one-and-a-half hours between the two centres have ballooned to as long as three-and-a-half hours because of the state of the roads on the alternative route.

The new convoy system leaves from Tokomaru Bay Four Square at one end, and the Waimata Valley Road/Back Ormond Road intersection at the other end.

Both convoys are piloted and leave independently at 8am, 11am and 2pm.