Work begins on critical Tiniroto repairs near Gisborne after resident concerns

Awapapa Station farm manager Alex Campbell and wife Megan fill up the potholes they call "craters" with gravel on the stretch of Tiniroto Rd by their house. Photo / Zita Campbell

Gisborne District Council has taken action this week to improve safety on Tiniroto Rd after residents raised concerns about “hundreds” of “crater”-sized potholes.

Works today and tomorrow will be undertaken with stop/go traffic management in place, and full road closures will be in place from Wednesday.

GDC director of community lifelines Tim Barry said on Friday last week the council would reprioritise its work programme to ensure “critical” repairs.

The council said it had met with local MPs to discuss the challenges facing Tiniroto Rd.

The Gisborne Herald reported last week on residents’ concerns about the state of the road and the near-misses drivers had experienced.

“We know how frustrating and concerning this has been for residents and regular road users, especially as conditions can change quickly,” Barry said.

“We’re also working closely with NZ Police and the transport industry to improve compliance and support enforcement of road safety measures.”

Resident Alex Campbell welcomed the quick council action.

“It’s almost as if a bomb has gone off in the roading system somewhere,” he said.

“I had a nationwide stock transporter working here on Monday and he reckoned the road was the worst he had ever driven on,” Campbell said.

“That fairly represents the widespread public comments I hear. Whoever is ultimately in charge has dodged a bullet in that nobody has been seriously hurt [due to] the deplorable state of the road.”

Work to improve Tiniroto Rd was due to begin today from the Campbell–Tiniroto Rd intersection.

The first stage will focus on clearing vegetation, followed by the removal of debris and material from roadside drains.

Maintenance of the road surface will follow, depending on the weather.

Maintenance work will include reverting several sections of the worst-affected sealed road to gravel.

Barry said this would help improve the driving surface and make the road safer in the short term, while the council worked towards longer-term solutions.

He acknowledged the impact closures would have on daily travel and said school bus access and closure timings would continue to be managed in line with arrangements agreed with Tiniroto Community Association.

“We appreciate the community’s patience while this work is carried out, and we’ll do our best to minimise disruption where we can.:

Barry said with limited funding, work needed to be prioritised across the entire roading network.

Napier MP Katie Nimon said she had been working with the Tiniroto community on the issue since October last year.

“I had been trying to get a meeting for GDC since January, so I’m pleased to see the council has taken action after our meeting last week. But this has taken considerable intervention to get to this point.”

Barry said the council continued to work with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi on potential funding support and long-term solutions to strengthen the resilience of the corridor.

Tiniroto Rd remained an important connection for Gisborne, particularly when State Highway 2 was disrupted, he said.

“We understand how critical this road is for residents and industry. We are closely monitoring conditions and will continue to keep the community informed as the programme of work progresses.”