Roy Fraser says community support is needed to rebuild the Tukituki-Tarewa swing bridge in Central Hawke's Bay.
Planning is under way to rebuild the Tukituki-Tarewa swing bridge in Central Hawke’s Bay with calls for the community to help to raise vital funds.
The 100m swing bridge was originally built by the community group Rotary River Pathway Trust, neighbouring the Gum Tree Mountain Bike Park.
When the bridge washed away, almost four years ago in March 2022, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council committed $565,000 towards its rebuild.
Now Cyclone Gabrielle and new wastewater standards mean the council and Rotary River Pathways Trust need to change the project’s details to rebuild.
Initially, the new bridge was going to carry wastewater pipes along the sides and, by the end of 2022, work on it was well underway, with funding confirmed, design completed, building consent obtained, a contractor appointed, and a Department of Conservation concession made for the build.
However, the new wastewater standards, which are expected to be confirmed by the Government by October, reduced the urgency to discharge wastewater to land, as was the case when the project began.
In response to ongoing challenges of rates affordability for water service delivery under Local Water Done Well, the council indicated plans to decrease long-term investment in three waters infrastructure, including wastewater.
As a result, an alternative funding source will be required, as the wastewater targeted rate can no longer fund part of the bridge’s replacement.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council chief executive Doug Tate said final resource consent approval from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council was imminent when the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, saw the project come to a halt.
The council’s focus switched to rebuilding essential infrastructure such as roads and water treatment plants.
“We also had to pause to confirm the impact of the cyclone on any new bridge.”
Tate said in early 2025, New Zealand’s water authority, Taumata Arowai, began consultation on new national Wastewater Standards, alongside the central Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation, three water rates affordability became a major challenge.”
“The trust is acting in good faith to support council for the community’s benefit. Although the project has evolved, we still have a responsibility to support the Trust”.
Rotary River Pathways Trust chair Roy Fraser said community support was needed to rebuild the loved swing bridge.
When the bridge was originally built, the community raised around $300,000, gifting the finished project to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council as trail guardians.
“The trust has always been clear – the swing bridge will be rebuilt. The first step already under way is to get an up-to-date cost estimate."
Fraser said the idea for the bridge began almost as a joke, but turned into something great that linked Waipawa and Waipukurau and opened a gateway to nature along the Tukituki Trails.
“A casual comment about linking the towns by a bridge – but it quickly sparked the imagination of locals."
He said the result was a loop ride that attracted both residents and visitors, feeding into the national boom in cycle tourism alongside the Otago Rail Trail, Alps 2 Ocean, and the Timber Trail.
“The swing bridge became a symbol of Central Hawke’s Bay’s vision: a place people wanted to visit, and a reason people wanted to stay.”
Fraser said the trust would launch fresh fundraising initiatives and revive the popular “Friends of the Trails” programme to give locals the chance to play their part.
“Watch this space – very soon we’ll be asking the community to join us in making the bridge a reality again.
“The swing bridge has always been more than wood, steel, and concrete. It was a place where cyclists, walkers, picnickers, and visitors gathered, a place of connection.”
The council is expected to receive an update in December on planning and the process for how best it can continue to support the project – including any financial contribution.