Politicians flock to Far North to survey state highway and roads 'in crisis'

Waka Kotahi contractors are carrying out geotechnical assessments to understand the full extent of the damage at SH1 through Mangamuka Gorge. Photo / Waka Kotahi

Northland MPs, councillors, a Government minister and National's transport spokesman have flocked to the Far North to view firsthand the ongoing impact of weather damage to the region's fragile roading network.

The politicians' road trips and helicopter rides come after a section of SH1 through Mangamuka gorge has been closed again due to bad weather, completely cutting off parts of the Far North from the rest of the country.

It's the second time the gorge has been closed in recent years; it was also hit by major slips in July 2020, and repairs took almost a year and cost $16.2m. The highway only re-opened 14 months ago.

On Thursday, Associate Transport Minister Kieran McAnulty joined Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis and Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime in the Far North, where McAnulty surveyed the damage by helicopter.

National's Transport spokesman Simeon Brown flew into Kerikeri on Wednesday and met Far North councillor Felicity Foy and Far North District Council chief executive Blair King for a comprehensive roadie.

The trio started at Kerikeri airport and travelled along SH10 to Kaitaia, then south through Ahipara and Herekino, along West Coast Rd in Panguru and to other parts of south Hokianga, taking in some of the district's unsealed network before heading back along SH1 through Umawera and Rangiahua.

Brown said he witnessed "a lot of slips and areas where the roads are falling away".

The trip was "a good opportunity to get a sense of the impact of the gorge closure, but also funding issues around transport in the Far North", Brown said.

National transport spokesman Simeon Brown [right] checks out damage to a Far North road during a visit on Wednesday.

"It's pretty clear there are significant challenges up here in Northland around how the roads have been maintained but also the funding model... it's clear there is a need for more investment.

"The Government needs to ensure it's getting the basics right rather than focusing on big-ticket pet projects such as light rail and cycle paths across the harbour bridge.

"There are significant issues around the resilience of roads in Northland. Without a resilient roading network, it puts the whole economy at risk."

Foy said Northland's roading situation "is in crisis".

Many residents have spoken to her about the "Northland-wide neglect of our roads, and how they've never been this bad before", she said.

"I don't think the Government is listening.

"The consolidated fund for roading from fuel taxes, road user charges and registrations are intended for just that – roads.

"Yet it's been diluted and used for other transport options.

"Can we please do the basics first because Northland deserves a minimum standard of roads.

"How is our community supposed to prosper if we have roads that are physically failing which is what's happening with SH1?

"Why would people want to move here when our roads are of this standard?"

Far North councillor Felicity Foy and National transport spokesman Simeon Brown survey damage to Mangamuka Rd in the Far North.

Three weeks after torrential rain caused a series of slips that forced the closure of SH1 between Kitchen and Makene roads there is still no timeline for repairs.

It means, again, motorists wanting to use the main route between Whangārei and Kaitaia will have to detour along SH10, adding at least 30 minutes to their journeys and loading more traffic onto the smaller highway.

Waka Kotahi regional manager for Auckland and Northland, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, said contractors are on site "working in difficult conditions to carry out geotechnical assessments in order to understand the full extent of the damage".

"Decisions on the nature of repairs and reconstruction – including the time and the cost required to complete them - will depend on the outcome of those assessments.

"Ground conditions in the gorge remain highly unstable at several sites - in some locations geotechnical engineers have had to drill down more than 20 metres to find solid rock.

"The movement in the gorge is likely to continue or even worsen with more torrential rain forecast later this week."

Given the vulnerability of SH1, Foy has been advocating for an alternative route through Broadwood, Herekino and Ahipara.

Foy hopes the route - which would need to be upgraded to a state highway to handle the extra traffic - would serve as a detour any time the gorge was closed instead of SH10.

Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis said "any alternative routes will need experts to determine whether they are feasible as the state of the land in Northland has subsided and is unstable".

Waka Kotahi did not answer this question.

Multiple slumps and underslips have, once again, made SH1 impassable through Mangamuka Gorge. Photo / Waka Kotahi

Davis continues to praise the Government's efforts and "investment" into the region's roads.

"Significant investment has been made by this Government in road maintenance and recovery," he said.

"Labour has continued to pour record amounts of money into Northland roads."

Asked why, if this was the case, they are in such a bad state of repair, Davis said "there is no such thing as a bulletproof road".

"The damage to SH1 was caused by an extreme weather event. These events are not only impacting those of us in Northland."

McAnulty said of his chopper ride with a roading expert, Far North mayor John Carter and chief executive Blair King, that "there was no better way to get to know the extent of the damage than by air."

He planned to head back to Wellington immediately and talk to senior ministers about what he'd seen and the disruption this had caused.

"The damage is extensive, as a result, we're talking about 15 slips. It's going to take some time. We're talking about weather events becoming more frequent and more severe.

"Waka Kotahi is working as quickly as they can. SH35 [on the East Coast] completely washed out and they fixed it within four days, SH6 was back under way within 10 days, but neither compares to the extent of the damage here."

Prime acknowledged McAnulty's visit and thanked Waka Kotahi for keeping the community informed of developments.