Te Whāiti Road has been closed since 6 April as a result of massive damage caused by Cyclone Debbie, which left the road blocked or impassable in at least 15 places.

Whakatāne District Council contractor crews have since re-established limited access so they can get earthmoving machinery in to the affected areas. Work is progressing well, but this is essentially an extended work site which is not safe for public access except under strictly-controlled conditions. To restore access for the Te Whāiti and Minginui communities as quickly as possible, the contractors need to be able to work without having to worry about people and private vehicles being in harm's way. As soon as safe access has been restored, the road will be re-opened.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whare, community representatives, Council, DOC and Timberlands staff are working closely to get the road reopened.

Situation update

As of Friday, 12 May, the access status for the Minginui and Te Whāiti communities is as follows.

• There are still seven stretches of Te Whāiti Road with only marginal, single-lane access available, where the risk to non-contractor traffic is too high to allow public access. This relates to the threat of accidents with trucks and earthmoving equipment; and poor sight-lines, which mean there is a greater risk of head-on accidents on corners.
• Five contractor crews are working extended hours.
• Access through these areas is available under strictly-controlled circumstances for emergency services only.
• Gates are in place at both ends of the road to prevent public access. It’s important that the road closure is observed so that contractors can safely get on with their job and get the road reopened as soon as possible.
• In the meantime, access to and from Murupara is via Timberlands’ forestry roads. Work has been done to improve the road surface and signage, but anyone using these roads needs to do so with caution. Logging trucks are likely to be on the road too, so be careful, keep speeds down, and be ready to stop if asked to do so by Timberlands staff. The key health and safety message when driving on forestry roads is: “Drive to the conditions and travel at a speed that allows you to stop within half the visible distance in front of you.”

Key targets

• Controlled access for local residents only through Te Whaiti Road, for a fixed time each morning and evening, by mid-June, or earlier. Note: this target is very weather dependent – if we get the right conditions and a clear run at the road repairs, this could happen sooner; if we don’t, it could be later.
• Safe two-lane, unsealed access by the end of July. Again, this target is weather-dependent. If things go our way it may be sooner, but it’s too early to predict with any confidence.
• Further works will continue through the spring and summer to fully restore the road to the same condition as it was before the storm. At this stage, it’s too early to be able to say when that work will be completed.

Timberlands

Our access to Timberlands forestry roads is not a given. Timberlands has generously allowed community use of the roads on the basis that all users proceed with caution, that their staff and assets are treated with respect, and that the extra costs of upgrading the roads and installing signage are picked up by the Council. We need Timberlands’ cooperation, and everybody needs to work together to keep this vital access route open and available.