Those of us trying to enjoy a holiday in the upper North Island mid-Jan could be forgiven for thinking that we were experiencing Cyclone Gabrielle-level rainfall again.  In fact, you weren’t far wrong. During Gabrielle in 2023, Northland recorded 342mm over a seven-day period. 

And the rainfall this year? Northland was hit with between 300-350mm, but this time in only 48 hours. Tauranga was hit with 274mm in one day, its wettest day ever recorded, a month’s worth of rain. And East Cape was hit with a major deluge. All of this causing widespread flooding and damage to homes and properties

So how did the roading network hold up?

I’ll start with the good. In Northland, while the flooding was extensive, and roads were cut off, the critical state highway links held up. State Highway 10 in the Mangamukas faired well, with slips addressed quickly.

Further south, the Brynderwyn State Highway 1 link experienced slips, but was opened in a matter of hours. In the Coromandel, State Highway 25 and 25A re-opened after a day or two, with the new bridge holding up well.

These particular stretches of highway have been notorious for frequent and extended closures during significant rainfall events. Both have had major investments and rebuilds by NZTA, and are now at a standard of resilience our national highway needs. 

Further down the island, a different story played out. State Highway 3 had significant rain but the closure was due to culvert replacements which was opened on time.  However as I write this a slip caused an overnight closure disrupting freight on this critical freight route.   This State Highway has experienced several closures over the previous year due to major slips resulting in lengthy closures in July, September, October and the more recent one now in February.

In the East Cape, State Highway 2  through the Waioweka Gorge was closed for several weeks from the 322mm of rain that was dumped within 24 hours causing multiple slips , key routes such as SH35 also experienced intermittent closures significantly disrupting travel between Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty, with Potaka to Te Araroa still closed whilst recovery works continue.

National Road Carriers played a major role during these disruptions. Paula Rogers relayed closure information quickly to members when notifications came through from our agency representatives and road contractors.

If you are a transport operator and aren’t a member, you are missing out on a vital comms link for your business.

The lesson couldn’t be plainer. Investing in roading resilience pays off. Road connections are restored quickly, keeping critical freight and supply chain to our regions up and running. When we don’t invest, we lose millions of dollars in lost time and delayed materials to factories – a false economy. 

The vital highways that are regularly cutting off communities, such as East Cape and Taranaki must be next on the list for resilience works. 

Justin Tighe-Umbers, Chief Executive, National Road Carriers Assn