Feds Backs Practical Bypass Solution At Hikuwai

Federated Farmers is backing a project by a Tolaga Bay contracting company and local residents to reopen vital access to rural communities and farms north of Hikuwai.

"A partial solution proposed by authorities falls well short, in our view," Federated Farmers national board member and transport spokesperson Mark Hooper says.

"A bypass, across private land, that local residents and Kuru Contracting have underway is a practical response that offers longer-term resilience to impacted families and businesses. In our view Waka Kotahi, Gisborne District Council and others should get on board with it and offer whatever help they can."

Rural properties, communities and consequently the primary sector in the Tolaga and Tokomaru Bay areas of Tairāwhiti were slammed by Cyclone Gabrielle. For farmers, cut off access is not just about being blocked from making trips that every other family needs to make. It also means disruption to feeding and looking after animals on land damaged by slips and flooding (including being able to move them elsewhere for grazing, or to destock), and removes the ability to get remaining viable product to market - critical to support employment and the local economy going forward.

Proposals by authorities to install a bailey bridge at the destroyed Hikuwai No 1 bridge would only restore access for light vehicles to SH35 and further north.

"Farmers, and the recovery in general, requires access for heavy vehicles too," Hooper says.

The bypass being constructed by Kuru Contracting will be suitable for all vehicles and will get that traffic past Hikuwai No 1 and No 2 damaged bridges, re-joining at Hikuwai No 3 to SH35. There is the potential at a later date to also bypass Hikuwai No 3.

The bypass is on land owned by the Potae whanau, who are right behind the project, in the words of one whanau member, "in the interest of solutions focused on progress in the spirit of collaboration".

Everyone talks of greater resilience and Federated Farmers has told central government that suspension of some of the usual Resource Management red tape, in the interests of speeding recovery, is warranted.

"Given the high possibility of increased cyclone related damage in the future, an alternative transport route - of which the Hikuwai deviation would form part of - would seem to us a sensible investment at this critical time," Hooper said.

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