They say make hay while the sun shines and that is exactly what Gisborne District Council is doing, repairing hundreds of slips and dropouts on rural roads.

Since Government cyclone recovery funding was approved in October last year, Council has repaired 60 slips and dropouts and intends to complete another 200 this year.

“When funding was approved we were ready to push go on the first package of sites, so we didn’t waste any time getting moving,” said Tim Barry, Council Director of Community Lifelines.

A total of 344 slips and dropouts have been approved by funders NZ Transport Agency and National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF) for repair by mid-2027, some of which are located on the region’s busiest forestry and farming transport routes.

“We’re aiming to have all 275 ‘non-complex’ sites completed this year,” said Mr Barry.

“While this work is happening, we’re also completing designs for our 87 major ‘big ticket’ complex dropouts that we’ll start getting to market later this year.

Mr Barry says repairs will run until mid-2027 but explains that the machines and workers on site are only a small part of the process, which can be frustrating for the community.

“There’s a lot of preliminary work needed before any work starts,” he said.

“After funding is approved, environmental and cultural impact reports, resource consent applications, design and estimates are all essential stages of each project.

“Once those are completed, we go to funders for final approval before we can begin the tender process to select a contractor. It’s by no means a simple process.”

“Everyone working on these repairs is so passionate about what they do and they're doing it for the Tairāwhiti community.

“We can all be proud of this.”

Confirmed slips and dropouts for repair and more information on Council’s recovery can be found on Council’s website: www.gdc.govt.nz/services/roads/road-works

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