www.nzrf.co.nz
Edition 159 February 2023
Why the region needs an expressway
Wairarapa needs an alternative route to SH2.
A Wairarapa expressway that bypasses the four towns on SH2 has been discussed before, but never more than as a conceptual possibility.
But now that the controversial safety improvements between Masterton and Featherston will lower the speed limit, making the essential arterial road less useful for motorists and freight trucks, maybe it’s time for expressway talks to begin again.
The current road is one of the two transport corridors in and out of Wellington.
The name alone, SH2, implies that it should be the second most important road in New Zealand, but it won’t be up to scratch as a state highway once the lower limits kick in on Friday, January 27.
Once the safety changes are completed, a southbound driver will have slow to 50kmh in Lansdowne and won’t be allowed to reach 100kmh again until Remutaka Hill Rd, 38.5km south.
During that journey, they will travel at 50kmh or below for 14.9km [38 per cent of the way].
The controversial works will also include 21 raised pedestrian crossings in the towns, further slowing travellers.
These safety improvements are good news for residents, who should be allowed to cross the street without fear of going under the wheels of a 40-ton truck, but the changes will seriously hinder the effectiveness of SH2 as a transit link.
The 40km-long stretch of state highway, which moves industrial quantities of pine logs and people north and south, probably shouldn’t pass through four town centres
Crawling through 4km of Carterton at 3050kmh, passing over five raised pedestrian crossings along the way, should not be necessary for people commuting from Masterton to Wellington.
As pleasant as the Greytown shops are, If I were driving a truck, I wouldn’t want to travel through there at a busy time three hours into a journey from Napier to Wellington.
It is the NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi’s job to ensure state highways are effective links for the high-speed flow of goods and people across New Zealand.
It takes equal time to drive from Woodville to Upper Hutt, whether the route is via Wairarapa or Kapiti, despite the road through Wairarapa being 20km shorter.
When the Manawatu Gorge replacement road opens, more and more traffic from the north will bypass Wairarapa entirely.
SH2 south of Masterton is an essential piece of national and regional infrastructure, linking Wellington, Wairarapa, and Hawke’s Bay.
Road users make about 33,000 journeys daily from Masterton to Upper Hutt, according to a 2016 report by NZTA.
Greater Wellington Regional Council expects Wairarapa to be a high-growth area in its long-term plan.
Our state highway needs to be an actual state highway to support this expected growth.
The agency is never going to agree that 100kmh is a safe speed on an ordinary country road, and there’s no point building a proper motorway between the towns if motorists still had to crawl through the centre at 50kmh.
Our local councils and transport agency need to invest in infrastructure to keep Wairarapa well-connected to our regional neighbours.
Roads 'impassable', bridges destroyed as transport networks around New Zealand damaged
Damage to roads throughout the North Island has caused many to be closed, a train has derailed, a bridge swept away and the Coromandel Peninsula is cut off.
Authorities in many areas today reiterated yesterday's warnings to stay home if you are safe, and not to go out on the roads unless it was essential.
Hazards include trees down, slips, electrical risks, damaged roads and sewage and wastewater contamination. Floodwaters were particularly dangerous to drive in as there could be unseen hidden dangers such as holes or logs.
Emotional road safety ad reveals excuses policehearforspeeding
A powerful and emotional new road safety campaign highlights the stark contrast between the excuses police hear for speeding and the horrific scenes of car crashes they see.
The message of the Through My Eyes campaign, launched by NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi and NZ Police, is simple - there are no excuses for speeding.
The video component of the ad shows a police officer going about his new normal daily routine - ordering coffee from a cafe, talking to his children and having lunch, which coincides with him pulling over speeding drivers and hearing a number of ‘same old excuses’ before cutting to a grim scene of a car crash that he responds to.
Superintendent Steve Greally, Police’s National Road Policing Director, explains that police hear a variety of reasons from drivers trying to justify their speed who believe they won’t get caught, crash or hurt anyone.
The excuses commonly include ‘I was only a few kilometres over’, ‘I know these roads like the back of my hand’ and ‘I wasn’t going that fast’.
However, police, more than most people, are the ones who go on to see the consequences of speeding drivers.
“There’s just no reasonable excuse for speeding. We see the unnecessary harm on our roads as a result of excessive speed every day. Police are committed to making Aotearoa New Zealand’s roads safer, but we need everyone to play their part in reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries,” Greally said.
“We want you to get to your destination, so slow down, drive to the speed limit and drive to the conditions. And know that you can
expect to see Police out on the roads –anytime and anywhere.”
Portfolio Manager of Road to Zero, Tara Macmillan said excessive speed or driving too fast for the conditions are contributing factors in almost all crashes that either kill or seriously injure drivers and their passengers. Furthermore, Macmillan said speed plays a crucial role in determining the severity of a crash, no matter what caused it.
“Travelling at the safe and appropriate speed is incredibly important in reducing the current level of harm on our roads. Alongside enforcement, ensuring the speed limits on streets and roads are appropriate plays a large role in keeping everyone safe, no matter how they travel,” Macmillan said.
”NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi and local councils are implementing safe speeds across the motu, contributing towards creating a safe transport system and we want New Zealanders to do their part by driving to the conditions and under the posted speed limit.”
Meetings planned to discuss fate of Marlborough Sounds roads
The public's ideas on what should be done with Marlborough Sounds roads to make them safe and resilient to future flooding is being sought.
The council will hold community meetings in the Marlborough Sounds for input into the Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study. The study will look into four areas in the sounds, French Pass, Pelorus, Kenepuru and Port Underwood.
Mayor Nadine Taylor said input from the community was an important part of the study - which aimed to support the case for funding safe, resilient and affordable longterm access solutions in storm affected areas of the Sounds.
"The views of the community are crucial in helping the project team develop solutions to how we might get in and out of the Sounds in the future, and to underpin the business case for investment," Taylor said.
The study would identify a "series of potential options" for solving access issues in the Marlborough Sounds, Taylor said.
Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor said the study will identify a “series of potential options” for solving access issues in the Marlborough Sounds. Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor says the study will identify a "series of potential options" for solving access issues in the Marlborough Sounds.
The meetings, which would start on 31 January, would be held in French Pass, Rai Valley, Havelock, Picton, Portage and Waitaria Bay. A Zoom meeting would also be held for those that could not make it in person.
The project team would present "evidence" at the meetings about what had been identified as "being needed", the council said in a statement. This would inform the short and medium-term recovery work needed in the sounds.
Meanwhile, the council was asking the community for feedback on whether there was more evidence to make a stronger case for investment, additional ideas including potential evidence, or alternative options to be included in the study. It was also seeking feedback about where improvements or interventions may be able to solve the problems identified.
At the end of the study, engineering consultant Stantec NZ would prepare a business case to support the funding plan for a transport system in the Marlborough Sounds. Alongside the council, NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi would then consider the funding for the preferred options.
First discussed with the council in October last year, Stantec NZ would look into the longterm future of Marlborough's roads, council chief executive Mark Wheeler said.
"It will look at the economic and community effects on different levels of service. Do we go further? Make it even more resilient? That's the sort of thing they will be addressing.
"Once all of that comes forward ... we look at alternative access proposals if we do have any.
By December, over 617km of road had been reopened for public access and 1000 faults had been repaired.
NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi agreed in 2021 to give the council more than $80 million to help fix the region's roads. Following the August deluge, in 2022, the council asked to use some of the money it had left over to help repair the more recent damage, which it considered a "priority".
The upcoming Stantec study was a condition of reallocating the Waka Kotahi funding. It would look at the cost of repairs, climate change, land stability, safety, alternatives to road if necessary, community and economic impacts of access changes and housing land stability risks.
Public Meetings
31 January: French Pass Town Hall, 11am-1pm
1 February: The Millers Rest, Rai Valley, 10am-12pm
1 February: Havelock Town Hall, 3pm-5pm
2 February: Port Marlborough Pavilion, Picton, 2pm-4pm
"It's really significant for those communities, if there are changes to level of service, so they need to have a say."
More than 617km of roads in Marlborough have been fixed following heavy rain in August.
At the time, nearly 4000 faults had been identified in Marlborough's roading network as a result of four days of heavy rain in August. That number was still growing, and was more than double that of the damage caused following heavy rain in July 2021.
3 February: The Portage Hotel, Kenepuru Sounds, 9am11am
3 February: Waitaria Bay Hall, 2pm-4pm
8 February: Zoom, 5.30pm-7pm
Ashburton viaduct crashed into three times a year
The Tinwald Viaduct shows the signs of numerous incidents where oversized vehicles have hit the bridge, making it the secondmost hit bridge in the country in the last two years.
Three times a year a driver will crash into the Tinwald viaduct which authorities say is clearly signposted.
The viaduct on Melcombe Street in Tinwald, the suburb on the southern end of Ashburton, passes under the railway line and has a height restriction of 2.39m but three times in each of the last three years it has been hit by oversized vehicles.
KiwiRail said it is the second most-hit rail bridge in the country over the last two years.
The most hit bridge is in Taumarunui and that has had 34 bridge strikes since 2004.
A KiwiRail spokesman said the incidents were mostly camper vans or small vans, not commercial trucks "who probably know to avoid the bridge and are more aware of their vehicle height and height restrictions".
The bridge's height restriction had adequate signage and advanced warning signs which were the responsibility of the local roading authority, the spokesperson said.
Ashburton District Council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the existing warning signs were clear but the council and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency were looking at ways to improve road safety around the Tinwald viaduct.
"We plan to increase the size of the signage across the top of the viaduct arch to make it more visible," McCann said.
"A new sign informing of the height restriction is proposed to be installed on Melcombe Street for those approaching the viaduct from
the west as part of Waka Kotahi's State Highway 1 Tinwald Corridor Improvements project."
The warning signs for the height restriction at the Tinwald Viaduct are deemed adequate but further safety improvements are being investigated.
Whether any further signage pointing to the height restriction would be installed on SH1 was a decision for Waka Kotahi McCann said.
"One factor we believe might be contributing to issues is that GPS navigation may be directing drivers to Melcombe Street and the viaduct to avoid congestion on SH1.
"We have reached out to a commonly-used mapping service and, while it is outside of council's direct control, we hope that the height restriction will be noted on that navigation service in the future."
When a rail bridge gets hit the KiwiRail spokesperson said the driver should call the 0800 number which was on each of KiwiRail's bridges with the bridge number and line quoted on it.
Once train control, which is monitored 24/7, received the call they contacted the local structures inspector and would stop all trains from going over the bridge.
Once KiwiRail staff have inspected the bridge for safety, train control can allow trains to go over the bridge the spokesperson said.
An engineer's report is also completed by a third party at a later date to confirm if any repairs are required, he said.
In the latest plans for the Tinwald Corridor Upgrade, due to start later this year, the Melcombe Street viaduct will remain open to two-way traffic.
It had been proposed to be limited to left-out only onto SH1 and Waka Kotahi director regional relationships James Caygill said the change was made following public consultation but it would be monitored "to maintain that works".
Trucking industry says it's not to blame for pothole plague
Trucking advocates are rejecting the government's claim that massive vehicles introduced onto New Zealand roads just over a decade ago are to partly to blame for the subsequent rise in reports of potholes.
"Obviously it's costly, it delays trips and it's also a safety concern as well. That's concerning because we've got 'road to zero' in the background, and it just is another area where the government is not meeting those targets."
"It's an easy and a cheap shot, but it's not one that's backed up with evidence" - Ia Ara Aotearoa chief executive Nick Leggett Before the summer break, National Party transport spokesperson Simeon Brown regularly tweeted pictures of and news stories about potholes, prompting a lengthy series of tweets in response from Transport Minister Michael Wood.
Wood dug up a number of alleged causes, including a freeze in roading maintenance under the previous National-led government, an 'extremely wet winter", and National's decision in 2010 to allow 50MAX truckswhich can weigh up to 50 tonnes - on certain roads.
Wood said these "heavier trucks do a lot more damage" owing to something called the "fourth power law". Basically, the more weight each axle of a vehicle is required to bear, the damage done to the road increases exponentially, to the power of four - so an axle bearing 10 tonnes, for example, would put 10,000 times as much stress on the road as one carrying a single tonne.
In the first 10 months of 2022 there were 555 complaints of vehicle damage caused by potholes reported to NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi, up from 421 in all of 2021 - a rise of about 58 percent.
In 2020, there were just 298 complaints.
"It shows what Kiwis have been feeling on the roads for some time, but I think there would be a whole lot more people over summer who have had this experience with potholes," Ia Ara Aotearoa chief executive Nick Leggett told Morning Report.
Brown tweeted that Wood was "digging his own pothole", saying Labour had years to fix the problem but "all the minister has got is to blame the previous [government]".
New lake caused by huge landslide to be monitored during expected deluge in Tairāwhiti
A new lake formed by a landslide in the Waiorongomai Valley is being closely watched ahead of expected heavy rain, which is seeing Tairāwhiti's state of emergency extended.
The lake was created by a large landslide on privately-owned land, and is thought to be about 1km long in length.
Rain brought by cyclone Hale ravaged the region last week, causing floods, slips and power cuts. A state of emergency in Tairāwhiti was expected to be lifted at 10pm this evening, but will now remain in place.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Morning Report scientists had only been able to map the lake by drone so far because of the weather conditions.
She said at this stage they believed the lake was safe.
"They will be keeping a close eye though to see if tomorrow and Thursday rain have any changes there or raise any concern, so our scientists are closely watching that lake," she said.
Gisborne District Council principal scientist Murry Cave said it was yet to be determined whether the lake was permanent or temporary.
Another lake formed in the same location in 2020, but it was much smaller and only lasted about a month, Cave said.
The council would be able to get a better idea of the width and depth of the lake once tomorrow's storm had passed through, he said.
The key point if the new lake failed was whether it failed rapidly or slowly, he said.
But at this stage, council has not identified any risk to nearby housing if it does
"If it does fail, the flood level that would go through would be below any housing," Cave said.
He also did not recommend people visit the site.
"Anybody trying to go up there in a vehicle is very likely to get bogged."
A new lake has formed by a landslide in the Waiorongomai Valley, Gisborne. MetService was also keeping an eye on a subtropical low moving toward the East Cape, which was expected to bring more heavy rain, as well as strong east to southeast winds, tomorrow and Thursday.
It has issued a severe weather warning for Gisborne from 1pm tomorrow until 1am on Thursday.
Between 70 and 90mm of rain was expected around Gisborne and north of Uawa.
There is also a heavy rain watch for Gisborne and south of Uawa from 3pm tomorrow.
Stoltz said the council was asking the community to be alert and have two-to-three days of food supplies on hand.
She warned people to stock up on supplies and move their animals to higher ground, ahead of heavy rain.
"If you have animals in the Hikuwai or Mangatokerau area please move them to higher ground, be prepared with supplies and stay tuned to the radio and the news, to our Civil Defence Facebook page, because we will update you, as MetService updates us," she said.
Gisborne District Council civil defence manager Ben Green says he’s impressed with the manaakitanga after the floods.
Her warnings were echoed by Tairāwhiti Civil Defence group controller, Ben Green, who said roading network was still vulnerable with multiple slips, dropouts and slumps. He warned people to stay away from danger spots.
Waka Kotahi found several cracks on the Kopu-Hikuai Highway yesterday following Cyclone Hale, which it worries could get worse.
Crews will carry out an investigation today.
NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi said it would open one lane from 7am to 7pm tomorrow, with speed reduced to 30km/h.
"It does cause a lot more rips and feeder currents, which can catch swimmers unawares" - Surf Lifesaving manager for Eastern Region Chaz Gibbons-Campbell
The highway is one of just three options to travel to and from the region, and the most direct route from Auckland to major holiday spots like Whangamata and Whitianga.
The cyclone also caused severe erosion at several beaches around the Coromandel, which damaged dunes and public accessways.
Lifeguards are warning that shifting sands have created new rips in the water.
"We have around 30 crews out there repairing roads and they're making good steady progress.
"There have however been reports of too many people driving past just to take videos and photos of the cyclone's damage.
"This makes it harder for our crews and puts them and the drivers at risk if they get stuck and need assistance. Please delay all unnecessary travel."
He added there were structural inspections were carried out on five bridges on local roads and there was more rain on the way.
Coromandel damage and beaches warning
Meanwhile, cracks in a major highway through the Coromandel Peninsula have forced the road to close.
Surf Lifesaving manager for Eastern Region Chaz Gibbons-Campbell told Morning Report a lot of sand was taken off the beaches through Coromandel and Bay of Plenty.
"Essentially the ocean's picked it up off the beach and dumped it back out, just offshore, which has created some new sandbars, a lot of new troughs, inshore holes that run parallel with the beach. It does cause a lot more rips and feeder currents, which can catch swimmers unawares," he said.
"It's important that people, when they come down to the beach, they take the time to assess those conditions. We still have patrols operating right through until Easter, and we're encouraging people to please swim between the flags and listen to the advice of the lifeguards."
Pothole patches double in Mid Canterbury
Almost as many potholes were filled in 2022 as in the previous three years in the Ashburton District.
The Ashburton District Council filled 12,074 potholes in 2022, twice as many as the 5917 in 2021, and only just under the combined 13,775 from 2019 to 2021.
Council infrastructure and open spaces group manager, Neil McCann, said the higher figure reflected a significant increase in potholes following the significant rainfall and flooding in May and June 2021.
The high number of pothole fixes should serve as reassurance to the community that the council is actively tackling the problem - the district's biggest problem according to the annual resident survey results.
"Council put all the extra money in to do exactly that and hopefully people can see the results."
The colder and wetter months, typically June to August, usually have the highest spikes in pothole counts as the weather conditions are not favourable for permanent pothole repairs, McCann said.
That was highlighted following the one-in-200year rain event that ravaged the district road network.
The number of pothole repairs jumped from 3,985 in 2020 to 5,917 in 2021 and then doubled in 2020.
There was likely some variance in the way the pothole fixes were recorded with a change of contractor, McCann said, with Fulton Hogan replaced in 2020 by HEB Construction, who was awarded the council's $30m five-year road maintenance and operations contract.
The temporary pothole repairs, holding patches until a major crew can come and fix them, cost around $125,000 a year, he said.
"This is part of the $1.65 million for sealed road repairs, including more permanent repairs such as dig-outs and cement stabilisations."
The council only pays for the temporary pothole repair in the first instance and any repeat temporary fix is at the contractor's cost.
In the current financial year there is also $2.7m for resealing to prevent potholes from occurring, with 58 percent ($1,566,000) completed by midDecember.
Then there is the $3.75m for complete road reconstruction, which McCann said includes the extra $1.7m the council put in to address the roading issues, with 51 percent ($1,900,000) completed by mid-December.
The contractors are busy working on the summer reseal and reconstruction programme which will be completed by March, he said.
The Ashburton District has the fifth largest roading network in the country with 2,619 km of roads, made up of 1,518 km of sealed and 1,102 km of unsealed road, as well as 185 bridges and 254 km of footpaths.
60 more people killed on the roads in 2022 than 2021
As 2022 came to a close, the Ministry of Transport's road toll count reached a provisional figure of 378 people killed on New Zealand roads during the year.
The 2021 and 2020 final road tolls both reached 318 road fatalities in each year - meaning this year's toll surged 60 people higher.
That increase in deaths is equivalent to about two classrooms full of people more who were killed on our roads in the last twelve months, compared to the previous years.
Bryan Sherritt, the director of Road to Zero, the ambitious Ministry of Transport project to reduce road deaths told RNZ in July that New Zealand's road toll figures were "diabolical" and "still unacceptably high".
However comparing annual tolls year-on year was not particularly helpful, because of "natural variation year-on-year", Sherritt said: "What you should be comparing is more around like a fiveyear average, how we're tracking against that ... a longer term approach."
The final road toll five years ago (2018) was finalised at 378 deaths in that year, meaning at this point the 2022 provisional tally eerily mirrored the same figure.
Sherritt said the speed and geographic spread with which the country improves roading infrastructure and enforcement and policing of road rules were key to reducing the number of people killed on the roads in the future. As is improving the policies surrounding roads.
Far North gets $86m 'Christmas treat' to fix SH1
An extra $86 million boost to help fix a stormdamaged section of SH1 at Mangamuka Gorge is a great Christmas present for the Far North, the district's mayor says.
The NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi announced the extra $86 million to repair the damaged road, which is in addition to $14m previously approved for the project from emergency work funds.
The combined $100m was expected to be enough to return the Gorge road to its original condition, the agency said.
Far North District Mayor Moko Tepania told Morning Report the extra $86m was "a real Christmas treat for us here in the far North."
The section of State Highway 1 that runs through the Mangamuka Gorge was a vital "life-line" connecting about 20,000 people who live north of the Mangamuka Ranges to the rest of the country, Tepania said. The only two alternative routes had serious existing vulnerabilities and pressures.
"With that closed it does cause extra concern and issues in terms of moving not just people but also goods and services across our district here in the Far North," he said.
The road closed in August after heavy rain caused five major slips at different places under the road, and swept earth across the top of the road in other places.
Tepania had been preparing for a tough battle next year to try to secure funds to fix it.
"When this first happened... NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi were talking about what potential managed retreat could look like.
"Our two alternate routes - we've got one through the west coast, which is a local road, and then one through the east coast which is a state highway [SH10], but those are both coastal [roads]. SH10 [the current detour]... whenever we have significant amounts of rain and a high tide that highway itself closes.
"So SH1 through the Mangamukas is our only inland route which connects our district, so that does have to be where we head if we're thinking about the long-term resilience of the transport links for us here in the Far North."
"I really was worried."
He wanted long-term solutions to strengthen the infrastructure to be considered as part of the project.
"We do need to have permanent solutions, that's part of the conversation here as wellwhat does it look like to have the road repaired and reopened in the first instance - but what do more resilient options look like?"
Tepania said part of the big picture problem was that big city transport projects sucked up the lion's share of transport funds nationally, while Northlanders were left relying on private vehicles and stretched roading funding.
"We already know that the funding of transport, the funding of roading in our country is flawed," he said.
"We get 69 percent funding assistance rate for roading in the Far North - but it still doesn't go far enough if I'm being honest.
"The private vehicle and our roading links are vital for us up here."
NZ Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi said the extra $86m in funds was from the National Land Transport Programme.
North Island floods may cost economy about $466 million, economist says
The floods that battered Auckland, parts of the Bay of Plenty and King Country may cost the economy close to half a billion dollars.
Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen said it was still too soon to know the full extent of the damage to Auckland’s businesses and trade, but he said the uptick in demand as the rebuild began would increase construction costs.
“There is a huge amount of furniture, carpet, fittings, vehicles and similar that need to be replaced and that will put further demand, pressure on an already tight supply situation,” he said.
“We expect there’s going to be sustained cost pressures in some areas.
“In terms of economic activity, perversely, you can see the Auckland storm event actually slightly boosting GDP, because there’s a whole bunch more spending investment that needs to go on.
“But of course, that just makes up for a whole bunch of resources that have been crashed and so, despite the fact that you might see a small
boost in GDP, relative to what you would have otherwise seen, that’s not really good news, it’s just an artificial bump.”
Based on population data and previous flooding events, the event could cost about $446 million, Olsen said.
Flood-damaged food inside the Pak 'N Save store on Porana Ave, Glenfield, Wairau. Photo / Krishan Wijesooriya
Flood-damaged food inside the Pak 'N Save store on Porana Ave, Glenfield, Wairau. Photo / Krishan Wijesooriya
BNZ senior markets strategist Jason Wong said the rainfall would add supply-side and demandside pressures in the region and exert additional inflation pressure in the coming months.
The claims were also mounting with the two main insurance companies, IAG and Suncorp, with more than 8000 claims between them.
IAG chief executive Amanda Whiting said the number of claims was significant and she expected more to arrive this week.
“At this stage we’ve seen, through all of our AMI, State and NZI brands, around 5200 claims,” she said.
“That is fairly significant in such a short period of time, a very large event and bigger than we’ve seen in the last two years.
“The claims that we’re seeing at the moment are for home, contents, vehicles and businesses, so a range because the impact has been so widespread.
“We expect to actually receive more over the coming days as people return home from a long weekend or from being evacuated from their homes and being able to return.”
Whiting said IAG customers should lodge an insurance claim as soon as they could.
Suncorp Group, which owns the Vero and AA Insurance brands, had received about 3000
claims and said its losses from the weather event would be capped at $50m.
So far, there have been only limited reports of damages to bigger commercial and industrial concerns.
But uninsured businesses, damaged machinery, road closures and waste management were high on the list of challenges for many.
The Auckland-based Employers and Manufacturers Association, which represents about 7100 upper North Island businesses, said it was offering every assistance to affected members.
Businesses had also been dealing with some looting, while waste left over from the clean-up was causing problems as well, McDonald said.
Meanwhile, aged care and retirement village operator Arvida evacuated residents from its Parkvale complex on Friday night.
Chief executive Jeremy Nicoll said the residents were safely evacuated and relocated to temporary accommodation.
Damage to the complex was still being assessed but villas, apartments and the clubhouse were affected, he said.
Auckland property manager Stride, which leases big-box retail properties, said there had been leaks and isolated flooding in their buildings but no significant damage.
Major retail banks are offering financial relief to those affected by the floods.
ASB and Kiwibank have each come up with a range of temporary measures to ease pressures, including mortgage repayment deferrals, and easy access to savings.
EMA head of advocacy and strategy Alan McDonald said many businesses were facing major financial impacts.
“One of the things we’ve found is there’s quite a significant number of people who aren’t insured,” he said.
“With things like Covid-19, a lot of businesses have dropped their insurance.
“The CEO of the largest Māori business network, Whāriki, which has slightly more members at 3000, did a quick survey and found possibly up to 60 per cent of those surveyed weren’t insured.
“These are very, very small businesses who have been under a lot of pressure for a long period of time, so probably not quite representative of the wider community, but we do know there are a number of uninsured people as well.”
“ASB will support customers affected by extreme weather events impacting Auckland with tailored packages, including suspension of home loan repayments and emergency overdraft facilities available for personal, business and rural customers,” the bank said in a statement.
Among ASB’s measures are $10,000 overdraft for home loan customers, and $100,000 working capital for business and rural customers.
Kiwibank measures included early access to Kiwisaver funds for hardship or term deposits, as well as deferral or reduction of mortgage repayments.
Australia’s road map to net zero sets too narrow a path
Australia is attempting to transform its energy system via a multi-decade process that will involve developments in infrastructure and generation facilities on a scale that is difficult to comprehend.
Consider the triple crown of decarbonisation:
There are other heat sources which could keep existing turbines generating power.
Dean Sewell
First, the upfront price tag – a $300 billion to $500 billion minimum direct investment for new generation and transmission.
Second, the broader economic impacts – both upstream and downstream – from electrifying the nation, which will dwarf the upfront direct costs.
Third, prolonged adverse effects on industry –this is the potential long-run damage to industry and our standard of living from bad policy decisions and inconsistent or illinformed approaches. Namely, the costs associated with picking winners along technological paths that actually don’t work out or are superseded.
Perhaps harder to quantify than the first two but think the national broadband network.
We know who loses here. Those people who don’t have the resources to maintain temperature control in homes. Pensioners, people on fixed incomes, children, the frail and the sick.
The United Kingdom is learning a lesson in the cost of energy policy-related human misery.
Given the energy transition challenge is fundamental to our future prosperity, shouldn’t we be giving this some serious economic analysis?
This means no less than a rigorous study that considers all technological options and economic costs at the national grid scale level.
This includes a proper analysis of environmental and economic externalities, including risk, impact on growth, national technological capacity, defence capability, competitiveness, options costs and so on.
These go well beyond the normal accountingbased CSIRO Generation Cost figures that dominate the debate.
Policymakers are relying on a limited range of partial inputs, assuming most of our future electricity will come from solar and wind.
The problem is that this kind of nuts and bolts economic analysis is just not being done anywhere. Even at the departmental policy level, where it might be expected, there is no agency focused on determining the energy system that would best suit our long-run national interest.
Instead of a comprehensive study approach, policymakers seem to be relying on a limited range of partial inputs to support the assumption that we can generate most of our future electricity from solar and wind, and that this will maximise development opportunities.
This is a high-risk strategy.
To make matters worse, we can’t simply rely on the example of other countries. If anything, we’re now seeing regular signals that this approach is being rejected.
In places such as the UK, France, China, India, the United States and major world bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, don’t share our faith in the almost complete reliance on solar and wind.
Perhaps Australia is special? Even innovators such as Germany and California, where a similar program is being tried, have back up from nation-sized grids and much lower risk of
failure than Australia. Even then, the results don’t seem to indicate that it is a sure thing.
How do we find ourselves in a situation where we are not undertaking the necessary economic analysis which would identify the most appropriate path through the energy transition?
Planning for energy is the responsibility of the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Energy Security Board.
This plan is based on four scenarios established in consultation with government and industry bodies and other interested groups. They reflect what these groups think will happen over a period of decades. A development plan is then established for each scenario. This then identifies the transmission and network investment priorities that then have to be financed.
The value of retaining existing thermal power infrastructure has already been recognised in several countries. It has recently been the subject of analysis by the US Department of Energy. It has identified several hundred potential sites for conversion.
The Americans are considering a coal to nuclear strategy. This C2N strategy could even extend to small modular reactors.
The AEMO says it has been “leading the design of Australia’s future energy system”. But when it says it has been developing an optimal plan, it isn’t working out the best energy policy for the nation and how to get there.
It is doing something called constrained optimisation. Here you are concerned with the best thing to do under certain conditions, such as you can’t use technology A, or perhaps you must include technology B, and so on.
To illustrate, think of a navigation app that has been told to find the best route but only using roads without tolls or without more than two lanes. That is not the same as asking it to pick the best overall route.
In the same way, the AEMO is asking its planning app to find the best policy – with the constraint that most energy needs to be generated from solar and wind.
To see the details of how this works, consider the AEMO’s 2022 Integrated Systems Plan.
Alternatively (and perhaps complementary), Australia could develop a coal to long duration strategy utilising recent local developments in ultra-high temperature thermal storage technologies.
This potentially presents an even simpler coalfired power station retrofitting option than C2N, but we won’t know until we get to work or at least let the AEMO start with a clean slate.
The US approach is smart and arguably even better suited to Australia, which lacks any backup from neighbouring energy grids.
Though, to the best of our knowledge, none of this thinking is reflected in any policy or grid planning in Australia.
So, a better approach to guide energy policy at the start of 2023 and beyond would be for policymakers to commission some serious economic analysis of optimal energy options.
Fehmarnbelt Tunnel: The Megaproject That Will Transform European Travel
A once-in-a-generation construction project is set to transform travel between central Europe and Scandinavia. When completed in 2029, the $8 billion Fehmarnbelt tunnel will be both the longest combined road and rail tunnel and the longest immersed tunnel anywhere in the world.
Officially known as the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, the 11-mile-long tunnel linking Germany and Denmark will sit in a trench at the bottom of the Baltic Sea at a depth of up to 130 feet.
highway, two for the railroad and one for service access. When complete, each element will be fitted into place in a trench 39 feet deep.
Dredging that trench is expected to produce 671 million cubic feet of soil, sand and rock, which will be turned into new land and beaches near the construction sites.
Preparatory work on the necessary harbor and tunnel factory began in 2020 to allow the actual construction work to begin on January 1, 2021. By mid-2022, dredging work was already 50% complete.
It’s a key component in the development of the Scan-Med corridor, a transportation network that spans more than 3,000 miles from Malta in the south to Finland in the north. Along the way, it tunnels through Alpine mountains and crosses oceans. But approaching Scandinavia, a stretch of water known as the Fehmarn strait causes a 300mile detour for both road and rail traffic on the north-south route.
The planned rail link will reduce travel time from Hamburg to Copenhagen from five hours to less than three hours, while the road link will replace a heavily-trafficked ferry service and reduce travel time by about one hour.
The megaproject is already well underway. From an engineering perspective, the project is truly fascinating.
The tunnel will consist of 89 standard concrete elements, each 712 feet long. Each element will contain two tubes for the
Those interested in the engineering can actually visit the site in Rødbyhavn on the Danish side of the tunnel to learn more. Tours of the exhibition center are available while a viewing platform with binoculars gives visitors the chance to explore the construction site with their own eyes.
The project has a controversial side. Not everyone is a supporter of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel. As with all megaprojects, the eye-watering cost of construction has raised many questions over its value, while environmental campaigners are concerned about the impact the dredging work will have on the local marine ecosystem.
Almost all of the estimated $8 billion price tag is being funded by Denmark, to be repaid by hefty toll fees after opening. Many are questioning the value of such an investment but supporters of the project point to the iconic Øresund bridge that links Denmark and Sweden. It is widely deemed to have been a
long-term success despite some fierce criticism of its cost during construction in the 1990s.
Now that the construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel is underway, environmental campaigners have switched their approach from trying to get the project cancelled to monitoring its impact. The marine life in this area of the Baltic Sea thrives in clear water conditions, something the dredging of the seabed to create the trench for the tunnel will disturb.
In an interview with B1M, local campaigner Hendrick Kerlen said “the ecology of the Fehmarn belt is very diverse. The clouding of the Fehmarn belt will reduce the growth of macrophytes and plankton and will of course have repercussions for all living fauna and marine flora.”
Femern A/S, the company responsible for the construction project, said that sedimentation is one of the most closely monitored environmental impacts on the project. Patrol boats and monitoring stations collect data on water clouding, which is published on the Femern website.
A new report suggests that cutting speed limits on
In September, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) reported 1172 road users had died in Australia from August 2021 to August 2022 – a 4.1 per cent increase on the year prior.
Disgusted councillor fears for safety of drivers using Leeds road 'with surface like a moon'
A senior Leeds Conservative has accused the city council of "steadfastly doing nothing" to repair a road previously likened to the surface of the moon.
Councillor Andrew Carter said he was "disgusted" at what he says is a lack of action to repair and improve Stanningley Bottom, in the west of the city. Damage and potholes in
the surface led Councillor Carter, who represents the Calverley and Farsley ward, to compare the road to the moon’s surface in June last year.
Stanningley Bottom’s layout has also drawn criticism since it was redesigned in 2016. Two European-style roundels – unmarked circular junctions where drivers are encouraged to slow down and give way – are in place on the road. But they’ve been accused of confusing drivers and increasing the risk of accidents.
Speaking this week, Councillor Carter said: “It is my view that the lack of action is completely unacceptable. The highways department have steadfastly done nothing. The road surface has deteriorated, making the road markings almost invisible, and drivers are now confused over who has right of way and who gives way.
“Residents and constituents are bewildered by the lack of action and I am disgusted. It definitely is now, but it has been for some time, an issue of safety.”
“All around the city, we see roadworks causing congestion and gridlock, costing millions of pounds, yet the council still seem incapable of dealing with issues like this which are equally as important.”
Councillor Carter added: “Stanningley Bottom, with its junction with Richardshaw Lane, are key access areas, and to be frank it is unfair to residents and local businesses that this hasn’t been sorted out. It gives a very bad impression of the City of Leeds.”
Traces of possible Silk Road uncovered in Israeli desert
Cotton and silk fabric imported from the Far East dating back to the early Islamic period some 1,300 years ago was recently found by a team of Israeli and German researchers in Israel’s Arava region, suggesting that the ancient Silk Road trading routes from the Far East passed through Israel en route to Europe.
The Silk Road was the main trading route that was used for the movement of exotic goods from China through India, Egypt and the Middle East to Europe.
A joint excavation led by Prof. Guy Bar-Oz and Nofar Shamir from the University of Haifa, Roi Galili from Ben-Gurion University, Orit Shamir from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Berit Hildebrandt of Göttingen University in Germany is currently underway at the Nahal Omer site in the Arava, the eastern strip of Negev desert running from the Dead Sea to Eilat.
Edinburgh transport blueprint: Public transport plans 'will make Edinburgh one of leading cities in Europe'
Edinburgh will be one of the leading cities in Europe for clean, green, efficient travel within a decade, transport convener Scott Arthur claimed as he unveiled the latest parts of the council’s vision for the Capital.
Transport convener Scott Arthur says the blueprint is a "gamechanger" for the Capital. The blueprint for a more sustainable, inclusive and affordable transport system includes key corridors into the city where public transport, walking and cycling would be given priority; tougher enforcement against drivers parking in bus lanes; a coherent cycle network suitable for all ages and abilities; car-free zones outside schools; better-designed and lit bus stops to improve safety; longer greenman phases at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights; wider footpaths; more zebra crossings; and integrated bus and tram tickets.
The blueprint identifies key corridors where public transport and active travel should be given priority.
“Our findings seem to provide the first evidence that there was also an ‘Israeli Silk Road’ used by merchants along the international trading routes,” said Bar-Oz.
Researchers noted that the colours of the ancient fabrics have been preserved well. The findings include cotton and silk that probably originated from India and China as well as a “treasure trove” of findings that offered detailed insight into the material culture and daily lives of the ancient residents of this desert region including fabric, clothing, hygiene products and more.
“The findings from the excavation reflect unique contacts on a global level with sources of fabric manufacturing in the Far East. They provide us with new ways to track political, technological, and social interactions that have been constantly reshaped by trade networks,” Bar-Oz said.
The city has set a target of becoming net-zero by 2030 and reducing number of vehicle miles in the city by 30 per cent in the same timescale. Cllr Arthur said: “Edinburgh is a congested city. The council agreed just before Christmas we would set aside land for a further 37,000 houses over the next ten years or so. Congestion in the city is only going to get worse. Ultimately as a city we have to find a way to deal with this – I don't think doing nothing is an option and there's only so much we can do in terms of fine-tuning traffic light times.”
Other objectives set out include ensuring that, no matter where someone lives in Edinburgh, they will be within 250-400 metres of an access point to the cycle network; providing 500 more benches across the city; installing up to 10,000 dropped kerbs; and building up to 200km of segregated cycling.
Gold Coast council contractor’s road line painting over piles of leaves angers residents
A council contractor’s work has been slammed as the “height of laziness” after they painted road marking lines over bunches of dead leaves on the Gold Coast.
The result of the City of Gold Coast contractor’s questionable effort was spotted by a community member on Hardys Rd at Mudgeeraba earlier this month.
Council’s wavy road marking scheme branded ‘bizarre’
A local authority in Somerset has defended itself against accusations that its new road safety scheme is ‘bizarre’ and could actually prove to be a risk to drivers.
North Somerset Council has painted a wavy line on the road that runs along Clevedon seafront in an attempt to slow traffic down.
The resident posted images to a local Facebook page showing several metres of line painted over piles of leaves, apparently after the worker opted not to move the leaves out of the way.
“This is the height of laziness,” the person wrote.
Residents who commented on the post described the work as “disgraceful” and “shoddy”.
A Gold Coast council contractor has spray-painted road lines onto piles of leaves.
A Gold Coast council contractor has spray-painted road lines onto piles of leaves. Credit: Facebook
“Surely they’re supposed to blow clean the area first,” said one woman.
However at least one person came to the worker’s defence, saying it’s not their job to move the leaves.
“They’re line markers, not street sweepers. That’s council’s responsibility to have it ready,” the comment read.
Gold Coast councillor Glenn Tozer was alerted to the situation and he said the paint job has been redone at the location.
However, the RAC has warned that the measure could be a road safety risk.
RAC road safety spokesperson Simon Williams said: ‘This is one of the most bizarre new road schemes we’ve ever seen. We fear North Somerset Council is making waves for all the wrong reasons as their new wavy road markings could accidentally prove to be a road safety risk due to the confusion they create for drivers. This would no doubt be the very opposite of what they were trying to achieve.’
Mr Williams added that he is concerned ‘imagination may have got the better of the council.’
‘It makes us wonder whether they’ve tried to solve a problem that didn’t exist with this oneway project and, in turn, created another one by forcing traffic onto other roads. Let’s just hope that the scheme delivers on its active travel objectives and proves money well spent – and that more road users of all types get to enjoy Clevedon’s seafront and historic pier.’
A petition calling on the council to stop the alterations to the seafront has attracted over
6,200 signatures. Campaigners in fancy dress have also reportedly organised a conga line down the road in protest.
Jobcentre on Friday January 13 and was shared widely on social media.
A North Somerset Council spokesperson has defended the scheme.
‘The short stretch of wavy line at the roadside on Clevedon seafront is a design feature that creates an unconventional highway environment with the combined effect of both slowing traffic down and discouraging parking at the roadside,’ they said.
‘The markings are not yet complete and once the road’s top surface has been applied – as shown in the image – the full effect will be realised. This work will be carried out in the spring.
‘Safety is a priority and a road safety audit was completed when the scheme was designed. There will also be a further one undertaken when it’s completed.’
Spelling mistake on Scarborough road marking fixed after workmen mocked online
A road marking in Scarborough has been corrected after workmen were mocked online for making a spelling mistake.
The spelling mistake was shared widely online by amused residents.
Rather than painting “town centre” onto the carriageway, workmen missed out the second T and accidentally wrote “town cenre” instead.
Amused residents shared their delight at the spelling faux pas, with some suggesting that the workers “wouldn’t have far to walk to the job centre”, or had just “popped off for a T break”.
Pictures of the gaffe show a stencil outline for all six letters, but the word was mistakenly started one character to the right, meaning the workmen ran out of room.
The same spelling mistake was reportedly made on Valley Bridge Road.
UK to become 'world leader' for net zero projects to decarbonise highways - 'vital agenda'
Future roads could be built using asphalt made from grass cuttings and “carbon capturing” cement, supported by £30million Government funding awarded to seven innovative projects. The net zero schemes aim to ensure the latest tech and innovation can reduce emissions and improve regional connectivity.
Seven projects spread across the UK, from Lanarkshire to Devon, have been awarded funding today through the Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads competition.
The blunder was spotted on Northway, at the junction with Victoria Road, outside the
The programme supports projects led by Local Highways Authorities focused on tackling the long-term decarbonisation of highways infrastructure, such as streetlights, and transforming local authorities’ approach to decarbonising roads.
NZTA/NZRF T 8 and T 12
The T 8 and T 12 applicator testing programme is a key component of industry self-regulation.
NZTA P 22 specification states in Section 6:
At the time of tender contractors shall forward copies of current T/8 certificates for the plant they propose to use on the contract. The applicator(s) certification is to be kept valid for the period of the contract.
There is a .pdf version of the applicator certificates associated with each registration line.
Originals of certificates are no longer being mailed to contractors and the website register is evidence of registration.
These can be accessed via a hyperlink from the certificate registration number. The certificates include a photograph of the applicator.
T 12 certificates include schedules setting out the scope of certification covering plain flat markings, structured markings and audio-tactile markings or any combinations of these.