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Greenpeace – Norway stops seabed mining, putting more pressure on NZ to follow

Source: Greenpeace

In a significant victory for the global Greenpeace campaign to stop seabed mining, Norway is stopping the first licensing round for deep sea mining in Arctic waters, which Greenpeace says puts pressure on the Luxon government to follow suit.
Greenpeace spokesperson Juan Parada says, “This move by Norway to stop the seabed mining in its tracks is a historic win for ocean protection and for the growing movement opposed to the damaging new extractive industry, and puts the spotlight firmly on the Luxon government to do the same.”
In January 2024, the Norwegian government opened its Arctic waters to deep sea mining across an area equivalent to the size of Italy, but after resistance grew across civil society and the fishing industry, the government agreed to stop the first licensing round for at least the whole of 2025.
“This decision by Norway puts even more pressure on the Luxon government not to be the first in the world to allow commercial seabed mining to take place in its waters.
“Millions of people across the world are now calling on governments to resist the dire threat of seabed mining to safeguard oceans worldwide and one by one they are listening.
“The Luxon government needs to read the room, listen to the growing opposition and put an end to the Australian-owned mining company Trans-Tasman Resources’ destructive plans to mine the South Taranaki Bight,” says Parada.
Last week, Greenpeace activists, along with representatives of Taranaki iwi Ngāti Ruanui, disrupted the annual general meeting of Manuka Resources, the owners of TTR.
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Energy Sector – Electricity Retailers’ Association supports Electricity Authority’s consumer protection decisions

Source: Electricity Retailers’ Association

The Electricity Retailers’ Association of New Zealand (ERANZ) supports the decisions released by the Electricity Authority today that detail how electricity companies and their customers must interact.

“We welcome these final decisions on the updated Consumer Care Obligations. It was actually ERANZ members who started this process by establishing the initial consumer guidelines over a decade ago,” says ERANZ Chief Executive Bridget Abernethy.

“Our members appreciate the constructive approach taken by the Electricity Authority in listening to concerns and ideas from the sector, as can be seen in the detailed feedback published today.

“All our members agree with the start date of 1 January 2025 for the key protections, including prohibiting retailers from disconnecting customers they know to be medically dependent and requiring any fees or charges to be reasonable. In fact, all our members already comply with these protections because these are the right things to do.

“We look forward to working with the Electricity Authority to represent the views of our members, and to ensure that regulations are continually updated to take into account the technological innovations that we know are coming in the electricity sector.

“Our members will continue to strive to deliver best practice customer service, and to provide information to all our customers, so they are aware of their rights, and know what to expect from their electricity companies,” says Ms Abernethy.

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AgResearch – Dairy-beef offers potential for significant emissions savings

Source: AgResearch

Beef produced from cattle from New Zealand’s dairy sector could provide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of up to 48 per cent, compared to the average for beef cattle, a new study by AgResearch has found.

The Life Cycle Assessment analysis by AgResearch scientists, supported by the Bioresource Processing Alliance and in partnership with organisations such as Fonterra and Alps 2 Ocean Foods, shows using fast-finishing systems with dairy-beef animals results in a carbon footprint that is 32-48 per cent lower than the average for traditional beef systems in New Zealand.

Farm data from the beef and dairy industries was used in the analysis, which was based on kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per kilogram of finished liveweight of the animals. Scenarios were analysed for dairy-beef steers processed between 10 and 18 months of age and include emissions from animal production, input generation, transportation, and background processes.

“There are many issues at play in determining those emissions and the differences between the dairy and beef animals,” says AgResearch senior scientist Andre Mazzetto.

“These include how emissions are allocated between milk and liveweight, and issues such as growth rates, feed efficiency and the finishing period/time to slaughter of the animals.”

“This work points to tangible ways that farmers can reduce the carbon footprint of their beef herds. Emissions reductions can be achieved simply by integrating dairy-beef animals into the herd, but the scope of this reduction can be significantly increased with fast-finishing beef systems. There would be few tools or management strategies available which can have such significant climate impact.”

“Sourcing calves from the dairy industry presents an opportunity for the beef industry to significantly reduce its emissions, as well as a providing an alternative use for calves from the dairy industry. There are efforts underway to find new avenues for use of these young dairy-beef animals, such as Alps 2 Ocean Food’s Mīti product made from the meat. However, we recognise there are also management and logistical challenges for the industries to overcome, including the finishing and processing of these animals.”

Fonterra’s director of sustainability Charlotte Rutherford says Fonterra’s focus in this space is on creating more options for dairy-beef calves.

“We see the opportunity to integrate these calves into the red meat sector as a major opportunity for NZ ag. These results show that with the right genetics, care and farming systems, dairy-beef animals offer the opportunity to reduce carbon emissions, contributing to the long-term sustainability of our industry.”

Alliance Group General Manager Livestock and Shareholder Services, Murray Behrent says the study findings make a significant contribution to the New Zealand red meat sector’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We see a promising opportunity to develop a beef production and red meat processing system focused on younger livestock, which could lead to a substantial reduction in New Zealand’s emissions. Furthermore, it offers a pathway to producing low-carbon footprint protein for global food producers who are aiming to meet their Scope 3 CO2 emission targets by 2030.”

Daniel Carson, founder of Alps2Ocean Foods, says the study highlights the vast potential of low-carbon beef protein derived from non-replacement dairy calves.

“Mīti is just the beginning — a proof of concept for how surplus dairy calves can be transformed into high-value, low-carbon products. We’re excited about the possibilities this protein unlocks for other use cases, as innovators step up to add value and create impactful brands right here in Aotearoa.”

Pāmu also contributed to the study, and chief executive Mark Leslie says Mīti is an example of an innovative end-to-end approach driving New Zealand’s methane reduction goals.

 “The benefits of processing the animals within one year avoids challenges associated with wintering and significantly contributes to a lower emissions profile and farming more sustainably. This aligns with our dairy beef strategy to find new markets for surplus calves and meets our goals of lowering methane emissions and supporting a more efficient and sustainable agricultural sector.”

The full study, “Carbon footprint of 10–18 month-old dairy beef production systems”, can be viewed at: https://www.agresearch.co.nz/our-research/carbon-footprint-of-1018-month-old-dairy-beef-production-systems/

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Industry – Objective3D Merges with TCL Hofmann and TCL Hunt to Form a Stronger, Unified Additive Manufacturing Solutions Provider under the Ravago Group

Source: Objective 3D

Carrum Downs, VIC, Australia – December 2, 2024 – Objective3D, the leading provider of additive manufacturing solutions, 3D scanning, and AM software in Australia and New Zealand, is proud to announce its merger with TCL Hofmann in Australia and TCL Hunt in New Zealand. Both companies are part of the global Ravago Group and bring a wealth of expertise in advanced manufacturing technologies. This transformative collaboration will move forward under the unified name 
Objective3D, marking a new era of innovation and service excellence in the additive manufacturing (AM) industry across the region.
As a result of this merger, Objective3D’s comprehensive portfolio-which already includes cutting- edge solutions from Stratasys, Lithoz, Artec3D, and Materialise-will expand to integrate other additive manufacturing technologies. This positions the newly merged company as the most diverse and capable AM solutions provider in the Australian and New Zealand markets, with solutions tailored for industries such as aerospace and defence, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, and education.
Key Benefits for Customers and Industries
The merger brings significant advantages to businesses and industries throughout Australia and New Zealand, including:
1. Expanded Technology Portfolio: Access to the broadest range of AM solutions, including polymer, composite, ceramic, and metal additive manufacturing technologies, providing unparalleled flexibility for diverse applications.
2. Enhanced Expertise: A consolidated team of industry-leading AM experts offering customers deeper insights, more innovative solutions, and improved training and consulting services.
3. Stronger and Broader Support Network: Increased resources and infrastructure to deliver more efficient service, faster turnaround times, and localized technical support for all product lines.
4. Focused Industry Solutions: A dedicated focus on customer needs across key sectors, with specialized offerings for manufacturing aids, end-use parts, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, and production tooling.
5. Innovative Collaboration Opportunities: New possibilities for partnerships with businesses looking to adopt or expand their use of advanced AM technologies to improve time-to- market, reduce costs, and enhance supply chain resilience.
A Shared Vision for Innovation
“We are excited to welcome Objective3D into the TCL Hofmann family”, said Elias Baini, Business Manager, TCL Hofmann. “This merger is a testament to our commitment to delivering world-class solutions to our customers. Together, we will set new benchmarks in the industry.”
Matt Minio, Managing Director of Objective3D, added, “Joining forces with TCL Hofmann allows us to dramatically extend our reach and capabilities, delivering even greater value to our customers. We look forward to this new chapter of major growth and the opportunities it will bring.”
About Objective3D
Objective3D is the leading provider of additive manufacturing and 3D scanning solutions in Australia and New Zealand, offering an extensive range of technologies from Stratasys, Lithoz, Artec3D, Materialise, and more. Objective3D is dedicated to empowering industries with the tools to innovate, create, and excel through world-class additive manufacturing solutions and services.
About TCL Hofmann and TCL Hunt
TCL Hofmann (Australia) and TCL Hunt (New Zealand), both part of the Ravago Group, specialize in providing advanced additive manufacturing solutions. With a legacy of delivering high-quality products and expertise, TCL Hofmann and TCL Hunt have been key players in the AM market.
About Ravago Group
Ravago Group is a global leader in the distribution, resale, compounding, and recycling of plastics, rubber, and chemicals. Today, Ravago represents over 7,800,000 metric tons of annual polymer sales, serving more than 56,000 active customers through 325+ locations across more than 60 countries worldwide. This impressive global operation is made possible through the dedication and innovation of its 10,000 employees.
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Christchurch Airport firefighters to strike over poor pay offer – PSA

Source: PSA

Christchurch Airport firefighters will refuse to carry out a range of non-core duties following the refusal of the airport company to table a pay offer that respects their critical role.
PSA members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of limited industrial action and the union has issued a strike notice to the airport company today. This follows the breakdown in negotiations for a new three-year collective employment agreement. Negotiations have been underway since August.
The firefighters will refuse to carry out a range of duties over a 21-day period, beginning 8am Wednesday 18 December 2024 and ending 6pm Wednesday 8 January 2025.
“This situation has been forced on our members because the airport company is refusing to budge from a pay offer that is not keeping pace with inflation or recognises their valuable work,” said Fleur Fitzsimons Assistant Secretary for Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
Christchurch Airport is a very profitable employer. Underlying profit jumped 37% this year to $41.8m. Its shareholders – Christchurch City Council and the Government – received a dividend of nearly $19m.
“The airport company has the money to give firefighters a pay rise that properly respects the critical role they play in keeping passengers safe and helping the airport run smoothly.
“They work hard, firefighters maintain a 24/7 operation and live on site. Their pay needs to reflect the unusual and important nature of their work. It’s insulting that the company thinks firefighters are overpaid.
“The current offer is well below the rate of inflation. Our members went backwards in the last agreement, and they are not prepared to have their real pay further eroded at a time when costs, including mortgage rates, are still a huge burden for many.
“The PSA urges the airport company to do the right thing and make a fair pay offer.”
The industrial action includes a ban on undertaking various duties including:
– Undertaking overtime unless before or after a rostered shift
– Trial evacuations
– Spill reporting
– Recording of safety patrols, runway inspections, vehicle checks and incident reports
– Supporting wildlife staff.
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Arts – NZSA announces Charlotte Grimshaw as 2025 NZSA President of Honour

Source: New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa is delighted to announce that Charlotte Grimshaw is the NZSA 2025 President of Honour. This prestigious honour is bestowed on a senior writer and long-serving NZSA member in recognition of their contribution to writing, writers and the literary arts sector in Aotearoa.

NZSA’s 2025 President of Honour, Charlotte Grimshaw, is newly back from Menton. She is the author of eleven works, including critically acclaimed novels, two outstanding collections of linked stories and a best-selling memoir. As a reviewer in The New Zealand Listener noted: ‘A swarming energy pervades every page she writes… her descriptive writing has always been of the highest order. Most of it would work just as well as poetry.’

Charlotte was awarded the 2024 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship. She is a winner of the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship and the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award. Her story collection Opportunity was shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Prize, and Opportunity won New Zealand’s premier Montana Award for Fiction, along with the Montana Medal for Book of the Year. She was the Montana Book Reviewer of the Year. Her story collection Singularity was shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Prize and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Her novel, The Night Book, was a finalist for the New Zealand Post Book Award. Her most recent novel, Mazarine, was longlisted for the 2019 Ockham Book Awards. Her bestselling 2021 memoir, The Mirror Book, was shortlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Award for Non-Fiction.

Charlotte Grimshaw is currently a regular reviewer and columnist for the NZ Listener. Her monthly column in Metro magazine won a Qantas Media Award. She won the 2018, 2019 and 2021 Voyager Media Award for Reviewer of the Year. Two of her novels, The Night Book and Soon, have been made into a TV series, The Bad Seed, screened on TV One in 2019. A compilation of The Night Book and Soon, titled The Bad Seed, was published in 2019.

Charlotte Grimshaw is a literary advisor to the Sargeson Trust and to the Academy of New Zealand Literature. She has judged the Sunday Star-Times Short Story award twice, and the Auckland University Ingenio short story award twice, and has judged the premier award of the BNZ Katherine Mansfield short story prize.

Commenting in the Guardian on Singularity and Opportunity Jane Campion said, “She is a master of mystery, very contemporary and astute. Her language is relaxed, spare and perfect.” The Times Literary Supplement noted, “Grimshaw’s vivid descriptions… are a joy.”  Charlotte’s The Night Book was praised for “tread[ing] perfectly the divide between fact and fiction” (Sunday Star Times). In the same paper, Kerre Woodham wrote of it: “This is a beautifully written novel — suspenseful, topical and a wonderful study of human relationships… The characters are fabulous and the writing’s superb.”

“Opening the pages of Charlotte Grimshaw’s new novel Soon is akin to tilting the blinds in a dim room; the razor-like precision of her words flood your mind with crisp, searing light, such is the vivid clarity of her prose… Soon is clever and uncomfortable at the same time. Charlotte Grimshaw has a peculiar and very satisfying knack of infusing a sort of heat and energy into her pages and cultivating a low-lying sense of tension into every line. Plus she’s a connoisseur of human behaviour.” – TVNZ

“Charlotte Grimshaw is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished and acclaimed writers with a significant publishing record. She has few peers as a fiction writer and essayist, and as a reviewer and public intellectual. Her work for newspapers and magazines reveals her curiosity about the world, her immersion in contemporary politics and social issues; it demonstrates her clear-sighted thinking, willingness to interrogate and expose, and desire to engage with difficult topics. Her writing can be searing and fearless. Her work as a fiction writer wins literary awards and is adapted for television, a rare combination anywhere, especially for an author who is not writing commercial or historical fiction.” – Dr Paula Morris MNZM
 
NZSA President Dr Vanda Symon says “ Charlotte Grimshaw is a writer whose works have been acclaimed across fiction, short fiction, and memoir, and who is known for her gritty and unflinching commentary on political and societal issues. We are thrilled to have her as our 2025 NZSA President of Honour.”

The NZSA President of Honour delivers the prestigious annual NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture – an event that comments on the literary sector.
NZSA will announce details of this event in 2025.

Charlotte Grimshaw’s impressive body of work can be viewed here: https://authors.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=905a5275ec5c023659502ec21&id=e86a3db80e&e=466373ae7c

Rollcall of NZSA President of Honour

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc is the principal organisation representing writers in Aotearoa. Founded in 1934, it advocates for the right to fair reward and creative rights, administers prizes and awards, works closely with the literary sector liaison, administers prizes and awards, and runs professional development programmes for writers.
authors.org.nz

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Speech to Early Childhood Education sector– Reducing red tape and barriers to ECE

Source: New Zealand Government

When I was delegated responsibility for the ECE Sector from the Minister for Education it became immediately clear that my focus had to be on reducing red tape and regulatory obstacles for the early learning sector.  

While there is huge demand for ECEs from families across New Zealand, numbers show supply isn’t keeping up. That is why we are committed to making changes which will allow the industry to expand and continue to provide high-quality service for families and their children.

I wouldn’t blame you for being sceptical of government, considering how much it has heaped on to your plate in terms of red tape and regulation in recent years. I’m here to tell you that this government has a different approach, and I hope that our first year is evidence of our commitment to make your life easier, and therefore the lives of the parents and children who use your services. 

The sector is integral to positive education outcomes because it is the gateway to our education system. It’s important that families have access to affordable and quality early learning services because education during a child’s early stages of growth helps build the foundations for future learning and social interactions.  

So, I’ve gone to the sector and asked, how can the Government best support you? And I heard you loud and clear when you said that regulations are a pain point for many of you. Throughout 2024 We’ve been actively engaging with you on ways to provide regulatory relief.  

I’m pleased to share our progress on the changes we’ve made so far, and what is coming up in the future. 

Regulations that have been removed

Your feedback has informed changes that we have worked with the Ministry of Education to make, providing immediate regulatory relief while the Ministry for Regulation carried out their wider sector review. 

My focus has been on making practical and sensible changes in regulatory areas – and doing this as quickly as possible – to ease some of the pressure on services and their staffing, and help avoid increased fees, reduced operating hours, or even closure in some cases. 

These changes include:  

  • Stopping the person responsible change that was planned for August, to give services more flexibility in who can perform this important supervisory role  
  • Getting rid of network approval so that providers can immediately apply for a probationary licence to operate a new early learning service 
  • Scrapping the change for home-based ECE that was scheduled for next year, which would have required at least 80% of educators to be qualified while the rest must be in training. The Government is replacing this with a more flexible requirement where educators must either be qualified or in training. This lessens the pressure on home-based providers and reduces barriers to attracting new educators and growing their businesses to meet demand from parents and families  
  • Allowing persons responsible to work in more than two home-based services per month from next year. This helps make it easier for home-based ECE service providers to arrange relief cover for person(s) responsible who are sick or take leave. 

The network approval change is a great example of how we can empower local communities. Instead of the Ministry of Education micromanaging where you can open an early childhood education (ECE) centre and whether or not you can expand and how many children you can have at your ECE centre, we’re actually going to leave the decision up to the people that risk their own money to start them and the parents who truly know what is best for their children, who decide to send them there because they’re happy, because they’re safe, and because they’re learning. Those are the people who should have the power, and these are the people who will have the power. It means people spend less time on the bureaucracy of justifying their existence and more time on the empowerment about being able to do it their way.

Those examples I’ve just outlined are what drives providers from continuing to operate, or from establishing new services. A sensible approach reflects the reality of operating a service while maintaining quality education and care of children. I want you to have more flexibility to manage your service, and I want to support parents’ continued access to early learning services in their communities so that they can go to work and their children can benefit from the good quality ECE you provide. 

The ECE regulatory review  

The Ministry for Regulation will soon complete a sector review for the Early Childhood Education sector, to address major issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation.

It was the first sector that Cabinet chose to undergo a sector review, which reflects how much there is to address and how many people we can help by doing so. If we can make it easier for educators to focus on children’s safety and learning, and less on the paperwork, then it will be the children who benefit most.

Thank you to all of you who have provided input on this work so far.

The public consultation in July and August received over 2,300 responses including over 500 written submissions from parents, teachers, service providers, peak bodies, and a range of other people and organisations interested in the future of ECE in New Zealand. I know that the Ministry for Regulation also met with many of you personally too and gathered feedback during face-to-face meetings, so many thanks for your help and contribution.  

Based on the feedback, the Ministry for Regulation has identified four key themes for the review report: 

  • The ECE regulatory system is not fit-for-purpose for the current ECE sector context  
  • The licensing criteria is a blunt and disproportionate tool  
  • ECE regulatory requirements are confusing  
  • ECE regulatory practice conflates requirements with recommendations in some cases. 

The Ministry for Regulation is working closely with the Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office to understand sector concerns and inform its recommendations. I look forward to reading the draft report before the end of this year. 

ECE Funding Review 

Funding is also front of mind for many providers. In the current financial climate money is hard to come by, so the Government has to be smarter with every dollar it spends. 

In addition to removing red tape and barriers to early learning, I think it’s time we consider whether the funding for ECE is helping as much as it can, particularly in keeping costs down for families and accommodating more parents who want return to the workforce. We want to ensure that New Zealand families are getting the maximum value out of the approximately $2.7 billion ECE providers get from Vote Education. This is currently in early stages. I’m preparing a proposal for Cabinet so that the Government can commit to this review.   

Changes to ease funding pressure

While this is underway, I was pleased to make two changes in October that the sector had originally put forward to ease funding pressures. We have: 

  • Simplified the pay parity scheme to cover only permanently employed part and full-time certificated teachers. This aims to reduce the cost of relievers and make it easier for services to support a permanent workforce  
  • Removed the unnecessary administration associated with the discretionary hours condition. As a result, services are no longer required to record attempts to find a certificated reliever even when there is no realistic chance of getting one. This frees up services to focus on provision of services to children   
  • Allocated $191 million as part of Budget 2024 for cost adjustment to the ECE funding rates. While I would have liked to secure more funding, I hope the increase to funding rates from 1 January 2025 will be a great help.  

I appreciate the positive feedback I have received on these changes. 

Food in ECE 

I also look forward to another initiative that will provide healthy lunches to more children in ECE across the country from next year. 

When I was given the job of handling the school lunches programme, I was alarmed at the cost to taxpayers and was certain that by engaging with the private sector and using business acumen we would be able to save taxpayers’ money. Even I couldn’t imagine how inefficiently the programme had been run up until that stage.

I also saw an inconsistency in the programme’s delivery. If the Government is providing food for school-aged children in need, why is not just as important to provide food for younger children in need? Sir Peter Gluckman’s research clearly demonstrates that good nutrition is one of the key factors affecting early brain development. The more we can do to support good nutrition from a young age, the more likely children are to reach their potential. 

Because of the Government’s financial prudence with the school lunch progrrame, we were able to redirect some cost savings to contracting KidsCan to expand its ECE healthy lunch programme from 6,000 children to up to 16,000. All two- to five-year-olds attending eligible ECE services that opt in will be able to access nutritious food, which we know is important for early brain development. 

The first 1,000 days are key to a child’s development. I am proud we can innovate to provide help for even more children who need it.  

Closing remarks  

ECE services provide families and parents a choice to confidently leave their children in the care of others so they can work, study or volunteer. It is particularly an enabler for parents who want to rejoin the paid workforce. 

Parents want to know their child is safe and well cared for, but costs and waiting lists because of burdensome rules and regulations put ECE out of reach for many.

I hope that the work the Government has done in this first year is making a difference for you, your business, and the families who are so grateful for what you do. 

There’s a lot more work that needs to be done though, and with the sector review ending I hope to have more positive regulatory change on the horizon. 

Like all of you. I want New Zealand’s youngest citizens to thrive, and that starts with listening to the hard-working educators in the field. Thanks to everyone for having me here tonight. 

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Serious crash, SH2 Poukawa

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

State Highway 2, Poukawa is closed between Stock Road and Te Aute Trust Road following a crash.

The two-vehicle crash was reported to Police at about 4:35pm.

Initial indications are that there are serious injuries.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

Diversions are in place.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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New Parahaki Bridge over the Manawatū River structurally complete

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A major bridge on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway that will allow road users access across the Manawatū River has been completed.

The completion of the concrete deck on the 300-metre-long Parahaki Bridge means both banks of the river are now connected.

The balanced cantilever bridge is now considered ‘structurally complete’ from an engineering perspective, although crews will be continuing to work on it, including the installation of barriers, a viewing deck, drainage and the laying of asphalt.

These are expected to be completed early in the new year.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi project spokesperson Grant Kauri says the bridge has a width of about 30 metres, making it one of the widest bridges of its kind in the southern hemisphere. 

“The Parahaki Bridge is unique in that it’s not straight and flat – it has a curve, a camber and a gradient, so each bridge deck concrete pour was specifically designed and highly complex.”

“It has been a challenging structure because of its location in a fast-flowing river that’s also on a fault line. It’s also located between the Ruahine and Tararua ranges, which creates a wind tunnel.

“When the team started working on the foundation piles, they found the ground conditions were quite difficult. It took a few months longer than expected to get the first piles in the ground.”

Piling was complete by mid-2022 and by December that year the first pier was finished. 

The balanced cantilever method involves constructing the bridge deck in segments, out from the piers.

The concrete segments are poured in situ (in place), rather than being precast and then lifted into position, because the segments would be too heavy to be lifted by crane.

“This is the culmination of years of hard work by many people. We would never have been able to do this without the expertise of all those who have contributed, I’m truly grateful to all the teams who’ve been involved to date.”

Key facts about Parahaki Bridge

  • 300 metres long
  • 30 metres wide
  • 3 piers
  • 54 bridge deck segments
  • Up to 110 people on site at any one time
  • 300,000 mahi hours
  • 17,000 cubic metres of concrete used.

Construction of the bridge deck began in September 2023 with the installation of the first form traveller, a pair of streel frames that support the concrete pours. It took the team 13 months to construct all 54 bridge deck segments.

Te Ahu a Turanga construction started in January 2021 and is expected to be completed in mid-2025.

The road will replace State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge, which was closed in 2017 due to landslides.