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SH2 Waipawa road rebuild taking shape

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Roading crews are making good progress on the SH2 road rebuild (rehabilitation) in Waipawa between Victoria Street and Tamumu Road.

The first stage of work, installing kerb and channel, has now been finished with more than 360 metres of concrete poured in the installation.

The focus now shifts to the rebuild of this stretch of road. Crews will begin from next Monday (17 February), working at night for approximately 4 weeks.

The work will be carried out under stop/go traffic management between 8pm and 5am Mondays to Fridays (finishing each week at 5am on Saturday).

The rebuild will be done section by section to reduce traffic impacts and during the work, access for residents and businesses will remain and there will be on street parking – just not on the section of state highway being worked on.

Rebuilding the road will involve recycling the existing road materials with cement added to the road, to extend the life of the road and provide a smoother surface, improving the journey through this stretch of road.

At the same time, Central Hawke’s Bay District Council was scheduled to complete work on the southbound footpath this year, which was beside the area of State Highway 2 that NZTA is working on. The two organisations aligned on this renewal, with NZTA contractors completing the road and Council-funded footpath construction work at the same time– minimising costs and disruptions to ratepayers.

“State Highway 2 is the road that keeps us connected to each other, and the rest of the country,” says the council’s Community Infrastructure and Development General Manager Mark Kinvig.

“The road’s part to play in the economic growth of the district and the accessibility it creates, allowing people to move around, cannot be underplayed.

“Working together delivers what the community wants and needs, but for a lot less money. 

“This translates into better roads for everyone,” says Mr Kinvig.

At this stage, the rebuild project is expected to be complete mid-March, slightly earlier than initially planned.

“We know this work has already involved some disruption to businesses and the community and we’re grateful for people’s support – without it, the works would undoubtedly take longer to complete,” says NZTA Regional Manager of Maintenance and Operations Rua Pani.

SH2 resealing between Waipukurau and Takapau – day work

Starting this week, a stretch of SH2 between Takapau and Waipukurau will be resealed over the next 6 weeks.

Crews will be working onsite Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm each weekday.

The road will be under stop/go traffic management and road users should expect possible delays of up to 20 minutes.

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Waikato & Bay of Plenty state highway works February 2025 

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

When the sun continues to shine, road workers across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty are continuing to make significant progress on many worksites.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and its contractors are completing an ambitious programme to improve safety and resilience of the state highway network, making the most of the summer months in which they’re able to reseal and re-construct roads, says Sandra King, Bay of Plenty System Manager. 

“The recent spell of good weather has allowed our contractors to make great progress on their maintenance programmes, some ahead of schedule, across both regions. Examples include completing the rebuild of both State Highway 2 north of Tauranga at Snodgrass Road and State Highway 27 in Matamata, several asphalting sites on State Highway 29 Kaimai Range and the scheduled closure on the Kaimai Range. 

“We appreciate everyone’s patience, especially where we have road closures and detours, or multiple worksites in the same area. This scale of work shows our investment in the region, and commitment to improving people’s journeys. 

“Due to the work taking place there will inevitably be delays to some journeys. As always, our key focus is to keep road users and contracting crews safe at all times,” says Ms King. 

This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund. 

To plan ahead and see where disruptive works are, people can use the NZTA Journey Planner (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)) This is kept up to date in real time so you can see all disruptive activity and potential hazards on the state highway network. 

Waikato Bay of Plenty works as at 14 February 2025 [PDF, 510 KB]

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SH1 Greenlane Interchange closed to southbound traffic

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

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NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises all southbound lanes on State Highway 1 at the Greenlane Interchange are closed due to a serious crash.

Motorists are asked to delay their journeys, where possible, consider alternate routes and expect delays and diversions. Traffic is heavy around the Greenlane Interchange and NZ Police expect the closure to be in place for at least two hours, while the Serious Crash Unit investigates.

Auckland through-traffic should use the Western Ring Route to travel south, from SH1 to State Highway 18 at Albany, left to State Highway 16 through Westgate and right to the State Highway 20 Southbound Waterview Tunnel to continue south from the SH1/SH20 link in Manukau.

The Greenlane southbound on-ramp remains open, as do all northbound lanes.

People are encouraged to visit the Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)) for up to date information on the closure and detour route before they travel.

NZTA thanks everyone for their patience.

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Enough for a feed | Conservation blog

Source: Department of Conservation

By Helen Ough Dealy

Whitebaiting can be competitive. Some fishers will go to great lengths to protect their fishing spot, particularly if the whitebait are running well.

Fisher conversations tend to disguise the true nature of their haul, “How much you got today?” “Not much, just a cupful – enough for a feed, maybe a fritter or two.”  All the while trying to carry a 10 kilogram bucketful as if it weighs less than 500 grams!

Checking the whitebait catch on the banks of the Rangitaiki River | DOC

So, imagine the challenge DOC, as the whitebait fishery manager, faces. How do you count all the whitebait caught in a whitebaiting season? How big is the fishery?

These silvery delicacies are fished from streams, creeks, rivers and the surfline all over the country from Te Tai Tokerau, the Far North to Rakiura Stewart Island and Rēkohu/Wharekauri, the Chatham Islands.

The Whitebait Regulations don’t require fishers to report their catch. And, even if DOC had enough data collectors to cover every fishing spot, there’s only two months (between 1 September and 30 October) to count the white gold.

New Zealand Whitebaiting rivers based on rivers identified in Kelly 1988, sampled for whitebait by Yungnickel 2017 and identified for survey by DOC operations staff in 2021-22.1

Fortunately, some fishers keep catch diaries for their own interest. Some diaries stretch back over 60 years, others just cover the previous season. These small, battered, often overlooked books are amazing repositories of weather, tide, gear, and catch data – some even record whitebaiter dances and get-togethers on the riverbank!

“Some whitebaiters have already shared this valuable resource with DOC,” says Emily Funnell, Freshwater Species Manager. “Their data is helping us better understand how much whitebait was caught, the weather conditions, river state, and fishing gear used.”

Page from a whitebait catch diary. Aperima River, Southland (2021-2024) | DOC
Page from a whitebait catch diary. Karangarua and Saltwater Rivers, West Coast (1984-2024) | DOC
Page from a whitebait catch diary. Punakaiki River, West Coast (2006)
| DOC

DOC is currently doing a call-out for more whitebait catch diaries.

“It doesn’t matter what state the data or diary is in. We’ve seen pocket-sized farming diaries covered in mildew. Others are computer-based spreadsheet printouts,” says Emily.

“All data is useful, whether you’ve been whitebaiting for a short time or for decades. The more data about the whitebait catch we have, the better we can understand and protect the fishery and its species into the future.”

“And even if you aren’t a whitebaiter, check the family archives as this valuable information can be passed down the generations.”

Emily says privacy is important, so information in the diaries will be kept completely anonymous and combined with data from other whitebaiters’ diaries.

Once the diaries have been collected, they will be analysed by NIWA freshwater scientists. The research results are expected later in 2025.

Whitebait compliance monitoring
| DOC
Bucket full of whitebait – enough for a few fritters! | DOC
Scoop netting for whitebait on the Rangitaiki River | DOC

How can you help with research into the whitebait fishery?

Email whitebait@doc.govt.nz if you’d like to:

• Share your whitebait catch diaries
• Request a catch diary template to record the 2025 whitebaiting season
• Find out more about this research and the results.

[1] Kelly GR. 1988. An inventory of whitebaiting rivers of the South Island. Christchurch: New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. New Zealand Freshwater Fisheries Report No.: 101.
Yungnickel M. 2017. New Zealand’s whitebait fishery: Spatial and Temporal Variation in Species Composition and Morphology [MSc]. Christchurch, New Zealand: University of Canterbury.

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DOC urges public support following incident near tara iti nesting site

Source: Department of Conservation

Date:  14 February 2025

DOC staff found a group of youths aged 14 to 16 years camped within the fenced area and using DOC’s rangers’ observation hides.

The tara iti is New Zealand’s most critically endangered bird, with fewer than 45 adults remaining.

This breeding season, almost all tara iti nesting occurred at Mangawhai Heads. None of the chicks could fly when this incident occurred, so the tiny birds were highly vulnerable to trampling and stress-induced desertion from their parents. Tragically, trampling of tara iti chicks has occurred in the past, such as in December 2008, when a chick was unintentionally killed by two people entering a breeding area.

Despite no chicks being harmed in this instance, the incident caused significant disruption to the site. Tara iti chicks nearest to the hide showed signs of agitation, a behaviour that can lead to desertion. Additionally, human activity likely delayed feeding by adult birds, reducing food provision to chicks.

“The hide had been damaged, and there was evidence of a bonfire nearby. Materials used for chick recovery and site management had been removed, and footprints showed individuals had walked through sensitive areas, further increasing risks to the chicks,” says Joel Lauterbach, DOC Whangārei Operations Manager.  

“Chicks were not in their usual day roosts, likely due to the disturbance. One chick remained undetected for several hours, which is highly unusual, and a concerning indication of the stress caused by the intrusion.”

DOC does not typically prosecute or infringe on youth offenders. Instead, the focus is on educating young people about the consequences of their actions – and the importance of protecting tara iti habitats.

“This is an opportunity to not only work with these youths but also raise awareness in the wider community,” says Joel.

Criminal proceedings would only be considered if the youths’ actions were deliberate and resulted in clear harm to the tara iti, such as fatalities. “Tara iti habitats are incredibly sensitive, and seemingly minor disturbances can have devastating consequences,” Joel says. “Chicks this young cannot fly, and if they freeze in response to human activity, they risk being trampled. If they run, they can wander from the safety of their nesting areas, making them harder for parents to locate and care for and putting them at higher risk of predation.”

DOC rangers manage the tara iti sites with precision, ensuring their own activities minimise disruption. Despite this, external disturbances, such as this incident, remain a significant threat. “The fences and signs are there for a reason,” says Joel. “We ask for everyone’s help in respecting these boundaries.”

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

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Crush death triggers on-farm traffic alert

Source: Worksafe New Zealand

WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for an horrific death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.

Louis van Heerden was crushed to death by an hydraulic tailgate on a trailer at Turley Farms Limited near Temuka in March 2022. The 45-year-old had been standing at the back of a dark, narrow shed as a spotter while grass seed was being tipped off the trailer.

WorkSafe investigators found Turley Farms had no specific plan in place for managing farm traffic indoors. In addition, workers should not have been permitted in such a restricted space.

Turley Farms has now been sentenced for its health and safety failings.

“Farmers are tempting fate if they think traffic only needs to be managed outdoors. Without a clear plan for how vehicles and people move around indoor barns and sheds, it’s only a matter of time before something goes terribly wrong,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Steve Kelly.

“This is a good reminder to take a critical look at how tractors and other vehicles move around inside farm buildings. Clear separation of vehicles and pedestrians is the key component. Signage and designated safe areas are also simple and inexpensive ways to boost safety – especially when compared to a conviction and a fine.”

Following the fatality, Turley Farms has introduced reversing cameras, closing alarms, and isolation valves to the back of its trailers.

Vehicles are a leading cause of death and injury on New Zealand farms, which is why agriculture is a priority sector under WorkSafe’s new strategy. Agriculture accounts for around 25 percent of serious acute harm in Aotearoa while having only six percent of employment.

Businesses must manage their risks, and WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe. When they do not, we will take action.

Read WorkSafe’s guidance on safe reversing and spotting practices
Read WorkSafe’s guidelines on managing workplace traffic

Background: 

  • Turley Farms Limited was sentenced at Timaru District Court on 13 February 2025
  • A fine of $247,500 was imposed, and reparations of $201,477 were ordered
  • Turley Farms was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and 48(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
    • Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Louis Frederick van Heerden, while at work in the business or undertaking, namely acting as a spotter while plant was being unloaded into a drying shed, did fail to comply with that duty and that failure exposed workers, namely Louis Frederick van Heerden, to a risk of death or serious injury arising from exposure to the risk of being struck or crushed by plant.
  • The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.

Media contact details

For more information you can contact our Media Team using our media request form. Alternatively, you can:

Phone: 021 823 007 or

Email: media@worksafe.govt.nz

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SH2 Waioweka Gorge daily closures extended

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The closure of State Highway 2 (SH2) through the Waioweka Gorge will be extended as additional days are required next week to complete the maintenance work.

Work is well underway repairing SH2 and laying a new asphalt, providing a good quality surface, improving resilience and safety through the area.  

The work is taking longer than anticipated and to achieve the quality finish required, the contractor will be using the contingency days next week to complete the work.  

This means, SH2 Waioweka Gorge will be closed Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February, between 10am and 6pm (with soft closure times being 9.40am and 5.40pm). If works cannot be carried out due to weather, the road will be open. 

Please note, with the predicted weather looking unfavourable, Wednesday 19 February may also be needed. 

People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner(external link) on the day of travel for up-to-date information about the closures.  

Date 

Road status 

Thursday 13 February 

Closed between 10am – 6pm 

Friday 14 February 

Closed between 10am – 6pm 

Saturday 15 February 

OPEN 

Sunday 16 February 

OPEN 

Monday 17 February 

Closed between 10am – 6pm 

Tuesday 18 February 

Closed between 10am – 6pm 

Wednesday 19 February 

Contingency day. If needed, closed between 10am – 6pm 

Closure points and details

Soft Closures: The soft closure points are Kerei Street, Matawai and Warrington Road, Ōpōtiki.  
Access for businesses and residents will be maintained at both ends of the affected area, up to the hard closure points.   

The soft closure times are 9.40am and 5.40pm – enabling people to get through the site before the hard closure starts at 10am and reach the site before it reopens at 6pm.  

Hard Closures: 2 hard closure points will be in the Gorge, closer to the actual road works. There will be no access through the site between 10am and 6pm each workday.  

Otoko Hill tree removal, drainage and culvert work deferred

Late-Feb to mid-April: Drainage upgrades and tree felling work planned to take place on Otoko Hill this week, (between Hihiroroa Road and Fitzgerald Road) has been deferred to late-Feb. Once work is underway, crews will be on-site 8am to 5pm. Stop/go will be in place to safely do this work and delays of up to 15 minutes are expected however this wait time could be longer if a tree is being felled. We encourage you to plan your journey and travel outside of these work hours if possible. Tree removal and trimming is required to further the Otoko Hill works, clear fallen debris and remove the risk they present in weather events. This work will continue through until mid-April. 

The SH2 Waioweka Gorge work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.  

NZTA thanks everyone for their patience and understanding as we undertake these important works. 

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SH1 Grovetown night works set to begin

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

People travelling to and from Picton can expect to see more road works on State Highway 1, Marlborough over five nights in early March.

Work will be underway, just north of Blenheim at the Grovetown site, from Sunday, 2 March, to Thursday, 6 March (five nights), 7 pm – 6 am. It is scheduled to finish at 6 am on Friday, 7 March.

Stop/Go traffic management will be in place and road users should expect delays of up to 10 minutes during work hours. The intersection of State Highway 1 and Aberharts Road will be closed during work hours and residents will have to detour via Vickerman Street.

During the night works, contractors will rebuild just under a kilometre of the highway between Rowley Crescent and Ross Lane.

They will remove the top layer of the road, lay new gravel, and then apply new chipseal on top. The end result is a more stable and improved road surface.

These works are critical for ensuring a critical transport link in Marlborough is kept safe and reliable for all road users.

A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place while the work is underway. Drivers must follow it and all traffic management in place. The lower speed is there to protect the road surface and keep drivers safe.

Works schedule

  • Grovetown is located approximately 5 km north of Blenheim on SH1 Marlborough.
  • Sunday, 2 March, to Thursday, 6 March (five nights). 7 pm – 6 am.
  • Stop/go and 30km/h temporary speed limit.
  • During work hours the State Highway 1/Aberharts Road intersection will be closed. Residents must detour via Vickerman Street.
  • Delays of up to 10 minutes can be expected.
  • Work is subject to weather and other unforeseen circumstances. In the event of unsuitable conditions, work will be rescheduled to the next suitable night.

With other road work sites on State Highway 1 at Freeths Road, Dashwood and south of Seddon, at the same time as this work, people travelling between Picton and Ward should allow an extra 30 minutes travel time. Drivers must plan ahead and should check NZTA/Waka Kotahi Journey Planner(external link) for more information.

More Information

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Shock, anger over boaties and dogs on pest-free island

Source: Department of Conservation

Date:  13 February 2025

And they’re calling on responsible boaties to report other recreational sailors who land on Coromandel’s off-limits islands.

DOC’s Coromandel Operations Manager Nick Kelly says the most recent incident occurred on Kawhitu/Stanley Island on Saturday 8 February, and was witnessed by two members of the public who alerted DOC.

“Our informants saw two people – believed to be from a 660 Haines Hunter boat named Nirvana 2 – ashore on Kawhitu,” says Nick.

“These people were spotted walking along a beach on the island at about 1.30 pm with two dogs.”

Nick says Kawhitu is classified as Nature Reserve, under the Reserves Act 1977 – meaning no-one can enter without express permission.

“To see people flagrantly disregard the rules – and in this case walk right past a sign telling them they shouldn’t be there – is very distressing”.

“As well as being somewhere they shouldn’t have been, the two people who’ve landed on Kawhitu have risked undoing decades of conservation work protecting vulnerable species.

“They’ve also risked the biosecurity of the island, which is protected through strict protocols we place on our own staff and any visitor authorised to carry out work on Kawhitu.”

Nick encouraged the owner or skipper of the Nirvana 2 – or anyone who saw the people from the vessel go ashore – to contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468), and quote CLE-8615.

Roughly 86 ha in size, Kawhitu is a haven for a number of protected and threatened species, including tieke/saddlebacks, flesh-footed shearwaters/toanui, and kakariki/red-crowned parakeet.

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

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Industry focus

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 5 March 2020
Last updated 5 March 2020

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New Zealand is facing skills shortages in a number of sectors, including construction, food and fibre, health, and Secondary Initial Teacher Education.
New Zealand is facing skills shortages in a number of sectors, including construction, food and fibre, health, and Secondary Initial Teacher Education.

One of TEC’s core priorities is to help address these labour and skills shortages. Our work will link communities, industries, and education providers to education and employment pathways that are easy to navigate. Every New Zealander should have the skills, knowledge and confidence to create a fulfilling life.
To achieve this, we are:

building strategic partnerships and investing in provision that can deliver long-term post-study outcomes for learners 
providing better quality learner information through our career services, including industry-specific attraction initiatives and dedicated career hub pages
encouraging the development of quality and innovative learning packages and accessible pathways through funding training schemes and micro-credentials
leading the work on the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). This includes developing a new Unified Funding System and facilitating the development of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs), Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) and working with MBIE as they facilitate the development of Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLGs).

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