February 14, 2026

Part two: #infrastructure: Waiariki: A Network Under Strain

Matthew Tukaki Posted On February 14, 2026

The state of infrastructure across the Māori electorates is under renewed scrutiny – and in Waiariki, the picture is becoming increasingly urgent.

Recent severe weather events have exposed the fragility of rural and coastal transport networks, particularly along State Highway 35 and through key access routes such as the Waioweka Gorge. For many communities in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and up the East Coast, these roads are not optional – they are lifelines.

Radio Waatea has previously reported on how climate change is intensifying landslide risk across Aotearoa, particularly in rural and coastal regions where steep terrain, deforestation, and historic land use have compounded instability. Those vulnerabilities are now playing out in real time.

Our earlier reporting highlighted that landslides are becoming more frequent and more destructive, with rural communities disproportionately exposed. Increased rainfall intensity, saturated soils, and degraded hill country are combining to destabilise slopes.

The impacts are not just environmental – they are social and economic.

Road closures isolate communities. Supplies become limited. Access to health care, education, and employment is disrupted. Emergency response times stretch out. For Māori communities living along remote coastal corridors, these risks are magnified.

Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi says the current situation reflects deeper structural neglect.

“Our Eastern Bay communities and Ikaroa-Rāwhiti are once again navigating isolation and uncertainty as road slips and closures disrupted SH35 particularly between Pōtaka and Te Araroa following the recent severe weather events Aotearoa has faced last month.”

“These closures are not minor inconveniences for whānau, they cut off essential access, restrict work, and leave communities reliant on limited supplies and support.”

One of the most significant events was the Punaruku slip, which displaced nearly 250,000 cubic metres of rock, leaving unstable terrain and ongoing safety concerns.

“These communities deserve safety, clarity, and realistic timeframes for essential support.”

The Waioweka Gorge closure lasted more than two weeks. A convoy system is now operating three times daily in both directions – a temporary measure for what remains a major transport artery.

Waatea’s recent reporting on rural and regional roads found a national network under strain. Deferred maintenance, ageing infrastructure, and constrained funding models have left many regional corridors vulnerable – particularly in high-risk climate zones.

Clearing 98% of culverts after recent events shows what focused resourcing can achieve. But as Waititi points out, communities are asking whether the same urgency will be applied to long-term resilience upgrades.

“The Government must rebuild past temporary access and prioritise the long-term resilience of the infrastructure of SH35 and our Eastern Bay communities.”

A key issue raised is how infrastructure funding is calculated.

“Funding frameworks also systematically disadvantage small, isolated Māori communities. For Te Whānau a Apanui, SH35 is a lifeline, yet traffic-based funding models fail to recognise isolation, vulnerability, and exposure to extreme weather.”

“Equity requires stronger weighting for resilience and geographic risk.”

In other words, roads serving smaller populations may receive lower prioritisation under current models – even when those communities have no alternative routes and face higher exposure to environmental hazards.

The infrastructure debate goes beyond asphalt and culverts.

“The safety and wellbeing of our people must be at the forefront of decision making, our people are facing barriers to ambulance access, school buses, and emergency services are compromised.”

“Rural road resilience is a public safety issue, not just transport maintenance.”

Recovery also intersects with long-standing environmental damage – including forestry slash impacting rivers and coastal areas – and unresolved recovery challenges from previous events such as Cyclone Bola and Cyclone Gabrielle.

Waititi says the response to date has lacked clarity.

“Prime Minister Luxon spoke of motorhomes, marae funding, and campervans but did not clarify what aid individuals would receive or how local groups would be supported, leaving urgent questions unanswered.”

Local relief groups such as Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust and Manaaki Matakāoa have stepped in, alongside iwi, hapū, and community volunteers.

“Despite the scale of the crisis, the most immediate response came from our community themselves, supporting and uplifting our people in the absence of the government’s timely response.”

Long-term solutions, Waititi argues, must include:

Slip-resistant transport corridors
Permanent drainage upgrades
Route realignments
Coastal protection measures
Meaningful iwi partnerships
Fair remuneration for communities using their own machinery to clear roads

“Temporary fixes will not suffice.”

The broader picture across the Māori electorates is clear: climate change is amplifying pre-existing vulnerabilities in rural infrastructure. Waiariki is not alone – but its geography makes it particularly exposed.

As weather patterns intensify and coastal erosion accelerates, the debate is shifting from repair to resilience.

“Our people are resilient, but resilience cannot replace systemic Government responsibility to protect infrastructure, access, and wellbeing for our people,” Waititi said.

With election year approaching, infrastructure equity across Māori electorates is likely to become a defining issue – not just about transport, but about safety, survival, and the long-term oranga of both the taiao and our people.