Part Three: Tairāwhiti Under Pressure: Storms, Slips and the Fight for Resilient Roads

The Tairāwhiti region has endured a relentless cycle of severe weather events, with washed-out roads, damaged bridges and flooded communities becoming an increasingly familiar reality.

From the devastation of Cyclone Bola to the widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, Radio Waatea has reported on decades of storms that have cut off communities, grounded livelihoods and forced supplies to be flown in by helicopter when roads became impassable.

In this latest series examining infrastructure resilience, attention turns to the views of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, as questions mount over the future of State Highway 35 and the wider East Coast roading network.

Residents from Gisborne through to Ruatoria and beyond have repeatedly raised concerns about the condition of SH35 and local roads following heavy rain and slips. Tangaere-Manuel describes a region still recovering from Gabrielle, with infrastructure vulnerabilities exposed by increasingly frequent severe weather.

Climate change is intensifying the scale and regularity of storms, and Tairāwhiti remains particularly vulnerable. Many Māori communities across Tairāwhiti and Te Tai Tokerau are located in coastal and rural areas, making them disproportionately impacted by slips, flooding and isolation.

She argues that long-term planning is urgently needed to future-proof SH35 and other critical transport links, with stronger partnership between government and iwi central to that strategy. Māori communities, she maintains, understand their terrain and vulnerabilities better than anyone and should be resourced accordingly to reach whānau in remote areas.

Over the past 12 months, questions have been raised about improvements to safety along SH35 and through high-risk corridors such as the Waioeka Gorge. While operational decisions sit with central government, what is visible on the ground is growing fatigue among residents repeatedly forced into recovery mode.

The cycle has become familiar: repair, reopen, rebuild – only for another storm to undo the work. The cumulative strain on communities is described as unsustainable, with calls for infrastructure investment to shift from reactive repair to durable redesign.

Funding levels have also come under scrutiny. During the previous Labour administration, $18 million in targeted support was allocated to marae recovery following Cyclone Gabrielle. More recently, around $1 million has been directed to similar efforts.

The difference highlights what Tangaere-Manuel sees as the need not only for greater funding but for a coherent, long-term resilience strategy. Sea-level rise poses an additional threat to coastal Māori communities, with marae, urupā, farms and homes potentially requiring relocation in coming decades.

Without strategic planning, short-term funding injections risk failing to address deeper structural vulnerabilities.

Severe weather events are becoming more frequent and more costly. Insurance premiums are rising, and many Māori households struggle to maintain coverage. The financial burden adds another layer of insecurity for communities already coping with damaged infrastructure.

Roading is described as the lifeline of Tairāwhiti – the primary route for goods, healthcare access, education and employment. A resilient network must be safe, accessible and designed with climate realities in mind.

Advocacy now centres on a comprehensive plan involving iwi, central government, local councils and the wider community. Future-proofing includes improved road design, stronger zoning protections to prevent building in flood-prone areas, and communications systems that remain operational during emergencies.

The reliability of transport links directly affects whānau, schools and businesses. When roads close, daily life stalls. Medical appointments are missed, freight is delayed, and students are cut off from education.

As a member of the opposition, Tangaere-Manuel has focused on ensuring whānau receive accurate information and support during crises. On-the-ground engagement has underscored the depth of damage left by successive storms.

For now, road transport remains the only realistic means of moving goods and services across much of the region. That dependency heightens the urgency of building infrastructure capable of withstanding future events.

Beyond economics, the roads of Tairāwhiti carry cultural weight. They connect whānau to home, to marae and to one another. Each weather event that severs those links compounds both practical and emotional strain.

As storms grow more frequent, the call from the East Coast is clear: resilience cannot remain an aspiration. It must become the foundation of future planning.

Waateas connected reporting: