Farmers Warned Over Track Dangers After Wairarapa Floods
The terrible floods that hit the Wairarapa may have subsided, but the danger to farmers still exists, according to local Federated Farmers president Rob Hickson.
Mark Hooper, Federated Farmers' infrastructure spokesperson, says additional funding for vulnerable rural roads has long been needed.
"Federated Farmers has been calling for more funding for rural roads and key regional freight and access routes," Hooper says.
Budget 2026 Invests In Resilient Infrastructure
Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Finance Minister Nicola Willis say communities vulnerable to severe weather and natural hazards will benefit from major new investments announced in Budget 2026.
“The Budget invests in stronger infrastructure, better hazard information, smarter emergency management systems, and improved financial preparedness,” Nicola Willis says.
“We can’t stop severe weather events from happening, but we can be much better prepared for them," she says.
$400 Million Targeting Vulnerable State Highways
Chris Bishop says funding of $400 million has been set aside for state highway resilience projects to help keep critical routes open during and after severe weather events.
“We know where many of the weak points on the network are," Bishop says. "This investment allows us to strengthen them before roads fail, rather than repeatedly paying to rebuild them afterwards."
Projects funded through the resilience package include improvements on:
- Waioweka Gorge
- Awakino Gorge
- Coromandel Peninsula
- Tākaka Hill
- Cromwell to Kingston
- Haast to Hāwea
- Milford Sound to Te Anau
“These are roads that communities, freight operators and tourists rely on every day. When they close, the impacts are felt far beyond the immediate area," Bishop says.
Federated Farmers Says Prevention Makes Sense
Hooper says investing in preventative resilience measures is more cost-effective than repeatedly repairing infrastructure after floods and storms.
"This is in line with the truism that ‘a stitch in time, saves nine’. Building in better resilience ahead of the next flood or storm makes sense," he says.
"We can’t continue to see communities like the East Coast or Golden Bay cut off every time a major rain event occurs."
Ultimately, however, if experience shows a route or piece of public infrastructure continues to be highly vulnerable to weather events, investigation and funding of alternatives is needed.
"The cost of repeated highway and rural road patch-ups quickly mount.
"As the Infrastructure Commission has pointed out, New Zealand needs an agreed, prioritised 30-year pipeline of infrastructure upgrading to build and retain a skilled workforce," Hooper concludes.
