Latest news with #MotuekaValley
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Rural Tasman highways drop to 80km/h
McShane Road in Richmond has also dropped to 50km/h from 80km/h. Photo: Max Frethey / LDR Several key rural roads across Tasman have had their speed limits dropped. As of Monday, the Motueka Valley and Moutere Highways, as well as Dovedale, Edwards, and Neudorf Roads, have fallen from 100km/h to 80km/h. In Richmond, McShane Road has also lowered to 50km/h from 80km/h, while Lower Queen Street immediately northeast of McShane saw sections drop to 50km/h and 60km/h from 60km/h and 80km/h. These reductions come after speed limits were reduced and variable limits installed around several schools in late July and earlier in August. The lower speed limits are expected to reduce the number of crashes in the district, especially on the two local highways, which are some of Tasman's most crash-prone roads. Reducing speeds on targeted roads around the district has been a challenge for the council after a government rule change largely invalidated its original speed plan, forcing it to re-consult on the changes and frustrating many local communities who have been wanting the changes for years. "It's great to see that these important changes are finally in place to help keep our communities safer," said Jane Murray, Tasman District Council transportation planning advisor. She likened road safety to Swiss cheese. "Each safety measure - like road design, vehicle safety, or driver behaviour - acts as a layer of protection, but no layer has no holes. Crashes happen when the holes in the layers line up," she said. "Safe speeds are a vital layer. They help prevent crashes and reduce harm when crashes happen. Even if other safety measures fail, safe speeds can save lives." Drivers should watch out for the new speed signs, especially near schools where 30km/h speeds now applied during pick-up and drop-off times, she added. About 300 signs needed to be replaced for the speed limit reductions. Several key rural roads across the Tasman District have dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h. Photo: Max Frethey / LDR While the council aimed to align the changing signs with the official implementation dates, some were put up earlier which led to confusion and anger from some residents. "We've been working with Police on this and appreciate everyone's patience," Murray said. Senior sergeant Christopher Brooks, Tasman District road policing manager, warns motorists to drive to the conditions and take particular care of the changed speed limits. "The posted speed limit is just that - a limit - not a target," he said. "Even a small change in speed makes a big difference to injury severity in a crash - for you and everyone else involved. Motorists should expect to be stopped by Police anytime, anywhere." Brooks added that there was an increase in the number of roadworks happening locally after the recent severe weather and reminded drivers to follow directions and respect workers. "Reduced speed limits are a warning that there is a hazard on or near the road approaching. Whether you're heading out of town or staying local, we want you to get to your destination safely." The council will be considering a second phase of speed limit reductions on Thursday, which would affect narrow or winding unsealed roads, rural residential and peri-urban streets, urban roads without footpaths, along with other specific roads around the district. If approved, those changes will be made between 2026 and 2028. Lowering speed limits around the district has been difficult for Tasman after its regional speed plan was largely invalidated by a government rule change. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Supplies flown in after 'huge' slip cuts off Motueka Valley homes
Cornelia Vervoorn next to one of the large slips. Photo: Supplied / Cornelia Vervoorn A handful of homes in the Motueka Valley are awaiting a second drop of supplies by helicopter, after their road access was cut off in the second of two devastating floods to hit the Tasman district. The Nelson Tasman region transitioned into an official recovery period last week , ending the state of emergency that was declared on 10 July, between two floods weeks apart that caused widespread damage to to homes, farms, orchards and businesses. Cornelia Vervoorn is one of those whose home has been cut off, after several slips came down on Hinetai Road, near Tapawera. Vervoorn, her partner and their neighbour have now been without road access for almost two weeks and it's likely to be a few more before it is reinstated. "The second bout of weather was even more intense than the first, we watched the river get higher and higher and we knew there was likely to be some rockfall on the road leading to our place but when we actually investigated it, it turned out there were six slips, one of which was really huge and totally impassable. "Luckily we live on a on a hill with really good drainage so our house was absolutely fine, so we're really lucky in that regard but we ended up without power for a week and there's no road access to our house." She had ordered groceries online that would be dropped off by helicopter on Thursday and she said she was most looking forward to fresh fruit and vegetables and a bottle of wine she had added as a treat. A crew flown in by helicopter to repair fallen power lines were able to bring in some feed for her horses, with Civil Defence also doing a drop of food items and a generator, after the couple returned the one they had borrowed after the first flood. "That made a difference, we could charge up phones and we had the wood burner, which was fantastic and I figured out how to make bread in a cast iron it was all very little house on the prairie." A helicopter bringing in supplies. Photo: Supplied / Cornelia Vervoorn The couple have lost road access before, including during ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018, and had pre-emptively parked a car at their neighbours around two kilometres down the road. They had been able to walk out across the slips to their vehicle but had avoided doing so while the slip was still active. She hoped that rain forecast for next week wouldn't cause any additional problems. "We're just concerned that it'll make the slips even less stable or affect our ability to cross them if we really need to get out." Tapawera Connect community connector Della Webby said there were still many people in the small community need of support. "It's been a real team effort, we've had tractors get to some people, we've had people walking over slips trying to get to others, we've had helicopters dropping supplies. It's been really good, but it's hard to sustain that amount of effort when there's so much work needing to be done still." Many people had their properties cleaned up after the first flood, only to have the second one two weeks later cause even more damage. While there had been lots of help offered, there was still more needed. "You might have five teams coming to help, but there might be 30 farms that are desperately needing it." She said free accommodation was available close to the town for those outside the district who were able to volunteer their time to reinstate fences and clear silt and debris. "So if there's people coming from outside of our district, we can actually house them and feed them too if they need it. A Hinetai Road slip that has cut off road access in Motueka Valley. Photo: Supplied / Cornelia Vervoorn The toll of recent events was clear when the Tasman District Council's flood relief navigators visited Tapawera last week to provide residents with support. "There was just a lot of emotion, a lot of tears. People are just starting to struggle emotionally with the second impact the second flood...I'm noticing there's a lot of anxiety around next week and a potential third event coming. "One small shower and people start panicking and going, 'is there going to be more? What am I going to do? Do I need to move? Is there going to be a slip? Are we going to have more trees down?' Just that heightened sense of anxiety." Tasman District Council group recovery manager Richard Kirby said a handful of homes remained cut off in the Graham Valley Road in the Motueka Valley and Hinetai Road, near Tapawera. Supplies had been dropped to those residents by helicopter last week, with another delivery planned for Thursday. "We are looking at alternative access for next week and particularly how we get groceries and food items to them if they can't get out and we're working on other plans rather than having to rely on choppers." Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Kirby said residents had been told not to walk across the large slip blocking Hinetai Road as there were concerns it was unstable, and a risk further material could come down. Geotechnical experts had assessed the site this week, which included abseiling parts of it, to see if it could be stabilised. In the Graham Valley, a section of road had been washed away by the river, almost right up to a cliff face. "It either has to be completely reinstated with some retaining walls and gabions which is a major cost, and that could take some time so it's not an easy fix. It'll probably take probably a month to six weeks at least before we can reinstate that." He said staff at the council were still trying to make contact with several homes in the Graham Valley North Branch Road, to check on their welfare and ascertain if they needed any supplies. Contractors were still working across the district to reopen roads, with around 30 closures still in place. That included the road over the Mārahau Hill, with four-wheel-drive access for residents and emergency services via Kaiteriteri. It hoped to have road access reinstated by Thursday. Network Tasman operations manager Robert Derks said power had been restored to most homes, after the second of two back-to-back storms cut electricity to around 3200 customers. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Two homes on Riwaka-Sandy Bay Road remained without power after a pole and transformer were wiped out in the storm nearly two weeks ago. The pole was located at the bottom of a valley and was also taken out in ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018, so a more stable site had been found, with Network Tasman aiming to reinstate it and have power restored by the end of the week. Another five homes in Gannet Heights, Kaiteriteri, had been reliant on a generator after a slump in the road cut their power and Derks said that supply would also be reconnected in coming days. NZTA Waka Kotahi said work to repair a number of state highways across Nelson and Tasman would take some time, with disruptions and delays likely to continue in some places through until the end of the year. Top of the South regional manager Mark Owen said geotechnical and site assessments were still underway on roads across the region. Three sites on the Tākaka Hill, State Highway 60, required remedial work, with part of the highway expected to be reduced to a single lane under stop/go traffic management until the end of the year. Work is needed to repair, scour, slip, and washouts on State Highway 6 between Belgrove to Kohatu, and an underslip site at Coal Creek near Owen River. At Spooners Saddle, contractors would begin removing trees at risk of falling onto the highway from Wednesday, with the section of road under stop/go management to allow the trees to be removed safely. Owen said a temporary road surface will be put in place at Kohatu, ahead of a full rebuild of the highway planned for this summer. Contractors would also begin removing trees and other debris from underneath the Motueka River Bridge, as soon as water levels were low enough for diggers to operate in the riverbed. Meanwhile Chorus said it had postponed repairs to the damaged fibre cable at Lindsays Bridge in Tākaka ahead of more rain forecast for the top of the South Island next week. Rats chewed through the cable earlier this month, affecting 111 calls and internet and mobile coverage. A permanent fix was planned for Thursday night, but Golden Bay residents would not be able to contact 111 while the work is carried out. Chorus says the temporary fix has worked well in recent storms and it wants to give the community time to plan and prepare before any further disruption. Technicians would continue to monitor the temporary fix. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
18-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Tasman's rural resilience tested by back-to-back storms
Judith Rowe discovers an upended deer fence covered in flood debris Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Judith Rowe discovers an upended deer fence covered in flood debris. I didn't mean to get caught up in another perilous storm, when I set out for the Tasman region last week to record stories on how farmers were coping after June's devastating flooding. Rural communities fresh from the first catastrophic deluge were in the midst of preparing for a second, when I finally got through flight delays and road blockages. Heavy low clouds hanging ominously over Nelson Airport were a sign of things to come, when I finally landed late afternoon. Less than 24 hours later, a second State of Emergency was declared. I headed straight for the Motueka Valley, keen to get a story or two in the can, before it got dark. Sandra Young was waiting for me with her niece and nephew. They were standing under an umbrella, beside a flood-flattened paddock. Sandra Young (on right) with her nephew Rupert and niece Poppy Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Sandra Young (right) with nephew Rupert and niece Poppy. Floodwater gushes over Sandra Young's land. Photo: Sandra Young I'd seen her social media posts a few days earlier, showing her Motueka River West Bank Road property totally consumed by floodwaters. Her beloved animals had earlier been moved to a dry stable above the paddocks, but they weren't safe for long. The water just kept on rising. "We had five minutes to get them out [of the stable]," she said. "It was up to their knees and, within 5-10 minutes, it was up to the horse's chest and the alpaca's neck." She said other farm animals in the valley weren't so lucky. "There was a beautiful horse called Star up the river and everybody was praying he was all right, but he was found washed up on a beach. It's just heartbreaking." One of many unstable slips eating away at the Motueka Valley Highway. Photo: Laura Fry I asked her where her animals were now: "They're locked in the stable again, ready for tonight's deluge." She detailed a desperate rush to move combusting hay bales, wet and muddy from the rain, and others smashing through paddocks "like torpedoes". Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. The Tasman storm clean-up will take ages. Photo: Jacob Lucas I travelled further up the valley, along roads slick with silt and debris from the vegetation, to find cattle farmer Vicki Adnam. The land along the river looked like a bombsite, when I got there in the stormy half-light. Silt covered the paddocks, trees were upended, and most of the fences were flattened and tangled up with debris. Adnam said her two-storey house was a metre under water during the flood. Her tenanted cottage had moved off its foundations and has since been red-stickered. "We were upstairs here and it was just raging around us, and downstairs, the water was coming in." Fish & Game's Jacob Lucas at a clean-up site near the Motueka River on Vicki Adnam's farm. Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Local anglers muck in to clear flood debris off a farm fence. Photo: Jacob Lucus Jacob Lucas who works for Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game had organised a group of local anglers to help with the initial clean-up at Adnam's farm. "A lot of the fences have been completely flattened," he said. "There's debris all through them, so it's just trying to remove some of the debris, clean up the wire." On Friday morning, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, but I managed to get to Kevin Freeman at his dairy farm on the aptly-named Rainy River Road at Atapo. He showed me a damaged bridge and paddocks that looked bare, after losing all their fertile topsoil to the flooding. Atapo dairy farmer Kevin Freeman on a damaged bridge Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Atapo dairy farmer Kevin Freeman on a damaged bridge. The clean-up is underway for Kevin, Laura and Andrew Fry in the farmyard with their kids. Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes The rain was steadily getting heavier by the time I got to the Frys' farm on the Kaharu-Kawateri Highway. The family were doing a big clean-up after the first floods. "There's everything out there - cactuses, bricks, trees, containers, plastic," Andrew said. "It's amazing how much has come down the river." Brown floodwater still covered all the land between the Motupiko River and their farmyard, and had left a carpet of silt in the office and sheds. The Tapawera-Baton Rd on June 26th & Andrew Fry driving the Fire truck, trying not to find himself in 'deep water' Photo: Supplied The Tapawera-Baton Rd and Andrew Fry driving the firetruck, trying not to find himself in "deep water". The Frys' Farm in Motupiko, where the river stayed in its normal path this time. Photo: Laura Fry The Frys' award-winning hop garden was damaged and a combine havester had died, after being submeged in two metres of water. "It's going to cost the business a lot of money," Andrew's father told me grimly. "I guess it'll be triple figures, so we need good years, because of bad things like this." As we stood there, mulling over the damage, the call came through another bad deluge was on its way, and Andrew and wife Laura - both volunteer firefighters for Tapawera - headed out again. For the full story, head to this week's special feature on Country Life . picture id="4K4FP4E_Judith_Rowe_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"] Judith Rowe checks out a paddock that's starting to flood for the second time in two weeks. Tapawera firefighter Jeremy Hancock on the hose reel, cleaning out his Aunty Jill's Garage. Photo: Laura Fry A stopbank is being built on the Frys' farm, just before the second rain event hits the area. Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Families remain isolated in parts of Motueka Valley following Nelson Tasman floods
Nearly 30 families remain isolated in the Motueka Valley as the Nelson Tasman region transitions into recovery , after two floods weeks apart caused widespread damage. The state of emergency, which was declared on July 10, expires on Thursday with the region moving into a transition period for the next month. About 28 families were cut off in parts of the Motueka Valley where damaged roads were impassable and could remain so for several months, Tasman District Council group recovery manager Richard Kirby said. The residents in Graham Valley Rd, Hinetai Rd and the Wangapeka West Bank Rd had been delivered supplies by helicopter and the focus over the coming days was to reassess their needs and look at whether emergency access could be put in place. "The couple of roads that we're talking about are fairly major and may not be repaired for two or three months so we need to also look and see what sort of access we can put in, alternative access, if we can. "Most of them are lifestyle blocks and small sections so we've been talking to them and finding out what they need and dropping it off and we will continue that during the recovery period." Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi As of Wednesday, 10 homes had been red stickered, 42 yellow stickered and 48 white stickered, which meant further assessment was needed, with Nelson Tasman Civil Defence currently providing accommodation for 12 people following both floods. The district received two months of rain in a 48-hour period from June 27 and the scale of damage was exacerbated in the second flood on July 11, which was smaller but resulted in greater damage caused by high winds and saturated ground. Kirby said there were still 40-odd road closures across the district, with contractors working across the roading network to reinstate one-way access wherever possible. "There will be a big job to come back and do the final repairs, that work is likely to take probably 12 to 18 months, maybe two years to actually fully recover from." The other area of focus was stabilising the river network, ahead of the long range forecast predicting more heavy rain in the months ahead, but Kirby said full repairs and work with landowners on private properties adjacent to rivers likely to take years. "The rivers team are just highlighting where the urgent areas are so if there is any more heavy rain, we minimise further erosion and further damage, but it's fair to say that we're not going to get the rivers in any state ready for major floods for at least two, three, four years." The ground in Motueka Valley is sodden. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Six households in the region remained without power after the most recent flood, Network Tasman operations manager Robert Derks said, with work underway to reconnect most of them before the weekend. About 3200 households were left without power in last Friday's storm. Three homes in Hinetai Rd and surrounds, two homes in Riwaka-Sandy Bay Rd and one in Teapot Valley Rd remained without power. Derks said the power poles at the Mārahau site in Riwaka-Sandy Bay Rd had been wiped out by a slip and needed to be rebuilt before the power could be reinstated. The same site had been wiped out by ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018. Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle's Greg Knapp had been collecting debris from the Motueka Sandspit after the Tasman District Council and civil defence got in touch to see if he had a vessel to assist with the clean up from the first flood. "Basically looking for anything that is not meant to be in the sea, tanalised posts, timber, apple bins, hail netting, fridges, I even found a kid's Ninja is all sorts out there, LPG bottles, you name it, it's all ended up out there." He's spent the last few weeks loading flood debris onto his barge, Astrolabe and almost had the spit cleaned up last week, only to have to start again after last Friday's flood. Knapp said the community had been amazing in pulling together to clean up after the floods. A number of churches in Motueka are co-ordinating a relief effort to provide affected families with essential items lost in the floods. Donations of clothes, shoes, household goods, kitchenware and furniture are being sought and can be dropped off at the Motueka Rec Centre on Saturday July 18 between 8.30am-9.30am with affected residents able to collect what they need between 12pm and 4pm. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Tasman flooding: Council says most of its annual budget spent in a fortnight
About 40 roads remain closed in the Tasman District following widespread flooding and slips. Photo: Supplied/ Jodie Reed The Tasman District Council says most of its annual budget has been spent in a fortnight after being ravaged by heavy rain and flooding. The clean-up has been continuing in the waterlogged district following a month of historic rainfall, culminating in last week's destructive storm that has caused widespread damage. The costs have already been swelling with up to $500,000 being absorbed daily on fixing the local roading network. The state of emergency is expected to be lifted on Thursday ahead of a one-month recovery transition period. The council's community infrastructure and group recovery manager Richard Kirby told Morning Report the district 's infrastructure was facing a repair bill of "between $20-25 million". He said about 40 roads remain shut. "Up to 200 people, about 15 heavy machines and trucks, all over the district opening roads," he said. "Hopefully we'll have them open in the next couple of weeks." The most arduous obstacle for council contractors was the type of material they had to shift, particularly in the Motueka Valley. "It's just like porridge slipping off the hills. As soon as they push it more comes down," Kirby said. "That's an ongoing challenge. It's all on at the moment." There were further challenges underneath slips where roads had been washed out, and bridge approaches, Kirby said. In Kaiteriteri, a geotechnical assessment was needed to ensure a slip could be stabilised and the damaged road beneath could be reinstated. Kirby said the busier roads presented the biggest challenges, compared to the quieter back-country roads. He later told RNZ that the annual budget would likely be all gone by next month. Earlier on Morning Report, he said the council would be requesting financial assistance from the New Zealand Transport Agency. "We'll be making a bid to NZTA and seeing if we can get some extra subsidy. "Although we're opening roads, we still have to go back and do permanent repairs. That'll probably take 18 months or even two years to complete." The council said the critical stopbank in the Motueka Valley had "held up really" well following government-funded upgrades. Some erosion of stopbanks had occurred in Tapawera area on the Motueka and Motupiko rivers. "The river teams are up there just to see what urgent areas need repaired in the event we have another rainfall," Kirby said. "They're prioritising what work they need to do to get some resilience into those riverbanks." An apple orchard has flooded on SH60 in Motueka. Photo: SAMUEL RILLSTONE / RNZ A fruit and vegetable delivery company is warning of a spike to the cost of vegetables around the country following the destructive weather. Produce prices would sharply increase in the coming months due to the knock on effects of widespread flooding, particularly in the Tasman district last week. Co-founder of fruit and vegetable rescue company Wonky Box Angus Simms told Morning Report the effects would not be felt for another two to three months. After a string of bad weather in recent weeks across the top of the South, growers have reported a delay in planting, he said. "The immediate effects we haven't necessarily seen. Growers have been able to get into fields, they've been able to harvest. They've been able to make that work. "Whereas actual planting delays will be happening here which is going to have an ongoing effect later on down the line." Simms said the shortage would be likely be seen with green vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, and less so with root vegetables. Produce had begun to "steady out" at a retail level following Cyclone Gabrielle. "What we're seeing in the green space already is greens are slowing and values are coming back for growers," Simms said. Fruit production is considered a jewel in the Tasman district's local economy and a major export industry. Harvesting of fruit products including apples and pears finished a few months ago, Simms said. "Anything that's already been picked and harvested has been stored," he said. "The products that have been stored tend to be safe." Some fruit growers were facing repairs of their infrastructure ahead of next season, Simms said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
