Latest news with #TeAhuATuranga
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Te Ahu a Turanga: The story behind the art on New Zealand's newest highway
Warren Warbrick with his artwork Hine-te-Iwaiwa with the roundabout in the background. Photo: RNZ/Pokere Paewai The new Te Ahu a Turanga Highway crossing the Ruahine Ranges is bookmarked on both ends by mahi toi (artwork), by two prominent Māori artists. The first drivers [. crossed over the 11.5km four-lane highway] on Wednesday morning. It replaces the old State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge which closed in 2017 due to slips Warren Warbrick (Rangitāne) was one of three artists who worked on the project. He said it was good to see his work go from drawings on paper to computer models to finally seeing it become a reality. "For me it's not really whether I'm happy or not, it's whether our people are happy," he said. The overarching concept for all the art pieces along the road was 'he aho tangata' - 'the human threads that bind us.' On the Palmerston North end of the new highway stands one of Warbrick's sculptures made of a concrete base named Aputa ki Wairau and a metal structure named Hine-te-Iwaiwa . Hine-te-iwaiwa Photo: Supplied/NZ Transport Agency Warbrick said the metal structure represents a turuturu, or weaving peak, whose 'thread' connects with the roundabout on the other side of the highway near Woodville. "Each of the roundabouts, although they are not created to look like turuturu but they are symbolic of it, so when you have two turuturu you have a line that stretches between the two that is referred to as the aho, or the sacred thread... So what we are looking at is the idea of the roundabouts being the turuturu and the road being that sacred thread." The 12 metre high sculpture on the Woodville roundabout is named Poutahu, and was designed and created by prominent artist Sandy Adsett. Warbrick said he has known Adsett for many years and it was great to have the opportunity to work with him. "It's one thing to know him but its quite a different thing to work with him, it's been very very cool," he said. Sandy Adsett Photo: credit the NZ Arts Foundation Adsett (Ngāti Pahauwera, Ngāti Kahungunu) told RNZ there would be a lot more artwork along the highway but the soil on the either side wasn't able to hold much weight, so they shifted focus to the roundabouts, the lookout and the bridges along the highway. Adsett said the Poutahu sculpture near Woodville was based the structure of old wharenui that had a vertical pole at the centre of the whare to provide strength to the tahuhu (ridge beam). "I was learning as I went, on what could happen and of course the engineers would say 'well we could do [this] but we can't do that.' So there was a lot of discussions about the structure so it was interesting." Poutahu Photo: Supplied/NZ Transport Agency Adsett said if there was going to be artworks and sculptures on major infrastructure projects like the Ahu a Turanga highway he was glad that the imagery was specific to New Zealand. "I think that in terms of Aotearoa our imagery is specific to Aotearoa, it's indigenous, so for overseas travellers or even for our own people to see the works, I won't say it's a comfort thing, but it's a pleasure to feel as though they have the ability to stand in these prominent public places and hold their own." It will be interesting to see the response to the artwork from both Māori and non-Māori, he said. "I think the enthusiasm and the encouragement of our different iwi was one that you respected and wanted to try and offer something and hopefully... our own people will accept the works... that we were able to do." Poutahu looking west towards Te Ahu a Turanga Highway. Photo: Supplied/NZ Transport Agency
RNZ News
a day ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Iwi partner with NZTA and hope future projects can follow same model
Te Ahu a Turanga Highway iwi lead Kingi Kiriona. Photo: RNZ/Pokere Paewai Iwi in Manawatū are crediting part of the success of the new Te Ahu a Turanga Highway to a partnership between them and the NZ Transport Agency and are hopeful it can be a model for future infrastructure projects. The 11.5 kilometer four-lane highway opened to the public on Wednesday, replacing the old State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge which closed in 2017 due to slips. Kingi Kiriona was the iwi lead when the highway project began five years ago. At the beginning everything was a test and there were some testing times as a result, he said. "Getting five iwi together is hard in and of itself, particularly if you know the iwi from here, and so getting everyone together at Board that was a challenge but I think a further challenge was realised when expectations were brought up at the table and there was no one within the leadership who could understand or even give effect to those expectations." For everyone involved to persevere and see the vision become a reality deserves some recognition, he said. In 2020 a target of a 30 percent Māori workforce on the project was set. "I'm proud to say that actually a year after my appointment we were able to hit that, but of course in order to hit that we needed money, we needed resource, we needed people, so it was like the give that kept on giving. We started out with a Board, then we ended up with a kaiārahi, then we ended up with the first ever iwi outcomes team for any roading project in New Zealand," Kiriona said. Having iwi on board helped to expedite a lot of things particularly when it came to consenting, he said. Kiriona said Te Ahu a Turanga could 'absolutely' be a model for future infrastructure partnerships, but it wouldn't be easy. "Every region, every iwi has their own dynamics but I'd like to think that if it can happen here it can happen in other places as well. And now that an exemplar has been realised I think there is a tauira (example) for the likes of other iwi and Waka Kotahi to follow.' Representatives of five iwi groups from both sides of the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges were involved, Rangitāne ki Manawatū, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui a rua, Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Raukawa. Ngāti Kauwhata spokesperson Meihana Durie was a part of the karakia during the formal opening . It was important for all the iwi to come together to recite the karakia and get the highway off to a good start, he said. "He tauira pai pea tēnā mō ngā ara katoa o te motu nei kia kaua e haere tapatahi ki te mahi engari mē āta kōrero ki ngā iwi, ki ngā hapū. Whakaae katoa ngā iwi, ngā hapū ki te hanga o tēnei rori nō reira mātau katoa e tino harikoa ana i tēnei rā." "This project might be a good example for other roading projects around the country to not go directly into the work but to speak first with the iwi. All the iwi, the hapū (in the region) agreed to the building of this road so we are all very happy today." The Minister of Transport Chris Bishop was also present at the formal opening to cut the ribbon. He said the Government would be taking the learnings from the partnership for future projects. "I think both NZTA and local representatives said it was a bit of an experiment, but it seems to have gone really well and obviously we'll take the learnings out of this for future projects," he said. The Labour MP for Palmerston North, Tangi Utikere backed the partnership, calling it "trailblazing". "It is the first in Aotearoa, New Zealand of this extent. I've been fortunate in my roles to visit on more then a few ocassions and you can really feel the sense of partnership and commitment to what's really important here. And as people travel through this piece of highway they will not just see it but I'm sure they will experience it as well." Echoing the words of Rangitāne o Tamaki nui a rua kaumātua Manahi Paewai at the formal opening on Saturday, Kiriona said the 'true test of partnership has just begun.' "It's easy to apply a five year timeframe to a partnership and see it through in this way, but actually what happens next?"
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
New highway replacing Manawatu Gorge road is now open
The roads looks near completion at the Woodville end. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham The four-lane Te Ahu a Turanga highway is now open to drivers, becoming the new State Highway 3. The first commuters are now driving over the 11.5 kilometre highway that connects Ashhurst and Woodville. It replaces the old Manawatu Gorge Rd, which closed in 2017 following slips, and took five years to build. Joy Kopa from with Positively Woodville, speaks to Kathryn about what the new road will mean for the town.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Te Ahu a Turanga - Manawatū Tararua Highway open for motorists
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has announced eight years after the Manawatū Gorge Road closed its replacement is open to the public. Te Ahu a Turanga is a 11.5-kilometre four-lane highway that runs between Palmerston North, weaving through windfarms to the Tararua town of Woodville. The $824 million route replaces the State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge which was shut due to slips in 2017. Project manager Grant Kauri said the sight of the first vehicles on the road on Wednesday morning was a special moment. "The closure of the Manawatū Gorge Road had such a significant impact on people in Manawatū and Tararua. "We know the surrounding communities have struggled with the closure so being able to build them a significantly more resilient, safer and efficient road has been a huge privilege." Kauri said it would encourage more travel and support economic growth in the lower and central North Island and the East Coast. Joy Kopa, from the Positively Woodville community group, said residents and businesses in the town had been holding their breath for the opening. "It is strange to think we now have a young generation who have never travelled through 'the gorge' and have no memory of the road that served Woodville for so long. "This new highway will be the new gateway to Tararua and Woodville is proud to be the town that welcomes travellers to our district." Stakeholders at the ribbon cutting ceremony last Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the road on Saturday . At the time Transport Minister Chris Bishop said it was an important day for the local communities. "It has been a very large investment from the government but a very important one, and it's going to be a fantastic resilient new road and be one that will last for generations to come." It's expected the 11.5km route will take less than 15 minutes to drive, an improvement on the windy alternative routes over the Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track that were in use for the past eight years. Chair of Horizons Regional Council Rachel Keedwell said she hoped the new highway would be a much safer drive then the alternatives. Horizons Regional Council spanned communities on both sides of the ranges, and Keedwell said the closure had been a big deal for the Tararua District in particular. "It's impacted on how people get to work, it's impacted on how the community joins in to Palmerston North, and financially, people have borne the brunt of that, businesses as well as locals, and so bringing the connection back together it just makes it seamless from one side of the region to the other."
RNZ News
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
A first look at the North Island's long-awaited new highway
The four-lane highway snakes through hills and between wind turbines. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham Most of the tarseal is down, many of the barriers are up, and there's fresh paint lining the route. The long-awaited new road connecting the lower North Island's eastern and western sides is just weeks away from opening. The views from the lower slopes of the Ruahine Range are breathtaking, as RNZ experienced on a drive over the four-lane Te Ahu a Turanga - Manawatū Tararua Highway on Thursday. We started at the Ashhurst, Manawatū, end, beginning about where the old State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge ran, before crossing the Manawatū River on the first of two viaducts, and then entering a steep climb. The road will open in June, on a date not yet set. Tour guide and NZ Transport Agency project spokesman Grant Kauri said the views on the road were amazing, including the peak through the gorge when starting out. "You can see the old Manawatū Gorge road, with Ruahine and Tararua maunga and the Manawatū River in the background. It's absolutely stunning." Clearly visible is the slip that closed the road through the gorge for a year in 2011-12, five years before more slips closed it for good. The old State Highway 3 is visible to the right, and the 2011-12 slip has left a clear scar. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham In 2021 construction began on the new $825 million highway. It's expected the 11.5km route will take less than 15 minutes to drive, a big improvement on the windy and slow alternative routes in use for the past eight years. "We're going up a 9.5 percent grade over a stretch of about 3 kilometres. In terms of context and what the fuel will be like it's similar to Transmission Gully," Kauri said as we climbed towards the road's summit. It's actually slightly steeper than that highway, north of Wellington. As we head towards Woodville, through the wind turbines, the road here looks pretty well ready to use. "Along the main alignment itself [we're] finishing off the final surface of the asphalt, followed by the line marking and the median barrier installation," Kauri said. "We still have a number of works open off the main alignment itself." Grant Kauri says working on the new highway is a career highlight. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham Some of that is on the new walking and cycling track that snakes along near the road. At the summit, as the road carves through the hills, Kauri said ground conditions were challenging because of how wet it was. So, the road builders got rid of the unstable material, replaced it with something better and compacted it. There are about 300 workers still onsite and some would remain after the road opened, completing tasks such as drainage and planting. As the road drops towards Woodville, at the Tararua end, the slope isn't quite as steep. Unlike the old gorge road, on the unstable northern Tararua Range, ground conditions here mean slips are unlikely. Kauri said working on the project was a career highlight - something he never envisaged when he began in the industry and used to work on the old road. "In my former life I was responsible for clearing some of the slips in the Manawatū Gorge. I remember some of the late callouts in the middle of the night - raining, windy." Covid, Cyclone Gabrielle and challenging ground conditions were the toughest parts of this road build, he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
