Hawke’s Bay leaders are calling for more government funding to rebuild the region’s extensively damaged roads and bridges. As the powerhouse of its local economy, the region’s primary sector and associated supporting services rely heavily on a reliable and resilient roading network.

Whilst Councils are grateful for the Government support received to date and as a result have made good progress repairing damage over the past twelve months, there is still so much work to do. The reality is, however, this comes with a price tag far too high for ratepayers to bear and without additional funding support, much of this critical repair work won’t be finished in a timely manner and some is unlikely to be completed at all.

Across Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings and Wairoa around $1.1 billion worth of damage to local roads was caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, approximately $700 million of which is currently still unfunded. 

These were the overarching messages in a meeting held today in Wellington between Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, local mayors, Chair of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, the Regional Recovery Agency and mana whenua representatives.

Hastings Mayor, Sandra Hazlehurst says roading infrastructure repair and access remains a core priority for much of the region.

“In the Hastings District, damage to our roads and bridges as a result of the cyclone totals $800m which is a huge investment and one we simply can’t afford on our own.

“We had a really constructive conversation with Prime Minister Luxon about the need for further government support over an extended period of time. This is vital for ensuring as a region, we have confidence in our ability to restore a roading network our communities and our economy can rely on.”