Source: Federated Farmers
Government investment in roading resilience in the face of an increase in severe weather events is sound thinking, Federated Farmers infrastructure spokesperson Mark Hooper says.
“Federated Farmers has been calling for more funding for rural roads and key regional freight and access routes.
“It’s very pleasing that in a tight Budget the Government has found $400 million to tackle drainage, slope stabilisation and rockfall protection at known weak spots, such as the Waioweka Gorge in Gisborne and SH60 Tākaka Hill in Tasman-Nelson.
“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.
“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.”