Plants arrive by chopper for Manawatū Gorge replacement road

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

The new highway, linking Manawatū and Hawke’s Bay, is taking shape.

Twenty-thousand plants have been delivered by helicopter to farmland near Woodville, marking a major milestone for the Manawatū Gorge replacement road.

The first 10,000 plants – a mix of riparian and wetland natives – were lifted to land near the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway last Thursday and the rest will drop in this week.

“This is an exciting milestone for our landscaping team who have been working towards this point for over a year,” said Lonnie Dalzell, the project spokesman.

“This planting is the first of almost two million native shrubs and trees that will be planted as part of the project’s commitment to leaving the environment better than we found it.”

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The plants have been growing since last year at Kauri Park Nursery, Ashhurst.

Twelve-thousand seedlings were raised at Manawatū Prison through a partnership with Rangitāne o Manawatū. The plants were packed into 600 kilogram bags and individually ferried by helicopter to the planting site.

The landscaping team has been preparing planting sites at the Woodville farm and the Massey Tuapaka farm to receive about 255,000 native plants this year.

Planting at these sites is expected to run through to October and planning is under way for planting on other farms next year.

Site preparations included animal and plant pest control, installing water reticulation and building fences to keep the working farms separate from stream and wetland planting sites.

The rehabilitation of 38km of streams through riparian planting is part of the project’s ecological offset.

“The planting that has begun is part of this work, which will create significant ecological benefits by improving stream habitat and water quality,” Dalzell said.

“Right now the focus is on getting the plants in the ground and so far we have been lucky with the weather. Over the long term, we’re committed to ensuring that all planted areas will be managed until they are fully established and will be protected for many years to come.

“Starting planting now, away from the construction works, means these areas will have four years of growth before the road is opened.”

Construction on the new road began in January and the $620 million route, replacing State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge, is due to be ready by the end of 2024. The old SH3 has been closed since a landslip fell in April 2017.