Westland District Council understands there may be concerns among the community that the Council intends to “walk away” from the ongoing repairs at Haast Jackson Bay Road.

Transportation Manager Karl Jackson reassures the community that this is not the case.

“Spring weather in this area was wetter than normal and the weather event of 8 and 9 November reactivated the older slips along the bay section of this road, which is causing significant ongoing issues.

These slips first activated in 2016. After some time, and dry weather, the slips stabilised. When the weather pattern changes and becomes drier again, these slips will stabilise again.”

In the interim Council staff are investigating ways to keep this road open while ensuring safety for road users.

“There will still be times that the Council will need to close the road, and that is unavoidable, but we will endeavour to keep reopening the road when it is safe and practical to do so.

As with any road and emergency works, the Council is limited in what it can do by the availability of funding. This guides how we can respond to the situation.”

While our contractors continue to work on managing the slips, we appreciate the community’s patience and understanding.

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