CCNZ Hawke's Bay East Coast Contractors in Arms - Cyclone Gabrielle Response

We also learnt quickly that several sites effected had limited access, so being a company with mainly wheeled chippers, we had to look at machinery that was tracked and could access these sites. We were fortunate enough for a large production chipper to have arrived in port the week of the cyclone and was available and delivered a week later.

As time went on new challenges presented themselves with the material that needed to be processed, we had large volumes of wood mixed with silt that needed to be cleaned before the silt could be returned to silt dump sites and the wood could be shredded. We put a combo of a large screening trommel and a shredder together that would do this process with a single handling of the materials that worked very well for us. We had trucks under the conveyers and was shipped straight off to site to where it needed to go. All this machinery was also tracked as we knew when winter set in all sites would be restrictive with poor ground conditions so wanted to be ahead of the game.

We have been involved in the highways since the cyclone hit and initially, we had to clear bridges and structures to avoid any further damage to infrastructure. We teamed up with Hog Fuel who had a high-speed shredder to deal with all the clean materials as the volume was huge and needed some serious capacity to achieve this in a timely manner as time was of the essence.

Following on from this we had to survey all the remaining trees on the highway network. Trees that were still standing where compromised and many slips had trees at the heads that needed to come out before work could be done on cleaning and re-instating these areas. This work was a little more conventional for us and felt a little more BAU.

Cyclone Gabrielle has changed the game for us as a company, we have had to re-invent everything we do, how we tackle debris, how we access sites, how we manage the work volume. We have had to manage staff to avoid fatigue and burn out. We have had to employ people in a hard employment market. This has pushed us very hard as a small company but we are proud of what we are and have achieved. We know this is now a long game to carry on cleaning up our region and it will certainly throw many obstacles in our way. We look forward to the rebuild however it may look and the challenges it will present to us along the way.

Ritchie Civil

"Since the cyclone hit the Gisborne district Ritchie Civil has been actively involved with getting infrastructure back up and running and people reconnected." Derek Watson, Director, Ritchie Civil

We were initially involved with getting the cities water back on up and down stream of Waignake water treatment plant. There we worked along side local companies Fulton Hogan, Earthwork Solutions, Universal Engineering, CR Taylor, Mechanics and Gisborne Engineering. We reinstated the foundations to three pipe bridges and underground a section of aerial pipe that was compromised by a massive landslide.

From there we moved onto temporary and permanent bridge repairs across a number of sites in the western area of Gisborne. This includes various bridge abutment underpinning repairs and pile foundations for two Temporary Bridges on the Hangaroa River.

While this is all going on we have been manufacturing precast concrete moon shaped headwalls for a temporary ford crossing that Fulton Hogan is constructing across the Waikari river on Glenbrook road south of Wairoa. Initially Fulton Hogan came to us wanting assistance to construct them in-situ onsite. Due to the complexities and with technical input from ourselves and WSP we came up with a precast option that provides a more construction friendly approach, especially considering the works would be moving into the winter months. The units are been cast in our precast yard in Gisborne and shipped to site when completed.

Quality Roading and Services (QRS), Wairoa

Removal of Te Reinga Bridge colossal team effort

The scale of work to remove flood-damaged Te Reinga Bridge near Wairoa is unlike anything else Quality Roading and Services and other contractors have ever worked on.

The 300 tonne Te Reinga Bridge was collapsed into the river on Monday 12th June and has now been winched up out of the water.

“The specialist operators overseeing this part of the programme believe it could be the heaviest pull that has ever been done in New Zealand." Mike Wilson, Construction Manager, QRS

Te Reinga Bridge was damaged in heavy rain during March 2022 and closed to heavy traffic. Then, in February 2023, the bridge was severely compromised during Cyclone Gabrielle when its middle pier washed away. With no bridge, Ruakituri residents must travel two hours to Wairoa – a trip that would normally take half an hour.

QRS is managing the project to remove flood-damaged Te Reinga Bridge before a temporary Bailey bridge is installed. Dozens of professionals are involved including specialist dive teams, demolition experts, towing and crane operators, welders, and piling and bridging contractors. Wairoa District Council is directing the project with guidance from WSP engineers.

"It’s the most complex project many of us have ever been involved in. The pulling was made complex by the sheer weight of the structure as well as continuously changing load paths, difficult ground conditions, and damaged bridge components.” Mr Wilson says the desire to look after people’s safety and the whenua was paramount. “All of us have worked together well and have taken a shared, careful, measured approach. We’ve created practical, workable solutions for every new situation.”

The bridge is estimated to weigh 300 tonnes, the same as a Boeing 747 aircraft. Contractors had already removed parts of its concrete deck to make the bridge lighter. Then crews then demolished one of its last two remaining piers. Remarkably, says Mr Wilson, the bridge stayed in place on one pier with each end nestled into the bank. “It is a testament to the designers and contractors from the 1970s that the bridge required so much force from cyclones and eventually a hydraulic excavator to get it down.”

Te Reinga Bridge was successfully collapsed into the riverbed just before lunch on Monday 12 June. “It was an incredible moment,” adds Mr Wilson. By Thursday afternoon operators in seven tow trucks had successfully winched the bridge up out of the water. Mr Wilson likened the towing and winching operation to that of an orchestra. “The heavy machinery operators worked together to make sure the pulling was even and precise. It’s a credit to the professionals involved.”

Around 60 people, eight excavators, seven tow trucks, and four bulldozers were on site every day this week. The bridge will now be cut into pieces, removed, and recycled. Staging platforms on either side of the river are being built so that a 42m Bailey bridge can be constructed across the gap.

Contractors working onsite recently included Lattey Group, Ward Demolition, Bay Underwater Services, Gisborne Hiabs, Rowe Motors, Ace Heavy Haulage, and IBA Engineering.

Gair Contracting

"Just wanted to share some of the great progress the teams have been making. Below is the aerial shot of the stopbank at Dartmoor immediately after cyclone gabrielle hit, then following an aerial shot of the newly built and hydroseeded stopbank. We're super proud of what the teams have been achieving over the last four months in what has been really difficult conditions." Stan Goodman, Director, Gair Contracting.

Some of the work the teams have been doing in the last couple of months for Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Hastings District Council.