Order accelerates Kaikōura’s coastal road and rail rebuild

An Order in Council will accelerate the reinstatement of State Highway 1 north of Kaikōura, says Transport Minister Simon Bridges.

The Governor-General signed the Order into force yesterday, ensuring work to restore the coastal road and rail route can progress in a timely fashion.

“We’re focused on reconnecting the communities of Kaikōura and the region as quickly as possible. The progress already being made can be accelerated further by recognising this as an emergency situation, and by cutting through red tape,” Mr Bridges says.

The agencies responsible for the rebuild, as outlined in the Order, are the NZ Transport Agency and KiwiRail. The Order will modify provisions of the Resource Management Act and nine other pieces of legislation, to streamline the recovery work.

“We learnt from the Canterbury earthquake in 2011 that the simplest and most efficient way of getting work done in a major event like this is to remove legislative barriers while giving due consideration to environmental, ecological and cultural impacts,” Mr Bridges says.

Under the conditions set out in the Order, the NZ Transport Agency will establish a restoration liaison group, with representatives from relevant councils and iwi. This will ensure environmental, ecological and cultural issues are appropriately addressed during the rebuild.

The Hurunui-Kaikōura Earthquakes Recovery Order has been made under the Hurunui-Kaikōura Earthquakes Recovery Act. It will take effect immediately and will expire on 30 March 2018.