Frustration mounts as Northlanders tire of prolonged Brynderwyns closures and delays

Northlanders fed-up with being “diplomatic and positive” about ongoing Brynderwyns delays and lengthy detours are imploring the Government to move faster as calls for compensation grow.

On Monday, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) confirmed State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills would be reopened at the end of June, six weeks after the initial reopening date, which was delayed due to two active slips.

NZTA also said a significant amount of unexpected rain could delay the June reopening, “or if further instability is found”.

Prominent Bay of Islands businesswoman Sarah Greener wrote in a social media post that she had “no polite words” to describe how she felt about the delay.

“For years politicians have called this the holiday highway, so they invested nothing. And now we continue to be cut off.

“This road is our connection to the rest of the country.

“Do us a favour, treat it as such ... no other region in New Zealand would put up with this crap.”

Bay of Islands businesswoman Sarah Greener said Northland businesses are doing everything they can to mitigate the damage caused by repeated Brynderwyns closures.

The Brynderwyns were meant to open on May 12 following a 10-week full closure to repair damage caused by severe weather, including Cyclone Gabrielle.

The end-of-June opening date means the highway will have been closed for 17 weeks, minus the six days it reopened over Easter.

That’s 113 days, which - going by a Northland Inc economic impact report that found the 2023 Brynderwyns closures cost the region $1.94 million a day to a total of $112.8m - will bleed the region of an extra $386m in lost revenue.

The Brynderwyns closure has caused disruptions for many motorists and businesses in the area. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said Northlanders should be compensated.

“It’s incredibly disheartening to know we’re going to have the gateway to our region closed for another six weeks, and depending on the weather, it could be longer.

“We know it costs us $2m every day the Brynderwyns is closed.

“Whenever there’s a drought, the Government will put a compensation package together to help our farmers because you acknowledge the pressures of being able to do the work are harder and [said farmers] need help.

“Northland needs help now.

“It’s more than an inconvenience - it’s getting very dire.”

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said the council would be advocating for a relief package so Northlanders could be compensated.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown told the Northern Advocate the Government was not considering providing assistance to Northland businesses.

Greener, a Paihia business coach who also owns The Rock Adventure Cruise, said the repeated closures “impacted the same industries that were disproportionately impacted by Covid lockdowns and closed borders”.

“We’ve been diplomatic and positive about it, and everyone’s doing what they can to mitigate the damage.

“But it’s incredibly frustrating to know in the Coromandel, they can put a road in under budget and under the timeframe.

“It feels like a cop-out - like the mentality is you can go through Waipu and Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd, so it doesn’t matter.

“But it does matter, because people make choices on how long it’s going to take.”

Excavators work at the top of the Kauri Tree Corner ridgeline.

Greener said the NZTA’s estimate of an extra 20 minutes to detour along Cove Rd and Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd was “a stretch”.

It takes her “anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half” to get to Auckland, and it recently took her four and a half hours just to get to Warkworth.

For those living north of the Mangamuka Gorge, where a stretch of SH1 has been closed for nearly two years, forcing motorists to detour along SH10, travel takes even longer.

The Mangamuka road, closed since August 2022, was expected to take six weeks to repair before bad weather caused further slips. It is now expected to open by the end of the year.

“This [SH1] is our lifeline for the whole of Northland,” Greener said.

“How can our SH1 be closed in two places and it be acceptable for a region?”

Transport Minister Simeon Brown has ruled out compensating Northland businesses for prolonged Brynderwyns closures.

A section of SH25A between Kōpū and Hikuai in the Coromandel was washed away in January 2023 following excessive rainfall.

The new bridge opened last December, three months earlier than planned.

At the time, residents, NZTA and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon praised how the viaduct bridge was built in record time.

NZTA accelerated its work programme, with teams working 24-hour shifts on-site and off-site at Eastbridge in Napier, where steel girders were manufactured.

NZTA infrastructure delivery national manager Mark Kinvig said in Northland, “Our team is working seven days a week, where weather allows, to get the road open.”

Kinvig said $61m was initially allocated for the Brynderwyn recovery work.

“The final figure ... is being worked through and will be updated to include costs associated with the Easter reopening, relocation of a fill site, the impact of the slips and any remaining works following the full closure.”

How to beat Brynderwyns fatigue

Whangārei registered psychologist Veronica George said residents may be feeling “compounding frustration” around the Brynderwyns closures due to several factors.

These include Northland being cut off from the rest of the country numerous times over the last four years, including during Covid lockdowns and Cyclone Gabrielle.

There is economic uncertainty due to visitors being put off coming north because of detours, and the narrow windy detour routes causing some motorists to feel anxious, she said.

“People may be feeling Northland gets cut off a lot.

“The unknown creates frustration and anxiety.

“That uncertainty around not knowing when it’ll get finished, [whether it will] get extended, and when it [will] get finished - will there be more repair work to be done?

“It can compound those frustrations.”

George, from Soul Psychology, said the way to manage that is by accepting the situation and having perspective.

“Sometimes we have to surrender to the things we can’t change, which brings us to a sort of acceptance.

“We know it’s going to take extra time, so we can plan for that.

“Leave earlier, give yourself enough time, and make the most of it.

“Perspective is everything.”

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.