NZTA told people before the clean-up that despite the bridge's historic status, any back-pack sprayers they see are not ghostbusters, but moss-busters. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
NZTA told people before the clean-up that despite the bridge's historic status, any back-pack sprayers they see are not ghostbusters, but moss-busters. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
People crossing Te Aroha's landmark Coulter Bridge last Friday morning witnessed outgoing Matamata-Piako mayor Ash Tanner taking things on himself again as he and a group of volunteers freed the town's gateway of moss and lichen.
Tanner is known for his hands-on approach: In 2020, he put up his own 50km/h speed limit signs near a local school after being frustrated at fighting with NZTA to have the limit reduced. This time his community efforts had the blessing of the Transport Agency.
Tanner says: "It's probably one of the most photographed bridges in the country, because of the scenery and the mountain. It's the gateway to our town ... and it looks like crap. It is an NZTA bridge, not a council bridge and according to my understanding it was due for replacement, but they didn't have the funding for it, so it was pushed out."
He says that back in 1992 when the bridge was last cleaned, a group of volunteers, including himself, came together to water blast and paint the bridge. When NZTA didn't have the funding, he thought he could recreate what they did 30 years ago.
But the Waikato Regional Council, which looks after regional land transport matters, originally said it required him to completely wrap the bridge in plastic to prevent paint and moss remover from polluting the Waihou River.
Tanner says he was fed up with the "red tape and bureaucracy" that was making things expensive.
Te Aroha's Coulter Bridge was last cleaned and painted in 1992. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
"The estimated costs were $500,000 and that was of course a game stopper. In the Waikato Regional Council chambers, I threw all my toys out of the cot ... After my rant, [council chair] Russ Rimmington came up to me and said I was right and he would personally pay for the moss and mould killer."
Tanner hopes to revamp the bridge for free. "NZTA took care of the traffic management, we donated our time and tools, Russ donated the product and I am hoping to get the paint sponsored like in 1992, but even if not, it will only be a fraction of the cost that was estimated."
"The credit goes to [him]. He is a terrific mayor and does what a mayor should be doing ... I donated the moss and mould remover personally, not in my position as council chair. It is biodegradable and does not harm the river."
The group of volunteers donating their time to remove the mould were deputy mayor Neil Goodger, councillor Russell Smith, Te Aroha Rotary Club president-elect Brett Smyth, Mike Swney from Property Brokers, as well as Te Aroha locals Alan Swan and Glen Miles.
Outgoing Matamata-Piako mayor Ash Tanner took things on himself again as he and a group of volunteers cleaned the town's "gateway" of moss and lichen. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Smyth says the bridge is Te Aroha's shop window. "Just a couple of months ago, grass was growing at the bottom of the railings. It was a disgrace, but no longer!"
Swan, who runs Tanner's local panel beating workshop, says he came in to help on his day off work. "The bridge is an eyesore, something needed to be done about it. We got a lot of toots and thumbs up from people driving past us today."
The moss spraying was only the first step in getting Coulter Bridge back in shape. It will be followed by water blasting and repainting in the next couple of weeks.
The bridge was built in 1928 and named after Robert Coulter, a mayor of Te Aroha for 20 years.
