Big rigs are a common sight on Tarata Road in Taranaki. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
A tiny Taranaki community is up in arms at plans to revert several kilometres of its crumbling sealed road back to metal.
Tarata residents say the move will make getting around more difficult and blanket the area in dust from logging trucks.
Tarata is nestled on the banks of the Waitara River about 18 kilometres inland from Inglewood and is home to about 70 families.
It sports a community hall, Ngāti Maru's Te Upoko O Te Whenua Marae, and a bed and breakfast.
It is part of the New Plymouth district, and a thoroughfare for logging trucks headed to Port Taranaki.
Bryan Hocken, known as the unofficial mayor of Tarata, said the Tarata Road was falling apart.
"The problem is that the roads weren't built for these 30-tonne truckloads going at 50 truckloads a day or so they are telling us, and the road can't handle that sort of treatment.
"They're breaking down and we're getting huge potholes and real dramas, and the council have trouble fixing them, because they fix one hole and another breaks open and some of these holes can be six inches deep and a metre wide."
Unofficial mayor of Tarata Bryan Hocken says the state of the roads in the area is appalling. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Now as part of its long-term plan, New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) wants to turn about six kilometres of the road from Pukeho Road to the boundary with Stratford District back to metal.
Hocken said it was an unpopular move.
"You've still got dust ... and dust is a killer for livestock and on the roadside guys with lambs, they get pneumonia and so forth from dust. Because there's some many rigs and it gets really hot out here. And guys who've never had to wash their cars regularly, it's a real downer for them."
Adding insult to injury, residents were unsure what had happened to an $8 million Endowment Fund set up by the former Inglewood County Council - for road maintenance - and now administered by the NPDC, Hocken said.
Margaret Leak was attending a Tarata Women's Institute meeting at the hall.
Members of the Tarata Women's Institute. Front centre, left to right, June Pawley and Margaret Leak. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
She was fed up with the state of Tarata road.
"Well sometimes there's potholes you could park your trailer in, and the thing is I think the tar they are using to mend them these days is inferior tar or something.
"It's definitely not up to scratch, because it can be mended today and within a day or two, it's been all spat out of the hole and it's useless."
Turning the road back to metal was unacceptable, Leak said.
"I think it's disgraceful and to tear it up, I think, is just a sign of failure. I mean, goodness gracious me, the people here are just as important as those in the middle of New Plymouth and they deserve better."
Her pal, June Pawley, had driven over the metal road from Matau on the other side of the Purangi Saddle. A drive that had taken an hour rather than the normal 30 minutes due to road works.
Tarata Women's Institute member June Pawley says travelling on Tarata Rd is like driving dodgems. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
She also did not want to see any more gravel.
"For those that rely on their rain water for their tanks, they're going to get all the dust from the rain water in their drinking water. I'm definitely not in favour of turning more of the road into metal."
Truck driver Kelvin, who had pulled over his truck and trailer to check his load of logs was secure, sympathised with locals.
"It's definitely worse with having shingle there, it's a lot more dusty. You know, all the houses on the side of the road will be getting covered in dust as well from us going through.
"I used to live in a rural area where we had lots of shingle on there, and when a cattle truck or something went past, we were just clouded out in dust and any washing on the line was just instantly gravelled."
Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The New Plymouth council said the draft long-term plan proposal affected about 6km of currently sealed surface on Tarata Road from Pukeho Road to the base of the Purangi Saddle.
NPDC manager infrastructure Rui Leitao said the plan allowed for $750,000 for Year One (2024/2025), then $150,000 per annum for Years Two and Three.
"We are proposing to revert this section to an unsealed road of high quality. This is subject to approval by council. If approved, we will add metal to build the road pavement, improve shoulder drainage, and regularly grade it to ensure a smooth travel surface."
As of March 2024, the Endowment Fund had a balance of $7.97m, he said.
"The Endowment Fund is currently not spent on road maintenance. Interest generated by the fund, as previously directed by the community, is to be used for road safety projects on Tarata Road."
Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Leitao said, for example, interest from the fund would be used to fund a project in the next 12 months to widen the road at the Tarata Saddle.
"We are working with the Tarata community to understand better the available options for how we move forward collectively to serve the community that use the road daily."
Leitao said NPDC delivered road maintenance and renewals from its Maintenance, Operations and Renewals Budgets with a 51 percent subsidy from the New Zealand Transport Agency / Waka Kotahi.
The consultation period for the NPDC long-term plan closes on 19 April.