This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Official Information request 'Insurance money for the Napier Wairoa rebuild'.





February 2024
Hawke’s Bay Cyclone 
Gabrielle Rail Recovery

Kia ora 
at numerous priority sites between 
issues, as they relate to our rail 
Napier and Wairoa. These are stop-
corridor, in the Wairoa township 
With the rail line from Palmerston 
gap works so that the rail corridor 
area and north of there. 
North to Napier open and freight 
doesn’t deteriorate further and 
trains running since September, we 
There is a process to go through 
include a range of activities - from 
have been focussed on Make Safe 
to determine if funding will be 
culvert clearing, slope trimming, 
work on the 115km line between 
granted to repair and reopen the 
debris removal, cutting away 
Napier and Wairoa. 
line between Napier and Wairoa, 
suspended track and hydroseeding 
which includes approval from the 
As you know, the rail corridor to 
(which helps stabilise embankments  Government. In recent months we 
Wairoa was hit hard in Cyclone 
and slopes). 
have been undertaking technical 
Gabrielle. There are more 
We have recently started Make 
investigations on the line and are 
than a dozen extreme or major 
Safe work clearing about 7km of 
working on initial advice, which we 
embankment washouts below the 
damaged rail in Eskdale, to reduce 
expect to give to the Government 
tracks from the Esk Valley to just 
the risk of further damage to our 
for its consideration in the coming 
north of Tutira, often in diffi cult 
asset and minimise the potential 
months. 
terrain; damage to bridges; and 
impact on rail corridor neighbours. 
sections of track completely 
We will also be commencing works 
Daniel Headifen
washed away around Eskdale. 
to underpin Bridge 223A between 
The extensive damage to the 
KiwiRail Programme Director
Waipunga and Waikoau, in the Esk 
line means it is currently non-
River valley, to mitigate further risk 
operational. 
of it collapsing. 
Make Safe works are either 
We continue to work with Wairoa 
underway or have been completed 
District Council around fl ooding 
If you have any questions
please email us at: [email address]








Make Safe work Napier - Wairoa
Here are before and after pictures of the clean up and 
exposed material from further weather damage.  
hydro-seeding at Bridge 222 in the Esk River valley, 
Damaged bridge piers and spans have been removed 
north of Eskdale. Hydro-seeding helps to secure 
as they were unstable and damaged track was cut away.
South of Waikou a large body of water built up 
Work ranged from removing hanging track, 
behind the rail embankment during the cyclone, 
trimming back unstable washed out embankments, 
then broke through it shortly afterwards before we 
reopening drainage paths to manage water fl ows 
could get any machinery to the site. The pictures 
and creating access tracks for plant to get through 
below show the scale of the original water build up 
the site.
and the mitigation work that followed. 
If you have any questions please email us at: [email address]






Here are before and after pictures of work at 
another area near Waikoau, where hanging and 
lengths of other damaged track was removed, 
unstable embankments trimmed, and drainage 
paths to manage water flows cleared. Culverts 
were installed to allow drainage paths through 
access tracks.
Before and after pictures of a major culvert and embankment washout north of Tutira. This massive, 
20-metre-deep washout left around 60 metres of unsupported, hanging track. Works have since been 
undertaken to remove the track and stabilise the slopes at either end to prevent further deterioration.
If you have any questions please email us at: [email address]