Update as at 10am Thursday 26 February, 2026:
Herepuru Road reopens to light vehicles following slip
Herepuru Road has reopened to light vehicles following a recent unplanned road closure caused by a major slip.
The road was closed after a significant slip on 5 February. The immediate priority was keeping road users and workers safe while work was carried out to restore access as quickly as possible. Council staff and contractors worked to stabilise the area and assess the damage, and the road reopened to light vehicles on Tuesday 24 February.
A geotechnical inspection confirmed that the immediate risks have been adequately mitigated to allow the road to reopen under conditions.
The road is now open to class 1 and 2 light vehicles only. Heavy vehicles, including stock trucks, fuel trucks and fertiliser trucks, must continue to use Manawahē Road until further notice. The affected section of Herepuru Road is operating as one lane only to keep vehicles away from the cracked and slumping area of the road.
Monitoring equipment will be installed so the team can closely track any movement or further cracking in this section.
Ann Elise Reynolds, Manager Transport, says heavy vehicle access cannot safely resume at this stage.
“At this point, allowing heavy vehicles to use this section of road would pose a high risk and could further compromise the stability of the remaining road,” Reynolds says. “Monitoring is being put in place so we can better understand how the ground is behaving and what safe access could look like in future.”
At this stage, the timeframe for restricted heavy vehicle use is unknown. Monitoring will help inform what future access could safely look like and whether further work is required. The Council intends to provide a further update to residents about heavy vehicle access by Friday 6 March.
During future MetService heavy rain watches or warnings, this bluff section of Herepuru Road is likely to be closed as a precautionary measure. Monitoring during future rain events will help inform what ongoing access looks like.
Further updates will be provided via email to residents, the Herepuru Road webpage, and Whakatāne District Council’s Facebook page.
Update as at 10.30am Monday 9 February, 2026:
Herepuru Road remains closed at the State Highway 2 end following a large slip that has made the road unsafe and impassable.
Over the weekend, Whakatāne District Council staff have been working closely with geotechnical engineers and specialist slip contractors to assess the site and plan the next steps.
The slip has occurred on a steep bluff above the road. Inspections have identified overhanging and unstable sections of rock and soil on the newly exposed slip face, which pose an ongoing risk of further material falling.
Whakatāne District Council Team Leader Capital Projects David Wathall says the Council is planning to carry out scaling of the slip face as the next critical step.
“Scaling involves the proactive removal of overhanging and unstable sections of the slip face to reduce the risk of further rockfall,” Mr Wathall says.
“A specialist scaling crew is expected to be on site this afternoon to begin setting up and commence this work.”
At this stage, the scaling activities are expected to take at least one week to complete. This work must be finished before it is safe to remove the slip material from the road. Once scaling is complete, we will confirm the timeframe for clearing the slip material.
“This scaling work is a critical prerequisite. We cannot safely begin clearing the slip material until the face above the road has been stabilised,” Mr Wathall says.
Residents who use Herepuru Road to access their properties can continue to access via Manawahē Road. We ask that people follow the road closure signage and avoid the road closure area.
The road will remain closed until the site is made safe and the slip has been cleared. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Ends.
