Tararua Alliance has returned from the Āpōpō Asset Management Excellence Awards in Hamilton this week, marking a full-circle moment by handing over last year’s Supreme Award for Route 52, while celebrating a new win for the district.

Representatives from both local iwi joined the Tararua Alliance team at Claudelands on Wednesday night, acknowledging their ongoing partnership and vital contribution to the success of Route 52 and this year’s entry, the Tararua Land Stability Project.

The Land Stability Project was awarded the Community category, recognising its innovative and collaborative approach to strengthening rural road resilience while reducing long-term costs.

Tararua Alliance Manager Daniel Erard said it was a proud moment for the team and the wider community: “It was a privilege to have the Supreme Award Komata O Te Rangi in Tararua for the last year, and to be coming home with another award for the Land Stability Project is a great achievement for everyone involved in this collaborative project - the funders, the land owners, the planners and the planters.”

Now in its second year, the project is reshaping how rural communities respond to erosion and infrastructure risk. Since 2022, the Tararua District has had over $111 million in storm-related road damage, with hundreds of costly dropouts and slips across steep hill country roads triggering a need for a more proactive, preventative approach.

Rather than focusing solely on road repairs, the project addresses the root causes of instability by stabilising erosion-prone land on private property, to prevent slips and drop-outs. Since 2024, 500 poplar and 1,300 willow poles have been planted across 60 high-risk sites adjacent to rural roads. Alongside drainage improvements, the planting is a long-term and cost-effective resilience strategy.

The initiative brings together landowners, iwi, Ministry of Social Development, Horizons Regional Council, Taiao Ora Contracting, Rural Support Trust, and local workers. By aligning multiple funding streams, including central government recovery funding, regional land use programmes, and NZTA resilience investment, the project reduces the financial burden on ratepayers while delivering long-term outcomes that protect the roads.

With the second year of planting set to begin on 8 June, Tararua Alliance has secured continued workforce support from MSD and planting resources through Horizons’ Sustainable Land Use Initiative, enabling the programme to expand its impact across more vulnerable sites.

Erard said the project’s recognition at a national level highlights its potential beyond Tararua. “The project has real potential to be replicated in other parts of the country. Many regions are already undertaking significant planting programmes to address hill country erosion risks, the success of this project has come from working collaboratively and pooling funding across agencies to achieve the best possible outcome for our communities. It’s rewarding for our team to see the work happening here providing inspiration for others facing similar challenges.”

The award reinforces Tararua’s leadership in developing practical, collaborative solutions to some of New Zealand’s most pressing rural infrastructure challenges.

Land Stability Project planting team

Planting site on Route 52