Wed 30 May 18
MBIE Media Release.
STORM DAMAGE FUNDING FOR MOUNTAINS TO SEA CYCLE TRAIL
The Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail will receive up to $75,000 to repair storm damage, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) announced today.
The funding will be drawn from the Maintaining the Quality of Great Rides Fund, which helps refine, improve and maintain completed sections of the Great Rides of Ngā Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trail.
More than 200 millimetres of rain fell in the Whakahoro area during the course of a single night on 7 March 2018, resulting in a one in a hundred year flood, MBIE's manager of investment management and performance Martin Cavanagh says.
The heavy rain caused numerous washouts and slips on the Kaiwhakauka section of the Mountains to Sea trail, and the damage was so severe that that the trail had to be closed.
While the Mountains to Sea is now open again thanks to interim fixes, we are supporting the Ruapehu District Council to bring the trail back up to standard. We will cover the full cost of repairs to the Council-managed section of trail from Whakahoro to the Whanganui National Park boundary.
The Department of Conservation is managing and funding reinstatement of other sections of the trail that lie within the Whanganui National Park.
The Maintaining the Quality of Great Rides Fund normally has two rounds per year and requires at least matching co-funding. However, the fund also includes a provision for Great Rides to seek out-of-round funding of up to 100 per cent of the costs for repairing damage caused by extreme events.
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Media contact: 027 442 2141 or [email protected]
