Road access to Te Tumu Cut – and access to fishing – has been closed for six months as construction works restores 600,000m3 of freshwater flows into Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi Maketu Estuary on every tidal cycle.

Ford Road access to Te Tumu Cut and Maketu Spit is now closed until December 20, with Bay of Plenty Regional Council apologising for the inconvenience to fishers as its delivers the $16m Kaituna River re-diversion project that was first called for by the community in 1979.

“We know the area is popular with fishers and we’re really sorry for the inconvenience. But this project will benefit them in the long run with improved facilities, estuary health, and kaimoana habitat,” says BOPRC Kaituna catchments manager Pim de Monchy.

Ford Rd is scheduled to re-open in time for Christmas fishing, but the Ford Rd boat ramp will remain closed until construction work is completed in June 2020.

White-baiting in Ford’s Cut will also be affected until June 2020, due to restricted water flow and stopbank access throughout the construction period. Bell Rd boat ramp will remain open throughout the construction period.

Pim says existing levels of boat access through Te Tumu Cut – also known as the Kaituna Cut – will be maintained once the project is complete. He says flood protection levels will also remain the same for properties in the Kaituna Catchment Scheme and Maketu township.

The Kaituna River re-diversion project includes creation of an 800m long new channel to carry fresh water from the river, through a new enlarged diversion control structure and down a widened Ford’s Cut, into the estuary. Existing stopbanks will be shifted and upgraded.

Project details are at: www.boprc.govt.nz/kaitunarediversion.