Human remains found at bridge site

Work has stopped on the construction of a Horowhenua bridge because human remains have been uncovered just off State Highway 1.

Workers digging foundations for the replacement Manawatu¯ River Bridge and Whirokino Trestle near Foxton unearthed the find about 20 centimetres below the surface, NZ Transport Agency spokeswoman Emma Speight said.

The bones were thought to be ko¯iwi, or human remains, and the decision about what to do about the skeleton had been handed over to iwi.

It is understood the skeleton was found in a folded-up position, indicating it was probably Ma¯ ori and likely pre-1930s, contractor Stan Goodman said.

Iwi had indicated the ko¯iwi should be protected, and an archaeologist was working at the site. Representatives from three local iwi had visited to say karakia.

The remains were found some distance from the river at the top of a sand hill, on farm land.

The construction project started in mid-2017 and was expected to cost $70 million. The previous bridges were not up to current standards, which meant vehicles carrying more than 44 tonnes had to take a 14-kilometre detour through Horowhenua.

Most of the piles for the new trestle bridge had been completed, and construction work has begun on the cross heads – concrete beams that sit horizontally on top of the columns, Speight said. The project was expected to be finished by May 2020.