A road to disaster: A lack of communication; a man’s death
As George Luke and his partner drove along a road managed by two councils, they were unaware it was blocked by a landslip and grave danger lay ahead. Newly released documents reveal why.
As Cyclone Gabrielle cut a destructive path across the upper North Island, a resident contacted Palmerston North City Council and alerted it to a large landslip blocking the main road between Taihape and Napier.
Earlier that night, February 13, 2023, another resident had contacted the council and said trees had fallen on the same road.
Both reports were forwarded to Hastings District Council (HDC) and their roading contractor.
With wind and rain beginning to lash the East Coast on the evening of February 13, New Zealand Transport Authority Waka Kotahi had already made the decision to close a nearby stretch of SH5 from Taupō to Napier.
But the Taihape/Napier Rd was a different story. The lengthy stretch of road was managed by Rangitikei District Council (RDC) from the Taihape end and HDC on the Napier side.
New documents reveal HDC closed their end soon after becoming aware of “significant damage” on the road, but didn’t pass concerns to their colleagues at RDC.
The council also didn’t advise Waka Kotahi of the closure, according to the agency, or use their social media channels to warn the public - leaving motorists unaware of the dangers that lay ahead.
Maureen Goodman believes HDC’s lack of communication contributed to her partner’s death.
Goodman and George Luke’s vehicle was trapped between two landslides on the Taihape/Napier Rd on February 13. The couple were eventually rescued three days later but Luke died from severe hypothermia in Hastings Hospital.
Prior to getting stuck, Goodman and Luke were trying to get home from
Rotorua to Napier before the cyclone hit and drove along Taihape/Napier Rd because their initial route via SH5 from Taupō was closed.
According to Goodman, Luke had checked the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi website before they proceeded from Waiouru.
Taihape/Napier Rd wasn’t listed as closed.
The couple were not aware the road was managed by HDC and RDC - instead of Waka Kotahi.
According to emails released to Stuff under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, HDC and its roading contractor were notified of a large landslip covering both lanes at the intersection of Taihape/Napier Rd and Army Rd at 10pm by PNCC, 75 minutes after a resident called it in.
The delay was caused by confusion over where Army Rd was, due to it being a paper road. It took several calls to pinpoint the location.
About 10.15pm, Goodman and Luke set off along the route.
Five minutes later, HDC’s roading contractor shut its end of the road but nobody notified RDC of the closure or the landslip.
Meanwhile, Goodman and Luke continued driving until they reached a landslide at 11.54pm. They tried to turn back but became trapped when the hill gave way behind them.
RDC finally closed its end of the road at 12.55pm on February 14. By then Luke and Goodman were fighting for survival.
Lessons to be learnt
More than a year on from the ordeal that claimed her partner’s life, Goodman wants RDC and HDC to review the way they communicate about issues with the road.
“The whole way it was handled was just ridiculous. George didn’t have to die. If they had closed the road earlier and it was on Waka Kotahi’s [website] he would still be here.”
In response, HDC group manager asset management Craig Thew said closure of one side of the road was handled by the affected authority (in this case HDC) and should have been communicated to RDC via the council’s roading contractor.
Thew said HDC would be “following up” with its contractors to see if there was “additional information” they could provide around the timing of communications with their RDC counterparts. “A complicating factor was the number of road closures being addressed at the same time by all contractors, and that setting signs to ‘closed’ or setting up new signs takes time. There are no electronic signs on that route.”
Hew said he believed the council had announced the road closure on its website, but the online data no longer existed to prove that.
Goodman said she and Luke had no idea they needed to refer to the HDC website to check the status of the road.
RDC communications manager Rhonda Morris said the decision to close its section of the road was not made by the council’s road contractor until the following day.
She acknowledged there were “absolutely learnings” for everyone involved to ensure that during adverse events RDC worked closely with its roading contractor to look at options and solutions.
Last week an independent review into the Civil Defence response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay found that the declaration of a state of emergency was too late.
But for Goodman and Luke’s family, the “learnings” and “following up” have come a little too late.