Hard hats, high-vis vests, and road safety lessons took centre stage at Te Kura o Tōrere last Friday, as tamariki got a hands-on introduction to the world of roading.

Staff from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the Transport Rebuild East Coast and Waiotahi Contractors visited the kura to talk to the community about upcoming slip repairs on State Highway 35, which will see one lane of the highway closed for around six months.

A pukana competition set the tone, with tamariki also getting to step into the boots of roadworkers, learning how to manage traffic as Site Traffic Management Supervisors (STMS) and discovering the skills required to work safely on infrastructure projects.

Beyond safety, the team also talked to the tamariki about the various jobs people do on NZTA projects, from engineering and environmental management to Iwi engagement, communications and road building.

Crews have been setting up on-site, with work to repair the two slips by the kura starting this week, having been delayed because of wet wether.

The stretch of highway between Ōpōtiki and Te Kaha will be down to one lane for six months while

Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) and Waiotahi Contractors repair two slips, an underslip below the highway and an overslip above it.

Stop/go traffic management and speed restrictions will be in place until work finishes in November.

Drivers should allow for delays of 5 to 10 minutes during construction.

To help keep travellers and roadworkers safe, a temporary safety barrier will be installed in the centre of the highway during construction and removed once work is complete.

The project starts with stabilising the underslip before reinforced earth walls are built to secure the overslip. New drainage systems will improve stability and reduce groundwater pressure, making the area more resilient.

Given the limited space, TREC has set up a site office on Kura grounds and crews will use the driveway at times, outside busy pick-up and drop-off periods.

The TREC team is collaborating with kura staff to keep tamariki (children), kaiako (teachers) and whānau safe during the repairs.