Tairua businesses celebrate key road reopening

There's a party in Tairua today as the town celebrates the reopening of State Highway 25A - the key road connecting it to the rest of the country. State Highway 25A between Kopu and Hikuai was closed after heavy rain and storms lashed the region in January - causing part of the road to be washed away into a gully. Waka Kotahi has constructed a new 124-metre viaduct bridge which spans the part of the road that was destroyed. It has been a tough year for Tairua residents - with people travelling two hours instead of half an hour to school in some instances - and visitor spending in the wider region has plummeted this year. Peter Hunt is co-chair of the Tairua Business Association and owns a furniture shop in the town.