Emergency planning: New Zealand needs one plan for roads, rail, ports and air

Opinion byKali Mercer & James KoudounisNZ Herald·14 Nov, 2026 02:00 AM8 mins to readKali Mercer is WSP Fellow at the Helen Clark Foundation and James Koudounis is head of Transport Infrastructure at WSP New Zealand.Hikuwai bridge on SH35, which runs along the East Cape north of Tolaga Bay, after Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023. Photo / Pete SimsEvery year, around 6000 slips, floods, and tremors damage New Zealand’s state highways. For most of us, that’s an inconvenience. For regions such as Tairāwhiti, the West Coast and Northland that are heavily reliant on one key road, such events mean missed hospital appointments, lost income, and long detours. In