18/09/2026
Media release
18 September 2026 | Otago
Significant increase to SH6 access as roading response moves to recovery
With excellent progress made this week on addressing the risk of further slips and rockfall, traffic access to State Highway 6 between Makarora and Hāwea in Central Otago will be significantly expanded from this weekend, with the route open to continuous traffic 24-7 from tonight through to Monday morning (21 September) and weeknights after that.
The section of SH6 has been largely closed since the end of last month when heavy rain and snow triggered multiple slips and rockfall along this section of state highway. While the response has been underway, access has been managed to date by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) via daily escorted convoys on weekdays and daytime openings to continuous traffic at weekends.
“We’ve continued to see further slips and rockfalls happening on the road right up until the last few days,” says NZTA area manager for the lower South Island, Chris Harris.
“However, we’ve had abseilers and crews working hard this week to clear unstable rock and debris at various sites of concern that we’ve identified, which gives us a lot more confidence that we can safely increase access to the road.”
Weather dependent, from 5.30pm tonight, SH6 between Makarora and Hāwea will reopen to continuous traffic (without convoys) and will remain open through until 8am Monday. There will be temporary reduced speed limits in place and road users will need to stop on demand where the road is down to a single lane.
Next week, the road will be open nightly to continuous traffic (without convoys) from 5.30pm to 8am on the weekdays. Between 8am and 5.30pm on weekdays, the road will close again but with escorted convoys operating three times daily (see timings below).
“From Monday, the closure area that will be back in effect during daytime hours on weekdays will also start to shrink,” Mr Harris says.
“Initially the closure and convoys will be between Makarora to the north and the SH6 intersection with Meads Road, near The Neck, to the south. On Tuesday we expect it to shrink further, to be between Wharf Creek to the north and the Meads Road intersection.”
“The reason we need to keep these daytime restrictions and convoys operating on the weekdays for now is that there is still plenty of work to do, and we can do it a lot faster and more safely without constant traffic on the road. We have somewhere around 80,000 cubic metres of rock, gravel, vegetation and other debris that has been cleared off the highway and stockpiled at the roadside. This must be trucked out and disposed of at suitable, approved locations.”
“There will also be work continuing in daytime hours next week on rock scaling at further sites where we want to clear more unstable rock or debris sitting on the hillside and potentially posing a risk.”
“Next week we will be in a much better position to share when the road will be reopened 24-7, but even after that there will be some lesser traffic management remaining, such as reduced speed limits or single lanes in places, as we continue the recovery work.”
The currently scheduled departure and return times for the convoys on weekdays next week are as follows:
Monday
• Convoy 1 departs from the SH6 intersection with Meads Road heading north at 10am, then returns from Makarora village heading south at 10.20am
• Convoy 2 departs from the SH6 intersection with Meads Road heading north at 12pm, then returns south from Makarora village at 12.20pm.
• Convoy 3 departs from the SH6 intersection with Meads Road heading north at 2pm, then returns south from Makarora village at 2.20pm.
Tuesday onwards:
• Convoy 1 departs from the SH6 intersection with Meads Road heading north at 10am, then returns south from Wharf Creek at 10.20am
• Convoy 2 departs from the SH6 intersection with Meads Road heading north at 12pm, then returns south from Wharf Creek at 12.20pm.
• Convoy 3 departs from the SH6 intersection with Meads Road heading north at 2pm, then returns south from Wharf Creek at 2.20pm.
