Gaping great holes in our state highways and local roads have prompted a Northland motorist to create a new social media group in a bid to improve road safety.

John Baird started the Northland Potholes
Facebook group so motorists can share information and highlight the locations of hazardous potholes “for the safety of other road users”.

The group was established on Monday and already has more than 400 members.

Baird, who describes himself as a Kerikeri resident, ratepayer and taxpayer, said he set the group up after dodging a pothole on Redcliffs Rd in Kerikeri last weekend.

Someone had posted it on another Facebook page as a warning, but “it was evident from the way the traffic was driving not many others knew about it”.

“I called 555 and they passed it onto council, but nothing else happens immediately,” Baird said.

“I thought about road cones and throwing gravel in it, but thought that’s probably not safe.

“The least I could do was set up a group so people could have some sort of warning.”

Baird urged motorists to post the road name and location of their pothole to warn others – while always taking photos safely – then report it to the Far North District Council 0800 920 029 or *555.

“Everyone knows it’s [the roads] really bad,” he said.

“I can only imagine the scale of the works needed to fix it all. It seems they’re doing limited patches to them and they don’t seem to last long.

“What concerns me… if it’s a new pothole in a dangerous place and people don’t know about it.”

So far posts have included potholes on Duncan Rd in Kaingaroa, SH10 northbound from Mangonui to Parapara Rd, and the turn off at Maungakaramea Rd and SH1 where potholes are “the size of bomb craters”.

There is also a big pothole on Cobham Rd in Kerikeri.

Kris Moffatt wrote “SH10 northbound from Mangonui all the way to Parapara Rd has a few nasty potholes right on the driving line, and there’s a sneaky bastard right in front of D-Bay Hire.”

Other motorists suggested Waka Kotahi and Far North District Council follow the page.

John Williamson, chairman of Roadsafe Northland and Northland Road Safety Trust, said potholes were a road safety issue.

He encouraged Northlanders to “keep raising the issue”.

“It’s a fact of life with Northland roads, we don’t have quality of roads or roading material or the money.

“It’s not what we should expect it to be. We’ve got heavy logging trucks which don’t help.

“It’s great to see a Facebook page set up to keep the issue in front of people. They do keep the pressure on politicians that they take notice.

“Keep talking about it and raising the issue.”

That’s certainly what “Perpetual Car Repairer” Sandra Goddard had in mind when she wrote to Far North mayor John Carter in June asking to borrow his car.

“My car can’t take our road any longer,” she said.

The 3km stretch from Maromaku Towai Rd and Maromaku Rd keeps taking its toll on her vehicle, Goddard wrote.

“The wheel alignments, tyres, and suspension parts fail at every WOF.

“My car just can’t take it any longer. Even the light bulbs had shaken out of the headlight sockets.

“Can I borrow your car John, to see if the light bulbs fall out too?”

Carter said Northland roads were “a challenge”, and blamed a lack of government funding for their poor state.

“Over time they’ve deteriorated, both central and local Government roads,” Carter said.

“Part of the problem is our funding from Government has continued to reduce.

“We’re not funded enough to maintain our roads to the level we need to. There’s a question of affordability.”

Carter said Northland was “geographically challenged” compared to other parts of the country such as Canterbury.

“Our foundations have always been challenging.

“We’re doing all we can within the limitations we have of ratepayer affordability.”

Far North deputy mayor Ann Court said she saw the Northland Potholes group on Facebook yesterday and thought it was “bloody clever”.

Local and Government roads were “rubbish”, she said.

“I’m not going to defend them. There are a lot of potholes.

“I’ve gone to war with Waka Kotahi and the Transport Minister [Michael Wood] because there isn’t enough money to maintain the network.

“Unless they change something in the way they fund roads they’re only going to get worse.”

It’s not all bad news, though.

James Sharp commented that immediate action was taken after he phoned Waka Kotahi about potholes on a trip from Whangārei to the North Shore recently.

“I described exactly where worst potholes were.

“On the way back late afternoon most had been filled, especially the bad ones at new northern motorway works at Warkworth. Ring and complain directly to NZTA.”

Waka Kotahi have been approached for comment.

* Do you have a “favourite” pothole? Let us know: reporters@northernadvocate.co.nz or facebook.com/NorthernAdvocate