26 ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION / THIRD QUARTER 2025 / IECA.ORG By Megan Dredge, CEnvP; Jessica Griffiths, PGDip (Environmental Science); James. B Skurupey – MSc (ENVR), CEnvP Mount Messenger – Te Ara o Te Ata: A Legacy Project The Mount Messenger Alliance is delivering an essential infrastructure link in New Zealand: Te Ara o Te Ata, the Mount Messenger Bypass. The Mount Messenger section of State Highway 3 network is critical in connecting the remote Taranaki region with economic ties, tourism linkages and essential services to the northern Waikato Region. The existing section of State Highway 3 is narrow, steep and increasingly unable to safely support the vehicles and large freight trucks using it daily. To improve resilience, reliability, safety and driving experience, a new bypass was proposed. Construction commenced INTERNATIONAL PEER REVIEW Figure 1. Site visit to the Mimi wetland during the 2024 International Erosion Control Association (IECA) field trip. in 2022. By bringing together expertise from contractors, consultants and iwi (local indigenous people), the Mount Messenger Alliance is setting a benchmark in environmental practice and actively upholding the concept of kaitiakitanga, which is guardianship and protection of the environment. The ethos for environmental management on the project is “Ka ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata,” which means “if the water is healthy, the land will be nourished, and the people will thrive.” A holistic cultural lens is cast over all aspects of project work, from planning and design to construction and long-term maintenance. Cultural considerations are not limited to management; the name “Te Ara o Te Ata” was gifted to the project by iwi. The name translates to “the path of Te Ata,” who is the taniwha (entity or spirit) guarding the Parininihi lands where the project is located. The deliverables of the project are not unique: 3.7 miles (6 km) of two-lane highway, two bridges, one tunnel and stream diversions; however, the environment in which the authors are working poses exceptional challenges for design and construction. The
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