A new “light-touch” initiative to improve roadside drainage across Hurunui District is already proving its worth, with 150 kilometres of roadside cleared in just the first month of Council’s wheeled excavator programme.

“Water is the biggest enemy of the roading network,” said Council’s Chief Operations Officer Dan Harris. “The wheeled excavator programme is helping to move water away from our roads as quickly as possible, making a real difference to road safety and road quality.”

“It’s a smart, light-touch approach,” said Council’s Roading Manager Charlie Hutt. “We’re opening up culvert ends, getting water moving and making note of the roads needing a little more.”

Hutt said the work often occurs where large-scale drainage work would have been too costly or disruptive.

Two wheeled diggers are employed to carry out the roadside drainage improvements, reshaping and clearing culverts, removing trees and opening up blocked drainage channels.

Each digger is accompanied by a spotter, armed with a shovel and a sharp eye, ensuring targeted, efficient maintenance.

Councillor Robbie Bruerton, Chair of the Operations Committee, described the initiative as a “good piece of work, done the right way.”

“The biggest complaints we were getting were about drainage and road deterioration.”

The programme had tackled those issues, with real cost savings, Bruerton said.

The programme follows a trial undertaken in 2023, with an additional pilot carried out in 2024 around well-known hot spots in the district that were prone to flooding.

Hutt said these previously problem areas were performing well, even after recent rain.

Funding for the current and next two financial years has been budgeted for in the Long Term Plan. Part of a further year will be funded by Resilience Improvements money granted by Waka Kotahi NZTA, on Council’s Vulnerable Roads.

Mayor Marie Black welcomed the success of the trial. “This is a great example of innovation and partnership delivering better outcomes for our communities.”

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