Waimakariri District Councillors voted unanimously yesterday to move forward with plans to upgrade the watermain, and replace deficient water pipes, under High Street in the Rangiora central business district.
Following pipe bursts in March 2025 and January 2026, which caused road flooding and disruption to businesses, Council undertook proactive investigative work that revealed the quality of the water pipes under High Street was poor and the chance of another burst in the near future is likely.
In addition to the water pipes, there is also a need to upgrade the stormwater capacity to improve drainage.
“Our businesses and community want certainty of service, and we have prioritised ensuring these works go ahead as smoothly as possible,” said Mayor Dan Gordon.
“We arranged a briefing with all affected business owners last night to give them an opportunity to find out firsthand what is being proposed and to make any suggestions before anything is finalised as to how this project could be undertaken smoothly.
“The Council reassures the community that the least disruption, and speed of delivery, is first and foremost front of our minds. We are proud of our town centres and it’s critical they continue to operate effectively. We know this will cause some disruption, and we are committed to ensuring this project runs smoothly. We are forming a group of business owners to work alongside our staff as we roll this project forward.
“We want to reassure the community that every consideration has been given, including a process that will identify the right contractor with the right skills and experience to deal with an area as sensitive as our town centre.
“People have seen the outages and the effects these have had. It’s unfortunate to discover the pipework, which dates back decades, had a batch of deficiencies. After thorough tests it’s been concluded the only way that we can prevent further breakage and outages is to undertake a full replacement to prevent further disruptions in the future.”
Rangiora’s town centre is the primary location for shopping and services for more than 60% of the district’s population.
These upgrades will not only increase drainage capacity, particularly in heavy rain events, but will improve the resiliency of the watermain network.
The work will involve closing the road in stages from the King Street roundabout to the Ivory Street intersection, followed by an eastbound lane closure from Ivory Street to the railway line.
Stages 2, 4, 6 and 7 are expected to take approximately six weeks with the work at the intersections of King Street, Percival Street and Ivory Street completed in separate stages as night works, lasting approximately a week.
Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the project to ensure access to businesses.
Councillors were supportive of the staged approach and the efforts to minimise disruptions, including night works to minimise the effect on business during the day.
“This is a once in a generation project,” highlighted Water Services Portfolio Holder, Cr Tim Fulton. “It’s critical that we get it right.”
Council is yet to appoint a contractor but expects the project to get underway by April 2027 with a completion date currently set for November next year.
A drop-in session has been scheduled for Thursday 29 October in Rangiora in the Council Chamber. Members of the community can come anytime between 5:30pm - 7pm to ask questions about the work.
