Tuesday 14 May 2019

A combined roading maintenance contract between South Wairarapa District Council and Carterton District Council has been finalised and awarded to Fulton Hogan.

The joint approach came after a review in 2018 from an outside consultant showed a collaborative approach would deliver a more efficient and cost-effective service.

The contract has been aptly named ‘Ruamāhanga Roads’ to represent the idea that the Ruamāhanga river flows through the middle of both the Carterton and South Wairarapa districts. The purpose of the joint contract is to maximise efficiency, achieve increased regional consistency and value for money, as well as share and optimise the use of internal resources.

Carterton District Council’s Infrastructure, services and regulatory manager Dave Gittings said the maintenance service delivery teams are characterised by their existing strong-relationship approach and the contract formalises this approach.

“The two Councils have worked together informally for a long time and it’s a fantastic step forward to be able to formalise the relationship.”

Expenditure on road maintenance, for most Councils, is the largest part of the annual budget and South Wairarapa and Carterton are no different.

“For such a large outlay of ratepayer money it’s imperative that we get the best value while trying to get the highest level of service possible and by combining our efforts we can do just that.” 

Fulton Hogan has been awarded a 5 year + 3 year + 2 year contract, which will begin in the new financial year. The additional years are performance dependent while also allowing for the possibility of all three Wairarapa Councils combining in the future.

ENDS

Media Contacts:

Elisa Vorster      elisa@cdc.govt.nz           027 222 6822

Amy Wharram comms@swdc.govt.nz 027 252 2863