Downer has been the principal delivery partner in the Tararua Alliance since 2014, working as a single, integrated team with the Tararua District Council.
With the contract currently extended to 2029 this is one of New Zealand’s most enduring and successful road maintenance alliances. The Alliance maintains one of New Zealand’s largest road networks (the fourth largest sealed road network) covering 1176km of sealed and 782km of unsealed roads across the Tararua District. The Alliance team use comprehensive faults information, trend analysis and asset condition data to determine the best maintenance interventions to prolong asset life and value across the network.
Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 had a devastating impact in the region and radically changed the Alliance’s work scope demands and requirements. Before the cyclone, routine maintenance activities included the typical pavement repairs, drainage, vegetation control, street sweeping, traffic services, road rehabilitation, resealing, and emergency response. The ‘normal’ scope of work was drastically altered after the cyclone – transforming into a predominant focus on network rebuild activity.
The strength of the Tararua Alliance’s collaborative relationships, ability to innovate, and technical capabilities, were clearly demonstrated in the disaster recovery and response to Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact on the network. Faced with $95 million of road damage and 2,409 recorded initial faults post the cyclone, safety and rapid reconnection of the district’s roads and communities was an immediate priority.
To manage the magnitude of cyclone repairs, Downer worked with Council to establish an innovative AI platform to standardise and automate workflows and provide a single effective platform for all parties to prioritise, plan and manage the recovery works.
Cyclone Gabrielle struck the Tararua District on Tuesday, 14 February 2023, prompting a local State of Emergency that same morning. Downer immediately mobilised and by the next day had conducted needs assessments and door-to-door welfare checks across isolated communities. Within the first 24–48 hours over 500 homes were visited by Downer, and our teams began working alongside the Civil Defence and Iwi to start restoring access to cut-off areas. After obtaining initial funding from the NZ Transport Agency, the Alliance cleared 933 slips, rebuilt more than 25km of roadside water channels, repaired over 100 road culverts, reinstated roads, including 361 road dropouts. The initial response saw an estimated 2,000,000 cubic metres of mixed material moved to reopen the roads.
The Alliance continues the collaborative effort to build resilience into the network as an essential part of the rebuild. In recognition of the Alliance’s efforts in the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery works, Downer was awarded the prestigious Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) Award for Excellence in Maintenance and Asset Management in 2025.
