You must check you have the right consents in place if you're developing or building in the District, specifically when your development could impact roads, access and vehicle entryways.

Consideration needs to be given to the requirements of our District Plan, the Resource Management Act and the Building Act. These need to be managed when considering how this work may affect roads, roading plans, activities and services. The impacts of such activities need to be carefully managed  when thinking about services, facilities and other infrastructure requirements.

Driveways between the road and property boundary are generally the responsibility of the property owner. This means the property owner is responsible for any maintenance of this area.

Where a footpath crosses the driveway the Council maintains the footpath. If the driveway is dug up by a utility authority, such as MainPower or Spark, then they are responsible for the repair and reinstatement.

If you wish to construct a new driveway or replace an existing one you need to apply to the Council by completing the Application to Form a Vehicle Crossing form. This form is also available from any Council Service Centre.

Please Note: The Vehicle Crossing location inspection must be approved prior to the Building Consent being granted.

For more information please refer to the Vehicle Crossing Information Pack and the Vehicle Crossing Bylaw 2019, or contact us on 0800 965 468.

Currently, a CAR is only required in the Waimakariri District where the activity is proposing to break ground in the road corridor or has the risk of causing damage to the road corridor. The National Code of Practice for Utility Operators’ Access to the Transport Corridors define the standard for working in the road and the CAR process.

The CAR application process is done online at Submitica and can be completed by a utility operator or a delegated agent.

For a more comprehensive overview of the CAR process, please refer to our Submitica guidance document.

A TMP is required for all activities that change the normal operating conditions of a road, irrespective of where the activity is - on a carriageway, footpath or road shoulder. A TMP may also be needed for activities outside the road reserve if the normal operating conditions of the road are affected.

TMPs must be designed by a suitably competent person* and must meet the minimum standards outlined in the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (the CoPTTM) or National Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (NZGTTM). Waimakariri District Council have not formally adopted the NZGTTM, so please contact us directly at roading@wmk.govt.nz if you wish to make an application using this process.

TMPs can either be submitted with a CAR application in Submitica or via email to roading@wmk.govt.nz

* TMP designers should hold a practicing Temporary Traffic Management Planner (TTMP) warrant from NZTA, Unit Standard 33254 (Develop a traffic management plan for an activity and consult with relevant stakeholders), or the Temporary Traffic Management Design Micro-Credential (4922).

Events
If you wish to run an event in, or adjacent to the road corridor, in a way that will change the normal operating conditions of the road, you will need to submit a traffic management plan. For further guidance on whether a traffic management plan is required for your event, please refer the NZ Events Association Practice Note in the first instance.

Events with a road closure
Where the event proposes a full closure of a road, the event organiser, or their contractor, will need to contact the Council with the proposal a minimum of 60 days before the event. This timeframe allows for the road closure  to be notified in the local paper for public consultation. The Council organises the newspaper advert on behalf of the applicant, with the cost charged directly to the event organiser.

Road closures
All planned activities that involve a full, or partial road closure (one-way/lane closure), must include a public communication plan. The public communication plan should be appropriate to the level of impact and duration of the activity, and can include variable message signs (VMS), static notice boards, letter drops, door knocks or a combination of these. Generally, if the road being closed (or partially closed) carries through traffic, both static notice boards (or VMS) and a letter drop will be required 7 days prior to the activity starting. Where only residents are impacted, or there is minimal impact to through traffic (low traffic volumes and a short, simple detour), static notice boards may not be required, or the 7-day timeframe can be reduced.

Static notice boards must be designed to Waimakariri District Council notice board template or Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices 2004 (W7-8) and can be reflective orange or reflective white in colour, with black text.

Submitting compliant applications with an appropriate lead-time is an important part of making sure an activity goes ahead as planned. While we reference minimum lead-times, we strongly encourage people to plan for longer lead-times. This helps manage any unexpected delays in approvals

The timeframes below are minimum lead/processing times for CAR and TMP applications.

** This allows for 5 working days to process the TMP and 5 working days to place the static warning signs.

Speed Limits within the Waimakakriri District Council area are included within the ‘National Speed Limit Register’ which is available on NZ Transport Agency’s website.

Here are some handy links that will help you better understand the TMP and CAR requirements. In the next section there are some downloadable resources to assist you with your applications.

• National Code of Practice for Utility Operators’ Access to Transport Corridors
• Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM) A-H
• NZTA CoPTTM Landing Page

• Waimakariri District Council Traffic Flow Data
• Notification of Weight and Speed Limits on Bridges