Rebuild Programme

The rebuild programme objectives are to: 

• Restore pre-earthquake levels of service (LOS) across the infrastructure network wherever possible and improve levels of service where funding allows
• Deliver a safe and high quality rebuild programme within the funding envelope agreed with our funding partners
• Work with our key stakeholders in a collaborative way to achieve successful outcomes. 

We expect our programme to: 

• Cost more than 5 times our normal total annual spend
• Take up to three years to complete
• Restore infrastructure to at least pre-earthquake levels of service 
• Use a phased approach. We’ll work on our infrastructure and assets a few at a time, starting with the most urgent and working our way through to the ones that can wait.

You can expect: 

• Things to change as we go - it's a big, complex project and it's likely some dates, costs and projects will develop as we learn more about what's needed and what's possible
• To have a say about some things, but not everything
• Us to get the best value for money possible - through careful planning, seeking external funding and working closely with our funding partners
• Us to have to make tough decisions - financial constraints mean that to keep rates as affordable as possible, we may have to make tough calls about what gets rebuilt when.

We're using a phased approach because:

• It spreads the financial burden out, helping us keep rates lower and seek funding from as many sources as possible
• It spreads the workload out, we’re a small Council with access to a small number of local workers so we’ve got to use our people-power sensibly
• It lets us plan properly, by working this way we can make sure we’ve got all the information we need and have talked to all the right people to deliver value for money and quality infrastructure.

This does mean it will be some time before everything is finished. We know that may be frustrating but it’s the best way to get the best results we can for everyone across the district. 

Most projects within the rebuild used a phased approach. Phases include: 

• Assessment (checking for earthquake damage quality, strength and life-expectancy)
• Scoping and options (experts determine the extent of the damage and provide reports and recommendations)
• Concept design
• Detailed design (options are narrowed down to a preferred choice and detailed designs and plans are made)
• Construction (the exciting part – when things happen and physical works get underway)
• Handover (the repaired/rebuilt asset is handed back to Councils Asset Management team and becomes part of routine asset maintenance).

To make sure the programme remains on track, milestones are set and projects are constantly reviewed and refined. 

Our funding partners are New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and Central Government, represented by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM). Together they make up the Rebuild Steering Group that makes key decisions.

Council’s contribution to the rebuild cost is loan funded. The loans are long term, allowing Council to spread the cost of the rebuild to ratepayers over 30 years.

Rebuild Programme costs will be shared as follows:

Roading and structures-

• NZTA will fund 95% of the costs of all eligible earthquake related local roading and bridge repairs
• KDC and it's insurers will fund the remaining 5%.

Three Waters-

• MCDEM will cover 60% of eligible water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure costs
• MCDEM have committed an additional $2.2million of funding towards the other 40%
• KDC and its insurers will fund the remaining balance 
• Council has also secured additional funding of $2.4million from the Crown for betterment in the three waters space (to build back specific areas of the three waters to a more resilient state than pre-quake).

Community Facilities-

• KDC and it's insurers will cover all of the community facilities costs. 

Good planning is critical to make sure we end up with value for money and fit for purpose quality infrastructure.

Our planning included: 

1. Mapping the infrastructure system

We mapped all the information we had to help improve our understanding of the earthquake’s impact. Building inspections, engineering assessments, land movement, and water and wastewater network assessments were overlaid onto maps to look for patterns of damage.

This helped identify trouble areas, plan what to do first and where the most work is needed and explain our operations to insurers and central government.

Figure 1 Finding repair hotspots. The more repairs there are in an area, the larger and brighter the dot.	Figure 2 Sewer network inspections. Sewer manhole and pipe inspections colour-coded according to the damage found during the inspection.

2. Checking our roads

Completing surveys of all the roads in our district and identifying all earthquake related faults and damage.

3. Checking our pipes

CCTV and leak detection work to confirm the extent of damage to the wastewater and water supplies.

4. Planning for the long term

We're aiming to restore infrastructure and facilities to pre-earthquake levels of service. Where time and costs allow we’ve planned to ‘build back better’, restoring infrastructure to more resilient levels than pre-earthquake by using modern materials and building to modern standards. We’ve also planned to meet or exceed our legal obligations and financial responsibilities.

After the earthquake our first step was quick-fixes for the obvious infrastructure system damage including:

• 482 building inspections
• Issuing placards for buildings that are no longer sound or don’t have functioning services (like sewerage or power), to manage the danger to our residents and visitors
• Getting boil water notices lifted for 4 of the 6 affected water systems (you can read about our water schemes here)
• Temporary resurfacing/grading work on the worst affected roads
• Strengthening the most vulnerable or fragile water systems to prevent further issues.

The earthquake caused sizeable damage across our district. The damage to infrastructure and Council-owned assets is similar in scale to the damage to Christchurch's infrastructure and assets after the Canterbury earthquakes. 

		Water systems Work needed includes:  Repairing or replacing our urban and rural water systems including water sources, storage facilities (tanks and reservoirs), and the pipe network Ensuring water quality and control systems across all water supplies. Image shows some of the water (blue) and wastewater (red) projects in the Kaikōura 'Flats'/'Plains' area. Full map PDF here
		Bridges and roads Work needed includes:   Replacing 5 bridges Repairing more than 20 other bridges Various repairs to most of our 205 km of local roads. Image shows four of the affected bridges (orange dots). Full central District map PDF here  Full Clarence/Northern District map PDF here
		Sewer system Work needed includes: Replacing the aeration lagoon at the sewerage treatment plant Looking at options for rebuilding our main sewer line along Lyell Creek and other parts of the 46 km of sewer pipes Repairing damage to 5 pump stations Repairing or replacing manholes. The close up below shows affected areas or Lyell Creek (green) and pipework (purple). Full map PDF here

The Rebuild Programme affects everyone who lives here and we fully expect there to be lots of different requirements and ideas.

In our planning, we considered the essential public safety and district-wide needs first, then used the Recovery Plan and Annual Plan consultations and feedback to shape our ideas. We then worked with local contractors and network maps to understand the order in which work needs to be done.

As the Rebuild develops we’ll consult you on some aspects but others will be basic ‘must-dos’ where we’ll inform you but no community input will be sought. This complies with our Significance and Engagement policy and legal obligations. A rough guide to what this will look like is below. 

Staying up to date

We're committed to keeping our community up to date throughout the Rebuild Programme. You can:

• Email us
• Join the email newsletter
• Keep any eye on our FaceBook
• Look out for updates in the paper
• Attend or read copies of the minutes from Council meetings
• Give us a call on 03 319 5026
• Email us at kdc@kaikoura.govt.nz
• Where needed we’ll also be doing letterbox drops or holding Community meetings to let those closest to the works know what’s going on and what to expect.

Recovery Plan Goal: Build cost-effective and easily accessible infrastructure, transport networks, housing and buildings which are able to withstand extreme weather events, flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides.

How we'll achieve it

Reconnect road and rail: Work with partners to ensure the state highway and rail network are re-established as quickly as possible and include resilience to future natural hazards, and recognise the need to support safety and the recovery of the tourism and visitor economy.

Repair essential infrastructure: Repair essential infrastructure such as water, sewer and electricity networks in ways that are more resilient and future-proofed for growth.

Restore heritage and cultural sites: Encourage the repair/restoration and viable future use of character/heritage buildings and sites, including working with building owners and supporting funding applications where applicable.

Revitalize township: Work with the community to develop plans for the Kaikōura Town Centre, Esplanade, North Wharf and South Bay areas to identify priorities and help deliver on community aspirations for these areas such as seating, BBQs, public toilets, pathways and improved accessibility for all ages and abilities.

More about the recovery plan 

Update: 24 October 2017

The Council’s Rebuild Programme will restore infrastructure and community facilities to at least pre-earthquake levels of service. Getting the job done is expected to take up to 3 years and to cost in the region of five times Council's pre-quake annual expenditure. Read the full details here.

"It's a big job", said Council Rebuild Director, Will Doughty. "There are currently 83 separate projects within the Programme, covering local roads, bridges, stormwater, wastewater and drinking/tap water systems and Council owned buildings and community facilities. We've already achieved a lot - emergency fixes were in place quickly after the earthquake, planning and investigations are now almost complete and our procurement and funding agreements are in place. Now it's time for the bit people can see and touch."

"We've still got a long way to go and no doubt things will develop and change as we get further into the detail but it really feels like we're on the edge of tangible progress and that's really exciting. Next year will be a big year!" Doughty said. 

Speaking of the rebuild, CEO Angela Oosthuizen said, "The earthquake caused a similar scale of the damage to Council-owned infrastructure and assets as the Canterbury earthquakes did to Christchurch. However we're a much, much smaller Council with a much smaller ratepayer base. For us, the critical part of the rebuild is balancing speed with cost."

"We need to be as careful as we can to keep costs to the ratepayer as low as possible but we also need to get things rebuild as soon as we can. Our residents want their community facilities back and we will get there, but they also need their water and sewerage systems to be resilient and fit for purpose. We've just got to balance the 'wants' with the 'needs' and keep the books in order along the way."

"Our funding partners have really stepped up to help and we're really pleased and grateful for their ongoing support. The New Zealand Transport Agency will fund 95% of the costs of all eligible earthquake related local roading and bridge repairs. The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management MCDEM will cover 60% of eligible water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure costs. Council and our insurers will fund the balance - that is 5% of local roading repairs, 40% of water system works and all of the community facilities costs" Oosthuizen said. 

Update: 20 April 2017

Doughty by name, doughty by nature: Kaikōura infrastructure rebuild in good hands.

Deliver on time, on budget and up to standard, that’s the brief for Kaikōura’s new Rebuild Director, Will Doughty. ‘Doughty’ is an old English word meaning brave, persistent, determined or indomitable – all of which will stand him in good stead for the work ahead.

Mr Doughty’s appointment by Kaikōura District Council as Rebuild Director completes arrangements involving the three major funders of the local rebuild. Infrastructure rebuild costs will be shared between the Kaikōura District Council (KDC), New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and Central Government, represented by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM). NZTA will fund 95% of the costs of all eligible earthquake related local roading repairs, MCDEM will cover 60% of eligible water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure costs, and KDC and its insurers will fund the balance. The funders will work together under governance arrangements including a memorandum of understanding and a Rebuild Steering Group to streamline the rebuild work.

As part of the Rebuild Steering Group Mr Doughty will provide oversight of the rebuild design, projects, advice and decision making. His immediate priority will be working with the funders to decide the details of the programme, budget, standards and procurement process. He is also responsible for leading the rebuild of Council-owned facilities and structures and liaising with the Transport Agency and KiwiRail’s North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) alliance team. The NCTIR team are rebuilding the coastal highways and aiming to reopen SH1 north before the end of 2017.

Speaking of the rebuild ahead, KDC CEO Angela Oosthuizen says, ‘The council needs to deliver eight times our annual infrastructure spend in the next 18-24 months. The Steering Group and new Rebuild Director will provide the experienced advice and support we need to get this rebuild right’.

Mr Doughty has lived and worked in Christchurch for 11 years. Following the Christchurch earthquakes, he worked extensively in emergency response and managed major long-term infrastructure rebuild programmes at a Governance level. He spent over four years in a strategic leadership role, supporting the Christchurch City Council, CERA and NZTA’s delivery of the $2.9 billion horizontal infrastructure rebuild programme.

Married with two children, the Doughty family is very excited about integrating into the Kaikōura community and contributing to the recovery of a very special part of the world. Mr Doughty’s position at the Kaikōura District Council begins in mid-May.

‘The Kaikōura rebuild is a challenge, an opportunity and an adventure. There’s a lot of work to be done but I’ve seen first-hand what a passionate community supported by experts can achieve. It’s a big job but we’ll get there and we’ll get there together.’

Following the earthquake, there has been a lot of earthquake damage to our local roads and supporting infrastructure. We have been using our roading contractor to undertake those repairs. At the end of August 2018, we had undertaken approximately $5million worth of repairs across the whole roading network (sealed and unsealed). There remains approximately $1.3million worth of earthquake repairs still to deliver and we will be using our roading contractor to complete that work during this financial year. The idea is to have this series of work completed by June 2019.

Read more about our roading maintenance contract here. 

Council is aware that NCTIR vehicle and truck movements as part of the SH1 rebuild are causing wear and tear and damage to our local roads.

Council has worked with NCTIR to come up with a set of defined 'haul routes'. These are the only roads NCTIR trucks and trucks related to the NCTIR programme can use.

Council has agreed with NCTIR that routine maintenance of these roads while they are being used by the project will be funded 100% by NZTA.

Once NCTIR has finished using a road as a haul rote, NCTIR and Council will agree what the long-term repair strategy is and this will be fully funded by NZTA.

The current NCTIR haul routes are:

• Mill Road
• Red Swamp Road (a small section)
• Kowhai Ford Road
• Kiwa Road
• Station Road and
• Rakanui Road.

If you see trucks that aren’t sticking to the arranged routes, report the truck number or number plate to NCTIR.

We're working with NCTIR and the police to make sure everything possible is being done to enforce careful and safe driving on our roads - do your part too. Complaints should be referred to the police as soon as possible after they happen. You can:

• Leave a message for NCTIR on 0800 628 4737 or info@nctir.com
• Contact the local police on (03) 319 5038