50 | Tararua Alliance T T Richard Loader Improved response times targeted The Alliance’s ability to effectively respond to Cyclone Gabrielle last year showcased how a single delivery team could react and change priorities very quickly. “It also includes undertaking inspections of the network itself to ensure any damage or faults such as potholes or rutting are captured, and that the damage is programmed to be repaired.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Established in 2014, Tararua Alliance is a collaborative working agreement, between Tararua District Council and Downer NZ Ltd to manage the Council’s transportation activity and the water, wastewater, and stormwater reticulation infrastructure within the district. The transportation activity includes the district’s roading network, excluding the State Highway. The primary reason for establishing the Tararua Alliance was to significantly improve response times by replacing the client, network manager, contractor interfaces, with a single delivery team that includes planning, design, deliveryand performance management. That single delivery approach enables a more agile and nimble response when adapting to anything that might impact on network management including; changing priorities, external pressures, increased or reduced funding, or political pressures. The Alliance’s ability to effectively respond to Cyclone Gabrielle last year showcased how a single delivery team could react and change priorities very quickly. Based at the Oringi Business Park, just south of Dannevirke, staff from both Tararua District Council and Downer NZ Ltd work within the Tararua Alliance as one team, which includes 110 staff, of which 70 are field-based staff including driver operators, skilled labourers, and front line leaders. Office staff include Asset Management, Engineering, and Delivery teams. The Delivery team includes project management and supervisory staff, as well as an Operations team and Capital Works team. Encompassing the Tararua District, the Alliance’s reach includes the township of Norsewood through to Eketahuna, and from the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges to the coast, and covers a significant area of 4500 square kilometres with a population of about 19,000 residents. The network under management includes 1200 kilometres of sealed roading and 760 kilometres of unsealed road, and within that there are 405 bridges. The Alliance’s primary customers are the District’s rate payers including business owners and key industries such as forestry and dairy processing. Tararua Alliance Manager Dan Erard explains that business as usual (BAU) road maintenance activities includes all the general maintenance work such as planned resealing on the network, and road rehabilitation or renewals that need to be completed. “It also includes undertaking inspections of the network itself to ensure any damage or faults such as potholes or rutting are captured, and that the damage is programmed to be repaired. Any faults or renewal work or large culvert or bridge repairs that require design work goes to the Alliance’s engineering team, before it’s programmed.” The Tararua Alliance looks after the three waters reticulation pipework within the roading network; the drinking water and wastewater treatment plants are managed by Tararua District Council. The Alliance also takes customer requests that might come through the District Council in regard to issues or damage to roading within its scope. “We also respond to any heavy rain or storm events by identifying damage and making things safe. That falls outside of BAU activities and with that kind of storm event damage we apply for funding from NZTA Waka Kotahi for repairs and do that application on behalf of Council as well. Cyclone Gabrielle was a very good example of that where we were able to get a $10 million surge in funding from NZTA to make the network safe and winter-proof, over a short five-month period.” When Gabrielle struck, team members from Operations were diverted from BAU activities, to support the Capital Works team, to make the network safe. “Once the network was safe and we started moving into a more planned approach we were still able to deliver on our planned BAU work, leaving the Capital Works team to continue with Gabrielle. It also enabled us to give NZTA a good view of the scale of damage that had been caused on the network, enabling additional $34.5 million in funding this year. Because the Engineering team sits within the Alliance, we could get designs out for high complexity emergency response repairs to dropouts and bridge repairs, quicker than in a traditional model.” www.morrisandbailey.co.nz | 06 374 4262 Trust · Experience · Quality Civil Construction · Commercial Construction · Bridges · Residential Servicing Dannevirke, Tararua, Central Hawkes Bay, Manawatu & beyond.
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