State Highway summer maintenance underway in the top of the South Island

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The road works season is underway in the top of the South Island, and drivers can expect to see contractors hard at work at multiple locations over the coming months.

They will be on the job across the region completing road rebuilds, resurfacing, and repairs from now until the end of March 2026.

Planned works

In Marlborough, contractors will undertake almost 45 lane kilometres* of road renewals. This will include:

• asphalt – 1.9 lane km
• chipseal – 32.9 lane km
• road rebuilds – 9.8 lane km.

Meanwhile, in Nelson/Tasman, there will be approximately 35 lane kilometres of road renewal work done, including:

• asphalt – 2.4 lane km
• chipseal – 27.9 lane km
• rebuild – 5.4 lane km.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Lower North Island/Top of the South, says this season is slightly different from previous years.

“The bad weather and flood damage from June and July is being factored into this season’s work – there’s a lot of activity across the region, but we have planned as best we can to minimise disruption to people’s journeys.”

“Where possible we will coincide these repairs and ongoing resilience work with road rebuilds and resurfacing works to minimise the impact on road users. This is the exact approach we will be taking on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 Whangamoa Saddle,” Mr Owen says.

He says the same applies on State Highway 6 heading south from Kohatu Junction.

“This part of the highway suffered flood and scour damage in June and July. Drivers will have noticed we have had an interim road surface in place since then. That’s because this area was in line for a planned rebuild this summer.”

“Emergency works are still underway on State Highway 6 at Dellows and at Coal Creek following the July heavy rain event and resilience works planned on State Highway 6 at O’Sullivans and Granity. All of this activity will impact your journey especially between October and December as we rebuild and repair the state highway network,” Mr Owen says.

He says the same applies in Marlborough

“On State Highway 63 there are extensive works planned all the way from Waihopai Valley to the Howard Valley. Road rebuilds, resealing, and flood recovery works will be completed all along the highway.”

“State Highway 1 and 6, are also in line for a lot of work as well. There will be night closures on Weld Pass in November, and three months of work are planned on State Highway 1 at Spring Creek from January for a road rebuild,” Mr Owen says.

Driver advice

Mr Owen says with all this work planned, drivers must be ready for roadworks, and the travel delays they can cause.

“Plan ahead. Know where roadworks are, how substantial they are, and how they will affect you. That way you can make informed choices, like timing your trip to avoid them or allowing extra time for your journey.”

“This is particularly essential for people with Picton ferry connections or critical out of town appointments. Make sure you are not caught out,” Mr Owen says.

And he urges drivers to respect road workers and the speed limits in place at road work sites.

“The speed limits are there for a reason – to keep workers and drivers safe.” 

“A small mistake can have devastating consequences, and, if speed is involved, the outcomes can be fatal – not just for road crews, but also for drivers and their passengers. Slow down and be safe,” Mr Owen says.

Why summer maintenance?

Most drivers are aware more road works affect their travel during spring, summer, and early autumn. But Mr Owen says not everyone knows the reason why. 

“The simple fact is, it’s the weather. To be effective and durable, road renewals and resealing must be done during the warmer, drier months. 

“The wet and cold conditions over winter just are not suitable for completing permanent and durable road repairs,” Mr Owen says. 

View larger map [PDF, 1 MB]

Summer Maintenance Schedule – Top of the South Island (September 2025 – March 2026)

Note: Schedules may change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

Summer maintenance programme – Additional information

• *Lane kilometre refers to the amount of highway lane being worked on, not the full width of the road. For example, renewing both lanes of a highway over a one-kilometre distance is equivalent to two lane kilometres of renewal
• Road rebuilding (also called pavement rehabilitation) is a full reconstruction of the road. Both the surface and the layers underneath are removed and replaced—sometimes using recycled materials from the original road. After a road is rebuilt with a chipseal surface, crews return about 12 months later to apply a second coat. This helps strengthen the surface and improves waterproofing, making the road last longer.
• Resurfacing means removing the top layer of the road and replacing it with a new, pre-mixed layer of stone, bitumen, and other materials. This creates a smoother, more durable surface.
• Resealing involves spraying a layer of hot bitumen or emulsion onto the road, before spreading stone chips over it. These chips take time to settle into the surface, and any loose ones are swept away a few days later.
• Resilience work proactively improves the transport network by making sections of the state highway network less susceptible to the impacts of severe weather events.
• Key holiday periods are kept free of roadworks to help ease the pressure on peak travel times.  
• More information about our summer maintenance work can be found on our website 

MIL OSI