Winter resilience starts before the storm

Winter no longer tests infrastructure every now and then. It tests it constantly - placing pressure on it more often and in more ways.

Across New Zealand, heavier rainfall, saturated ground, flooding, slips, coastal storm surge and freeze-thaw conditions are all testing and putting more pressure on our roads, stormwater networks, subdivisions and community infrastructure. What these events keep reminding us, is that you don’t achieve winter resilience during the storm. Your design for it well before the storm arrives.

Here at DO, resilient infrastructure starts with understanding how water, ground conditions and assets interact under pressure. Because winter failure is rarely caused by one issue alone. Drainage, groundwater, slopes, pavements, rivers, coastlines and ageing networks all influence each other.

Which is why integrated design is so important.

Whether working on alpine infrastructure at Mt Hutt, stormwater backflow prevention in Westport, or large-scale growth areas like Ravenswood in North Canterbury, the focus stays the same:

• understand the site properly
• design for exceedance, not minimum compliance
• build resilience into renewals and upgrades
• help reduce long-term disruption, maintenance and recovery costs.

The challenge for councils, developers and asset owners is that much of New Zealand’s infrastructure was designed for historic conditions, not the increasingly volatile weather patterns we’re now experiencing. That means resilient infrastructure is no longer just about protecting assets. It’s also about protecting communities and connectivity, as well as supporting long-term economic performance.

As winter conditions become more unpredictable, the way infrastructure performs under pressure will play an increasing role in the resilience of the places around it.