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When a frustrated farmer got in touch, Humes came to the rescue, proving itself to be the expert in concrete and drainage solutions in New Zealand.
In late 2016 dairy farmer Darcy Bishop had been trying for two years to find the right supplier to install an underpass under a road that ran through his farm. Frustrated, he got in touch with the team at Humes Hazeldean Road, looking for a more reliable solution to the drama. The very next day, Hazeldean Road Contract Sales Representative Matt Harrop drove out to the farm in Oxford, North Canterbury, to start the work on Darcy’s project.
The project was complicated by various logistical roadblocks that had to be navigated in order to make sure Darcy’s job was finally completed. “The site had very low overhead power lines, so we had to be very careful getting the crane under them to lift the culverts into place” says Matt Harrop. “We were also dealing with a stockwater race, which the underpass had to go under – that’s a bit different to our usual experience with underpasses”.
“Ultimately we decided to supply concrete portals to create a channel for the water to flow through over the top of the underpass.”
Humes also had to find a way to make the project work with the Waimakariri District Council. As the consent for the project did not have the right credentials, the Humes product could not be installed under that consent. This required meeting with Council staff to negotiate a new consent and pay a fee for the old one to be cancelled before they could get back on track.
After three years, Darcy was finally getting his underpass from. “Initially it was a very painful process, but Humes has made it easier” says Darcy. “Matt went through everything with me, including the consent”. From the time of Matt’s visit, it took less than a year to manufacture, organise logistics, and install the underpass. During installation Matt also used a drone to take some stunning aerial footage of the site – check it out here.
Darcy is now a very happy - and relieved - customer. “My whole management system is going to change because of this. My worst fear is having a cow get hit by a car, so this underpass solves all of my problems”.
