36804 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

36804 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: Does he think it is acceptable for more than 40% of all pothole repairs in a given month to require rework, while the average cost to repair a pothole is $200 per 0.5 square metre area?

Hon Chris Bishop: Pothole repairs are a temporary solution to remove any safety related issues and may require re-attendance within a short period of time. The percentage of repeat repairs required is higher in winter months, when the majority of potholes tend to appear. Some potholes will reappear multiple times over a single winter. Once water has entered the road pavement (the layers lying under the asphalt or chipseal surface) it will sit in the pavement and face hydraulic pressure from vehicle movements on the road surface. This pressure forces stones to exit the road structure through the path of least resistance (i.e. upwards), creating a pothole. In general terms, full road renewals are unable to be completed in winter months. Taking into account whole-of-life costs, it is more effective to temporarily fill a pothole during these months and wait until the warmer summer maintenance season to undertake road renewal work.