Four potholes on a Te Puna slip road next to State Highway 2, north of Tauranga, have now been filled with asphalt less than 24 hours after the Bay of Plenty Times published a story about plants being placed in the potholes instead.
It was presumed the mystery gardeners responsible placed the plants on Sunday night in a bid for roading action as a local councillor admits the potholes had been there, unattended, for at least a couple of months.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council stated it would treat the potholes as a “high priority” for repairs.
This morning, they were filled in. It is understood the fix is temporary, before something more permanent can be made.
The unusual plantings came after a rogue farmer in the same village baled cut grass in the middle of a busy SH2 roundabout this month in what was described as an “imaginative protest” thought to be directed at NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi’s maintenance practices.
“I just thought someone must be filling them in. I didn’t even think that something else must have been going on,” Thwaites told the Bay of Plenty Times.
Thwaites heads the Western Bay of Plenty District Council Projects and Monitoring Committee, which monitors council services, including pothole-filling.
“As chairman, I have to take responsibility for this,” Thwaites said.
Thwaites lives in Te Puna and said the potholes had been there at least a couple of months.
He said he regretted not reporting the potholes at the time “because I often report everything else”.
Potholes were a “big topic” in the community after the election in 2022, he said.
“People were just so frustrated with potholes. Contractors were turning up and filling potholes but they would break down and need doing again. We haven’t quite got on top of it.
“You get lots of abusive phone calls and messages [as a councillor] but that [the planting] was more effective messaging, for sure.”
The council’s agreement with the contractors usually tasked with pothole filling had ended.
The council was bringing this service in-house but the process was a “massive transfer”.
'Creative, but not very practical or safe’
Council transportation area engineer Ashley Hall said it was notified of the potholes by a “concerned member of the public” near the end of last week.
“The site was inspected and the repair work was added to our maintenance schedule, with high priority. We expect them to be infilled this week.
“With high demands on our contracted inspectors, maintenance work like this sometimes gets missed, so we are grateful when people let us know about these issues as they occur.”
Hall said if anyone had concerns about road maintenance, they should contact the council “as soon as the issue becomes apparent, so it can be assessed and repair work scheduled as resources become available”.
People can do this via the Antenno app, or by calling the council.
“Planting potholes is a creative, but not very practical or safe solution,” Hall said.
“Personally, I would recommend hydrangeas, as they are a colourful and durable choice during the hotter weather - but only for your own personal driveway.”
