Judge Keith de Ridder agreed, as did Justice Simon Moore in the High Court.
After the culvert replacement, FNDC emailed Rintoul and alleged certain defects but the company sealed the road without addressing the council's concerns.
FNDC then engaged Fulton Hogan to undertake remedial work and the amount paid was $4440 more than the retentions withheld from Rintoul.
On the Awaroa/Broadwood Rd works, FNDC claimed Rintoul failed to complete work on two projects and gave notice to finish them within five working days.
READ MORE:
• Rintoul Group again takes Far North District Council to court
• High Court action over declined Far North District Council contracts
• Judge rules FNDC wrong to disqualify company's twin coast cycle tender
• Kaikohe company takes FNDC to court in dispute over cycleway tender
Rintoul disputed the claim and served a payment claim of $36,052.
The other works concerned dispute over release of bonds held by FNDC.
Justice Moore said Rintoul could not have been in any doubt that FNDC was dissatisfied with the standard of work on West Coast Rd and requested they be rectified.
A similar pattern emerged on the Awaroa/Broadwood Rd contract, he said.
"This is not a case where the council has cynically or improperly manufactured its opposition to Rintoul's rightful claims in order to prevent Rintoul from seeking proper recourse to the courts."
Justice Moore said the contracts contained arbitration agreements and that FNDC acted properly in asserting there was a dispute.