‘Pillar to post’: Napier driver frustrated by road-damage saga

Napier resident Rob Tranter says he’s been sent from pillar to post between Napier City Council, Downer and his insurance company after his work van was damaged by roadworks.

It’s been a tiring few weeks for Rob Tranter after he drove one of his work vans through roadworks on Meeanee Rd in Napier.

He says he’s been sent from pillar to post between Napier City Council, Downer and his insurance company.

Dozens of cars were damaged, with drivers describing loose tar and chip seal piling on to their tyres, slowing their cars to an almost undrivable speed. Stones slowly shaking loose from other vehicles began to chip at their paintwork and windscreens.

One reported receiving eight windscreen chips in one go.

Tranter said he left home at 8.30am on Sunday, March 23.

“Sealing had begun on the road and traffic was being directed to follow right behind a truck that was dropping its load of chipseal onto the hot tar,” he said.

“Basically, the traffic was being used as rollers and the same deal on the way back, half an hour later. Right behind the truck.”

However, a council spokesperson said it was normal practice for traffic to follow trucks, as the chip laid by the trucks is the running layer of the chip.

“Rubber-tyred rollers are used to ensure the chip ends up on the flat side and evenly embedded on the sealed road surface,” the spokesperson said.

“As all cars and trucks also have rubber tyres, they serve the same purpose. An important aspect on new sealed sites is the need to keep speeds down, hence the 30km/h temporary speed signage.

Rob Tranter’s van after driving through roadworks on Meeanee Rd, Napier.

“The reduced temporary speed signage is also important to mitigate the chip stones from unintentionally flicking onto oncoming traffic.”

But Trantar claimed car tyres were designed to drive on finished road surfaces and therefore have minimum legal tread depths.

“They are not designed to be used as road rollers on wet bitumen,” he said.

He said he spent two hours the next day scraping off stones and cleaning the driveway. He phoned the council, and the toing and froing began.

“I took the van into the tyre shop that Friday. Two weeks later, I was still waiting. It’s a work van, I’m out of pocket already.”

The council spokesperson said there were 37 service requests received by the council about the Meeanee Rd reseal between March 23 and April 10, 2025, and all insurance claims were directed to Downer.

While Tranter’s claim was finally accepted, an email from his insurance case manager states: “that while the parties involved agree that liability (responsibility for the issue) is not being contested, any settlement reached will not be considered an admission of liability by the party making the payment. Essentially, the settlement is made to resolve the matter without the paying party formally acknowledging they are at fault.”

All four tyres were replaced on the van, and Tranter says they had done less than 2000km. The total cost was $1700.

The council and Downer work in partnership on roading and transportation, known as the Ahuriri Alliance.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.