This article was prepared by Phil Cornforth, General Manager – beforeUdig and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial.

Every day across New Zealand, hidden beneath our driveways, gardens, and streets, lies a complex network of essential services, including electricity, gas, water, sewer, and fibre. Hitting one of these during even the smallest excavation can cause far more than inconvenience.

A broken gas main can trigger evacuations, a severed fibre cable can disrupt entire suburbs, and a damaged electricity service can cause serious injury or worse. Yet most of these incidents are entirely preventable.

That’s where beforeUdig comes in.

beforeUdig is New Zealand’s free national safe digging service that helps anyone planning to dig, from homeowners planting a tree to contractors building a fence or laying a driveway, to find out what utility cables and pipes are buried underground before work begins.

By lodging a simple, free online enquiry at www.beforeudig.co.nz or via the mobile app, users can instantly alert network owners in the area. In return, they’ll receive plans, maps, and safety information showing the locations of underground utility cables and pipes. It’s a straightforward step that can prevent costly and dangerous mistakes.

For small contractors, landscapers, drainlayers and builders, beforeUdig has become an essential part of pre-start planning. It’s now standard practice across the wider construction industry, helping teams meet their legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act to keep themselves and their workers safe and prevent damage.

Homeowners, too, can benefit. You might not realise that utilities often run through private property. Water and sewer pipes, gas connections, fibre services, and power feeds can all be found within a few metres of your fence line. A quick beforeUdig enquiry ensures you won’t strike them when digging post holes, installing a spa, or planting a hedge.

The process is quick, simple, and available 24 hours a day. Most enquiries are returned within minutes with utility location maps and safe digging instructions, and it’s all at no cost. If your project is more complex, beforeUdig certified utility locators can also be engaged to detect and mark out the exact position of buried cables and pipe assets on site.

The consequences of not conducting a beforeUdig enquiry can derail your project, can cost thousands of dollars to repair or worse still, can seriously injure someone or cause untold property damage.

It only takes a minute, so before you pick up a spade or start your digger, take a moment to check what’s below. It’s one of the easiest ways to protect yourself, your property, and your community.

Visit beforeudig.co.nz or download the mobile app today, plan safe, dig safe, and avoid the cost of striking trouble.