Culverts and drainage that move the water away
Culvert installation and replacement, crossings and drainage trenching for driveways, farm races and properties across Hamilton and the Waikato.
Woodney Contracting installs and replaces culverts and does drainage work across Hamilton and the greater Waikato. This is operated digger work done for you, not equipment hire. We dig it out, lay the pipe, backfill and tidy up. Water that is not moved away damages driveways, undermines fences and floods low spots, so it pays to get culverts and drains right the first time.
Culverts, crossings and drainage
One local operator for the digging and the finish.
Driveway culverts
Culverts under driveway entrances and accessways so water flows through, not over.
Farm race and paddock crossings
Culverts and crossings so stock and machinery can cross a drain.
Replacing failed culverts
Digging out blocked, crushed or collapsed culverts and putting in new ones.
Drainage trenching
Trenches dug to depth and fall for drainage pipe, then backfilled.
Water management
Moving surface water away from buildings, driveways and low spots.
Backfill & reinstatement
We backfill, compact and leave the site tidy.
The machine and the operator, sorted
You do not need to hire a digger. We turn up with the right machine and an experienced operator, work carefully around underground services, and leave the site tidy. Because we are also fencing contractors and arborists, we can sort the fence, the trees and the crossing in one job.
- Operated digger work, not equipment hire
- Careful around underground services
- Backfilled and tidied on completion
- One local, fully insured team
Rules and checks worth knowing
Streams and drains
Work in or near a waterway can need Waikato Regional Council approval, and conditions can include fish passage.
Roadside drains
Driveway entrances and roadside drains are usually controlled by the road authority, so check before you change them.
Underground services
Request plans through beforeUdig before any digging.
Sizing
Pipe size depends on how much water it carries, so get an engineer for a large or critical crossing.
Fish passage
Culverts in streams often have to allow fish to pass, which affects the design.
Access
Tell us about gates, soft ground and how the machine will reach the site.
From site visit to finished groundwork
On-site visit
We look at the job, the water and the access, and talk you through how we would tackle it and our charge-out pricing.
Plan & services
We plan the dig and account for underground services before we start.
We dig it
We bring the machine and operator and dig, lay the pipe or culvert and set the levels.
Backfill & tidy
We backfill, compact and leave your site clean.
Culverts and drainage across the greater Waikato
Hamilton / Cambridge / Te Awamutu / Morrinsville / Ngāruawāhia / Huntly / Raglan / Matamata / Tamahere / Ōhaupō / Gordonton / and the surrounding rural districts.
Culvert and drainage questions
01Do you install and replace culverts?
Yes. We install new culverts and replace failed ones on driveways, farm races and paddock crossings, with an operated digger, and backfill and tidy the site.
02Is this digger hire?
No. We bring the machine and an experienced operator and do the work. You do not hire or run anything.
03What size culvert do I need?
That depends on how much water the culvert has to carry and the ground it sits in. We can talk through the options on site. For a larger or critical crossing, get an engineer to size it.
04Do I need council approval to put in a culvert?
It can depend on where it is. Work in or near a stream or drain that carries water can come under Waikato Regional Council rules, which often include conditions such as fish passage, and roadside drains and driveway entrances are usually controlled by the road authority. Check with the right council before you start, and tell us early.
05Can you fix a blocked or collapsed culvert?
We can dig out and replace a failed culvert and rebuild the cover over it. Tell us what has happened and we will come and look.
06Do you do drainage as well as culverts?
Yes. We trench for drainage, run pipes to move water away from buildings, driveways and low spots, and backfill and reinstate. See our excavation and earthworks page.
07Will you find underground services first?
Safety comes first. We recommend requesting plans of underground cables and pipes through beforeUdig before we dig, and we work carefully around anything we find.
08Can you put in a crossing for stock or machinery?
Yes. See our waterway fencing page, where we often pair a crossing with a fence along the water.
09How much does it cost?
We price this work on a charge-out basis, so what you pay reflects the machine, operator and time the job takes, plus pipe, materials and cartage. Get in touch and we will talk you through our pricing.
10What areas do you cover?
We install culverts and drainage across Hamilton, Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Ngāruawāhia, Huntly and the wider Waikato.
Got water to move?
A culvert to replace, a crossing to build or a drain to dig? Get in touch and we will come and take a look.