We are carrying out drainage work and road reconstruction on a section of Lighthouse Road following significant wet weather events in May 2025 and February 2026.
Sign up to our Lighthouse Road land instability newsletter
What happened
Christchurch City and Banks Peninsula experienced prolonged, intense rainfall between 30 April and 2 May 2025, resulting in flooding and multiple landslides across the region.
Significant cracking was found along Lighthouse Road and the surrounding land. The road was closed and affected residents were evacuated as a precaution. Expert geotechnical investigations have since concluded that houses downslope from the land instability site are no longer considered at risk.
At the Finance and Performance Committee meeting on 27 August 2025, elected members agreed to carry out land drainage work to lower the groundwater level at the slip site and reconstruct the section of Lighthouse Road impacted by the land instability.
Work began late March 2026, initially with a new 25m long retaining wall constructed below the road. Drilling work then followed to install horizontal drains into the hillside, with this work complete early June.
Reconstruction of the section of road damaged by land movement will be carried out in springtime when weather conditions are more favourable.
The road remains safe to drive on in the interim, with all cracking in the road surface having been patch repaired.
Second slip site
A second significant weather event occurred in February 2026, causing another slip further down Lighthouse Road. Work was carried out at the new slip site in conjunction with repairs on the original site. The road has been reinstated back to full width, with a short length of retaining wall installed.
In an emergency, where there's an immediate risk to life or property, call 111.
In August 2025 we received a geotechnical report [PDF, 88 MB] from independent geotechnical engineers Engeo, outlining information obtained from borehole drilling completed onsite during July 2025. This data provided a better technical understanding of what is going on deep underground.
Based on the data, the geotechnical experts no longer believe occupied properties downslope from the land instability site are considered at risk.
The revised understanding was that a release of any debris is unlikely to occur as it would take a significantly larger rainfall event than May 2025 to trigger such an outcome. Even if debris was released following land movement, it is no longer considered a risk of reaching properties downslope of the land instability area.
This is because of what we now know about the land. If any debris were to release, the volume would be at the lower end of what was previously modelled and isn’t expected to flow easily due to the makeup of the land, which has a high clay content.
The Council is carrying out a full reconstruction of the section of Lighthouse Road impacted by the land instability to both repair and make it more resilient for the future.
There are three stages to this remediation work, with two having been completed. Work completed includes:
- Construction of a retaining wall to strengthen the road.
- Drilling of horizontal drains into the hillside.
The third stage of work – reconstruction of the damaged section of the road – will be carried out in springtime when weather conditions are more favourable. In the interim, the road will be open to residents and the general public.
Residents will be informed when the road reconstruction work is due to start so they are aware about access to Lighthouse Road.
Work is being carried out by contractor Fulton Hogan.
Ongoing monitoring is continuing at the land instability site to determine if there are any long-term patterns of movement.
- Start Works Notice - March 2026(external link)
- Newsline story - 19 October 2025(external link)
- Newsline story - 28 August 2025(external link)
- Newsline story – 13 August 2025(external link)
- Newsletter – 11 August 2025(external link)
- Letter to residents – 11 August 2025 [PDF, 92 KB]
- Newsletter – 30 June 2025(external link)
- Newsline story – 30 June 2025(external link)
- Start Works Notice – 24 June 2025 [PDF, 320 KB]
- Letter to residents at end of road – 18 June 2025 [PDF, 98 KB]
- Letter to residents – 13 June 2025 [PDF, 394 KB]
- Letter to residents – 10 June 2025 [PDF, 90 KB]
- Letter to residents - 11 June 2025 [PDF, 92 KB]
We’re committed to keeping you informed.
For updates, sign up for our newsletter(external link) or email lighthouseroad@ccc.govt.nz.
To speak to our staff, phone 03 941 8999 or 0800 800 169.
