Water Reticulation Installation
When you’re running a hill country station, getting reliable water to the right places is one of the quickest ways to improve your farm's bottom line. We were engaged by Wai Station’s Farm Manager to design and implement a comprehensive, robust stock water reticulation network across challenging, steep hill country terrain in Nūhaka.
The goal was to replace a reliance on unpredictable surface dams and unlock previously underutilised grazing blocks by providing a consistent, clean water supply year-round.
Challenges For The Farm:
Prior to the installation, Wai Station faced several critical operational constraints that impacted the farm’s bottom line:
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Dam issues: Relying on muddy, stagnant surface dams meant stock were consuming "muddy, buggy" water, compromising animal health and weight gain.
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Labor-Intensive Upkeep: Unreliable dams required time-consuming, expensive annual mechanical cleaning. Worse yet, dry summers meant farm staff spent valuable time dragging bogged stock out of almost empty mud dams.
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Climate Vulnerability: Hotter East Coast summers brought constant stress and uncertainty around whether surface water would hold out, forcing reactionary management decisions.
Our Solution: Go-Anywhere, Precision-Engineered Reticulation
While most contractors can easily put water lines in on flat country, our specialised bulldozer and mole-plow attachment mean that as long as the operator doesn’t get vertigo, we can pretty much go anywhere.
By taking the shortest, most direct route straight through the steep hill country rather than traversing the long way around, we saved thousands in upfront pipe materials and labour. Furthermore, because our team has decades of insight into how East Coast soil moves, the pipelines were buried deeply and accurately enough to remain fully protected.
The ultimate proof of this resilience came during extreme weather events (such as Cyclone Gabrielle), where our deep-buried networks successfully withstood severe regional land movement and kept the water flowing.
Installing water reticulation pipes at Mahiwi Station
“I can’t see how anyone could have installed our water pipes more efficiently; I was amazed at the terrain we could install in. This made it far cheaper, as we were able to lay a short, direct route, rather than having to go the long way around. We now have water to parts of the farm that could never hold stock prior to the pipe installation, and I have peace of mind over summer. It’s also cool, clean water rather than muddy, buggy water from a dam (which would also need cleaning annually). Prydes also had a good eye for knowing where to lay the pipe, which withstood damage from Cyclone Gabrielle. Happy to chat with anyone who wants to know more.”
- Sefton Alexander, Wai Station, Nūhaka
Our Scope of Work
Our scope of work involves a precision-engineered approach to designing, mapping, and installing a high-capacity stock water network using our custom-built machinery:
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Topographical Mapping & Design: Using our Trimble GPS base station and rover, we can complex topography to create a precise 3D model. This data allows us to calculate optimal gravity-fed pressure gradients and design the most efficient pipeline routes.
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Custom Engineering Innovation: Using a special "design and build" contraption engineered by Hamish and our in-house mechanics, we equip our heavy-duty bulldozer with a front-mounted water pipe coil holder on the blade, feeding directly into an adapted mole plow/ripper at the back.
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All-Terrain, Low-Disruption Installation: This unique configuration allows us to mole plow and bury the water lines simultaneously. The massive power of the bulldozer means we can quickly install lines down steep, rugged hillsides that conventional gear simply can't handle, all with minimal disruption to the existing pasture.
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Precision Execution: The engineered routes are uploaded directly into our machinery's onboard computer systems. Using GPS grade control capabilities, our operators can achieve millimetre precision, ensuring optimal depth and preventing the pipe from being damaged by future land preparation or stock.
Benefits of Stock Water Reticulation
According to independent research papers by AgFirst, investing in a robust stock water scheme yields incredible financial returns. By partnering with Pryde Contracting for water infrastructure, landowners enjoy:
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Bigger Rotation Cycles & Higher Stocking Rates: Safely hold, rotate, and finish more stock in paddocks that were previously empty or underutilised due to a lack of water.
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Improved Pasture Utilisation: Better water placement means more even grazing patterns, maximizing your pasture production per hectare.
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Superior Stock Performance: Clean, cool water directly correlates to better animal health, faster weight gains (higher kg/ha of meat grown), and improved overall animal welfare.
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Ultimate Summer "Peace of Mind": In a drought, you and your staff only have to worry about feed, not water. Eliminate the stress of drying dams and water shortages with a low-maintenance network built to last.