Home Support Centre Digging What should I do before I dig?

What should I do before I dig?

Whether you're a homeowner wanting to replace a fence, a contractor installing a new cable or pipe along a street or working for a council on a new roading or footpath project, beforeUdig.co.nz is the best place to start your project. Not only will you avoid damaging underground telecommunications, power, water, and gas services, but it also ensures the safety of the people working on your project. It will also help you avoid the add time, cost and hassle that comes with hitting a cable.

Getting the Chorus underground network plan      

If you're doing any kind of excavation work, please ensure you have our latest Chorus network plans. These can be requested at no charge through BeforeUdig.co.nz.

The beforeUdig.co.nz service aims to simplify the process of requesting plans from asset owners and provides a single point of request for information on where underground assets are located. To use this service, register on their website to request free plans and you'll get information on underground services in the location within 48 hours.

On-site cable location

If the plan shows our cables in the area, be aware that our underground network plans are indicative only - as boundaries and levels of cover can change over time. We recommend that you play it safe and get an on-site cable location done by a qualified Chorus asset locator to more accurately see where our network is.

If you’d like us to visit your site, the beforeUdig centre will arrange for this. Once the cable is located, its position is marked with purple paint as a digging guide. Begin work carefully to find the cable's exact location.

A minimum fee of $166 plus GST is charged for all on-site cable locations. If it takes longer than one-hour, additional time is charged at $42 plus GST for every 15 minutes thereafter. Prices effective from 1st September 2023. However, if the cables are shown to be our core distribution cables and are on private property and/or your neighbour's service lead runs through your property, we'll mark these out free of charge. 

After-hours locates

If you require a locate after our business hours please call 0800 111 124 to organise. Please note that additional locate charges apply to any locate outside of business hours and weekends.

If you work for a company regularly involved with earthworks, we offer free telecommunications network awareness training for your staff which emphasises the importance of identifying underground services and using safe digging practices. Companies and individuals completing the programme receive a certificate recognising their participation.  Contact us on 0800 822 003 if you want to arrange this training.