Brad Pierce: Treadlite CEO on the first rubber road being constructed in Canterbury in January 2026

Canterbury is paving the way for the country's first rubber road.  

Selwyn District Council is planning a rubber road surface trial at Glentunnel on State Highway 77 in January.  

Treadlite New Zealand is the only company providing the recycled rubber granules for use in pavements in the country.  

Chief Executive Brad Pierce told Mike Hosking this isn't new technology, it's just New Zealand catching up.  

He says adding 10% rubber into the road makes it quieter, last 20% longer, and takes a valuable resource out of landfill. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Change coming to the road. Sellyn District Council about to
trail a new rubber road surface, which is a first
for the country State Highway seventy seven's Glen Tunnel. It's
going to be using recycled rubber greenules. Now. Brad Piece
is the CEO of Treadlight New Zealand, Anders with us.
Brad Morning, Good morning Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Have we taught me on the show but.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Not at all great pleasure we talked before because I've
done a number of interviews about this and I feel
that this has been on the bubble for a while.
Is that true?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, it has in Mike, I know that you've certainly
had a chat with the Dale Rose and her team
from Thaiwise, the government stewardship that's been pushing this along
for fifteen years now, and now we've seemed to be
getting traction fantastically.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
So the rubber is literally about to hit the road
one percent.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We've been working really hard on this. You know, we're
coming to your live from Cambridge, which is the heart
of innovation for New Zealand, and we've got a fantastic
team down here. We've invested, we're good to go. We're
taking away all the barriers to get it done.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Okay, so how much are you going to lay initially
and at what price? And how long does it last
compared with what we normally use.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, so we've been working with a team down in
christ it. They've been fantastic. I think our visionaries down there,
they're looking at ways to it different the scientist and
you know, rubber and roads has been around for a
long long time globally and they've kind of grabbed it
down there and looking to do things differently. So when
they rub a road, when they put the rubber down

(01:24):
into the roads, they use about a ten percent mix
of rubber granule into it and that gives the road,
It makes it quieter, lasts about twenty percent longer, and
it's using a valuable resource that we're taking out a
landfills and giving another life.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
So how long's the trial for? I mean, you put
a bit of road down west of Darfield, you see
it but works, assuming it does? Are we often running
all over the country or not?

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, we believe. So we've taken away all the barriers
that there's no reason why now the contractor shouldn't be
doing us. It's standard fear Australia, South Africa, the US,
Canada standard for here now. So this isn't new technology,
this is just New Zealand catching up.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
We're just getting on with it, Brad PC. I appreciate
time very much. Brad PA, who's the CEO of tread
Light from Cambridge This Morning, the Home of Innovation. For
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