Gate Automation & Security Systems Specialists
Christchurch, Canterbury & across the South Island
Streamlined access control for high-traffic entrances
Commercial car parks, school zones, industrial yards, and holiday parks demand rapid vehicle control hundreds of times a day. Standard automatic gates secure the perimeter after hours, while barrier arms take over during the day to deliver the rapid, continuous traffic control required for high-turnover entrances.
At Christchurch Automation & Security, we supply and install heavy-duty barrier arms and rising bollards specifically rated for high daily traffic and pedestrian safety.
Our commercial barrier machines also feature smart breakaway boom designs - with arms designed to break first, without damaging the internal motor, so they can be replaced quickly as a single, low-cost component.
To talk through your entrance, traffic flow and budget, get in touch.
To talk through your entrance, traffic flow and budget, get in touch.
Barrier Machines - Overview:
Barrier machines are vehicle entrance controls - boom gates, traffic barriers and parking bollards - installed at Christchurch car parks, sites and commercial properties.
- Barrier machines sized for openings under 3m through to 8m spans
- Aluminium barrier arms, some with a channel for LED lighting
- Solar or mains power, with battery backup through outages
- Remotes, keypads, long-range RFID, ground loops or plate recognition
- Rising bollards where a boom gate would only manage traffic
- Servicing on traffic barriers of most brands, whoever installed them
- Warranty of one year on site, extendable to three with annual servicing
Boom gates, traffic barriers or rising bollards for your site
Unlike standard gates, commercial barrier machines are engineered specifically for heavy duty, continuous traffic management. This range includes automated boom arms, vehicle barriers, and rising or fixed bollards designed for car parks, industrial yards, schools, and busy commercial sites.
Rising bollards are ideal for sites needing robust vehicle control without restricting pedestrian flow. They offer flexible access management—allowing overnight delivery access while securing the entrance during peak daytime hours. While demand for bollards has grown for anti-ram-raid security, they require specific site conditions and budgets to perform effectively.
We assess your entryways honestly and will guide you toward a barrier arm, bollard, or automated gate based on your site's actual needs. If your layout is better suited to a traditional entrance, we also deliver custom gate installation and automation tailored to your perimeter.
Streamlined access controls for every entrance
Tailored Vehicle Access
The best opening mechanism matches your site's daily user patterns. Staff car parks and fleet yards suit long-range RFID systems that scan windscreen tags on approach, while high-volume sites can opt for advanced Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) for completely automated entry.
Flexible Remote Management
For occasional access control, a SIM-based receiver allows authorised users to raise the barrier with a simple call or text message, operating with no ongoing costs beyond a standard SIM card.
Standard Safety & Complete Integration
Every commercial system includes safety beams and force-sensing technology as standard. We also connect your barrier hardware with fobs, keypads, and building access control systems for total security.
Barrier arm strikes, annual servicing and emergency repairs
Barrier arms are designed to absorb the impact if a vehicle strikes them, protecting both the barrier mechanism and the vehicle. Replacing a damaged arm is far simpler and less expensive than repairing the whole machine, making it a routine maintenance item on busy sites.
Servicing is matched to how often the barrier operates and includes boom balance, gearbox condition, travel limits, loop detector accuracy and safety testing. Between services, the most common faults are usually minor, such as contaminated safety beams or flat batteries.
We service most brands, not just our installations, with emergency call-outs where car parks can't close. After-hours work costs extra.
A boom manages traffic rather than securing a boundary. Where vehicles need to be kept out completely, rising bollards or an automatic gate is the better recommendation. Bollards also stop vehicles at set times while pedestrians keep walking through.
Machines run on solar or mains power, which suits open car parks and remote sites without permanent power. Battery backup keeps the barrier cycling through a power cut.
Small units cover openings under 3m, and larger machines handle openings up to 8m. Lane width, the vehicles using the entrance and how often it cycles each day all guide the recommendation.
Licence plate recognition works, but the camera alone runs around $2,500 and a full project realistically starts at $12,000–$15,000. Long-range RFID is usually the cheaper answer at roughly $1,000 per reader and about $7 a tag.
Barrier arms are deliberately the weak point, breaking rather than damaging the vehicle or injuring someone. On some sites replacing an arm is expected maintenance, because with barriers it is a question of when they get hit, not if.
Yes. Servicing covers most brands, whoever installed them. Urgent call-outs can be arranged, with additional charges applying outside business hours of Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Jobs carry a full one-year on-site warranty. That can be extended by another year after each annual service, up to a maximum of three years in total. Manufacturer warranties vary by product.
Yes. Installations cover Christchurch, Canterbury and the South Island, and selected barrier projects are handled countrywide, either directly, through local contractors or with customer-assisted arrangements depending on the job.
Barrier Machines Summary:
-
What: Supply, turnkey installation and servicing of barrier machines, including barrier arms, boom gates, traffic barriers and rising parking bollards, with access control and groundworks.
-
Where: Car park barriers installed across Christchurch, Canterbury and the wider South Island, with selected barrier projects handled nationwide.
- Who for: Car parks, campgrounds, building sites, schools, commercial properties, residential complexes, and council or public spaces managing vehicle entry while pedestrians pass through.
