Today we have just launched a product that we have been working on for over 2 years - E-Release (http://www.highway1.co.nz/release-agents.html).
This product is a New Zealand first and may in fact be a world first. We have come up with an environmentally friendly alternatively to using diesel as a release agent for asphalt. It is sprayed onto shovels, screeds, pavers etc to act as a release agent and stop buildup of the asphalt.  
The big benefits are that the product is non-toxic, bio-degradable, water soluble and does not cause the amount of damage to the bitumen that diesel does.
It comes in 200 Litre drums and 1000 litre tanks. 

Here is a video about how to fix a pothole and with two different methods of compacting the mix into the hole. With a small hole you can use a car tyre and drive back and forward on it to give the initial compaction and then finish it off with a tamper such as a 4x4 piece of timber. To hire a compactor for a small hole doesn't justify the time, energy and cost and these items will do just fine. It may require some hard physical labour however I believe the cost is worth it.

It you have a larger hole or area to resurface, you should use a compactor as there is more chance of a vehicle doing tight or even stationary turns on the repair and we want the maximum compaction in the first couple of weeks which the product is hardening the most rapidly.

Tip - In a couple of weeks after the coldmix starts to harden it is good practice to use Bitumend Crackfix to seal the sides of the repair so no more water gets in under the surface causing the asphalt around the repair to weaken and therefore create another pothole in the weeks and months to come.

As soon as you see a crack in your asphalt - seal it.  Water is the biggest asphalt killer and cause of potholes and asphalt repairs. 
It's not water on the surface that is the problem. It's the water that gets under the asphalt that weakens the sub base of the driveway or road that causes the problems. The water strips away at the integrity of the sub base making it weaker and therefore more cracks appear. 
Because the asphalt surface over time become more and more brittle it continues to crack and can form potholes very quickly after a big downpour.
Get onto sealing them now - it will save you plenty of money in the years ahead. I can't tell you the millions of dollars i have seen go up in smoke because asphalt life has been shortened because of a lack of maintenance. By shortened the length of life of the $100000K by 3 years is an extra cost of $20000 to its owner. That's big money and if you take good care of it you can lengthen it out and make savings of $30000 easily. Easily!!!
Where did I get these figures? Let's assume an asphalt carpark should last 15 years (that's a good life), that's a cost of $6500 per year. If you don't look after your asphalt it means you have to come up with the cash much sooner than anticipated and if you lenghten its life you are effectively saving yourself time and therefore money because the next resurfacing job.
Below is a quick video of how easy it is to reseal a crack - anyone can do it. There are products on the market, but the most popular and easily to use for the home owner or even the smaller contractor is Bitumend Crackfix.

Under the NZTA rules Black Base Cones are allowed to used on the NZ roading network . But if you aren't using them on the road you should be buying a black base cone. Why?

They are cheaper and they do exactly the same job. We sell a 700mm black base cone which is perfect for carparks and driveways. It's light enough to carry around but not too light to be blown away in the wind like the 450mm high cones. At 3kg and 700mm its the perfect for carpark/warehouse/service stations use.

In times gone past we would sell a 900mm cone to someone who wanted to cone off their container for example and they would gulp when we quoted $30 for a cone. Now you can get a cone that does exactly what you need for about half the price. 

Also I would strongly recommend only buying the PVC cones - the PE cone is lighter and brittle. It can only take one impact before its destroyed. If you are worried about the weight because you are in windy environment there are heavier options like the T-Top Bollards which way 7kg and 9kg which could handle the wild winds of the west coast of New Zealand.

 

Most people don't really know what to do when faced with the problem of fixing a pothole in their drive. "Let's try concrete!" Within weeks they find out that isn't the best solution. You can try a contractor to come around and fix it, but that costs more, add the product, lots more.

The best solution is to do it yourself, if you are fit and capable because there is nothing technically challenging about repairing them. And these days there are such good products on the market like Bitumend Coldmix you can't go wrong.

Step 1
Clean out the pothole of any loose debris and remove any loose asphalt that has cracked around the hole.

Step 2
Pour the contents of the 20kg bag into the hole, level with the back side of a rake, leaving a crown in the middle of the pile of asphalt (not big - say 10mm)

Step 3 
Compact - if the repair is small - drive over it  your car or use the end of a 4x4 post. If the area is large, you can look at hiring a compactor, but that is added cost and time. Improvise.

The big DON'T
Don't stationary turning on your asphalt - you shouldn't do that ever - especially while the coldmix is curing - this can talk a month during summer and longer in winter