The old pond became a naturalised wetland, with a weathering-steel weir for fish passage, boardwalks on screw piles, a 4 m shared path and entry paving patterned by mana whenua. We were client-side project manager, Engineer to the Contract and Engineer's Representative. Bulk earthworks ran through the winter, and the playground stayed open the whole time.
- Client
- Eke Panuku, now Auckland Council
Puhinui Stream Restoration programme - Our role
- Client-side project manager; Engineer to the Contract; Engineer's Representative
- Contract
- NZS 3910:2013
- Years
- 2025–26
- Status
- Complete
- Stages
- Construction
Scope
- Naturalised wetland in place of the 1975 stormwater pond
- Weathering-steel weir for fish passage
- Boardwalks on screw piles and a 4 m shared path
- Entry paving patterned by mana whenua
What was hard
Bulk earthworks through an Auckland winter beside a railway station, a tertiary campus and a busy playground that the community expected to keep using. It did, for the whole job.
Outcome
Complete in 2026, delivered at the same time as Te Aka Raataa Stage 1 for the same programme.
What we did
We were the client-side project manager, Engineer to the Contract and Engineer’s Representative under NZS 3910:2013. The three roles were held by different people in the same small team, so the client had one accountable lead and the contract still had an Engineer who could decide impartially.
What changed on the ground
The 1975 stormwater pond became a naturalised wetland with a meandering channel and an island. A weathering-steel weir gives fish passage. Boardwalks sit on screw piles over the planting. A 4 m shared path links the station, the campus and the park, and the entry paving carries a pattern developed with mana whenua.
Keeping the park open
Bulk earthworks ran through the winter. The playground beside the works stayed open throughout, which took staging, fencing and a contractor who kept to the plan.
