Director Update - Economic climate hot for development
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As we settle into 2021, significant events and announcements have impacted New Zealand’s property and land development sector. We wanted to reflect on these and share our thinking with you as no doubt you will be monitoring the environment closely too.
The housing market continues to dominate headlines – New Zealand’s housing shortage, challenges for first home buyers, planning changes, low interest rates, and changes to the bright-line property rule.
The current situation generates opportunities for businesses involved in land development, however, we need to evaluate opportunities carefully and keep risk management at the front of our minds, particularly in a post-covid environment. While there is a lot of talk about rebuilding and infrastructure investment, timeframes remain uncertain. Proposed reforms to resource management legislation and to local government’s infrastructure delivery sound encouraging – but just how they will play out is yet to be seen.
Presentations and discussions with leading economists at the Property Council’s recent Market Outlook meeting provided insight on what may lay ahead. There are strong indicators for growth in the New Zealand economy as well as our industry in general.
The property market is hot and there is no sign of things slowing down. The demand for housing remains strong as the country catches up on pent up demand from population increases over the past 10 years. Even if New Zealand’s borders were closed for the next five years, we would still not catch up to where housing stock needs to be.
We are seeing significant property developments moving forward apace – new communities in Auckland, Hamilton, and Christchurch demonstrate this, supported by significant transportation infrastructure projects.
We continue to invest in the professional development of our existing team members and in the face of a very competitive labour market, have been successful in recruiting additional engineers to support our exciting workload.
All in all, the mood is cautious optimism.
Ngā mihi,
Bevan, Geoff, Bronwyn, Mark and Cam.
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Project Update: Whenuapai (Auckland)
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CKL is proud to have been involved with the Whenuapai 1 Precinct Development since the very start of the development project in 2014.
This development, on the north-western shore of the Waitematā Harbour, was one of the first designated Special Housing Areas (SHA) under the Housing Accord and Special Housing Areas Act 2013 (HAASHA) and the Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP).
SHAs were established across the greater Auckland region where fast-track development of housing, including affordable housing, could take place.
Now, some seven years later, we are in the final stages of delivering the infrastructure for the 31ha urban development.
The new community of Whenuapai has ~250 new homes with the further ~700 homes being delivered over the coming year/s.
There are shared green spaces, community facilities, dedicated dog parks, and pedestrian and cycle paths connecting this community to the Harbour and major transportation hubs. It is a project that we are extremely proud to be a part of.
CKL has provided environmental and 3-waters engineering expertise; ensuring the natural waterways are protected and stormwater and wastewater are effectively treated on site using innovative engineering design.
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New Team Members Welcomed to CKL
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The past few months has been a busy time for CKL as we welcomed new team members across the business – at all levels and in each of our offices. Our focus on recruitment reflects the strength of the current industry with significant infrastructure projects coming on line and land developments picking up pace to meet the ever growing demand for new communities, facilities and supporting services. We have been actively recruiting and coupled with our ongoing support of Engineering Schools at New Zealand universities, we look forward to growing the pool of talented engineers in New Zealand.
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Ethan Yu
Ethan joined the Transport team in late December 2020, maximising the opportunity to get to know his team members during the most social part of the year.
It also happened to be a very busy time for our Transport team and with numerous projects underway at the peak of the construction season, Ethan’s timing could not have been better. Ethan has always been interested in transportation engineering, undertaking relevant internships whilst completing his Honours Degree in Engineering. After graduating in 2019, he moved straight into a role as a Graduate Transportation Engineer. With experience under his belt producing detailed transportation design plans and liaising with authorities regarding compliance standards, he’s settled well into the CKL team and is working on projects across Auckland and the Waikato.
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Leigh Shaw
To start 2021 off with a bang, we welcomed Leigh to the CKL team in January! Leigh is a Planning Manager and Project Manager with 18+ years’ experience in rural and urban developments – both large and small-scale subdivisions as well as simple and complex land use projects.
Leigh is based in our Hamilton office where he leads a team of planners in Hamilton and Te Awamutu on client projects across the mighty Waikato. He has an extensive knowledge of local government processes and is able to expertly guide clients through subdivision and land use consents. Leigh prides himself on the relationships he builds with team members, clients, and partners. We are delighted to have him as part of our CKL family.
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John Sternberg
John joined CKL in March as Engineering Manager, further expanding our Tauranga team. John is a Chartered Engineer and has been working in Tauranga for the past few years on local government and private sector projects in a Lead Engineer and Project Manager capacity. He brings a wealth of experience, having worked throughout New Zealand and Africa, predominantly in 3 waters engineering, infrastructure, and project management. John has got his feet under the desk quickly and is contributing to existing projects and mentoring and developing other team members. There are also a few projects on the horizon that will benefit from John’s knowledge and expertise. Welcome John!
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Wagner Hawthorne
Wagner has recently joined our Hamilton office in the role of Senior Environmental Engineer. Wagner is a senior team member with technical expertise and project management experience gained in diverse roles in Brazil, Africa, the USA, and most recently, New Zealand. Since arriving in New Zealand in 2018, Wagner has contributed to the engineering design and management of stormwater systems for Hamilton City Council, Waikato District and Regional Councils, and NZ Transportation Authority. Joining CKL provides Wagner with the opportunity to draw on his broader civil and environmental engineering experience for the benefit of our clients. Wagner is based in Hamilton and is already working on a range of 3 waters projects for clients in the Waikato and Auckland regions.
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Enakshi Chakravorty
Enakshi (Nikki) joined the Auckland civil engineering team in mid-March. She has a background in civil and environmental engineering, and for the past few years she has been working in transportation engineering and planning. Enakshi has worked on some of Auckland’s large transport infrastructure projects and this role enables her to marry this expertise with her interest in land development and environmental engineering in a multi-disciplinary practice. Enakshi is enthusiastic to expand her practical skills and work on a diverse array of projects. She is a welcome addition to our team and we are looking forward to working with her.
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Adeel Hassan
To play a key role in some of the major land development and civil engineering jobs led by our Hamilton office, Adeel also joined the team mid-March and is already out on site, meeting with clients and making significant contributing to various projects. Adeel has more than 10 years of civil engineering experience in supervision, construction management, project management, and design management gained in roles across New Zealand as well as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. and Pakistan. He has supervised large infrastructure projects, bridges, roads, micro-tunneling and land development projects which has also involved close liaison with Auckland Council, AT, Parks, Chorus, Vector, Veolia, Water Care regarding construction and design matters, testing, inspections, sign-off and documentation. Adeel is a welcome addition to our team!
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We are actively recruiting for new team members. If you would be interested in joining the CKL team, or know someone who is looking for their next career move, get in touch with us now - contact Anna.Redwood@ckl.co.nz
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Project Update: Borman Village (Hamilton)
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The Rototuna area of Hamilton is growing rapidly. To accommodate the community's need for professional medical services, childcare services, retail facilities and residential apartments, CKL has been working with Borman Village Ltd and Hamilton City Council to bring Borman Village (a mixed use development) to fruition. CKL provided surveying and planning services and consent compliance management support for this development, comprising five buildings, with centralised outdoor parking and common green space.
Through the planning and construction phase, we have also been part of a team to deliver the following services:
- Survey set out of civil works for construction of all carparks, kerbing & footpaths;
- Seek & obtain subdivision consent for two of the five Unit Development plans;
- Land Transfer survey of the new fee simple properties;
- Preparation of plans for Unit Title development on four of the properties; and
- Facilitate completion of the various consent conditions and manage the certification process with Council.
This has been a truly collaborative approach and demonstrates the immense value of synergy. It was great to be a part of the team with Zone, Wainui Environmental, Diverse Design, and Neverman Bennett Lawyers.
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Congratulations to Bronwyn Rhynd FEngNZ
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Twelve months after being officially recognised for her ongoing contributions to the engineering profession, CKL Director Bronwyn Rhynd was able to celebrate her appointment as a Fellow of Engineering NZ amongst peers at the 2021 Fellows’ Dinner in Wellington at the end of February. Due to COVID, the 2020 dinner was cancelled so the 2020 and 2021 cohort were able to celebrate together in style. Congratulations Bronwyn! You are forging a path and holding the door open for generations of engineers to follow in your footsteps.
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Project Update: Brymer Heights (Hamilton)
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As a truly multi-disciplinary project, the Brymer Heights development has called on CKL’s planners and a team of civil, environmental, and transport engineers to provide expert advice and input to achieve a series of resource consents from both Hamilton City Council and Waikato Regional Council.
To provide you with an insight to CKL’s contribution to this development, we look at the work of each practice area in turn.
But first a little background... Brymer Heights is a 16ha site on Brymer Rd, bordered by the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park and Rotokauri Rd, Hamilton. A development is underway to create a community for over 190 families. In addition to a number of generously sized reserves within the development, the site is immediately adjoining a large Heritage Park, and is in close proximity to other amenities such as The Hamilton Zoo, a public sports park, and Te Awa (The Base). With so many recreation activities available, future residents will be easily entertained.
CKL Planning...
Several of CKL’s planning team members collaborated with other experts to deliver great outcomes for the Brymer Heights development. Our planners oversaw input from CKL’s specialist practice areas, as well as external parties. Planning assessments were required specifically in relation to the adjoining Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park and potential impacts on ecology. Through consultation and the inclusion of on-site landscaping, adverse effects have been minimised, while increasing on-site amenity. Working within the framework of the Hamilton City and Waikato Regional Plans, as well as the Resource Management Plan and National Policy Statements, the CKL planning team has prepared resource consent applications and managed the consenting process. Resource Consents are now in place, enabling work to proceed on site.
CKL Environmental Engineering...
CKL environmental engineers approach all land development projects with an innovative mindset and best practice engineering design. Stormwater run-off from this 16ha site will be treated at the source with rain gardens before reaching 1 of 3 planned wetland areas. Significant topographical, ecological, and flood modelling investigations have been conducted to assess the site for development suitability. The stormwater design for the development incorporates Water Sensitive Urban Design to ensure the ecological protection of this site, the downstream receiving environment, and the neighbouring natural heritage park.
CKL Civil Engineering...
CKL’s civil engineers have prepared detailed engineering design for this 196-lot residential subdivision and associated reserves, infrastructure, transport corridors and stormwater facilities. The site itself is considered rolling to steep terrain, with a ridge through the centre of the site. To achieve relatively level lots and gently-graded roads, significant earthworks is required - this will include the construction of various retaining walls, including a Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining wall. In order to reduce the cost of importing material, approximately 150,000m3 of suitable cut material will be retained on-site and used as fill material. Earthworks is currently underway and will be completed over two construction seasons.
CKL Transportation Engineering...
The Brymer Heights development will eventually include 5 internal roads, extending Kawariki Drive and connecting through to Brymer Road. This is all part of the resource consent application and integrated transportation assessment, conducted and prepared by CKL transportation engineers. The aim is to make Brymer Heights a slow speed community with plenty of walking and cycling options including a shared walking and cycle path to run east - west through the site through the reserve area and another north-south pathways linking the whole site to the reserve. A new pathway along Brymer Road will allow full pedestrian and cycle access to Hamilton Zoo and the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park too.
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Waitomo District Plan Change
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Timing is everything… particularly when it comes to land development. If you are a landowner in the Waitomo District, the time to consider subdividing your property is now – before changes are made to the Waitomo District plan which may make it more restrictive. CKL can help you explore all options to maximise your property potential.
Call CKL Te Awamutu now on 07 871 6144 for an obligation free discussion.
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Sustainable Coastlines Beach Cleanup
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CKL team members, and their families, met at Milford Beach on 28 March 2021 for another of our regular Beach Clean events in support of Sustainable Coastlines. We had over 20 team members involved (some of them have been snapped here). We are committed to ensuring New Zealand’s coastlines and waterways are litter free and protected for future generations. To support the work of Sustainable Coastlines, to donate, or to get involved, you can find out more here.
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