The strength of this expansion project is the reconciliation of the seemingly incongruent land uses of public open space, with the provision of technically advanced wastewater treatment and ecological habitat.

In such a potentially sensitive area, both ecologically and visually, the project team built upon the successful foundations of Project Manukau, whilst looking to provide a link to the future Regional Park network in the Manukau Harbour.

Extensive native planting of eco-sourced plants was undertaken to naturalise the areas and tie the new areas in with the earlier plantings. The paths are now part of the Te Araroa Trail.

Working as a sub-contractor to Beca, our multi-disciplinary team provided landscape planning, landscape and visual assessment, ecological assessment, consenting services, landscape architecture, and after the landscape works were tendered, we supervised the implementation of the paths, furniture and signage, as well as the extensive planting.

What makes this project unique is the combination of highly complex wastewater treatment processes and Boffa Miskell’s team of landscape architects who built on the ethos developed in their work on Project Manukau, from 1998 -2004, to tie the expanded plant into the public open space earlier developed.

The outcome is a project in which wastewater treatment processes and landscape architecture have combined to improve the quality of Manukau Harbour and the foreshore - increasing public use and enjoyment of one of New Zealand’s best natural harbours and the Te Araroa Trail.