Two Far North projects win at infrastructure awards

More than 100 water tanks were installed as part of Te Aupōuri Iwi Development Trust’s Puna Wai Ora and Te Hiku Drought Relief Programme.

Two Far North infrastructure projects have won national awards, with one helping drought resilience and the other creating a more holistic solution for the environment and improving water quality.

At the Infrastructure NZ Building Nations 2023 awards last week two of the four awards were won by Far North projects.

The Social Outcomes Award was won by Te Aupōuri Iwi Development Trust and RCP for the Puna Wai Ora and Te Hiku Drought Relief Programme.

And the Biodiversity, Heritage and Water Conservation Award was won by Fulton Hogan for The SH10 Culvert Replacement Project - Papakawau Culvert Replacement, south of Mangonui.

The trust said to have Puna Wai Ora - Te Hiku Drought Relief Programme named as one of the three for the Social Outcomes Award was humbling.

It gave a big thank you to everyone that has been involved in this project so far.

The award recognises projects which have delivered outstanding social outcomes through collaboration with Māori, stakeholders and communities. The approach to collaboration and the tangible outcomes achieved raises the bar in delivering best practice in improving social outcomes and serves as a model for future projects.

Puna Wai Ora - Te Hiku Drought Relief is a three-year programme. A pilot phase, enabling engagement with a small number of whānau and to trial site assessments and installations, started in late September 2021 and ended in March 2022.

Droughts have hit Te Hiku o te Ika communities year-on-year, with hot summers, and no rain. Te Hiku (Far North) region sustained nine droughts in 10 years leading the trust to set up the programme.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Te Hiku was already in a state of emergency. This saw NZ Army trucks rolling into many Te Hiku communities to top-up household supplies. This initiative is a way to ensure whānau can be resilient and have access to their own water supplies in times of crisis and drought.

So far more than 100 tanks have been installed throughout the Te Hiku region providing more than 2.5 million litres of water storage to those in need.

The judges at the awards said of the project:

“The Puna Wai Ora and Te Hiku Drought Relief Programme addresses both New Zealand’s existing infrastructure deficit and the challenge of climate change. The judges reflected the importance of the project’s equity focus in the context of the critical role of water as a human right and in a future where we will have both not enough, and too much water all at once. They congratulate RCP on their project which will be a game changer for future communities.”

The Biodiversity, Water and Heritage Conservation Outcomes Award was won by Fulton Hogan for The SH10 Culvert Replacement.

The SH10 culvert, south of Mangonui, before it was replaced, shows how the waterway was virtually blocked, leading to declining water health and flooding issues

The award recognises projects which deliver outstanding outcomes in one or more of biodiversity, water quality, and heritage conservation. It recognises projects where restoration, regeneration and enhancement considerations have been embedded into whole of life decision making leading to improved outcomes. The approach to improving outcomes through restoration, regeneration and enhancement raises the bar in delivering best practice and serves as a model for future projects.

The judges said Fulton Hogan’s State Highway 10 Culvert Replacement project created a more holistic solution for the environment. The project revitalised the quarry by listening to the community and creating a lasting legacy for iwi to take forward as a commercial opportunity. The judges congratulated the Fulton Hogan team on their commitment to finding new ways of doing things by reflecting the desire of iwi and the community to restore local connection in the area.

Fulton Hogan design manager Sarah Whitehorn said while the project was a culvert replacement, it quickly became clear that more was needed so a six-metre bridge was designed for the site.

Whitehorn said the existing culvert was virtually blocking the waterway and as simple culvert replacement would not solve the issues, so the bridge was a solution.

After the work was completed the waterway is back to full health, flowing freely to the ocean

“The culvert was full of mud and was blocking up the waterway and creating so many problems for the estuary. It wasn’t good for the water and the life within it, so we built a bridge,” she said.

“It led to almost immediate improvements to the water quality - the birds are now loving it there and the fish are too.”

Whitehorn said winning the award was an honour and showed that practical engineering solutions can be found to overcome infrastructure problems.