Auckland Surf Park enters final consenting stage as artist renders give first look at project

Surfing could soon come to rural Auckland, as a proposed surf park has entered the final consenting stage.

A resource consent application has been lodged for the project with the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority. The project will see a full precinct built in the north Auckland suburb of Dairy Flat, complete with a farm-to-table restaurant, accommodation and high-performance facilities.

At its heart will be a wave pool, built using the Wavegarden cove lagoon technology in a setup similar to that of the renowned UrbnSurf park in Melbourne.

As part of the project’s submission process, developer Aventuur had the architects produce some renders to give an idea of the aesthetics of the project once completed. An overhead view of the proposed project shows how it will fit into the current area, with the park designed to integrate seamlessly with the landscape and embody the rural aesthetic.

Project partners confirmed the adjacent landowners and occupiers had been contacted regarding the consenting process and, subject to approvals being received from relevant authorities, the surf park is expected to open to the public in late 2026-early 2027.

A render of how the proposed Auckland Surf Park will fit into the Dairy Flat landscape.

The lodgement of the project’s resource consent application comes after the project was referred to an expert consenting panel for consideration in May this year under the Government’s Covid-19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Act 2020.

The Auckland Surf Park is expected to create more than 400 jobs during the construction process and 120 full-time equivalent positions once operational, and those behind the proposed park forecast that more than $600 million will be contributed to the Auckland economy over the life of the project.

While plans to build the surf park were revealed in November 2020, at that point Aventuur and their project partners were still in the process of securing the perfect location. The process took three years, with plenty of potential sites canvassed before the location in Dairy Flat was selected.

Aventuur has put plenty of thought into the sustainability and environmental impact aspects of such a project and is targeting a New Zealand Green Buildings Council green-star rating. It will feature a solar farm, while the developers are looking to warm the park’s lagoon with excess heat stored from its data centre.

Artist renders were produced to provide a sense of the aesthetics of the finished Auckland Surf Park project.

“The site is perfect,” project partner Sir John Kirwan said. “It’s located 30 minutes from the CBD and close to a major motorway, while also possessing a natural character that we can both protect and enhance.

“Our responsible approach is reflected in the project’s design – including our proposal to regenerate existing streams, and naturescape the property using only endemic local species.”

The proposal has received widespread support from leading sporting, tourism and community organisations, including Water Safety New Zealand, Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, Paralympics New Zealand and Surfing New Zealand.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.