Three weeks ago (as of 31 Mar) the team hosted an event at GWE Waiheke Island office. We welcomed architects and architectural designers to talk through practical considerations affecting projects on the island.
Building on Waiheke comes with unique planning and engineering challenges, which is why early conversations & strong partnerships matter.
Stephen Parkes, GWE’s Principal Engineering Geologist, shared an overview of updated planning requirements under Auckland Council’s Plan Change 120, outlining what the changes mean for architects and how they may influence future development. GWE Director, Gareth Williams, then spoke about the realities of managing wastewater on Waiheke, highlighting why early engineering advice is critical to project viability, particularly when navigating site constraints such as slopes, installation challenges and lightweight tank solutions.
It was a great opportunity to connect with the design community and share practical insights.
On Waiheke, the difference between a project that works and one that stalls often comes down to getting the right advice early.
“Great presentation on Tuesday 2/3/26 by Stephen regarding the recent plan changes PC 120 from Auckland City Council i.e. new landslide considerations etc, followed by Gareth presenting on a new Wastewater System from Kubota which was also very useful as this is a more economic solution to the current products that are provided to the market/Waiheke Island.
Thanks to Stephen & Gareth for doing these it was very informative for our Waiheke Small Practice Group.”
Karl Majurey | Director | Karl Majurey Architects Limited