Partnership and collaboration have won Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council and consultancy firm WSP a silver in the General Category at the 2021 Association of Consulting and Engineering (ACE) Awards.

The award — for the Kaituna River Re-diversion and Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi/Maketu Estuary Enhancement Project — was announced on Tuesday (22 February) at an online awards ceremony. The team also won a Special Award acknowledging outstanding collaboration leading to exceptional outcomes.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Coastal Catchments Manager Pim De Monchy said WSP was brought in by Regional Council to undertake the consenting and support stakeholder engagement.

“The local community had been calling for this project to happen for generations, so we knew we needed a pretty special team of people to get the best possible outcome for all parties involved.

“The success of the project demonstrates the importance of a forward thinking group of consultants who listened, collaborated, and developed an ongoing relationship with communities to achieve significant change and positive environmental outcomes,” Mr De Monchy said.

WSP Technical Principal of Planning, Steph Brown said the ability for the project team to collaborate with stakeholders to understand any potential concerns and then work with them on solutions was first and foremost.

“This included working with Maketu Coastguard, commercial fishermen, Maketu Ongatoro Wetland Society, landowners and of course collaborating with tangata whenua to ensure the project was implemented and managed with a culturally sensitive and holistic view of the environment.”

“The success of the project demonstrates that applying sound engineering practice, supported by scientific knowledge and tangata whenua and community input can achieve great things.

“The project is a major step toward addressing past modifications that have led to the declining health of the estuary over time,” said Ms Brown.

For the tangata whenua of Te Tumu, Te Tumu Cut where the Kaituna River meets the sea was a wound that never healed. In 1956, the ‘cut’ or diversion of the flow of the river away from its natural outlet to be drained and turned into farmland, came at a significant cost.

The health of the estuary collapsed due to the loss of freshwater flows and 90 per cent of wetlands were lost. Populations of finfish and shellfish plummeted, and along with environmental damage, traditional practices and generations of cultural knowledge were lost.

Since completing the project up to 20 percent of the Kaituna River's freshwater flows into the estuary have been restored. As well as the re-creation of a 20 hectares wetland around the estuary margin, which helps filter nutrients and creates breeding areas for birds and fish.

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