Everywhere we turn there seems to be activity - with preparations for the new Auckland Council, Rugby World Cup, and very close to home the Victoria Park Tunnel, providing us with daily reminders that cogs are turning in the “Big Little City”.

The revitalised Lumsden Green, one of Newmarket’s busiest parks was recently officially reopened by Mayor John Banks after almost a year of closure. Since late 2008 the reserve has been subject to some impressive refurbishment, including landscaping with grassy banks, native plantings, public seating and restored art works. The community is pleased to have it open again but is struggling to understand how it took so long to complete.

The answer lies beneath the park’s surface. What many are unaware of is that the City took the opportunity to undertake a major upgrade of the stormwater network to resolve local flooding issues. This involved the construction of a 25m deep shaft in the middle of Lumsden Green and a tunnel large to drive a car through.

We worked closely with SKM, Beca, Isthmus Group, Urban Solutions and the Auckland City Council, Arts, Community and Recreation Department, to ensure that the resource consents we were seeking would be consistent with reserve’s landscape upgrade.

Through some good liaison both projects were accommodated and consents obtained in the most efficient and holistic means for all. Good outcomes for the wider stormwater improvement project and the reserve upgrade, making that extra wait for a piece of green, a small pay off in the greater scheme of things. Read more about the Auckland City Stormwater Programme.

Sustainability and the environment aren’t subjects that immediately spring to mind for most people when they think about Auckland hosting the Rugby World Cup next year, but then we aren’t like most people...

With the Eden Park redevelopment leading the way, Auckland's Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) preparations have taken on an environmental edge.

Click here to read more about our work on environmental sustainability for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

As you have probably heard Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee announced that the Government no longer plans to remove any land from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act, bringing to an end an effective public consultation process that resulted in over 3700 submissions on the public discussion paper alone. Greenpeace say “This is a big win for people power” - NZ people that is. 

A message that seems to be forgotten in all this is that mining for precious metals has got to occur somewhere (especially if we keep consuming as we are) and in the third world it’s not a pretty picture. Many third world countries have much lower environmental standards than we do. Combined with weaker infrastructure and governance, those working in mines, or living near them, suffer. And often the income is not shared equitably.

We’re happy our beautiful environment isn’t going to be spoiled this time round but spare a thought for the parts of the world that are being exploited for our needs. Until we start consuming more wisely and re-using and recycling a wider range of materials, the real ‘win’ is very small. 

For more info and some general advice from Carbon Group on getting your business procuring sustainably click here

Chelle Ade joined the Carbon Group team recently on the Rugby World Cup project to lend her expertise in developing sustainability frameworks. Chelle recently returned to NZ after working in the UK and Middle East as Head of Sustainability for Bovis Lend Lease. She now also works on projects with the NZ Green Building Council.  

Sustainable construction is becoming more common and is the way of the future. We can assist in developing and implementing sustainability frameworks for construction projects, with key performance indicators to measure and report against. Contact us to find out more.