RiverLink represents a trio of integrated infrastructure projects for Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai (Lower Hutt), a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Te Awa Kairangi (the Hutt River) flows through and connects these projects and is an invaluable resource to the Greater Wellington community, supporting the economy, lifestyle and culture of the Hutt Valley. It also supplies half of the consumable water for thousands of people living in the Wellington, Hutt, and Porirua cities.
The key objective of the project was to integrate flood protection works, transport works and urban renewal and revitalisation along Te Awa Kairangi between Ewen Bridge and Kennedy Good Bridge. Collectively, the works enhanced flood protection for Lower Hutt’s city centre and nearby residential areas. They also improved safety, resilience and efficiency on SH2 at Melling, accessibility between transport modes, and supported urban renewal in the city centre.
GHD spearheaded the project’s planning efforts through a collaborative effort with legal advisor Buddle Findlay, as well as key project partners, including Greater Wellington Regional Council (GW), Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) Hutt City Council (HCC), and Mana Whenua partners Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika (Taranaki Whānui) and Ngāti Toa Rangatira (Ngāti Toa).
As a partnership project, RiverLink involved consolidating three significant infrastructure projects in and around Te Awa Kairangi in an integrated and collaborative manner. In addition, there were several ancillary infrastructure works, including relocating the Melling railway line and station and the network utility to accommodate the main works. This required an integrated planning approach to successfully deliver the RiverLink vision and the project’s elements in a cohesive manner, which could not have been achieved had they been designed, consolidated and constructed independently.
GHD held a critical leadership role in the transportation design and preparation of consent applications for the Resource Management Act (RMA) and the Assessment of Effects (AEE). The team played a pivotal role in generating necessary technical reports to support the AEE. As the project progressed, GHD played a central role during the RMA application hearings, providing expertise across various areas such as economics, natural hazards, geotechnical aspects, transport design, constructability, hydrogeology, stormwater management, traffic impacts and integration, noise and vibration assessment, social and recreational considerations, and planning.
The project’s unwavering commitment to partnership and collaboration played a pivotal role in achieving successful outcomes and fostering a deeper partnership during its delivery. This exceptional effort was recognised for excellence, earning the prestigious 2023 New Zealand Planning Institute’s Best Practice Award for Integrated Planning.
While RiverLink’s impact on Te Awa Kairangi is poised for a transformative effect, the project’s true legacy lies in its ability to revitalise the river into a thriving environment bursting with life and vitality by leveraging the synergies between transport, urban design, land use, wellbeing, recreation, open spaces, natural environments, infrastructure and flood risk management. The project supports economic growth in the region, delivers an enhanced environment and lifestyle, and celebrates the distinct culture of the Hutt Valley community.