Air and Noise
Amongst the highest concerns for communities.
Environment
Forces shaping Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment
Across Aotearoa New Zealand, communities are seeing the effects of environmental change on both our natural systems and the infrastructure we rely on every day. Climate change, land use pressure, population growth and resource constraints are compounding risk and raising the real-world consequences of every decision.
Across Aotearoa New Zealand, communities are seeing the effects of environmental change on both our natural systems and the infrastructure we rely on every day.
Our services
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Burntfields wildfire risk management solution
Building resilient communities.
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Climate and Sustainability
Dealing with complex matters of climate change.
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Contamination Assessment and Remediation
Minimising impact through a tailored approach.
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Engagement Communication and Communities
Plays a role in growth and development of GHD.
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Food and Agriculture
Securing global food and agriculture.
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Future Energy
Transitioning to a low-carbon energy future.
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HSE Systems and Industrial Hygiene
Creating opportunities and reducing risks.
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Hydrogen
Leading edge of the boldest hydrogen projects.
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Hydrogeology
Groundwater is a crucial and lifesaving resource.
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Hydrology and Hydrodynamics
Water is a primary resource for communities.
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Impact Assessment and Permitting
Securing social licenses and project investments.
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International Development Assistance
Delivering a positive developmental impact.
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Maritime and Coastal Engineering
Maritime developments pose unique challenges.
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Natural Resources
Protection of the environment and resource use.
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PFAS
Offering comprehensive PFAS risk management solutions.
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Waste Management
Waste management towards sustainable development.
Rainfall is more intense. Rivers are less predictable. Coastal edges are shifting. Existing infrastructure is under strain, and in some cases, failing. Development is pushing further into flood-prone, geotechnically complex and environmentally sensitive areas.
Economic productivity and investment are closely tied to the strength of our environment and communities, all operating within regulatory frameworks that govern how resources are accessed and used.
Project progress is shaped by regulatory requirements, environmental constraints, stakeholder expectations and community values. While engineering design is often well understood, the greatest risk typically sits within environment, land and community factors.
Each catchment behaves differently. Rivers, coastlines and landscapes are constantly changing. Ground conditions vary widely. Communities live alongside natural, built and operational systems that are always evolving, meaning decisions made in one place often have flow-on effects elsewhere.
For councils, infrastructure owners, developers and communities, these pressures come into sharp focus through the approvals process, shaping how and where decisions are made.
How organisations across Aotearoa are adapting
Organisations are moving away from isolated, issue-by-issue responses toward a more system-wide view, recognising that flooding, land stability, water quality, waste and climate risk are interconnected, and that decisions ripple through communities over time.
There is increasing pressure to make earlier, more deliberate calls on where to invest, how to manage ageing assets alongside future demand and how to balance environmental protection, resilience, waste reduction and growth within tight funding and delivery constraints.
Organisations are adopting more integrated approaches that look beyond immediate risk to consider how resources are managed, reused and recovered across their full lifecycle.
Working alongside iwi and mana whenua, and engaging more meaningfully with communities and stakeholders, is shaping how projects are planned and delivered, with an emphasis on how place, values and long-term stewardship can shape long-term outcomes.
Where we contribute
Across Aotearoa and the Pacific, we work alongside clients and communities from early strategy and advisory through to delivery. Our role is to make sense of complexity, bringing the right capabilities together at the right moment to support resilient, sustainable outcomes that hold up in practice.
We deliver through strong collaboration and a clear focus on getting projects across the line, bringing together technical capability across ground engineering, hydrology and hydrogeology, integrated water management, climate, air quality, noise and vibration, climate change and ecology.
With local teams on the ground across Aotearoa, backed by the depth of our APAC network, our planning and engagement teams provide the strategic advice needed to navigate approvals, manage environmental risk and work effectively with stakeholders and communities.
Building safely on complex ground
From shifting slopes to variable ground conditions, land stability increasingly shapes what (and where) development is possible. We support safer, more resilient development by helping clients understand geotechnical risk early and design solutions that will last.
Navigating decisions together
Good decisions rely on trust. We provide evidence‑based advice, regulatory insight and meaningful engagement with iwi, communities and stakeholders to help clients move forward with confidence, even when trade‑offs are complex and expectations are high.
Planning for change, not certainty
Climate adaptation is being ready for many possible futures. We work with organisations to plan for uncertainty, prioritise investment and future‑proof critical assets and communities over the long term.
Rethinking waste and resource use
As pressure on land and resources grows, we support clients to move beyond linear models. This includes environmental due diligence, contaminated land investigations and remediation, and planning for the safe reuse of contaminated and industrial land. From landfill and diversion facilities to biosolids and asset transitions, we help enable more circular, resilient systems.
Taking a catchment wide view
Many of the hardest decisions are made at a catchment level, where flood risk, water quality, land use and waste streams intersect. We help clients step back, see how the system connects and balance competing priorities in a way that reflects environmental conditions and community needs.
Understanding and managing flood risk
As flooding becomes more frequent and severe, clarity matters. We work alongside councils and infrastructure owners to understand changing flood behaviour, assess system‑wide risk and support confident decisions around stopbanks, flood protection and assets designed to perform under a changing climate.
Strengthening resilience where it matters most
With local insight and regional depth, we help shape decisions that build resilient systems. So when conditions change, solutions are already designed to perform. Learn how we’re putting resilience into practice and how we can help you prepare for what’s next.
Key contact
Across services such as alternative waste management, nature-based or ecological solutions, aquatic science, site remediation, hydrogeology, impact assessment, and carbon accounting, we partner with you to design feasible, innovative, and sustainable solutions."