GNS-assisted project wins overall supreme award at Economic Development New Zealand Awards
GNS aided the Ōpōtiki Harbour Development project in 2019.
The Ōpōtiki Harbour Development project is a $100 million redevelopment of the Ōpōtiki Harbour supported by MBIE’s regional economic development and investment unit, Kānoa and Ōpōtiki District Council. It is one of the country’s largest non-roading infrastructure projects. The project involves re-establishing the harbour, building two sea walls, and opening a new harbour entrance while closing the existing one.
This development required rock. A lot of it. Around half a million tonnes of high-grade armour rock (large boulders used to protect the harbour from coastal erosion and waves) and compactable core rock would be needed to ensure the harbour can stand up to tides, floods, and earthquakes over its planned 100-year life. But there was a problem. The identified supply was around 90km away. Transporting 500,000 tonnes of rock that distance would not be cheap and would have drastically raised the cost of the project.
Rock Review
GNS Science, along with the Aggregate and Quarry Association (AQA) were tasked with carrying out an assessment of aggregate potential in the Ōpōtiki area that involved a review of the local geology and following up with on-site inspections of promising sites. GNS used QMAP geological map data as well as other historic mapping of the district, along with PETLAB (New Zealand’s national rock, mineral and geoanalytical database) and GERM (Geological Resource Map of New Zealand) data for rock property and quarry information.
Completed in February 2019, the review interpreted that there were high quality sources of rock much closer to the harbour site and establishment of new quarries and/or expansion of existing local quarries in these areas could provide suitable rock and could save millions of dollars.
The investigation showed that the whole of the Eastern Bay of Plenty was in short supply of local armour quality rock and the setup and expansion of these quarries would provide significant benefits to the wider region, creating hundreds of jobs, boosting the local economy, and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.
Hard work rewarded
The GNS study raised awareness of local rock supply possibilities and resulted in existing quarries up-scaling to meet demand and development of a new quarry. The Ōpōtiki Harbour Project achieved remarkable success at the recent Economic Development New Zealand Awards, held on October 27, 2023. The project picked up victories in two categories, securing 1st place in Best Practice for Inclusive Development and Wellbeing Outcomes and 3rd place in Best Practice for Collaboration. This success was further recognised with the prestigious “Overall Supreme Award for Economic Development New Zealand 2023”.
In a statement announcing its win, Kānoa says the project stands as a substantial investment in the future of the Ōpōtiki community.
