News 2018 - 2020

The Climate Change and Business Conference, Auckland, couldn’t have fallen on a more significant week this year.

Global infrastructure and environments consultancy WSP Opus is delighted to be named as the design partner on the C7 workstream of the City Rail Link (CRL), working alongside alliance partner RCR Tomlinson.

WSP Opus climate change experts are unsurprised by the dire warnings issued by the UN Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) this week but believe there is time to change.

You’ll hear it time and time again – children don’t play like they used to. In the utopian New Zealand of yesteryear, we roamed neighbourhoods in packs, making our own fun (and chaos) as we went, an ability that many think modern children have lost. Well, that’s partly true – but it wasn’t the children that necessarily changed, but the world around them.  

An impressive conservation effort has seen the successful relocation of more than 1400 native fish and koura during construction of the Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway.  

WSP Opus is a leading New Zealand environmental consultancy. Environmental management is about managing natural assets well.  Considering the environmental and cultural impacts and risks is an important part of all major infrastructure and asset management projects in New Zealand. 

This morning Ian Blair, WSP Opus Managing Director was joined by leaders in the housing and transport sectors to address New Zealand’s shifting gears towards urban developments.

Ian was joined by CEO of HLC, Chris Aikens and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Phil Twyford.

An innovative and environmentally sustainable approach has reinvigorated the unique and historically significant Te Onewa Pā, creating a safe and accessible space for the public to reflect and enjoy spectacular views of the Waitemata Harbour.  

Last week, the city of Zwolle in the Netherlands unveiled the world's first bicycle lane using 70% recycled plastic. The study was conducted by PlasticRoads and consisted of a 30 metre, two-lane bicycle path made from recycled plastic bottles, cps packaging and furniture. 

According to PlasticRoad, due to the prefab production, plus the lightweight and modular construction of the material, construction and maintenance can be achieved faster, easier and cheaper - compared to traditional road surfacing materials. 

The cycle lane is being received well by the community of Zwolle. This comes as no surprise; the city is already known as 'one of the greenest cities in Europe' and is celebrated for its well-tuned cycling culture. 

Meanwhile, with New Zealand's huge transportation overhaul (plus the $28 billion budget to fund it) questions are being raised to whether we will see such innovation trickle down to Aotearoa. 

The answer? They already are...three years ago to be exact. 

Our pavement research and behavioural science teams investigated used tyre-rubber derived asphalt for a cost-effective, adaptive and all-around superior cycling material. 

This work is being done in partnership with the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) as part of the annual Waste Minimisation Fund - looking at various ways to minimise different waste streams and divert end-of-life materials away from landfills. 

The MfE project was also co-funded by the NZ Transport Agency with technical support from Fulton Hogan. Councils are also focusing on speeding up the adopting circular economy in New Zealand -  instead of the traditional take, make, waste outlook - councils are seeking to encourage the optimisation of a materials end-life. Our joint work and tyre-rubbing asphalt are a salient response, particularly in light of New Zealand's recent waste management crisis resulting from China's 'no more' message to overseas imported waste. 

New Zealand has a well-deserved reputation for innovation and with the rollout of the first electric double-decker bus fleet in the southern hemisphere, we’re again ahead of the pack.