“Escea engaged Awa Environmental on our Petre Lane development because part of the project involved moving a creek, which required more than your normal civil engineering skills. We found Awa to be very thorough when working through the resource consent process and highly effective in working with the various parties that were encountered.” - Escea Asset Manager - Mark Davie
Summary
- Escea, a leading designer and manufacturer of gas, wood, and electric fireplaces for over 20 years, is expanding operations with a new fireplace distribution and manufacturing facility in Mosgiel, Ōtepoti / Dunedin.
- The $10 million-plus development includes three new buildings, a site office, parking, a breezeway, and an access road.
- Starting late 2023, Awa Environmental acted as project and design manager for the professional services, working closely with Escea in its dual role as development manager and client.
- A central component of the project was the design of a new alignment for the main 310m flood management channel in the area and a large box culvert crossing for site access.
- Gaining consent for the realignment was particularly complex as the watercourse is an Otago Regional Council (ORC) designation under the Resource Management Act (RMA).
- Additional approvals were required from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) because works were required in their designation.
- Escea engaged Awa Environmental because of our experience in stormwater engineering and the consenting involved in these types of projects. This proved critical in establishing trust with stakeholders, particularly ORC, and achieving the desired outcomes.
- We also provided expert advice through to the granting of building consents in 2025 and during the construction phase.
Challenges
- The project’s success depended on relocating Quarry Creek – a 310m open drainage channel and the main flood management channel for the area – as well as multiple subsidiary channels.
- Quarry Creek is protected by an ORC designation, so consent required ORC’s agreement to move the channel and Dunedin City Council (DCC) to provide for this in the District Plan.
- The ORC Notice of Requirement to alter the designation was written by the project team and required ORC to buy into the design.
- Changing a designation on behalf of a private developer is rarely achieved and required both a highly compelling design that improved flood management outcomes and in-depth knowledge of the planning and consenting steps involved.
- A new box culvert crossing for vehicle and pedestrian access over the realigned drainage channel was also needed.
- Other challenges included:
- Proximity to State Highway 1, requiring NZTA involvement and approval
- Existing flooding issues and reliance on a large, complex pre-existing flood model
- Requirements for fish passage and the ecological impacts of diverting an open channel
- Managing earthworks on a contaminated site near a waterway
- Raising the site to the required level for new buildings.
- Compounding the complexity of the project were multiple stakeholders with diverse priorities: Escea, ORC, DCC, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou (via Aukaha), NZTA, and other property owners.
Solutions
- Awa Environmental began work in November 2023 on a high-level consenting strategy to guide the approach to the development.
- We then managed the project through concept design, consenting, detailed design, engineering approval, and into construction in 2025.
Planning, Design, and Modelling
- To surmount the project’s challenges, Awa Environmental applied our integrated modelling, engineering design, and RMA planning services.
- Our interdisciplinary team drew on their broad and deep technical expertise in hydraulics, stormwater attenuation, water treatment, erosion and sediment control, energy dissipation, and statutory consenting requirements.
- Awa Environmental’s engineering design and planning teams worked closely to ensure designs met resource consent demands.
- They also collaborated with our water experts, who conducted complex flood modelling.
- Tools such as an HEC-RAS flood model were used to assess development impacts and achieve hydraulic neutrality on site.
- For Quarry Creek, the optimal solution involved building an upgraded single channel with a new alignment, reclaiming the inefficient channel and its subsidiaries.
- This design mitigated the potential environmental impacts of the realignment, improved drainage capacity, provided a new riparian habitat, and met Escea’s cost and constructability requirements.
Project and Design Management
- As project and design manager, Awa Environmental engaged early with ORC and DCC engineering teams to confirm design objectives and the standards needed to ensure consent.
- Stakeholder communication was established at the outset and maintained throughout, ensuring transparency.
- Pre-application meetings also took place and feedback opportunities were provided to all parties, helping to build consensus and streamline approvals.
Benefits
- Awa Environmental’s seamlessly integrated planning, design, and modelling delivered:
- A compelling, innovative civil engineering design that balanced cost and constructability while enhancing flood management and ecological outcomes
- An optimised channel realignment that improved performance, longevity, and climate-change resilience, with easier maintenance and reduced costs
- Room for a potential fourth building within the flood plain.
- Effective project management and strong stakeholder collaboration enabled Escea to achieve its development goals while satisfying local authorities and other organisations.
- It was also key to obtaining DCC agreement to treat the ORC designation as a “minor alteration”, avoiding the lengthy statutory process usually required under the RMA.
