In early 2023, New Zealand experienced two severe weather events: the Auckland Anniversary Floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused extensive damage across the North Island. The North Auckland (Rail) Line, a 200km rail connection between Swanson, Auckland and Whangārei and the sole rail route into Northland, was significantly impacted, with more than 200 damaged sites identified. To accelerate the recovery, the Government enacted the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act (SWERL) 2023, bypassing the usual consenting requirements under the Resource Management Act 1991. Under the SWERL Act, KiwiRail received a Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Order to enable the repair and revitalisation of the North Auckland Line. KiwiRail engaged AECOM in an environmental management role to help them understand the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Order requirements, which amended the standard RMA consenting process and had not been implemented previously. AECOM worked closely with KiwiRail to decipher its ecological, environmental, and compliance requirements and develop innovative strategies to preserve native ecosystems and restore the rail line quickly.
Key challenges
Order compliance: KiwiRail faced complexities regarding environmental and ecological management requirements under the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Order
Environment and ecological management: Over 200 damaged sites required ecological assessments and tailored management plans to protect native biodiversity and ecosystems during design and construction.
Contractor coordination: Multiple contractors and designers were involved in revitalising over 200 damaged sites. AECOM worked with all parties to deliver the environmental and ecological requirements under the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Order.
Time constraints: The North Auckland Line is critical for regional freight, and recovery works must be completed as quickly as possible. Wildlife Act Authority Permits were also required to recover native lizards, creating further time pressures for the project.
A nature-positive outcome
AECOM conducted desktop and site assessments for each site to determine the ecological risks, undertaking baseline ecological surveys of streams, wetlands, and native vegetation to inform the development of ecological management plans. These plans included measures for protecting native lizards, fish, birds, bats, and vegetation during recovery operations.
AECOM also inputted into design optioneering and coordinated contractors to implement the management plans effectively and ensure compliance with ecological standards during recovery efforts. This comprehensive approach minimised the environmental and ecological impacts while expediting the restoration of critical rail infrastructure.
AECOM’s tailored management plans to protect native biodiversity and ecosystems were implemented during design and construction and achieved many positive outcomes, including:
- Relocation of 12 native skinks and geckos at damaged sites
- Relocation of more than 200 native fish from waterways
- Implementation of bat management protocols during vegetation removal after long-tailed bats were found to be active around several sites
- Implementation of nesting bird checks and controls when they were discovered.
