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Commercial Building image
2011

Waitangi Museum

Location: Waitangi, Bay of Islands, Far North District

Client: Waitangi National Trust
Salvation Army Auditorium Building
2020

Salvation Army Auditorium Building

Location: Aubrey Street, Whangarei

Client: The Salvation Army
Services

Coastal Engineering 

Protecting Coastal Environments

Northland has one of New Zealand’s longest and most varied coastlines — and building or protecting property near the sea brings challenges you can’t see at high tide. Erosion, storm surge, coastal flooding and rising sea levels all shape what you can safely build and where. RS Eng helps landowners, developers and councils understand these hazards and respond to them with practical, consentable solutions, from coastal hazard assessments to the design of seawalls, revetments and jetties. We’ve delivered coastal works across the region, and we know what councils need to see.

Coastal Engineering Services: 

We provide a full range of coastal services, from assessing the hazard to designing and consenting the structures that manage it.

Let's work together

Coastal erosion assessments

Shoreline protection design

Coastal structure design (jetties, seawalls)

Environmental impact assessments

Marine habitat restoration

When Do You Need Coastal Engineering?

Coastal engineering is required or strongly recommended in the following situations:

Request an Assessment

  • Building near the coast
    A coastal hazard assessment evaluates erosion, storm surge, inundation and sea-level rise for your site. Councils require one for development in coastal hazard zoned areas before they’ll grant consent.
  • Protecting an eroding property
    Where the coast is cutting into your land, a seawall, revetment or other protection structure may be needed. These have to be engineered for the site’s wave and tidal conditions — and almost always consented.
  • Coastal subdivision or development
    Developing coastal land brings hazard assessment, setback and protection requirements into the resource consent. We assess the risk and design the response so the development stacks up.
  • Building a coastal structure
    Jetties, boat ramps and the like sit within the coastal marine area and need engineering design plus resource consent.

What Makes Northland Coastal Conditions Different?

Northland’s coastline is long, exposed and varied. Understanding the local coastal processes is why our assessments hold up to council scrutiny.

Request an Assessment

  • Exposure to ex-tropical storms brings large waves and storm surge to Northland’s coast, driving erosion and inundation well beyond calm-weather conditions. Protection has to be designed for these events.
  • Erosion-prone soft shorelines and dunes are common, particularly on the east-coast beaches and estuaries. Sandy and dune systems move, and structures have to work with that dynamic, not ignore it.
  • Estuarine and harbour environments behave differently from open coast — tidal flows, sedimentation and inundation patterns all need site-specific assessment.
  • Sea-level rise changes the long-term picture. Coastal hazard assessments here incorporate current guidance on rising seas so your project accounts for future conditions, not just today’s. An RS Eng coastal assessment is grounded in your site’s actual exposure and processes — not a generic coastal rule of thumb.
How the Process Works

We follow a clear process to assess the coastal hazard, design the response, and deliver documentation ready for consent.

Request an Assessment

  • Step 1 — Get in touch
    Tell us about your site and what you’re planning. We’ll advise on the coastal assessment or design required and provide a fee estimate.
  • Step 2 — Site and hazard assessment
    We assess the coastal processes affecting your site — erosion, wave exposure, surge and inundation — using site information and current coastal data.
  • Step 3 — Design and analysis
    We design the protection structure or development response, sized for the site’s conditions, and prepare the supporting engineering.
  • Step 4 — Consent documentation
    We prepare the assessment and design documentation for resource consent (often via Northland Regional Council). Timeframes depend on the work and consent pathway; we’ll outline these up front.

FAQs

It’s an evaluation of the coastal risks affecting a site — erosion, storm surge, coastal inundation and the effects of sea-level rise over time. The assessment informs where and how you can build, and what protection might be needed. Councils often require one for coastal development.

Yes. We design shoreline protection structures such as seawalls and rock revetments, sized and detailed for the site’s wave and tidal conditions, and prepare the supporting documentation for consent.

Often, yes. Many coastal structures and activities require resource consent, frequently from Northland Regional Council, because they sit within the coastal marine area or a coastal hazard zone. We can advise on the pathway and prepare the application.

Yes. We assess coastal flooding and inundation, incorporating current guidance on sea-level rise, so your project accounts for future conditions, not just today’s.

Yes — our coastal portfolio includes the Pataua North boat ramp and the McGregors Bay seawall, among others. See our Projects page for more examples.