Te Ara Tupua Shared Cycle and Walkway

Submission by Tonkin + Taylor with The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA Waka Kotahi), iwi (indigenous Māori tribe) partners Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and Te Ara Tupua Alliance (Downer NZ, HEB Construction).

Introduction: A way of doing transport for the future

In New Zealand’s capital city, Pōneke(Wellington), the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), its partners, and the Te Ara Tupua Alliance are setting a new benchmark for delivering sustainable transport infrastructure to meet the needs of current, and future generations. Situated on the coast where two tectonic plates meet, Wellington is a shaky city, and one of the windiest in the world, so creating resilient transport infrastructure to withstand environmental, social and economic challenges sits at its core. Te Ara Tupua involves the construction of a substantial shared (cycle/pedestrian) path along the coast, to provide a safe multi-modal connection between the cities of Wellington and Lower Hutt.  It will also give much-needed resilience to the existing Hutt Valley rail line and State Highway 2 which is a nationally-important highway.

At project inception, NZTA Waka Kotahi developed a strong relationship through partnership with the indigenous Māori tribes (iwi) of the project area, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. Brought to life through a Project Steering Group, this partnership honours the intergenerational world view of Māori, with Steering Group members uniquely involved in all facets of the project; from procurement, design, and delivery through to construction, monitoring and compliance. 

The project is being delivered through an Alliance contract model, to achieve high performance through collaboration, culture and care. Alliance partners Tonkin + Taylor (consultants), Downer NZ and HEB Construction (constructors) have joined NZTA Waka Kotahi and its partners, to create this critical transport connection. This team continues to demonstrate the uplifting positive legacy that can be left in an environment, and a community, when sustainability goals take root at the beginning of a project and are actioned throughout its lifetime.

About Te Ara Tupua: The Ancient Pathway

Kura Moeahu of Taranaki Whānui gifted the name Te Ara Tupua (The Ancient Pathway) as an acknowledgment to the guardians of the harbour, Ngāke and Whātaitai, the two tupua (ancient phenomena) who created Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington Harbour) in the Māori creation narrative. Ngā Ūranga ki Pito-One is the middle section of this path, and once completed, will comprise a 4.5 km shared path, requiring reclamation along its full length, revetments, ūranga (to be used as viewing and gathering points), seawalls, and culvert extensions.  

To support the project, numerous ancillary activities are also authorised by environmental consents, including temporary construction yards, barge landings, upgrades to Honiana Te Puni Reserve (an area rich in history for iwi partners Taranaki Whānui) and upgrade works within the existing state highway and rail corridor. 

With a NZ$350 million (US$200 million) budget, the project is 60% complete and set to be finished in March 2026.

Integration of ESG Objectives, and sustainability goals 

At the project outset, Tonkin + Taylor and the Alliance developed a Project Sustainability Policy to embed practical measures for environmental, social, and cultural sustainability across the project and its lifecycle. Adopting the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) Rating Scheme, the project set evaluation metrics across 25 categories to evaluate the projects economic, social and environmental performance, going over and above standard practice in many areas. 

With the New Zealand construction industry contributing around 10% of our country’s total emissions, we focussed on minimising construction-related greenhouse gases (GHG), with a framework  for procuring resources and project materials that minimised waste, and reduced potential effects on local biodiversity.  Modelling suggests that during operation, the project will achieve carbon emission reductions in the order of 750 tCO2e a year due to travellers’ mode switch to active modes.

The multi-modal nature of the project is about creating transport opportunities for the region. With a 62% increase in shared path users in the region in 2024, Te Ara Tupua provides the missing link in the region’s network to connect the two cities. By providing a high-quality shared path, Te Ara Tupua is projected to increase the number of people walking and cycling by around 1,700 journeys per day, contributing to local, national and eco-tourism, fostering recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. This shift towards active transportation options will contribute to regional carbon emission reductions, enhancing public health outcomes, while alleviating strain on other transportation modes.

The new pathway increases the protection for the rail line and state highway against storms and sea surges. Currently, the sea level is rising at about 3mm per year in the region, so the team designed  future-proofing measures into the structures, in anticipation of sea levels rising by 0.54 m by 2075.

Leveraging the partnership with Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa, the Alliance developed a Kaitiaki (Guardian) Strategy underpinned by a set of principles that will guide mana whenua (iwi with mana/authority over land/whenua) aspirations and expectations for Te Ara Tupua. The strategy created a foundation on which intangible impacts of the project, such as improved access could be pursued. These principles link to the connection to the environment physically and spiritually which guides our behaviours to protect and care for our environment. 

Connecting Communities

The ambition to connect communities is embedded in Wellington and Hutt City’s strategies to completely reimagine how they build multi-modal transport infrastructure. It’s a case study in the speed at which New Zealand cities can change their transport priorities – with Te Ara Tupua a nationally leading project in this space.

Outcomes to connect communities, both by the physical structures as well as engagement in the projects’ philosophy includes; 24 iwi businesses engaged as suppliers to the project with a value in excess of $3 million, establishment of cadetships and scholarships for the industry, and a multi-modal schools programme for inter-generational adoption of cycling and pathways to work in infrastructure. 

Effective Stakeholder Collaboration

Stakeholders have been central to the evolution of the project, as Te Ara Tupua is about creating a community asset for generations to come. Our strategic partnership with Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa is central to this and goes beyond collaboration mechanisms previously applied on projects. 

The project is centered on a holistic world view from Te Ao Māori which encompasses a deep respect for nature and a holistic understanding of the connection between people and the environment. Actions have been developed to bring to life key partner/Te Ao Māori concepts such as Whakapapa (genealogy), Whanaungatanga (relationships), Manaakitanga (hospitality), te Reo Māori (language), Kaitiakitanga (guardianship), Tikanga Māori (protocols, customs) and Mātauranga Māori (knowledge system). These actions include (but are not limited to) cultural graphics, tāonga (carved sculptures), embedding language development and practices for language revitalisation for the entire project team, a cultural monitors scheme, and empowerment of iwi through a reef research project providing career pathways to uplift iwi for generations to come. 

A Mana Whenua Outcomes and Benefits Realisation Plan was co-developed with iwi to commit to a partnership and realise wider benefits other than the cycleway. This is a live document that is reviewed annually to ensure benefits are considered regularly and allow responding to the progression of iwi wellbeing goals.

"For Taranaki Whānui, this project is about setting a strong foundation and high standards for a long-term partnership that will create community infrastructure which speaks directly about our stories of identity and our values as iwi mana whenua." - Kim Skelton, Mana Whenua Steering Group chairperson.

Through a series of workshops involving the project’s Mana Whenua Steering Group, the Rowing Association, Water Ski Club, Hutt City Council, and the project team, developed a plan for the revitalisation of Honiana Te Puni Reserve; a popular reserve owned by iwi during and after the construction.  

Taranaki Whānui agreed that their Reserve would host a new building for the Rowing and Water Ski clubs, so they could have a home at the northwestern corner of the Harbour both during the project works, and in years to come.  Through this engagement process, the new building was designed to accommodate the equipment storage needs of the two groups, with NZTA Waka Kotahi funding equivalent space to replace the storage in the old buildings. As well as a new building appreciated by users, the project has allowed a new relationship between the clubs and iwi to begin.

Innovative Project Design, Planning, and Delivery to Improve Sustainability Impact and Credentials

The project involves reclamation in Wellington’s harbour, which required biodiversity offsetting and compensation as a condition of the environmental permits. During the design process, the Alliance identified a novel way to create enhanced reef habitat, never undertaken to this scale before within New Zealand. This nature-based approach to ecological mitigation will produce better biodiversity outcomes, and will also save approximately $18 million, a 60% cost reduction on the proposed traditional approach of stormwater treatment 

This enhanced reef habitat is restoring and protecting marine ecosystems in the harbour, with 56 engineered pyramids covering 5 hectares, submerged 7-10 metres below sea level at the northern end of the project area. Kesh Keshaboina, Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery at NZTA, says the approach is a nature-based solution for restoring and protecting marine ecosystems, providing coastal protection, promoting tourism, and increasing environmental awareness:

“The pyramids will be placed in clusters of three and will create a habitat for marine life. Experts have designed them to generate water flows that encourage the growth of plant life, algae, shellfish, snails and kina [sea urchins}.”

“Restoring and protecting the environment has always been a key component of the project and its Ecology Management Plan. The future health and wellbeing of the harbour is just as important as the shared pathway being built.”

In demonstration of a legacy that will extend far beyond project construction, project partners Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa will monitor the reef’s progress to ensure it provides a thriving habitat with more fish, well-developed shellfish and plant populations. These ecological gains will support the health and significance of the harbour for many generations to come.

Project design, planning and delivery to improve sustainability impact

New Zealand has an abundance of rock minerals for construction, however our rock armour supply and demand is not evenly spread across the country, presenting challenges for major transport infrastructure projects. Coupled with high transportation emissions and cost, and extraction wastage, finding aggregate alternatives is a key sustainability issue and was one of the project’s greatest challenges. Tonkin + Taylor and the Alliance team, worked with Delta Marine Consultants to replace a significant volume of rock armour from the original design with interlocking concrete single-layer concrete armour units. The design process involved extensive wave modelling and a scale model to test performance, with the stability of single-layer precast XBlocs® tested under storm wave conditions. The armour units however, have had limited application in seismically active regions such as Wellington, so we undertook physical and digital modelling to assess individual components and combined performance. This is the first time globally that seismic performance has been considered in the design of these specific units, and also the first time this multi-model approach has been adopted.  The chosen approach significantly reduces the construction duration and transport-related emissions, resulting in a construction carbon footprint that is comparable to natural rock armour.

As the armour units were precast, it presented an opportunity for wider environmental biodiversity and cultural positive impacts. The uniform nature of ‘standard’ XBlocs® did not align with the natural character of the landscape and environmental permits, so the standard units were modified to change shape and colour to fit the local context, without increasing the cost envelope. Taranaki Whānui artist Len Hetet worked alongside project designers, engineers and ecologists to mimic the high-energy rocky foreshore that will encourage marine life to attach to the surface of the XBlocPlus®. Len gifted the name 'Te Ripowai' to these enhancements, sharing the name and narrative:

Te Ripowai speaks of the rippling water. It connects to our whakatauki [proverb] of guardianship

Te Ati Awa tupua rau
He auripo i te manga iti
He auripo i te manga nui
He kaitiaki ki te whenua

Te Ati Awa of many phenomena
A ripple in our small tributaries
A ripple in our great waterways
A guardian on land

We must keep the ripples occurring – this speaks of the water living to which the land reciprocates. We as guardians must keep the ripples occurring - if we do not and the water becomes still then life will cease to exist."