Ensuring Success – Wetland 5 Contract Monitoring for Tauranga City Council

Article written by Scott Williamson, Sector Lead – Water and Land

Wetland 5 forms part of Tauranga City Council’s wider Nanako Stream stormwater solution, supporting growth in the Kennedy Road/Pyes Pā area while reducing existing flooding within the catchment.

With design completed by Tonkin + Taylor in early 2025, the project progressed into construction in November 2025 with MAP Projects Limited appointed as the Contractor and Vitruvius providing NZS 3910 contract management and MSQA services. Tauranga based Engineer’s Representative Holly Janssen said, “From the outset, establishing clear communication, consistent quality expectations, and a collaborative working approach with the contractor and client was critical to ensuring a well-coordinated delivery”.

This approach was tested during construction, when two significant rainfall events flooded the site during active earthworks Through proactive planning, well-maintained environmental controls, and timely responses from the MAPS team on site, these events were well managed through the established site controls, resulting in no impact on programme or most important, the environment.

At the same time, the scope of works required careful coordination across a range of elements, including bulk earthworks, drainage structures, stream reprofiling, and erosion protection, all within a live stormwater catchment. Engineer to the Contract Charlie Sherratt (CPEng), who is also a Principal Waters Engineer, says “While wetlands can appear relatively straightforward in principle, delivery relies on considered sequencing and ongoing attention to risk, particularly when working in a live stream environment”.

This made construction monitoring and quality assurance particularly important. Earthworks and stormwater projects depend on disciplined, real time decision making — from compaction and material suitability to weather response, temporary drainage, and environmental controls. A strong focus was maintained on inspection regimes, and clear approval processes to ensure each stage was completed to the required standard before progressing.

As construction progressed, further challenges were presented by areas of poor ground conditions in deep excavation zones with elevated groundwater levels. These conditions introduced both safety risks and programme pressure. Through a practical and collaborative approach, solutions were developed that allowed works to continue safely while maintaining alignment with design intent.

Positive feedback from MAP Projects highlighted a strong and genuinely collaborative working relationship across the team. As noted, “the communication throughout the job made a big difference and made it easy to work through the unexpected issues as they came up.” A key factor in this was the practical, on-site experience brought to the project. MAP Projects highlighted that it was “very refreshing to work with engineers who had a practical mindset and understood the realities of construction,” which helped make problem solving more straightforward and supported a positive working environment throughout delivery. MAP Projects Project Manager Dylan King said Vitruvius, “were always approachable on site and responsive when we needed decisions or clarification, which makes a huge difference for a contractor.” Holly also praised Dylan for his open communication, stating that “as early as possible, you expressed any potential issues that might come up, which is always greatly appreciated as an ER”. The success of Wetland 5 reflects a genuinely collaborative effort, with the strength of that partnership evident in the quality of the final outcome.

Overall, Wetland 5 demonstrates the value of effective contract administration and construction monitoring in complex civil works. Beyond compliance, this role supports quality outcomes, enables early risk management, and provides confidence that the completed asset will perform as intended over the long term.

At Vitruvius, MSQA is treated as a dedicated service offering rather than an extension of design. It is a distinct skillset, grounded in experience, judgement and on-site presence, and one we actively value and continue to develop across our teams.