Vision Consulting Engineers Ltd

09/08/2026

How Catchment Thinking & Adaptive Plans Help Build Resilient Communities

Part 2 of our Community Adaptation Planning blog series is now live on our website!

In this post, we look at how complex hazard data gets translated into practical, step-by-step options for local communities across Te Tai Tokerau.

Because water moves through whole catchments, addressing flooding or coastal erosion requires looking at the bigger picture—from steep hill country runoff down to local bridges, roads, and native habitats.

We share how combining catchment-scale thinking with flexible decision pathways helps councils, hapū, and residents:

▪️Understand whole-system water flows and compounding storm hazards
▪️Plan staged responses over time rather than rushing into over-engineered fixes
▪️Co-design options that respect local knowledge, cultural values, and practical budgets

Head over to our website to read Part 2: https://bit.ly/4hYJcIc

From taonga species like the longfin eel to critical road infrastructure, learn how whole-catchment planning builds flexible climate resilience in Te Tai Tokerau.

31/07/2026

Great News to End the Working Week!

We are pleased to share that Vision Consulting Engineers has once again achieved SiteWise Gold with a score of 100%!

SiteWise Gold is the highest level awarded under the SiteWise prequalification system, recognising organisations that demonstrate exceptional quality health and safety systems. Maintaining Gold status since 2020 and a 100% score since 2022, reflects the standards our team brings to every project.

A great collaborative effort by Michelle and Laura in preparing this year's submission, reflecting our ongoing focus on robust health and safety systems across our civil, structural, geotechnical, and project management work.

23/07/2026

Heavy rainfall, slips, and river flooding affect us all across Te Tai Tokerau—from our local access roads and homes to marae and essential community assets.

Local councils across the region are moving towards 30-year Community Adaptation Plans to help communities prepare for changing weather patterns. But computer models and desktop maps cannot tell the whole story on their own.

In Part 1 of our new blog series on Community Adaptation, we look at why combining technical environmental data with local knowledge is essential for making sense of complex flood and land stability data.

Explore Part 1 here 👉 https://bit.ly/4fp65BS

Computer models only tell part of the story. Discover why 30-year climate adaptation plans in Te Tai Tokerau depend on ground-truth local knowledge.

14/07/2026

Climate change planning works best when the community has a seat at the table.

The Far North District Council (FNDC) is currently looking for community volunteers to help shape local climate change planning.

From our own work on catchment resilience across the North, like the Taumārere Nature-based Solutions project, we know first hand the value of combining local knowledge with smart engineering to support long-term regional resilience. We believe you can't design a practical solution without understanding the people who live alongside the awa every day.

If you are passionate about how our communities adapt to changing weather patterns, flooding, and coastal hazards, we highly encourage you to put your hand up and get involved!

Check out the details and how to volunteer here: https://bit.ly/4eYni6e

Community members from across Hokianga, Whangapē, Herekino, Waimamaku and surrounding areas are being asked to join panels to plan for climate change.

01/05/2026

Big Ideas from our Little Firm in Kerikeri!

The Vision team has just returned from a successful couple of days at the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Aotearoa Public Works Forum in Auckland.

We were incredibly proud of Jonathan Cousins, who took to the stage to present our work on Nature-based Solutions. It was a significant moment for us to see our local project featured in the finalist videos alongside some of the largest infrastructure projects in New Zealand!

As a small firm from Kerikeri, it was rewarding to have our technical input recognised on a national level. We would like to offer a huge thank you to the organisers for a professional event and to all the people we had the pleasure of connecting with.

The team are heading back to the office inspired and ready to keep delivering for our Northland community.

28/04/2026

A Milestone for Youth Leadership: The SAVE Interact Club Launch!

Last week, our Managing Director, Ben Perry, was pleased to attend the official "Celebration Launch" of the SAVE Interact Club of Kerikeri High School

This event finalised the formal partnership between the school’s SAVE Club (Saving All Valuable Environments) and the Rotary Club of Kerikeri. Vision Consulting Engineers is proud to have assisted in establishing this connection, which provides students with mentored opportunities for leadership and community service.

The ceremony included a welcome via the school’s opening protocol, Ngā Pou, and insights from School Principal Mike Clent, Rotary President Dawn Laurenson, and District Governor Mitchell Brown. It was a privilege to see the students mingling with Rotarians over lunch to discuss their "big ideas" for future environmental and community initiatives.

We value our role in helping facilitate this platform for our local rangatahi (youth).

23/04/2026

Taking a Northland story to the national stage! 🌊

We are incredibly proud to share that Vision Consulting Engineers has been selected to present at the 2026 Stormwater Conference Innovation Showcase in Auckland next month.

Our Senior Engineer, Jonathan Cousins, will be stepping up to deliver a live, "Dragons' Den" style pitch on our work for the Taumārere Catchment.

But this isn't just an engineering story—it’s a story about partnership. Working alongside Ngāti Hine, we set out with a shared responsibility: to restore the mauri (life force) of Te Awa Tapu O Taumārere.

To do this, our team developed what we call the "Billion-Cell Concept". We used incredibly detailed computer mapping (processing over a billion data points!) to look at the entire 492 km² catchment.

The real innovation? We didn't just look at the landscape. We combined advanced engineering with mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge)—like observing the migration patterns of local tuna (eels) and seasonal rainfall changes.

By bringing community wisdom and smart technology together, we proved that using "Nature-based Solutions" (like restoring wetlands and native forests) can actually reduce flood peaks by up to 20%. This means less flooding on our rural roads and safe, healthy habitats for our native species.

This is a massive nod to the power of combining local kaitiakitanga (guardianship) with modern engineering. A huge congratulations to Jonathan, our VISION team, and our Ngāti Hine partners!

Want to see the digital map of the Taumārere Catchment for yourself? Check out the interactive StoryMap here: https://bit.ly/3InsrqY 🗺️👇