Infrastructure Projects

Infrastructure projects

Incite helps clients deliver small- and large-scale infrastructure projects across New Zealand. We provide specialist planning advice for the transport, electricity, telecommunications and education sectors. We support projects from initial planning through to securing the necessary approvals.

Our services include:

evaluating project options and site selection

stakeholder and community engagement

preparing Notices of Requirement

securing new designations and alterations to existing designations

obtaining resource consents from regional and district councils

providing expert planning evidence at hearings and appeals

Transport

Incite works with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) on a wide range of transport projects. These include new sections of state highway, walking and cycling facilities, upgrades to existing roads, and strategic transport studies.

Our recent work includes:

securing resource consents and preparing Notices of Requirement for new routes and alterations to existing designations

secondments to NZTA offices to provide additional planning expertise and resourcing

processing Land Use Development applications for NZTA

Electricity generation

Incite has expertise in wind, solar, and hydro-electricity generation. Our staff have experience securing resource consents for large projects, assisting councils to process these applications, and acting as decision-makers, including under the Fast Track Approvals Act.

Our recent work includes:

obtaining resource consents and assisting with environmental management for the Mt Munro Wind Farm near Eketāhuna in northern Wairarapa

obtaining the consents for the Bunnythorpe Energy Park (comprising solar arrays and battery energy storage systems) in Manawatū

processing applications for the Norwood Solar Farm and other small-scale solar in Selwyn district, and micro hydro-electricity generation in Canterbury and Otago

acting for Otago Regional Council on the Mahinerangi and Kaihiku Wind Farms, and the pumped hydro scheme at Lake Onslow under the Fast Track Approvals Act

appointment to the hearing panel for the Haldon Solar Farm and Twizel Solar Farm under the Fast Track Approvals Act

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Electricity transmission

Incite has helped Transpower and other transmission companies secure resource consents, new designations and designation alterations for projects throughout New Zealand. We also provide planning advice, prepare submissions and present expert planning evidence, particularly on the management of National Grid transmission corridors. Our team has worked on projects of national significance and appeared before Boards of Inquiry.

Our recent work includes:

obtaining designations for series reactors at Atiamuri and a new substation to connect a new geothermal generation at Tuahara

supporting consenting for substation upgrades at various locations throughout NZ;

Obtaining consents for transmission line deviations at Ruakura Hamilton and Drury South Auckland

Supporting Transpower as contract environmental representative for consenting and compliance of various projects

Telecommunications

Incite has a long history of providing resource management services for major telecommunications companies. Our experience includes mobile network sites, fibre network rollouts and submarine cable projects. We also provide ongoing planning support to New Zealand Police for upgrades and extensions to its national radio network.

Our recent work includes:

site selection and consenting work throughout New Zealand for new mobile phone sites and upgrades for numerous network providers across New Zealand

policy advice, including submissions and expert evidence for telecommunication companies on local and central government planning documents.

site selection and consenting work throughout New Zealand for Tait Systems, who operate New Zealand’s emergency communications network

ongoing project management for the Rural Connectivity Group, including initial site selection advice and oversight of environmental approvals across multiple sites.

managing environmental approvals within New Zealand’s jurisdiction for the Tasman Global Access cable project connecting Raglan with Sydney, Southern Cross Next from Takapuna to the Central Pacific

leading a multidisciplinary team of planners, landscape architects and arborists delivering the resource consent programme for Chorus’ Ultra-Fast Broadband aerial deployment in Auckland, Wellington and Gisborne

secured consents and approvals for new AM broadcasting towers exceeding 100m in height at two locations in the Auckland region

Flood protection

Incite has expertise in flood protection and river management works. Our experience includes obtaining global resource consents for business-as-usual works and one-off consents for instream and out-of-stream works such as new stopbanks and maintaining the capacity of existing drainage networks. This work has included a combination of regional and district consenting, stakeholder consultation, and co-ordinating technical support. We have also processed applications for these types of projects on behalf of regional councils.

Education

Incite has extensive experience as lead consultant for school designations and site-selection studies on behalf of the Minister of Education, including for Māori-medium schools. We have supported complex new-school projects attracting strong community interest in Auckland and Christchurch.

In Christchurch, many projects involved relocating schools in response to the Canterbury earthquakes and subsequent demographic changes. New-school projects often also include early childhood education facilities.