Category Archives: Mount Maunganui

Meet our new Planner

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Sam has a total of 15 years experience in the field of planning ranging from processing resource consents, undertaking policy drafting work, infrastructure planning and reserves management planning within local government. Sam began her career with New Plymouth District Council in 2007. In 2018 she worked for Isovist, New Zealand’s leading e-plan provider as a Delivery Manager managing Council’s e-plans across New Zealand and later in 2021 worked for Far North District Council in project managing the delivery of the Far North Proposed District Plan.

A few words from Sam;

I have a passion for open space through the work I did for local government. I worked on some exciting 30 year projects to connect New Plymouth’s ‘Mountain to Sea’ and ‘Pouakai Crossing’ projects.

 I love working with people and collaborating with a variety of experts to come up with the best solution to a problem. I love a challenge!

 On a personal note, Sam adds:

Home is where the heart is. Mount Maunganui! I certainly feel at home here being close to Mauao and the beach. I was born in the UK but moved to New Zealand as a youngster. Being close to the beach soothes my soul!

I have a passion for yoga and meditation and love being in the water down at the local beach! I am also a qualified Kundalini Yoga, Mantra and Meditation teacher and love sharing this incredible technology with like-minded souls to better other lives.

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Resource and Environmental Planning

Professional Affiliations:

Member of New Zealand Planning Institute

House Set Out in the Kaimai Ranges

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Rodney recently had the pleasure of setting out a house situated in the lower Kaimai Ranges with gorgeous panoramic views over the Western Bay Area.

Building a house is an intricate process that begins long before the first brick is laid, or the foundation is poured. A land surveyor’s role in setting out a house cannot be overstated. Their meticulous work in mapping the property, identifying boundaries, and transferring architectural plans to the site is essential for a successful construction project. By ensuring precision and accuracy, land surveyors play a fundamental role in creating not just houses but homes that stand the test of time. Their expertise contributes to the integrity, safety, and legal compliance of every structure, making them an indispensable part of the construction process.

Drone Survey of the Puketormiro Pa Site

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The Puketormiro Pa Site lies in the Kopurererua Valley, Payes Pa, Tauranga. Tauranga City Council wanted to change the status of Puketormiro Pa Site to an Historic reserve.

The first step in this process was to conduct a survey of the site. The idea was to survey the extent of the features in order to determine boundaries of the proposed historic site. We used the Phantom 4 RTK drone and flew at 80m. Apart from having to wait for a few rain showers, everything went smoothly.

An aerial image was sent to the client and an exact location of the proposed boundaries around the Pa site was determined. We then prepared a scheme plan for the historic site. Ultimately the client was happy with the new boundary.

Papamoa College Expansion

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RPC have been involved with the expansion of Papamoa College. We have been responsible for completing the engineering set-out surveys for gridlines and hold down bolt locations.

This is done to ensure that the prefabricated steel columns fit exactly on to the cast in hold down bolts when they arrive on site. This picture shows the concrete pump getting ready to make the first pour for the foundations on the new school block.

Monitoring Surveys – Pre-loading

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As part of the land development process, RPC Land Surveyors often work with Geotechnical Engineers to address various geotechnical issues that may be present on a site. An example of this is a monitoring survey RPC Land Surveyors are conducting at 52 Wilson Road, Waihi Beach, to determine the amount of pre-load settlement. The Preliminary Geotechnical Assessment Report for the site concluded that 270mm to 730mm of settlement could occur as a result of the construction of a proposed commercial building.

To address this, the area of concern has been pre-loaded with a mound of fill 3 metres high by 30 metres wide by 90 metres long to work as a temporary weight to compact the site over time. 11 steel rods were placed vertically in the mound to act as monitoring points while the land settles. Over the 4 months that RPC Land Surveyors have been surveying the rods to date, the site has settled by up to 120mm in some locations. When the Geotech Engineer is satisfied that the site has settled to an acceptable level, the pre-load mound will be removed, and the construction of the building can commence. The amount of settlement that is occurring on this site is proof that geotechnical investigations and measures are critical in ensuring that a site will be fit for purpose. Monitoring surveys are an important part of this process so that all parties can be informed as to what is occurring on site.

At RPC Land Surveyors, we specialise in monitoring surveys, site settlement surveys, and geotechnical support as part of the wider land development process across New Zealand. Our experienced surveyors work closely with Geotechnical Engineers to provide accurate data that ensures every site is stable and ready for construction. From pre-load monitoring to as-built surveys and construction set-out, our team delivers precise, reliable surveying solutions that help developers, engineers, and project managers make informed decisions and achieve successful project outcomes.

Pre-load mound

1000 Words

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A picture is still worth a 1000 words.

That is what we discovered with our recent survey for the latest commercial industrial unit titles out at The Lakes, Tauranga.

A survey with the drone while the tilt slab walls are still exposed greatly speeds up the unit title side of the development such that we are achieving titles at the same time or before the building Code Compliance Certificate has issued, meaning sale and purchase agreements can settle when the building is complete.