A series of specially designed gardens will form the centre piece of a revitalised Auckland Downtown Waterfront as part of the city’s 10-year Downtown Programme. Fifty new gardens - including 19 rain gardens - will be home to up to 200 new native trees as well as the 40 existing pōhutukawa trees (which have been relocated to Teal Park during construction).

LandLAB’s Henry Crothers says part of the studio’s design concept for Quay Street was to re-imagine the conventional reticulated stormwater network proposed and develop a more resilient and sustainable Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) strategy, that celebrates the identity and ecology of Tamaki Makaurau but also maintains water quality in the Waitemata Harbour. 

“Weaving a new coastal edge ecology into Quay Street is a key concept behind the transformation of Quay Street,” Crothers says. “The rain gardens, native planting palette and street tree planting work together to create a uniquely Tamaki waterfront avenue and destination at the heart of the city centre waterfront.”  

LandLAB worked closely with mana whenua and Auckland Council to develop a plant palette informed by the coastal ecologies and landscapes of the Waitemata. The integration of the rain gardens supports Mana whenua values as well as showcasing a commitment to sustainability, innovation and design excellence, Crothers says. 

Auckland Transport's Downtown Programme Director Eric van Essen says “rain gardens are an unseen ecological hero”.

“A rain garden is a sustainable and economical way of dealing with storm water as nature intended,” he says. “Not only do they help remove pollutants and slow down stormwater flows they recharge freshwater bodies and look attractive.