Whangaruru Coastguard Shed Extensions

Year: 2020-2023
Status: Complete. Building consent granted in late February 2023. The build was completed towards the
end of 2024, with the final Council inspection completed mid-November 2024.
Client: Whangaruru Volunteer Coastguard
Location: Whangaruru Wharf Rd, Whangaruru
Type: Alterations & Additions
Discipline: Architecture
Floor area: Existing/prior – 54.3m2; new – 106.9m2
Consultant team: Land surveyor, geotechnical engineer, coastal engineer, structural engineer – Cook Costello; On-site wastewater consultant – Paul Mellor; Truss manufacturer – Northern Timber Manufacturing / MiTek; Planner - Landform Consulting; Project manager (post-building consent) – Scope - Total Project Partners

Description: Coastguard Whangaruru is a small unit with a large operating area. The unit conducts search and rescue operations from Cape Brett in the north, east to the Poor Knights islands (20 miles offshore), and to Whananaki in the south. The unit is well respected within its community and is crewed by locals keen to expand or continue their maritime training, volunteering their time to make local search and rescue a possibility.

The client's representative Kit Bigelow approached Matakohe in 2020, as the National Coastguard has agreed to purchase a new boat for Whangaruru Coastguard. Due to the size of the new vessel, there was a need to expand the existing shed to accommodate the new vessel.

Matakohe provided architectural services that included design and documentation from pre-design through to building consent. Matakohe prepared the documentation for both resource and building consent, including coordination with the consultant planner, coastal engineer, the truss manufacturer, the geotechnical engineer, and the structural engineer, and preparation of the specification and the lodgment of the building consent application with Whangārei District Council.

The proposal was for extensions to an existing boat shed on the Whangaruru foreshore to accommodate a new boat, and although the program was reasonably simple, the planning and engineering constraints were complex, and involved consultation with mana whenua hapū (led by the client and consultant planner), and specialist consultants at building consent stage that included a coastal engineer working alongside the geotechnical and structural engineers.

The project has make a significant difference for the Whangaruru Community, future proofing the operations of the Whangaruru Volunteer Coastguard and enabling them to do their important work of saving lives on the harbour.