Cyclone lessons inspire research for Auckland's industrial hubs

30 September 2025

Faculty of Engineering and Design, Staff news, Faculty of Science, Sustainable impact

A major new research project aimed at protecting Auckland's industrial areas from future climate disasters has received $8.9 million in Endeavour Funding.

The project, led by Professor Paola Boarin (Future Cities Research Centre), together with Professor Jacqueline Beggs (Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society) and Dr Garry McDonald (Market Economics Ltd), examines how urban industrial areas can better integrate economic, ecological and built systems to enhance resilience. It was conceptualised in 2023 following the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on industrial zones in Tāmaki Makaurau.

"When Cyclone Gabrielle hit, a lot of businesses had to shut down for long periods because their buildings and infrastructure were damaged," says Boarin.

"Public transport had stopped, electricity services were down, and pollution levels were rising due to overloaded rainwater and wastewater systems. Many businesses - already operating in survival mode after Covid - were pushed to the brink by the added strain."

The research will focus on urban zones like those in East Tāmaki - a suburb in Auckland with large industrial areas, many businesses, and surrounding housing for vulnerable communities. While this suburb was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle, the initial research found that industrial zones across New Zealand face similar challenges.

"What we started to observe is that the characteristics and construction of industrial zones, and the lack of attention to resilience aspects like energy and climate change resilience, was exactly the same across New Zealand," she says.

Auckland stands out because its industrial zones are embedded within urban areas, rather than on the outskirts. Areas like Henderson, Wairau Valley, Penrose, Onehunga and Mangere have similar built environments.

"They're surrounded by small-scale housing, often with vulnerable populations as you move south, west or east of Auckland. They're also major economic hubs, so when these areas get hit, the whole economy is hit," says Boarin.

The project examines industrial areas through three major components: the built environment, looking at industrial buildings, smaller structures and infrastructures, and the urban spaces between them; the ecological system, studying what natural environment remains, how it can be restored to a healthy state, and how it can reduce climate risks and improve resilience. The economic component explores how to support local businesses and communities, and enhance long-term economic viability.

The team will also use next-generation digital tools to simulate potential climate events, technological disruptions and socio-ecological changes. These simulations will help predict risks and test how industrial areas might respond under different scenarios.

But Boarin says nothing will become real until there is policy uptake, which is why the team is working closely with Auckland Council to make sure strategies for designing, retrofitting and improving industrial areas can actually be implemented.

The research is also supported by a network of stakeholders, including architects, engineers, planners, designers, industrial property investors, businesses and Māori communities throughout the programme.

"With Auckland being the most active economic hub of New Zealand, it's our main focus at the moment, but the outcomes of this project will be replicable," she says.

"The project is, by nature, highly transdisciplinary - we have architecture, urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture, engineering, social sciences, ecology, economy, computer science, occupational epidemiology, and Indigenous researchers working around these vulnerable populations, Māori businesses and so forth," says Boarin.

"Auckland Council is also our partner in the project, and they'll work beside us these next five years to understand how they can deliver this transformation and ensure the outcome and impact of the project can outlive the project itself."

Timeline of research

Phase 1 (Years 1-2): Define, understand and assess sustainability in Urban Industry Zones across five domains: 1) socio-economic systems 2) built and urban form and infrastructures 3) ecological and environmental systems 4) Indigenous and community perspectives and 5) associated sensescapes (multisensory environments: visual, smell, taste, sound, touch).

Phase 2 (Year 3): Identify sustainability targets and goals for the same five domains, with attention to their interdependencies.

Phase 3 (Years 4-5): Co-produce strategies and plausible scenarios with research partners (businesses, architecture-engineering-planning professionals, government officials, iwi/hapū and local community representatives), using narratives that capture emerging and potential megatrends in climate change, technological disruption, and socio-ecological shifts over a 100-year period.

Media contact

Media adviser | Jogai Bhatt M: 027 285 9464 E: [email protected]

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