Our Story
Who we are today
Nearly 50 years on from that first Whangārei office, Cook Costello is a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy working across New Zealand from Whangārei, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
What sets the firm apart is the range of expertise within one team. Our people work across geotechnical, structural and civil engineering, surveying, geophysics, land development and property damage assessment. Because those disciplines work alongside each other rather than in isolation, we can look at a site or project as a whole, identify risks that sit between disciplines, and give clients clear advice earlier in the process.
That matters most on projects with difficult ground, tight consent timeframes, unusual structures or complex natural hazard issues. When engineers, surveyors and assessors can talk to each other directly, there are fewer gaps between advice, fewer opportunities for rework, and decisions are easier to understand, price, consent and build.
We work for a broad mix of clients, from homeowners and developers to councils, insurers, contractors and infrastructure owners. Some come to us for a single survey or report. Others work with us across the full life of a development. In every case, our role is to identify the engineering risks, explain the available options, and help the project move forward.
The values that shaped the firm in 1976 still guide how our people work today. They are the reason clients come back, and the reason much of our work comes through word of mouth and long-standing relationships.
David Cook
Terry Costello
Where it all began
Cook Costello's story began in 1976, when three engineers, David Cook, Terry Costello and Frank Muldowney, met through the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand and decided to start a practice together in Whangārei. Originally named Cook Muldowney Costello, the firm took shape at a time of rapid growth in the region, with each director bringing different expertise to land development, building and infrastructure projects.
One of the firm’s earliest milestone projects was the redevelopment of Portland Cement Works, which included a major chimney refit and the design of large concrete and steel structures. On that project, the team used pre-cast supports for the conveyor belt at a time when cast in-situ methods were the standard approach. It was an early example of the problem-solving approach the firm became known for.
The firm was also part of the design group providing civil and structural engineering services for the Marsden Point Oil Refinery.
Cook Costello’s work soon reached beyond Northland. Internationally, the firm contributed to 450 kilometres of roading infrastructure in Vietnam. Closer to home, it designed a 1.5-metre-thick pavement to support the transport of an exceptionally large boiler, alongside numerous commercial and industrial projects across Whangārei and the wider region.
When Frank Muldowney later moved on to other ventures, the practice became Cook Costello, led by David Cook and Terry Costello, who continued to build its reputation across Northland.
From Whangārei to nationwide
In 1996, Phil Cook took over leadership and guided the company into its next chapter. From its roots in Whangārei, Cook Costello has grown into a nationwide practice, with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Each office opened for a reason. The Christchurch office was established in the wake of the 2010 to 2011 earthquakes to support the region’s recovery. Auckland followed in 2015 and Wellington in 2016, as demand for the firm’s work grew in those regions.
The projects from this period show both the scale and range of what Cook Costello does. In Canterbury, the team completed more than 10,000 residential property assessments and guided more than 1,000 repairs and rebuilds following the earthquake sequence, drawing on geotechnical, structural and assessment expertise in equal measure.
Elsewhere, Cook Costello has contributed to landmark and community-shaping projects such as the Hundertwasser Art Centre, Palms Lifestyle Village and The Landing at Marsden Point.
Through nearly 50 years and four offices, the firm’s foundations have remained consistent: respect for clients and communities, collaboration across disciplines, accountability for our advice, evidence over assumption and straight answers
Phil Cook
Where to from here
Nearly 50 years in, the firm’s direction has not changed as much as you might expect. Cook Costello is still doing what David Cook, Terry Costello and Frank Muldowney set out to do in 1976: solve engineering problems well for the people and places we work in.
What has changed is the scale and breadth of what we can take on. With four offices and a team spanning geotechnical, structural and civil engineering, surveying, geophysics, land development and property damage assessment, we can support clients on larger and more complex projects while still doing the everyday work that keeps regions building.
The next chapter is about continuing to do that well: investing in our people, keeping our advice clear as projects become more complex, and staying close to the communities we have worked in for decades.
New Zealand faces growing pressure from severe weather, housing demand, ageing infrastructure and development on more difficult sites. Those are exactly the kinds of problems Cook Costello was built to help solve.
If you are planning a project, or facing a problem you are not sure how to approach, we would be glad to talk it through.