Wellington Storm Recovery

In 2022, Wellington recorded its wettest August since records began in 1928. Between 16–20 August, prolonged heavy rain saturated the ground, with the heaviest downpour occurring on 19 August. The intense rainfall triggered numerous slope failures across the city’s hill suburbs, damaging homes, blocking roads, and disrupting essential networks. The event caused millions of dollars in losses, with many properties red- or yellow-stickered due to landslide risks.

Cook Costello quickly mobilised a geotechnical team to assist recovery efforts in the weeks and months that followed.

• Property Assessments – More than 40 residential sites were inspected on behalf of insurers, claim providers, and private homeowners.

• Targeted Solutions – Each assessment provided site-specific recommendations, balancing the steep and complex terrain of Wellington’s suburbs with practical remedial options.

• Engineering Design & Oversight – For homes requiring stabilisation or new retaining structures, our engineers delivered full ground investigations, design, and construction review services.

• Streamlined Delivery – A smaller but urgent programme of work was managed with the same discipline as large-scale responses: coordinated site visits, real-time updates, and strict quality checks.
  

Our work provided clarity for insurers and homeowners, helping claims to progress and uncertainty to be reduced. Several properties have since been stabilised, enabling red and yellow stickers to be lifted so families could return with renewed confidence in their homes.

This Wellington event showcased Cook Costello’s ability to adapt, delivering technical excellence, responsive project management, and tailored solutions at a community scale, while maintaining the trust of clients during a period of disruption.