Bringing sustainability into coastal design

I worked on the environmental modelling and estuary management of Lake Cathie on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Over a 12-month period, I supported the modelling team with water quality, sediment and hydrodynamic data collection, including tidal currents and water levels.

The project reminded me how lucky I am to work in such beautiful locations and encouraged me to continue pursuing water quality monitoring work. It also taught me to quickly adapt to new equipment in the hydrodynamic data collection and basic survey space, and to problem-solve when things did not go my way in the field.

It also exposed me to the lifecycle of an estuary management project, from data collection and modelling through to some involvement in estuary management. Lake Cathie is an Intermittently Closed and Open Lake or Lagoon (ICOLL) that has several stakeholders with sometimes conflicting interests. These include keeping it open to the ocean to allow tidal flushing and enhance its recreational amenity, or allowing it to follow its natural cycle of intermittently closing for environmental and ecological benefit.

It was valuable to be on the periphery of sensitive management discussions that mean a lot to the community.

Partnership to me is about building a relationship with whoever you are working with, whether that is internally across Haskoning teams or externally with a subconsultant or client, to work towards a common goal.

A colleague shared some brief business development advice in a meeting last year that I think is critical to building a good partnership and enjoying the projects you work on. This was simply about building friendly, respectful connections, such as asking about a client’s weekend or taking an interest in their upcoming holidays or hobbies alongside the project work.

This really helps to break down corporate barriers that can sometimes inhibit communication and productivity on a project. When people feel comfortable with one another, it becomes easier to communicate openly and work together effectively.

For me and my role, Enhancing Society Together (EST) means adding value beyond the primary purpose of a project. It is about using our technical role to help shape outcomes that are not only functional and community-focused, but also more sustainable.

This purpose is often associated with the overarching aim or objective of the projects we bid for, such as coastal and community protection, stormwater naturalisation or maritime asset improvement.

However, we sit in a unique position, often working within the design team, where we are able to steer these projects towards more sustainable designs. For me, this adds another dimension to Enhancing Society Together by considering how our environmental input can improve a project beyond its primary purpose.

I have been at Haskoning for almost five years, and two things really stand out to me about the business and what sets us apart.

First, our people are friendly, approachable and genuinely supportive. We have a strong cohort who have been part of Haskoning for much of our 15 years in Australia, which I think says a lot about the strength of our working environment and culture.

Second, the work we do across the coastal, rivers and maritime space is incredibly dynamic and often calls for considered and adaptable problem-solving skills. It requires people who are adaptable in the way they work, and I think that is something we do really well.

I think clients value this combination of approachable people, established experience and the ability to adapt to the needs of each project.

I hope to continue working in the coastal resilience space, as living near the coast holds a great deal of personal value for me, just as it does for many Australian and Pacific communities where we work.

Over the next 15 years, I would like to progress towards a role that guides decision-making in a sensible, pragmatic and socially considerate way while incorporating diverse perspectives. For me, this means considering environmental evidence and practical requirements alongside the different views of the people affected by coastal decisions.

I’d love to eventually do that for the community where I live and work, as Haskoning does across Sydney and the Australian coast.