NZ Poised to Join Global Surf Park Line Up

New Zealand’s first surf park has taken a step forward with the Auckland Surf Park winning consent from the Ministry of the Environment.

The consent follows the project’s referral to an expert consenting panel for consideration under the New Zealand Government’s Covid19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Act 2020.

Planned for a site at 1350 Dairy Flat Highway, the Auckland Surf Park will provide “sport, recreation, hospitality, and tourism amenities that celebrate Aotearoa, its surfing heritage and culture, and the area’s rural character,” according to Aventuur.

The site is about 28km north of Auckland.

Aventuur is a global creator of surf and well-being destinations and holds the exclusive rights to Wavegarden’s wave-generating technology in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Fiji and North America. The same tech is used in Urbnsurf’s Melbourne and Sydney parks.

At the heart of the park would be a 56-module Wavegarden “Cove” lagoon. Also included in the plan are high-performance sports and leisure facilities, eco-cabins and lodging accommodation, a farm-to-table restaurant and garden, and public outdoor amenities including walking and cycling trails.

Anticipated to generate more than 400 jobs during construction and more than 100 full-time equivalent positions once operational, the Auckland Surf Park will inject more than $600 million into the economy over the life of the project, Aventuur said. 

With a significant focus on sustainability, the proposal also includes a co-located solar farm and a Spark data center.

Excess heat from the Spark data center (planned to be powered by renewable energy, including on-site generation from the solar farm) will be harnessed to warm the surfing lagoon year-round—a world-first.

Other sustainability initiatives include intending to utilise zero embedded carbon’concrete for structures, harvesting rainwater from community buildings, composting organic waste on site, procuring local materials and products where possible, the regeneration of existing streams on the property, and “naturescaping” outdoor areas using endemic species.

“To support our engagement with local iwi, we have engaged a widely-respected cultural advisor,” an Aventuur spokesperson said.

“A number of hui have been held, and these will be ongoing through the development process. Several iwi representatives have visited the Auckland Surf Park site.”

Subject to further regulatory approvals, construction is expected to commence in late 2024, with the Auckland Surf Park opening to the public in 2027.

Also this month, Aventuur announced it had inked a deal bringing global surf brand Rip Curl onboard its $100-million Perth Surf Park at Jandakot, about 20km south of the WA capital’s CBD.

It is slated to open in late 2026.

Aventuur said it was currently raising project finance— a combination of equity, including from high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional investors, and debt capital—ahead of a construction start this year.

Wave pools are on the rise in Australia with two now operational—Urbnsurf’s two pools—and plans for surf parks mooted for SA, the Gold Coast and near Yeppon in Queensland’s north.

And this month, a 3.8ha aquatic park, billed as the southern hemisphere’s biggest, was approved for Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

The Dingley SurfnPlay Aquatic Park is to be built on a 5.7ha site 23km south-east from the Mebourne CBD. The plans include a wave pool.