During hot, dry El Niño summers, traditional asphalt and concrete absorb heat while preventing rainwater from reaching the soil and surrounding vegetation. 

Permeable surfaces such as Porous Lane allow rainfall to filter into the ground, supporting tree roots, reducing surface runoff and helping retain moisture beneath urban areas. This can strengthen natural cooling and reduce pressure on stormwater networks when sudden summer downpours arrive. 

Discover how permeable paving can help create cooler, greener and more climate-resilient urban spaces.

Auckland has ambitious plans for housing, intensification and economic growth. But zoning land for development is only part of the equation. The supporting transport, water and wider infrastructure must be planned and delivered at the right time. 

We’ve shared five key insights from the Property Council New Zealand’s Enabling Auckland: Infrastructure for Growth event, including what they could mean for the future of water management and resilient urban growth.

A centralised Hydraloop greywater recycling system helped a Hamilton development increase its proposed yield from 33 to 52 dwellings while remaining below the site’s existing wastewater discharge limit.

Fast-track approval may help a development move through consenting sooner, but it does not resolve how the infrastructure needed to service it will be funded or delivered. We look at the Government’s proposed changes and what councils and project teams should establish early to create greater certainty.

Permeable pavements are widely recognised for reducing runoff, but research suggests their benefits may extend beneath the surface. Explore how Porous Lane’s pavement profile can help filter sediment, nutrients and heavy metals from stormwater, offering new possibilities for resilient, water-sensitive urban design.

Recent changes to New Zealand's plumbing and drainlaying legislation mark an important shift in how compliance is managed across the construction industry. 

With self-certification expected to become available for a wider range of low-risk plumbing and drainlaying work, responsibility for verifying compliance is moving closer to the people who design, install and commission these systems. 

Recent headlines around rising water charges and major infrastructure investment programmes have reignited discussion about the future of water in New Zealand. But beyond the cost of infrastructure lies a bigger question: what role can buildings themselves play in supporting the performance and resilience of our water networks? We explore how rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and on-site stormwater management are changing the way we think about the relationship between buildings and water infrastructure.

Over the past 12 months, 4,466,750 litres of Aquacomb water storage has been installed across New Zealand. These have managed an estimated 220 million litres of water over the year. 

This figure is based on internal system capacity calculations across approximately 3,800 installations between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. It reflects a combination of both detention and retention. In simple terms, that is water being temporarily stored and released in a controlled way, or held for non-potable reuse within the property. 

On its own, each system contributes a relatively small volume. But when you step back, the scale becomes clearer. Across thousands of sites, this works out to roughly 60,000 litres per property last year. 

Around the world, leading cities are adopting a more integrated approach: designing urban environments to behave like sponges — absorbing, storing, filtering and gradually releasing rainwater rather than immediately channelling it away.

The Watersmart Innovation Hub: Solving Tomorrow’s Water Challenges Today. Opening a space for the industry to learn more about how to build water resilient futures with Watersmart.

Plan smart water detention and rainwater reuse systems for NZ summer. Compare tanks, Aquacomb, lead times, capacities, and council compliance.