Ōrākei Main Sewer repair and relining

Current updates

Update for St Georges Bay Road, Parnell as part of the Ōrākei main sewer project.

From Monday 23 March 2026, our contractor March Cato will start setting up our construction area at approximately 79 St Georges Bay Road, (near manhole 15). Site establishment works will commence from approximately 7am and will take approximately three hours to complete.

We need to return to complete the final rehabilitation of manhole 15, as this work couldn’t be carried out during the original sinkhole repairs. The upcoming structural improvements will help extend the life of the manhole.

Starting Monday 23 March 2026, we’ll begin night works at this location. These will take place between 11pm and 7am, Sunday night through to Friday morning.

These works are estimated to take until approximately late-April 2026 to complete.

We will mitigate disturbance to the community through the following:

• Sound absorbing noise barriers will be installed around the work area at manhole 15.

• Equipment and trucks will be switched off when not in use to reduce unnecessary noise.

• Our crew will avoid shouting and limit the use of radios, using quieter communication methods wherever possible.

• Site lighting will be directed only toward the work area to reduce light spill into surrounding properties.

Please refer to the map below showing the location of the works:

Alberon Reserve is now complete. Our team has moved into the reinstatement phase, which will take place during daytime hours and is expected to continue through to approximately mid-July 2026.

Please note, that the parking restrictions on the corners of Alberon Street between 10am and 3pm, Monday to Friday will remain in place. This is due to ongoing truck deliveries that will transport aggregates and drainage materials as part of our reinstatement works.

Please refer to map below:

Click here to see full-size map

Alberon Reserve walkways and access

During construction, Alberon Reserve walkways will remain open, however, there will be sections of the reserve that will be fenced off for health and safety reasons. Access between Alberon Street and Saint Georges Bay Road will remain, as well as the pathway between Alberon Place and Havana Coffee. The southern section of the reserve will remain open for normal recreational use.

Future works - update on the Ōrākei main sewer relining programme

When the Ōrākei Main Sewer collapsed in Parnell in late 2023, we quickly implemented a solution involving relining the existing pipe. This innovative approach allowed us to stabilise the pipe and prevent further collapses.

After completing these initial emergency works, we began relining an adjacent section of pipe that needed preventative maintenance. This was between manholes 14 and 15 by Alberon Reserve in Parnell (the work highlighted above).

We intended to continue using this methodology to rehabilitate further sections of the sewer – from Auckland Domain to Hobson Bay, as well as a section by Queen Street which was to be relined as part of our Midtown Wastewater Diversion project.

However, despite the initial success, the relining solution has not proven to be the easy fix we had hoped for. The team has identified several challenges, including working in a live sewer, manoeuvring the lining material around bends, and the sewer's depth (which can reach 40 to 50 metres below ground in some locations).

Given these challenges, our Board has approved a change in approach. We are now reevaluating our options for rehabilitating or replacing this part of the sewer, including a potential new tunnel alignment.

In reconsidering the approach we are:

• Addressing the complexity of the work and developing the best solution to continue providing wastewater servicing for the next 100 years.

• Aiming to identify options that will decrease impacts and disruption to the local community.

We will carry out regular monitoring and maintenance of the sewer while a solution is planned and commissioned and will keep the community informed as the project progresses.