12 Feb 2026
New Zealand’s coastlines are in constant transformation. Shaped by waves, tides and currents, they present shifting challenges for those who live, work and play near the shore. Engineers have long wrestled with these conditions to protect communities, infrastructure and the environments that support them.
The New Zealand Coastal Society’s Sixth Special Publication (SP6), Shoreline Strategies: Embracing coastal transformation in Aotearoa New Zealand, brings together articles that reflect on past practice and showcase case studies from across the motu. They show how technical excellence, paired with cultural grounding, ecological understanding and community partnership, can create enduring resilience.
These highlights from SP6 show why this publication matters for engineers of every discipline, illustrating how diverse perspectives can broaden the way we approach dynamic environments.
Looking backwards to move forward
The article “Coastal erosion hazard management – what have we learned since the 1970s?” revisits decades of shifting approaches, from early reliance on seawalls and stopbanks, through the adoption of hazard mapping and setback lines, to today’s more adaptive planning practices. Retracing this journey shows how our approach is evolving – moving from reactive fixes to more adaptive and transformative engineering practices.
Planning for uncertain futures
If the past reveals how practices have shifted, today’s challenges call for new approaches to planning. SP6 recognises that uncertainty is a defining condition of coastal management, and “Short-term defence for long-term retreat in the Coromandel” captures this tension clearly. It describes how communities facing immediate erosion risks still need urgent protection, even while long-term retreat remains the most sustainable option. The case study shows how engineers and planners can design short-lived defences that buy time, creating space for communities to prepare, adapt and eventually relocate.
For engineers, the Coromandel example demonstrates that planning must operate on multiple time horizons. Infrastructure cannot always be permanent; sometimes its value lies in enabling transition. By accounting for change, engineers can help communities move steadily from present needs toward future resilience.
Reshaping roles through community leadership
Another case study, “Coastal adaptation and transformation: Empowering Waihi Beach Lifeguard Services” explores how professionals and communities can contribute together to resilience. The surf club, highly exposed to coastal hazards, embarked on a community-led adaptation process with invited stakeholders to safeguard its lifesaving services and the beach users it supports. Technical expertise, drawn from hazard mapping and scenario analysis, was conveyed clearly, enabling residents to weigh up risks, values and long-term consequences.
The strength of the process lay in how knowledge was shared, allowing the community to make integrated decisions and take ownership of outcomes. Resilience, in this example, is not only engineered in plans and structures, it also grows from trust, transparency and recalibrated roles between engineers and communities.
Grounding practice in culture and values
SP6 also highlights the central role of iwi and hapū in coastal adaptation. These case studies show how Māori perspectives bring intergenerational responsibilities, cultural wellbeing and kaitiakitanga into planning alongside technical and ecological assessments. Decisions are not viewed purely through the lens of hazard management, but as part of sustaining whakapapa and the relationship between people and place.
For engineers, this makes clear that cultural grounding is not an add-on but part of the required foundation for professional work. A resilient strategy is one that communities recognise as reflecting their values and identity as much as their safety. Embedding this perspective reshapes engineering practice: extending responsibility beyond protecting assets towards safeguarding the cultural and social fabric of coastal environments.
Resilience, in this example, is not only engineered in plans and structures, it also grows from trust, transparency and recalibrated roles between engineers and communities.
Lessons beyond the shoreline
SP6 focuses on our shorelines, but the lessons it captures are transferable across disciplines – from rivers and transport networks to energy systems and urban infrastructure. All fields of engineering face the challenges of uncertainty, change and collaboration. The case studies remind us that when engineering is approached as part of a social–ecological system, the same principles apply everywhere. Design for uncertainty by embracing flexibility in planning and structures to accommodate evolving risks. Align with natural systems – resilience often comes from letting landscapes breathe, shift and regenerate. Ground projects in culture by honouring local values, mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga. And co-create solutions through genuine partnerships, where lasting impact comes from shared ownership.
Shoreline Strategies is more than a compilation. It is an invitation to engineers of every discipline to reflect on how practice is changing and how it must continue to evolve. By weaving together engineering experience, cultural knowledge, ecological science and community action, SP6 shows that resilience is built through connection. The coast keeps changing and so must we.
Read the full publication at coastalsociety.org.nz
Ana Serrano MEngNZ is a coastal engineer and climate resilience specialist, and Deputy Chair for the New Zealand Coastal Society.
This article was first published in the December 2025 issue of EG magazine.
