Surf parks are being developed globally, each with its own set of challenges and opportunities to cater to both locals and tourists. Aventuur, a leading surf park development and management organization, is applying this approach to New Zealand’s first project, the Auckland Surf Park. With this project, Aventuur aims to set a new industry standard by emphasizing sustainability and community-focused strategies.
Surf Park Central spoke with Aventuur’s Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer Richard Duff about the Auckland Surf Park.
Surf Park Central: Can you share more about the real estate component and what it involves?
Richard Duff: The Auckland Surf Park is the first real estate project of its kind in New Zealand.
Located about 30 minutes north-west of the Auckland CBD in Dairy Flat, the Auckland Surf Park will create a world-class, sustainable surf park community that provides quality sport, recreation, hospitality and tourism amenities that celebrate Aotearoa, its surfing heritage and culture, and the area’s rural character.
We have received Resource Consent for:
- A 56-module Wavegarden Cove.
- Surf park amenities including surf academy, retail, food and beverage and wellness.
- A 50 key hotel.
- 85 eco-cabins.
- Farm-to-table restaurant and marketplace.
- Spark data center.
- 5mW Solar Farm.
Our vision is to create meaningful community infrastructure that delivers inspiring, progressive and authentic experiences – both in and out of the water. To achieve this holistic approach, we’ve engaged a widely respected Māori cultural advisor, and have held a number of hui with local iwi. We have also established a range of partnerships with like-minded organizations, including Spark New Zealand which is delivering a co-located data center powered by renewable energy (sourced in part from a solar farm planned for the site).
Surf Park Central: What inspired the heavy focus on sustainability with this project? How will it benefit Auckland Surf Park?
Duff: Sustainability is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. For us, we look at sustainability from an environmental perspective, but also through a social and economic lens. As a company, we decided early on that we wanted to raise the bar in the surf park industry, and be the market leaders in responsible design, development and operations.
Our partnership with Wavegarden (which extends across Asia-Pacific and North America), whose technology is the most energy-efficient on the market, is a prime example of this commitment.
In Auckland, our master plan includes a co-located 5mW solar farm and a Spark data center. We’re planning to harness excess heat from the data center (to be powered by renewable energy, including on-site generation from the solar farm) to warm the surfing lagoon year-round – which is a world-first.
Other environmental initiatives include intending to utilize ‘zero embedded carbon’ concrete for structures, harvesting rainwater from community buildings, composting organic waste on site, eliminating single-use plastics, procuring local materials and products wherever possible, regenerate existing streams on the property, and naturescaping outdoor areas using only endemic local species.
Socially, we have been working with the local Iwi tribes, and will continue to do so to make sure the project has Māori culture authentically embedded in its DNA. With Sir John Kirwan being involved as a project partner (who is widely regarded for his contributions to mental health), we will have an incredible canvas to implement meaningful well-being initiatives. We are students of the emerging fields of “blue health” and “biophilic design”, and we are making inroads as a business to ensure we can incorporate these principles into our parks as much as possible.
Surf Park Central: Has sustainability helped with community support? And if yes, how so?
Duff: Our approach to sustainability isn’t just to get people on our side. Many will promise you the world, and then give you an atlas.
As passionate surfers, ecological consciousness and impact minimization is part of our DNA, and when we make a promise, we follow through. Our approach from day zero has been to set a new standard for responsible surf park development, and we’re excited by the opportunity with Spark New Zealand to heat our surfing lagoon in a way that is truly sustainable, helping to solve for both seasonality and experience in a colder climate.
Surf Park Central: What are the community benefits of the project?
Duff: We’re working closely with our neighbors, Auckland locals, New Zealand surfers and leading community organizations to ensure that our project is by Aotearoa, for Aotearoa.
We’re committed to the sustainable development and operation of the Auckland Surf Park. Socially, we can have a positive impact by employing locals, providing equal opportunities to access the park’s amenities, and delivering experiences that enhance wellbeing – including water safety, mental health, active recreation and surf therapy programs.
Auckland has a frustrated surfing population that typically is required to travel over an hour each way to surf, often longer for quality waves. By providing guaranteed high-quality waves in a convenient, accessible location, we can reduce the barriers to entry, and to surfing more.
In terms of high-performance sport outcomes, we’re planning to support elite surf athletes preparing for the Olympic and World Surf League Campaigns, as well as adjacent board sports athletes who can utilize park amenities for training and recovery. At the grassroots level, we’ll provide a platform for youth and junior development, deliver scholastic surfing events for Auckland school-aged children, and enable New Zealand boardriders clubs to host club rounds and social events at the park.
Water safety is of critical importance, and we plan to help reduce the incidence of drowning and injury by providing a safe, controlled environment for educational programs to be delivered, and empower New Zealand surfers with the skills to help others at risk in the water.
Surf parks can have a transformative impact for adaptive surfers and people with disabilities. Through inclusive design and operations, we can support paralympic surf training, increase participation in adaptive sports, and provide an accessible venue for people of all abilities to enjoy with their family and friends.
Surf Park Central: What’s next for the project before work can truly get underway?
Duff: After achieving Resource Consent in July, we are currently undertaking a detailed design process to refine our masterplan, and preparing our site for initial earthworks.
We are excited to commence construction in late 2024, ahead of opening to the public in 2027.
Surf Park Central: Are there any geotechnical challenges to the project?
Duff: We take the geotechnical requirements of a surf park very seriously, and this formed the first part of our due diligence. Given the size and scale of the site, we have located the lagoon in the most suitable area of the site, and have been able to balance our cut and fill despite the high water table seen across Auckland.
Surf Park Central: How many visitors a year do you expect to see from this project? What do you think will be the visitor ratio of tourists vs. locals?
Duff: While we believe the resident community is more than sufficient to sustain the development, Auckland and New Zealand have an extremely strong tourism industry, with many tourists having traveled to experience adventure activities. As such, we expect to tap into both the domestic and international tourists who visit Auckland. Based on the hospitality offerings on site, and our expectations of demand, we anticipate at least 25% of the surf hours sold will be from tourists.
Surf Park Central: Is the project fully funded, and are they seeking investors?
Duff: We are fortunate to have the support of some of New Zealand’s most respected investors and businesspeople. While we are working through the most appropriate capital structure, we have been comforted by the interest in the project, and assuming economic conditions remain stable we don’t see financing for the project as a critical concern.
Surf Park Central: Is there anything else you would like to share about the project?
Duff: We have a unique opportunity to improve the wellbeing of all New Zealanders through surfing, and provide a genuine “third place” for Auckland residents and visitors to move, do, chill, connect, celebrate and enjoy the best of Aotearoa culture.
Surf park projects are complex, and have many moving parts, but our strength lies in the team we have assembled.
We are grateful to have the support of our neighbors in Dairy Flat and the Auckland community, Auckland Council and the New Zealand Government, our partners Spark, and a range of national and local organizations – including Surfing New Zealand, Surf Life Saving New Zealand, Water Safety New Zealand, Paralympics New Zealand and Invest New Zealand (part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise).
Top Kiwi professional surfers Paige Hareb and Ricardo Christie, along with Paris 2024 Olympic competitors Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette, have also got behind the project.
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