New HQ for Comvita New Zealand

Over the last two years, Boffa Miskell has assisted natural health and beauty products company, Comvita, to redevelop its Bay of Plenty headquarters.

With a diversified product range and exports to 18 countries, Comvita realised it would need to expand its administrative and manufacturing facilities in the small settlement of Paengaroa. The company purchased six hectares of adjacent rural land and then engaged Boffa Miskell to help it create a business campus that would accommodate its own growth as well as complementary businesses.

Structure plan

The first step was to obtain the necessary planning approvals. “Comvita needed a comprehensive planning framework that would ensure sustainable staged development while protecting the quality of the surrounding environment,” says Boffa Miskell planner, Matt Allott. “We recommended incorporating a structure plan into the Western Bay of Plenty District Plan through a Plan Change process.” The resulting plan, which was approved in 2012, includes a mix of commercial and industrial zoning together with a site-specific suite of planning provisions.

Campus development

Stage 1 construction of the overall master plan was completed in December 2013. The existing visitors’ centre was redeveloped alongside a new public plaza, site circulation was established and separate visitor and staff parking areas constructed. Stormwater management was incorporated into the design, including a large rain garden, perimeter mounding to contain runoff, a swale system and stormwater retention ponds.

Boffa Miskell landscape architect, Morné Hugo, says the main design challenge was to balance the aesthetic requirements around public and visitor spaces with the practical issues relating to stormwater management, wastewater, access and accessibility, lighting, security and the budget.

“The project was guided from an early stage by the structure plan but we had to carefully check all design decisions for compliance against the planning framework. A good working relationship with Spiire civil engineering sub-consultants also helped.”

On-site water treatment

A big problem for Comvita was the prospect of having to truck out its waste water for treatment at a municipal facility. They asked Boffa Miskell ecologist, Louise Clark, to help.

With assistance from an environmental engineer and industrial chemist, Louise developed an integrated on-site system to treat both the ‘domestic’ and production-related wastewaters, compiled the resource consent information and continues to monitor and refine the system to maximise its performance. Comvita, she says, has “shown great commitment to its environmental ethics in choosing a system of this type,” which uses natural systems, including floating treatment wetlands and disposal via onsite irrigation.

For his part, Comvita plant and site engineer, Jason Simmonds, says the company’s interactive relationship with Boffa Miskell contributed to the successful outcome – including the local community’s endorsement of the changes.