Creating sustainable urban developments that transform private and public spaces and tread lightly on the natural environment is what drives Bronwyn Rhynd. Bronwyn is a director of land development consultancy CKL.
An experienced chartered engineer and stormwater specialist, she has built an award-winning 25-year career as a leading water resource expert. Bronwyn became a director and shareholder of CKL following the company’s 2015 merger with her own company Stormwater Solutions Consulting Ltd. She is a natural people leader and has led the growth of CKL’s environmental service.
In recognition of her influential work exemplifying best practice environmental management, Bronwyn became a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand in 2020. She was also awarded Stormwater Professional of the Year in 2018.
While the industry is shifting in terms of gender diversity, Bronwyn says female engineers are still a minority. But she’s proud of the way CKL celebrates diversity. In fact, women across CKL’s business make up 29% of its total employees. “We’re actively working to increase female representation in engineering (currently 14% of engineers are women, according to the Diversity Agenda), but also understand there’s more than one way of looking at diversity. We encourage all of our team to embrace their own talents, and promote diversity of thought and life experience to stimulate ideas and contribute to better outcomes.”
CKL offers fully integrated land development solutions delivered by its team of surveyors, planners and engineers. With offices in Auckland, Hamilton and Te Awamutu, the company’s central Tauranga base was established in October 2019. But CKL’s Bay of Plenty roots go back much further.
“Prior to opening, we had been providing land development services in the Bay for a number of years,” says Bronwyn. “As our list of clients and development projects in the region grew, the time felt right to establish a local office.
“Of course the Covid-19 storm hit shortly afterwards, but it demonstrated the strength of our team, with the whole company getting behind the office to support our local clients and projects.”
One such project is the Doncaster Housing Development in Papamoa. Bronwyn has worked on the environmental aspects, completing a stormwater assessment including flood effects downstream and discharge to soakage.
“At CKL we’re also interested in how the Tauriko area will develop over the coming years, as local government provides for the city’s growth. The various councils’ support has injected confidence back into the development market, and our established clients are moving their plans forward rather than listening to the downturn rhetoric.
“As well as our involvement in the Tauranga Business Chamber, we keep abreast of legislative changes from central and local government, so we can identify and evaluate opportunities for developers both large and small.
“Solving problems for everyday people from flooding to boundary adjustments all supports our goal of ensuring Kiwis can live successfully in urban environments.”
