48 | Babbage CONSULTANCY Karen Phelps Full suite of in-house science services Because the Babbage BioEnviro team offers most environmental services in-house, this means consistent reporting, making applications to council easier and more likely to be successful. The Babbage BioEnviro team has a strong reputation for working with clients collaboratively to find solutions. Because Babbage BioEnviro can offer the full suite of ecological and environmental science services in-house this means better results for clients, says Babbage BioEnviro ecologist Annabelle Coates. “Our team constantly talks to each other to make sure everyone is on the same page. This allows us to develop quicker responses and better solutions,” she says. A good example is a project completed for a client, where resource consent for an ocean outfall was required. This saw the Babbage BioEnviro team deliver design and field investigations including marine, coast bird and lizard surveys. The team also examined all the options before coming up with the final solution. The disciplined and comprehensive approach, including consultation with locals and iwi, meant that consent was obtained for the project. Annabelle says that because the Babbage BioEnviro team could offer most environmental services in-house, this resulted in consistent reporting, making application to council easier and more likely to be successful. “For complex projects, we firmly believe that an integrated multi-disciplinary approach is the key to achieving the most suitable range of solutions for our clients. As a result, we work closely with the environmental part of our team, plus the planning, geo-technical, ecological, civil, infrastructure, and architecture teams, amongst others, as needed. On this project if we couldn’t have done all this in-house then there would have been several different experts completing reports, which can often result in inconsistencies, contradictions and unnecessary toing and froing,” says Annabelle. Babbage Consultants is a 100% New Zealand-owned multi-disciplinary practice offering tailored consultancy services across architecture, engineering, land development, environmental and project management. The multi faceted offering means clients have just one point of contact for their project, often saving time and money as a result of the streamlined process. The company has a long history spanning around 80 years and completes a wide variety of projects New Zealand wide with offices located in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Melbourne, and long-term site offices throughout the country. “Our success is built on the philosophy of understanding our clients’ requirements and tailoring solutions that are practical, cost-effective, commercially sound and focused on sustainable principles. We bring commitment, leadership and innovation to every project,” says Annabelle. Babbage BioEnviro (Bioresearches and Environmental Science and Engineering) is the specialist environmental science and engineering team and comprises more than 20 environmental specialists including nationally recognised experts in their field. Annabelle says the expertise offered by the broader team supports projects of all kinds and across all stages – right through from the scoping stage through to after completion with on-going monitoring services – in freshwater, marine and terrestrial environments. The Environmental Science and Engineering part of the team is highly specialised, particularly in the assessment and management of water, soil, asbestos, landfill, gas and sustainability issues. In addition to its technical capabilities, the team are strong communicators and highly attentive to detail, says Annabelle. The team has geographical spread throughout New Zealand. “We can be anywhere at any time,” says Annabelle. “We go where our clients need us.” Services and expertise include environmental assessment, resource management, data assessments and statistical analysis, GIS and spatial analysis and expert witness and evidence. A service that is expanding for Babbage BioEnviro is soil services, which includes soil mapping, soil monitoring for discharges where waste is tied to land, infiltration tests and irrigation management. With a lack of experts in this field and increasing need, Babbage BioEnviro is actively looking to grow its capacity and services, says Annabelle, along with a focus on sustainable development and waste management.
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