Client
Services
Year
Location
Auckland Council, Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience
Technical guidance + Expert consultation + Design
2025 · Published guideline GD19
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Practical guidance for bringing stormwater management and healthy urban trees together.
Structural soil tree pits
Making technical guidance usable.
Councils, designers and developers need clear guidance on where structural soil tree pits are suitable and how to integrate them with streets, services and public space. GD19 brings stormwater management and tree health into one practical design reference.
Our contribution
The Urbanist co-authored the guideline with Tektus. We ran consultation with technical experts, managed delivery of the document, and created much of its design work and imagery.
Jon Avery and Zoë Avery are credited alongside Matt Wilkins and Emily Afoa of Tektus, with contributions from Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, Auckland Botanic Gardens and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research.
What we delivered
Coordinated expert input into a published Council guideline.
Guidance covering site suitability, design, construction, operation and maintenance.
Design work, diagrams and imagery that explain the system and its components.
A worked example to support the application of the guidance.
Water and trees, considered together.
Published in November 2025, GD19 gives project teams a common reference for assessing structural soil tree pits and developing appropriate proposals. It connects the space needed for healthy roots with stormwater retention and detention, infrastructure constraints and long-term maintenance.
The guideline identifies where further performance testing is needed. The case for a particular site still depends on its conditions and project requirements.
Structural soil tree pits
Auckland Council guideline document GD19, November 2025, version 1.0.
Explore the Te Ararata tree infrastructure plan →
Explore our living roof research and recommendations →
Discuss technical guidance, consultation or nature-based solutions with Jon or Zoë →
Publication cover: Auckland Council, 2025.