13 December 2023:

We’re proud of the amazing things our young graduates achieve. In late November, Canterbury Projects Environment Advisor Parampara Koirala spoke at the Environmental Institute of Australia and NZ (EIANZ)’s Resilience, Recovery and Restoration – Transport Ecology in a Changing World conference on her work on the environmentally sensitive Coastal Pathway project in Christchurch.

Linking Ferrymead with Sumner , the Pathway hugs the estuary and is home to multiple species, including the endangered white flippered penguin, the Kororā. The last section – Moncks Bay – was the first project Parampara has been involved with from bidding right through to completion.

“To be asked to speak at the conference was a thrill,” says the 23-year-old, who migrated from Nepal with her family in 2010.

The Coastal Pathway had more than 300 consent conditions and wildlife permits, putting the environment at the heart of the project team’s decision-making with client Christchurch City Council. The goal was anticipating and mitigating all environmental risks to maximise environmental outcomes and minimise operational bottlenecks.

One of the biggest risks was sediment discharge into the estuary. It’s a source of pride for the 30-strong team that the project generated no sediment discharge at all.