Westhaven’s L pier fully replaced – with a sustainable twist
Following the successful replacement of K pier late last year, L pier has now been fully rebuilt after reaching the end of its serviceable life.
Over the past four months, the old structure was dismantled and transformed into a modern, upgraded facility. The project was brought forward, which resulted in cost savings, and was completed safely and efficiently.
In line with Westhaven’s commitment to sustainability, our contractors, Total Marine Services, repurposed most of the removed materials.
A second life for old piers
We’re proud to highlight the innovative reuse of materials from the K and L pier projects – a practical example of how sustainability can deliver real-world benefits for communities across New Zealand and the Pacific.
Instead of sending materials to landfill, much of the dismantled infrastructure has been repurposed:
- Damaged pontoons went to a Kaipara farm, where they’ve been utilised in silo bins and a concrete retaining wall.
- Timber piles and pile caps were also repurposed on the same farm for fencing and haybarn structures.
- Remaining concrete pontoons were shipped to Pukapuka in the northern Cook Islands to form part of a new cruising boat facility.
- Approximately 90% of the timber walers were reused by a South Auckland community garden for planter boxes and edging, with some used to frame a farm shed.
- All the old steel components – including cleat fasteners, pile guides, corner frames, galvanised through rods, and power cables – were sent to metal recyclers.
- Several pile sleeves were re-ground and turned into new PE sleeves and piping.
- Foam-filled PE plastic pile floaters were among the only materials that couldn’t be recycled and were sent to landfill — a limitation we've addressed with our new, fully recyclable, foam-free pile floaters.
We’re thrilled to see so many components given a second life – helping to reduce waste and create positive outcomes both locally and abroad.
Check out some shots of the brand-new L pier below.
