SRW AucklandStructural Retaining WallsCall027 426 5090Tell us about your project

Structural retaining walls Auckland

Structural retaining walls across Auckland.

SRW Auckland builds retaining walls across Auckland, straightforward and complicated alike. Where a wall needs an engineer, a consent or both, we run that as part of the same project. You deal with one company either way.

  • Garden, terrace and boundary walls
  • Failed, leaning or replacement walls
  • Engineered and consented structures
Tell us about your project See how the process works
From uncertain site
  1. Assess
  2. Coordinate
  3. Consent
  4. Construct
  5. Hand over
To finished build

01A managed project pathway

You should not have to join the dots yourself.

A retaining wall can pull in engineers, Council, drainage, access and a build sequence. We run whichever of those your wall actually needs, and keep you across what is happening, in the order it needs to happen.

Explore the complete process Schedule a site visit
  1. 01

    Site assessment

    We come to the property and work out what the site actually needs before anyone talks about a metre rate.

  2. 02

    Engineering and design

    Where the project needs an engineer we engage and brief them, then work the design through with them on your behalf, so what gets specified suits the property and the budget.

  3. 03

    Consent and documentation

    We prepare and lodge the consent, assemble the supporting documentation and handle Council's questions.

  4. 04

    Construction

    We manage sequencing, workmanship, site safety and communication throughout the build.

  5. 05

    Inspections and handover

    We book and attend the required inspections, then hand the project over with its records.

02Where we can help

Start with the situation, not a technical answer.

You can come to us before you know the wall type, engineering need or consent pathway. That uncertainty is part of the job.

Tell us about your project View project situations
  • 01

    A new retaining wall

    A garden wall, a terrace, a boundary wall, or ground that needs holding for a build or a driveway. Simple or not, it starts the same way.

    What an engineered wall involves
  • 02

    A wall that is failing

    You can see movement, cracking, leaning, erosion or water symptoms and need a responsible site-specific starting point.

    What to do about a failing wall
  • 03

    A slip or stability concern

    Ground movement on or near the property where the wider slope, not just the wall, is in question.

    Ground movement after heavy rain
  • 04

    A complex site or development

    Access, neighbours, buildings, driveways, boundaries, slope or multiple decision-makers make coordination as important as construction.

    Boundaries, neighbours and access

03What the job actually involves

Most of a retaining wall is the part you never see.

The visible face is the last thing built. The cost, the consent question and the service life are decided by what sits behind it: how water gets out, how far the wall is embedded, what the ground above it is carrying, and how the wall is tied back into the slope.

What gets specified
Wall systemsTimber pole, H-beam and timber infill, reinforced concrete block, segmental block, gravity and crib
DrainageFree-draining backfill, geotextile separation, subsoil drain, outlet to an approved point
LoadingRetained height, slope above and below, surcharge from driveways, vehicles and structures
GroundBearing capacity, clay and fill depth, groundwater, global stability of the wider slope
DocumentationProducer statements, geotechnical report, inspection records, as-built information
Schedule a site visit Call 027 426 5090
Illustrative cross-section of a retaining wallA generic diagram showing retained ground on the high side, a wall with embedded posts, a free-draining backfill zone wrapped in geotextile, a subsoil drain at the base of the wall, the retained height dimension, and a surcharge load acting on the ground above.Surcharge above the wallRetained groundGeotextile separationSubsoil drain and free-draining backfillRetained heightEmbedment below finished groundHeight and load set the pathway
Illustrative only. Component selection, wall type, drainage and embedment are determined for a specific site by the appropriate qualified professional.
A timber pole retaining wall part-built along a steep bush slope, with two workers, timber walings and coiled drainage pipe on the bench
A pole wall going up along a steep bush slope. Everything on that bench had to be carried or craned in, and the drainage coil in the foreground goes in before the face is closed.
A timber pole retaining wall running the length of a shared driveway beside townhouses, with traffic cones along its base
A pole and lagging wall along a shared driveway. Access walls carry vehicle load, which is most of why they end up bigger than people expect.
Level terrace of topsoil enclosed by low timber retaining walls and timber steps, beside a white Auckland house
The same kind of ground once it is held: a level terrace, timber steps between levels, and usable garden beside the house.

04What SRW manages

One company, from the first site visit to the finished wall.

You do not project-manage this. Where there is an engineer to brief, a consent condition to read or an inspection to book, that is ours. Not every wall needs every line below, and on a straightforward wall we say so.

One point of accountability

SRW Auckland

One company holds the project from the first visit to handover. One number to call, one person who knows the job, one party accountable for the outcome.

  • 01Site assessment and project scoping
  • 02Engaging and briefing the engineer, where the project needs one
  • 03Working the design through as your representative, to suit the property and the budget
  • 04Geotechnical input where the ground requires it
  • 05Building consent preparation and lodgement
  • 06Resource consent where it applies
  • 07All Council correspondence and requests for information
  • 08Producer statements, ours and the engineer's, and the supporting documentation
  • 09Booking and attending required inspections
  • 10Construction, site management and health and safety
  • 11Project records, handover, and code compliance on consented work
See the full process

Engineering services, where a project requires them, are provided by independent qualified engineers engaged and managed by SRW. Auckland Council makes the regulatory decision on every consent.

Ready when you areIt starts with a site visit.Schedule a site visit

05Consent

Do you need a building consent for a retaining wall in Auckland?

Often, yes. The commonly referenced exemption, at Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004, covers walls retaining no more than 1.5 metres depth of ground with no surcharge or additional load above them. Height alone does not settle it.

Auckland CouncilMBIE

Published August 2026

Surcharge changes the answer
A driveway, vehicle, building, pool or steeper slope above the wall adds load. A wall well under 1.5 metres can still require consent because of what sits behind and above it.
Resource consent is a separate question
Earthworks volume, land disturbance, natural hazard overlays, protected trees and Unitary Plan controls can trigger a planning question even where building consent is not required.
Exempt still means compliant
Work that does not need a building consent must still meet the Building Code. Exemption is not an exemption from doing it properly.
Boundaries bring other people in
Walls near a boundary can involve the neighbouring owner, existing services, and the question of which property the retained ground belongs to.
Check which rules apply to your wall Read the full consent guide Call 027 426 5090

General guidance only. Requirements change, and none of this replaces project-specific professional advice or an Auckland Council decision on your property.

06What happens when you get in touch

Two short steps. No metre-rate guess.

You see exactly what we ask before you start. Unsure is a valid answer to any of it.

  1. 01

    The property and what is happening

    Full address, the situation, and a short description in your own words. Photos are welcome but optional.

  2. 02

    How to reach you

    Name and a contact method. You see a tailored summary of likely next steps before anything is sent.

Tell us about your project Call 027 426 5090

Useful to have, none of it required

  1. 01Full property address and your relationship to it
  2. 02What you can safely see, and roughly where the wall sits
  3. 03Approximate height and length, or Unsure
  4. 04Nearby buildings, driveways, pools, boundaries or other walls

The full checklist is on the enquiry page. Never enter an area you believe may be dangerous to gather information.

A clear place to start

Tell us what is happening at your property.

Share the address, the situation and a short description. You do not need to know the wall system, consent pathway or engineering requirements.

Tell us about your project Call 027 426 5090
Two short steps. We reply by email or phone.