Clients in the Natural Hazard Resilience sector are working in the highly emotive space where the forces of nature, politics and paradise collide.

Tonkin + Taylor’s clients need solutions that land owners and users will accept, ratepayers will fund and politicians will vote for.  Richard Reinen-Hamill has repeatedly proven he can deliver in that environment - he personifies the term 'trusted advisor'.

Richard is Tonkin + Taylor's Sector Director for Natural Hazard Resilience which comprises 20% of T+T's annual revenue.  He is also New Zealand's leading Coastal Engineer.

He has more than 25 years’ international experience in coastal processes, coastal hazard assessment, including climate change effects, coastal management, and designing coastal and marine structures using numerical and physical models.

Richard is at the forefront of coastal engineering and coastal hazard expertise in New Zealand and has a wealth of national and international experience on award-winning coastal projects, often including innovative solutions, technical challenges and multi-disciplinary and stakeholder involvement.

He has directed coastal activities for many large high-profile projects in New Zealand – including the restoration of Wellington's Oriental Bay and Auckland's Onehunga Foreshore –  as well as internationally.  He continues to provide innovative, cost effective solutions for our clients and is increasingly called upon as an expert witness, presenting evidence at more than 30 Environment Court hearings and having prepared more than 200 technical reports. He has also written some 20 technical papers.

Richard has a BE (Hons, Civil), an ME (Coastal) and a Certificate in Multi-Hazard Risk Assessments. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers in New Zealand (IPENZ).