Former Tucker Beach landfill site getting a spruce up

Queenstown Lakes District Council has begun preparatory work at the former landfill site at Tucker Beach in Frankton ahead of rehabilitating the landfill slope in the new year.

Whilst the access road to Tucker Beach Wildlife Management Reserve will be closed during the primary works, the reserve and walking/biking trail themselves will remain accessible.

QLDC Property & Infrastructure General Manager Tony Avery outlined the reason for the work and what people could expect to see around the site.

“The landfill was closed and capped in 1999. Through routine inspections we’ve noticed that, 25 years on, the existing capping requires a bit of work in several places and so made the decision to secure the site’s long-term future by rehabilitating the landfill slope,” he said.

“The work will be carried out by Council’s existing landfill operator and contractor utilising their expertise and experience in dealing with landfills, with Tonkin + Taylor (environmental and engineering consultancy) overseeing the works.”

“Members of the community should look out for onsite signage showing entrances to the site, a new temporary carpark, and the construction zone which will include the road and the base of the slope. We ask that people visiting Tucker Beach, especially dog walkers, stay away from the base area where heavy machinery and trucks will be working, but otherwise everyone can enjoy the reserve and trail as normal,” he said.

“Part of the project includes carefully removing some bigger plants and healthy specimens from the construction zone to relocate after the main work is complete. We’ll be collaborating with the Tucker Beach Wildlife Trust on this aspect of the project.”

Work over the next three months includes the following:

• From 22 January 2026, Council landfill contractors will be closing the landfill road and carting the stockpiled material from the top of the landfill to the bottom; a traffic management plan and fencing will be in place.
• Trucks will continue to deposit material here during February and March as required. The topsoil fill of approximately 300mm depth will also be carted either from the stockpile or a nearby site.
• Once the fill component has finished the site will be grass seeded and a rabbit-proof fence installed across the front of the new toe.
• In the autumn, subject to available budget, a selection of natives will be planted along with mulch created at the Council’s transfer station.

A map showing the construction zone, temporary carpark, the closed access road and open pedestrian/cycle trail is available by clicking here.

QLDC has been consulting with affected partners and stakeholders including DOC, Queenstown Trails Trust, Tucker Beach Residents & Wildlife Trust groups and Kāi Tahu while planning the work.

ENDS|KUA MUTU.

Media contact 

TEL: 03 441 1802

communications@qldc.govt.nz

FURTHER INFORMATION | Kā pāroko tāpiri

• The landfill was closed in June 1999 with final contouring to seal the landfill completed at the end of that year.
• The Tucker Beach Closed Landfill site is managed through a Landfill Closure Management Plan, with two inspections conducted each year and analysis taken from several monitoring bores on site and in neighbouring land.
• A dedicated webpage for this project is available at https://www.qldc.govt.nz/tucker-beach-landfill