Ground engineering from first investigation to final sign-off.
Clear, practical advice at every stage, whether you’re building a single house or delivering major infrastructure.
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- Small to large subdivisions, including wetland ponds and waterways
- Single house site stability and foundations
- Commercial and industrial buildings and warehouses
Trusted on homes, subdivisions and major infrastructure.
Selected projects by GCE’s specialist. Select a project to see more.
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Heba Elsaidy
Heba moved to New Zealand with her young family to pursue a PhD in Civil Engineering, researching problematic soil behaviour in Auckland.
She has since held senior technical roles across New Zealand, including Senior Geotechnical Specialist and CAT2P Technical Lead in Auckland Council’s Recovery Office, supporting recovery after Cyclone Gabrielle.
Common questions, answered.
Straight answers to what clients ask us most.
Have a site in mind?
Every site is different below the ground. Send us the address and what you’re planning, and we’ll confirm the scope and fee before any work starts.
Site Investigation and Assessment
Understanding the ground and its risks before you design or build.
- Desktop studies
- Ground risk assessment
- Geotechnical slope assessments, landslide mapping, and slope risk assessment and mitigation
- Identification of geohazards and assessment of adverse geological conditions
- Liquefaction assessment, mitigation and prevention work
- Impact assessment of new construction on existing infrastructure
Design
Practical geotechnical design that suits the site, the structure and the budget.
- Foundation and retaining wall design
- Foundation solutions for very weak ground, including wick drains and preloading
- Ground improvement and remedial works, including advice on ground improvement techniques
- Earthworks consulting for sites with challenging ground conditions
- Pavement subgrade assessment and pavement design from a geotechnical perspective
- Bridge and roading design, including pile design, retaining walls and MSE walls
- Wastewater treatment plant development, including pond and earth embankment design
Review and Specialist Advisory
Independent, expert review when a second opinion matters.
- Proof engineering and peer review
- Specialist evidence at insurance and council proceedings
Construction Phase Services
On site during construction, confirming the ground matches the design.
- Temporary works and working platform design and certification
- Piling pad design, piling supervision and certification
- Site classification based on soil and materials testing
- Inspection of footings and foundation systems
- Instrumentation and monitoring planning, and interpretation of results
Natural Hazard Risk Assessments
Many sloping, coastal and hillside properties across the Auckland region now need a site-specific geotechnical risk assessment before building, adding on or subdividing.
- Natural hazard risk assessments under Auckland Council’s Proposed Plan Change 120
- Landslide hazard risk assessments to the Appendix 24 methodology
- Checks on whether your site, or land within 150 m, is mapped as landslide-susceptible
- Coastal instability and erosion assessments
- Liquefaction assessments for low-lying and reclaimed land
- Design advice to show risk is acceptable or tolerable
- Responses to council information requests on natural hazard matters
Development Types
We support developments of every scale, from a single house to large subdivisions and industrial sites.
Images are representative and are not photographs of the projects described.
Not sure which service you need?
Send us the address and what you’re planning. We’ll tell you what’s required.
Built environment
Infrastructure
Natural hazards
Natural Hazard Assessments and Technical Reviews (Public Sector)
We have been involved in the assessment and independent review of natural hazards for public sector clients. This work included evaluating geotechnical and land stability risks, reviewing technical reports and supporting documentation, and providing expert advice to assist planning, infrastructure, and development decisions. This work has given us a strong understanding of risk-based hazard assessment methodologies and the practical application of geotechnical engineering within regulatory and public-sector frameworks.
Planning something similar?
Tell us about your site and what you’re planning. We’ll come back to you with a straightforward answer.
Tell us about your site
Send us the address and what you’re planning. We’ll let you know what’s needed and confirm the scope and fee in writing before any work starts.
- The site address
- Your plans, or a short description of the project
- Any council requests or previous reports
- Advice on what your project needs
- A written scope and fee
We investigate the ground
We review existing records and geology, then test the ground on site. The investigation is matched to the risk, so you only pay for what the project needs.
- Existing records, such as property files
- Access to the site
- Locations of underground services, if known
- A desktop review of existing records and geology
- On-site testing, such as hand augers, test pits, boreholes or CPTs
- A ground model of your site
You receive a clear report
Plain-English findings with the technical detail your designers and council need. We’re available to talk it through and answer council questions.
- Clear findings on ground conditions and risks
- Foundation and design recommendations
- A report ready for building or resource consent
- Responses to council requests for information
We support construction
We visit site at key stages to confirm the ground matches the design, and provide the documentation council needs at the end.
- Site inspections at key stages
- Checks that ground conditions match the design
- Completion documentation for council sign-off
Common questions, answered.
Ready for step one?
Send us the address and what you’re planning. We’ll come back to you with what’s needed and the next steps.
Straight answers. Solid ground.
A specialist consultancy, built on diverse experiences.
Founding story
GCE was founded by Heba Elsaidy, who relocated to New Zealand with her young family to pursue a PhD in Civil Engineering, specialising in Geotechnical Engineering. Her research focused on the challenges of problematic soil behaviour in Auckland, contributing to more resilient and sustainable geotechnical solutions.
Heba is a Chartered Professional Geotechnical Engineer with extensive consulting experience across New Zealand. She has held a number of senior technical roles, including Senior Geotechnical Specialist and CAT2P Technical Lead within Auckland Council’s Recovery Office following Cyclone Gabrielle, where she played a key role in supporting post-disaster recovery and providing specialist geotechnical leadership.
She established GCE to give clients straight answers on solid ground, drawing on 25 years of consulting experience, including close working relationships with contractors.
What you can expect from GCE.
Advice that works for everyone on the project.
Let’s talk about your site.
You’ll deal directly with the engineer responsible for your project, from the first question to the final report.
Contact Us
Tell us about your site and what you’re planning. We’ll come back to you with what’s needed and the next steps.
Reach us directly
You’ll deal directly with the engineer responsible for your project, from the first question to the final report.
Thank you for getting in touch. We’ve received your enquiry and will reply within one to two working days.
This privacy policy explains how GCE Geotechnical Services (“GCE”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses and protects the personal information you provide when you visit and use our website. We are committed to handling your personal information in line with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page with a new “last updated” date, so we recommend checking this page occasionally.
1.What information we collect
When you visit our website or contact us, we may collect:
- Your contact details, such as your name, email address and phone number.
- Information you give us about your project, such as a site address.
2.Why we collect it
We collect your information to:
- Respond to your enquiry and provide our services.
- Better understand your needs.
- Improve our website and services.
- Invite you to give feedback on our services.
3.Keeping your information safe
We are committed to keeping your personal information secure and confidential. We take reasonable steps to protect it from loss, and from unauthorised access, use, disclosure or modification.
4.Cookies
Our website does not use cookies, analytics or tracking tools, and we do not record the pages you visit.
If you choose dark or light mode, that choice is saved in your own browser (local storage) so the site remembers it next time. It is never sent to us.
Our website loads its fonts from Google Fonts. To do this, your browser connects to Google’s servers, which may be located overseas, and shares your IP address with Google. Google’s privacy policy explains how it handles this information.
5.Links to other websites
Our website contains links to other websites, such as LinkedIn. If you click on these links, GCE is not responsible for how your information is handled on those websites, and this privacy policy does not apply to them. Please read the privacy policy of any website you visit from our website.
6.Your choices
You can choose how much personal information you share with us:
- When using our contact form, only your name and email address are required. All other fields are optional.
- You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time by emailing us.
7.Sharing your information
We will not sell, rent or distribute your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required to do so by law. We will only use your details to respond to your enquiry and to provide the services you engage us for. We do not send marketing emails. Messages sent through our contact form are delivered to us by Formspree, a form service based in the United States. Formspree stores the message on our behalf only so it can be delivered to us, and is required to protect it. We take reasonable steps to ensure any overseas provider protects your information in a way comparable to the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
8.Access and correction
You have the right to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it is wrong. To make a request, email us at {{ email }}.
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at privacy.org.nz.
9.Contact us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please email {{ email }}.
1.Introduction
Welcome to the GCE Geotechnical Services website (“GCE”, “we”, “us” or “our”). By visiting our website and accessing the information, resources and tools we provide, you agree to accept and follow these terms and conditions. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the website.
2.Intellectual property
All content published on this website, including text, graphics, logos, images, drawings and data, is the property of GCE Geotechnical Services or its content suppliers and is protected by New Zealand and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, duplicate or copy any content without our explicit written permission.
Some images on this website are licensed stock or public domain photographs and remain the property of their owners. If you believe any content on this website infringes your copyright, please email us at {{ email }} with details and we will review it and remove it promptly if appropriate.
3.Acceptable use
By using our website, you agree to use it only for its intended purposes and as permitted by these terms. You agree not to:
- Use the website in any way that causes, or may cause, damage to the website or impairs its availability or accessibility.
- Use the website to copy, store, host, transmit, send, use, publish or distribute any material that consists of, or is linked to, malicious computer software.
- Carry out any systematic or automated data collection on or in relation to our website.
4.General information only
The information on this website is general in nature. It is not engineering advice for any particular site or project, and it should not be relied on as such. Ground conditions vary from site to site, so please contact us for advice on your specific project. Our advice is only provided in writing, under an agreed scope of work.
5.Limitation of warranties
All resources on our website are provided “as is” and “as available”. We do not represent or warrant that:
- The use of our resources will meet your needs or requirements.
- The use of our resources will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or free from errors.
6.Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, GCE Geotechnical Services and its owners will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or exemplary loss or damage that you may incur as a result of using our website or its resources, or as a result of any changes, data loss or corruption, cancellation, loss of access or downtime.
Nothing in these terms limits any rights you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986 that cannot lawfully be excluded. Engineering services are provided under a separate written engagement, and the terms of that engagement apply to those services.
7.Privacy
Your privacy is very important to us. Please read our Privacy Policy to understand how we collect, use and protect your personal information.
8.Changes to these terms
We may change these terms and conditions at any time. When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page. By continuing to use the website after any changes, you accept the updated terms.
9.Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand, and the courts of New Zealand have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute relating to them.
10.Contact information
If you have any questions or comments about these terms and conditions, please contact us:
- Email: {{ email }}
- Website: {{ website }}