LDE stands for Land Development Engineering. The firm was founded in Gisborne in 2004 doing exactly that — the civil and geotechnical engineering that turns a piece of land into something that can be consented, serviced and built on. Land development is still core work: site investigation and stability analysis on steep and compressible ground, earthworks and erosion and sediment control, roading, stormwater, wastewater and water supply design, and the reporting that supports subdivision consent.
The business has grown well past that starting point. LDE now trades as LDE Engineers & Scientists across geotechnical, civil, structural, environmental, coastal, water, hydrogeology, transport, geophysics and project management work, from ten offices between Kerikeri and Whanganui, and is part of the WGA group. Most people simply say LDE.