Ghella was represented among the 100 senior executives invited to the conference in Auckland.
As the Central Interceptor—New Zealand’s largest wastewater infrastructure project – nears completion, Ghella had been preparing to leave the country because of a lack of ongoing work. However, Ghella says the Investment Summit reinforced its confidence in the government’s commitment to a stable roll-out of infrastructure projects.
Ghella’s country manager, Francesco Saibene, said that while many of the projects were still months or years away, Ghella hoped to build on the success of Watercare’s Central Interceptor project which is on track for completion in 2026.
The Central Interceptor project was Ghella’s introduction to New Zealand. Saibene said the company was optimistic about securing more opportunities in the water infrastructure sector.
“We are due to finish our 16.2km wastewater tunnel under Auckland in coming weeks. Originally, we planned to return or reuse this TBM, plus two other small machines, on projects elsewhere around the world but following the positivity of the infrastructure summit, we will now keep the machine and associated services in New Zealand,” he said.
Watercare’s chief programme delivery officer, Shayne Cunis, welcomed Ghella’s plans to stay in New Zealand.
“We are delighted that, through Watercare, we have been able to bring such expertise to New Zealand—and now we can retain it, along with the hundreds of Kiwis and international workers who have been upskilled through this project. Having a TBM ready to go will help us and the industry deliver future projects more efficiently,” said Cunis.
TBM Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is due to break through into the Point Erin shaft, Herne Bay this month after starting her journey in Māngere in 2021. The tunnel route was designed to avoid lava cones and involved a 1,500m undersea stretch across the Manukau Harbour. The tunnel ranges in depth from 15m to 110m.
In February the southern half of the system went live.
