New Zealand Tunnelling Society

On Tuesday we held our annual Short Course and AGM at the Aotea Centre. The theme of the course was Realising Value for Money in Underground Construction and Tunnelling Projects - a topic which is very relevant to the current New Zealand infrastructure context and landscape. We were very lucky to have a very diverse and high calibre array of speakers from economists to suppliers, contractors to clients, each of which presented on different subjects related to value for money in underground construction. A big thank you to all of the presenters for your time and sharing your knowledge and different perspectives. We were also lucky to have a highly entertaining and thought provoking panel session which was very capably facilitated by Chris Moloney. Chris did a great job of generating some really interesting and engaging discussions and even finding some key areas of alignment between the panelists. We finished the day with the NZTS Annual General Meeting which was well attended and provided opportunity to reflect on a highly successful last 12 months for the society. At the AGM we elected 2 new members to the board - a big congratulations and welcome to Tom Ireland and Katerina Howard. Thank you very much to everyone who attended the day and everyone who helped make it happen - in particular to Farzad Farvizi, Jochem Dorst and Peter Yee. #NZtunnelling#Valueformoney#collaboration John WilliamsonFrancesco SaibeneJoseph DonohueStuart Tansey - GMRory BishopAmerico dos SantosAnthony MillsMatt Kennedy-GoodChris MoloneyShayne Cunis FEngNZFrancois DudouitTom IrelandLouis CollingwoodKathryn KingBill Newns

We are now less than a week away from the NZTS 2024 Short course! If you have registered yet then make sure you do at the link below. We have also added a registration option at a heavily discounted rate for all young professionals to make it more accessible for you. Check it out.

Places are filling up fast for the 2024 NZTS Short Course!! Make sure you get in now and register to avoid missing out on the great line up of presenters that we have organised.

🔊 Come and join us on the 12 November 2024 in Auckland for our Annual Short Course: Realising Value for Money through Underground Solutions. Event Overview: This full-day workshop brings together industry leaders, technical experts, and key stakeholders to explore best practices and innovative approaches to realizing value for money in underground construction and tunneling projects. Topics covered include: ·        Design and Construction: Discussions will focus on standardized approaches in tunneling projects, leveraging urban challenges for innovative underground solutions, and advancements in machine technology, reuse, and safety. ·        Commercial Perspective: Insights into procurement strategies, contract models, and project packaging specific to New Zealand’s environment. This session will highlight various funding models and future projects in tunneling. ·        Sustainable Solutions: Exploration of zero-carbon technologies, rehabilitation of aging infrastructure, and the adoption of low-carbon cement for future projects. ·        Panel Discussion: A key session on building high performing project teams, covering topics such as performance, quality, value for money, and risk management. ·        Future of Tunneling in New Zealand: A forward-looking conversation on future tunneling projects and how private sector investments in energy and data centers may impact the industry. The workshop will conclude with insights from the International Tunnelling Association (ITA), followed by a summary of key takeaways, next steps, and opportunities for further collaboration. Attendance at the course will count towards Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Following on from the short course the NZTS AGM will be held with elections for the board taking place. The full programme for the day along with registration can be found at the following link. We look forward to seeing you there. https://lnkd.in/g_FDejNh

That’s what it’s all about; celebrating the people and the projects that make our industry an exciting place to work!  A big thank you to Tom Ireland, who provided a great overview of the history of Earth-Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machine (EPB TBM) projects in Auckland and to Aurecon who sponsored the event. The New Zealand Tunnelling Society was also greatly honoured to host Mike McConnell from the British Tunnelling Society to present 50 year commemoration books to Herb Hart, Robert White, and Tommy Parker (on behalf of his father Chris Parker) for their commitments to tunnelling. It was a special occasion to share with our friends from the BTS and to celebrate colleagues who have given so much to the industry over their careers. We hope to see you at our next event: NZTS Short Course and Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Aotea Centre on November 12th. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/g_FDejNh #Tunnellingcollaboration#thebestindustryever 

📣 A short journey through the History of EPB Tunnelling in New Zealand, and a celebration of 50 years of the British Tunnelling Society. 📣 ⛏ Come and join us at the Birdcage Tavern in Auckland on October 10th for a seminar by Tom Ireland from Aurecon on the History of EPB Tunnelling in New Zealand. This will be followed by a presentation by Mike McConnell from the British Tunnelling Society of a 50 year celebratory book to a few deserving recipients who are based in NZ. It should be a great evening with food and refreshments and a great chance to catch up with friends and colleagues. Thank you to Aurecon for sponsoring the event - please register at the following link. https://lnkd.in/gZYJsSg8

A return to regular programming!! We were really happy to restart a series of evening presentations with Bhargava Jinukula's discussion on micro-tunnelling the Central Interceptor’s Link Sewer C. Bhargava's presentation provided an overview of the differences between slurry and earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines and then dove into the decisions behind, and work involved to omit a proposed temporary works shaft and undertake the longest micro-tunnelling drive on the project. Great to see so many familiar faces! A big thanks to Bhargava for presenting and to Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture for hosting. #NZTS#tunnelcommunity

We are really looking forward to Bhargava Jinukula's presentation on the Central Interceptor Link Sewer C on the 29th August. Link Sewer C is a 2.4m internal diameter sewer line which runs from May Road to Miranda Reserve as part of the Central Interceptor project. It is constructed of PE lined concrete jacking pipes which were installed using an EPB mTBM with a longest drive of 1187m. Come and join us for what will be a really interesting presentation and a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues. https://lnkd.in/g2mKXtpX

I was honoured to be able to represent the New Zealand Tunnelling Society at the World Tunnel Congress 2024 (WTC 2024) – Tunnelling for a Better Life - in Shenzhen, China. This year was the 50-year anniversary of the International Tunnelling Association (ITA) and the conference was a true celebration of international tunnelling both past, present and future that left me humbled, inspired and energized. The week was exceptionally engaging and thought provoking, with more than 3000 attendees from the 80 member nations. There was a very high standard of presentations, plenary sessions, keynote speakers and round table discussions, and as always, some inspiring words from our Chair, Arnold Dix. ITA Working Group 20 and the Sustainability Committee, both of which I am a member of, met to make plans for the year ahead. The collective drive to progress sustainable development utilizing underground space was clearly evident in both these groups and right across the conference. We were all given a first hand example of the transformative potential of underground space in the amazing City of Shenzhen which has grown from a small seaside fishing town to an efficient and vibrant city of more than 18 million people with an extensive, high quality metro system in only 40 years. The ITA selected Auckland’s City Rail Link as one of the top 50 iconic tunnelling projects globally of the last 50 years. I was grateful to receive the certificate to recognize this achievement on behalf of the City Rail Link Ltd team at the General Assembly of the ITA. A huge congratulations to Francois Dudouit and all of those who have been part of this exceptional project! Thank you to the conference organizing committee led by Jenny Yan and to Shenzhen for an incredible experience!

I had the privilege of attending the Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau New Zealand Chairs Forum last week on behalf of the NZ Tunnelling Society. This was an opportunity to meet with all of the chairs of the ENZ branches and technical groups to connect and share ideas with each other. The day included plenty of great discussion, some training in effective leadership and good governance from Tregaskis Brown and a climate change workshop. It also gave us a far better understanding of what Engineering New Zealand does and the range of advocacy, services and support that they offer – which is extensive. I was also able to attend the ENZ AGM and the Fellows Dinner that evening which was a very humbling experience. Congratulations to all of the very deserving recipients. Thanks to Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau New Zealand for the whole experience which was inspiring, energizing and thought provoking. It is great to be part of such a passionate community working together to make New Zealand a better place. #Engineering#STEM