Short Course and AGM

On November 12, 2024, the New Zealand Tunnelling Society 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.

Topics covered included:

Design and Construction: Discussions focused on standardised approaches in tunnelling 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 tunnelling projects

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 Tunnelling 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 concluded with insights from the International Tunnelling Association (ITA), followed by a summary of key takeaways, next steps, and opportunities for further collaboration.

We were very lucky to have a diverse and high calibre array of speakers, from economists to suppliers, contractors to clients, each of whom 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 for sharing your knowledge and different perspectives.

We finished the day with the NZTS Annual General Meeting, which was well attended and provided an 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.