Watercare's Central Interceptor
Central Interceptor - Auckland Festival of Photography
The largest wastewater infrastructure project in New Zealand history
Beneath the streets of Tāmaki Makaurau lies one New Zealand’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, Watercare's Central Interceptor.
At 16.2 kilometres long and up to 115 metres deep, this tunnel stretches from Watercare’s Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant to Point Erin, Herne Bay. When fully operational from mid-2026, it will significantly reduce wet-weather wastewater overflows, helping to clean up our waterways and beaches and improve water quality across the region.
Constructed using a giant tunnel boring machine named Hiwa i te Rangi, the project’s taken seven years of precision engineering, tunnelling through challenging ground conditions - including beneath the Manukau Harbour and below some of Auckland’s busiest suburbs.
Along the way, hundreds of workers, engineers and specialists contributed to a project of extraordinary scale. From massive shafts and underground chambers to a new pump station, plant rooms, and complex connections into the existing network, the Central Interceptor represents the cutting edge of infrastructure design and construction.
But beyond engineering, this project is also a human story: one of teamwork, resilience, and innovation in the face of challenges, from extreme weather events to working deep underground.
Watercare’s work on the Central Interceptor also reflects ongoing engagement with Mana Whenua across Tāmaki Makaurau. Working alongside iwi through established forums and consultation processes, cultural and environmental considerations were incorporated into planning and delivery. Input from Mana Whenua, including Cultural Values Assessments, helped identify sites of significance and inform approaches to managing impacts on land, water and taonga, ensuring the project respects deep cultural connections to place.
With XX years' experience, documentary photography Simon Runting immortalises moments, showcasing the display of people, machinery, the scale, and the unseen world beneath out city. Revealing the seven-year project that will shape Auckland for generations to come.