Discover
How the TBM got its name
We asked New Zealanders to help name our Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in early 2020. After receiving thousands of nominations for ‘ground-breaking New Zealand women’, a panel chose the top three names which were put to a public vote.
Georgina Beyer, in honour of the human rights activist and world’s first openly transgender Mayor.
Dr Margaret Bradshaw, an extraordinary woman who broke new ground in male-dominated Antarctic research.
Dame Whina Cooper, who worked tirelessly for the civil and land rights of Māori. Dame Whina Cooper received the most votes from the public and is the ground-breaking woman our TBM is named after.
Our tunnelling team
We have a team of local and international tunnelling experts with a wealth of knowledge, tasked with operating and supporting the Dame Whina Cooper TBM. They have worked on other tunnelling projects around the word including Crossrail in London, Hong Kong’s MTR (Mass Transit Railway) and Auckland’s own Waterview Connection.
Led by our Tunnels Project Manager, Florent Detraux, and TBM Tunnels Construction Manager, Derek Whelan, we’ll share some profiles of the team
here so that you can get to know them
a little better.
Factory Acceptance Test
In early August 2020 the Dame Whina Cooper TBM passed its Factory Acceptance Test - a programme of over 500 tests - before it was received by the Link Alliance from manufacturers Herrenknecht. Passing the Factory Acceptance Test is a milestone for all tunnel boring machines as it shows us the TBM works as expected before we receive it. It’s similar to test driving a car before you buy it – it gives you the opportunity to make sure you’re happy with your future purchase. Find out more about our Factory Acceptance Test and the Dame Whina Cooper TBM in the video above.