Earlier this year, the Ventia NZ Telecommunications team completed the 118km Te Anau to Milford build and fibre haul project on the remote southwest of New Zealand's South Island.

The completion marks the culmination of two of Ventia's most challenging projects for Chorus, one of New Zealand's largest telecommunications infrastructure providers. Ventia completed the second project, a 122km build and fibre haul from Hawea to Haast, in March 2022.

Two crucial links funded by the New Zealand Government, the projects connect communities clinging to the narrow coastline between steep peaks of the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea with the national fibre network, bringing superior connectivity to one of the most remote corners of Aotearoa. 

^{The milestone marked the completion of two of Ventia's most challenging projects for Chorus.}

Ventia Project Director Hilton Way said fibre is a game-changer for all New Zealanders, particularly those in small and remote communities. 

"Ventia is very proud of our critical role in this transformative project, connecting New Zealanders to best-in-class broadband," Hilton said. 

Delivering to smaller communities in remote locations brought certain challenges, but ensuring these areas now have access to high-speed internet was well worth it.

^{Teams installed ducting for the fibre cable along state highways and narrow two-lane roads that crisscross the Southern Alps.}

Dramatic landscapes, even more dramatic weather 

Thirty-person teams consisting of Ventia staff, Marais Laying and Telcospec were required to install ducting for the fibre cable along state highways and narrow two-lane roads that crisscross the Southern Alps, often bounded by cliffs, steep slopes, or thick rain forest.

For most of the routes, the team had to build in the road space instead of the more typical and safer soft grass berm on the side of the road. The challenging geology also meant that both teams often used rock saws to create the narrow trench where the duct would run. 

Adding to the challenge is that there were more than 200 bridges, culverts and tunnels between Te Anau and Milford, including the iconic 1.2km long Homer Tunnel.

^{The UFB1, UFB2 and UFB2+ Initiative has been one of the largest and most ambitious civil engineering infrastructure projects ever undertaken in New Zealand.}

In a high alpine environment sitting in the path of the infamous Roaring Forties - the strong westerly winds that occur in the Southern Hemisphere - the area is subject to blizzards all year round and some of the world's heaviest rainfall. Locations are always subject to avalanche risk.  

"The weather was a constant factor to consider, not only making the work hard, but sometimes impossible," said Hilton.

Most importantly though, the range of extremes puts pressure on the team, so working in a safe and supportive environment was even more important.

The fibre build has been one of the largest and most ambitious civil engineering infrastructure projects ever undertaken in New Zealand. Ventia has been vital in the project since 2009, delivering ultra-fast broadband fibre networks to smaller cities, rural towns and villages.