Watercare's Central Interceptor
Auckland Festival of Photography
View a snapshot of the Central Interceptor journey, brought to you by documentary photographer Simon Runting.
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 reduce wet-weather wastewater overflows, helping to clean up our waterways and beaches and improve water quality across the region.
Constructed using two tunnel boring machines named Hiwa‑i‑te‑Rangi and Domenica, 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 cutting edge infrastructure design and construction.
Beyond engineering, this project is 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 over 40 years' experience as a documentary photographer Simon Runting immortalises moments, showcasing the people, the machinery, the scale, and the unseen world beneath out city. This seven-year project will shape Auckland for generations to come.