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Customer: Ministry of Infrastructure, Government of Tonga Contract: Design and Construct Location: Nuku'alofa, Tonga   |
Fast Facts
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We upgraded the Queen Sālote International Wharf in Nukau'alofa for the Tongan Ministry of Infrastructure between 2023 and 2025, on time and on budget, with zero LITs during the one million hours worked.
The wharf is Tonga’s only international port, a lifeline for the country, processing 95% of the country's imports and exports. This critical infrastructure upgrade modernised and climate-proofed the facility, increased capacity, and improved power, drainage and water services.
The USD$70 million wharf upgrade, one of the largest infrastructure investments in Tonga’s history, was co-funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Australia Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
We worked closely with the Tongan Port Authority, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the engineering firm Royal Haskoning DHV to develop the construction plan and method from 2021 to 2022, where we identified several value engineering improvements.
Construction
To minimise disruption as the port needed to remain operational during the construction, we completed the mix of marine and onshore work in two stages.
Stage One: September 2023 – July 2024
- Building a new dolphin between Wharf 1 and 2
- two new dolphins on the eastern side of Wharf 1
- and reconstructingof Wharf 1
Stage Two -July 2024 - October 2025
- Constructing the extension to Wharf 2 to accommodate larger vessels
- a new dolphin to the west of Wharf 2
- and installing the new paving, drainage, smart lighting, waste management, and firefighting services.
People
Over the three-year project, which began in September 202,3 most of the work was self-delivered by the amazing team we recruited for this project.
Around 80% of the team were locals, and 11 % were women, in roles from engineering to quality control. The project was a perfect opportunity to develop construction skills and experience in Tonga. We hired eight graduates from local tertiary institutions to gain valuable experience and the team completed over 3000 hours of training over the two years.
Successes
We invested 14% of the contract value back into Tonga, and 20% of the project spend supported the local community and businesses.
A major long-term improvement was establishing a concrete batching and testing facility on the island. This created job and training opportunities and will reduce carbon emissions as tests no longer need to be flown to NZ.
We saved 13,395 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide gas equivalent) on the project and diverted 85% of waste generated from landfill by:
- reusing 2160 tonnes of concrete from the old wharf in rock bags saving 6,480 TCO2e
- 126 tonnes of scrap metal
- 4.2 tonnes of soft plastic
- And 11 metric tonnes of waste oil was recycled in NZ
- 40,000 litres of rainwater was collected for use in the concrete batching plant.
In 2024 and 2025, we sponsored the Tongan under-16s Rugby League team to take part in the NRL's Junior Development Rugby League Tour. The result was that 12 boys and 12 girls were offered league scholarships in Australia to further their sporting and educational dreams.
On 31 October 2025, officials from all the partner organisations came together for the official opening. The guest of honour, His Majesty King Tupou VI, cut the ribbon and unveiled a plaque to mark the special occasion.
