Waitohi Picton Ferry Redevelopment and Linkspan Programme

Port Marlborough New Zealand

Location

Picton, New Zealand

Sectors

Transport

Services

Project ManagementAdvisory

Waitohi Picton Ferry Redevelopment and Linkspan Programme

Supporting the delivery of future-ready ferry infrastructure through specialised procurement and programme leadership.

TSA Riley is supporting Port Marlborough New Zealand (PMNZ) to deliver a transformative infrastructure programme for the next generation of Cook Strait ferry services. In partnership with Ferry Holdings, KiwiRail, and CentrePort, this once-in-a-generation investment will strengthen inter-regional connectivity and future-proof critical maritime infrastructure for decades to come.

Delivered within a live port environment, the work is carefully staged to maintain safe and uninterrupted ferry and freight operations while replacing ageing assets, including a wharf, linkspan, vehicle access bridge and passenger facilities.

TSA Riley is providing project management and specialist procurement leadership services across the programme, helping PMNZ and its partners navigate delivery in this highly complex, multi-stakeholder environment.

Project management

On the delivery side, we are supporting the planning and coordination of marine and landside works. Our team is responsible for:

Carefully sequencing construction works within the busy port environment to ensure ferry services, freight movements, and day-to-day operations continue safely, with minimal disruption.

Managing the integration of marine and landside works across multiple stakeholders, aligning technical requirements and reducing disruption in a highly constrained setting.

Through well-coordinated environmental assessments and approvals, with a robust consenting strategy that integrates cultural and environmental considerations.

Providing active oversight of programme, cost, and risk – giving stakeholders greater certainty around timeframes, funding, and outcomes.

Responding to live conditions and operational needs through agile, collaborative decision-making and problem-solving to keep delivery on track.

Procurement leadership

TSA Riley also led 2 major procurement programmes: the procurement of a Main Contractor for the delivery of the Waitohi Picton Ferry Terminal Redevelopment Project, and the Cook Strait Interislander Ferry Linkspan Replacement Programme. This involved procurement of a supplier to design, manufacture, and deliver replacement linkspan infrastructure. In these roles we drove:

We implemented well-defined procurement plans, documentation, and approval gateways to reduce ambiguity and support timely governance decision-making.

Our team used 2-stage, tailored procurement approaches that tested market appetites early and ensured the strategy reflected delivery constraints, capability, and capacity.

TSA Riley worked closely with Port Marlborough, Ferry Holdings, CentrePort and their respective consultant teams under a unified procurement framework, ensuring consistent decision-making across organisations and project interfaces.

We refined delivery solutions, allocated risk and improved cost certainty through early contractor engagement and interactive processes.

Our experts established robust governance, evaluation, and moderation processes to support transparent, auditable procurement decisions in programmes subject to significant ministerial, public, and stakeholder scrutiny.

We created a reusable and comprehensive suite of procurement documents, evaluation tools, and governance frameworks, supporting clients to build internal capability for future procurements.

Our impact

Across procurement and delivery, TSA Riley is bringing clarity, coordination, and confidence to a complex, nationally significant investment in Aotearoa’s inter-island connection. Our team is helping PMNZ shape resilient, future-ready infrastructure that will serve communities, industry, and the economy for generations.