Developing infrastructure that supports communities across the Pacific

A car drives along a road. Beside the road is dense vegitation which acts as a barrier between the road and a tropical beach with crashing waves

Creating lasting community benefit is at the heart of our work in the Pacific region, home to many diverse cultures and countries that increasingly view themselves as a globally important ‘Blue Pacific continent’.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought disruptions and border closures across the region, we have shown our resilience in supporting clients and communities on projects that will advance security and bilateral relationships, community infrastructure and social development.

Projects powered by cross-country collaboration

We have been able to continue to deliver a vast range of projects throughout the pandemic thanks to our local presence and the commitment of our local employees in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, coupled with remote collaboration with teams in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.

Defence infrastructure in Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea

Our work in the Defence sector includes design support for the construction of Blackrock Camp in Fiji, a world-class peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster response centre which may be used as a hub to provide aid and assistance throughout the Pacific. We have also nearly completed design on Fiji’s Maritime Essential Services Centre, which will enhance maritime safety and security coordination across the region and will house the Fiji Navy Headquarters, the Fiji Maritime Surveillance and Rescue Coordination Centre, Coastal Radio and Fiji’s Navy Hydrographic Service.

Our teams also provided project management of wharf upgrades in Fiji and Vanuatu to support the introduction of the Guardian Class Patrol Vessels as part of the Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP) and, as part of Australia’s longstanding partnership with Papua New Guinea, we completed design and are now providing supporting services for the redevelopment of Lombrum Naval Base.

In addition to completing the design for Vanuatu Mobile Forces facilities at Cook Barracks, Port Vila and Tiroas Barracks, Luganville, we’re also providing ongoing support while construction of facilities at Cook Barracks is underway.

Water treatment in the Cook Islands

Delivering safe, reliable water is one of our key priorities. Our recent work in the Pacific includes the project management and construction supervision of Te Mato Vai - the largest single infrastructure project in the Cook Islands, which is upgrading Rarotonga’s water supply system, providing treated water for the first time in the country’s history.

Renewable energy in Nauru

Supporting sustainable future energy has continued to be an area of focus for us, and we are working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Nauru to source 50 percent of the country’s energy from renewable energy supplies.

Reliable transport in Papua New Guinea

We are also helping communities stay connected through transportation: GHD is the managing contractor for Transport Sector Support Program, a five-year AUD400 million investment by the Australian Government to support the Government of Papua New Guinea in enabling safer and more reliable transport infrastructure.