25 Years of Geovert: The Project That Brought Tracked Soil Nailing Rigs to New Zealand

As part of Geovert's 25th anniversary, we're looking back at some of the projects that shaped the business along the way, starting with this, the SH20 Mt Roskill Extension in Auckland.

Twenty-one years ago, Geovert brought New Zealand's first tracked production soil nailing rigs into the country. The occasion was the SH20 Mt Roskill Extension in Auckland, a $186 million, four-lane motorway extension that went on to become the country's largest soil nailing project. At the time, Geovert was still a young company without the equipment range it operates today.

Geovert was engaged as a subcontractor to Fulton Hogan, delivering all ground engineering works on the project: soil nailing, slope stabilisation, structural retaining walls and drainage drilling. Across retaining walls RW54, 23, 25 and 28, the scope came to 35,000 linear metres of soil nails, 1,000 linear metres of horizontal bored drains, 7,000 square metres of eco cell slope treatment and 2,000 square metres of reinforced shotcrete, delivered over 15 months.

The real risk to the programme was Auckland's weather. Earthworks on a project of this scale are constrained by the region's frequent rain and any delay to the season threatened the timeline for Fulton Hogan and Transit New Zealand. Geovert and Fulton Hogan's project manager, Duncan Gibb, identified this risk early and partnered with us six months ahead of project start, giving Geovert the lead time to import the specialist rigs the job demanded rather than working within the limits of equipment already in the country. The result was an entire earthworks season saved.

More than two decades on, it's a project worth remembering for both its scale and how early in Geovert's history it happened.