A $400 million undersea cable carrying huge amounts of electronic data from around the globe will come ashore in Northland, with an undisclosed Bream Bay site chosen as the landing point for the development.
Hawaiki Cable -- backed by its major New Zealand investor Sinclair Investments Group (SIL) -- confirmed yesterday it would forge ahead with the New Zealand link of its international submarine cable project landing in Whangarei.
Northland regional economic development agency Northland Inc says it is thrilled with the news. The cable could be operating by 2017 and will be the second fibre-optic cable network and third physical cable linking New Zealand with the rest of the world.
It will be able to carry vast quantities of electronic data between Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and the west coast of the United States directly, but will open up connections globally.
Northland Regional Council chairman Bill Shepherd and David Wilson, CEO of Northland Inc, say confirmation Bream Bay will be the cable's landing site represents a big win for the Whangarei district and the wider Northland region.