One of the Fairway's pipe and crane operators was Lyttelton local, Ihaia Hascha, who couldn't be happier to have had the opportunity to work so close to home, after spending large parts of his life at sea.

"My dad was a seaman and so were his brothers. My mum also had two brothers who went to sea as well, so I guess being out at sea is in my veins," he says.

Ihaia says being part of the dredging project in his home port is a career highlight, as well as having the opportunity to work on one of the largest dredges in the world.