Canterbury Police have formally recognised Ventia for safely managing protests, traffic, and crowd management at Lyttelton Tunnel during the Sail Grand Prix (Sail GP).  

Senior Sergeant Mark Strong presented the Lyttelton Tunnel Control team with a first-of-its-kind, Certificate of Appreciation, recognising the generosity, kindness, and cooperation extended to Canterbury Police. 

“During this event, the Ventia team were eager and willing to help, and we very much appreciated their professionalism, expertise, and collaborative approach,” says Senior Sergeant Strong. 

The world-class sailing event, held in April earlier this year, had a large global audience, multiple sites on land and water, and significant geographical challenges, which required eight months of planning before race day.

Issues collaborated on between Ventia and Canterbury Police included potential protest sites, traffic management and crowd management.

“Canterbury Police has always had a great working relationship with the Lyttelton Tunnel-based Ventia team, and we will continue to do so through our shared goal of keeping our roads safe,” says Senior Sergeant Strong. 

We provide tunnel operation and maintenance of the Lyttelton Tunnel, a vital transport link between the Port of Lyttelton and Christchurch. Built in 1964, it is one of New Zealand’s longest road tunnels, and handles approximately between 12,000-15,000 vehicles per day.

Services we provide include 24-hour day-to-day operation and management, asset management services, traffic control and enforcement, incident response and compliant transit management of heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods (such as hazardous chemicals). 

With weekly protests near and around the site, our Tunnel Control team continue to work closely with the local Police and other stakeholders to ensure safe and reliable use of the tunnel is maintained.

Senior Tunnel Control Officer at Ventia, Ric Marshall, says the team cares about keeping tunnel users and the Canterbury community safe.