Senior Project Manager Nigel Eady is one of the brains behind our biggest development ever.

Nigel describes the South East Asia Jungle Track as the most rewarding project he's ever worked on!

That’s high praise from the local Point Chevalier resident, animal lover, and former builder, who has over 30 years’ experience in construction management in New Zealand and the UK. He’s worked on everything from the Victoria & Albert Museum and Terrance Conran restaurant to local projects - like robotic operating theatres for organ transplants, schools, earthquake strengthening and creating a new gallery for Auckland Museum, an elite car showroom and workshop featuring Lamborghinis and Bentleys, and the Zoo’s giraffe house.

“The level of collaboration involving dozens and dozens of people – from architects and designers, engineers, builders, the Zoo’s Life Sciences team (our animal experts), our Facility Services team, local iwi and more, has been incredible,” says Nigel.

“This is a really complex project - there are just so many factors to consider and we’re designing around the landscape we have. The devil is in the detail, and it’s imperative we get things right.”

Nigel Eady, Senior Project Manager

Nigel says what’s exciting him the most about this Future Zoo development (the largest in the Zoo’s history) is seeing just how immersive - for both animals and people alike - it's going to be.

“For ages, it’s just been an open construction site.  Now we’re really starting to get a sense of how it’s going to be, and I’m loving being able to look out over the lake and seeing it come together. I’ve always enjoyed Auckland Zoo but now have a much deeper appreciation for the processes involved in creating the environments here, and I love the orangutans and can’t wait to see them enjoying their new home”.