In an era where digital demands are surging, Dean Addie, CEO of T4 NZ Data Centres, sheds light on how New Zealand’s data centre landscape is evolving to meet the challenges of sustainability, resilience, and advanced technological needs.
POWERING PROGRESS IN A GREEN REVOLUTION
New Zealand (NZ), located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, consists of two main landmasses – the North Island and South Island – and numerous smaller islands.
The country is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty and diverse landscapes, enriched by its Māori heritage, which is a vital part of the national identity. The Indigenous name for NZ is Aotearoa, meaning ‘the land of the long white cloud’.
T4 NZ Data Centres (T4) is dedicated to preserving the country’s land and heritage through various initiatives. Indeed, the company places a strong emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility in its operations.
Being wholly under Kiwi control as a 100 percent New Zealand-owned company, with partial Māori ownership, T4 reflects a commitment to local governance and accountability, underscoring the importance of regional and sustainable development.
In recent years, NZ has made significant progress towards sustainability and innovation, especially within the technology industry.
Data centres are crucial to the country’s IT infrastructure, particularly as the demand for data storage and processing rises with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), hybrid cloud computing, digital services, and online activities.
DRIVING THE FUTURE OF DATA CENTRES
Around 90 percent of NZ’s data centres are currently located in the city of Auckland.
Given Auckland boasts approximately 33 percent of NZ’s population, that may seem appropriate, however the country also enjoys a national fibre infrastructure that delivers extremely low latency nationwide.
That allows a new view of where NZ businesses can locate their computers and storage, meaning higher resilience through nationwide distributed data centres.
The T4 national data centre distribution model helps mitigate risks associated with natural disasters, protecting against data loss and downtime. (continued on page 10)
As businesses increasingly digitise, AI continues to grow, and hybrid cloud services expand, demand for robust data centre services is rising. Providers are investing in new facilities and technological advancements to keep pace with this growth.
Most current NZ facilities across all organisations have service level agreements (SLAs) that match Tier II and Tier III, guaranteeing specific levels of uptime and redundancy.
However, companies like T4 are working to establish their national data centre distribution model, which includes a mix of Tier II and III facilities, as well as the country’s first Tier IV facility. Tier IV facilities offer even higher availability and fault tolerance.
In light of this, the company exemplifies a commitment to sovereignty, sustainability, and national resilience, showcasing what responsible, transparent, and technically advanced data infrastructure should entail.
With a growing focus on green energy and sustainability within the NZ data centre industry, T4 is increasingly prioritising renewable energy sources to power its operations.
“We operate a nationwide network of co-location data centres, which provides our clients with hybrid solutions and true back-up and disaster recovery options. The combination of Tier II, Tier III, and Tier IV availability, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, and green energy makes our offering unique in NZ,” introduces Dean Addie, CEO.
“With two geographically isolated major hubs and growing regional spokes – various endpoints that connect to the central hub – we are on a mission to enhance the resilience of the country’s data centre infrastructure,” he continues.
REDIFINING RELIABILITY
T4 provides unmatched reliability and strength in its state-of-the-art co-location facilities.
“All our data centres are Tier II and III, and we are planning a Tier IV facility for Invercargill,” states Addie.
“We are safe, secure, and reliable. Resilience is built into our design; T4’s facilities are connected to multiple power feeds, backed by generation systems, and engineered with no single points of failure. Our distribution network also avoids the risks associated with centralisation.”
Case in point, the Tier IV facility in Invercargill, located in the Southland region on the South Island, will be the first of its kind in NZ.
As such, unique features differentiate the company’s data centres from others in the country, firmly establishing T4 as a Tier IV co-location data centre provider.
To qualify as Tier IV, the site SLAs must adhere to 99.995 percent uptime, 2N+1 redundancy (twice the required number of systems for operation plus a back-up), be concurrently maintainable, and have no single point of failure.
Operating on 100 percent renewable energy from hydro, wind, and solar power, whilst achieving a low power usage effectiveness (PUE), the Invercargill site will be the lowest-emission data centre in NZ.
The facility also incorporates a world-leading cooling system utilising direct water-cooling technology, thereby enhancing energy efficiency whilst minimising environmental impact.
“All our sites also have state-of-the-art monitoring and security zones whilst providing valuable accessibility for our clients,” he elaborates.
T4’s data centres are also customised to specific requirements, placing the client experience at the core of the company’s services.
“Not all clients are the same; they have different needs. We can accommodate unusually shaped equipment, provide secure caging if necessary, and offer special security features such as cameras, sensor alarms, and biometric locks for racks.”
Multiple connectivity options ensure all clients’ needs are catered for, including dark fibre between sites and satellite connectivity.
“For example, some clients also require a line of sight to the Sky Tower in Auckland’s central business district (CBD), which we can facilitate, giving them added resilience,” details Addie.
STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT
T4 plans to enhance its data centre infrastructure with a strong focus on sustainability and geographical growth.
In addition, strategic initiatives are in place to ensure that the expansion to the South Island aligns with the company’s vision for a greener digital future.
“The majority of NZ’s data centres are located in Auckland. Whilst latency was a concern in the past, making it logical to establish centres in the city with the largest population, this is no longer a significant issue – except for a few clients with synchronous requirements,” assures Addie.
Therefore, exploring alternative locations for data centre establishment is increasingly crucial for sustainability and reliability.
“Having most of the data centres in Auckland doesn’t make sense anymore; the land is the most expensive in the country, there is only one source of grid power, the power supply is insufficient, and it contains the lowest mix of renewable energy options. Additionally, many of these centres, unlike ours, are built on flood plains and/or volcanic fields.
“Our nationwide distributed data centre model is a novel approach for NZ, and we are glad to do our part in making the country more resilient,” Addie emphasises.
“We are integrating solar energy into our plans to enhance our green policy further and reduce reliance on the national grid”
Dean Addie, CEO, T4 NZ Data Centres
PIONEERING GREEN POWER
NZ already benefits from some of the world’s greenest energy, particularly in the South Island, where hydroelectric generation contributes significantly to its renewable energy output.
“We are integrating solar energy into our plans to enhance our green policy further and reduce reliance on the national grid,” Addie proudly notes.
Tihi, T4’s cutting-edge facility in Auckland, exemplifies its commitment to sustainability. Built in alignment with ISO 14001 principles and fully certified, it is designed for the future – ready to embrace AI and other compute loads and support regional growth.
The Tihi data centre also boasts approximately 500 available, contiguous racks, each with 250 kilowatts of direct water cooling enabled.
As Kiwis adapt to the evolving digital landscape, Aotearoa’s data centres are becoming increasingly focused on reliability, security, and environmental considerations to meet the needs of both local and international clients.
T4 is therefore set apart by its genuine commitment to eco-friendly operations, avoiding the greenwashing prevalent in the industry with practices that emphasise water cooling, energy efficiency, and environmentally responsible methods, thereby establishing a benchmark for doing things correctly.
“Looking ahead, our main priority for the coming year is to roll out our regional and solar initiatives,” Addie confidently concludes.
Aimed at bolstering the country’s digital resilience, T4 is also All of Government-approved and adheres to the highest national standards for security, reliability, and sovereignty, further solidifying its reputation.
With a combination of deep technical expertise, integrity, and collaboration, the company is dedicated to high standards of sustainability and service, ensuring NZ’s digital future is both responsible and resilient.
T4 NZ DATA CENTRES PARTNER
