Project Overview

A major onshore operator in New Zealand required Well Examinations for an 11-well drilling, completion and stimulation campaign — subject to newly enacted government regulations mandating independent third-party examination before any well operations could commence. Each well had to be assessed against the operator’s policies, international best practice and NZ HSE legislation.

SPD Group was engaged as independent Well Examiner — reviewing all well planning documentation, assessing the full pressure envelope and issuing Well Examination Certificates across the entire programme.

Key Challenges

• Pioneering a New Regulatory Regime — No Well Examination precedent existed in NZ. SPD established the entire framework whilst simultaneously delivering the first examination to a live deadline.
• Operators Without Existing Standards — Many NZ operators had no formal well operations policies. SPD worked with clients to develop compliant documentation from the ground up.
• Non-Negotiable Statutory Deadline — WorkSafe NZ requires 21 days notice before spud. Any delay would have stopped drilling at significant cost.

SPD’s Approach

With no established Well Examination framework in New Zealand, SPD built the process from scratch — authoring bespoke policies, standards and review templates aligned to local regulations and international well control standards. A consolidated Well Examination Documentation Package was developed with the operator, enabling rapid structured reviews across all 11 wells without compromise on rigour.

Results & Value Delivered

• All 11 Well Examination Certificates delivered on schedule — zero operational disruption
• Established the national benchmark Well Examination framework for New Zealand
• Methodology adopted across Asia-Pacific — Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and beyond
• 500+ examinations completed globally across 30+ countries and 50+ operators