A long-awaited third crossing between Australia, New Zealand and the USA looks set to become a reality, with Kiwi cable Hawaiki announcing it's secured the funding needed to start construction.

The 30 Tbps cable has been on the cards since it was first announced in 2012, and in 2013 it nominated TE Subcom for its build.

However, the length of the route and competition from Southern Cross Cable Network, the chief incumbent on the route, meant Hawaiki struggled to get the funding it needed (Telstra also operates a trans-Pacific cable, Endeavour, but for its own traffic only).

Now, New Zealand telecommunications entrepreneur Malcolm Dick has stepped up to help provide the US$300 million Hawaiki needs. According to Australian telecomms newsletter Communications Day, Dick will partner with two others, Sir Eion Edgar (who became an equity partner in the cable in June 2015) and Hawaiki's CEO Remi Galasso to fund the build.

The three will co-own the cable, a 14,000 km system that will use TE Subcom's C100U+ line terminating equipment, and the design includes spurs for various Pacific islands including New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, and American Samoa.

As Comms Day notes, now that the cable project is back on track, its contract with New Zealand research network REANNZ is also activated, giving the cable an NZ$65 million anchor tenant.

Construction is expected to take until 2018. ®