Debris inside the Christ Church Cathedral will finally start to be cleared this week.
It marks another major milestone in the Cathedral's over $100 million reinstatement journey, which is expected to finish in September 2027.
On 22 February 2011, a devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, killing 185 people and causing severe damage to buildings and homes across the city.
Over a decade later, the city is still grappling with the rebuild - with the Catherdral's ruins a constant reminder of the destruction the quake brought.
On Wednesday the world's first remote-operated digger will enter and undertake internal cleanup inside Christchurch's iconic Cathedral.
The remote-operated digger will be controlled by a driver in the operations centre outside the Catherdral to keep workers safe while clearing out debris, masonry and guano, which is a significant biohazard.
Drivers have been rehearsing offsite over the past few months to learn how to operate the equipment which is fitted with cameras and live stream capabilities up to one kilometre away.
The remote-operated digger has been developed and is being operated by project partners Protranz Earthmoving Ltd and Aurecon.
