Te Waipounamu is a 3,000km submarine cable system linking Invercargill, New Zealand to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

Te Waipounamu is named in reference to the Maori name of the South Island of New Zealand

The Te Waipounamu cable system consists of 16 fiber pairs

• 4 fiber pairs from Invercargill to Australia offering a total capacity of 120 Tbps, i.e., 30 Tbps per fiber pair. 
• 12 fiber pairs between Sydney and Melbourne with a total capacity of 35 Tbps per fiber pair.

The Te Waipounamu cable system is invested by Intelia New Zealand, an earlier venture founded by Rémi Galasso, the legacy founder of Hawaiki Cable.

The Te Waipounamu cable project is expected to cost NZD 160 million (US$97.4m), to be funded by a mix of equity, debt, and capacity contract commitments from major industry players both in Australia and New Zealand.

In June 2024, Datagrid New Zealand initiated a research project with international marine survey company EGS Survey to find the shortest and most secure route for the proposed 2,700km Te Waipounamu submarine cable between the South Island of New Zealand and Australia, linking Invercargill to Sydney and Melbourne. EGS Survey, with 48 years of geophysical surveying experience, will conduct a detailed desktop study to determine the optimal route across the Tasman Sea, ensuring maximum diversity and reliability.

In December 2024, Datagrid New Zealand and Chorus NZ Limited announced the development of the Tasman Ring Network, a  6,000km trans-Tasman subsea cable linking Auckland, New Plymouth, Greymouth and Invercargill in New Zealand with Sydney and Melbourne in Australia via high-capacity international transport links.

The Te Waipounamu project has been turned into part of the Tasman Ring Network.