Alan Pollard, Chief Executive, Civil Contractors New Zealand. The current absence of construction project works across the country highlights a fundamental issue with how infrastructure is viewed in our country. We hear a lot about how successive governments have failed to address our aging infrastructure and how infrastructure investment has not kept up with population growth and changing population demographics. We also hear a lot from our communities of how successive local government councils have wasted ratepayer money on ideologically driven projects and regulation rather than focusing o ..read more

Rebecca Saunders, Partner, Wynn Williams’ Construction Team and George Sutton, law graduate, Wynn Williams. The recent decision of Hawkins Limited v Elizabeth Properties Ltd confirms that a Court will consider the basis of any Engineer’s Certificate, and any dispute under the underlying contract, in determining whether a party may make a call on the bond, even when the bond is expressed as being unconditional. Hawkins Limited and Elizabeth Properties Ltd entered into a contract for construction for the development of a mixed commercial and residential site, which would include close to 100 apa ..read more

Christina Sheard (Partner), Liam Bullen (Associate) and Sarah Scrivener (Solicitor) in Dentons’ Environment and Planning and Major Projects and Construction teams. The ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ (‘FTA Bill’) was introduced and received its first reading under urgency on 7 March 2024 and has been relatively controversial with significant attention across various industries and from environmental groups. The Bill is now before the Environment Select Committee and the public could have made submissions on the Bill until 19 April. The Bill aims to establish a method for fast-track approvals in re ..read more

Appearing at a time when the popularity of small elevating scrapers was on the rise, the Terex S-11E entered a highly competitive field of machines and, ultimately, did quite well for itself. The S-11E was not the first small elevating scraper that Terex, (formerly Euclid), had offered, that honour belongs to the company’s model S-7 that was adapted to use an elevating scraper bowl manufactured by Hancock Manufacturing in place of the normal open bowl. Introduced in 1964, this combination was known as the S-7/Hancock, and it held 12 cubic yards. A separate General Motors 2-71, 2-cylinder diese ..read more

Troy Calteaux from Otago emerged as the industry’s ultimate digger driver at the CCNZ/CablePrice National Excavator Operator 2024 Competition held at Manfeild Park in Feilding. Troys’ success follows his national titles in 2018, 2021 and 2022. He says the win felt all the more rewarding because of his nerves of competing for his fourth title in what he knew would be a very close competition. “This year has been an awesome one, the competitors have been wicked. A mean group,” he says. “I put myself under that much pressure on the course. Thanks to CablePrice for putting the gear up for us, and ..read more

Troy Calteaux from Otago emerged as the industry’s ultimate digger driver at the CCNZ/CablePrice National Excavator Operator 2024 Competition held at Manfeild Park in Feilding. Troys’ success follows his national titles in 2018, 2021 and 2022. He says the win felt all the more rewarding because of his nerves of competing for his fourth title in what he knew would be a very close competition. “This year has been an awesome one, the competitors have been wicked. A mean group,” he says. “I put myself under that much pressure on the course. Thanks to CablePrice for putting the gear up for us, and ..read more

After attending a number of Cyclone Remembrance events on 14 February and talking to many locals and contractors, it’s heartbreakingly obvious the wounds are still raw. By Grant Radovanovich, CCNZ, Central Region. Seeing more photos and videos and hearing more stories that I hadn’t heard before brings it all back for everyone. Like a couple being stuck in their ute for 13 hours between slips, having to walk seven hours bare foot across waist-high still-moving slash and slips to find a home with people then, after a shower and some food, trek a further 18 hours through gorse and blackberry to g ..read more

Contractors should be involved early on in council and government decision making, there is a lot to fix in regard to infrastructure and our involvement will help. Alan Pollard, CEO, CCNZ. Last month (March), the Government released its Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024-34.This policy statement sets out a $20 billion investment in capital and maintenance works over the next three years and reintroduces Roads of National Significance. This is welcome, but what is most important right now is the urgency to have actual defined, committed, and funded projects underway. Post-elect ..read more

There are not too many tractors that can be considered truly legendary. However, the Caterpillar D8 is one of those machines, and in this issue, and I will examine those machines produced in the first 20 years that establish the legend of the D8. Richard Campbell. The D8 was not Caterpillar’s first large track type tractor, nor it’s first diesel powered machine. That honour belongs to the model Sixty, the first diesel variant of which appeared in 1931 powered by a Caterpillar model D9900 engine. This was followed closely by the Diesel Sixty-Five (1933) and the short-lived Diesel- Seventy (both ..read more

By Brent Petrie, Project Manager, Prime Pump. As suppliers we’re witness to the time and energy that goes into developing work programmes to meet compliance. The past two years have been particularly dynamic, and the future still sits on shifting sands with the recent devolution of the RMA to (close to) its earlier self, and the continued focus of ‘Broader Outcomes’ in government procurement decision-making. If there are headaches around compliance at the top of the project delivery chain, understanding our obligations down here with the diggers and wellpoints is no picnic either. We are all ..read more