NZ Contractor 1511

NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

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INSIDE: Kapiti’s $630m, four-lane expressway forges ahead: a progress update Catching up with the gentleman from McConnell Dowell – Joe Edwards Changing tendering and procurement with the Clever Buying approach Looking back – when Devonport’s Calliope drydock was dug by hand

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CONTENTS CONTRACTOR

8

INSIDE:

Regulars

Highlights / Features

4 Editorial

14 NZTA GEM Award winners

6 Upfront 18 On the Cover 56 Classic Machines 60 Motoring 62 Contractors’ Diary 62 Innovations

24 Kapiti’s Expressway forges ahead

Bad weather and technical challenges are not holding back the $650m project.

Changing the way we used to write tenders and procure projects.

32 Linking communities

Comment 50 Rob Stummer IFS Australasia

51 Jonathan Bhana-Thomson

Kapiti’s $630m, four-lane expressway forges ahead: a progress update Catching up with the gentleman from McConnell Dowell – Joe Edwards Changing tendering and procurement with the Clever Buying approach Looking back – when Devonport’s Calliope drydock was dug by hand

ON THE COVER New equipment from CablePrice is part of an ongoing business strategyfor Base Civil Limited.

Waitaki Bridges update – a project with outstanding community engagement.

36 A day in an estuary

Christchurch’s iconic Avon-Heathcote Estuary posed unexpected challenges.

See page 18

40 CS-VUE health and safety pilot

A Kiwi software company is about to deliver a top online health & safety risk management system.

46 Calliope Drydock An essential drydock facility in Auckland took years to be dug by hand, exemplifying the era’s pioneering spirit.

INSIDE:

30 Clever procurement

41 Life Care expands

History

New equipment from CablePrice is part of an ongoing business strategy for Base Civil Limited

An updated guide to indicate if you fall into this category.

Profile 20 Joe Edwards

N O V E M B E R 2015 $8.95

NIMBLE POWER

16 Are you a quarry operator?

64 Civil Contractors NZ Comment 64 Advertisers’ Index

NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Those who ‘go the extra mile’ in customer service.

42 Intelligent transport systems

A look at the future of transport with the increasing use of technology to solve traffic problems.

44 Innovative & infrastructure Fulton Hogan specialists on applying industry ‘innovation’.

Heavy Haulage Association

52 Malcolm Abernethy CCNZ

53 Jason Walker Hays Recruiting

54 Arie Moore and Sam McCutcheon Kensington Swan

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46 NOVEMBER 2015 3

CONTRACTOR EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER Contrafed Publishing Co Ltd Suite 2.1, 93 Dominion Road, Mt Eden, Auckland PO Box 112357, Penrose, Auckland 1642 Phone: +64 9 636 5715 Fax: +64 9 636 5716 www.contrafed.co.nz

RoNS, Ramps and Rabbits In what may have been either 1970 or ’71 I remember looking down into the valley of mud which was to become Auckland’s North-Western Motorway. I remember being impressed that a road needed to be so big (four lanes total?).

Over the years the North-Western has progressively widened as Auckland has grown. At times it’s also been my route to and from work – with sun in my eyes every morning, and sun in my eyes on the way home; month by month getting more and more congested until eventually avoiding this motorway becomes the fastest way to travel. Now I rarely use the North-Western – especially during its latest massive upgrade.

By chance I happened to drive past the Waterview project a few days ago, and was amazed to see the transformation that the Well-Connected Alliance has already brought to that interchange. Soaring on and off-ramps; extra lanes ready to be added and new wider bridges replacing 1970s versions of themselves.

And now after two years, digging the tunnels has finished; Alice will be decommissioned (did she find the white rabbit – or was that just an hallucination?) and we’re a step closer to finalising the Western Ring Route.

Another Road of National Significance that’s making good progress is the Kapiti Expressway. We’ve full coverage of this $630 million section of the Northern Corridor on page 20. And there are two smaller projects on page 32 – another look at the Waitaki Bridges built by McConnell Dowell, URS and Opus; and on page 36 you can read about SCIRT completing another section of the Christchurch rebuild, removing a bottle-neck for the south-eastern suburbs.

We were going to also include a major look at the NZTA’s transition to Network Outcome Contracts this month, but in the interest of ensuring we have as broad a range of facts and opinions as possible, we’ve decided to hold that off until December. In a similar vein, however, we have a piece from Caroline Boot – well-known to many of you for her work on tender writing – and her development of a Clever Buying course for the procurement sector – especially at local government level. In a way, Clever Buying has become part one of what is now at least a two-part look at procurement and the impact recent changes are having on buying decisions, costs, and the contractors vying for the business.

As in all business matters there are winners and losers. The winners think the NOC system is great; the losers inevitably feel the NOC system has faults.

So we’re actively seeking more opinions from readers. We know the NOC contracts – and how they came into being – is a topic of extreme opinions, so we’re eager to canvass anyone who wishes to be heard. Already we’ve got some great contributions. Please feel free to add your voice to the discussion by emailing either Alan Titchall or me – we welcome your input.

Kevin Lawrence, editor

GENERAL MANAGER & EDITOR Kevin Lawrence DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 512 800 Email: kevin@contrafed.co.nz EDITORIAL MANAGER Alan Titchall DDI: 09 636 5712 Mobile: 027 405 0338 Email: alan@contrafed.co.nz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Malcolm Abernethy, Mary Searle Bell, Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Chris McCann, Cameron Officer, Richard Silcock, Lawrence Schäffler, Chris Webb.

ADVERTISING / SALES Charles Fairbairn DDI: 09 636 5724 Mobile: 021 411 890 Email: charles@contrafed.co.nz ADMIN / SUBSCRIPTIONS DDI: 09 636 5715 Email: admin@contrafed.co.nz PRODUCTION Design: TMA Design, 09 636 5713 Printing: PMP MAXUM

Contributions welcome Please contact the editor before sending them in.

Articles in Contractor are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the shareholding organisations.

www.linkedin.com/contrafedpublishing @NZContractormag

The official magazine of Civil Contractors NZ www.civilcontractors.co.nz The Aggregate & Quarry Association www.aqa.org.nz The New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association www.hha.org.nz The Crane Association of New Zealand www.cranes.org.nz Rural Contractors New Zealand www.ruralcontractors.org.nz The Ready Mixed Concrete Association www.nzrmca.org.nz Connexis www.connexis.org.nz

ISSN 0110-1382

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

NZTA responds to East-West link delay criticism The Auckland Business Forum has hit out at the NZTA and Auckland Transport over delays with the long-promised new East-West road on the north side of Mangere Inlet between SH1 at Mt Wellington and SH20 at Onehunga (featured in the August issue of Contractor magazine).

“It is shaping as a classic case study of why Auckland’s infrastructure provision is failing to keep pace with the city’s growth,” it said.

Calling on the agencies responsible for the project to take urgent action and get their act together with a scope and cost that addresses all critical issues, Auckland Business Forum chairman Michael Barnett says that at the current rate of progress Auckland will have added another 180,000 people, road freight volumes will have doubled and gridlock on local roads will be end-to-end throughout the working day before construction begins.

“It is bad enough that it took from 2007 to 2013 for warnings about growing congestion at the Mt Wellington and Onehunga ends of the route to be taken seriously, when the Prime Minister John Key announced that the project would be accelerated,” he says.

Those warnings included that Auckland’s growth justified a new road being in place by 2020, he adds.

“In 2014 the former Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee provided a written assurance that as soon as there was greater certainty over the project’s scope and cost ‘decisions about financial assistance to

CORRECTION

Q&M magazine The gremlins were at work in the current issue of Q&M magazine, October-November 2015 issue.

In a story called More trouble for Saddle Hill the wrong quarry photo was used to illustrate the article.

We apologise unreservedly to Golden Bay Dolomite for this error and stress this company has no relationship with the Dunedin-based quarry which featured in the story.

support construction will be provided’.

“More than a year on there is still no satisfactory scope. A preferred route concept acceptable to the Forum and other stakeholders was announced months ago, but decisions are awaited on important detail like the absence of a SH1 connection for northbound traffic and ensuring it is fit for purpose with the rest of the network.

“We’re 90 percent of the way there with the planning for this

TO THE EDITOR

Omission from ‘House of Fraser’ article Sir – With regret I must disagree with last month’s Contractor editorial which apologised to Joan Gaskell for her omission from my “House of Fraser” feature article the previous month – an apology the editorial extended to the Fraser family.

At no point during my two-hour interview with Peter Fraser in Havelock North did he mention Mrs Gaskell, his sister, so I was unaware of her existence. But he had no reason to mention her since my brief from Contractor was to create a profile of Peter and, by extension, of his illustrious father Jock, who died in 1984, and their contracting accomplishments over many years.

When “House of Fraser” was published, Peter Fraser wrote to me: “I am absolutely delighted with the article and the display of photos. You have done us proud.”

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UPFRONT CONTRACTOR

project – don’t spoil it by getting the last 10 percent wrong. As we have repeatedly said, a partial solution will not be acceptable,” says Barnett.

“Given the Prime Minister’s 2013 announcement that the project would be part of the Auckland Accelerated Projects package, and the assurance about funding once the scope was agreed, we should be close to starting construction.”

Barnett suggests the private sector would fund this project tomorrow as a PPP – the same as Wellington’s Transmission Gully.

“Instead it seems that the two agencies coordinating the project, NZTA and Auckland Transport, are still arguing over the scope (even through respective boards have signed off at a high level), and critical issues raised by stakeholders including the Forum are being ignored.

“It is clearly not good enough for a city struggling to keep ahead of the growth curve and be a progressive city that New Zealanders can be proud of.”

The Auckland Business Forum notes that the East-West Connection was first proposed in the mid-1960s as part of the Auckland strategic road network needed by 1990 when Auckland’s population was projected to reach one million from its then 300,000.

The area has grown into Auckland’s second highest employment area after the CBD and is New Zealand’s industrial heartland accounting for about 18 percent of Auckland’s GDP.

In reply to this criticism the NZTA says it, and Auckland Transport, have “made significant progress since 2013 in developing a range of solutions to respond to the transport issues in the Neilson Street area, a complex, unique and ambitious project and one of the largest transport projects undertaken in New Zealand”.

The preferred approach, confirmed in July this year, is supported by both organisations and it is “significant” that both organisations are fully aligned on this project, says the Transport Agency.

“We are now engaging a consultant to secure the relevant planning approvals, to protect the route and enable the project to continue to proceed as a matter of priority. We expect this new team to be on board by early next year. The planning and consenting phase will take a minimum of 18 months.

“A really important part of developing more detailed designs is gaining community feedback. It’s important that people have an opportunity to provide input and that we seek feedback from all sectors (this is best practice and a requirement under the Land Transport Management Act and the Resource Management Act). We will continue to engage with the community, local businesses and the Auckland Business Forum.

“We are considering potential opportunities for some early improvements in the Onehunga-Penrose area. This is in response to feedback that we received from the public on the preferred approach.”

Drone proves useful for slip answers A drone was used to capture video and images of a slip on State Highway 35 in the East Cape by the Transport Agency as it looks at ways to keep the road open.

The 130-metre wide slip reduced SH35 at Maraenui Hill, between Opotiki and Te Kaha, down to one lane and the cliff face above the road remains unstable.

The Transport Agency’s Bay of Plenty highways manager, Niclas Johansson, says geotechnical experts used the drone to get a bird’s eye view of the top of the slip and the surrounding cliff safely.

NOVEMBER 2015 7

CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

AMETI – more stake holder engagement please The Auditor-General has got involved with the Queen city’s long-term Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (better known as the acronym AMETI) and has tabled a report to Parliament.

AMETI is a major programme of work to improve strategic transport links in Auckland’s eastern suburbs. It involves improvements and changes to public transport and roads and is made up of a set of projects that the former local authorities of Auckland and Manukau and the regional transport agency prepared. Now, the council-controlled organisation Auckland Transport is responsible for delivering the project that is estimated to cost about $1.1 billion and take another 13 years to complete.

The Auditor-General notes that the programme not only affects a lot of Auckland’s population, but will also have many different governors and programme managers between now and 2028.

“I have reviewed Auckland Transport’s governance, accountability, and programme management arrangements for AMETI as part of my mandate to review service performance under section 104 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009,” says the Auditor-General.

“The way that Auckland Transport has dealt with AMETI’s stakeholders has not consistently reflected the aspirations of Auckland Transport’s communications and engagement strategy,” says the report.

“Many people told us that Auckland Transport had engaged with them well on the first stage of the programme, which included building a new train station at Panmure. However, engagement had not gone as well in progressing aspects of the second stage of the programme. Engaging with some stakeholders late and ineffectively led to problems.”

The report carries 12 recommendations to help Auckland Transport strengthen AMETI’s governance, accountability, and programme management arrangements and noted Auckland Transport has already started to act on the recommendations.

Alice, the tunnel-boring machine, made her final breakthrough last month

Alice goes home Alice, the tunnel-boring machine, made her final breakthrough last month, ending a two-year journey carving out twin, 2.4 kilometre, three-lane tunnels for Auckland’s Waterview Connection.

Alice started and finished at the Mt Roskill end of the project, which will connect State Highway 16 and State Highway 20, and finally complete the Western Ring Route – a 48 kilometre alternative route around Auckland that will reduce dependence on State Highway 1.

The Chinese-made machine will now be dismantled and returned to the German manufacturer under a buy-back agreement.

Before the Waterview Connection project opens early 2017, there’s still a busy programme of work to complete both tunnels, as 16 cross passages linking the two tunnels are constructed; equipment to safely operate the tunnels together with lighting and signage are being fitted; walls and the ceiling are painted; and back-filling continues before the motorway asphalt is laid over the next 18 months.

Alice, the 10th largest tunneling machine in the world and the largest ever built in the Southern Hemisphere (the cutting head of the machine is as high as a four-storey building), removed 800,000 cubic metres of earth during her slow journeys. The machine is 87 metres long and was driven by a crew of about 35 on each shift. As the machine tunneled it also installed 24,040 concrete segments that line the tunnels.

Having started her journey in November 2013, Alice reached the northern end of Waterview in September 2014, before being turned 180 degrees in a very restricted area to complete the second tunnel. Some 200 litres of sheep lanolin was used to help slide the various segments of the machine into position.

Cycleways for tender The NZ Transport Agency plans to build a shared pathway at Hamilton alongside State Highway 3 – Ohaupo Road this summer.

The project is still in the early stages and tenders will go out later this year with work to start in early 2016, with construction expected to take six months.

The SH3 – Ohaupo Road project follows the completion earlier this year of a three kilometre long shared path along State Highway 1 – 8 www.contractormag.co.nz

Greenwood Street and Kahikatea Drive. The SH1 path ties in with a Hamilton City Council-built shared path from Kahikatea Drive which runs down Gallagher Drive to connect the DeanwellMelville area at Collins Road, and the 2.7 kilometre Western Rail Trail shared path from Kahikatea Drive into the city, a government, council and Transport Agency-funded project.

Plans to connect Hamilton with a series of newly built cycleways received a $3 million

boost through the government’s Urban Cycleways Fund earlier this year, taking the city’s total cycle spend up to an estimated $12 million over the next decade.

Nationally, it is anticipated that the total cycling investment over the next three years, including indirect investment from other infrastructure activities, will be about $350 million, delivering over 300 kilometres of new urban cycleways.

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

World Bank funding for Tongan transport project The World Bank is parting with an additional US$4 million to improve Tonga’s transport sector.

This will enable the continuation of work begun in 2005 through the Transport Sector Consolidation Project, with a stronger focus on maritime and land transport safety.

The additional funding is a combination of a US$2 million grant and US$2 million credit provided through the World Bank’s International Development Association. The Tongan government will provide an additional US$2 million. In 2010, the project received US$10.3 million in grant financing from the Australian government.

Site Safe awards The M2PP Alliance (Mackays to Peka Peka project) is a finalist in the AWF Safety Innovation (large organisation) category of the Site Safe Construction Health and Safety Awards 2015.

The Alliance has developed an initiative called ‘Our Safety Formula’, which is a worker engagement tool and programme that follows 10 principles that are driven by staff and are embedded across the project.

The awards will be presented at Site Safe’s Evening of Celebration at Alexandra Park in Auckland on November 11, in conjunction with the 2015 Site Safe Certificate in Construction Site Safety graduation ceremony.

THE HYDRAULIC HOSE SPECIALISTS

Auckland cycleway milestone The last of seven sections of the Canada Street Bridge in Auckland was lifted into place last month, completing the 160 metre long connection from Canada Street to the old Nelson Street off-ramp.

Representing a significant milestone towards completing the first phase of the whole Nelson Street Cycleway, the 260 tonne bridge was built in sections, which vary in length from 14 to 42 metres. It was fabricated in Hamilton, painted in Pukekohe and transported to the Central Motorway Junction under full motorway night closures.

The Nelson Street cycleway stretches from Upper Queen Street to Victoria Street and is expected to open in early December; Phase 2 will extend to Quay Street and be open by the middle of 2016.

“The complexity of the curved bridge structure has meant the installation has been a careful and staged process,” says Brett Gliddon, the Transport Agency’s Auckland Highways manager.

“We’re proud of the architectural excellence this bridge brings to the inner-city network and the standard it’s setting for transport infrastructure.”

The bridge design is already being recognised internationally and has been shortlisted in the World Architecture Awards, which will be announced in Singapore this month.

The cycleway connects with the existing Northwestern Cycleway and Grafton Gully.

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Agricultural contractors will soon be able to bring in overseas workers much more easily than in the past – following a deal struck between Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ) and Immigration NZ. RCNZ president Steve Levet says his organisation has been working with Immigration NZ for a long time in an effort to resolve the problems around contractors bringing in overseas workers for the harvest season.

“Members who are registered with RCNZ will now be able to apply to bring in overseas workers under our umbrella, rather than go through all the hoops and hurdles they currently have to as individuals.”

The new scheme will see RCNZ applying for an Approval in Principle (AIP) on behalf of all members of the national body and contractors. Contractors will then be able to apply online for a visa for the person being recruited – without having to advertise, go to WINZ or any of the other requirements currently causing so much difficulty.

RCNZ aims to have the scheme up and running by June 2016. It is thought the sector needs around 900 additional workers to carry out its seasonal work.

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

The award was formally presented to Fulton Hogan by WorkSafe at a gathering at the company’s Christchurch head office.

Attendees included representatives from both Fulton Hogan and WorkSafe, and members of the associated quarrying and mineral bodies.

From left: Philip Fourie, WorkSafe specialist health and safety inspector; Robert Jones, Fulton Hogan chief executive officer, Bruce Taylor, Fulton Hogan national aggregate & quarries manager; Tony Forster, WorkSafe chief inspector extractives; Neill Kydd, Fulton Hogan industries divisional manager; Jo Prigmore, Fulton Hogan SQTE manager; Tim Glanville, Fulton Hogan regional manager Marlborough; and Tim Ford, Fulton Hogan executive general manager regional businesses.

Workplace safety recognised Fulton Hogan’s workplace safety was recognised by WorkSafe with its Chief Inspector Safety Leadership Award for Safety Leadership in the Extractive Industry.

The company has placed an increased emphasis on safe working practices across its quarrying businesses in the past 12 months, developing new management plans, procedures and manuals, and employee handbooks.

“This award from WorkSafe is a highly-valued acknowledgement of our health and safety culture, and the approach we take toward empowering our people as safety leaders,” says Fulton Hogan New Zealand chief executive officer, Robert Jones.

“At Fulton Hogan health and safety always comes first. We continually invest in looking after our people, and putting processes and plans in place to make sure that everyone goes home safely.”

In recognising Fulton Hogan’s achievement, WorkSafe chief inspector extractives, Tony Forster commented: “Fulton Hogan has lifted its standards and expectations at each of its sites and with its subcontractors, both nationally and regionally, Fulton Hogan actively and positively engaged with WorkSafe.

“This company has been well in front of its peers in understanding and engaging on the new regulatory regime – and it has actively assisted other operators to lift their standards, regardless of their affiliation with Fulton Hogan.”

Early Christmas gift?

CRL work begins

Contractor has a copy of Nikki Slade Robinson’s book The Roadman Boogie to give away.

This children’s book designed for four year olds plus, retails for $29.99 in hardback edition (Duck Creek Press) and is about a traffic control roadman who entertains stalled traffic by dancing to what music is coming out of the stopped cars.

The story was inspired by Malifa Chapman a contract worker in Wellington who caught the public’s attention last year when he danced while directing traffic on a roading project.

Nikki graduated from Wellington Polytechnic’s School of Design with a Diploma in Visual Communications Design (Illustration) in 1989. She is an experienced children’s illustrator and author who has illustrated over 70 children’s titles for a range of publishers and writers.

Email admin@contrafed.co.nz to go in the draw for Nikki’s book to read to your children or grandchildren.

The 10th email received will be the lucky winner?

For more information about Nikki and to see samples of her work, visit www.authors.org.nz.

12 www.contractormag.co.nz

Work on Auckland’s City Rail Link has started with the replacement of a major stormwater pipe running under the centre of Albert Street.

This new stormwater main will be constructed in several stages along the eastern side of Albert Street, between Swanson Street and Wellesley Street.

A micro-tunnel boring machine will drill a small tunnel under Albert Street installing the pipe as it goes. The launch shaft will be located on the corner of Albert Street and Victoria Street with reception shafts at Swanson Street and Wellesley Street, and each section will take approximately six months to complete.

Micro-tunnelling and pipe-jacking techniques allow the pipeline to be installed as the tunnel is excavated while providing continuous ground support and minimising potential ground movement. The work is planned for November 2015 to February 2017.

Free e-book on new H&S Act The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 will be enacted on April 4 2016.

To assist businesses prepare for the changes in the new legislation, Manage Company, in partnership with WorkPro, has developed an e-book New Zealand’s Work Health and Safety Future.

The book outlines key elements of the new act and provides some practical resources and tools to help businesses develop plans and systems in preparation for 2016.

• To register for a free copy, go to workpro.com.au/managecompany-ebook.

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CONTRACTOR GEM AWARDS

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Going the extra mile accolades The NZ Transport Agency Highways and Network Operations GEM Awards are in their fourth year recognising suppliers who ‘go the extra mile’ for customer service. Any contractor or consultant who provided a service to the Transport Agency’s Highway and Network Operations Group between January 2014 and June 2015 was eligible to enter the 2015 GEM Awards. The winners in the following categories were:

Customer Care The Customer Care Culture award is given to the outstanding example of customer culture care being demonstrated and embedded into a company’s culture and is part of their day-to-day work on any given project.

The winner was Downer – ACE (About the Customer Experience) Training programme for its staff. This was an organisation-wide training programme to encourage staff to have a greater customer focus, and uses the concept of a pack of cards, with each suit focusing on what the Downer team needs to think (hearts), say (clubs), and do (spades) to make the shift. It talks about bringing your ‘ace’ game; your best attitude and best work. The judges said this entry demonstrated a novel ‘whole of company approach’ to the customer being at the heart of a business.

Connecting with our Community The Connecting with our Community award is for the best demonstration of engaging with a community beyond the normal expectations and achieving an outstanding outcome.

The winner was the Well-Connected Alliance – Big Project, Big Heart! Waterview’s Committed Community Connect. The judges said the project team showed itself to walk with the community in small and large ways. Every member of the project team was committed 14 www.contractormag.co.nz

to actions that showed total commitment to connecting with the community. “This project has moved the benchmark for large projects to pick up even the smallest aspect of work that can help a community.”

Health and Safety The Health and Safety award is for demonstrating that health and safety practices are embedded into the company’s culture, including the development and applications of new learnings.

The joint winners were WestLink – WestLink Bay of Plenty (the group responsible for the Bay of Plenty West Network Outcomes Contract); and Higgins – Engaging staff in our safety journey.

The judges said WestLink raised the bar for health and safety in the maintenance space and exceeded Transport Agency requirements for health and safety in some areas. They also said the Higgins entry set out their company-wide leadership in health and safety with the ambitious goal of being an industry leader in health and safety. “This commitment started at the top, with chief executive David Geor running a series of company roadshows about the company health and safety vision and initiatives.”

Keeping Customers Moving The Keeping Customers Moving award is for the best demonstration of evidence of minimising dissatisfaction due to travel delays during maintenance or construction projects.

The winner was Leighton Contractors – St Lukes Western Ring Route Project, as part of State Highway 16 and Auckland’s new Western Ring Route under construction. The interchange is one of Auckland’s busiest, and the judges said this was a best practice example of reviewing all the options and getting buy-in from multiple agencies and organisations. “The public were kept well informed throughout the works period and were given a good understanding

UPFRONT CONTRACTOR

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1. Customer Care: Kylie Wech and Brad Flower, Downers.

2. Connecting with our Community: Claire Donnelly and Jocelyn Shaw from Well-Connected Alliance, and Ewart Barnsley (NZTA, Auckland).

3. Health & Safety: Cameron Swap, Melinda Harries, Anne Michel and Bill Hickman, from WestLink BOP. 4. Health & Safety: Mark Hayes and John Bryant, Higgins.

5. Keeping Customers Moving: Tristan Ogden, Ian Moffat and Chris Boyd, St Lukes Western Ring Route Project.

6. Protecting the Envionment: Alex Ingram, Kathryn McDonald, Liz Coombes and David Greig, Auckland Harbour Bridge Alliance.

7. Teaming up: Cindy Bangs and Darren Utting, M2PP. 8. Customer Champion Team: Tony Hapi, Jan O’Neil and Brad Flower, Downer.

9. Customer Champion Individual: Ed Breese, Brian Aspin and Duncan Kenderdine, Memorial Park Alliance.

of the construction progress, the impact and the alternative travel options available for their particular journey.”

this project’s success … this project has broken new ground in the area of ‘Teaming Up’ in all areas of its delivery.”

Protecting the Environment

Customer Champion

The Protecting the Environment Award is for demonstrating going beyond the normal expectations in respect to protecting the environment in either maintaining or undertaking project work for the Transport Agency.

The winner was Auckland Harbour Bridge Alliance – Meeting Environmental Challenges Sustainably. As a steel structure in a marine environment, it requires continuous maintenance, of which some activities can cause discharges of contaminants to air, land and the coast. The judges said the Auckland Harbour Bridge Alliance clearly demonstrated how it is possible to strike the right balance and get some great outcomes in multiple areas. “The Auckland Harbour Bridge Alliance has provided for a high level of environmental protection in a sensitive coastal environment with significant natural and cultural values, considered ‘whole of life’ maintenance issues and achieved great value for money by saving around $65 million in potential costs.

The Customer Champion Award acknowledges individual or team acts of customer service excellence, either in a time of crisis or over a prolonged period. The standard of entry was so high this year that two awards were presented – a team award and an individual award for acts of customer service excellence.

The Team winner was Downer NZ – SH94 and SH95 highway maintenance, a key tourist route through remote high alpine territory. This entry stood out as the team winner, as the Downer team (led by Ann and Wayne Carran) have, for well over three decades, lead world-class avalanche control and a journey management service that was well before its time. “This is a definitive team award winner, because their success has been the development of a team spread wider than an individual or individuals within Downer. The Downer team has built a network of understanding and co-operation that extends well into the tourism industry, emergency services and the Southland community,” said the judges.

The Individual winner was Brian Aspin – Pioneering new standards of accountability. Brian was the Community Relations manager for the Memorial Park Alliance from December 2012 through to mid-2015, and was nominated for this award by the Memorial Park Alliance team. The judges said Brian’s sustained drive and leadership within the Memorial Park Alliance introduced and created a new level of community and stakeholder engagement and relationships.

“Brian’s individual leadership in this project developed a new level of customer care delivery that encompasses the whole project team.

This award recognises his true Customer Champion status.”

Teaming Up Collaboration, or teaming up, is at the heart of successful alliancing.

The Teaming Up award is made to a company that has demonstrated collaboration and ‘teaming up’ in their business delivery for Transport Agency projects or maintenance activities with outstanding results.

The winner was M2PP Alliance – Teaming up from Concept to Construction (MacKays to Peka Peka is an 18 kilometre, fourlane expressway for State Highway 1 along the Kapiti Coast). The judges said the depth and breadth of the relationship with the local authority, Kapiti Coast District Council, and iwi has been critical to

NOVEMBER 2015 15

CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

Are you a quarry operator?

MinEx has released an updated version of its good practice guideline called Health and Safety at Opencast Mines, Alluvial Mines and Quarries.

This includes a flow sheet to determine if your site is a quarry operation, making you a quarry operator.

“The flow sheet has been developed to assist a number of industries in understanding their potential obligations under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and the Health and Safety in Employment (Mining Operations and Quarrying Operations) Regulations 2013,” says MinEx. “There are many instances where companies are engaged in activities that fall under the technical definition of ‘Quarry Operations’ as defined in the 16 December 2013 amendment to the Act. Those operations that fall under these regulations are subject to a number of codes, guidelines and regulations that companies need to be aware of and to follow.

However, some activities that technically meet this definition are not considered quarries by WorkSafe.”

The industries where confusion is most likely are: Earthmoving – whether it be via contractors or a company’s own equipment; forestry operations; road construction; and farming.

In the latest good practice guideline, the definition of a quarry includes: all the surface extraction workings including preparatory and abandonment works; tips (or dumps) associated with and in the vicinity of the site where material is extracted, crushed or screened; working stockpiles associated with and in the vicinity of the site where the material is extracted, crushed or screened; settling ponds associated with and in the vicinity of the site where the material is extracted, crushed or screened; areas used for processing extracted materials (including washing, drying and bagging), where the processing 16 www.contractormag.co.nz

is carried out on site where the extraction is undertaken; areas used for crushing or screening extracted or processed materials, regardless of whether it is at the place the material was extracted; the buildings and structures at the quarry used for the working of the quarry; common areas (eg, quarry roadways and railways, but not public roads or railways under the control of a rail company); and, quarries in a forest, on a farm or on Crown or public land (eg, council reserves or river beds) regardless of whether the extraction is of an intermittent nature or not.

The following are not considered to be quarries: Civil or building construction sites (both residential and commercial) where cut to fill is undertaken unless the construction is associated with the development of the quarry; secondary processing facilities (eg, hot mix or concrete) unless the extracted material is crushed and screened at the secondary processing facility; recycling aggregate plants; stockpiles at dormant quarries and dormant river gravel extraction sites; small scale, non-complex extraction carried out on farmland solely in support of farming (ie, no tips, highwalls, explosives or processing); small scale, non-complex extraction carried out in forests solely in support of forestry operations (ie, no tips, highwalls, explosives or processing); and, non-complex extraction of gravel from river beds where there is no mechanical processing. The use of static grizzlies to remove oversize material is not considered to be mechanical processing.

If your site fits the definition of a quarry explained above and after application of the flow sheet then there are three main issues that all quarry operators need to be aware of. They are: You will need to have a person in charge of each quarry site who holds a

Certificate of Competency (CoC) issued by the Board of Examiners; your operation falls under certain sections of the 2013 regulations referred to above; and, you will need to be aware of and should follow a number of WorkSafe guidelines and approved codes of practice, the most important of which is the WorkSafe good practice guideline entitled: Health and Safety at Surface Mines, Alluvial Mines and Quarries which is expected to be issued early November 2015.

Certificates of competency A CoC is proof that the holder has achieved the required level of knowledge (unit standards) and relevant experience to safely operate a quarry. A Board of Examiners was established by WorkSafe late in 2014 and consists of a number of industry sectors experts. The quarry sector board members are Andy Loader, Steven Ellis and Dean Torstonson and details of the board can be found on the WorkSafe website.

The board has a number of duties including: Advising WorkSafe on competency requirements for mine and quarry workers; examining applicants, or having applicants examined for certificates of competence; and, issuing, renewing, cancelling and suspending certificates of competence.

The certificate of competency required at a quarry operation is either an A Grade Quarry Certificate or a B Grade Quarry Certificate and the MinEx flow sheet will assist in determining which of these you might require.

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Application of the 2103 regulations Most of the regulations currently only apply to ‘Mining Operations’.

However, ‘Quarry Operations’ are subject to the following sections: Part 1 – Safety-critical roles and competency requirements (excluding sub-parts 1 and 3); Part 11 – Transitional provisions, revocations, and consequential amendments; and, Schedule 1 – Application, savings, and transitional provisions.

Will I be shut down if I continue to operate without a CoC holder?

The answer to that is no, says WorkSafe (High Hazard Unit or HHU), which has issued a position paper on this issue that can be found on its website.

“If a quarry manager does not have the required certificate of competence, an HHU Extractives inspector will consider issuing an improvement notice under Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 for a period of up to one year to enable the quarry manager to gain the certificate of competence,” says WorkSafe.

“If this improvement notice is issued it will state that the quarry may continue to operate while the quarry manager gains the relevant certificate of competence.

“Before an inspector makes a decision to issue an improvement notice the quarry operator will need to advise HHU Extractives on how health and safety systems are being implemented in the quarrying operation and satisfy HHU Extractives that safety is being appropriately managed.”

Any operation that, having worked through the flow sheet, decides it is a ‘Quarry Operation’ and does not have the appropriate CoC holder managing the operation, should contact WorkSafe and advise it of the situation.

If you meet the definition of a quarry as set out here and wish to commence training for the required CoC then contact the following organisations which are able to arrange or provide your training: Tai Poutini Polytech – Peter O’Sullivan at petero@tpp.ac.nz; Mines Rescue – Pat Russell at patricia.russell@minesrescue.org.nz; and ACT Safety – Graham Platts at graham@actsafety.co.nz.

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NOVEMBER 2015 17

CONTRACTOR ON THE COVER

Nimble power The very nimble John Deere 318E is one of the most powerful skid steers made. CablePrice backgrounds the sale of the first model in New Zealand to a busy Waikato contractor.

PAUL ROBERTS SAYS THE purchase of three brand new pieces of

equipment from CablePrice, including New Zealand’s first John Deere 318E skid steer, is part of an ongoing business strategy of Base Civil Ltd, the civil construction firm he owns with wife Michelle.

“Since we took over what was a fairly rundown business our focus has been to invest everything back into it, in order to build capacity.

The strategy has worked well as our turnover has increased eightfold since we started.”

Base Civil works in partnership with private organisations and local government clients throughout the greater Waikato region.

Its team of 25 to 30 staff provides civil construction and civil engineering services such as earthmoving, drainage, stormwater, sewerage and roading, along with siteworks for commercial subdivisions, and streetscape detailing for urban environments.

“We’ve also been doing a lot more residential subdivision works over the last year or two,” says Paul.

In addition to the brand new John Deere 318E skid steer, Base Civil has recently added a new Hitachi ZX200LC-5G excavator to its fleet, and has a John Deere 650J dozer on order through CablePrice.

“We did lots of research before choosing the John Deere skid steer. Although it hadn’t been used in New Zealand before, it was right up there when compared to other brands in the American market.”

The fuel-efficient, nimble material mover is one of John Deere’s 18 www.contractormag.co.nz

most powerful skid steers ever, with optimised hydraulics, improved lift capabilities and pushing forces, and an E Series engine that runs at a lower rpm without sacrificing power.

Paul is enjoying the versatility of the skid steer’s dual controls.

“Operators can jump straight onto the joystick controls, however those who prefer to use the old control system with their feet can still do so. This makes the changeover to the new machine much smoother without losing productivity.”

He says the skid steer is a “very balanced” machine, which can be easily driven straight onto and off a transporter.

“This is a real advantage as some of the other skid steer brands have to be turned around on the deck of the truck, which is not ideal.”

The new 318E will be used mainly for smaller areas of preparation work, such as car parks and berms that are too tight for a grader.

“We’ve added a power rake attachment to the package with this machine to give us more scope when finishing berms and topsoil.”

Panels at the back of the machine strip off easily for servicing, providing full access to the engine.

“Our workshop guys are pretty impressed with it, as a lot of the older bobcats are difficult to service.”

Paul is a fan of both the John Deere and Hitachi brands, which manufacture “proven, high quality gear” that spec up well.

“Hitachi is probably the most popular digger with operators in New Zealand, which is one reason why we invest in it.

The purchase of three brand new pieces of equipment from CablePrice, including New Zealand’s first John Deere 318E skid steer, is part of an ongoing business strategy of Base Civil Limited.

Good gear attracts good staff.”

Base Civil already has several Hitachi excavators on its fleet, with a new 20-tonne ZX200LC-5G arriving in early October to handle mainly drainage and excavation work.

“We added a new ZX200LC-5G to the fleet around 18 months ago.

It has gone so well it was a no brainer to buy one exactly the same when we needed another 20-tonne machine,” says Paul.

The company has also invested in its first bulldozer, a John Deere 650J that arrives in late October.

“We’ve been hiring a dozer for the last two years, so it made sense to purchase our own. We see it as a versatile machine that can be used for trimming and pushing out earthwork fill to level for compaction in subdivisions. It will also be useful for pushing out soft sub grade that is difficult for graders to handle.”

The new machines will be fitted out with 3D machine control equipment that uses GPS positioning to set out and manage jobs more effectively.

“The staff really enjoys using this technology which works well with the Hitachi and John Deere product.”

Paul says the firm has a good relationship with the “excellent” team at CablePrice.

“Our rep Dave Neilson is always there when we need him and it’s awesome how the servicing of our gear is fitted in with our work programme.”

All new mid-sized Hitachis purchased from CablePrice come with 36 months or 2000 hours of free scheduled servicing including oil sampling and travel.

David Neilson of CablePrice says “it has always been a pleasure” dealing with Paul.

“His no-nonsense approach and research has always been top notch. I have to be on my game because of the curly questions he might ask. The Hitachis have been top performers for him over the years and we expect the same from the new John Deere skid steer and bulldozer.”

Paul says he and Michelle aren’t quite finished with their investment programme at Base Civil just yet.

“We look forward to getting these new pieces of equipment operating to full capacity, then a new grader is on the wish list.”

•

NOVEMBER 2015 19

CONTRACTOR PROFILE

Catching up with Joe After many years on the Contractor’s Federation national executive, Joe Edwards made a graceful exit at this year’s CCNZ AGM. He talks to ALAN TITCHALL about the industry in general, Pike River and his expanding retirement orchard scheme.

AFTER 13 YEARS on the CCNZ (formerly the Contractor’s Federation) national executive Joe Edwards stepped down this year from the executive, although he remains the immediate past president.

“I think it’s time to let the younger people coming through get involved. I think if I stay on I will get too blinkered on what has worked in the past,” he says.

Construction manager at McConnell Dowell, Joe Edwards started his 40-year career as an operator on the large earthworks project at Twizel, and has covered a myriad of jobs in civil contracting since. Not surprisingly, his wisdom is sought-after and he still sits on a number of industry boards, including the Contrafed Publishing board, which he joined back in July. Joe is also on the board of the MinEx Safety Council, and is the chairman of the Mines Rescue Trust Board, where he is one of the few members not recruited directly from one of the rescue services.

Another appointment was to WorkSafe’s Extractives Industry Advisory Group (EIAG). Aimed at safety improvements to the mining and tunnelling industries, EIAG is one of a number of advisory bodies set up under the WorkSafe New Zealand Act 2013 as a way of independently overseeing the effectiveness of the regulatory framework and WorkSafe operations. (The group has an initial shelf-life of two years, at which time the WorkSafe board will review its effectiveness. The group sets

Construction manager at McConnell Dowell, Joe Edwards started his 40year career as an operator on the large earthworks project at Twizel, and has covered a myriad of jobs in civil contracting since... ...his wisdom is sought after and he still sits on a number of industry boards...

20 www.contractormag.co.nz

its own meetings and information gathering processes, and is provided with secretariat support by WorkSafe.)

Joe was last profiled in this magazine four years ago when he said that if he got to be the Federation president, one of his primary goals would be to unite the industry with the merging of Roading New Zealand and the Contractor’s Federation.

“In the past there has been some improvement in relations with Roading New Zealand and over the past year this has come significantly closer,” he said back in 2011.

“If I’m elected president this is certainly an agenda I would want to see finalised. I’ve always believed that a united and creditable voice from the construction industry will be far more effective than two voices that do not always agree.”

His wish came true in August last year when Civil Contractors NZ (CCNZ) was formed from the merger of the two contractor associations.

“I was very supportive of the merger for a number of years for a number of good reasons,” he says now.

“I could see an opportunity to work together towards common goals. Dave Jewell and I got the ‘memorandum of understanding’ underway and it was current CCNZ president Dave Connell with Cos Bruyn who finally set things in motion and saw the merger over the line.

“I believe that we [now] have a very talented national

executive. It is well led, has the right mix of skills and is focused on the key issues facing the construction industry. I have full faith in their abilities to take CCNZ forward.

“The executive is also well supported by a branch structure with most branches focused on wide industry issues.

“The concern for me is still the number of contractors that are not members and who directly continue to benefit from the CCNZ work.

“One example of this is the work we did to win the Voidable Transactions court case, which is something that really benefited all New Zealand businesses. This is just one of many association wins.

“And my view is that the more members we have, the stronger the voice of industry and the opportunity to increase benefits.”

Attracting young blood Talking at the opening of the CCNZ conference event this year Joe was passionate about attracting young people into the industry.

“It’s very important for this industry to attract the right young people, as they are, and will be, our key asset.

“We need to make sure our trades are sought-after qualifications and our new apprenticeship scheme will result in a qualification that is equal to, if not better, than anything else out there.

The Construction Safety Council A subject that came in for much discussion at the last CCNZ executive meeting and at the CCNZ AGM in Wairakei was the future of the Construction Safety Council (CSC). It was generally noted that it needed more ‘teeth’ and funding. Do you agree?

“First, I believe the Safety Council is a fantastic concept.

It was put in place some years ago, when Dave Jewell was president.

“It brings together all the vertical and horizontal industry interests and is recognised by government agencies.

“Unfortunately, there are interests in the group that seem out for themselves rather than the general industry good. It has to work as a level playing field.

“The new CCNZ CEO, Peter Silcock, with the support of the national executive and key CSC board members such as Roger McRae, is putting a lot of effort into the CSC to ensure it has the resources to focus on continued and sensible high safety standards, and achieve its potential as the wider construction industry safety organisation.”

NOVEMBER 2015 21

CONTRACTOR PROFILE

“It is great to see Bailey Gair on the CCNZ board. We need to attract and create a career path for more women in the industry, as they bring a different and valuable perspective.

“There are more and more women holding a wide variety of roles in the construction industry and this is not only very positive, but it is also attracting more women to see what a good and worthwhile career construction offers.

“The way to attract anyone into construction, including women, starts much earlier than choosing a career on leaving school.

“It is essential that we all encourage young people to study science and maths. These subjects are the cornerstone of many careers, including construction. Construction needs to be seen as a lifelong career choice, and one where you can really make a positive difference to society.”

Pike River Mine I don’t believe you have mentioned the Pike River Mine disaster in this magazine, yet McConnell Dowell was very involved in its construction.

“I was closely involved with the project at Pike River and we had a crew come out of the mine within three minutes of the first explosion, and another shift waiting at the lamp room to go underground for the night shift.

“It strengthened a lot of my thinking about workplace safety and why I got involved with the formation of the new Safety Act and regulations.”

Did you have any concerns over the project at the time?

“We actively looked at the safety of what we were doing and the immediate environment around us. This is one of the key learnings from the tragic events at the mine – we now realise we all need to be much more vigilant about looking beyond our immediate ‘patch’ at the safety of the wider environment we work in, even if we have no involvement in it, and do not control it.

“It’s critical to identify who or what could impact on the safety of ourselves and our workmates – particularly that which is potentially out of our control.

“We went to the morning meetings and didn’t once realise adequate [gas] protection wasn’t in place. We could see the wires and detectors in place in the mine roof and presumed the gas detectors were working.

“Now, we would ask many more searching questions and satisfy ourselves that the safety of our people was not compromised by factors outside our control. It was a terrible tragedy and we can’t afford something like that to ever happen again.

“Rebecca Macfie wrote a book Tragedy at Pike River Mine (2013) that explains a lot of the wider issues. I hope it will help the public to understand what happened and how safety may be improved in the future.

“Technically speaking, there were also some real successes in the construction of the mine access, and in time I hope we will be able to remember those more positive learnings as well.”

22 www.contractormag.co.nz

Joe and Diana Edwards at this year’s CablePrice “Wild Wild West” dinner, a highlight of the annual CCNZ Conference.

Are you pleased to see new and comprehensive health and safety regulations being introduced?

“Absolutely. I am a grandparent now, so more than ever pleased to see the working environment becoming safer.

“All stakeholders and clients need to step up – many just pay lip service to H&S at times. The attitude seems to be ‘If the boss doesn’t wear a hard hat – then it is fine not to wear a hard hat’.

“I also think safety starts from home. If you wear shorts and jandals mowing the lawns at home, will you be any better at work?”

The future In your last profile you mentioned an orchard you own in Auckland.

Are you still enjoying your horticultural sideline?

“Yes. Orcharding is like construction in many ways, it is full of challenges, but at the end of the day you are proud of what you have produced.

“In construction we build legacies that benefit society for many years to come. The orchard’s reward is seeing truckloads of fruit leaving the gate. To continue the challenge on the orchard, Diana [Joe’s wife] and I have just finished planting 2600 feijoa trees, on top of the existing 4150 citrus trees already planted and producing. The orchard is our retirement project.

“Meanwhile, I still have a day job and I am looking forward to the new challenge of the Contrafed Publishing board and completing commitments I have made to the other industry organisations that I am involved with.”

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CONTRACTOR PROJECT

24 www.contractormag.co.nz

KAPITI’S

EXPRESSWAY forges ahead Construction of the $630 million, four-lane Kapiti Expressway is forging ahead and despite technical challenges and a very wet winter contractors are rejoicing over progress. RICHARD SILCOCK reports.

DESPITE THIS WINTER being one of the wettest and coldest, with extreme weather in the area (115mm of rain fell in just one day during May), work on an 18-kilometre section of the 33-kilometre Kapiti Expressway is well advanced with those involved reported to be “rejoicing over the phenomenal progress”.

The NZ Transport Agency, with contractors Fletcher Construction and Higgins Contracting, and engineering consultancy Beca together form the M2PP Alliance constructing this section of the expressway. Goodman Contractors, as a subcontractor is doing most of the earthworks and the Kapiti Coast District Council (KCDC) is a non-commercial partner in the Alliance.

Snaking its way north through the Kapiti Coast on the south-western flank of the North Island, this grade-separated RoNS expressway will run from MacKay’s Crossing near Paekakariki to just north of Otaki. It will join with the Transmission Gully Motorway once that is completed in 2020 at MacKay’s Crossing, giving an uninterrupted route from Wellington to Levin, replacing the existing SH1 as the main ‘Northern Corridor’.

A section, from MacKay’s Crossing to Peka Peka was started in December 2013 and is expected to be completed by mid-2017. With specimen design almost complete, the Peka Peka to Otaki section

should go out for tender shortly with construction expected to start by mid next year and be completed by 2020. A new section of highway from Otaki to Levin is at the early concept design stage.

John Palm, the Alliance’s construction manager, says the project has progressed very well and with summer approaching construction momentum is moving up a notch.

“At the end of October 80 percent of the earthworks were complete and 11 of the 18 bridges are nearing completion,” John says. “We have relocated the main natural-gas pipeline and some utilities and are well advanced in constructing 14 hectares of engineered wetlands, some of which provide for stormwater retention.

In places we have also completed paving work and the planting of around 1.5 million natives along a vegetation corridor is advancing well.”

“It has not been without some civil engineering challenges,” says John.

“One of our biggest challenges has been building the expressway to withstand a 1-in-2500 year major earthquake and a 1-in-100 year flood.

“Due to the proximity of multiple fault lines and the ground composition, which comprises sand, peat, soft subsoils and river silts, along with a high water table and a number of natural wetlands, much of the ground is prone to movement,

NOVEMBER 2015 25

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

The MacKay’s to Peka Peka section of the Kapiti Expressway will involve: • 18 kilometres of four-lane expressway.

• 18 bridges and two footbridges.

• 18 kilometres of cycleway and walkway.

• 60 large culverts.

• 3 million cubic metres of earthworks.

• Over 70,000 cubic metres of concrete.

• 10,000 tonnes of steel.

• 2.4 million tons of aggregate.

• 55 kilometres of wire rope safety barrier.

• 400,000 square metres of road paving.

Above: A 60 tonne, iron reinforcing silo being lowered into a pier casing prior to pouring concrete.

Above right: A precast crosshead beam is lifted onto a bridge pier at the Te Moana Road Bridge.

Previous page: Attaching brackets and bracing inside an iron reinforcing silo prior to it being lowering into a three-metre wide pier and pile casing.

26 www.contractormag.co.nz

liquefaction and flooding.

“As a result, work has involved a range of engineering techniques to strengthen and compact the ground. This included pre-loading sections of the alignment for 12 months and utilising dynamic compaction around bridge foundations which involves dropping a 13-tonne weight a number of times from a crane, with the impact and vibration creating compaction.

“Concrete lattices are also being built to interlock the bridge piles. These form a framework that helps lock the ground in place during an earthquake.”

Another technique being used is the construction of stone columns, which are built by filling bored holes with rock and then vibrating them. A number of columns arranged in close proximity compact the surrounding ground and also allow drainage.

As the expressway traverses both ‘greenfields’ and urban areas a lot of the carriageway

is being built above bisecting local roads and around the urban areas by way of bridges and compacted earth embankments.

For reasons of efficiency the bridges, with the exception of the one spanning Ngarara Road in Waikanae, have been constructed on monopiles which are three metres wide and bored to a depth of 40 metres.

T52 H-piles, which allow for severe ground movement, are also being used to provide additional support for bridge abutments which are further stabilised by mechanically stabilised earth walls. These walls are constructed by compacting sloping layers of reinforced grid fabric and earth around the piles to form a supporting bank at each end of a bridge.

Due to the size and weight of the 60 tonne, iron-reinforcing silos that are used to strengthen the concrete of the bridge piers, special lifting clamps and bracing spreaders had to be designed and fabricated to ensure

the silos did not buckle when installed into the pier and pile casings.

The piers are topped with pre-cast concrete crosshead beams, some of which weigh 180 tonnes and are the heaviest precast beams produced in New Zealand.

“By building a ‘family’ of bridges, efficiencies are gained as it allows beams and crossheads to be precast to a standard size at our onsite yard at Otaihanga,” says John. “This has avoided significant false work on site and minimised the hazards of working over ‘live’ roads and rivers.”

Most of the bridges at the southern end are almost complete with re-alignment and paving of the roads under each expected to be completed shortly as are the double roundabouts at Poplar Avenue and Peka Peka where the expressway converges with the existing highway.

Construction of a new bridge over the

Waikanae River is well advanced. It is six spans, 180 metres long, and is the longest for this section of the expressway. While the river could be bridged in a single span, the additional spans allow for large volumes of water coming down the river during periods of heavy rainfall.

Work on the columns and crossheads for the bridges over Kapiti Road and Te Moana Road is also well advanced with the on/off ramps expected to be completed by Christmas. An interchange is also being constructed at Kapiti Road which will be upgraded to four lanes to provide for increased traffic flows.

The bridge at Ngarara Road is being constructed using a top-down method and is the only bridge the expressway will pass under.

Construction has involved boring 56 piles to a depth of 30 metres with the abutments mounted by 30-metre T-beam spans. The reinforced concrete floor slab effectively

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Above: Aerial view of the alignment looking north towards Paraparaumu Airport from the southern end of the expressway, where it joins SH1 (right foreground).

Above left: Close-up of a bridge pier showing the precast crosshead and beams in place. The crosshead and bridge beams are held in place by post-tensioned steel cables which will be overlaid by the bridge deck.

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CONTRACTOR PROJECT

Above: Crane placing a 90-tonne concrete bridge span on the Poplar Avenue Bridge.

Above right: Aerial view of the bridge over Otaihanga Road showing the concrete deck in place and the built carriageway embankments.

“The project won the Site Safe Award for Innovation last year in recognition of ensuring the health and safety of workers, visitors and the community,”

28 www.contractormag.co.nz

braces the structure.

The two curved footbridges over the expressway, one at Raumati and the other at Paraparaumu, were jointly designed by architects Warren and Mahony and Monk Mackenzie to provide an east-west connection for pedestrians. They will have a “sinuous sculptural look” and be finished in high-gloss black steel, evocative of the native eels found in the rivers. Lighting by way of LEDs will be incorporated in handrails and poles.

A double retaining wall just south of Waikanae is being built to allow the alignment to skirt a historically significant Maori reservation. The concrete wall will be 90 metres wide along the lower wall and 12 metres high in total and will feature cultural icons on the concrete panels.

Along with engineered wetlands, swales have been constructed on either side of the expressway to cope with excessive rainfall runoff or flood events, and a three-metre wide cycle/walkway and bridle-path will run the entire length.

Goodman Contracting, which has been responsible for most of the earthworks, won the contract due to its knowledge of the ground conditions. Managing director, Stan Goodman, says the earthworks have amounted to just under three million cubic metres of earth, peat and sand being moved.

“This has included the removal of sand hills, excavation of peat to below the water table, filling excavations with sand, building large earth bunds and embankments, along with carriageway formation,” says Stan. “This work has been aided by the use of in-cab, 3D GNSS/ Cloud-based survey positioning equipment, which has allowed us to work rapidly with a high degree of efficiency and accuracy.”

Goodman has 40 CAT excavators and heavy bulldozers, 36 Volvo dump trucks, elevating

scrapers and a number of rollers and graders working on site.

Higgin’s spokesperson for the Alliance, David Rubery, says safety is paramount as the project involves over 650 people.

“The project won the Site Safe Award for Innovation last year in recognition of ensuring the health and safety of workers, visitors and the community,” says David. “This is a great achievement for a project of this magnitude.”

The expressway has not been without its critics with some saying it will spoil the beauty of the coast and cut communities in half. Property owners affected by the expressway route tried to stave-off the expressway running through or close to their property and advocated for a connecting ‘link road’ instead. Others took their case all the way to the Supreme Court which, after ordering some slight adjustments to the proposed alignment, found in favour of the Transport Agency.

This expressway project is one of the first to include a council body as part of an alliance and has, according to John Palm, brought about a partnering attitude, collaboration, and a ‘no surprises’ approach for councillors.

“In particular, the council allowed us to work through changes in consents and provided a ‘heads-up’ on pending issues that have impacted on various communities and individuals,” says John.

KCDC mayor, Ross Church, says they’ve been fortunate to have a dedicated group of professional contractors on board who show a caring and respectful attitude towards the community, who are always ready to listen to the concerns of residents and respond appropriately.

The establishment of a community liaison team along with informative site tours, updates in local papers, monthly online newsletters,

a hot-line and letterbox drops has kept the public well informed, and where traffic has been disrupted at crossing points of local roads, effective controls have pretty much met with public tolerance.

John Palm says the focus for the coming summer months will be to complete the earthworks and bridges, get the bulk of the pavement down, construct culverts and kerbing,

continue with the planting programme, and later in the year rehabilitate two kilometres of existing highway north of MacKay’s Crossing that has suffered sinkage undulations and surface deterioration.

According to NZTA, the expressway will be one of the most technologically and environmentally advanced road projects constructed in New Zealand.

Above: Aerial view looking north-east near Waikanae showing rain filled swales and engineered wetlands.

Above left: Native plant corridors, swales and engineered wetlands have been created to help control excessive rainfall runoff.

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CONTRACTOR PROCUREMENT

Clever procurement In the past tender writing and procurement has often been a painful and expensive (and often pointless) exercise, but Caroline Boot’s ‘Clever Buying’ course is changing the procurement sector.

CAROLINE BOOT, from tender specialist company Plan A, explains.

MY FIRST DOZEN years in the business of writing tender responses revealed a large-scale problem: the traditional methods and tools used to select suppliers (often for projects worth many millions of taxpayer dollars) were not delivering value for money.

Confused priorities, recycled Requests for Tender (RFTs) with generic or irrelevant questions, variable and subjective opinions influencing evaluation teams – all made the procurement process difficult, not only for respondents, but also for evaluators.

The time and costs involved in responding to mountains of standard questions – which were largely unrelated to the specific project – created overheads that would ultimately be built into the costs of the projects bid for. On the client side, the time and costs of evaluating that material could be far out of proportion to the value for money being sought in the tender box.

Worse, neither the bidders nor the evaluators had confidence that the decisions being made were the right ones to effectively manage projectspecific risks and provide opportunities to leverage value over the life of the assets. This situation was probably costing the country billions.

This is why I extended our services from simply helping bidders write good tender responses, to also helping procurers to sharpen their procurement tools and processes.

Doing our homework The first challenge in raising procurement skills was that government agencies were often entrenched in legacy processes with little direct motivation, nor clear mandate, for procurement professionals to increase their efficiency or their effectiveness.

Our first step was to tap into procurement managers’ minds. Over hundreds of coffees, conferences and consultations, I drilled deep into the challenges faced by tender evaluators.

30 www.contractormag.co.nz

This involved reading voraciously, and attending and facilitating dozens of workshops with tender evaluators. I went to every available procurement course in this market and studied procurement models and tools used by the UK and US government agencies, the World Bank, the EU Procurement Rules, Asia Development Bank, FIDIC and more.

What did become obvious was that the processes used by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) were head and shoulders above others in the international procurement arena. The assumption that New Zealand practices were behind others, was clearly false – the transparency and effectiveness of procurement processes run for roading and transportation projects far surpassed any systems employed elsewhere.

Unexpected source of insight We also learnt a lot from unexpected sectors such as education.

My postgraduate research in the early 1990s in the education sector covered ‘assessment and evaluation’ of student capabilities, and I discovered that the principles of assessing this ‘capability’ had many similarities to assessment of supplier capability to underpin procurement decisions.

Over many decades of qualification reforms around the world, education professionals had developed far more sophisticated and efficient tools and processes for evaluating capability than tender evaluators. Applying many of these capability assessment tools within tender preparation and evaluation was therefore logical.

Moreover, it could be done in a manner that aligned with international best practice in procurement, with the NZTA’s manuals and processes, and with our own government’s Rules of Sourcing and Principles of Procurement.

While applying all these ‘effective’ procurement methods would improve our procurement environment, I found, however, that making a material

Caroline Boot

difference to practices at the tendering coalface was a different matter.

Get the right heads involved Many tender evaluators back then had little, or no, involvement in planning the procurement or in preparing the RFT. They had no input into selecting and developing the methods, attribute weights, or questions used to make procurement decisions.

Instead, the job of putting RFT documents together was often relegated to administration staff who had little understanding of the project or its priorities. Unsurprisingly, many of the RFT documents did not reflect, or align, with broader procurement strategies, nor did they use tools that select on the basis of the critical success factors for any particular project.

The evaluators were shipped in when the bids were in the box. With the supplier selection method already set in stone (along with the attributes, weightings, and questions), the evaluators’ hands were effectively tied. The only way to mitigate the poor selection tools they were forced to use, was to introduce personal discretion.

This meant that tendering decisions were often wildly variable, depending on the perceptions of the evaluators on what was important at the time. Similar attributes for similar jobs could be marked high or low, depending on the personal views and priorities of the evaluation team. This was hugely frustrating and discouraging to bidders, plus it undermined the industry’s confidence in the fairness and value of the system. A change in priorities was urgently needed.

People learn by doing I soon found that lecturing about better procurement made little difference to the quality of tendering, and it would need hands-on training in applying procurement tools and methods to improve tendering practices in general.

Importantly, I discovered that the

NZTA’s requirement for tender evaluators on significant roading projects was the only material motivation for clients to up-skill in this area. And although the agency had a great manual and excellent processes, it did not (and, I was told, could not, under its mandate) offer ‘training’ in procurement.

There were very few courses available on tendering around, and I found what there was available delivered in a traditional style – PowerPoint slides, massive resource folders, occasional lecturer-led group discussion – but no meaningful activity to consolidate and practise the theory.

My previous 15 years as a secondary teacher taught me that people change their behaviour only by practising new ways of doing things and I now had a unique advantage – a host of ‘war stories’ and real examples gathered through working on tender responses at Plan A. This made ‘Clever Buying’ – the training for procurement managers – unique.

The tools of learning It took many months to put together the first course. Fake tender responses needed to be written. Numerous scenarios needed to be developed, to give trainees a range of different contexts to practise their skills. Research was needed to nail down the salient factors of landmark legal cases and Auditor-General/Commerce Commission guidelines, to use as examples of what not to do.

A range of RFT documents was gathered to illustrate the worst and the best practices in the market. Different styles of scoring systems were developed in the context of real examples, with trainees using laptops and calculators to test the sensitivity of different weightings on the

final tendering decision.

It was important that the course provided a logical blend of the main methodologies available – the NZTA’s procurement processes, Government Principles of Procurement and Rules of Sourcing, and a sprinkling of the best of internationally sourced methods. It also needed to provide a clear segue into assessment for the diploma-level qualification used by NZTA to qualify its tender evaluators.

People learn best by doing – not reading or listening to lectures. I wanted participants to try their hand at every important aspect of developing RFTs and evaluating responses over their two days of intensive activity.

Template workbooks, handouts and resource materials were created, ranging from group practice tender evaluation exercises, ethical scenarios, a tender debrief role play, scoring analysis and use of spreadsheets. Comparative material was developed to show how to work through analysis of project risks and opportunities to develop prequalification criteria, set and test attributes and weights, and develop targeted questions to differentiate the bidders.

Early feedback and success The two-day Clever Buying course was launched late in 2011, and – with several hundred tender evaluators having completed the course, and scores having followed through to be assessed for their National Certificate – I feel the wheels of change are now turning in some areas.

The most satisfying thing is to see significant savings for both tenderers and evaluators when better planning tools are used. We’ve seen small councils reduce annual procurement budgets by

hundreds of thousands of dollars simply by training their staff in these simple best practice methods. What’s more, the effort put into structured procurement planning pays off in spades, with faster, more accurate and defensible decisions from tender evaluation teams.

There’s been positive feedback from suppliers also, when they recognise the questions they are asked are carefully crafted to differentiate the bidders on the basis of ‘value for money’. Valuable time is no longer wasted in cutting and pasting generic answers to irrelevant cookie-cutter catch-all questions.

Bidders can now win a project from councils using best practice without having to cut their price to unsustainable levels (and then trying to claw back a profit through variations). They can apply their smarts to develop the optimal solution to provide the best value for money over the life of the asset. That’s worth having – not only for those high-performing suppliers, but also for the asset owners and the communities that use those assets.

However, there are still challenges between private sector operators and central government, which has yet to be persuaded of the value of this practical approach to training procurement staff.

Meeting of the minds For the time being, though, the development of Clever Buying has allowed a ‘meeting of the minds’ for those who choose to engage. The objectives of both suppliers and clients in engaging in procurement processes – fairness, transparency, fitness for purpose, and cost-efficiency – are well on their way to being met.

More information at www.cleverbuying. com.

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CONTRACTOR PROJECT

32 www.contractormag.co.nz

Linking communities The Waitaki Bridges Replacement project is an example of both construction excellence, innovation, and outstanding community engagement.

BY MARY SEARLE BELL. WAITAKI RIVER runs through the Mackenzie Basin in the lower South Island.

The riverbed is the political divider between the Canterbury and Otago regions. Its braided beauty is popular for both fishing and jet boating.

Fed by three glacial lakes – Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki – it is cold year round.

A fast flowing river, the water volume is normally low in winter, but as the snow on the Southern Alps melts in spring, this increases significantly.

On its 110 kilometre journey from the mountains to the sea, it passes the rural communities of Kurow and Glenavy before reaching the Pacific Ocean on the coast between Timaru and Oamaru.

At Kurow, a pair of bridges were built across the river in 1881. The first from the tiny town of Kurow to Kurow Island mid-stream and the second from the island to connect to the community of Hakataramea on the northern side. The narrow wooden bridges were originally built for rail, but later opened to a single lane of traffic.

A vital link between the two communities, the bridges served for 132 years, enabling

THE

the area to grow and develop. In recent times the aging structures were increasingly closed during high river flows and for repairs and maintenance work. As the route is important for both freight and tourism, and the alternative route a 160 kilometre detour, the NZ Transport Agency decided to replace them.

Opting for an ECI (early contractor involvement) model, the agency awarded the contract to McConnell Dowell in 2011.

Because the ECI model means the contract is given without any formal design, it allows for greater flexibility and innovation.

McConnell Dowell, and its design partners URS, worked with the NZTA and its technical advisors, Opus, to develop the design. In doing so, they were all able to fully understand the project constraints and explore various solutions together.

As a result, significant savings were found through reconsideration of the construction method, sequencing and the types of materials used.

McConnell Dowell construction manager Joe Edwards says the team were able to do “a lot of very good planning ahead of time”.

At Kurow, a pair of bridges were built across the river in 1881. The first from the tiny town of Kurow to Kurow Island mid-stream and the second from the island to connect to the community of Hakataramea on the northern side.

NOVEMBER 2015 33

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The concrete finishing of the bridge deck was to such a high standard that the usual layer of levelling asphalt was not required prior to the final sealing. This too provided time and cost savings, and Joe says the team is very proud of the good quality achieved.

34 www.contractormag.co.nz

“Very little, if anything, changed once we got to site.”

With a price tag of $20.1 million, the new Waitaki Bridges (one 206 metres long, the second 92 metres) are of composite construction. The beams and deck are built from weathering steel, topped with precast concrete planks and an in situ concrete deck.

They boast two lanes of traffic as well as a barrier separated cycle and pedestrian lane on the downstream side. They also have increased capacity for oversized agricultural machinery and freight trucks.

A number of construction innovations helped the project to net first place in Category 3 – Projects with a value between $5 million and $30 million at this year’s Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards. In particular: • The use of a high-strength, low alloy weathering steel allows longer spans, meaning fewer piles and less work in the river. But particularly, the weathering steel forms a protective rust patina which almost eliminates corrosion. The rusting process starts the same way as conventional steel but the specific alloying elements in weathering steel produce a stable rust layer that adheres to the base metal.

Over time (two to five years) the orangebrown rust changes to a dark-brown colour. The

earthy tones of the weathering steel will allow the bridges to blend into their beautiful rural setting.

The weathering steel also meant the bridges did not require painting at the time of construction, nor are there any ongoing painting maintenance costs.

• A temporary trestle alongside the longer of the two original bridges helped facilitate construction of the new bridge and subsequent deconstruction of the old one. The use of the trestle saw the bridges completed ahead of schedule and deconstruction work finished six months early.

• The concrete finishing of the bridge deck was to such a high standard that the usual layer of levelling asphalt was not required prior to the final sealing. This too provided time and cost savings, and Joe says the team is very proud of the good quality achieved.

It is also worth noting the challenges of the site itself – work over water is always complex, the fast flow of the Waitaki River added to this.

There were also extremes in temperatures – from the blistering heat of summer to winter’s snow. The site was also prone to flooding. On top of this, Joe says the Waitaki Valley acted as a wind tunnel, which had a significant impact on crane work.

Construction innovations and challenges aside, there was much more to this project than simply replacing the old bridges. For starters, these original structures were of historic significance and Heritage New Zealand, along with the locals, wanted a legacy to remain. To this end, two spans from the original bridges have been incorporated into an historic display on Kurow Island and the timber components from the old structures have been used in other projects in the lower half of the South Island.

Heritage New Zealand also required photographic and video records of the deconstruction work be provided to the local museum. McConnell Dowell also created a future legacy by providing the same of the construction work to the museum too.

Perhaps, though, what made this project an outstanding success was the high level of community involvement from day one. A partnering charter was signed by NZTA, Opus, McConnell Dowell, and Waitaki and Waimate district councils, with support from a number of community groups. Its mission was to ‘provide a strategic link between two regions and local communities to create a legacy that respects the past and inspires the future’.

“We set pretty high goals with the community in mind,” says Joe. “We actively measured our performance against the charter throughout the project – we hit or bettered every target.

“It’s McConnell Dowell policy – when we go to a community, we become part of that community. Our team lived in Kurow, or nearby, and we employed locals where possible.”

From Kurow (population: 400) McConnell Dowell recruited eight locals in the field workforce of about 15.

“We actively targeted those with little or no construction experience – we were happy to train them both formally and on site,” explains Joe. “Most of our local hires are still with us.”

Community engagement was also enhanced by a number of added-value side projects. A new double-land jet boat ramp on the island is very popular with the locals.

Joe says the community also approached the team and asked them to help with constructing a cycle track around the island, which they did happily. So too when the local preschool asked for a little wooden bridge to be built in their playground.

“This kind of thing is really easy for us to do but meant a lot to the community,” says Joe.

“It’s McConnell Dowell policy – when we go to a community, we become part of that community. Our team lived in Kurow, or nearby, and we employed locals where possible.”

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NOVEMBER 2015 35

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

A day in an estuary Repairing and widening the roads around Christchurch’s iconic Avon-Heathcote Estuary posed many interesting challenges, not all of them anticipated, as CHRIS MACANN explains.

FOR MANY, CHRISTCHURCH’S McCormacks

Bay Causeway is a vital commuter route; for others, a well beaten path to the city’s south-eastern beaches of Sumner and Taylors Mistake. The major road link carrying more than 20,000 vehicles a day was due to be widened but the February 22 earthquake in 2011 hastened all that.

The job of fixing the vital connection was given to the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT)’s Fulton Hogan delivery team. SCIRT is rebuilding the city’s earthquake damaged horizontal infrastructure.

After the causeway work, it was a logical step to incorporate a planned widening involving three-laning plus the second part of the Coastal Pathway into the repairs.

Project engineer Ash Mitchell is happy to report that despite quite a few unforeseen things that cropped up, the project team managed to deliver on time.

Stage one of the three-laning project involved widening the existing seawall on up to 10 metres of reclaimed land to enable the roads to be widened and a four metre cycle path to be included.

Essentially a new 600-metre wall was built which involved a five-metre thick rock wall being placed with up to five metres of bulk fill behind it. As well, a swale to filter stormwater and road runoff was incorporated between the road and cycle track.

Working in the estuary during the three-laning project provided a few challenges. The digger could only work at low tide so working hours varied.

Pouring concrete for five sets of public access steps to the estuary had to be done with care. The steps had to be made in situ, and because the alkalinity of the mortar affects the water, the concrete had to have additives to allow it to set early.

While the original seawall was mostly made from old concrete, the new wall 36 www.contractormag.co.nz

had to be a more attractive and shapely feature. Originally it was thought Port Hills rock released by the earthquake would suffice as aggregate but it didn’t pass the 15 or so rigorous tests for strength and abrasion resistance.

“This involved a fair bit of work at the start, going around a lot of quarries seeing what suited,” says Ash. In the end the rock came from Oxford – a 70-minute, 70-kilometre one-way trip.

In all, 340 truck and trailer movements were needed to move 3500 cubic metres of rock.

“With a decent truck and trailer unit you’d get three loads a day,” says Ash. The final rock choice was important as stonemason David Packman explains.

“Locally sourced Port Hills stone [basalt] would suffer from exposure to the seawater because it was not of consistent strength because it contains ash and impurities.

“The basalt from Oxford was very impervious and very strong. It has the strength and ability to last because the water was not going to get through it and cause damage.”

Five sets of access steps to the estuary were built to match the stone in the seawall. They were built in andecite found on top of the basalt at the Oxford quarry. It is still igneous and hard wearing but splits cleaner and easier making for a better walking platform.

“It was cut with hammers not diamond cutters from one piece of stone so that it looked good,” David says.

As well, the team had to replace the original earthquake-damaged culverts which had sunk, including a large replacement boxed culvert, built from prefabricated sections and placed as the tide allowed.

History too had to be preserved. It’s not the first time the causeway has had a major makeover. The causeway was originally built between 1903 and 1907 for the electric tram. It was widened to

CHRISTCHURCH

Avon-Heathcote Estuary

McCormacks Bay Causeway

include a road during the Depression years, beginning in 1932 and opening in 1941.

Ash said the team had to make sure not to disturb any old history.

“We thought we might find old tram tracks which we haven’t actually come across.

“Archaeologists were involved in all discoveries, to inspect. We found a few wooden drains and bits and pieces but none predated 1900 – the cut-off date archaeologists were keen about,” Ash said.

A lone macrocarpa also had unusual status where anywhere else it would be just another tree. Its location made it a vital nesting tree for a handful of shags, therefore it was protected.

“After an arborist’s inspection we knew, fortunately, the roots inclined away from any required excavation areas therefore eliminating any major arborist works.

Clockwise from top left: While the original seawall was mostly made from old concrete, the new wall had to be a more attractive and shapely feature, as Ash Mitchell points out.

Note that a swale to filter storm water and road run-off was incorporated between the road and cycle track; A lone macrocarpa had unusual status Its location made it a vital nesting tree for a handful of shags therefore it was protected; Ash Mitchell points to an area under a slope which was potentially unstable.

Left: Three sets of access steps to the estuary were built to match the stone in the seawall.

Below left: This stage required realignment of old rock walls

NOVEMBER 2015 37

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

The Avon Heathcote Estuary is the largest semi-enclosed shallow estuary in Canterbury and remains one of New Zealand’s most important coastal wetlands.

Area: 8 km² Ocean/sea sources: Pacific Ocean Settlements: Christchurch

Culverts had to be set at levels which allow for the passage of fish, so stones were put over their bottom so they looked like a riverbed

“You can see by the marks on all the rocks underneath that it’s not a good place to park your ute or have your lunch,” says Ash. Fish also had rights on this project.

All culverts had to be set at levels which allow for the passage of fish, so stones were put over their bottom so they looked like a riverbed.

SCIRT’s Fulton Hogan team started repair work on the damaged culverts, seawall and road surface in late April 2013.

The causeway was closed to all traffic for six months and despite the heavy rain weather conditions in June that year and a design change during construction the causeway opened to all traffic in November 2013 within the deadline.

That was the easy part.

Not so for the second stage of the project – the three-laning of the section of road between the Christchurch end of the causeway and the newly completed Ferrymead Bridge.

As Ash Mitchell explains, traffic management then became a major issue because there was no alternative route between the short section of road between the causeway and the new Ferrymead Bridge.

“It was a balance between causing major disruption and working quickly or causing less disruption but taking longer.

We had to build the road piecemeal and join it all together,” he said.

The team used around 10 traffic management stages and had to build two temporary lanes. “All that traffic driving on it helped compact the ground – and it’s free,” says Ash. 38 www.contractormag.co.nz

As well as road widening, this stage required realignment of old rock walls and “massive” dips to repair.

Being a major artery and coastal route meant that foam-stabilised bitumen was used for the pavements, a process whereby foam bitumen is mixed through the aggregate.

“On a main road like this, it futureproofs the pavements, and adds strength and life to them. It also reduces the pavement’s susceptibility to water which prolongs the life.

“If you keep pavements dry you’re off to a good start,” Ash says.

The work also included 600 metres of wastewater lines, a new pump station and 300 metres of new stormwater lines including outfalls to the estuary.

Ash said communication with the locals was “really good” but communicating with the wider group of commuters from further afield was challenging.

“People know you’re there for a year at a time but if they don’t – that’s where frustration comes, particularly the morning traffic when it banks up.”

Because of other earthquake repairs there were a lot of other road works in the area which meant having to liaise with workers on other projects.

“Traditionally you’d be the only road works so you’d just get on with it,” Ash says.

To further complicate matters, some of the work needed to be carried out in an area under a slope which was potentially unstable. A GNS Science report found this area was where potential mass movement presented an intolerable risk to life.

“It did have [shipping] containers [on the road side] like a lot of other hills, to stop falling rocks from hitting pedestrians or drivers.

“The council purchased the property and we removed a lot of excess soil at the top and reduced the overburden.

This enabled us to move the containers,” says Ash. This package of work was known as the mass movement project.

“It was an interesting experience because these large earthworks in an area of earthquakes means it could fall in on you, and large machinery tends to vibrate like earthquakes. We had to get the methodology right on how to attack it. We used long reach diggers and sat back and worked from a distance,” Ash says.

Biodegradable coconut mats, hydro grass and deliberately placed logs were used to prevent run-off and to slow and redirect water flows.

“Unless we did the work we couldn’t complete the three-laning job below. It was a bit of an unknown how long it was going to take and what we were going to find. The majority of that work was done in three weeks. If there were forecasts of rain we didn’t go near it because of the increased risk.”

This three-laning stage took 18 months. The works started February 2014 and were completed by May this year within schedule.

Fulton Hogan received an environmental award for work on the causeway and donated $250,000 worth of work to form that section of Christchurch City Council’s Coastal Pathway.

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CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

CS-VUE health and safety pilot While the new health and safety laws were still being formulated, New Zealand software company CS-VUE was busy developing an application to match. By CAMERON OFFICER. WITH NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY legislation now in place, software

from CS-VUE is set to be rolled out to help the likes of big infrastructure players, local government, and heavy industry manage and respond to their new workplace responsibilities.

Increased accountability and the drive to mitigate business and organisational exposure will see a big upswing in compliance reporting and risk management around health and safety in the coming years.

“In anticipation of the new legislative changes, we’ve been running a software pilot with some of our larger customers,” says CS-VUE general manager Wayne Fisher.

“After some fine-tuning we’re now set to deliver a first-class online health and safety risk management system that helps businesses to identify, manage and minimise or eliminate risks or hazards in the workplace.

“Under the new legislation, employers will face very serious sanctions if they are considered to put employees at risk through improper training, a lack of appropriate safety gear, poor knowledge of hazards, or not carrying out proper risk assessments. Our software is designed to help employers comply with these new requirements.”

CS-VUE is best known for its environmental compliance software which helps manage and track complex resource consent conditions following the arrival of the Resource Management Act. Fisher says the software company is once again positively responding to new legislation.

“The product suite is a cloud-based web application. This gives easy and 24-hour access to organisational and staff information, no matter the location. This is especially important for organisations with operations across multiple sites such as quarries, farms, mines and forestry.

“Being cloud-based also keeps hardware costs down and builds resilience as it keeps critical information secure from earthquakes, floods or fires.”

Fisher says it is all hosted in New Zealand and comes with stringent security measures and back-ups.

“The product is built on a very stable platform, and what’s more it has been built for various devices including mobile, tablet and desktop.”

CS-VUE’s Health & Safety software pilot has been designed around the new legislation as it progressed through Parliament and also Australian laws which are very similar to those now in New Zealand.

CS-VUE developers have also been closely engaged with clients in the extractives industry to ensure the software is meeting their Wayne Fisher requirements.

CS-VUE general manager “It’s a cycle of continual conversations, 40 www.contractormag.co.nz

development and rigid testing. The feedback we’ve had has been really encouraging. We’re giving the people at the front line of these organisations the opportunity to help design exactly what they need. At the same time we’re going to be working with other smaller and lower risk sectors that may not have such stringent legislative requirements.”

Fisher says having workplaces understand and more actively manage risk is long overdue given New Zealand’s questionable record for workplace accidents. In fact he says Kiwis are 2.5 times more likely to die in a workplace accident than in Australia, and six to nine times more likely than in the UK. “Our software alone won’t stop accidents or injuries but it will help organisations get on top of their responsibilities and will create a comprehensive and lengthy audit trail. It effectively provides everyone with an up-to-the-minute health and safety balance sheet. What’s more, being electronic and automated, there is a lot less opportunity for human error.”

Fisher describes the software as an enabler and functional tool that will allow organisations to easily identify and enter their risks into a risk register. It then aids in the management and continual review of those risks, such as identifying and assigning responsibility for the steps taken to isolate, minimise or mitigate risks.

“If there ever was an accident or incident, our Health & Safety incident module is also much easier than filling out the old forms and can be instantly sent to WorkSafe New Zealand in the event of a serious harm injury among others.”

Fisher says the software is priced very competitively and will cut down considerably the amount of manual work required by existing paper-based systems.

“Clients will pay an annual service fee and can forget about having their staff spending so much time trying to keep on top of a number of cumbersome spreadsheets and hardcopy documents.

“As a return on investment, this new software will deliver day one cost savings and productivity gains. For example, for a small quarry or mine with between 10-20 staff it would probably cost less than $2000 per annum for the base product. It’s market ready now, but will of course be continually enhanced.”

Fisher says CS-VUE’s design philosophy follows a few simple rules: good separation of front-end from back-end for modularity and ease of maintenance; fail-proof code; future-proof database design; DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) coding principles; balance of performance between client (front-end) and server (backend); and dynamic, configuration-based fields.

“Our secret is to keep several steps ahead both in the areas of compliance and technology. It’s all about continually improving our product and making it easy for our clients to focus more on the outcomes and less on the process,” says Fisher.

With this new software developed, CS-VUE is set to rebrand and market itself in the wider environmental, health and safety compliance market. While the award-winning Auckland-based company enjoyed a 25 percent revenue increase last year, Fisher expects even stronger growth over the next couple of years with the new health and safety legislation now in place.

For further information visit www.csvue.com

COMPANY PROFILE CONTRACTOR

Life Care expands through acquisition Fostering innovation. Taking calculated risks. Nurturing and growing staff. Keeping one step ahead of clients and their needs. Janet Brothers, managing director of Life Care Consultants, discusses health and safety culture and Life Care’s growth. By NICOLA SMITH. OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS industry and attitudes have changed.

In the beginning, the majority of clients wanted a ‘tick the box’ solution where health and safety compliance was the sole focus. But health and safety is now a hot topic, and people are realising the positive impact having a healthy, safe, and aware team can have on productivity and the bottom line.

In May this year, Life Care took a calculated risk and purchased Fire & Rescue New Zealand.

Janet is excited about the benefits and value Fire & Rescue will add to Life Care and its clients; “A one-stop-shop for first aid training, health monitoring, fire extinguisher and warden training, height safety, confined space training”.

The list goes on. It means less downtime and more opportunities for clients.

Janet says the rest of the staff at Life Care are matching the leadership team’s enthusiasm for this new market.

“We have such a positive and passionate team at the moment, they are all really enjoying the upskilling and training they are participating in to be able to deliver these new courses with confidence and knowledge. The staff from Fire & Rescue who are now part of the Life Care team are also relishing the change and the chance to work with our existing staff and clients and sharing their expertise.”

Fire and Rescue has been in the first aid and fire safety training arena for many years, with its head office in Hawkes Bay. Life Care’s acquisition will enable this small well run business to flourish and grow to its true potential.

Janet is passionate about selling a service and the need to ensure that exceptional service is “just what we do”.

“Our staff are expected to live by these core values and if they are not able to then they tend to not have their feet under the desk for too long here,” she says.

Life Care has a company policy that after 10 years of service a employee receives a $2000 travel voucher and six staff are reaching this milestone this year alone, and five more next year.

With offices and staff throughout the country, momentum is growing for this company which Janet started out of a spare bedroom almost 21 years ago. These days, Life Care is seen as a leader in the field, providing tailored industry-specific courses, implementing webinar wellness options to increase the awareness of health management in the workplace and running workplace wellness programmes for a range of clients.

Janet pust the success of her company down to; “Simply listening to our clients, working out their needs before they do and offering an easy and effective solution.”

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CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

Intelligent transport systems With Google, Tesla and other major vehicle manufacturers racing to develop driverless robot cars, trains and trucks, the future of transport has exciting times ahead as technology increasingly is used to solve some of the most intractable transport problems. By CAMERON OFFICER. UP UNTIL NOW autonomous and connected vehicles may have seemed part of a distant reality, but intelligent transport systems (ITS) – which will help facilitate these new innovations – are already making significant changes to the way our transport networks are sustainably planned, managed and operated to increase safety and efficiency, and reduce congestion.

As councils, governments and transport authorities seek safer, more efficient transport solutions that get the most from built infrastructure, ITS are increasingly providing the answers.

Commercial fleet managers are also keenly interested in getting real-time information on journey time, accidents and road conditions.

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) New Zealand is expediting this change by promoting and supporting the development and integration of ITS here in New Zealand. The organisation has regular interactions with global bodies that are forging cooperative partnerships and setting safety and technology standards.

They host events with local and international industry leaders on a regular basis; most recently the popular ITS New Zealand Annual Summit hosted experts from Europe, Asia and Australia.

In 2014 the Ministry of Transport’s ITS Action Plan was recognised internationally as a world-leading initiative, being adopted into the international ITS Hall of Fame. The NZTA has recently tendered a project to examine our road networks throughout the country and identify what is required to prepare for autonomous and connected driverless cars.

Recent examples of ITS Today nearly every RoNS (Roads of National Significance) project includes ITS as a leading component. Tauranga’s Eastern Link toll road, for example, includes cameras and number plate recognition technology within an advanced single gantry system.

All of our main centres are similarly introducing road traffic management projects which combine technology hardware that is embedded and matched with increasingly capable software for automating traffic management and gathering data.

42 www.contractormag.co.nz

The team at the Auckland Transport Operations Centre (ATOC) use sensors and CCTV cameras capable of number plate recognition. These are installed across the motorway system providing the ability to monitor traffic flow, quickly identify accidents, incidents and traffic build-up. They are then able to signal information to motorists – often suggesting alternative routes – via variable message signs, as well as relay information to the police and emergency services.

The NZTA’s Smart Motorway in Wellington is due for completion in 2016 and will include ITS in the form of an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). This will combine radars, sensors, cameras and electronic signs with traffic management software programmed to automatically respond and manage the flow of traffic. The ATMS will automatically recognise and respond to congestion and reduce the stop/start nature of heavy traffic by dynamically changing speed limits and lane controls.

In Christchurch since the earthquake the constant road and infrastructure works have caused significant issues with traffic routing. In response, Transport for Christchurch, a partnership between NZTA and the local council, has been using ITS to help alleviate this wherever they can.

The Transport for Christchurch website shows ongoing planned roadworks and travel times. Currently in beta form, the Transport for Christchurch traffic dashboard displays journey time information and compares it with average times tracked over the past three months.

However ITS are not restricted to the largest cities and variable message signs are even installed in remote locations such as on the Milford Road.

Local ITS innovators There are a number of ITS technology innovation businesses in New Zealand. A leading proponent is HMI Technologies, which is responsible for designing, manufacturing and servicing variable message signs and their management software as used throughout the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch motorway and local road networks. The Auckland-based company has also

recently expanded into the tough Australian and Southeast Asian markets.

HMI is also trialling the RouteTIP systems in both Christchurch and Melbourne. Believed to be a world first, the system sends location and direction specific traffic and road safety alerts straight to smartphones. As new vehicles roll out with Google Auto or Apple’s Carplay installed as their infotainment system, RouteTIP will be able to send the alerts directly to the on-board computer.

Another example of New Zealand leading-edge ITS technology is Wellington-based AraFlow which has its Bluetooth sensors installed throughout the country. These sensors pick up Bluetooth signals from mobiles and vehicles, assign them an anonymous address and record the time it takes before the vehicle or device passes by a second sensor. In New Zealand where our satellite coverage is not as strong as in the Northern Hemisphere, this data is deemed to be more accurate and reliable.

Over 100 of the AraFlow sensors are deployed around Christchurch to produce journey time information for Transport

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for Christchurch. The information that is produced is used for managing the network, providing useful information to citizens and also as part of planning for future infrastructure investment.

Keeping pace ITS New Zealand is closely connected to the rapidly advancing global industry, is a key player in the Asia Pacific region and has active representation on key international groups directing the industry standards and steering government decisions.

In October, ITS New Zealand will have its largest delegation yet at the 21st World ITS conference – expected to attract some 10,000 visitors from all over the world – in Bordeaux, France.

Looking ahead, the 2016 World Congress will be held on our doorstep in Melbourne in October, and a close working relationship with Australia means that ITS New Zealand will be hosting some significant events and activities.

In you are interested in attending events, becoming a member and discovering more about this exciting area of transport technology, visit the ITS New Zealand website www.itsnz.org.

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NOVEMBER 2015 43

CONTRACTOR BEST BUSINESS

Innovative infrastructure DR BRYAN PIDWERBESKY and CHLOE SMITH of Fulton Hogan explore

innovation, sharing insights on how it is viewed within the infrastructure industry and providing examples of how it can be achieved.

WITH TENS OR EVEN HUNDREDS of millions of dollars at stake on any given major infrastructure project, how do you create an environment conducive to trialling better, safer, and more costeffective solutions? It’s a question we have often wrestled with at Fulton Hogan, where more than 80 years of skin in the game collides with an eye on a world that is constantly changing. Our challenge – and our focus – is continually adapting and weaving in new, innovative ways of working in order to make our job sites safer, smarter and more sustainable.

Chloe Smith and Dr Bryan Pidwerbesky

in the success of the product and this shared approach also meant that engineering judgement was able to be exercised early in the piece, increasing the chances of the solution being feasible.

Often an idea can be a winner on paper, but can ultimately be proven too complex when implemented on the ground. A close partnership between the client and consultant, where the risk is shared and the dialogue is open, increases the chances of a positive outcome for both parties.

Sharing the risk yields greater results

The difference between innovation and best practice

In our experience, innovation involves a degree of risk taking and, in order for this risk to be managed properly and to deliver a positive outcome it needs to be shared between all parties.

Fulton Hogan’s work with the NZTA to develop and trial the use of epoxy asphalts in road surfacing embodies this collaborative approach to risk sharing. In 2006, the NZTA engaged Fulton Hogan to develop epoxy-modified open-graded porous asphalt (EMOGPA) with the aim of improving the lifespan of road surfacing as part of a project established by the OECD. We trialled the use of EMOGPA on a section of road in Belfast, Christchurch and the NZTA also established further trials in 2012 during the first stage of the Christchurch Southern Motorway, a Fulton Hogan design-build contract.

Based on the strong performance results of these tests, the NZTA decided to phase in 25 percent EMOGPA into a number of its capital and maintenance programmes nationwide.

This solution is an example of an appropriate level of risk sharing between client and consultant. Both parties were invested

It’s also important to note the distinction between innovation and best practice, as the two are not interchangeable despite the views of some in the industry. A widely accepted definition of best practice is: techniques, methodologies or activities based on research and/or experience that have been proven to reliably lead to a desired result, and have been widely recognised as ‘best practice’ by a professional engineering or industry body.

Innovation differs from this, as it is less about a widely accepted benchmark than it is about introducing new ways of working and testing the limits to see what is possible. It’s important that we don’t confuse innovation for best practice, until innovative approaches can reliably and consistently show that they lead to desired outcomes.

A recent example of the uncertainty around innovation and best practice occurred during the tendering phase of the Huntly Bypass, a section of the Waikato Expressway that Fulton Hogan was recently awarded under a design-build contract.

The Principal’s Requirements detailed a relatively new (to New Zealand) pavement material, design and construction

44 www.contractormag.co.nz

methodology developed to prevent rutting and premature failing in a cost-effective way.

During the tender stage, this new pavement design was being called best practice by some, whereas it is actually innovative.

The designer’s and contractor’s approach to an innovation is quite different from when you are applying best practice. We are in the process of trialling this design in order for it to meet the stringent performance criteria for the project. After a verification process, which will involve 16 months of monitoring during trafficking, we are confident that we will be able to demonstrate reliable and robust results, meaning that this innovative design could then start to be accepted as best practice.

In short, it takes time for an idea to become embedded as best practice, and we have to be careful not to jump the gun and call a work of innovation a sure thing before its proven.

Innovating the Fulton Hogan way Pavement design aside, we have worked hard at adopting innovation across our operations and in the process we have delivered improvements not only in terms of efficiency but also in terms of safety. An example of this is our Train Safe Protection System that we recently developed in-house. Given that our crews are often working on or around railroad tracks we had an interdepartmental team create a system to minimise the hazards associated with these kinds of jobs.

The system consists of a receptor unit which harnesses laser technology to detect an approaching train. This unit then interacts with a GSM communicator, which can be programmed to alert up to 31 different phone numbers via a text message. A receiver unit is also prompted, complete with a blue warning light

and a siren to ensure our crews have ample warning that a train is approaching the job site.

We have also introduced aerial drones into our operations in recent years and this has played a big role in helping to create a safer working environment and eliminating unnecessary hazards.

We have been able to use this technology to swiftly survey work sites, such as the areas that need remedial work following the Dunedin floods in June this year as well as the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme site in Canterbury. These drones have revolutionised our work, providing our crews with immediate visibility of the job site in a way that does not compromise their safety.

The use of the Trout River conveyor systems on our trucks – whereby materials are moved off the back of the truck without the trailer having to tip – has also proven successful. These belts are currently in use on two of our vehicles on a trial basis, and they have made an enormous difference in terms of safety as it removes the risk of the trailer striking an object such as a power line.

Each year at Fulton Hogan, the Managing Director’s Awards for Innovation celebrate and recognise the most innovative solutions our staff have to offer. These help us not only to take stock of our progress but to instil and maintain the drive to continually improve, which is an essential tenet of innovation. You simply can’t stand still. That being said, watch this space for even more high flying innovations!

• Dr Bryan Pidwerbesky is general manager, technical at Fulton Hogan and Chloe Smith is business development manager for Fulton Hogan’s innovation and strategy team.

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CONTRACTOR HISTORY

CALLIOPE DRYDOCK – favoured by fate

When it opened 130 years ago Devonport’s Calliope drydock was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dug by hand in a little over three years, the project exemplified the era’s pioneering spirit, but perhaps its real fascination lies in the quirky coincidences that punctuate its history. LAWRENCE SCHÄFFLER reports.

Above: The opening ceremony was a grand affair on February 16, 1888.

46 www.contractormag.co.nz

MANY WOULD LIST the drydock near or at the top of New Zealand’s most challenging 19th century engineering projects. It was a remarkable accomplishment for a small, developing country in a lonely corner of the South Pacific.

When it was officially opened with great fanfare on February 16 1888, two vessels were shoe-horned in to illustrate its cavernous capacity – the HMS Calliope and HMS Diamond.

A common misconception (even today) is that the first of these ships gave the dock its name – and why not?

After all, she was a handsome 2770-ton, 235-foot hybrid corvette, the first of the Royal Navy’s new class of sail-and-steam vessels.

In addition to her vast spread of canvas she was fitted with coal-fired boilers and a steam

engine driving a single screw.

In reality, her presence at the opening ceremony was nothing more than an improbable coincidence. The dock was, in fact, named after the promontory from which it was carved – Calliope Point.

Curiously, though, Calliope Point was named after a ship – an earlier HMS Calliope. A Royal Navy frigate, she’d visited in 1845 so that her skipper – a Captain Owen Stanley – could survey the Waitemata harbour and chart and name its prominent landmarks.

There are further quirks. A calliope was a 19th century musical instrument which created tunes by forcing steam through an arrangement of whistles. Few survive today, but they were very popular on riverboats and in steam-driven carousels. Though unmusical, the drydock’s

first pumps, too, were operated by steamdriven engines.

It could also be argued that fate played a friendly role in the project’s fundamental design and construction. Luckily for the Auckland Harbour Board (it commissioned the drydock), a British engineer supremely qualified for the job just happened to be in New Zealand at the time.

William Errington had emigrated to Australia in 1854 and became a mining engineer in Ballarat, designing and building large steamoperated plants and pumps. The Lady Barkly, one of Australia’s first locomotives, was one of his creations.

He came to New Zealand in 1871 to install the “Big Pump” for the Thames goldfield. He’d been commissioned by a consortium of four mine-owners – the United Pumping Association.

The mine shafts extended to depths that were often below sea level and required regular pumping to remain dry and operational.

This project’s success led to him being selected in 1874 to design and build a safe, reliable water supply at Western Springs for the burgeoning Auckland city. His design included two massive beam engines, boilers and pumps, as well as reservoirs at Ponsonby and Khyber Pass.

As with the Thames project, the success of the Auckland job pretty much positioned Errington as the logical candidate for designing and building the new drydock.

valve and surface condenser. Single-cylinder engines with a 34-inch bore and a four-foot stroke, they each carried a 15-foot diameter flywheel weighing 11 tons. The two pumps were double-acting, vertical single-cylinder models.

With a 48-inch cylinder bore and a five-foot stroke, they sighed along at 12 to 20 strokes per minute.

Errington tested the system on 23 November 1887. With engines/pumps operating at 20 strokes per minute the drydock emptied in 4.75 hours. If a ship was in the dock (displacing much of the water), the process could be shortened considerably.

Calliope’s engines and pumps were, of course, upgraded with better technology at regular intervals over the years and nothing remains of the original equipment. But an excellent indication of how it all worked can be seen at MOTAT, where one of the beam engines used in Errington’s scheme for Auckland has been superbly restored. It’s the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and the only one of its type in the world.

Above left: The Calliope drydock under construction. The drydock was dug by hand in a little over three years.

Above right: Coastal freighters made good use of the dock.

Calliope’s engines & pumps While its excavation relied on back-breaking, manual labour, Errington’s design for the steam engines and pumps to empty the drydock were creations of great sophistication. The plant comprised two engines, two pumps and three boilers. They were built by James Watt and Co, the British pioneer company that founded the first legendary steam engine.

Each engine featured Watt’s patented slide NOVEMBER 2015 47

CONTRACTOR HISTORY

Why did New Zealand need a drydock – and why such a large one?

Mainly to service and repair visiting British ships. The responsibility of shaping the development of the new colony required regular visits from British officials. But the number of visiting ships escalated sharply in the early 1880s when the Royal Navy boosted its presence in the South Pacific – a response to souring relations between Britain and Russia.

Russian warships began visiting the South Pacific after the Crimean War (1853 – 1856), much to the alarm of New Zealand and Britain. This festering antagonism was further aggravated by the Anglo–Russian rivalry in Afghanistan.

Widely-labelled the “Russian scare”, the situation led to significant defences being built around New Zealand’s coastal cities. A battery of 64-pounders was established on North Head, for example, and in 1884 four Thornycroft torpedo boats were built.

Predictably, once the Russian scare died down there was little demand for the drydock. Ships visited infrequently, and then only for minor repairs. In fact, the dock was used only four The RMS Niagara was once the largest vessel ever accommodated by Calliope drydock.

PHOTO: MOTAT

The Russian scare

The restored beam engine at Auckland’s MOTAT museum. It offers a sense of the technology used for drydock’s first pumps.

times by Royal Navy ships during the 1914–1918 World War. That all changed dramatically in WWII – particularly after Japan’s entry into the war and Britain’s heavy losses at her Pacific bases. The drydock became a strategic asset.

In 1942 a tunnel was bored through the hill to Shoal Bay where a Naval Stores Yard was built on reclaimed land. The main electrical substation and the oil fuel depot were shifted into tunnels under the cliffs. And in 1943 the dock was lengthened to accommodate the American heavy cruisers.

Today the drydock remains fully operational – something of a testament to the men who hewed it from the land. It’s now operated by Babcock NZ, contracted to provide engineering services to the Royal New Zealand Navy. It accommodates vessels up to 170 metres in length, with a 22.5 metre beam.

Calliope’s most infamous visitor Among the scores of vessels that have used the drydock over the years, one stands out because of her unfortunate end – and the remarkable salvage of nearly nine tons of gold from the wreck.

The 160-metre, 13,400-ton RMS Niagara once held the honour of being the largest-ever vessel to use the drydock. She was launched in 1912 by the Union Steam Ship Company for the Australia-Canada route.

Her end came on 19 June 1940 when, having just left Auckland, she struck a mine off Whangarei. It had been laid by the German cruiser Orion. Though she sank quickly in 121 metres of water, everyone got off safely.

Few knew however that in her strong room was a large consignment of gold from the Bank of England – Britain’s payment to the US for war equipment.

Underwater salvage in 1940 was a very basic science – particularly in such deep water. The Australian company contracted to retrieve the gold used an old coastal steamship (the 60-ton Claymore) as its recovery vessel. The team found the wreck by dragging the Claymore’s anchor along the seabed – and through the minefield. She accidentally detonated two – remarkably without any major damage to herself.

After blasting a hole in Niagara’s hull they used a basic diving bell and a grab to recover 555 gold bars. Thirteen years later they found another 30. Five remain unrecovered.

48 www.contractormag.co.nz

Auckland’s first drydock Calliope wasn’t New Zealand’s first drydock – nor was it Errington’s first drydock project.

He also designed an earlier dock for the Auckland Harbour Board. It opened in 1878 and was located at what is now Auckland’s Tepid Baths.

While it operated until 1915 it became clear soon after opening that it was too small. Six years after completion the Harbour Board commissioned Errington to build the Calliope dock.

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CONTRACTOR COMMENT

The need for integration ROB STUMMER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IFS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

BIM OR BUILDING INFORMATION Modelling is one of the relatively few buzzwords you’ll hear in the construction and contracting industry that continues to dominate conversations – and there’s a very good reason for that.

Fuelled by government initiatives and industry momentum around the world, BIM empowers companies to plan infrastructure more effectively while reducing the cost and complexity of building and maintaining assets.

At the heart of BIM is a computer aided design driven model that enables you to visualise assets in all three dimensions.

This means that the model is no longer simply a design tool – it becomes the master data source of an asset and the foundation for driving all business functions related to it.

So you would think that construction and contracting companies should be falling over each other in their haste to implement endto-end business systems, right?

Unfortunately that isn’t the case. Perhaps more than anything, what BIM has brought about is a realisation that in many ways ours is an old-fashioned industry, still hampered by archaic, Excelbased processes and departmental silos. It has also reminded us that businesses need to act now to remain competitive.

The second lives of assets Assets have a second, far longer life after construction. As such, the industry is increasingly looking at the total lifecycle of an asset, from construction expenditures to operation costs – something that’s forcing construction, engineering, and infrastructure companies to adopt a much more joined-up, data-driven approach.

But many construction, engineering and other contracting businesses are still operating with non-integrated systems across lots of manually maintained Excel spreadsheets. Typically, project plans are developed in a software tool such as Microsoft Project, Primavera, or Asta, which are rarely integrated with other business systems for engineering, procurement and construction.

What is more, today’s computer design model is not typically integrated with the rest of the project and maintenance processes.

This in turn creates the problem of transferring information from the design tool into the procurement, construction and maintenance systems.

According to Kenny Ingram, global industry director for IFS, this is the primary fault line that BIM has uncovered.

“When processes are not joined up or automatically integrated, companies are overburdened with high overheads and cost inefficiencies,” says Ingram. “They can incur damages by failing to keep to the key parameters of time and budget. What’s more, they risk being overtaken by competitors with smarter systems who can offer better prices and deliver a better asset more quickly.”

ERP with a twist This is why we’re continuing to see a significant shift to deploy 50 www.contractormag.co.nz

enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in the sector. More and more construction and contracting companies see the value in partnering with integrated project solutions experts for managing budgets, time and risk.

But is “ERP” really the right term to use?

Synonymous with finance and human resources in many large enterprises, ERP is fundamentally a product-centric solution which grew out of mass production manufacturing.

Specialists in project-based business systems like Ingram would argue, however, that highly-specialised, project and asset lifecycle-based versions of ERP solutions – built for real-time management of complex projects – are where ERP’s strengths lie in our industry.

True ERP is a fully-integrated software solution covering all the business processes and functions involved in building or maintaining assets. That gives you a single framework to consider how a BIM model integrates with other business processes such as procurement, project management, project cost control, sales and sub-contract management, variation control, estimating, bid management, material control, plant and equipment hire, construction management, asset and facilities management.

It’s become too inefficient to look after different IT systems across different architectures with no natural flow of data through a business. In today’s competitive environment, uninformed decision-making is simply not an option.

As a project-based solution combining the integrated enterprise benefits of ERP, but designed specifically to support the complex business process of project-centric organisations (the twist), it’s possible to address the data flow problem, and to profitably manage and maintain contracts over the entire asset lifecycle.

The time to act is now As numerous governments around the world are formulating and launching strategic plans for BIM, there’s never been a greater emphasis on moving construction and contracting from a document-driven process to an integrated, data-driven one.

If there is one thing that BIM has made clear, it is that companies that engineer, construct and fabricate complex assets and infrastructure need integrated business software to effectively manage time, cost and risk.

And as the pressure to deliver affordable, timely projects mounts, now is the time to integrate business processes and streamline data flow.

About the Author Rob Stummer is managing director, Australia and New Zealand for global enterprise applications company IFS, achieving significant growth over the last five years. He holds a Masters in Information Technology from Melbourne University and has consulted to many of the region’s Top 500 companies. See: www.ifsworld.com/au

COMMENT CONTRACTOR

Regulatory over reaction?

JONATHAN BHANA-THOMSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NZ HEAVY HAULAGE ASSOCIATION

OF LATE I HAVE noticed that regulators in differing parts of the wide range of industries this association covers tend to be far more reactionary than we have experienced in the past.

What is driving this change within organisations to respond to a one-off incident with a change to policy, procedures or rules that swings the pendulum perhaps too far in the opposite direction?

Everyone wants their staff to be safe at work, but sometimes a specific issue can cause an organisation to become conservative in its approach and react by putting in controls for those specific aspects only.

Cautionary environment Most employers have been very aware that over recent months the Health and Safety at Work Act has been passed and will come into force next year. There is much greater emphasis in this legislation about contractors working together needing to be aware of other organisations that they are working alongside and how each other’s work can affect others around them. At a higher level organisations are starting to ask for the safety practices and abilities of those that they engage with.

What this means in terms of when an issue arises that has very specific features is that this situation tends to get over-analysed in terms of the contributing factors – particularly where the actions of other organisations are involved. The organisations involved focus on the particular situation and what the controls were in place around the risks and whether these were suitable.

Everyone wants their staff to be safe at work, but sometimes a specific issue can cause an organisation to become conservative in its approach and react by putting in controls for those specific aspects only.

Of course, whether the situation was a one-off freak event, or the tip of the iceberg, is up to those involved in the situation to assess, but, too often, we see the reaction indicate that they believe the actions involved in an incident are ‘systemic’ rather than ‘specific’ without due enquiry.

One other factor is that the driving force to change and react quickly is very strong – in some cases, apparently ‘overnight’.

However, with one regulator we have, through rational and reasoned arguments put forward, been able to reverse the change (with some outlier exceptions). But getting the change in policy without the driving force of a reactionary response means that actually getting the change reverted is a very slow process.

A bigger picture While a specific issue can be a microcosm of how the regulatory structure around an industry can be analysed, this can also be a tendency to forget to look at the bigger picture around how a structured set of controls work together to reduce the risk.

Outcomes of an investigation can over-engineer the response on particular aspects of the controls while focusing specifically on those contributing aspects of an incident.

With this I am thinking about a recent rare coronial inquest into one of the sectors that the association’s members work in. While the findings are yet to be released, the evidence and questioning that

took place gave clear focus on very specific aspects of the issue.

With what the association brought to the inquest in terms of the bigger picture of how the regulatory regime and the participants responsibilities were undertaken, a much more holistic picture was able to be presented.

I commend the Coronor involved in this case for his early involvement of industry bodies and regulators to ensure that as wide as possible catchment of information was able to be brought to the table.

Role of ‘agreed documents’ One of this association’s primary roles is to put the industry’s view in the development of agreed guidelines, policies and rules with regulatory bodies, promoting the safe working environment and practices, while at the same time enabling cost effective and progressive business practices.

In my experience these are always much better developed and worked out in a rational and methodical way, rather than with the intense scrutiny that an incident or accident brings to this process. Further, changes or reconsideration of rules with the focus on specific aspects of them can lead to undue analysis on some aspects without comprehension of the full scope of the policy.

The thinking and benefits of some of these guidelines can only be fully appreciated when placed alongside a reactionary response by a regulatory body. The considered analysis and ideas put into these documents when done in a methodical and systematic way is of huge benefit when an issue arises, and these documents can be brought forward for relevance.

One example is a ‘guideline document’, developed a number of years ago between this association and another industry body. The principles and procedures contained in this document have been very helpful as a touchstone for industry participants to refer to recently when specific questions have arisen, and it gives a counter-point to over-zealous regulators to refer to when considering changes to regulations.

While the various regulatory bodies absolutely reserve the right to review rules, practices and procedures in light of changing pressures, at the same time we all need to consider the long game and the reasons and motivations of the current regulatory regimes that organisations operate within.

NOVEMBER 2015 51

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Getting ready for new H&S regime MALCOLM ABERNETHY, EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND

THE HEALTH AND SAFETY REFORM BILL has been passed by Parliament. It will come into effect on 4 April 2016.

A series of regulations is being developed to support the new act. These regulations include: general risk and workplace management; major hazard facilities; asbestos; and, engagement by worker participation and representation.

Once the regulations are finalised, WorkSafe will issue formal guidance to support the act and regulations. This formal guidance will start to become available in 2016.

The legislation identifies PCBUs (persons conducting a business or undertaking) and their workers as having the best knowledge about the specific risks arising from their work. They are both best placed to provide solutions about how to manage those risks.

Civil Contractors NZ supported the move to a risk-based approach to evaluating risk and addressing those risks.

The legislation requires that the risks be eliminated or minimised however we suggest contractors should consider using the internationally recognised hierarchy of controls which requires risks to be eliminated, isolated or minimised (often referred to as engineering controls). There are two further control mechanisms to manage health and safety risk being Administration, or systems, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

PPE however is the last line of defence and requires the selection of the right equipment for the risk being mitigated and its proper use.

In most cases the right PPE is self-evident, from safety footwear, safety glasses, earmuffs, hard hat and gloves. What some contend is less clear is the need to wear long sleeves and long trousers – long-longs!

Long-longs were mandated for all SCIRT construction sites from 2012 with the reasons being that they provided protection against harmful over exposure to sunlight and some physical injuries such as cuts and scrapes. As an industry we experienced some resistance to long-longs being mandatory yet we see more and more of our workers wearing this PPE. Long-longs are mandatory in other jurisdictions around the world and from that international experience there is clear evidence that they reduce the incidence of health risks from UV exposure and the incidence of minor scrapes and cuts.

Long-longs also reduce the infection rates of cuts particularly in warm climates and offer protection from materials such as concrete, diesel and other chemicals construction workers may be exposed to.

When long-longs became mandatory there was limited choice

In most cases the right Personal Protective Equipment is self-evident, from safety footwear, safety glasses, earmuffs, hard hat and gloves.

What some contend is less clear is the need to wear long sleeves and long trousers – long-longs! of fabric type available but it has now been shown that modern fabrics keep workers cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Selection of the right long-longs should include their suitability for the work being done with cognisance being taken of any extreme hot/cold environments. Flameproof overalls must be worn as appropriate or required – bitumen spraying and welding are good examples of this.

The main reason for the long-longs requirement is simply to provide sun protection as New Zealand has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. The use of long-longs is indeed the long game because excessive exposure and the damaging effects may not become apparent for many years as is the case with asbestos, diesel particulates, many types of chemicals and silica dust.

By law the wearing of long-longs and other PPE is a ‘duty of care’ requirement for both parties. The employer’s duty of care is to ensure it has policies and systems in place to ensure employees are safe at work. The employee’s duty of care is to comply with these procedures to ensure their own safety and that of their workmates.

While sunscreen can be effective to protect from the sun it offers only secondary protection and it is still recommended to protect the face from reflected ultraviolet light from concrete and other reflective surfaces.

As an industry we should put the long-longs debate behind us and move forward by recognising the harm that may occur as a result of excessive or prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light.

The new law comes into effect on 4 April 2016 and until then the current Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 remains in force. Between now and April next year WorkSafe will provide supporting information to help you get ready.

In the meantime here are five things you can do now: Familiarise yourself with the key concepts of the legislation by contacting Civil Contractors NZ; review your health and safety practices; identify health and safety risks in your business and take steps to prevent these from causing harm; and lead by example.

Make health and safety part of your workplace culture.

Postal Address: PO Box 12013, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Physical Address: Margan House, 21 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington 6011 Phone 0800 692 376

52 www.contractormag.co.nz

COMMENT CONTRACTOR

Future-proofing a career strategy JASON WALKER, HAYS RECRUITING

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE ACCOUNTANTS, registered architects and quantity surveyors make the list of enviable professionals who do not need to ‘future-proof’ their careers.

According to recruiting expert Hays, demand for accountants, registered architects and quantity surveyors is so high, and experts in these fields are in such short supply, that they can be confident there will be job opportunities for them in future.

In the latest Hays Quarterly Report of skills in demand, experienced professionals working in telesales, insurance, facilities management, data science, legal, marketing and trades are also in high demand and are not expected to see demand wane any time soon.

“These professionals will be able to find jobs in New Zealand in the future,” says Jason Walker, managing director of Hays in New Zealand. “They don’t need to ‘future-proof’ their career as their technical skills and experience will remain in demand in future years.

“Provided they keep their technical knowledge current, stay connected to their industry and stay digitally literate, these professionals will experience ongoing career success.”

If your profession doesn’t appear on the latest Hays Quarterly Report of skills in demand, Jason suggests you consider up-skilling.

“Add to your technical skills and experience, either through training or by moving to another organisation where you can gain exposure to new industries or a wider client base. Create a career map and make sure you are digitally proficient and upto-date with the latest technological advances related to your job function and industry,” he says.

The construction market, the closest category in the report to contracting, remains candidate-driven it claims. “So much so that employers will often create a position for an exceptional candidate. Employers prefer to secure candidates in permanent roles, and ideally look for candidates with similar project experience. Real hands-on experience with a competitor is also valued.

“Given the active market, more companies are open to considering candidates from overseas and are prepared to conduct a Skype interview. Employers are also increasing their recruitment of cadets in order to invest in the future of the company and develop skills in short supply,” the report says.

“Civil employers are tendering in the ‘business as usual’ space since the SCIRT civil workload in Christchurch is starting to slow down and is expected to conclude by the end of 2016.

“In the commercial market a number of employers are waiting to hear back on tenders. We have seen a big increase in the number of companies recruiting temporary and contract management staff and there is still a continuous need for experienced quantity surveyors and estimators.

“There is more of a focus from employers on cultural fit and despite the high demand for candidates, especially quantity surveyors and estimators, employers will wait for a candidate

with the right cultural fit rather than compromise in this area.

“Candidate movement remains tight with very few candidates coming into the market.

For their part, candidates are focused on securing the next role before a project concludes. That’s why, as a project nears completion, candidates will start their search for their next role so that they can move straight from one project to the next.”

Skills in demand “In terms of skills in demand for the October to December 2015 quarter, we’re seeing a need for quantity surveyors. This is an ongoing area of demand across commercial, civil and residential, and high quality candidates who are qualified and have relevant experience are in short supply. While there are a lot of entry-level candidates, there is an acute shortage of candidates with experience. These professionals are sought for both permanent and temporary roles. We’re also seeing demand for quantity surveyors experienced in draw downs for banks.

“Senior quantity surveyors are needed too. Employers want professionals with a proven track record in New Zealand in order to lead large commercial builds.

“Estimators with New Zealand experience are also sought across commercial, civil and residential. Many estimators move into other roles, such as commercial managers, which adds to the candidate shortage. For this same reason, we are also seeing a shortage of senior estimators in the market.

“Project managers (residential and interiors) with New Zealand experience are sought too. Employers look for candidates with a background on the tools who have made the transition into project management. These candidates understand both subcontractor and client needs better than a PM who has not worked on the tools.

“Site managers and supervisors are another area of demand.

Warmer weather and a focus on new work coming in are leading to a need for site managers to run crews and be onsite. There’s also a need for candidates with New Zealand experience on commercial projects in excess of $20 million.

“Project engineers are sought. The greatest interest has been in civil, and with better weather comes a need for these candidates. Employers often look for candidates who also have project management experience.

“In addition, more candidates are looking at up-skilling.

Candidates who have worked as forepersons or site managers for example are now completing business management, construction management or construction degrees in order to be able to move into project manager or contracts manager roles. These candidates are interested in real career progression.”

To see the full list of skills in demand and trends for your industry, visit hays.net.nz/report.

NOVEMBER 2015 53

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Calling a spade a spade

BY ARIE MOORE, ASSOCIATE, AND SAM MCCUTCHEON, SOLICITOR, KENSINGTON SWAN MAJOR PROJECTS AND CONSTRUCTION TEAM

USING THE RIGHT WORDS in a contract or agreement can be one of the most difficult things to master. The courts have recently highlighted the importance of getting the wording right before the agreement, and we provide some tips for drafting or reviewing a contract or agreement.

A contract is interpreted to ascertain what the parties intended at the time of entering the agreement. In doing so, words will be given their plain ordinary meaning and the courts will only use rules of interpretation as a last resort.

While this appears relatively simple, in practice it can be quite complex. Words in isolation can take on a different meaning to those same words read in a wider context. Further the general position is that any prior negotiations are irrelevant when interpreting the contract itself, and the parties’ intention must be ascertained from the actual words used in the agreement.

Recently courts appear more willing to find ambiguity when interpreting contractual provisions. This then allows the court to look outside of the contract wording in order to determine what the parties agreed.

The trend towards finding ambiguity can be attributed to a number of factors. The main one is that contracts today are a lot larger and more complex than ever before and as a result, the documents are also getting larger. While this is true for a number of industries, such as financing and property, it is not as applicable to civil contracting where the contract works, and the associated risks, have remained largely the same over time.

It is not clear why some modern civil contracts have become excessively long and this issue is discussed further below.

A recent decision from the United Kingdom goes back to basics and provides an important reminder of the significance of the words used in the agreement.

Arnold v Britton In Arnold v Britton a Welsh holiday park had a number of 99year leases that were granted over chalets around the 1970s and 1980s. The lease agreements contained a provision requiring the lessee to pay the lessor an annual service charge that equated to £90 in the first year and increased by 10 percent per annum on a compounding basis. While the payments were relatively small at the start of the lease, the effect of this provision meant that the final annual service fee would have been over £500,000, and over the term of the lease each lessee would end up making payments totalling over £11 million.

The lessees, obviously unhappy with the situation they were in, took the lessor to court and asked the court to interpret the clause in a more favourable manner. They argued that the current position was untenable and requested that the court interpret the clause in a manner that limited the service charge to the actual costs that were incurred.

54 www.contractormag.co.nz

The Supreme Court held that the wording of the agreements was clear and unambiguous, and that the parties were held to the bargain they had made when the leases were entered into. Where the words are clear and unambiguous on their face the court said: …the mere fact that a court may be pretty confident that the subsequent effect or consequences of a particular interpretation was not intended by the parties does not justify rejecting that interpretation.

This decision should be welcomed for the commercial certainty it provides and clarification that the courts will not look to import uncertainty where the words are clear on their face. It also reinforces that you need to ensure your agreements are clearly written and eliminate ambiguity where possible.

Drafting agreements One of the biggest complaints we hear from contractors is the size of construction contracts. It is not uncommon to see special conditions that exceed 50 pages.

Given most of these contracts already use standard form conditions, this level of amendment is completely unnecessary.

If you use the correct standard form it will already have been drafted to fit the circumstances, for example earthworks, design and build, term maintenance; so why do they need further extensive revision?

Often the numerous pages of special conditions are a hangover from previous projects where a project specific issue may have occurred. These do no good for the principal or the contractor. Sure the principal may pass on some of the risk but they will pay for it. The best position will depend on specific circumstances and will generally involve each party accepting some risk.

Five take-away points for writing effective contracts and agreements are: 1. Make sure you have a contract or a written agreement of some sort. It is much easier to point to a written agreement than going through the ‘he said’, ‘she said’ type arguments. It also helps if both parties sign this agreement.

2. Use clear wording, the Arnold example above is case and point.

3. Ensure consistency throughout all contract documents. Don’t just add extra documents; make sure they align with the prior wording.

4. Don’t amend contracts for the sake of it. Understand the issues within the industry and the potential project specific factors and recognise that risk allocation has a cost.

5. Get it right up front. It is worth spending some time and effort in the front end of a project to help avoid disputes later on.

This clarity will help you put the contract in the bottom drawer and focus on the project.

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CONTRACTOR CLASSIC MACHINES

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The Euclid/Terex S-24 Designed as a direct replacement for its existing S-18 single engined motor scraper, the Euclid (later Terex) S-24 had a long career and was the company’s most successful single engined, open bowl scraper.

BY RICHARD CAMPBELL TO INDUSTRY requests for more horsepower and the fact that General Motors was going to discontinue manufacture of the series 6-110 engine, Euclid set about a redesign of the S-18 to utilise the new GM 12V-71 diesel engine. (The former 325 horsepower GM 6-110 had previously been the principal power unit for the S-18, SS-24 and TS-24 scrapers.)

Several pilot models were trialled until an acceptable layout was reached.

Euclid replaced the 3-speed Allison powershift transmission previously used with a 5-speed model increasing the unit’s top speed and made the 33.5x25 tyre standard (it was previously an option).

The GM 12V-71 engine chosen for the new machine put out 392 flywheel horsepower, a considerable increase over the former 6-110 engine, so Euclid took this opportunity to increase the carrying

RESPONDING

56 www.contractormag.co.nz

capacity of the bowl, boosting it from 18 cubic yards struck to 24 cubic yards struck.

However it still retained the S-18’s cable-operated apron.

In this format, the new machine was released to the contacting world in 1961 as the Euclid S-24 or Euclid model 39LOT-46SH. Immediately successful, Euclid began producing the S-24 in quantity.

As with all good machines, there is always room for a little improvement and it wasn’t long before Euclid began tweaking the new S-24 to further increase its performance and customer acceptability.

The first minor alteration was in 1962 when the 5-speed Allison transmission was replaced by a 6-speed model, further increasing the machine’s top speed.

In 1963 the cable apron was replaced by a dual hydraulically actuated model,

very similar to that which had been tried experimentally on the twin-powered TS24 scraper.

An increase in engine horsepower was also made from 392 up to 423 flywheel horsepower. This was made possible by utilising the new N-series fuel injectors.

Euclid also added an extra air cleaner at this point to cater for the engine’s increased air demands.

The machine’s serial number designator was changed to reflect these modifications and became 39LOT-55SH. Next major modification came in 1969 when the naturally aspirated 12V-71N engine was replaced by the turbocharged 12V-71T. Horsepower remained the same but the engine now burned slightly less fuel, “breathed” better and was more efficient at altitude.

The scraper was structurally reinforced

2

1 Near new 49LOT series S-24 belonging to McBreen-Jenkins stripping very heavy plasticine clay on an overburden removal job for the Hikurangi Limestone Quarry, Northland around 1975.

McBreens had three of these machines from new and their sale was a bit of a landmark at the time into a nearly all-Caterpillar fleet. (Photo: Author’s collection)

3

in a number of places and several hydraulic revisions were undertaken.

This machine was known as the S-24 model 49LOT-76SH and was the most numerous of all the S-24 models.

In order to remain competitive in the earthmoving marketplace, Terex (the name changed from Euclid to Terex in 1968) completely redesigned the S-24 in the late 1970s to incorporate a power down bowl and axle suspension.

The new machine was known as the Terex S-24B “Loadrunner” and bore very little resemblance to its predecessors other than its bowl capacity, 24 cubic yards.

Power was provided by a turbocharged 475 horsepower GM 12V-71T engine connected to an Allison CLT-5865 6-speed powershift transmission.

Standard tyre size was increased to 37.5x33.

A further revision of this design was

introduced in 1986 as the Terex S-24C. Terex offered an optional Cummins diesel for this model, the 480 horsepower KTA-19C and raised the heaped capacity to 34 cubic yards but it was all sadly to little avail.

Very few of these powerful and imposing looking scrapers were actually manufactured.

The S-24C was the last S-24 to be produced as not long after the company was wracked by bankruptcy, the IBH scandal, several takeovers and a general downturn in the earthmoving industry worldwide.

Production of the TS-24 and TS14 models was moved to Terex’s still profitable Scottish plant and the S-24 was discontinued.

Unlike the S-24’s predecessor, the S-18 which was also manufactured for a time in the UK, the various models of S-24 were

2. . Fantastic photo of three of Higgins’ Terex S-24s with a couple of Caterpillar 631Cs thrown in for good measure. Higgins kept its gear in excellent order as can be seen.

Three of the machines, both Cats and one of the S-24s have locally manufactured cabs fitted, while the two machines on the right have the factory fitted American cab. (Photo: Author’s collection) 3. E arthmovers Waikato fleet no E151 at speed near Twizel, 1974. The machine has the US cab and rear fenders options but is fitted with a locally made tubular spillguard on the bowl.

Operating conditions in the McKenzie Country were harsh in winter. (Photo: Author’s collection)

NOVEMBER 2015 57

CONTRACTOR CLASSIC MACHINES

1. Very evocative photo from a Terex brochure dated 1975, location “somewhere in the USA”. This S-24 has quite a few factory options fitted – open ROPS, fenders on the scraper, mudflaps and the peculiar oval mufflers fitted to both S-24s and TS-24s of the period. Didn’t make them any quieter though; GM diesels were always the best way to turn fuel into noise!

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

2. Terex S-24B Loadrunner having a break between jobs. As can be seen from other photos in this feature, the S-24B bore no resemblance to its predecessors at all other than in capacity. A ROPS cab was standard issue on these machines.

1

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

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3

3. A couple of Doug Hood’s Terex S-24s parked up for the weekend. These have the locally manufactured square profile cabs and oval mufflers. The sharp eyed will also pick out the modification done to the top of the hitch to prevent the pin from turning in the boss, a requested modification by Terex to be carried out on TS-14s, TS-18s, S-24s and TS-24s.

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

only produced at Terex’s Hudson, Ohio US facility.

The competition The S-24 operated in quite a hotly contested size range which included the Caterpillar 631 and 641, Wabco 339, Allis-Chalmers TS460, Michigan 310 and International-Harvester 295, all vying for a share of the market.

The Euclid/Terex S-24 described (We will examine a model 49LOT, the most common of all the S-24s.)

The S-24 was a conventional design, singleengined, two-axle, overhung motor scraper powered by a General Motors 12V-71T V-12 diesel engine which produced 423 flywheel horsepower at 2100rpm.

Attached to the engine was an Allison CLBT-5865 6-speed powershift transmission which gave the machine a top speed of around 30mph.

The transmission incorporated a hydraulic retarder – the “B” in the CLBT designation – to help save the service brakes and assist in machine control coming down steep grades or in the wet.

Brakes were air operated S-cam shoe type on all four wheels.

Another aid to traction was a power58 www.contractormag.co.nz

locking differential, operated by a foot switch next to the air brake pedal.

This activated a clutch pack in the diff, preventing the drive wheels from spinning.

Standard tyres were 33.5x33 E3 with several other options available.

Steering was provided by two identical double-acting hydraulic cylinders giving a 90° turn in either direction.

Terex used a split yoke design hitch to connect the tractor to the scraper assembly.

In the well created by the split were located the two single acting bowl lift cylinders.

These attached to the bowl via a lever and stiff link. Raising was by hydraulic power while lowering was taken care of by gravity.

Bowl capacity was 24 cubic yards struck and 32 cubic yards heaped.

Retaining the load was a hydraulically controlled apron whose arms and hydraulic actuating cylinders were located on either side of the bowl and didn’t have to be forced through loaded material to close as was the case with some of Terex’s competitors.

The bowl’s floor was hinged behind the 4-piece adjustable cutting edge and rolled the load out via a directly attached 3-stage single acting hydraulic cylinder.

Once emptied, the bowl floor returned to loading position by gravity.

At the tail end of the bowl was a roller push block which was a Terex exclusive and was promoted to reduce push tractor blade wear and maintain better control of the scraper bowl when loading.

For the operator, a Milsco air suspension seat was standard.

Controls, even for the 1970s were pretty basic but full instrumentation was provided.

Options included a cab (resonating chamber!), heater, Bostrum hydraulically damped seat, optional tyres, Wiggins fast refueller, fenders and bowl spillguard.

The New Zealand connection Clyde Engineering, Euclid/Terex distributor for New Zealand, sold 32 S-24s into the NZ marketplace – 1 x 39LOT and 31 x 49LOT examples.

They were mainly concentrated in the South Island and were extensively used on all the big hydro projects of the 1960s and 1970s.

Due to their rugged simplicity and the ease with which they could be rebuilt, there are several still in operation.

Original fleet users included Burnetts Motors, Higgins Earthmoving, Doug

B R I E F S P EC I F I CAT I O N S

TEREX S-24 49LOT series Engine: GM 12V-71T, V12 turbocharged diesel rated at 423 flywheel horsepower at 2100 rpm Transmission: Allison CLBT5865 6-speed full powershift 4

transmission with integral hydraulic retarder

Hood, Earthmovers Waikato, Downer & Co and McBreen-Jenkins.

For the model collector Despite all the odds there are actually models available of the Euclid/Terex S-24 in 1:50 scale manufactured by EMD Models and Roger Renaud (RR Models).

All of these represent the later 49LOT76SH machine and, due to their limited run nature, are hideously expensive.

They are, however, worth seeking out if you have deep pockets as they are all of good quality.

There are no models available of later production machines such as the S-24B and S-24C “Loadrunner” series.

4. The only example of its type to come into New Zealand, Burnett’s 39LOT Euclid S-24 is pictured at work near Lake Pukaki on the Tekapo B scheme during 1971. Of note is the single exhaust pipe (this machine was not turbocharged) and the Euclid factory cab.

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

5. Last of the line, the S-24C was only manufactured in small numbers and can be considered a bit of a rare machine. This was a great pity as it incorporated a host of modern features and had a suspended front axle to provide a better ride (as did the S-24B). This photo of a very businesslike looking machine came from a Terex brochure dated 1983.

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

Top speed:

Approx 30mph

Steering: Full hydraulic, 90° turns either side of center Turn circle:

37’ 7”

Brakes: Air operated S-Cam shoes Tyres: 33.5x33, 32-ply E3 (earthmover) Capacity: 24 cubic yards struck, 32 cubic yards heaped Operation:

Full hydraulic

Length:

43’ 7”

Width:

11’ 10½”

Height:

12’ 4”

Op weight: 40.4 tons (empty), 80.4 tons (loaded)

5

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Road Science - 9/2 Owens Place, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand - 07 575 1150 www.roadscience.co.nz NOVEMBER 2015 59

CONTRACTOR MOTORING

Mazda BT-50 GSX Double Cab Engine: 3.2-litre, five cylinder turbo diesel Transmission: 6-speed automatic Power: 147kW Torque: 470Nm 0-100km/h: Not stated Max speed: Not stated Fuel economy: 9.2L/100km C02 emissions: 160g/km Price: $57,295

BT better by far While the heavy-hitters of the ute market (namely Ford and Toyota) battle it out at the top of the mountain with tit-for-tat marketing and bloodied noses, other manufacturers such as Mazda have just sort of gotten on with it. By CAMERON OFFICER MAZDA’S BT-50 has just received a mid-life makeover. Timely too, in that while other brands grab at the headlines, a chance to drive the refreshed BT-50 reminds us just how good this ute is.

While historically Ford and Mazda have shared manufacturing technologies, the Ranger and BT-50 in particular appear to have been something of a jumping-off point for both companies.

There’s no denying that both trucks still share components, but on a larger scale Ford, with its ‘One Ford’ strategy for global models, and Mazda, with its SkyActiv efficient engineering 60 www.contractormag.co.nz

programme, have never appeared so separated in the manner in which they build and sell vehicles.

And Mazda New Zealand is very specific in its sales pitch; where the updated Ranger (released a couple of months ago) is all about luxurious fit, finish and specification, Mazda has realigned its sights on the fleet market, with a distinct valuefor-money proposition.

That’s not to say it has pulled all the good stuff out of its trucks; quite the opposite in fact. But it has streamlined its model

mix (the old top-of-the-tree Limited grade has disappeared altogether) and across the 13 different configurations of BT-50 on sale, is very much pushing function over form.

It’s a shrewd move actually, because utes by their very nature remain functional no matter how many buttons are on the steering wheel. But here’s where Mazda is ahead: the BT-50 still has screeds of form. It remains probably the most comfortable and compliant ute to drive on sale in New Zealand right now.

I hate rolling out the “car-like” cliché, but once again the BT-50 forces my hand. It really is car-like. So much so in fact that on the recent media launch event in the Taupo region, a vigilant eye was required on the speedo at all times in order to mitigate the need for any exchanges along the lines of “One hundred and twelve, officer? I could have sworn I was doing 90.”

The five-cylinder 2.3-litre turbo diesel is as smooth as silk, even under the gun. And with a very decent 470Nm on tap, there is plenty of grunt for pulling through tougher terrain or towing, but no compromise on the sound effects. Mazda has banished the diesel rattle completely, adding further to the BT-50’s ability to raise the aforementioned cliché at 30 paces.

Aside from revised sheet metal at both the front and rear ends, the new BT-50 has standardised its Locking Rear Differential across the range. This system maximises off-road grip by locking both rear wheels so they both receive the same amount of torque, even when one has lost traction.

All models sporting wellside trays also now feature lockable tailgates, while GSX models such as our tester now feature a reversing camera, side steps, rain sensing wipers and auto on/ off headlights all as standard.

With the reversing camera come other standard goodies for GSX drivers too, such as satellite navigation and rear parking sensors. Utes in top trim get a 5” multi-info screen while GLX models get a 3.5” display. There are attractive new machined alloy wheels for the GSX too.

Single cab chassis configurations remain manual transmission-only, but all Freestyle and Double Cab models now come with the choice of manual or automatic cogswapping. Regardless of the transmission specified, every 4WD BT-50 (and Mazda suggests the split between two- and four-wheel drive will be about 50/50 in New Zealand) features an electronically controlled, shift-on-the-fly transfer case that allows the driver to shift between 2WD and 4WD using a switch beside the gear stick in the centre console.

Working the BT-50 through some decent goat tracks in forestry blocks along the Napier-Taupo Highway reminds me that, although perhaps still not a popular opinion, why would anyone with a need to head off the tarmac reasonably frequently want anything other than an automatic gearbox?

Combined with the BT-50’s three-mode system (2H, 4H and 4L), not needing to worry about which gear you’re in before tackling a climb is a blessing.

The BT-50 also features Hill Descent Control; this system requires taking a bit of a leap of faith at first, as you need to take your feet off both the accelerator and brake pedals as you go over the lip of the downhill in order to let the system ‘walk’ the ute down steep grades. It’s great though and even works in reverse gear if you’ve bottled it half-way up (and in manual trucks even if you depress the clutch).

Read between the headlines and have a look at the refreshed BT-50. Mazda’s move to ignore the numbers game and take a more strategic approach certainly pays off here.

Amarok not immune from Volkswagen emissions scandal fall-out Volkswagen New Zealand has released figures showing that a number of locally-registered diesel vehicles are affected by the international emissions scandal that has rocked the company’s reputation globally.

The affected models include the popular Amarok ute and the Volkswagen Caddy van.

Volkswagen New Zealand general manager Tom Ruddenklau said in a press release that over 4600 of its New Zealand sold vehicles carry the software that allows the car to cheat American-mandated nitrous oxide emissions tests.

The issue is somewhat complicated for the New Zealand distributor though as, under the European emissions testing regime, the same vehicles might not necessarily fail. European test standards are what New Zealand-destined Volkswagens need to comply with in order to enter our market.

According to Volkswagen New Zealand, there are 874 Amarok utes and 312 Caddy vans equipped with the cheat software in this country.

The largest part of Volkswagen’s local model line-up affected is 1411 Tiguan compact SUVs manufactured between 2009 and 2011 and running the 2.0-litre diesel engine. Six hundred and eighty New Zealand registered Volkswagen Golfs also feature the software.

Ruddenklau says Volkswagen New Zealand is notifying customers, and they will be contacted again when it is clear what will happen to rectify the issue. He stressed in the press release that the vehicles in question remain technically safe to drive.

In September Volkswagen admitted to actively preventing its diesel engine models from spewing up to 40 times America’s legally permitted levels of nitrous oxides into the air during emissions testing in that country, thanks to so-called ‘defeat’ software that alerts the engine management system to the fact it is in a test situation.

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has stepped down and faces further investigation, while other senior management figures are likely to follow.

The scandal affects millions of cars and the resultant investigation may need to cover up to seven years’ worth of production of Volkswagen Group diesel models, including cars from Audi and Skoda which use the same diesel engine.

NOVEMBER 2015 61

CONTRACTOR INNOVATIONS

From Left: Wayne Green, Sebastian Jonsson (both Green Way) and Greg Wright (YRCO)

Remote-controlled demolition robot Wayne Green, managing director of Auckland-based building services company Green Way, bought the first Husqvarna DXR 270 remote-controlled demolition robot in the country.

Distributed throughout New Zealand by Youngman Richardson & Co, this Husqvarna DXR 270 for Green Way has breaker and crusher attachments and is being used for demolition work involving the dismantling of concrete structures.

“The work can involve working in difficult and weight-sensitive areas and this is where we see the DXR 270 really coming into its own,” says Wayne.

“The remote control is great because our operators can now work at a safe distance without the worry of the likelihood of falling concrete.”

One project involves using this machine on a live working TV studio in Auckland. “We will be removing approximately 150 tonnes of dycore structure to form new floor voids and stair openings over four levels,” says Wayne.

“This work will be carried out with a combination of back propping, electric floor sawing and of course the DXR 270.”

Wayne adds that the DXR 270 is ideal for use in working around hospitals and other areas where noise and vibration is an issue.

Already approved in Australia it also ticks all the boxes when it comes to the new Health and Safety Act coming into effect next April.

Part of the package from Youngman Richardson & Co involved the training of three Green Way operators, which was undertaken by

Husqvarna business development manager, demolition, mining and processing, Vince Greco.

The DXR 270 is one of five models in a range that extends from 980 kilograms to 2000 tonnes and is very compact; weighs 0.4 tonnes, has 19 kilowatts of horse power and a reach of about 4.8 metres.

For more information contact Youngman Richardson & Co on 09 443 2436, or for South Island enquiries, 03 341 6923.

CONTRACTORS’ DIARY Date Event 15-18 Nov

Corrosion and Prevention 2015 Conference

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Contact

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Regional Excavator Operators’ Comp 30 Oct -1 Nov

Auckland

ASB Showgrounds

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13 Nov

Canterbury/Westland

Canterbury A&P Showgrounds

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4-6 Dec

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Bauma 2016 Munich

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62 www.contractormag.co.nz

www.bauma.de

An awe-inspiring beast LiftX says the largest scissor lift to be offered here is the new MEC 6092RT Ultra Deck scissor, with its impressive platform height of 18.2 metres, maximum drive height of 12.2 metres, and a dual deck boasting a lift capacity of 540 kilograms.

It is the only 60-foot Scissor lift made in America and it does one thing no other rough terrain scissor is capable of says LiftX – it provides a huge deck and a high lift capacity at a 20.2 metre working height.

The 6092RT is based on MEC’s 5492RT and joins the manufacturer’s 92’ series range of rough terrain scissors. It also features the ‘Ultra-Deck’ dual roll-out extensions boasting a 7.5 metre length platform, a turbocharged Kubota diesel, MEC’s Quad-Trax four wheel drive system, an oscillating axle, automatic levelling outriggers and engine slide-out module with on board diagnosis system.

Clint Norgrove, national sales manager of LiftX, says that MEC’s main justification

behind the 6092RT is to address highly priced European competitive models.

“They have recognised a gap in the large deck European scissor lift product range versus the large deck American product range. You go from the aggressively priced American-made scissor lift, which up until now has been limited by platform height, to the very highly priced Europeanmade scissor lifts. Up until now the few metres of increased height would cost the customer a 50 to 100 percent premium over this American-made machine.

“LiftX has been the exclusive New Zealand MEC agent for around 12 years now; we know these machines last the distance.

“A key factor with the MEC range is the super low cost of ownership across the machine’s working life; we’re really excited to land the first of these monster scissor lifts into our stock range.”

Further information contact LiftX Sales on 0800 4 LIFTX.

“They’ve done pretty much everything we discussed. A big improvement is the size of the cab. Loggers will work longer and happier without strain,” says Roger Ferguson from Sika Logging in Taupo.

All four models are powered by John

Deere six-cylinder PowerTec engines ranging in size from 6.8 litres through to nine litres, delivering from 157kW (210hp) to 210kW (281hp) in power.

For more information visit www cableprice.co.nz.

Game-changing John Deere L-series skidders Backed by over a half-century of experience and inspired by loggers and proven in the toughest conditions imaginable, the new John Deere L-Series Skidders have arrived with features that promise to increase uptime and productivity, while lowering daily operating costs.

Distributor CablePrice says these gamechanging machines are John Deere’s most reliable and productive ever, redefining expectations of what a skidder can accomplish for any logging operation. “The introduction of the L-Series also marks the celebration of 50 years of manufacturing skidders for John Deere, a major manufacturing milestone that demonstrates John Deere’s forward thinking and ongoing commitment to developing solutions for the type of challenges loggers face in the forest,” says the company.

To design L-Series skidders, John Deere collected invaluable input from loggers around the world to form customer advocacy groups.

Engineers then devoted 250,000 hours designing prototypes based on these fresh ideas, and continued to refine the machines until they got them exactly right.

NOVEMBER 2015 63

CONTRACTOR CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND

Health and safety updates News pages, covering the association’s latest news, views, activities and intentions.

Zero harm roadshows

Asbestos regulations

The NZTA, with assistance from CCNZ, is conducting a series of roadshows around the country as previously advised.

These roadshows are not just for roading contractors. The presentations include the reporting hub, working around utilities, excavation work, working around mobile plant, legislation update, how to carry out risk assessments and other topics.

Roadshow dates are: Christchurch, Monday, November 9; Cromwell, Tuesday, November 24; Dunedin, Wednesday, November 25.

To register, email zeroharm@nzta.govt. nz with: company name, attendee name(s), attendee email address(es) and the regional roadshow session you will attend.

Regulation 18 of the new Health & Safety in Employment (asbestos) Regulations 2015, stipulates that any employer, whose employees work with asbestos, must be trained in the identification, safe handling, and control measures relating to asbestos.

Work with asbestos is defined not only by employees in the identification and removal industry, but also anyone whose normal occupation may inadvertently bring them into contact with asbestos, such as plumbers, builders, electricians, geotechnical engineers etc.

Asbestos Awareness training is “essential” for those who will or may come into contact with asbestos as part of their daily work activity such as; contractors, demolition contractors, and many other specialist trades workers.

CCNZ can put you in contact with trainers that can ensure you know how to work safely on site (from an asbestos point of view) and how to avoid the risks.

Health and Safety at Work Act update CCNZ has sent an update to all members regarding the Health and Safety at Work Act. With legislation passed on August 24, CCNZ is undertaking work on many fronts.

The new law, called the Health and Safety at Work Act, will come into effect on April 4, 2016. A series of regulations is being developed to support the new Act and CCNZ is actively engaged to ensure the outcomes are practical and workable.

These include: General risk and workplace management Major hazard facilities Asbestos Engagement, worker participation and representation (Exposure drafts of the regulations are available for public consultation).

In association with the regulations there is considerable work being done in the development of Approved Codes of Practice.

The ACoP for Excavations in particular, which has stalled recently, is being worked on for publication early in 2016.

Temporary Concrete Barrier Standard The Transport Agency has developed a standard design for public domain temporary concrete road safety barriers using a ‘pin and loop’ connection. This has been done to raise the standard of performance of public domain temporary concrete road safety barrier systems and mitigate some of the issues associated with the manufacture and use of temporary concrete road safety barriers.

Since October 1, 2015, all new public domain temporary concrete road safety barrier units used on state highways must conform to the Transport Agency TCB-1 design, unless a specific departure has been

granted by the National Traffic & Safety manager.

This change applies to all new Transport Agency projects awarded after the date of enactment (October 1, 2015) and to any current Transport Agency projects where the proposed change can be accommodated subject to appropriate value assessment.

See hip.nzta.govt.nz for more information.

Utility Operators’ access to transport corridors NZUAG has completed the first Review of the National Code of Practice for Utility Operators’ Access to Transport Corridors.

CCNZ and its predecessor organisations NZCF and Roading NZ made submissions to both stages of the code review. The review process and the updated Code have been approved by the Minister of Finance. This was gazetted on September 10.

Accordingly NZUAG has posted three new documents on its website providing reference to the changes made to the Code.

1. A copy of the new Code document, dated September 10, 2015.

2. A “track change” version of the Code document highlighting the changes.

3. A summary sheet identifying changes, purpose of the change, and scale of the change.

NZUAG has also included a summary of the submissions received to the review’s second feedback round. This summary records respective changes, if any, made to the Code resulting from the submission. The new Code is in effect now.

NZUAG invites members to review the new documents posted on its website http:// www.nzuag.org.nz/.

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