NZ Contractor 1510

NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2015 $8.95

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INSIDE: Down in 10 seconds – a contract to blow up Police head quarters Roading – spending $25 million on making SH8 a safer road Keeping the water at bay – the Rangitaiki floodway scheme Technology update – the latest in industry innovations

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CONTENTS CONTRACTOR

30

INSIDE: Regulars 2 Editorial 4 Upfront 16 On the Cover

Highlights / Features 20 Contract to blow up Police HQ

Someone had to do it: the 13-storey building was dangerous.

62 Wheels in the Workplace

28 Making good SH58

70 Innovations 72 Civil Contractors NZ Comment 72 Advertisers’ Index

WORKS THE PACIFIC Robust machinery that is right for this challenging environment

A vital protection scheme in the eastern Bay of Plenty to combat floods.

A $25m upgrade and widening project.

30 Iconic motorway engravings

INSIDE: Down in 10 seconds – a contract to blow up Police head quarters Roading – spending $25 million on making SH8 a safer road Keeping the water at bay – the Rangitaiki floodway scheme Technology update – the latest in industry innovations

A look at the arty side of motorway projects.

35 Home and dry

Careful planning and management was the key to this complex heavy haulage task.

38 From strength to strength

Profile 18 David Kingham

Z People Awards 2015 – Training Development Award

Comment 56 Brett Martelli and Lisa Douglas

Heaney & Partners

57 Kevin McFarlane

Project management specialist

OCTOBER 2015 $8.95

WIRTGEN

24 Keeping the waters at bay

64 Classic Machines 70 Contractors’ Diary

NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

How a small family business grew quickly in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes.

42 Historic road rediscovered A section of what is probably Northland’s oldest road is unearthed in dense bush.

44 Making migrant labour work for you A report on the latest trends in recruiting off-shore labour.

ON THE COVER When the clock was ticking on time-sensitive runway overlay project work in the remote Pacific Islands, civil construction specialists McConnell Dowell looked to the reliability and efficiency of milling and paving products from within the Wirtgen Group stable to get the job done.

See page 16

46 Technology update

Comprehensive coverage of industry technology used today to speed up production and efficiencies.

58 Peter Silcock

CCNZ

60 Tommy Parker

NZTA

61 Helmut Modlik

Connexis

62 John Pfahlert

Water New Zealand

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20

24 OCTOBER 2015 1

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

April 4 2016 – a date to remember Every New Zealand company owner, director, manager and employee should already know the significance of April 4, 2016.

It’s likely that not enough already do; and even by the time the date rolls around in just seven months’ time, probably not enough will know by then.

It’s the date the newly-passed Health and Safety at Work Act takes effect, and it will fundamentally change the way New Zealanders have to think about risk management and minimisation.

For too long we have boasted that the “She’ll be right” and “No 8 fencing wire” mentality is what represents us as a country. Should we also boast that we have an appalling record of keeping workers safe? That we have an appalling record of young men committing suicide – often caused by unsafe practices, behaviours and “culture” at work? Should we also boast that the Accident Compensation protection so many of us have grown up with has removed our need to take responsibility for our own safety?

No, we should not boast about these things. Which is why the new Act was needed.

There is no shortage of material letting everyone know what the new Act means for them. All you need to do is read it and act accordingly. Here’s hoping it will go some way to fixing some of the built-in problems we seem to have developed and accepted.

Similar changes are happening in workplace training; the Civil Trades certification scheme is gathering steam, and quarry manager certification deadlines are fast approaching. For quarry managers, though, there’s been a recent problem which we write about on page 12, “Trouble in training”. And that’s a brief summary of a much larger piece in sister magazine Q&M. For those of you who want to know more about the troubles at Industry Training New Zealand (ITNZ), we’ll have the full story on our website (www.contractormag.co.nz). There will likely be implications of this for many people caught short when NZQA withdrew ITNZ’s unit standards accreditation.

Some readers may notice that long-time contributor to Contractor magazine, Peter Gill, doesn’t appear this month. Another regular writer, Cameron Officer, is taking over our motoring column from November. Cameron will bring a fresh approach to the pages which we trust you’ll enjoy.

As a special feature this month, we’ve collected a broad range of new technology stories heralding some major changes to the way electronics, especially, will continue to influence civil construction worldwide.

Finally, an apology and correction.

The story ‘The house of Fraser’ published in the September 2015 issue mentioned Jock Fraser’s two sons, Maurice and Peter but omitted his daughter Joan Gaskell (nee Fraser). Joan tells us that, otherwise, Gavin Riley’s profile was, “really good, most interesting, and he has done a good job”.

Joan adds that her she is very proud of her heritage. “My parents were fantastic. I am also very proud of my two brothers. They are very talented and both have inherited my Dad’s perception, and physical and mental ability. My mother kept the books meticulously, often praised by the accountants for a well-presented record, and I guess I take after her in that ‘everything has to be right’.”

Apologies to the Fraser family. At Contractor we recognise success in a family business isn’t just because one person works hard. It’s a group effort. We too try to ensure “everything has to be right”. In this instance, we missed.

Kevin Lawrence, editor

2 www.contractormag.co.nz

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, Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Peter Gill, Gavin Riley, Mary Searle Bell, Richard Silcock, Jeremy Sole.

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

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

New urban village for inner Auckland The first building in Auckland’s new Alexandra Park urban village will be constructed by Canam Construction, a long-time Auckland owned and operated company.

As well as containing 118 luxury apartments, the complex will have 2500 square metres of ground-floor retail including a new supermarket concept for Auckland, soon to be announced.

Canam managing director Loukas Petrou says the company will be removing approximately 30,000 cubic metres of dirt and about 2500 cubic metres of basalt rock. The depth of

the excavation will average between six to seven metres below existing ground and will take approximately 12 weeks to complete. A two-level underground basement will be constructed to be used for car parking and associated amenities for the building tenants, for example, for bikes, storage lockers and refuse.

“It is expected to take about three to four months to fully complete the excavation, but obviously foundations will be commencing earlier than that,” says Petrou.

Northland Institute of Quarrying Awards

Maungatapu underpass underway

After months of planning, the Northland Institute of Quarrying (IoQ) branch held its first local awards night. Murray Smith, Northland IoQ chairman, says that, thanks to his committee and all the fantastic sponsors, the night was a huge success.

“Some 120 people attended from suppliers and the quarry industry.

It was all about recognising our Northland people in the quarry industry.

“We were very pleased to have Les Ward, IoQ president, Murray Discombe, Dean Torstonson, and Petrina Torstonson, IoQ secretary.”

Three awards were presented.

The winner of the Quarry Operator of the Year, sponsored by Transdiesel, was Thomas Noakes from Clements Contractors/ Winstones Otaika. Joanne Dickson from Dickson’s Transport and Quarries was second, with Wayne Wilson from Winstones Otaika third.

The Quarry Employee of the Year award, sponsored by Crushing and Mining Supplies, was won by Jake Rouse from Dickson’s Transport and Quarries. Renee Wilson from Clements Contractors was second, and Janet Attwood from Winstones Otaika, third.

The Good Bugger Award, sponsored by Advanced Engineering Group, was won by Keith Tahu from Bellinghams, Kaitaia.

The NZ Transport Agency has released a 3D animation revealing each stage of construction of the Maungatapu underpass project in Tauranga. The underpass will be built on State Highway 29A underneath the Maungatapu roundabout and will connect to Welcome Bay Road.

The video gives an overview of the project showing the detailed changes to the road layout which will take place during the next three years.

Along with the underpass, the project includes new cycle links and a cycle and pedestrian bridge above SH29A. The Transport Agency’s Bay of Plenty highway manager, Niclas Johansson, says the underpass will separate state highway and local traffic, reducing congestion at peak times and making travel safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

“This area is extremely busy, especially at peak times.

The changes we are making will help ease congestion and improve safety now and into the future as Tauranga continues to grow,” he says.

For more information go to: www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/ hairini-link/.

4 www.contractormag.co.nz

Each year at the NZ Heavy Haulage Association awards the chairman takes the opportunity to recognise individuals or companies that have contributed to the running and the work of the association.

This first of this year’s chairman’s awards went to Grant Laing, Craig Laing and Malcolm Grant from Laing Properties, a house relocation company that has been a member of the Heavy Haulage Association for over 25 years. During that period Laing Properties has contributed to the association in a number of ways including as an Executive Committee member for seven years and a board member for two years.

The second chairman’s award was presented to a non-member of the NZ Heavy Haulage Association. Kiwirail’s Dennis Edwards has assisted the association with the implementation of the KiwiRail Bypass Supervisor scheme in the North Island, giving members easier access to locked KiwiRail bypass gates. He has also been influential in revamping the rules for transporting overdimension and overweight loads over level crossings, making them less restrictive for all members.

Also presented on the night was the Gus Breen Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in the industry.

Over the many years of his involvement in the industry, firstly as a driver, then as a manager of various heavy haulage fleets, and more latterly as a certified pilot, Frank Riddell has always made himself available to assist anyone who has called on him either as a heavy haulage operator or as the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association’s area representative for his particular region.

His willingness to assist in any heavy haulage issues has always been beyond reproach and with great integrity. As a result of this many long and respected relationships have been made with association members, company customers, staff of various regulatory bodies and other operators. These relationships have all been built on the base of his wealth of industry knowledge and trust that could be placed in any information received.

Frank served on the Heavy Haulage Association executive committee for 19 years, from 1982 to 2000. He was the president for 1996/97 and he has been the area representative from Nelson / Marlborough from 2000 until the present day.

To be considered for this award, a nominee needs to be able to demonstrate exceptional values and commitment in their approach to every aspect of their role within the Heavy Haulage Transport industry. The association received no less than a dozen letters of recommendation for Frank.

LANCE LAWSON PHOTOGRAPHY

NZ Heavy Haulage Association awards

Top: Grant Laing (L) of Laing Properties receiving his chairman’s award from Paul Britten.

Bottom: Chairman Paul Britten and Frank Riddell, this year’s recipient of the Gus Breen Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Industry.

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

Bring on the heavies Changes to allow heavier and thus fewer, more productive vehicles on the road is saving the transport industry up to $120 million a year Transport Minster Simon Bridges told attendees at the Road Transport Forum in August.

Amendments to the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass Rule (VDAM) in 2010 have allowed High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs) to carry weights above the usual 44 tonne maximum limit for a truck and trailer combination. This is enabling the same amount of freight to be transported with up to 20 percent fewer truck movements, providing benefits for greenhouse gas emissions, productivity and road safety, according to Bridges.

“That is an excellent example of what we can achieve with better regulation and investment.

“Government has put its money where its mouth is – about $32 million has gone into upgrading roads to cater for HPMVs. “HPMVs now make up around a quarter of all heavy road freight travel, with the increased capacity avoiding the need for additional vehicles to travel around 40-60 million kilometres in the past year.”

Bridges asserted the government is committed to ongoing refinement of the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass Rule. “The next phase will look at a range of possible improvements – many of which have been raised by industry. I expect the Ministry of Transport and NZ Transport Agency to work with you on ensuring that future amendments help enable greater productivity, safety and efficiency.”

There was also a hint of higher user charges for some routes in the minister’s address, with a heavy vehicle trial in its early stages focused around key ports and, in particular, the routes into Auckland and the Port of Tauranga.

“Be clear, this would not be about gathering more road user charges from heavy vehicles,” Bridges claimed. “It would be about recognising the real cost of heavy vehicles on some roads and the incentives at play on heavy vehicle operators to minimise their costs. A differential RUC could ensure better safety, less noise, and less wear and tear on some roads and lower RUC on other routes.”

As an example Bridges cited State Highway 2 between Auckland and Tauranga which takes heavy vehicles through a number of small towns where issues of safety, noise, and wear and tear are likely to be higher than the alternative route through the Waikato – which heavy vehicles currently appear to be under utilising.

“As I say, it is early days, but could changes here be better for everyone? It is worth exploring these matters.”

6 www.contractormag.co.nz

Never mind the quality Business NZ is disappointed the country’s fixation with price over quality has led the government to ignore submissions to the contrary and is allowing goods to be ‘dumped’ here if deemed to be in the “public interest”, via a new public interest test.

Dumping occurs if the export price to New Zealand is less than “normal value” in the country of manufacture, and anti-dumping duties at the border are designed to level the playing field.

Business NZ executive director of manufacturing, Catherine Beard, says Kiwi manufacturers want a vibrant competitive economy. “Our manufacturers are globally competitive or they would not still be in business – but we can’t compete against dumped product,” she says.

“It sends the wrong signal to manufacturers in New Zealand that any investment they make in building a business can all be wiped out by dumped product flooding the market and killing off their local business.

“New Zealand has amongst the lowest tariffs for manufactured goods in the world. We don’t indulge in the various subsidies and government support schemes that can be found in other countries.

“Anti-dumping cases are often against developing countries. Considering they have a significantly lower cost of manufacturing than in New Zealand it is hard to see why they could not compete in the New Zealand market without resorting to selling at below their domestic market rates.”

Beard says the question needs to be asked – is price a substitute for quality and if so is the government going to ensure dumped products meet any quality standards – or will that be left to the public?

EEO Award for Connexis The ongoing commitment by Infrastructure Training Organisation Connexis to growing a diverse workplace of employees has been recognised with a prestigious award.

Connexis was awarded Highly Commended in the Empowerment category of the EEO Trust Diversity Awards NZ 2015 held in Auckland in August. The awards recognise businesses’ commitment to equal employment opportunities (EEO) across a number of categories and Connexis was highly commended for its Ultimit/Women in Infrastructure project.

Connexis CEO Helmut Modlik says over the past four years Connexis has worked across energy, civil and water sectors to attract more women into trade and technical traineeships through its Ultimit programme.

While women make up over 50 percent of New Zealand’s population they represent less than four percent of Connexis’ trade/technical trainees. With a shortage of skilled trade workers the infrastructure industries see this as a lost opportunity and are highly engaged to promote their industries to women.

Helmut says, “I would like to thank the EEO Trust for recognising the work of Connexis and our industry partners, especially the founding partners who supported the initial intake of females four years ago – Electrix, Northpower – and the significant support of Ohug to work toward making a substantial change in the representation of women within the industry. This initial female intake allowed us to research the needs of both females and employers to gain insights, which have been the catalyst for our latest initiatives, ‘Girls with Hi-vis’ month and our ambassador programme.”

Girls with Hi-vis month is aimed at attracting women into the infrastructure industry, along with creating and developing links to companies and trade and technically qualified women across the infrastructure sector.

Ultimit is about supporting the long-term sustainability of women within infrastructure industries and brings together the nationwide community of infrastructure women to create long-term, regional support networks, ensuring women can access a supportive group environment in which to share experiences and learning to help them succeed.

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

Netting up the gorge The Transport Agency is spending more than $2 million on installing around 1.5 kilometres of netting to protect vehicles from rockfalls in the Manawatu Gorge.

The first phase of work, from September to November, targets sites on State Highway 3 that were compromised by the June floods, amounting to around 500 metres of new safety measures. The second phase will see another one kilometre of preventative netting installed throughout summer at other high-priority locations throughout the gorge.

Huntly section of Waikato Expressway underway

Weather-activated speed signs

Work has started on the Huntly section of the $2.1 billion Waikato Expressway.

The 15.2 kilometre section, the fifth to start, will connect the Ohinewai section of the expressway in the north to the Ngaruawahia section at Taupiri.

The NZ Transport Agency project involves four million cubic metres of earthworks, including an 80 metre cutting through the Taupiri Range. It crosses near historically and ecologically significant habitat and reserves and has nine bridges including four crossing rivers and streams.

The Transport Agency has worked closely with Waikato Tainui to understand the environment and history along the entire expressway project and to ensure tangata whenua are involved throughout.

“As the Huntly section develops, the insight we have gained through this relationship will unfold in the form of public artworks including pou and other urban design elements along the road,” says Transport Agency’s Waikato highways manager, Kaye Clark.

“These features will transform the expressway from a four lane stretch of highway into a vehicle which also helps to tell Waikato’s stories.”

The Transport Agency and Waikato Tainui have also announced the establishment of the Transport Agency-Waikato Tainui Heritage Protection Scholarship.

The scholarship recognises the enduring relationship between the Transport Agency and Waikato Tainui and is for tribal members studying archaeology and heritage assessment and planning at a tertiary level.

SH1 between Huntly and Hamilton is classified as the highest risk road in New Zealand, based on the number of fatal and serious injury crashes per kilometre.

The project is being built by a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and HEB Construction alongside Jacobs, Opus International Consultants, Gaia Engineers and Bartley Consultants.

High-tech, weather-activated speed signs are being installed on State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Range as part of a NZ Transport Agency trial.

Contractors have begun installing 22 variable speed signs on a 12-kilometre stretch of SH29 between the State Highway 28 junction on the Waikato side, and Soldiers Road on the Tauranga side.

The variable speed signs, along with four web cameras, will be linked to a weather station at the summit of the Kaimai Range. When adverse weather hits, the posted speed will be reduced based on the conditions.

All 22 of the signs are expected to be in place by midOctober and after the technology is tested onsite the trial will go live in November.

The Transport Agency’s chief safety advisor, Colin Brodie, says the two-year trial aims to encourage people to drive at safe speeds when rain, ice and fog hit the Kaimai Range.

“Our data shows that over 70 percent of the crashes on the Kaimai Range happen in wet weather, and that over 40 percent of these were caused by drivers travelling too fast for the conditions,” he says.

“The new signs will allow us to drop the speeds to 60 kilometres per hour on the Waikato side and 80km/h on the Bay of Plenty side in adverse weather. They will also be used during road works or in the event of a crash when speeds may be reduced to as low as 30km/h.”

The two-year trial will be regularly monitored to assess driver behaviour and compliance.

If successful, and there is a reduction in death and serious injuries within the trial site, the initiative may be rolled out across other similar sites in New Zealand.

8 www.contractormag.co.nz

UPFRONT CONTRACTOR

Making roads safer A new heavy motor vehicle insurance programme rewards commercial carriers that demonstrate safe driving behaviour.

NZI and Lumley’s Safe Driving Rewards Programme, in conjunction with transport technology company EROAD, offers an excess waiver for commercial vehicle operators that meet certain driver safety benchmarks.

NZI and Lumley customers who have EROAD hardware installed in their heavy commercial vehicles, and where the vehicles are on an EROAD service plan that includes vehicle tracking, may qualify to have their excesses waived if their company’s driving record is rated in the top 25 percent of all companies using the EROAD system.

Data collected by EROAD hardware is used to produce a safety rating for individual drivers, based on factors such as the frequency and severity of speeding events, harsh braking, and acceleration. Drivers are ranked against others in their organisation, with a star rating that compares them with other EROAD customers.

Under the Safe Driving Rewards Programme, joint customers of NZI and EROAD who opt into the programme also agree to share their data with NZI to allow NZI to research the development of heavy motor vehicle usage-based insurance products.

Ian Taylor, national manager commercial motor for NZI and Lumley says, “The collaboration between NZI, EROAD and our customers presents an exciting opportunity to develop a world-leading heavy motor usage-based insurance product that will benefit both the transport and insurance industries.”

EROAD hardware units are now installed in 25,000 commercial vehicles throughout New Zealand.

Customers can register for the programme at www.safedrivingrewards.co.nz.

HPMV freight network map online An online map showing the nationwide network of high productivity freight routes available for full High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs) is the latest NZ Transport Agency initiative aimed at making it easier to move freight.

The map and some frequently asked questions, including information about the types of vehicles which are suitable for full HPMVs is available on www.nzta.govt.nz/ hpmv.

The map will be continually updated as new routes are added so NZTA encourages operators to keep checking the website to ensure they are up to date with the latest available routes.

The full HPMV map is in addition to the 50MAX access map (see maps.nzta.govt.nz/ portal/home).

NZTA says that while the maps show the routes available for full HPMVs and 50MAX, operators still need to obtain a permit and approval from the appropriate road controlling authority or the Transport Agency before travelling on the roads shown.

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

Researching water damaged roads Opus International Consultants has been awarded $3 million by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment to undertake a research project to reduce annual maintenance and construction costs to water damaged roads.

The funding, over four years, will enable a team of researchers from Opus Research, the University of Auckland and the Australian ARRB Group to create and test a type of impermeable membrane that will prevent water from entering gravel layers and causing damage. The group will also look at ways to modify chip seals so there’s less chance of them being damaged by water.

Opus research leader Peter Benfell says New Zealand’s road network is highly susceptible to water damage with more than 90 percent constructed from chip seal. New road surfacing technologies have good potential to extend the life of New Zealand’s roads and save the government millions over the next decade.

“New Zealand’s economic growth, travel safety and social wellbeing is absolutely dependent on maintaining a high quality road transport network. The government spends about $1.3 billion a year on road maintenance and up to a third of that is caused by water damage. Within 10 years, the success of this research could save the country as much as $80 million a year,” Benfell says.

The project has support from the NZ Transport Agency and senior construction industry leaders will also be part of the project team. Opus hopes that the research will lead to a new industry standard for road surfaces in New Zealand and overseas.

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Calling excavator operators Entries are now open for Civil Contractors New Zealand’s Auckland Regional Excavator Operator Competition.

Download the entry form from tinyurl.com/ RegionalExcavatorOperatorForm.

Closing date for entries is 16 October.

Health and Safety Reform Bill passes The Health and Safety Reform Bill has passed its third reading at Parliament. The Bill creates a new Health and Safety at Work Act, which will come into force on 4 April 2016.

The Bill is the first significant reform of New Zealand’s health and safety laws in 20 years and addresses the recommendations of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety.

The passing of the Health and Safety Reform Bill marks a major step in addressing New Zealand’s unacceptable workplace death and injury toll, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse. “It delivers a system that strikes the right balance between safe workplaces for workers and unnecessary red tape on businesses,” he says.

“Under the new law, the duty for all businesses, regardless of size and risk level, to have effective worker engagement and participation practices has been strengthened. However there will be some flexibility in how a business can choose to do this, to suit their size and need.”

The new law emphasises that everyone in the workplace is responsible for health and safety.

“It recognises the complexity of modern working arrangements, moving away from the narrow employer/ employee focus, to ensure that everyone has an appropriate level of responsibility to make sure their health and safety, and that of others, is protected at work.

“Every worker deserves to come home safely each day and this new law will help reach our goal of a 25 percent reduction in workplace deaths and injuries by 2020.

“But it will also require leadership and commitment from businesses and workers alike to change our culture and attitude towards health and safety in everyday work practices.”

WorkSafe New Zealand will provide information to businesses and workers of the changes before the law comes into force in April 2016. Until the Act comes into effect, the current Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 remains in force.

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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

PM visits Gillies Metaltech Originally established in 1942, Oamaru-based Gillies Metaltech has a longstanding reputation for engineering and technical expertise in ferrous metal production, and earlier this year sent engineers to Europe for enhanced technical training in preparation for the company’s current irrigation scheme commitments.

It has since been visited by Prime Minister John Key during a planned tour to familiarise himself with these important local irrigation projects.

Gillies and sister company, Hynds Pipe Systems, are key players in the production and supply to a number of major irrigation schemes in the south, including the North Otago Irrigation Expansion Scheme, Waihola Downs and Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation Projects. Hynds is supplying 100 percent of the pipes, associated fittings, and precast concrete product to the NOIC expansion scheme alone.

“Being able to contribute to the local North Otago economy through production and supply to these major irrigation projects provides a substantial boost for our local teams,” says managing director, Adrian Hynds.

Trouble in training One of four private training enterprises in the extraction industry, and its subcontracted trainers, has lost its NZQA Unit Standard accreditation.

Industry trainers are in short supply as the quarry industry, with urgency, brings a large number of manager qualifications up to new levels before a January deadline.

Prior to August there were four major Private Training Enterprises providing New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) endorsed Extractive Industries unit standards. They were ACT Safety; Mines Rescue Trust; Tai Poutini Polytechnic; and Industry Training New Zealand (ITNZ).

In early August, ITNZ was notified by the NZQA that the agency had withdrawn its consent for ITNZ to assess against unit standards in the extractive industries sub-field. Trainees who were working towards unit standards with ITNZ trainers at the time were told they had to make alternative arrangements to complete their training.

This move not only took out eight trainers who have trained many of the quarry managers around the country over two decades, but could have caused delays getting workers qualified to meet the new WorkSafe requirements.

The move followed ‘special visits’ the NZQA carried out on PTEs around the country in May. Among the reasons for these visits; “Recently gazetted requirements for Certificates of Competence which included new safety-critical unit standard requirements; anticipated volume of trainees needing to up-skill during 2015; the relatively small number of trainers with the necessary knowledge and experience to deliver some of the unit standards in question; and anecdotal feedback that had been provided to WorkSafe about the quality of training across the sector.”

The monitoring visit on May 7, jointly conducted by NZQA and MITO, found ITNZ non-compliant in relation to its subcontracting arrangements. A compliance notice requested the training provider stop delivering NZQA unit standards until it applied for, and obtained, approval for its subcontracting arrangements.

Negotiations between ITNZ and the agency over a suitable contract stopped on August 11 when the NZQA publicly notified it had withdrawn consent to assess against standards in the Extractive Industries sub-field.

A fuller story including questions and answers from the NZTA is published in the October/November issue of Q&M magazine.

Northern Interchange Bridge opens The NZ Transport Agency says the first four kilometres of the $230 million Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway is almost complete.

On September 18 the Northern Interchange Bridge was opened, taking State Highway 1 traffic up and over the Expressway, with the north-bound Expressway lanes taking traffic heading towards Hamilton.

The Transport Agency’s Hamilton highways manager, Kaye Clark, says the opening of the bridge means four kilometres of the Cambridge section, between the existing Tamahere Interchange and

12 www.contractormag.co.nz

the Northern Interchange, will be complete.

“This is an exciting milestone that’s comes two years into construction,” she says. “Work is going well on the rest of the Cambridge section and weather dependent, the entire 15.2 kilometre length could be open in time for Christmas.”

The Cambridge section is expected to reduce journey times between Cambridge and Hamilton by approximately five minutes and during peak times up to 10 minutes. It will also make this stretch of SH1 safer for all motorists.

At Komatsu, we are celebrating 50 years of providing Australia with quality built machines, which meet customer expectations time and time again with their durability and innovative designs.

We are now giving you the opportunity to join us at the Bauma Expo in Germany. One of the most celebrated events on the industry calendar.

Buy a new Komatsu machine from 1st September 2015 to 1st January 2016* and you will automatically go into a draw to win a return trip to the Bauma Expo in Munich Germany. With six trips to be won across Australia and New Zealand, there has never been a better time to buy Komatsu.

To find out more, talk to your local Komatsu sales rep or visit komatsu.com.au today. *Terms and conditions apply

CONTRACTOR UPFRONT

The heartbeat of our industry Bauma 2016 will be the 31st edition of the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment. It will be held in Munich on April 11-17 2016.

The show covers over 605,000 square metres of exhibition space, with over 3,400 exhibitors (already sold out), and based on previous shows, an expected 500,000 visitors.

At a recent roadshow promoting the 2016 event, chief representative and senior executive officer, Dr Wolf-Dietrich Müller, promoted the importance of the international trade fairs for the release of innovations from the leading equipment manufacturers. A key highlight of the shows is the innovation awards, especially as technological advancements continue to change the way equipment is used on-site. Awards will be announced on April 10 covering machinery, machinery components, construction process/ construction work, research, and design.

The success of bauma events, which now includes shows in South Africa, India and China, are also indicators of global industry well-being. The map shows construction equipment sales in the first half of 2015 (source ISC statistics). Oceania’s drop of eight percent would be directly linked to the down-turn in the Australian mining sector. The major falls of 72 percent in Russia, 37 percent in China, 32 percent in Latin & South American and 25 percent in Africa indicate an economic uncertainty across much of the world.

If you’re interested in participating in a CCNZorganised group tour to bauma 2016, you can register your interest with Robert Laing of Messe Reps & Travel.

Ph 09 521 9200 or email robert@messereps.co.nz.

14 www.contractormag.co.nz

We started using EROAD as we needed a more modern management tool.

We use it for the day-to-day management of our fleet, keeping an eye on over-speeds, idling, and to purchase our RUC. With EROAD’s system, you’re dealing with facts, as opposed to emotion. It’s an excellent tool.

Jim Shankie Fleet Manager Isaac Construction Christchurch

www.eroad.co.nz Ph 0800 4 EROAD

RUC STAR: Isaac Construction INDUSTRY: Construction and Civil Contracting

CONTRACTOR ON THE COVER

Wirtgen works the Pacific When the clock was ticking on time-sensitive runway overlay project work in the remote Pacific Islands, civil construction specialists McConnell Dowell looked to the reliability and efficiency of milling and paving products from within the Wirtgen Group stable to get the job done. By CAMERON OFFICER. FOR MOST OF US, ANY MENTION of the Pacific Islands conjures up images

of pristine beaches, gentle rolling surf and drinks beside the pool.

But for McConnell Dowell Constructors the vast Pacific region, incorporating far-flung islands and atolls and myriad cultures, is a hugely important market and it has developed a successful portfolio of operational skills there over 25-plus years.

McConnell Dowell is one of the largest contractors in the Pacific with projects currently being undertaken in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Air travel is the primary connection across the Pacific region and each nation’s main airport is of vital importance. So it is not surprising that runway remediation and overlay work is of paramount importance. Maintenance is required across 10- to 15-year cycles in order to ensure runway surfaces meet international standards.

Among the company’s current projects are runway overlay operations at Fua’amotu International Airport in Tonga and at Bonriki International Airport in Tawara, Kiribati.

To help complete these twin projects some 2800 kilometres (or 1515 nautical miles) apart, McConnell Dowell invested in milling and paving technology from the Wirtgen Group.

Supplied and serviced through Wirtgen New Zealand, the powerful combination of a Wirtgen W150 large milling machine and Vögele Super 1800-3 ‘Universal’ class tracked paver was chosen for deployment to each destination following a rigorous selection process.

Michael Buckland, McConnell Dowell’s construction manager for the Pacific, says a number of factors counted in favour of the Wirtgen and Vögele machines.

“Projects such as these are capital intensive programmes for us, so all plant procured for the job needs to meet a number of performance criteria.

“We look to well-respected brands that boast good efficiencies in terms of output quality, running, maintenance costs and reliability.

We need world-class parts and technical support and we look for machines that hold their value; something Wirtgen and Vögele equipment is renowned for.

“It’s natural to review ownership trends within the industry when assessing plant procurement and it’s plain to see machinery from within Wirtgen New Zealand’s line-up enjoys a solid reputation.”

The tropics might be ideal for holidaymakers, but they are tough on machinery, with salt air making for a very corrosive environment.

There is constant heat and humidity; between 32 and 36 on average every day on Kiribati for example, with 85-90 percent humidity.

The runway at Bonriki International Airport is 2130 metres long and 45 metres wide and, by project’s end the McConnell Dowell crew will have overlaid 30,000 ton of material. A similar volume will have been laid at Fua’amotu International Airport in Tonga, making both of these projects substantial in scale.

16 www.contractormag.co.nz

In order to provide aggregate McConnell Dowell has its own mobile crushing plant in Tonga (along with a similar plant in American Samoa where the Auckland-headquartered company is also working on runway remediation at Pago Pago), while at Kiribati aggregate is brought onto the island by barge.

The Tonga- and Kiribati-based Wirtgen W150 milling machines offer their respective crews a 1500mm milling width and between zero and 320mm milling depth. The powerful Cummins QSL 9 six cylinder power pack delivers 261kW (350hp) while still boasting efficient fuel burn and EU Stage 3a emissions.

The popular and innovative Vögele Super 1800-3 tracked paver has likewise proved its worth in the Pacific. The ‘dash three’ features a 10-metre maximum pave width, with a laydown rate of up to 700 tons/ hour.

“McConnell Dowell’s investment in Wirtgen and Vögele machinery for these unique and time-sensitive projects offers up a very tangible validation of the robustness of our engineering technology in these challenging environments,” says Wirtgen New Zealand general manager, Richard Seay.

“Trusting in the reliability of the machinery is only part of the equation though; the ability for Wirtgen New Zealand to continue to offer comprehensive parts and service support – even to remote corners of the Pacific – gives customers like McConnell Dowell peace of mind.

“It’s a relationship we’re immensely proud to be an active and continuing part of.”

Michael Buckland says an emergency part can be on location within three days (each McConnell Dowell crew has its own mechanic).

Although with brand new machinery on-site sporting a track record for reliability, this contingency is something that is meticulously planned for, but rarely deployed.

“Parts support and the machine commissioning process were all part of our pre-purchase evaluation programme.

“The other factor we had to take into consideration is that, with such innovative machines, we need a consistent link to expertise within Wirtgen’s operation.”

Wirtgen New Zealand technician and trainer Mitchell Collis has recently made a scheduled service and training trip to McConnell Dowell’s project site at Bonriki International Airport, Kiribati.

“There’s a lot more to supporting machinery such as the Wirtgen W150 and Vögele Super 1800-3 than simply checking filters, oil and telematic data, especially in these challenging conditions,” says Collis. He was also instrumental in commissioning these machines for McConnell Dowell before they left New Zealand.

“Application training is a big part of the role; along with our Australian-based trainer Chris Adams we’ve taken the guys on the paver crews through training on the screed, for example, as well

“McConnell Dowell’s investment in Wirtgen and Vögele machinery for these unique and time-sensitive projects offers up a very tangible validation of the robustness of our engineering technology in these challenging environments.”

as setting up the milling machines for grade and slope control,” says Collis.

“As you can imagine there are also logistical challenges with regard to ensuring the McConnell Dowell teams in Tonga and Kiribati have a ready supply of consumables and small parts available to them on-site.

“Despite the distances, there are regular flights which allow us to get anything we need up there pretty rapidly.”

The regularity of flights – along with the potential for unscheduled arrivals – plays a huge part in McConnell Dowell’s project programmes in Tonga and Kiribati. Completed strictly at night, the methodology for the runway remediation work revolves around certain windows of activity.

In Tonga, Fua’amotu International Airport sees a lot of traffic, necessitating McConnell Dowell’s team only work four nights out of seven. With less air traffic heading to Kiribati, the construction entity’s team at Bonriki International Airport are able to work seven nights a week.

“The biggest challenge to how we schedule work is the ‘unknown’ or

emergency flight. We constantly have to be prepared to remove crews and machinery from the runway in the event of a long-haul flight being diverted into Tonga or Kiribati,” says Michael Buckland.

“Similarly, our team in Tonga must wait for an hour after the last scheduled flight has departed before commencing their shift, just in case that flight is forced to turn around and head back to Fua’amotu International for any reason.

“These contingencies make tight timeframes even tighter, so as you can imagine we need every single machine and every single team member to work as efficiently and consistently as possible when the opportunities are available to us.”

The intricacies of runway reconstruction work in the challenging Pacific environment demand thorough research and contingency planning. And as McConnell Dowell has proven, this research and planning extends to choosing reliable plant and technical support.

“If you select well, you mitigate issues,” Buckland concludes.

“Assessing the market and making a thoroughly researched and informed decision on frontline plant can be crucial to a project’s success, regardless of where in the world it might be heading.” l OCTOBER 2015 17

CONTRACTOR PROFILE

Chasing new challenges At 24, David Kingham wants to ensure he keeps getting a few curved balls thrown his way in what has already proved a winning career trajectory at Fulton Hogan. VICKI JAYNE spoke to David for Contractor.

HE’S JUST EARNED a top award for training development

but David Kingham is not about to get complacent about his career progress.

The graduate engineer – and recipient of this year’s Z Training Development Award – is happily chasing every new challenge on offer as well as sharing his enthusiasm for the work with the next generation of budding contractors.

Based in the Bay of Plenty where he works as a project engineer for Fulton Hogan, David is also engaged in a special project with 11-year-olds at Otumoetai Intermediate – helping them design a sustainable way of watering gardens.

“I’ve got a class of about 34 that I go see for a couple of hours every week or so to help them design a sustainable way of watering gardens. The system involves collecting rainwater off the roof to run a pump and feed a sprinkler system.

“It’s a project for the annual [Transpower] Neighbourhood Engineers Awards. It’s been pretty hilarious getting them to figure it all out but we’re now working on the final models.

“So we’re teaching them about scale models, consulting stakeholders, presenting to the board, pricing things up, making concepts, going to research. It’s really cool.”

He is also busy turning older students on to a career in engineering.

“I did a talk at the recent Mount Maunganui College careers evening – it’s about getting kids excited as to what they could do in their work lives. I wish I’d had more of that when I was at school. I was lucky enough to have been shown around some cool projects in my sixth and seventh form so I had some idea of what contracting is about, but I didn’t really know much about engineering before I went to uni.

“I guess this is about getting kids onto it at an 18 www.contractormag.co.nz

From left: Helmut Modlik (judge and CEO of Connexis), David Nummy (judge and associate professor Strategic Development at Unitec), Nic Williams (Z general manager, commercial), award winner David Kingham, Dave Connell (CCNZ president), Mark Watson (judge and Z customer relationship manager.

earlier stage so you can tell them to hang onto subjects like maths and physics to give them some choices. So I advocate for both an engineering degree and the diploma – it’s equally good to start them off.”

Originally from Hamilton, David’s own engineering studies included four years in Christchurch where he graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 2013. By then, he’d already built a career path.

“After my first year, I got a job with Fulton Hogan on the Te Rapa Alliance – a major highway project in Hamilton. I worked on that doing soil testing and survey work and from that, they recommended I apply for a scholarship.”

It proved a mutually beneficial relationship.

“They contributed to my study fees and gave me summer work which I needed to tick the experience box. So I had two summers on the Te Rapa project and then on the Eastern Link here in the Bay of Plenty.

“It’s been a real win-win – they provided me with mentors and support and when I finished university, I could pick where I wanted to work which was cool. I chose the Mount because I’d already had a summer here, it’s pretty close to home and there’s good surf on the doorstep.”

At 24, David’s career trajectory at Fulton Hogan has already given him a broad hands-on experience of civil construction projects – from roading to quarrying and construction. Now he’s doing what he loves best: general project management – seeing a task right through from initial planning to final completion.

“That’s what I’ve been loving about this year – being involved from the start, going through the planning, getting it kicked off and, at the end, you can look at something physical.

“And the keeping outdoors bit – I’m not sure I could be locked up in an office all day. With the project I’m running now at Mobil’s terminal [at the Port of Tauranga], I’ve got a little site office which is great. Being on site means I can sort stuff as it happens.”

For him, problem solving is part of the job’s attraction.

“I’ve always had an interest in the maths and physics side of civil engineering – and getting my hands stuck in with construction work and the problem solving it involves. I guess that side of it led me into contracting rather than consulting.

“So many people at uni were training more for the design side whereas I went down the contracting route to be at the

“I’ve always had an interest in the maths and physics side of civil engineering – and getting my hands stuck in with construction work and the problem solving it involves. I guess that side of it led me into contracting rather than consulting.” front end of it – working with people, getting things built and the hands-on problem solving that goes with site work.”

Well laid plans don’t always work out if weather, or in his current project at the Mobil port terminal, shipping arrivals, interrupt the contract progress. The arrival of a fuel ship means that all “hot” work (anything involving power tools or machinery) has to be put on hold, David explains.

“So it’s a matter of having a list of ‘cold’ work or wet day jobs – keeping people busy and maintaining morale. It’s about how you adapt to changed circumstances with the goal to minimise the amount of waiting the crew does. The more efficiently I do my job, the better they can do theirs.”

Safety is front and foremost in every project, says David.

“It’s very much part of the Fulton Hogan culture. Our mantra is zero harm – so the first thing we do is tick the safety box side of things. First you focus on keeping everyone safe and everything else follows on from that.”

When originally nominated for the 2015 Z Energy Training Development Award, David thought he still was a “bit too green” and should wait a few years.

“But the process of applying prompts you to look back and realise that you have achieved a thing or two. I was really stoked to be in the top three finalists – then taking it out was just great.”

However, he has no intention of resting on his laurels. Right now, the focus is on sorting his current project.

“It’s at least a year’s worth and there are a few challenges in there – working in the petrochemical environment is one of those. So it’s a matter of adjusting to that, ensuring we keep everyone safe, keep the client happy and keep the whole thing running smoothly.

“I want to make sure I keep getting a few curved balls while I’m still young. I certainly want to keep being challenged. I don’t want to get complacent.”

OCTOBER 2015 19

CONTRACTOR DEMOLITION

Contract to

BLOW UP

Police HQ

Beyond economic repair after the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch almost five years ago, a fatally damaged icon of the city’s skyline finally succumbed to demolition.

CHRIS WEBB was there as the 13-storey former Police Station was imploded.

20 www.contractormag.co.nz

IT TOOK JUST 10 SECONDS after a peal of loud

explosions rang from the building for one of Christchurch’s best known landmarks, the former Police Station, to come to rest. Minutes after the dust settled, the high-reach excavators moved in on one of the last remaining high-rise buildings due for demolition after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

A legacy of an era when the unthinkable was deemed to deserve rather less design rigour than is the case today, the building had dominated the city for more than four decades. But, it had performed relatively well in the earthquakes and, toppled to the south of the site, away from the adjacent City Council offices and a busy CBD commuter route, still three storeys or more of the building remained to be tackled by more mechanical means.

Felled by main demolition contractor, Ceres NZ, and its subcontractor, Controlled Demolition (CD) at the end of May, both say the implosion went according to plan. CD’s field operations manager Ray Zukowski explains it was supposed to fall away from Hereford Street and the local government offices and other assets there, so that it was essential to keep that side of the building rigid in order for it to fall to the south side of the road. It had done so.

The building was the highest profile structure to be imploded since the Radio Network House demolition, similarly damaged in the earthquakes, three years ago.

There were a number of key – and operational – differences, since Radio Network House was taken down while still in the so-called former ‘Red Zone’, an area where the public were not admitted. The Police Station was demolished under strictly controlled access to an otherwise open city centre.

The building was also brought down with a remarkably small amount of high explosive, Zukowski says.

“Precision was of the essence. Implosion crews charged 185 holes, with just 55 kilograms of high explosives loaded into the building to bring it down. This was a well made building ... it took a lot of work to [raze it] to the ground.”

Designed in 1968 by the Ministry of Works as a government building, it was built to more rigorous design requirements than the minimum New Zealand standards of the day.

Ceres NZ spokesman Bernie de Vere says that through the Canterbury earthquakes the building performed “very well for its age, was technically repairable but deemed uneconomic to repair due to uncertainty around

“Precision was of the essence.

Implosion crews charged 185 holes, with just 55 kilograms of high explosives loaded into the building to bring it down. This was a well made building ... it took a lot of work to [raze it] to the ground.”

OCTOBER 2015 21

CONTRACTOR DEMOLITION

successfully re-levelling the building”.

Purchased in July 2000 by Ngai Tahu Justice Holdings, a subsidiary of Ngai Tahu Property, the latter was faced with demolishing it after considering traditional methods: ‘soft’ demolition, and cut-and-crane; and ‘soft’ demolition, and implosion.

The second option was chosen.

De Vere explains: “The second option was chosen over conventional demolition for a number of reasons. [It afforded] a shorter demolition timeframe, less disruption to neighbours, reduced traffic disruption, improved worker safety (as contractors are not in the building as long) and implosion is the more costeffective method.”

Originally planned for May 30 at 8am, with a backup date of May 31, the contractor found itself competing for road closures with Christchurch’s Airport Marathon, in which more than 5000 runners were due to pass by on the allotted day.

“The backup time was moved to 1700, which was mutually acceptable,” says de Vere.

“We needed to use the backup day because we had been working through the night earlier in the week removing the three storey podium which surrounded the lower part of the building.

“This implosion [was] very different from the [Radio Network House]. We were no longer working within a CBD red zone.

We had a large number of existing buildings around us, the river, landmarks and large trees and safety fences were set back further.

22 www.contractormag.co.nz

“As is typical of many buildings of its era, the former Christchurch Police Station contained asbestos. We carried out an asbestos removal programme over a 10-month period.

All demolition materials were handled and disposed of according to industry best-practice. The demolition debris was transported using covered trucks and disposed of as per Environment Canterbury approved waste management plan.”

The interior of the building was stripped out to expose structural elements, to improve post-implosion debris for recycling or disposal and all asbestos was removed.

De Vere says that all removal processes were peer reviewed, prior to the three storey podium, which surrounds the tower, having been taken down mechanically. Following that, non load-bearing interior partitions and exterior curtain walls were removed on the ground floor and on levels one, two, three, five, seven and nine.

“Using pneumatic rotary percussion drills, columns on the above levels were drilled with a total of 200 horizontal holes 40mm in diameter for subsequent explosive placement.

Blasting was designed to ensure the controlled fall of the structure and to soften the structural frame to reduce vibration on impact.”

A double continuous wrap of geotextile fabric and chain link fence was installed as source protection around elements to be blasted and a curtain of similar fence and geotextile fabric was installed around shot floors to contain any materials displaced by explosive detonation. A test blast on

two columns on ground level was carried out to determine the minimal amount of explosives required to ensure a successful implosion.

Some 225 non-electric detonators for both in-hole initiation and implosion sequence control were used, along with 2000 metres of detonating cord, and around 60 kilograms of Orica NZ Senatel magnum explosives in 25mm x 200mm cartridges.

To achieve the desired collapse, the majority of the explosives

were on the lower blast floors in the building.

All charges contained in the bore holes were confined with a stemming material – a combination of sand-filled bags and expandable foam – and no demolition charges were placed outside of a borehole producing an unconfined detonation situation, says de Vere.

A total of eight seismographs were used to monitor ground vibration. “We anticipated that the ground shake would be equivalent to a heavy truck passing by. The heavier particulate matter generated by the implosion [was likely to fall] within 100 metres of the site. So we imposed an exclusion zone created at 100 metres surrounding the building. Historic data indicated that buried constrained utilities under the adjacent streets would not be at risk as a result of the implosion.”

In the event, the building progressively collapsed over a period of eight seconds, says de Vere. “The rigidity of the structural frame meant the structure rolled onto its side on grade, resulting in a debris pile configuration as high as the building is wide.

“The majority of the debris impacted within the footprint of the building and the balance well within the demolition site.

“It is anticipated that the entire site will be cleared of debris within six weeks of the implosion date. We are taking concrete to Lyttelton Port Company’s reclamation area.

“We estimate to recover around 600 tonnes of steel. In the event, there has been no debris on streets, and no damage to any underground services or adjacent buildings. The timber and plastic and carpet debris is going to Burwood landfill.”

OCTOBER 2015 23

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

KEEPING THE WATERS AT BAY Stage by stage, a vital protection scheme is progressing to combat floods that have periodically devastated areas of the eastern Bay of Plenty for more than a century. GAVIN RILEY explains.

24 www.contractormag.co.nz

BY THEIR HIGH-PROFILE nature, civil construction projects such as Auckland’s infrastructure, the Christchurch rebuild, and the seven Roads of National Significance attract a welter of publicity. Other projects remain under the radar even when their skilful execution may be crucial in helping to prevent a regional disaster.

The Rangitaiki floodway scheme in the eastern Bay of Plenty is firmly in the latter category.

Consent for this lengthy undertaking was granted in 2009, three stages have been finished, and another five are scheduled before the project’s completion in 2020.

Its purpose is to take pressure off the floodprone Rangitaiki River by diverting some of its flow to a waterway known as Reid’s Canal. The scheme’s effectiveness is vital to the area’s future well-being – as local history clearly indicates.

Though official records have been kept only since 1949, it is known that major flooding of the 155 kilometre long river occurred in 1906 and 1925. Due to lack of preventive measures, there was more flooding over the next 20 years, with thousands of hectares of land inundated and extensive damage caused.

Between 1944 and 1983 the level of flooding

was reduced to below that of 1925 by the construction of 109 kilometres of stopbanks on the main river and major canals, the erection of flood walls in Edgecumbe and other urban areas, and the building of Reid’s Canal.

However, problems continued. In 1987 the Edgecumbe earthquake damaged floodprotection systems and works had to be carried out to repair stopbanks and improve flood controls. Then in 2004 a near-disaster struck – flooding breached a stopbank south of Edgecumbe, sending more than a quarter of the water in the swollen Rangitaiki River onto the plains and overwhelming the Reid’s Canal floodway.

If the waters had entered Edgecumbe substation they would have knocked out power supply to the entire eastern Bay of Plenty. As it was, they reached residential areas, part of the Fonterra factory on the edge of town, and thousands of hectares of farmland and associated property infrastructure. Roads were closed and there was an estimated $50 million in damages and lost production.

Such devastation demanded emphatic action.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Whakatane District Council jointly undertook measures in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 construction seasons to protect vulnerable parts of Edgecumbe against

The five stages remaining in the floodway project include the section below the Matata-Whakatane highway, raising the stopbanks from the McLean Road area to McCracken Road, constructing a modified spillway to allow water to flow from the Rangitaiki River into the floodway, and designing the stopbanks with flatter slopes to allow farmers to work their land more easily.

OCTOBER 2015 25

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

a 300-year flood. Included were the power station, Fonterra, major kiwifruit packer EastPack, and homes.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Rangitaiki floodway project to ease pressure on the river started in 2011-12 when Hickey Contractors from Rotorua carried out stage one, which involved new stopbank construction and considerable geotechnical work.

The total value of the stage was $3.2 million.

“One of the reasons we had a major failure in 2004 was because of a geotechnical failure on the Rangitaiki River,” says Regional Council works engineer Arch Delahunty, who has been involved in all three stages of the project to date.

“In 2012-13 we didn’t do much on the floodway because we were moving downstream and had an issue with local landowners buying into the project. A few of them didn’t agree with what we were going to do. It took 16 months of negotiating before they signed up for it.”

Waiotahi Contractors of Whakatane and Doug Gerrand of Papamoa jointly carried out the stage 2A contract in 2013-14. This work involved canal widening, stopbank reconstruction or rebuild, and more geotechnical work. The total value was again $3.2 million.

“With this stage we worked on the properties of landowners who had been questioning what we were doing,” Arch says.

“When we went to sign them up for stage 2B, last summer, they had no hesitation in doing so. They were very satisfied with the way the Regional Council had dealt with the reconstruction and all the other issues we had to deal with on their properties.”

Stage 2B, which began in September 2014 and finished in late May this year, was carried out by Doug Gerrand, which was founded more than 40 years ago as a specialist stopbank and large-scale river-control works contractor but now also does general contracting and manages two large landfill sites in Whakatane and Rotorua.

Gerrand’s contract involved the construction of about 1500 lineal metres of stopbanking; the importing of 90,000 tonnes of material suitable for stopbank construction; canal reconstruction of about 800 lineal metres (comprising around 75,000 cubic metres of cut material); and the placement of geotechnical fabric and rocks over the 800 metres of reconstructed canal bank. The total value of this stage was $2.5 million.

The five stages remaining in the floodway project include the section below the Matata-Whakatane highway, raising the stopbanks from the McLean Road area to McCracken Road, constructing a modified spillway to allow water to flow from the Rangitaiki River into the floodway, and designing the stopbanks with flatter slopes to allow farmers to work their land more easily.

Geotechnical work will be undertaken as part of the project works and fencing will be installed to restrict stock access to waterways.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council environmental engineer Mark Townsend is the project manager for the remaining five stages.

“With the current long-term plan we took the opportunity to shuffle things around so they went in a more logical order,” he says.

“We can view it as two separate projects – a continuation of the widening, then stopbank-raising further upstream. No widening, just lifting of the stopbanks.”

He says the $2.05 million stage 3A, programmed for the 201516 construction season, will involve working on the right bank of the floodway downstream section, from Thornton Road down to the confluence with the Rangitaiki River. There will also be some widening upstream, where stage one was, and the replacement of a bridge there.

26 www.contractormag.co.nz

The $2.05 million stage 3A, programmed for the 2015-16 construction season, will involve working on the right bank of the floodway downstream section, from Thornton Road down to the confluence with the Rangitaiki River. There will also be some widening upstream, where stage one was, and the replacement of a bridge there.

As part of getting ready for the stopbank-raising there will be geotechnical testing of the upstream stopbank. Also, as part of the geotechnical work, a wick system and drainage trenches will be put in behind the stopbanks of stages 2A and 2B to control a seepage outlet.

When asked if the floodway scheme has proved successful so far, Mark replies that there hasn’t been a breach since 2004.

He admits to concerns over the possible effects of climate change, including erratic weather patterns and rising sea levels.

“It’s big thing for us, through all our schemes. We’ve got some major projects, which I won’t go into now, where we’re looking at exactly that, and basically the sustainability of all our schemes.”

Mark does not know of any area of New Zealand that has a floodway scheme of greater magnitude than the eastern Bay of Plenty’s. “In terms of the capital works we’re undertaking, there’s no one doing more that I’m aware of.”

Arch Delahunty says the reality is the council has 11.25 kilometres of floodway. “That’s a significant footprint and, as we’ve alluded to [in this interview], we’ve also got major geotechnical problems.”

He says stages 2A and 2B of the scheme attracted six and eight tenderers, including nationwide companies, and that leaves him feeling “pretty comfortable” with the contractor resource available for the remaining stages.

Mark believes the parcels of work the council has set out over the next five years are manageable by those teams. “We don’t think the volume of work could cause difficulties for us.

We think we’ve got the measure about right,” he says.

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CONTRACTOR PROJECT

Making good SH58 An upgrading and widening programme on State Highway 58, which began in February, is being done in various stages. Costing $25 million, the first stage (the middle section) was awarded to Fulton Hogan. RICHARD SILCOCK explains the work involved.

Schematic diagram of SH58 showing the sections for upgrading and improvement.

A section of the highway prior to the upgrade.

28 www.contractormag.co.nz

A 5.1 KILOMETRE SECTION of State Highway 58 near Wellington, locally known as the Haywoods Hill route, currently sees around 15,000 vehicles per day use it as a connection between the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast.

While not seen as a feeder route to the Transmission Gully Motorway when that is completed in mid-2020, SH58 will provide an alternative route out of Wellington and the Hutt Valley, but the main focus of the project is on improving road safety. SH58 has a very poor safety record with over 156 crashes recorded since 2009, a number of which were fatal.

The NZTA’s regional performance manager, Mark Owen, says SH58 is a challenging piece of road. With multiple hazards including a number of sharp curves, undulations, gradient changes and some steep banks dropping off to the stream running close by, it was important to make it safer and more forgiving, so that simple driver mistakes didn’t result in serious injury or further fatalities.

“Realistically this road will always be a bit of a challenging drive, but this does not mean we should accept that death and injury are inevitable,” Mark says.

“We recognise that people can make mistakes, so the road needs to be more forgiving so driver error does not lead to tragic consequences.”

Upgrading this section entails taking out a tight blind curve by excavating a hillside (considered the most dangerous part of this road with two fatal crashes), realigning and straightening several other poor line-of-sight curves, widening the road throughout the section, and shoring-up and repairing parts of the road where, over time, the road’s integrity has been compromised by wash-outs caused by a nearby stream eroding some edge foundation.

The installation of wire rope safety barriers between the lanes of opposing traffic and along some drop-off edges, pavement sealing and road marking are also included in the upgrade.

Considerable earthworks have been required by the contractor to cut back eight metres of the hillside to take out the sharp curve and enable realignment of the road. It took around 24 weeks to complete this, with the 25,000 cubic metres of earth trucked to nearby Queen Elizabeth Park on the Kapiti Coast for use in the construction of a cycleway.

Sediment ponds were constructed at the site to alleviate

www.bigblocks.co.nz

environmental contamination and considerable work to improve rain water run-off and drainage was also completed.

Work came to a halt in June through September due to wet weather, which Contractor understands caused some stabilisation issues with the new embankments. This necessitated closing the site down and imposing a temporary speed restriction of 50 kilometres per hour for traffic over one kilometre of the highway.

“Due to a period of extremely wet weather we had some issues with the embankments and we’ve had to put the pavement sealing work on hold until mid to late spring when hopefully the weather will improve, temperatures will lift and conditions will be more suitable for attaining a good bind for the pavement seal,” a Fulton Hogan spokesperson says.

“Once that is completed we will get on with the lane marking and install 700 metres of centre-aligned wire rope safety barrier.”

The NZTA says work has been timed to align with the construction work that will take place for an interchange where the highway will intersect with the Transmission Gully Motorway near Pauatahanui, and the grade-separated interchange at the intersection with SH2 in the Hutt Valley.

Other sections of the highway upgrade will involve further extensive earthworks, widening and curve realignment, and constructing a roundabout at the junction with Moonshine Road. While the agency could not confirm a start date for these next stages, Contractor understands work will start before Christmas on Stage 2 at the Hutt Valley end of the highway. (The successful tenderer for this stage was due to be announced at the time Contractor went to print.)

Several passing lanes on the existing highway are also being removed to avoid potential accidents as traffic re-merges, and a 1.5 metre-wide shoulder will also make it safer for cyclists.

The NZTA, Porirua City Council and Hutt City Council had been collaborating for several years over planning the upgrade of this highway and following a report by consultants MWH Global in 2010 and public consultation at the end of 2014, they came up with this realignment solution to make the highway a much safer stretch of road.

The cost of the total upgrade is expected to be in the region of $33 million plus and will take just over three years to complete.

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OCTOBER 2015 29

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

ICONIC

MOTORWAY ENGRAVINGS 30 www.contractormag.co.nz

RICHARD SILCOCK looks at the arty side of a motorway project as the contractor works on some elaborate median barrier engraving in Wellington.

WITH UPGRADING and widening a part of Wellington’s urban motorway, a new concrete central median barrier is being installed featuring engraved Wellington landmarks replicated along part of its fascia.

Lead contractor for the project, Fletcher Construction has tasked Steam and Sand Porirua with the engraving work that will see three kilometres of the new, narrower median barrier given an artistic touch with semi-dimensional engravings of the iconic Beehive, St Gerard’s Monastery, the Brooklyn wind turbine and the War Memorial Carillon.

Steam and Sand’s general manager, Matt Trail, says the flat fascia surface of the new concrete barrier provides the medium for the work, and by using a compressed air driven Quill Falcon abrasive blasting machine exerting 105-115psi they are able to engrave just a thin layer of the concrete surface to produce the simplistic imagery.

“To achieve the outline of the icons and maintain consistency of the shapes we use a 3m x 1.2m x 3mm steel stencil of the icons as a guide,” says Matt.

“It conforms to the shape and size of the barrier fascia and is placed and clamped in place over the surface of the particular section of barrier we are working on.

“Inert fine garnet [sand-like crystals of about 0.5mm in diameter that are specifically sourced and imported from Western Australia], is used to blast away the surface concrete and engrave the design shapes to a maximum depth of up to 4mm. We use pure garnet as the blasting medium as it is free from salt, silica and iron particles and has lower dust levels than iron sand.

“With a skilled operator we are able to achieve a pretty good consistency for each engraving even though the concrete may have some slight imperfections due to the aggregate,” says Matt.

“However we are achieving differences of only 300 microns and are able to create quite a bit of detail.

“The engraved work is then sprayed with an epoxy resin so that it stands out against the grey concrete, and it also acts to protect the exposed concrete from the weather.”

Matt says all the ‘blasting’ work is being done progressively as the new barrier is extruded in place by a team working through the night between the hours of 11pm and 4am when there is low traffic volume.

“On this basis we are able to achieve four to five finished engravings per night,” he says. “The engravings are 50 metres apart and when complete will be near back-to-back on both sides of the barrier.”

The concrete barrier itself is being constructed by Seovic (part of the Fletcher Construction Group) using a special slipform concrete extruding machine.

“Using our Miller Formless M-8800 slipform paving machine that we imported from the States back in 2005, and travelling at around one metre every two to three minutes we are able to create, over the course of a night shift, about 55 metres of barrier in one continuous stream,” says Seovic’s general manager, Paul Houston.

TOGETHER

A worker from Steam and Sand works on one of the iconic concrete engravings.

OCTOBER 2015 31

CONTRACTOR PROJECT

Clockwise from above: Close-up view of a concrete barrier being extruded from the Miller Formless M-8800 slipform machine.

Hand finishing the concrete barriers as they are extruded from the machine.

Close-up of a section of one of the engravings.

“Each 55 metres requires 30 cubic metres of high strength, dry, ready-mix concrete with a rating of 30MPa. This is delivered on site from the nearby Firth Concrete plant at Kaiwharawhara by their revolving agitator trucks. Tipped into the top of the machine via a conveyor belt, the concrete mix is moulded and compacted by vibration before being extruded in shape onto the motorway surface in a continuous semi-solid form.”

The extruded barrier is then further manually finished and control joints applied with complete hardening and curing of the concrete taking a further four to six hours. As part of the supply contract, Firth tests each batch of concrete to ensure that it meets the NZ Transport Agency’s design specification.

Removal of the old, gravel-filled steel barrier is complex.

NZTA’s project manager for the motorway upgrade Glen Prince says replacing the old barrier makes good sense, as the new barrier is much narrower and therefore allows for more usable road space.

“The old barrier was getting to the end of its use-by date as it no longer met today’s safety specifications and maintenance was difficult,” he says.

“This removal work of the old barrier involves peeling away the steel lid, scooping out the gravel, demolishing the steel façade, breaking up and removing a three-metre wide concrete plinth and rebuilding the pavement.

“Exposing the ground beneath the several decades old barrier did present a few surprises however,” says Glen.

“Several manholes and stormwater drains were revealed and these needed to be investigated along with the integrity of the 32 www.contractormag.co.nz

drainage pipes. For this reason this work is being carried out in 300 to 400 metre sections.”

At the time of Contractor going to print, over 1.5 kilometres of the old barrier had been removed and over 600 metres of the new barrier extruded in place.

While there has been some controversy over the creation of what some critics say are distracting features and unnecessary expense, the Transport Agency and the Wellington City Council (whose design teams worked together) and the Police say they have no reason to believe the engravings will distract drivers, as the repetitive nature of them will become integrated into the visual surroundings, rather than being singled out as a point of interest. The Transport Agency says the monochromatic dimensional design was assessed by its safety experts who rated it well within their safety and hazard tolerance criteria.

“This, along with a temporary slow speed restriction, will allow motorists the opportunity to become accustomed to the new median layout and the design features,” says Glen.

The barrier work is being carried out as part of the Transport Agency’s $50 million motorway upgrade which also includes the provision of a fourth northbound lane that utilises the western side shoulder space and a hereto unused sub-bridge off-ramp for part of the over-rail bridge section (refer Contractor, July 2015). The engraving work will cost $130,000 and is expected to add interest to the motorway scene for the 95,000 motorists who use the motorway each day.

The motorway upgrade is expected to be completed in March 2016.

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CONTRACTOR HEAVY HAULAGE

34 www.contractormag.co.nz

HOME and DRY Careful planning and management were key to a complex project that saw Global Transport bring 5000 cubic metres of drying equipment to New Zealand from Europe and Asia for two South Island dairy processors. BY MARY SEARLE BELL.

SPECIALISING IN HEAVY and over-dimension loads, Global Transport moves cargo around the world. A rather complex project late last year saw the team bring a variety of equipment from Europe and Asia for Tetra Pak, which is constructing a $114 million nutritional dryer in Hokitika for Westland Milk Products.

The dryer unit will allow Westland milk to produce fully-formulated infant formula milk powder products. At the same time Global Transport delivered equipment for Tetra Pak from the same manufacturers for a new milk dryer for Synlait, another dairy processor, to its Dunsandel plant in Canterbury.

Coming from the fabricators in Europe was dryer equipment and the associated ducting and condensers. Global Transport director Richard Hyde says there were 22 loads in total.

These were of various lengths and ranged in weight from 17 to 70 tonnes.

Richard says the original plan was to ship everything in one go from the European port straight to Timaru and truck it to the two plants from there. However, manufacturing constraints meant it was easier for the shipment to be broken into two and carried across Europe by

truck to the port in Bremerhaven, Germany, and be shipped to New Zealand from there.

The route from the manufacturing plant to the port in Germany was a trip of about eight to nine days, depending on the weight and dimension of the load. It crossed five countries – each with their own permitting rules and regulations.

Global Transport’s London agent had a good connection with an agent in Europe and he sourced local truckers for the job and was on site to ensure the loading was done correctly.

Local truckers were used as they had better access to permits. That being said, permits for the larger loads took up to 17 days to source.

Once the trucks reached the port in Germany, Global Transport had a surveyor on site there to supervise the transfer of the loads from the road trailers to Mafi trailers (specialised roll trailers to facilitate the equipment being transferred at the ports), then lashed properly and loaded onto the ship.

The Global Transport team was very handson throughout the whole job to ensure there was no damage to any of the equipment at any stage of the journey.

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OCTOBER 2015 35

CONTRACTOR HEAVY HAULAGE

Once the dryer equipment reached Auckland, Global Transport subcontracted the transport to three companies – STL Linehaul, T Croft and Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage – to carry it to the two dairy plants in the South Island. The largest item, however, waited at the Ports of Auckland for a short while for a ship from China headed to Timaru.

36 www.contractormag.co.nz

Richard was waiting in Auckland for the ships to arrive – the loads ended up travelling on four different ships.

Once the dryer equipment reached Auckland, Global Transport subcontracted the transport to three companies – STL Linehaul, T Croft and Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage – to carry it to the two dairy plants in the South Island. The largest item, however, waited at the Ports of Auckland for a short while for a ship from China headed to Timaru.

On the ship from China was other dryer equipment that had been manufactured there and for which the transport was contracted to Global Transport.

Richard says there was a lot of ducting that came from China, and although it wasn’t heavy (five to six tonnes a piece) several pieces were quite big, measuring up to 10x8.7x3 metres.

These were trucked in five loads from the manufacturer to a barge; once loaded and secured they were barged to an ocean vessel headed for New Zealand. In total, around 2000 cubic metres of componentry was shipped from China to Timaru.

Overall, Global Transport was responsible for around 5000 cubic metres of equipment being imported from Europe, China and Indonesia.

“The logistics of getting the equipment out of Europe were testing at times,” Richard told Contractor. “Getting the larger units to the South Island and then getting them from Timaru

to the West Coast site was challenging, with weight restraints creating difficulties.

“However, all the equipment was delivered either on time or ahead of time for both sites’ erection programmes.”

When he says it like that he makes it sound fairly simple, but realistically, the list of things that could have gone wrong is staggering.

The Global Transport office team in Auckland was involved from the beginning of the fabrication process; managing the shipping process – looking for possible alternatives to ensure the parts got to New Zealand as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Richard says there was a lot of planning involved, and a lot of changes were made throughout the project.

Four key things he lists that impacted the transport for this project were: 1. Ports – Bremerhaven offered more flexibility with choices of vessels.

2. Permits – the timeframes they were effective for varied from country to country.

3. Weather – it was winter in Europe; ’nuff said.

4. Space available on the ship – and having hands-on people at the load out and ports to ensure the loads were lifted correctly, lashed properly and landed safely. It was imperative there was no damage to the equipment while it was in transit.

The transport project took three months in total, and was completed in January this year.

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CONTRACTOR COMPANY PROFILE

FROM STRENGTH It’s now a case of where to from here for a small family company that grew rapidly in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes.

HUGH DE LACY

reviews the options.

38 www.contractormag.co.nz

WHEN RUSSELL WORTHINGTON started his contracting company in 1984 he gave it an impressive name – North Canterbury Excavation and Drainage – for an outfit whose inventory of plant comprised an optical level, a wheelbarrow, a shovel and a world-weary Austin ute.

Today, as Rangiora-based Worthington Contracting, but currently operating from leased premises in Shirley, Christchurch, it’s a medium-sized earthworks and drainage player in the post-earthquake Canterbury rebuild with around 50 staff and an eye to surviving a future in which the billions of rebuild insurance money have long since been spent.

The earthquake recovery dollars lent wings

to the heels of Russell Worthington’s company, as they did to many small businesses, but the company’s rapid expansion over the past five years came on the foundation of solid and steady growth over the previous 25 and a realisation that the boom years wouldn’t last forever.

Worthington and his wheelbarrow had managed to crank turnover up to $1000 a week within the first year, enough to fund the purchase of an old three-tonne Komatsu excavator that made the shovel partly redundant, and an equally ancient Isuzu 4x2 truck to cart it around on.

Within two years of start-up the company had made a big enough incursion into the North

TO STRENGTH Canterbury residential drainage market to employ a registered drainlayer and a labourer.

In the early 1990s the company opened up alternatives to the septic tank by installing the first Oasis Clearwater 90 residential sewerage system in collaboration with manufacturer Lou Austin, and also secured its first big local authority contract, re-laying a 300mm diameter PVC stormwater line for the Waimakariri District Council.

The rest of the decade saw an upgrading of plant with the addition of, among other machines and trucks, another Komatsu digger and a Ridgid K1500 drain-cleaning machine.

Nor was the little company with the big name slow on the uptake of other developments:

Russell Worthington’s engineering background came into play as he produced designs and pushed through the resource consents for rural effluent disposal systems and trebled the turnover reached by urban installations.

By 2004 annual turnover had cracked the $500,000 mark and the company had expanded into commercial drainage for property developments in the Rangiora area.

Four years later Russell’s sons Josh and James bought into the business, renamed Worthington Contracting, as equal shareholders, and the company began pitching for bigger civil and infrastructure jobs, the first being a Westport stormwater project for Buller District Council.

Other ventures outside the home market

Worthington Contracting’s rapid expansion over the past five years came on the foundation of solid and steady growth over the previous 25 and a realisation that the boom years wouldn’t last forever.

OCTOBER 2015 39

CONTRACTOR COMPANY PROFILE

Other ventures outside the home market took Worthington Contracting to Blenheim for a Grovetown sewer upgrade contract installing eco-flow pressure sewer tanks on 150 properties, and to Southland for its first major job as head contractor, the $400,000 Edendale water-main contract.

took Worthington Contracting to Blenheim for a Grovetown sewer upgrade contract installing eco-flow pressure sewer tanks on 150 properties, and to Southland for its first major job as head contractor, the $400,000 Edendale water-main contract.

The new millennium saw turnover exceed $2.5 million, and Worthington was simultaneously involved in a sewer upgrade for the Christchurch City Council at Diamond Harbour, and joint ventures with big boys HEB Construction, installing a Rangiora water-main headrace, and Downer Construction installing the headworks on the same scheme.

And then the quakes struck; the first in September 2010 and the rest from February of the following year.

The earth moved for everyone in the Canterbury construction industry – or at least everyone who could handle the rapid rise in standards of professionalism, especially as they affected staff health and safety.

But where other local building construction companies, especially the likes of decorators and house-builders, struggled in the new safety-conscious environment, the higher standards within civil construction allowed Worthington to thrive.

By this time Russell Worthington had kicked himself sideways into a human resources role, son James had left to join Hawkins Construction, and management was now in the hands of Irish engineer Kenny Corrigan.

Not that Corrigan was one of the many new arrivals from Ireland to work in post-quake Christchurch: he had in fact already been here for 11 years after marrying a Canterbury girl, Claire Walsh, whom he’d met in an Irish pub in London.

Corrigan was recruited from Fulton Hogan where he’d been a business development manager, and his agenda was to push Worthington up the ranks of medium-sized contracting businesses while the rebuild largesse was still flowing, then consolidate it once the market resumed a more sustainable shape.

40 www.contractormag.co.nz

It’s that consolidation phase that the company is now entering.

“It’s very much crystal ball-gazing at the moment,” Corrigan told Contractor.

“There’s lots of speculation around what Christchurch is going to look like after SCIRT [the Safer Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team] closes up shop next year.”

SCIRT is the alliance responsible for rebuilding the city’s horizontal infrastructure, and comprises five major contractors – City Care, Fletcher, Downer, Fulton Hogan and McConnell Dowell – plus the three infrastructure owners, the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority, the Christchurch City Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

The winding up of SCIRT signals the start of a gradual reversion to a normal market state in the wider Canterbury construction industry, and implies the return to their home markets of many non-local companies, Corrigan says.

“It’s inevitable: it’s been like bees to a honey-pot.

“When there’s lots of honey you’ll have lots of bees, but when there’s not the numbers will reduce.

“A lot of contractors that came to town are starting to move back to their original locations” leaving locals like Worthington to survive in a market that must eventually begin shrinking.

For Corrigan, working with a turnover now topping $8 million, the first step into that murky world is to consolidate the existing operation.

“It might mean trying to retain the best staff you can, and trying to continue until we get some sort of surety around what that demand is going to be.

“We want to build on our reputation” – which includes winning the NZ Contractors Federation’s 2012 Contractor of the Year Award for Innovation and Best Subcontractor – “and the one thing that will probably come out of this is that if you retain good staff you’ll retain some security in forward work.”

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CONTRACTOR HISTORY

Historic road landing rediscovered

&

A 75-metre section of what is believed to be part of Northland’s oldest road, along with the remains of an old river landing, were recently ‘rediscovered’ under dense and overgrown native bush by a team from Heritage New Zealand who were involved in an archaeology project. By RICHARD SILCOCK. Above: Tiered rocks formed the landing, the remains of which can still be seen today.

42 www.contractormag.co.nz

THE ROAD IS BELIEVED to date back to early

1842 and was built by Gilbert Mair, an early Scottish settler who had immigrated to New Zealand in 1824 after a short stay in Sydney. It is known Mair, who had moved from running a successful trading station in the Bay of Islands, acquired a large block of land containing significant stands of kauri alongside the Hatea River, 100 metres upstream from the fledgling settlement of Whangarei. To house his wife and growing family of 12, he built a large house (named Deveron, after the family home back in Scotland) on the property along with a timber mill on the western bank of the navigable reaches of the tidal river.

Showing entrepreneurial flair he constructed a rock landing (now known as Mair’s Landing) on the river bank for the purpose of loading and unloading building materials, food and trading materials (kauri gum, flax, kumara and

sawn logs) which were transported by scow to and from the wharf at Whangarei for ongoing shipment to Australia and the UK. The landing was built using large, locally sourced volcanic rocks which were placed and stacked-up in layers from the bed of the river and mortared together. Stone steps were also built and the remnants of these can be seen to descend from the river bank down to the landing and the river.

To enable easier access to the property for his family and horse drawn dray he and his older sons then went on to construct a 100-metre ‘coach’ road from the river landing to the house and mill.

The road was formed by clearing bush and excavating earth using pick and shovel and then laying crushed cockle shells and cobblestones to form a rough ‘pavement’. The road was bordered on both sides by a low volcanic rock

PHOTO: HERITAGE NZ

one of the earliest most significant European structures in the area.

Further evidence of the early days of settlement at Whangarei can still be found throughout the city today, as a lot of land was vested to local government ownership. This includes a number of large reserves, one of which is named after Gilbert’s eldest son, Robert Mair, who gifted the family land to the people of Whangarei in1914 and is now known as Mair Park.

Above: Part of the overgrown rock wall that once bordered the road.

Above left: Tiered rocks formed the landing, the remains of which can still be seen today.

PHOTO: HERITAGE NZ

wall, parts of which can still be seen today under the overgrowing vegetation.

Early survey maps from around the 1860s and 1870s show both the landing and the road (part of which is now named Mill Road) clearly marked, indicating that both had become part of Whangarei’s early established transportation infrastructure.

The road and the landing are, according to Heritage New Zealand, an integral part of early European history in the north and are probably

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OCTOBER 2015 43

CONTRACTOR IMMIGRATION

Making migrant labour work for you Until recently, for many employers the idea of actively recruiting labour from offshore was both irrelevant and unnecessary to the success of their business. RACHAEL MASON from Lane Neave reports.

IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, however, the need for employers to recruit labour from offshore is not only an attractive and viable option, but increasingly, is essential to continued day-to-day operation and financial success.

The combination of economic growth, the Canterbury earthquakes and low unemployment has meant that the pool of skilled and experienced candidates to fill labour gaps nationwide (across all skill levels) is insufficient to meet demand. The result is that many employers have been forced, willingly or otherwise, to consider recruiting offshore.

Common misconceptions

Recent immigration policy changes – construction sector Some of these changes are of national significance, while others are specific to the Canterbury region.

1. L abour Hire Companies Accreditation Scheme From January 1 2016, it will be compulsory for labour hire companies who wish to utilise migrant workers to supply labour to the Canterbury construction sector to obtain accreditation from INZ. There will also be optional accreditation nationwide for labour hire companies that work outside of the Canterbury region and/or that supply labour to other industry sectors.

For immigration purposes, a “labour hire company” is defined as a company that “employ[s] and outsource[s] workers for short or long term positions to third parties with whom the employer has a contractual relationship to supply labour”.

The accreditation application process involves a rigorous review of a company’s operation and systems, and covers every aspect of the business from the financial position and HR policies and processes right through to the terms and conditions of employment and support offered to offshore workers. A further aspect of the process requires the labour hire company to provide confirmation that the third party where their workers are placed has good workplace practices.

PHOTO: CONNEXIS

For many employers, the immigration process can appear daunting. As well as situations where an employer has had a negative experience with attempting to hire an employee from offshore, there are a number of common misconceptions about the immigration process which have put employers off pursuing offshore labour.

The key to making the recruitment of offshore labour work for your business is developing a migrant recruitment strategy that supports your business needs. Together with a well thoughtout strategy, good planning in advance will help to alleviate the majority of “pains” that the immigration process can entail.

Making use of appropriate visa categories and combinations of categories can make a material difference to the timeframe it can take to secure a visa. One such example is the Employer Accreditation scheme, which enables trusted employers to more easily recruit skilled migrant workers, and has a number of benefits when compared to other temporary immigration routes.

Additionally, ensuring advertising meets the requirements of

immigration policy from the outset can often save valuable time if it turns out that a work visa is required. All too often, positions need to be re-advertised to ensure they meet the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) policy for ensuring a genuine attempt to recruit from the resident labour market has been made.

44 www.contractormag.co.nz

Employers who utilise contract labour (especially those with projects in the Canterbury region) need to be aware of the new accreditation regime as the labour supply company you use may require accreditation in order to continue to supply labour to your business after January 1 2016.

Furthermore, as a recipient of contract labour you may also be required to provide evidence of your own good workplace practices in order to support the accreditation application of the labour hire company and be able to continue to receive contract labour.

2. Increased duration for work visas in Canterbury Until recently, applicants applying for a work visa in lower skilled roles have only been able to obtain a 12-month visa. This 12-month limit applied to roles classified by the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) framework at skill levels 4 and 5. Examples of these types of roles include: plant operator, general labourer, concreters etc.

Until December 2016, for all roles where the employment is based in the Canterbury region, across all industry sectors, Essential Skills work visas can now be issued for up to a maximum of three years.

3. Relaxation of visa conditions in Canterbury Migrant workers who hold Essential Skills work visas are restricted to undertaking employment for the particular employer, role, and location specified on their work visa. In the event that an employee wishes to change employment, a formal Variation of Conditions application must be made to INZ before the employee can start the new employment.

The key to making the recruitment of offshore labour work for your business is developing a migrant recruitment strategy that supports your business needs.

– Rachael Mason

However, as of July this year all Essential Skills work visas for the Canterbury region are issued with only the occupation and region specified as conditions on the visa, meaning employees will be able to change employer freely without the need to apply for a Variation of Conditions.

This exemption will only apply where the employee is moving from one Canterbury-based employer to another Canterburybased employer and where the job title and all job duties and responsibilities are substantially the same.

Employers need to be aware that this policy change opens up the opportunity for employers to “poach” staff, meaning that good retention strategies will become increasingly important for employers who wish to protect their investment in offshore labour.

• Operating throughout New Zealand • Specialist rehabilitation contractors • A Grade Tunnel Manager and confined spaces • Pipes, manholes, pump stations, culverts, tunnels, treatment plants, structures • Corrosion, deterioration, damage • Above ground leak repair of underground infrastructure assets • Approved applicators of Milliken Infrastructure,Prime Resins and LRM Products • Agents for Drainchem and the quality range of ‘Plug-It’ pipe plug products • Internationally certified management systems Concrete Treatment’s AQUA CUTTER 410A robot for Hydrodemolition and industrial cleaning.

We deliver on our commitments to our customers with technically proficient and trained staff providing quality workmanship and attention to detail.

“Concrete Treatments is the solution to your problem”

OCTOBER 2015 45

CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

Technology update It’s pretty much accepted that constant change is a fact of life. But it seems that over the past 12 months the rate of change for civil contracting has accelerated as technological innovations flood the market. So we thought we’d do a round-up of some of the ideas that come across our desks: it’s an opportunity to see what technologies are available to help you keep up with your competitors, suppliers, and most importantly, your customers.

Navman Wireless instrumental in tracking progress Navman Wireless helps John Jones Steel track its large fleet of trucks, mobile cranes, elevated work platforms and other vehicles across Canterbury and beyond.

Steely resolve aids Canterbury rebuild Structural steel: big, heavy and demanding. When your business is fabricating, transporting and erecting structural steel across Canterbury and beyond, you need to know where your vehicles and machines are and that they are safe to operate.

John Jones Steel works with large construction firms in Canterbury and throughout the South Island on projects including new office blocks, transport interchanges, distribution centres and other large construction projects.

With a 130-strong team of people, the company operates a diverse fleet of almost 150 vehicles, including transporter trucks and trailers, semitrailers, hiab trucks, mobile cranes, elevated work platforms (EWPs), scissor lifts and utility vehicles.

All of them are tracked using Navman Wireless Qubes (for powered vehicles) or Qtanium 100s (for non-powered assets).

“We need to know where all of our equipment is at any time so when we place an order for a new vehicle or machine, we also place an order for another GPS unit. That’s how essential it is,” says John Jones Steel transport maintenance manager, Gerrit Roderkerken.

John Jones Steel installed Navman Wireless in early 2014 because of stringent certification requirements.

Maintenance and certification for safety Many of the vehicles and specialist assets have to be certified for safety at regular intervals, so the company needed to accurately track maintenance for the whole fleet. Previously, it had used its own in-house software to complement a largely manual process.

With Navman Wireless, Gerrit can log completed maintenance and set alerts for future maintenance requirements so vehicles or assets can be recalled to the workshop for maintenance as required.

“As we have many different types of vehicles and machines, there are several different certification processes required. Navman Wireless keeps track of them all,” he says.

Managing director Frank Van Schaijik says that one of the industry trends they have noticed is that the main contractors are now more interested in how John Jones Steel keeps track of certification.

“In the past we would tell the main contractor that our vehicles and machines were all certified and provide a copy of the current certification. Now, given the increased focus on safety and compliance, they ask how we keep track of maintenance onsite and what processes we have in place to flag any issues.”

• See online for the full story.

46 www.contractormag.co.nz

World’s first Additive / Subtractive manufacturing service launched A new process combining metal 3D printing and five-axis CNC machining to quickly deliver complex, low-volume components has been launched in China.

A rapid prototyping manufacturer has launched a new process called AddSub manufacturing. STAR Prototype, a British-owned company based in Guandong Province, China, developed the service after it identified a significant demand for a one-stop-shop for such components.

The process combines metal 3D printing and five-axis CNC machining to quickly deliver complex, low-volume components that would previously have required the input of two separate companies.

Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional CAD data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing or “additive layer manufacturing” technology.

“Most metal 3D printed parts are not used as prototypes, but as complex low-volume manufactured components,” explains Gordon Styles, president of STAR. “Many of these parts need certain high-precision features that are virtually impossible to produce with 3D printing alone.

“Problems arise because most 3D printing companies don’t carry out secondary machining, meaning the customer needs to take care of the work themselves or farm it out to specialist machining companies.”

STAR has removed this time-consuming and often error-strewn leg from the manufacturing process with the development of AddSub manufacturing.

The new system allows parts to be transferred directly from its 3D printing machines onto its CNC machines without having to be removed from the build plate – a development that also resolves the troublesome issue of subcontractors getting to grips with 3D printed parts.

“STAR is world-renowned for its CNC machining capabilities and our forward thinking approach to adopting new technology and improving customer service provision,” continues Gordon Styles.

“AddSub was very much born out of a combination of the two and we are confident it will prove of enormous benefit to businesses across the globe.”

STAR sees the subtractive CNC element of AddSub as being ideal for mating faces, precision bores, tapped holes, spigots and other very necessary high-precision features, and feels AddSub is likely to be of particular use to the motorsport, aerospace, military, medical and dental fields.

OCTOBER 2015 47

CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

Ones, zeros and dollar signs Business development consultant Roger Ford is president of the New Zealand Software Association. Contractor caught up with him recently for a discussion about the ways in which small-to-medium sized enterprises can best engage with software providers to help their business.

Roger Ford believes that right now is one of those rare points in history where vast amounts of technological advancement are happening in an equally vast number of fields at one time. But cutting through all the noise and knowing what to embrace as right for our particular businesses remains a challenge.

Contractor How has software changed in the past decade or so?

Roger Ford Fundamentally it has evolved hugely. Software is maturing and getting more and more user-friendly. Software used to be procedural in the ‘old days’, where a developer would write a program and it would perform a function.

Then it became about automating business processes; replacing paper with a digitised version of essentially the same information.

Now software has become extremely clever at how it integrates. It is more modularised; a software engineer might pull together 80 different bits of software and create a solution for one company, for example.

It’s engineering rather than building – and a piece of software is predominantly engineered to connect with everything else.

Contractor You’ve been consulting with businesses for almost two decades on many aspects, including software implementation. Do you find that some businesses are fearful of adopting software solutions?

Roger Ford I don’t think it is fear so much as uncertainty. We’re now in an environment where there is a distinct generational divide in the workplace; we have ‘Digital Natives’ – those who grew up with the internet – and what many refer to as ‘Digital Immigrants’, which are the rest of us who have adapted to and learnt what the internet can provide for us as it has evolved over the past 15 to 20 years. There is a generational element to this, as the majority of people in senior leadership or decision-making positions within businesses right now are older. But it’s not the generational make-up of the user that creates uncertainty; it’s the speed with which software has developed.

What has happened is that the pace of software development has moved so fast that it has created something of a double-edged situation where users can see and utilise phenomenal improvements, but on the other side of the equation there is this concern that six months down the track whatever has been adopted might be superseded or even redundant. This creates a sceptical environment for some.

• See online for the full interview.

Hamm Compaction Quality technology launches in NZ Fulton Hogan has recently taken delivery of two new Hamm HD80+ eight ton twin drum vibratory rollers; among the first such machines in New Zealand to feature Hamm Compaction Quality (HCQ) technology.

Supplied and supported by Wirtgen New Zealand, the new Hamm rollers offer both vibratory and oscillation compaction options within the same machine, and join Fulton Hogan’s Auckland asphalt surfacing fleet.

Adam Nichol, Fulton Hogan’s Northern Zone Surfacing operations advisor, says it is a technical leap forward to be able to utilise these machines for asphalt compaction.

“Having Hamm HD80+ machines that offer both vibratory and oscillation compaction gives us application options we haven’t had before.

“Oscillation technology has been around for some time now, but it’s about utilising it in the right environments, where a non-directed compaction process might be needed. The Hamm HD80+ gives our frontline operators, as well as our technical and planning staff, the opportunity to utilise this technology in ways that could really future-proof the way we work.”

• See online for the full story.

Imagine if building your information systems was as easy as following the signs... … now it can be.

To find out how Capability Mapping can align your systems and staff with your plans to grow your business, visit www.basiq.nz.

basiq 48 www.contractormag.co.nz

www.basiq.nz

TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTOR

Binding the metal with a simple solution In an effort to reduce maintenance costs and extend road budgets, councils and road contractors are turning to a technologicallyadvanced binding agent called PolyCom Stabilising Aid. PolyCom Stabilising Aid is a high-performing road stabilisation product with applications for sealed and unsealed road construction and maintenance, mining/forestry haul road maintenance, transport hardstands, embankment stabilisation and general earthworks.

The innovative binding agent has a pronounced effect on the behaviour of the in-situ materials, producing a stronger, more waterresistant pavement. By reducing the penetration of water into the pavement, the road maintains shape and strength, and resists potholing and corrugation.

The result is a reduction in maintenance requirements, which in turn mitigates the need to truck in expensive gravel for remediation work. After factoring PolyCom into their unsealed road maintenance schedule, many councils report a reduction in maintenance by up to six times.

PolyCom binds the in-situ materials, creating a tightly bound pavement that lasts longer.

EROAD announces next-generation platform EROAD has announced the release of its world-leading, second-generation invehicle hardware, Ehubo2, which supports multiple applications on a single device.

The first application for the new Ehubo2 platform is Drive Buddy; a software system that supports safe driving by providing real-time feedback on a visual display.

Drive Buddy’s screen shows accurate vehicle speed, alerting drivers using a simple system of green/amber/red icons. Harsh braking, sharp cornering and unnecessary idling also generate driver alerts.

EROAD CEO Steven Newman says Drive Buddy has been designed to provide realtime in-vehicle feedback in an informative, positive way without distracting drivers.

“In-vehicle technology has a crucial role to play in making vehicles safer workplaces,” Steven says. “We’re confident that Ehubo2 will make compliance with health and safety regulations significantly easier for the transport sector.”

Mount Maunganui logistics company NZL Group installed Drive Buddy in 70 trucks in preparation for impending changes in health and safety legislation.

NZL Group senior projects manager, Lajanne Smith says that when the company decided to take part in EROAD’s Drive Buddy field pilot, its aim as an organisation was to reduce speed and provide the best in-cab tools for its drivers.

“We knew we needed to be more proactive around better driver behaviour and not just rely on GPS units,” Lajanne said.

“Drive Buddy acts as a guide to the driver. We’ve noticed a huge decrease in vehicle speeding since we installed it.”

EROAD expects Ehubo2 to be approved by the New Zealand Transport Agency as an electronic distance recorder by the end of 2015. Ehubo2 will also support EROAD’s messaging product, EZmessage and Driver ID, which assigns a driver to a particular vehicle.

To see how Drive Buddy works, visit www.eroad.co.nz/nz/why-eroad#videos

OCTOBER 2015 49

CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

Austin Asphalt fixes it in the field with FIELDFIX

Smart software from Fieldfix gets the right information to the right people at Austin Asphalt from anywhere, anytime.

Not only would this enable them to gain efficiencies across the business in terms of paperwork reduction and capturing and reporting information in real time from job sites, but also importantly it would provide the ability to view the profitably of any job, contract or client and it’s makeup at any given stage of their lifecycle.

“Compared to where we were when we first made the decision to implement FIELDFIX, we’re worlds apart. It’s just magic!” says Roger Austin, managing director of Austin Asphalt.

FIELDFIX is a mobile business information system designed to get the right information to the right people, from anywhere, at any time.

The tagline “Smart software for fat fingers” came about from the early beginnings of FIELDFIX; born out of an unlikely partnership between a contractor with 20 years’ hard experience at the coalface and a specialist IT company with strategic expertise in design and software development.

Every stage of the software development was driven by the practical needs of the contractor; the customer telling the IT

experts what they needed the system to do and to deliver. The smallest details were considered, right down to the background of the mobile app being designed in the best colour for visibility in direct sunlight when the guys were out in the field.

The FIELDFIX philosophy is built around being practical. As cofounder and general manager Peter Cooper says, “You can buy all sorts of software and leave it to the guys in the field to get to grips with. But if they don’t buy into it, they’re not going to use it and then you’ve got nothing.

“We knew it had to be simple for it to succeed, so that the fat fingers and thumbs out there would use a system they believed in and understood.”

Having initially investigated building his own bespoke app, once Roger Austin saw what FIELDFIX could do, he knew immediately it would provide Austin Asphalt with what it needed.

At the very beginning it was decided that a gradual rollout process was the right way to go. This enabled the Austin Asphalt team to get to grips with the culture change involved with the adoption of mobile technology in a measured and controlled manner.

• See online for more.

3D scanning technology in the palm of your hand With applications as diverse as construction, industrial production, engineering and crime scene forensics, the FARO Freestyle 3D handheld scanner shifts scanning technology in an exciting direction.

FARO, a trusted global leader in 3D measurement, imaging and scanning technology recently released a portable and intuitive laser scanner that is revolutionising fast and accurate scanning technology for an everlarger number of New Zealand entities.

The FARO Freestyle3D is a high-precision, handheld 3D scanner which quickly and reliably documents rooms, structures and objects in 3D, creating high-definition pointclouds. Data is viewed in realtime.

Potential applications are diverse and range from construction to industrial production, engineering and forensics.

“FARO leads the way in long-range scanning and is trusted worldwide by the civil construction industry,” says Mike Milne, managing director of Synergy Positioning Systems.

“Just as accuracy is of vital importance to FARO’s end-users, portability, ease-of-use and rapid data realisation are also key factors in entities successfully adopting this groundbreaking technology.

“The FARO Freestyle3D incorporates all of these attributes in a comprehensive package that will open up the possibilities of 3D laser 50 www.contractormag.co.nz

scanning to entirely new sectors of industry.”

The portability of the lightweight, carbon fibre-bodied Freestyle3D enables users to manoeuvre and scan in tight and hard-to-reach environments such as vehicle interiors, under furniture and behind objects, making the scanner ideal for crime scene data collection or architectural preservation and restoration activities.

The Freestyle3D scans to a distance of up to three metres and captures up to 88K points per second with accuracy better than 1.5mm.

FARO’s optical system also allows users to start scanning immediately with no warm-up time required.

What’s more, memory-scan technology enables the Freestyle3D user to pause scanning at any time and then resume data collection where they left off without the use of artificial targets.

The scanner can be employed as a standalone device to scan areas of interest, or used in conjunction with FARO’s Focus X130 and X330 long range scanners. Point cloud data from all of these devices can be seamlessly integrated and shared with all of FARO’s software visualisation tools including FARO SCENE, WebShare Cloud, and FARO CAD Zone packages.

Visit www.synergypositioning.co.nz for further information.

14Q-015-nz mccorkell

The little black box of the construction industry.

Navman Wireless is a unique online real-time asset diagnostics, routing and usage management system that keeps you in sight of your valuable assets even when you are not onsite. navmanwireless.co.nz

CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

SiteApp helps assess workplace risk from every angle Businesses working in potentially hazardous environments have increasingly sophisticated tools at their disposal for assessing and reducing risk, as well as for engaging in a new era of health and safety compliance.

Michael Hartley, director of rich internet application development company Rad3, says businesses routinely sending work crews into potentially hazardous environments face a conundrum.

“These companies are essentially responsible for site safety but generally it isn’t economically viable to be on-site before work commences to assess safety. So how do they join the dots and ensure they’re complying with regulations and that their teams are doing everything practicable to work safely?”

To help field crews identify hazards, analyse risks and comply with best practice work methods while on the job, Rad3 has developed SiteApp. “Essentially SiteApp gets field workers in a potentially dangerous environment to stop, observe their work area, think about and understand the risks present, take necessary measures to reduce risk and then go to work with a planned methodology.

“To rephrase a well-used analogy, SiteApp is the ambulance at the top of the cliff,” says Michael.

So how does SiteApp work?

A job is created and then through a number of steps, the field worker identifies the potential hazards using a smartphone or tablet to register details. Each hazard has a pre-loaded severity rating based

on WorkSafe best practice guidelines.

SiteApp assigns a risk rating to each identified hazard; a high risk rating sends a signal back to base. The worker then needs to assign an action control measure designed to move the risk scenario from ‘red’ to ‘green’.

SiteApp takes the user through these steps in order to makes safety compliance accurate and fast.

• See online for the full story.

Old dogs, new tricks: Adopting Trimble GNSS for grade checking Nelson Civil Construction is leveraging the experience of its employees with advanced GNSS-based grade-checking technology and boosting its productivity by more than 50 percent as a result.

Darryl Gibbons is a third-generation construction professional who recently sold his family business only to start up again from scratch.

His new company, Nelson Civil Construction (NCC), services the top of the South Island as a principal contractor on residential and industrial subdivisions, and as a subcontractor for roading work. Darryl’s seven employees operate the company’s graders and excavators.

Darryl and his crew were looking for ways to improve their efficiency on site. They wanted to reduce downtime and increase productivity so they could finish their current jobs faster and take on more.

This situation prompted Darryl Gibbons, NCC’s owner and General Manager, to realise that the company needed to increase its efficiency by employing more advanced tools on the job site. But his seasoned employees — who started out in the industry with string lines and boning rods — shared some anxiety around adapting to new site technology. Would they be able to use it, or would it “go in the cupboard under the stairs”?

Darryl deliberated for a year before inviting demonstrations for advanced grade checking systems. But as soon as he saw the Trimble SPS Essentials system in action in a demo by SITECH New Zealand, Darryl hesitated no more.

He was impressed by the system’s performance and capabilities, along with recommendations from colleagues in the industry.

“General feedback from local surveyors was that it’s a top-of-the-line piece of kit,” says Darryl.

But it was the system’s user friendliness that proved the decider — Darryl himself was checking grades with the system within the first half hour of the demo — and he purchased the Trimble SPS Essentials Kit right away.

The cost-efficient Trimble Site Positioning System (SPS) Essentials 52 www.contractormag.co.nz

Kit Darryl invested in features a cable-free Trimble SPS985L GNSS rover. A Trimble SPS855 GNSS base station supports the rover. The Trimble Essentials Kit system enables NCC to measure points, check grade, and navigate to points of interest.

Every member of the NCC team learnt how to use the system in less than three days — even those who still resist email and texting technology.

In particular, the SCS900 field software was very intuitive. For example, cut and fill are displayed simply as easy-to-interpret up/ down icons on the screen. But employees also noticed that using the system was physically easier to use than their traditional methods, and it left them feeling less fatigued at the end of each day.

Unlike straight edges and tape measures, a GNSS-based system does not require bending for long periods or kneeling, so now employees can keep their minds on the job, not on discomfort and tiredness. The job site is better for health and safety overall, as grade checkers can now measure surface heights away from the excavator’s swing area.

“With the Trimble system, any time we do anything, we’re saving,” says Darryl.

NCC has improved its productivity and profitability with the Trimble system. Now they can enjoy instant site information which enables the team to confirm accuracy and address minor issues immediately, minimising downtime.

This means NCC can achieve more each day and finish jobs faster.

The employees perform their own basic positioning work, so the company relies less on external surveying services for minor tasks, which saves time and money.

• See online for the full story.

TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTOR

Early adoption key to profitability Being early adopters of technology including machine control and GPS-based survey systems is the best way to overcome the contracting industry’s inherent skill shortage says Patrick Peoples, managing director of Schick Construction and Cartage of Te Rapa. By Nina Yeoman.

While fewer people might be employed on a project nowadays, they don’t need to be true specialists because technology is able to help so much.

Since Patrick Peoples bought Schick Construction and Cartage in 2001 it has grown from a company with a $4.5 million annual turnover to one in excess of $30 million.

Patrick believes in continually investing in his staff and maintains a constant focus on staying at the forefront of the industry. Keeping his fleet and staff as productive as possible also means sharper prices for clients and a well-trained and motivated workforce.

The company is constantly looking at ways to keep ahead of competitors – something it believes it has found with Leica machine technology. Patrick says New Zealand distributors Global Survey works hard to ensure Schick gets the best products to fully integrate across its fleet and sites to deliver reliability, ease of use and “exceptional” after-sales support.

In practice, this means everyone on the survey team knows how to operate the software, and systems are in place to ensure project data is retained so that they can quickly and easily come back to projects that could have been started several years earlier. Schick Siteworks divisional manager Mark Dawbin acknowledges that while every technology has limits, once these are understood it’s a lot easier to optimise staff and machinery performance, project

delivery and ultimately profitability.

Schick often finds itself with more advanced technology than other industry participants. Clients are often excited over “clever” diggers that can deliver complex shapes without pegging, says Colin Vette, head survey manager of Schick.

“They can’t believe we can deliver a flat site for each dwelling on a subdivision, for example, using just one guy and a digger.”

While CAD files from designers are already “heaps better” than those they received even five years ago, Schick’s software is often more advanced. “Better original files means it’s easier to produce better quality machine control files,” explains Colin.

It’s also easier when potential problems are identified on site, because a unit can immediately be brought into the office and staff can calculate any savings or cost overruns immediately.

Schick’s ability to cut complex shapes in one pass is consistently demonstrated in its award-winning projects.

• See online for the full story.

IT’S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN GET DONE IF YOU DON’T CARE WHO GET’S THE CREDIT.

Leaders on and off the field nzrl.co.nz/pirtek

OCTOBER 2015 53

CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY

Komatsu puts customers first Komatsu Australia’s recently opened INSITE Fleet Management Centre – centrally located within its new headquarters – has been designed to squarely put the focus on customers as the company’s first priority in the 21st century.

The INSITE centre incorporates 10 monitors that show constantly updated data covering key machine, fleet, production and industry parameters across all Komatsu mining, construction and utility machines operating throughout Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.

It allows the company to harness the latest ICT (information communications technology) to derive maximum customer benefits.

The range of displays within the Centre run the gamut from “big picture” global and economy-wide data (such as stocks and share prices, commodity prices and production trends), through to utilisation levels across industry sectors (for example, coal mining or iron ore), then drilling right down to individual machine data and potential component issues.

According to Todd Connolly, Komatsu Australia’s head of fleet management & ICT, the decision to locate the INSITE Fleet Management Centre prominently within Komatsu’s HQ was a strategic decision.

“Our aim was to highlight to each and every Komatsu employee the importance of this primary focus on customers, their operations, and their needs – and using our advanced ICT knowledge and expertise to achieve this.

“What we are doing from our INSITE Centre is front and centre

of what we do as a company; it gives us a suite of products across telematics, machine monitoring, machine health, fleet management, service and support,” says Connolly.

“And by having this facility located right in the heart of our headquarters, we are really sending the message out to everyone at Komatsu about how important this whole process is to the company.”

He says Komatsu’s systems and technology allowed the INSITE Centre team to pull in data from a wide range of sources, including its various telemetry, machine health and service monitoring systems, and present them in one place.

However, the INSITE Centre is far more than just a bank of screens; in front of the screens sits Komatsu’s team responsible for running the KOMTRAX and KOMTRAX Plus remote monitoring systems throughout the region.

The decision to give such high prominence and visibility to the company’s ICT operations – including its KOMTRAX remote monitoring offerings – was driven by Sean Taylor, Komatsu Australia’s managing director and CEO. “Rather than have this team working away in a back office, we deliberately chose to have them working at the forefront of our business,” said Taylor.

“We want everyone within Komatsu to be aware of what a critical and important role they all play in supporting our customers, and how our customers contribute to the long-term success of our business.” www.komatsu.com.au • See online for the full story.

Social life Road and soil stabilisation has just been updated from analogue to digital.

Apply now. www.tpms.co.nz/road-stabilisation Paul 021-791005 Stephen 021-963714

54 www.contractormag.co.nz

Regardless of your industry, you avoid engaging with social media at your peril, says Chelsea Ford from civil construction firm Contract Landscapes (CLL).

The Auckland-headquartered company is well-known for its sub-surface expertise; undertaking bored, driven and sheet piling, retaining wall construction, slip stabilisation, ground anchor installation, seismic strengthening, site decontamination and drainage and foundation work.

But CLL has also taken a lead online, ensuring the digital spotlight is thrown on its project wins and its people’s successes.

Through media such as Twitter and LinkedIn, CLL is broadcasting its achievements; creating a public portfolio of work that acts as a billboard for the company’s skill set.

Chelsea Ford, CLL’s digital marketer, along with general manager Sean Henry, is a big advocate of social media as a cost-effective marketing tool. Chelsea says that social media is a natural fit for the construction industry.

“When you think about it, all of our activities take us into the public sphere. We’re constantly engaging with the public in whatever project we do – whether it’s on public or private property – we’re working in the community.

“So if we can talk about what we’re up to and make that information accessible to anyone, it generally means the external portions of a project – the interactions with stakeholders outside of the main worksite, for example – run a lot smoother.”

• See online for the full story.

Connecting Global Competence

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Join the conversation!

Experience trends, innovations and enthusiasm up close at the industry’s most important international exhibition.

This is where the world comes together, so you can’t miss out! Prepare your business success and look forward to: 3,400 exhibitors More than half a million visitors 605,000 m² of space

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31st Edition of the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines, Construction Vehicles and Construction Equipment

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Contact: Robert Laing | Messe Reps. & Travel | 09 5219200 | robert@messereps.co.nz

April 11–17, Munich

CONTRACTOR LEGAL COMMENT

Rising from the ashes BRETT MARTELLI AND LISA DOUGLAS, HEANEY & PARTNERS

READERS WITH YOUNGER children might remember the following scene from Harry Potter. Harry is in the headmaster’s office and he gazes at a bird about the size of a large eagle with magnificent red feathers.

Harry smiles at the creature. Suddenly, it catches fire and burns to ashes within a few seconds. The headmaster explains: “... Fawkes is a phoenix Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.

Ah, fascinating creatures the phoenixes ...”

The contrast between the mythological phoenix and phoenix companies could not be greater. Harry’s phoenix went on to achieve great things. In sharp contrast, although a phoenix arrangement may be legitimate they are often far less heroic.

A phoenix company rises from the ashes of an old, failed company. It has the same or a similar name, typically carries on the same business and has the same look and feel as the old company. Most importantly, however, the phoenix company has no liability for the old company’s debts. The creditors of the failed company are left claiming or proving against an entity where the likelihood is that there will be no recovery.

“... Fawkes is a phoenix Harry.

Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Ah, fascinating creatures the phoenixes ...”

The legal stuff In summary, under the Companies Act 1993 (the Act) a phoenix company is a company that at any time before or up to five years after the commencement of liquidation proceedings is known by a name which is a pre-liquidation name of the failed company, or a name that is as similar to a pre-liquidation name of a failed company as to suggest an association with that company.

A director of an insolvent company cannot, for a period of five years after the commencement of the liquidation be a director of a phoenix company, promote, form or manage a phoenix company (directly or indirectly) or carry on business in the same name as the failed company (directly or indirectly).

There are a narrow range of exceptions to this, the most important of which is where the phoenix company has purchased the business from the liquidator or receiver and the creditors are notified of this by the directors. Provided that this notice is given in accordance with the phoenix company provisions, the directors are entitled to take this course of action.

Serious criminal and civil penalties are in place for breaches of the phoenix company provisions. These range from directors 56 www.contractormag.co.nz

being personally liable for all of the debts of the phoenix company through to fines of up to $200,000 and imprisonment.

What does this mean?

Providing the rules are adhered to, the provisions provide some protection to creditors by preventing phoenix companies being set up by directors of failed companies. However, when the rules are abused, contractors and suppliers could find themselves dealing with a company unaware that it is a resurrection of a previously failed company. Also important to note is that the rules do not prevent a director of a failed company from setting up a company with an entirely different name.

Prudent practice There have been relatively few prosecutions since the phoenix company provisions were introduced in 2007.

Whilst this may suggest that the legislation has been an effective deterrent, it seems more likely that many phoenix arrangements are flying under the radar and that abuses continue to occur.

It is a fact of the business world that companies do fail. There are remedies that can be pursued under the phoenix company provisions and other provisions under the Act. Prevention is however always better than cure. It is therefore helpful to remind ourselves of the need to be vigilant when extending goodwill and credit, particularly to those not well known to us. There is no substitute for careful due diligence.

Taking some easy and practical steps will not eliminate, but may assist to minimise, the risk of being burnt.

Included among these are making it a practice to investigate the history of the company you are dealing with by reviewing director/shareholder and other company information held on the Companies Office website and obtaining creditors’ reports are two simple and inexpensive steps. Also being cognisant of the amount of credit being extended. Where possible, ensure that terms of trade take security for any goods or services supplied and register the security on the Personal Property Securities Register.

And never underestimate the benefits of making enquiries of your industry colleagues for the purposes of evaluating potential partners or clients.

COMMENT CONTRACTOR

The paperless office myth KEVIN MCFARLANE, AUSTRALIAN SPECIALIST IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, CIVIL CONSTRUCTION MONITORING, CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION, DESIGN MANAGEMENT AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.

I RECENTLY COMPLETED a feasibility study for a client. At the conclusion of the project, I spent a few hours of my time at work sorting the project’s A4 lever arch folders into piles so they could be transferred into cardboard boxes, which would then be transferred to our head office before being transferred to a storage facility for a few years. As I lifted another box onto my desk (and me with a bad back!), I stopped and cast my mind back 20 years or so. Why was I even doing this?

As a younger man, I can remember being excited at the prospect of working in a paperless office. We wouldn’t need bookshelves, recycle bins or folders in the workplace.

The plan was to eliminate paper. Recycling was ‘king’. We would produce documents electronically and digitally transmit them to each other. We would read reports on laptops ‘on screen’. No need to print, no need for envelopes or compliment slips. No need to produce cardboard files and painstakingly stick labels on the side. So what went wrong?

In the construction industry, competitive tenders are part and parcel of what we do. Consultants and contractors are continuously submitting tenders to demonstrate their ability, show how competitive and efficient they are, and how creative they can be in the presentation of the (bulky) bid. But, I still raise an eyebrow when the project sponsor asks the tenderers (as an example) to: “Please submit three hard copies (A4) of the tender and an electronic copy.”

Who needs the hard copy in this day and age? Is this driven by company lawyers; the need to fill bookcases; ‘old school’ managers who want to read a hard copy on the train ride home; or even the printing and archive storage industries?

In these tenders we sometimes include CVs, yet LinkedIn is now a widely recognised way to display one’s professional qualifications and work history. While we explain our company and its services to the sponsor, couldn’t we just provide a link to our website?

If an argument for the use of paper is because of legal concerns (“we need signatures, contracts signed on each page,” etc) I don’t

buy it. Surely, the security technology is in place for some form of legal commitment to be mutually recognised? After all, if I can conduct all my personal financial affairs and manage complex transactions without physically going into a bank, the security and legal aspects must surely already be addressed?

Ironically, although my bank no longer sends me paper statements it (bizarrely) will not let me notify them of a change of address without filling in a paper form with a pen and posting it to them. The reason they give is ‘security’, yet I can transfer money and make online payments electronically.

In thinking more about the bulky and costly competitive tender process – why can’t we: Submit electronic copies only; present tenders in the form of a video (via a secure YouTube link accessed by password and appropriate firewall controls); and be interviewed via teleconference rather than in person?

There are many established, highly used and effective forms of communication that can be accessed from pretty much anywhere in the 24/7 global market places. We have smartphones, smart TVs, smart wristwatches, tablets, laptops, Kindles, netbooks and desktops. People are reading novels, newspapers, reports, magazines and numerous documents without getting ink on their fingers. Okay, so the internet crashes every now and then, phone reception is not always perfect, and devices run out of charge at the most inconvenient time. But is your local postal service or courier any better (or cost effective)?

Perhaps the true transition to the paperless office is just taking longer than expected? Perhaps it may take another working generation? My children, who are both high school students, each use personal iPads on a daily basis as a compulsory classroom tool. They get detention if they forget their devices. Meantime, they still bring numerous paper permission slips home for me to sign.

I know the technology is already here to go paperless. It just needs the willpower.

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OCTOBER 2015 57

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

People not worms – the new H&S focus PETER SILCOCK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND

THE HEALTH AND SAFETY REFORM BILL that was finally passed by Parliament on 27 August 2015 is very significant for the civil contracting industry. The new law, now named the Health and Safety at Work Act, will come into effect on 4 April 2016.

It is unfortunate that the passing of the new Act drew more media comments about the classification of worm farmers than it did about the high level principles of the Act and what it will mean for employers and employees.

Most contractors already have a very strong health and safety focus. They understand that protecting their people, ensuring people are trained for their roles and have the right equipment to do the job are critical. Contractors I have spoken to also understand that safe businesses are productive and successful businesses.

High quality systems, processes and procedures are critical but out on the site it’s all about people making the right decisions, using the systems and following the procedures.

Businesses need to create a culture, where health and safety is everyone’s business, safe practices are expected and a critical part of everyday work. It is all about changing the way people think and act.

The key changes in the new Act are about people and will assist in creating that health and safety culture. The changes focus on creating roles and responsibilities and empowering people in the workplace. Examples of that include: • Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking – The Act establishes the primary duty of care that requires all “Persons conducting a business or undertaking” (PCBUs) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable: 1. the health and safety of workers employed or engaged or caused to be employed or engaged by the PCBU or those workers who are influenced or directed by the PCBU (for example, workers and contractors) 2. that the health and safety of other people (for example visitors, customers and the general public) is not put at risk from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking.

In most cases the PCBU will be the company itself. The Act creates a new duty for officers of a PCBU (such as a director, board member or partner) to exercise due diligence to ensure that the PCBU complies with its duties.

This places a positive duty on people at the governance level of an organisation to actively engage in health and safety matters, reinforcing that health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.

There is still some uncertainty as to who will be an “Officer” under the subsection that deals with the “exercise of significant influence over the management of the business or undertaking”. It is expected that it will cover chief executives or their equivalents but further guidance, either from WorkSafe or the courts, will be provided about this in the future. This guidance will provide clarity about how far down an organisation the duty applies.

The PCBU concept captures the full range of duty holders in the modern work environment, so that the distinction between principal, contractor, and subcontractor is now meaningless for the purposes of the Act. • Worker participation – The second major change is that the Act strengthens existing requirements for worker engagement and participation in workplace health and safety matters.

Stronger worker participation underlines the expectation that everyone in the workplace is responsible for workplace health and safety, and that workers are empowered to intervene when they see an unsafe situation.

All businesses in the construction sector, including small businesses, will when requested by workers have to initiate an election for a health and safety representative and if requested will have to decide whether to establish a health and safety committee.

What happens next?

With the Act now in place the next steps are: 1. That regulations will be developed to support the new Act. These include: • General risk and workplace management, • Major hazard facilities, • Asbestos, and • Engagement, worker participation and representation (which we expect to be available shortly for public consultation) 2. Once the regulations are finalised, WorkSafe will issue formal guidance to support the Act and regulations.

Civil Contractors New Zealand is represented on the groups developing the regulations for general risk and workplace management and worker participation.

We will continue to strongly represent contractors to ensure the regulations are practical and workable and that the guidance material meets the needs of the people out there on sites.

Health and safety matters because our people are our most important asset.

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

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CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Upskilling ourselves TOMMY PARKER, GROUP MANAGER HIGHWAYS, NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT AGENCY

ROAD MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS has been under the spotlight in recent years. The sector as a whole has recognised there were opportunities to review delivery models to gain better value for money and to be smarter in how, when and why we deliver road maintenance activities.

At the time, there were many different opinions on what the right answer might be. The NZ Transport Agency and the sector were determined to work together to find those answers.

One aspect of this was the agency taking greater responsibility for driving optimal levels of investment through in-house strategic asset management, performance management and contract management, to become a more knowledgeable client.

But what exactly does becoming a more knowledgeable client mean? This is a rather large question to answer. In fact, this is one of those questions where the answer becomes more complicated the more you try to answer it.

The end goal is becoming a knowledgeable client who can specify the most cost-effective outcomes and be able to challenge their suppliers on quality and best ‘whole of life’ solutions, and to set a framework within which they can perform at their best.

I believe we have started down the right track. But the answer is one that only the sector as a whole can determine. The 16th NZ Transport Agency and NZ Institute of Highway Technology Annual Conference, being held November 1-3 in the Bay of

Without doubt the most feedback I received was industry support for the Transport Agency’s commitment to Zero Harm. It is great to get such strong feedback from our suppliers.

Islands, provides us with the ideal opportunity to continue this conversation.

And looking at the conference programme, we are well down the track to getting great outcomes. The highway technology sector is a broad and complex business, with components ranging from the business case approach to specifics such as visual audit guidelines and continuous improvement in Epoxy

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open-graded modified porous asphalt (OGPA).

What I find particularly encouraging to see is the diverse range of workshops being delivered by the sector and the Transport Agency.

If you’d like to find out more about SCRIM and measures of road conditions, John Donbavand from the Transport Agency, Robert Davies of Statistics Research Associates and Peter Cenek from OPUS can help with that. Or if you want to find out more about alliancing and how it’s working, join the session being run

by Ray Cannon of Tararua District Council and Chris Edsall of Downer NZ, or the one being run by Chris Allen of Hamilton City Council, and Doug Carrasco of Downer NZ. Find out more about innovation by hooking into the innovation strategy session run by Chloe Smith of Fulton Hogan or find out more about thinking and processes to deliver the right solution in a session from William Gray of OPUS Research.

The point here being that there is a huge range of topics, delivered by a group of people across the transport sector who are experts in their field.

Now is an exciting time to be in the transport arena – it’s a time of change and there are plenty of opportunities out there for people who are prepared to take up the challenge of getting themselves into the position of being a knowledgeable client.

If you want to know what is important to us in the Transport Agency in the highways space, and if you want to understand and influence sector direction, I encourage you to take the opportunity to get along to the 16th NZ Transport Agency and NZ Institute of Highway Technology Annual Conference. Come along and join the journey. For more information and to see the conference programme, go to tinyurl.com/NZTA-NZIHT16thConference.

On a slightly different note, I have had the pleasure of attending both the Civil Contractors and ACENZ conferences, where I enjoyed many great conversations.

Without doubt the most feedback I received was industry support for the Transport Agency’s commitment to Zero Harm. It is great to get such strong feedback from our suppliers.

It is clear, however, that we still have much to do and we are seeking to continue our learning in conjunction with our stakeholders and partners. Please keep the feedback coming and let us know how we can improve, and where we can help you in our learning in conjunction with our stakeholders and partners.

COMMENT CONTRACTOR

Civil construction not just for those who ‘can’t’ HELMUT MODLIK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CONNEXIS, INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY TRAINING ORGANISATION

will enable workers to easily communicate their value and quality to potential employers in the same way that a degree shows knowledge gained, while contractors will be able to also confidently and easily communicate the ability of their workers to get a job done.

Within a set timeframe, trainees will progress along a structured and efficient pathway, while contractors will be able to attract more and better candidates, including some of those who in the past had the misconception that a career in the civil construction industry wasn’t worthwhile or valuable. The Civil Trades regime will also bring a language that adds clarity and value to the civil industry and the work done within it.

The underlying rationale of all this, is the development of our people, making them more productive, safer in their workplace, strengthened attributes for tender and competitive advantage to companies who implement the Civil Trades regime in the most complete and effective way.

If Mike had been able to go through the Civil Trades regime, his career progression would have been along a structured career pathway, allowing him to become qualified and earn a higher income earlier. Not only this, but the benefits for Mike’s employer would have started earlier also.

The Civil Trades regime will support the civil industry to continue growing and thriving with a workforce that is growing and thriving. It will enable us to engage the Upper Hutt principal and parents and career advisers around New Zealand, and tell them why a career in civil contracting is no longer a last chance employment option, but instead one that is genuinely attractive and rewarding, something that is long overdue.

PHOTO: CONNEXIS

I HEARD RECENTLY the story of a principal of an Upper Hutt High School who was growling at a group of senior boys one day and, pointing to a group of men resurfacing a nearby road, said “that’s what you’ll all end up doing if you don’t stop mucking around and do better at school!”

This anecdote says a very great deal about the current place of our industry in the minds of many New Zealanders, and about the challenge in front of us ensuring we have the quantity and quality of people we need moving into the future.

Civil construction offers viable, quality careers but our ability to attract quality candidates direct from school is limited.

Currently the career pathway in the civil industry is ad hoc, with those who are learning the trade usually bouncing around as they accumulate experience, slowly growing their skills, and becoming more valuable to their employer and earning more.

For example, Mike left school when he was 13, without any record of learning. He jumped around from job to job before being picked up by Fletcher Construction. Then, enrolled with Connexis, he began on-job training and fast forward to today, is now 29 and a civil infrastructure supervisor. This is a commendable and not uncommon success story for the civil industry.

However, the consequence of an unstructured career pathway and variously qualified skill base means that there is no pattern to learning, often slow progression and high drop off rates. Not only this, but even once we’ve accumulated experience, it’s not easy to communicate to others our skills or their quality easily. This is particularly true and important when communicating with those we want to attract to our industry.

The recent ‘Got a Trade Week’, and the discussion that surrounded it, highlighted the persistent misconception that only those who can’t go to university and get a degree should get involved with trades. Comparing current civil industry training to a structured university degree programme, with set papers and clear pathway options from entrance to graduation, provides a stark contrast and is part of the reason why this misunderstanding exists. University graduates receive recognition that is nationally and internationally accepted. They can easily and accurately communicate the knowledge and skills they have developed to potential employers and others considering the same career option.

This doesn’t only affect workers. Contractors suffer from the difficulty to attract workers and judge their competency and the degree of quality they will bring to the business. Getting it wrong is painful and expensive for everyone. When bidding for contracts, it is not easy to communicate the capability of the team and therefore takes more time, effort and cost to effectively communicate attributes than is ideal.

The launch of the Civil Trades regime will fundamentally change all of this. When people enter the industry, they will be able to commence a pathway that efficiently guides growth, and provides a standard of quality that is easily recognised. Becoming certified

OCTOBER 2015 61

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

3 Waters infrastructure planning JOHN PFAHLERT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, WATER NEW ZEALAND

THE LATEST ITERATION of the New Zealand 30 Year Infrastructure Plan was launched late August to much acclaim in Christchurch.

Most of the credit must go to the National Infrastructure Unit of Treasury for getting it over the line in such a timely manner – but what does it portend for urban and other water infrastructure?

The urban water infrastructure of New Zealand has an estimated value of around $45 billion. Over the next decade there are 1167 projects over $1 million in value planned worth $15 billion.

The 3 Waters survey by Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) in 2014 highlighted a range of deficiencies in the state of information about existing assets, and an uncertain future as to how councils would fund asset replacement in the years ahead. With nearly half the District Councils in New Zealand experiencing declining populations, and with most residents on static incomes, Treasury has expressed concern it may be seen as the funder of last resort for infrastructure replacements and maintenance.

Over the past decade Water New Zealand has championed amalgamation of local councils and the adoption of corporate models of water governance as two means of improving service delivery for 3 Waters infrastructure. Although that hasn’t been a particularly successful strategy, the current work by Waikato Councils investigating a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) for 3 Waters delivery is encouraging and supported by Water New Zealand. The infrastructure strategy lends support to this approach – noting that if it’s successful the councils will be able to share their expertise with others.

It’s unfortunate that more councils haven’t seen the benefits of these two approaches, but local politics and resistance to the CCO model because it is seen as the first step to privatisation of assets appears to be a concern of local communities.

The infrastructure plan has responded to government concern about poor information on 3 Waters assets by funding a project to develop metadata standards for pipeline assets. This will be led

by Land Information New Zealand and is due to be completed by mid-2016. Water New Zealand, LGNZ and the IPWEA are all represented on the governance group, along with representatives from the main councils.

I don’t see the development of data standards being at all difficult. Land Transport New Zealand and councils have been developing similar standards for road assets over the past couple of years without too much trouble. In water the challenge may be getting councils to use these standards. I’d like to see regulations under the Local Government Act to make their use compulsory – but we will probably have to explore voluntary uptake first.

Another of the initiatives being required of councils is the implementation of new planning and reporting requirements in the 2015 Long Term Plans under the Local Government Act. These will include non-financial performance, asset value and asset management, as well as strategies to support planning and dialogue with communities over future levels of service.

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You can read into the words “levels of service” an implication that if councils can’t afford to replace assets then perhaps some communities will have water and wastewater services removed. I’d say good luck with that approach! How likely is it that a council would be able to turn off reticulated drinking water supplies?

It does however signal the hard choices that some communities have ahead of them. Anecdotally it seems as if councils are struggling with how to address these issues, which is not surprising given the three-year electoral cycle within local government.

Another project signalled in the infrastructure plan – albeit in code – is the development of a more consistent methodology for determining both urban and rural runoff.

Rainfall, runoff, river channel flows, flood protection and related infrastructure are strongly correlated contributing to a wide range of outcomes including productive water requirements, urban water requirements and natural hazard risk management.

The opportunities and threats are substantial. Concerns have been expressed across a broad spectrum from governance, to technical assumptions and community preparedness. The intent is to develop from previous work by central and local government, Crown Research Institutes and the private sector to establish a programme of activities to prioritise endeavours and coordinate across stakeholders.

Water New Zealand is keen for there to be developed a national approach to the way runoff is calculated in urban and rural settings. Underestimate runoff and pipelines are too small or flood banks too low. Flood damage is the result with insurance claims and damage to community assets. Overestimate runoff and we install pipes that are too large and build stop banks too high. Ratepayers end up paying unnecessarily for overengineered infrastructure.

Why is national guidance in this area important? Well, in risk terms, flooding is New Zealand’s most significant natural hazard, yet there has been no integrated policy guidance for managing flood risks at the local level since the work started by the now disbanded Water and Soil Directorate in 1988.

Since that time councils have, with varying success, had to develop flood risk planning separately in the absence of any national standards. The cost of flooding was reported to be an average of $17 million per year between 1976 and 2003. Since then the annual insurance cost has averaged >$75 million which is estimated at about 40 percent of the total cost (ie, total floodrelated costs reported to be averaged at $190 million/year).

These cost patterns align with climate change predictions for an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events and everincreasing land use modifications.

So, this national infrastructure plan is important because it identifies where collective action on a range of fronts will improve the effectiveness and performance of water management across New Zealand.

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MOTOR GRADERS OF

LeTourneau-Westinghouse Prior to its acquisition by Westinghouse Air Brake Co (WABCO), RG LeTourneau Inc had tried unsuccessfully to design and develop a motor grader to complement its existing range of machinery.

BY RICHARD CAMPBELL RG LETOURNEAU INC designed, developed and tested at least three different prototypes – one based around the Model C Tournapull scraper – but all were discarded as either inefficient or uneconomic to manufacture.

Westinghouse Air Brake Co, bought out LeTourneau in mid-1953 and not long after went shopping for a motor grader to fill out its new venture into the earthmoving industry.

Prime target was JD Adams of Indianapolis, Indiana, which had been building graders since the 1880s and which had also invented the leaning 64 www.contractormag.co.nz

front wheel concept, still used on motor graders today.

Adams’ motor graders were highly regarded as efficient pieces of machinery and the United States Armed Forces had used them extensively during WWII where they gave a very good account of themselves as rugged and reliable tools.

Adams had manufacturing plants in the USA and Canada and exported worldwide.

LeTourneau-Westinghouse’s buy out of Adams took place in 1954.

Now with its own grader line, LeTourneau-Westinghouse was keen to develop it further.

Adams’ designations for its motor graders were retained so as not to confuse the buying public and business continued as usual.

The range consisted of the models 220, 330, 440, 550 and 660 spanning 60 to 190 horsepower.

Primary production of the motor grader line was retained at Adams’ Indianapolis, Indiana facility with the Adams plant at Paris, Ontario, Canada, providing overflow production when it was required and manufacturing spare parts.

Production was not undertaken at the LeTourneau-Westinghouse plant in

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1. Wabco-branded Model 444 of Al Dillon Contracting doing road maintenance in Newport News, Virginia, USA, 1974. This machine has few creature comforts other than an open ROPS structure. The Model 444 replaced the Model 440-H. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

2. LeTourneau-Westinghouse Model 550 with a few extras including hood-side doors and front dozer blade engaged in road building for contractor Halvard Drugge near Lulea, Sweden, 1959.

The 550 is a design carried over from JD Adams and was discontinued by LeTourneau-Westinghouse in 1961.

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Rydalmere Australia, all Australian motor graders being imported fully assembled from the USA. Some manufacture of the 444 and 555 models was also undertaken on a small scale at the Wabco plant in Campinas, Brazil.

It was not long before LeTourneauWestinghouse began to make some changes to the range.

Disappointing sales for the Model 220 resulted in it being discontinued in 1958 and the Model 550 only lasted until 1961.

The 330 and 440 were beefed up and offered with an option of either Cummins

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

or Detroit Diesel powerplants.

These improved versions were called the “H” series (for heavy duty) and were designated 330-H and 440-H. Final year of production for the 330 series was 1966.

Sales of the other models continued steadily and in 1963 the Model 660 also got a makeover with a horsepower increase plus a few optional extras. It was now also available in a 660-H variant.

The Model 660 was again revamped in 1966 when it became the Model 660B and this variant remained in production until 1979 making it the longest running model

3. Designed to compete with the Galion T700 and Caterpillar 14, the Wabco 777 was a popular machine selling over 2000 units. With 230 horsepower under the hood, the 777 had plenty of weight to take on the tougher jobs. This Model 777B is doing rough trim work on a housing subdivision in 1969.

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

OCTOBER 2015 65

CONTRACTOR CLASSIC MACHINES

1. The Model 440-H was a heavier duty version of the standard Model 440 and usually included a cab and 12’ moldboard as standard. This example is also equipped with a scarifier. 440s were the most common type imported into New Zealand. PHOTO: INTERNET 2. A Wabco Model 555 with many extra items including a residential muffler, extended air intake and ROPS over the cab. This machine belongs to Grant County, South Dakota, USA and was photographed in 1974. Used for road maintenance and snow removal during winter. When this photo was shot, the machine had 17,000 hours on the clock.

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

3. Photos of the Model 888 are hard to come by, probably because so few of the machines were built. This is a factory photo of a machine on test. The Model 888 was the largest motor grader that Wabco ever produced and it was designed to go head to head with the Caterpillar No 16. It was powered by a GM Detroit Diesel 8V-71.

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of the entire grader range.

LeTourneau-Westinghouse then began producing motor graders of its own design.

(L-W’s own machines can be identified by their triple digit designations eg, 444, 555 etc.)

The first of these was introduced in 1962, the Model 777.

This was designed to take on the Caterpillar No 14 and Galion T700 and to this end it was quite successful as some 2000 were manufactured.

In 1967, an even larger motor grader was introduced, the Model 888.

This was a direct competitor to the Caterpillar No 16 and was a very large and powerful motor grader, but only just over 200 were ever manufactured despite an upgraded B series being produced, with the last 888 coming off the production line in 1973.

Other models within the range were also progressively improved and upgraded with the 440 becoming the Model 444 in 1972, and the Model 555 being added the same year.

The final range of Wabco motor graders (LeTourneauWestinghouse having officially changed its name to Wabco in 1967) included the 444, 555, 660B, 666B, 777B and 888B. Production of all Wabco motor graders was discontinued in 1983 with the split up of the various divisions of the company.

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PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

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The majority of the company was sold off to Dresser Industries which didn’t need another motor grader line as it already owned Galion, and so the type vanished into obscurity.

Construction LeTourneau-Westinghouse/Wabco motor graders were of conventional construction with a rigid arched frame, tandem drive and front wheel steer.

The company never offered an articulated steer machine or one with all wheel drive.

Engines came from International-Harvester, Cummins or GM Detroit Diesel with the predominant powerplant being GM. Customers had a choice of several transmission types – dry clutch direct drive, oil clutch direct drive, torque converter direct drive or powershift, which Wabco trademarked ‘PowerFlow’.

The larger 777 and 888 graders were supplied with the PowerFlow transmission only.

Blade controls were always all-mechanical with later models having planetary reduction drives to remove control lever judder (a feature common to all mechanical control motor graders).

A very wide and extensive range of optional equipment could be fitted to all models including cabs, snow plows, dozer blades, rippers, scarifiers, cable plows, windrow eliminators and any amount of other gadgets.

The New Zealand connection Examples of the 330, 440 and 440-H were imported by then distributor for LeTourneau-Westinghouse, Fredrick W Smith.

Exact numbers are not known but there were certainly quite a few of them.

Your author first learnt to operate a motor grader behind the controls of a 440-H!

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It would be interesting to know how many are left around the country, especially those in operating condition.

For the model collector Very slim pickings here although there has been the occasional model offered.

Doepke manufactured a fine “sand pit” 1:16 scale Adams 330 in the early 1950s.

This was meant as a children’s toy and was fully operational.

Those that have survived are now in the hands of collectors and change hands for between US$50 and US$350 depending on condition.

For a children’s toy, the model was surprisingly accurate (as were all earthmoving machinery models that Doepke produced).

There are currently no other models of LeTourneau-Westinghose/Wabco motor graders available.

5

4. A beautifully restored LeTourneau-Westinghouse Model 660B belonging to a member of the Historical Construction Equipment Association. The Model 660 holds the honour of being in production the longest of any of the LeTourneau-Westinghouse/Wabco motor graders. PHOTO: INTERNET 5. A derelict LeTourneau-Westinghouse Model 220 on a country road in the USA. The Model 220 was one of the very few LeTourneauWestinghouse motor graders powered with an International UD series engine and the machine itself is an original JD Adams design. LeTourneau-Westinghouse discontinued the type in 1959 due to dwindling sales.

PHOTO: INTERNET

6. The City of Gaffney, South Carolina owned this Model 444 in 1971. Half of the city’s roads were unpaved at this time and the Wabco was fully employed throughout the year doing road maintenance and ditching.

It has a standard factory cab and scarifier.

6

PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

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CONTRACTOR WHEELS IN THE WORKPLACE

POWERTRIP The new Navara comes with plenty of kit, new technology and some much-improved stats behind it too. By CAMERON OFFICER DESPITE THE REVISED grille, the brightwork and the

sumptuous cabin, the big headline surrounding Nissan’s latest Navara is actually to be found around the back and underneath.

The new Navara features a trick five-link rear suspension set-up that provides for a more settled ride, but doesn’t eat into tray space. It’s a clever advent and no

doubt signals something of a sea change in utility vehicle engineering architecture. Although of course if you’re not carting gear in the new Navara’s tray it’ll still ride like a ute across New Zealand’s coarse-chip road surfaces.

Nissan says the new suspension set-up improves handling and ride comfort. I’d hesitate to call the Navara completely ‘car-like’ though; that terrible cliché that,

Nissan Navara NP300 ST-X Engine: 2.3-litre four cylinder twin turbo diesel Transmission: Seven-speed automatic Power: 140kW Torque: 450Nm Fuel economy: 7.0L/100km Tow rating: 3500kg (braked) Payload: 930kg Price: $64,990 + ORCs

68 www.contractormag.co.nz

despite trying to skirt ‘round it, is actually relevant when talking about the on-road manners of rival Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50.

While many Nissan Patrol and Nissan Pathfinder owners have decried the softening up of those vehicles in their latest iterations (the Pathfinder in particular has gone from a ‘ute with a boot’ to an SUV of a very different stripe), on the highway the Navara still feels like the work truck it is.

And while the five-link rear suspension adds something to proceedings, the newly developed turbo diesel taketh away.

Well, sort of.

The smaller headline surrounding the new Navara is that it’s actually less powerful than the outgoing model; not the sort of equation you usually see from generational model to generational model, especially in the hotly contested ute market.

The new 2.3-litre four-cylinder DOHC turbo diesel can be bought in two distinct states of tune; one with a single turbo charger in lower RX spec which pushes out 120kW and 403Nm, and a twin-turbo version which produces 140kW and 450Nm (and is available in both ST and ST-X grades).

But, while the paperwork shows us that the new 2.3-litre diesel produces less power, it doesn’t really feel any less powerful in normal driving conditions.

In fact, Nissan says the new engine in twin-turbo format improves the linearity of the power delivery and lowers the peak torque sweet spot to 1500rpm (from 2000rpm), while increasing the peak power to 3750rpm (from 3600rpm); factors which will prove especially useful while towing or in off-road scenarios.

Our test Navara ST-X 4x4 features excellent combined fuel economy of 7.0-litres/100km. In ST 4x2 trim with a manual gearbox it’s even more frugal; just 6.3-litres/100km.

But, wait ... no V6?

That’s right; the 170kW six that boasted a colossal 550Nm of torque and gave Nissan the “most powerful ute” tagline to bandy about, has disappeared from the range. Apparently it will not meet tougher Euro 6 emissions regulations so, with utes having far longer shelf-lives than their passenger vehicle brethren, Nissan’s engineers have decided to drop it altogether.

There is one petrol among the diesel line-up; the same 2.5-litre unit that features in the X-Trail mid-size SUV. In the Navara it pushes out 122kW of power and 238Nm of torque. It’s

only available in entry DX trim as a two-wheel drive, six-speed manual though, so if you don’t want to bother with Road User Charges you’ll also be forfeiting a fair bit of other stuff.

In top-of-the-range ST-X trim like our tester, this is the bestspecified Navara ever. It features a host of creature comforts onboard including all the toys even the least fussy subbie on the site has come to expect; Bluetooth hands-free, powered and heated front seats, keyless start, dual zone climate control, NissanConnect smartphone integration and even a satellite navigation system. There’s a sunroof and powered partition in the rear window too; handy for hearing your mate yelling contradictory instructions at you while you’re reversing the boat down the ramp.

Another improvement is the Navara’s off-road capability; the engineers claim it’ll wade to a depth of 450 millimetres (no we didn’t test this) and angles of approach between 29.5–32.5 degrees and departure between 24–26.7 degrees mean the Navara will handle a range of conditions, with all components concealed under the frame for better ground clearance.

In 4x4 models (there are two-wheel drive versions of every grade), the shift-on-the-move 4WD system lets the driver switch between 2WD and 4WD (4H mode) with a twist of a dial in the centre console at speeds of up to 100km/h.

Where some utes look a little lost wearing entry-level 15” and 16" steelies, the Navara in RX form still looks right on its 16" wheels (our ST-X tester features 18" alloys as standard).

Another bonus in opting for the top trim level is the ST-X’s Utili-Track tethering system in the tray. Heavy-duty forged aluminium cleats lock anywhere along channels running the length of the tray floor to help secure loads.

In all the Navara remains a damn honest truck. A bit like Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger owners, Navara drivers tend to be pretty loyal to their chosen brand; at time of writing it has been about a month since the model’s arrival in Nissan showrooms and there are already plenty of them visible on our roads.

So clearly the deficit in horsepower this new Navara carries over its predecessor isn’t worrying many. After all it features many other excellent attributes.

Perhaps more worrying however – for Nissan dealers at least – might be the fact both the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are about to launch their mid-life updates.

While it no longer appears to be solely about horsepower, the battle in the ute segment rages on.

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OCTOBER 2015 69

CONTRACTOR INNOVATIONS

More protection for boom lift operators

Cargo barriers made by Best Bars are designed for specific vehicle fitments.

Protection from flying missiles New Zealand automotive accessory company, Best Bars, has designed a range of cargo barriers that can be used in a variety of vehicles, from hatchbacks and station wagons, to SUVs and light commercials.

“Even something as innocuous as a small piece of sports equipment can become a lethal object during heavy braking if it isn’t properly restrained in the vehicle,” says John Frear, general manager, Sales & Marketing at Best Bars.

“Items you wouldn’t ordinarily consider to be ‘dangerous’ take on the properties of something more sinister when thrown forward at great force and it takes a lot to restrain them.”

Frear says Best Bars cargo barriers are designed and manufactured under the international ISO/TS16949 certification held by Best Bars, having gone through the latest in CAD, product testing and precision manufacturing.

They also comply with the New Zealand Standard NZS4034.1:2008 – one of the most rigorous in the world. Cargo barriers that comply with NZS4034.1 are designed to fit specific vehicles. Under this standard, they are required to follow the perimeter of the vehicle, provide uninterrupted access for the seat belt and child restraint straps and must provide a means of escape if occupants are trapped. They must also be correctly secured to the structure of the vehicle using approved attachment points, rather than the seat belt anchorages.

Vehicle owners can tell whether a cargo barrier complies with the standard by looking for the permanently attached rating label. “Failure to specify and use NZS4034.1 rated barriers may put company fleet managers at risk of prosecution in the event of an accident where an employee is injured,” Frear says.

For further information on the Best Bars cargo barrier range go to www.bestbars.co.nz.

Genie, in conjunction with distributor Youngman Richardson & Co, has introduced two secondary guarding systems to provide greater safety and security for telescopic boom lift operators.

The Genie Operator Protective Structure (OPS) and the Genie Operator Protective Alarm (OPA) provide a choice between a mechanical system or an electrical system with both able to be configured for different applications and job site conditions.

The Genie OPS can be installed on articulating or telescopic boom lifts and provides secondary protection for operators in the event of contact with an overhead obstacle, says Youngman Richardson’s sales and marketing director, Ed Richardson. “The big advantage of the OPS system for the hire industry or those companies with boom lift fleets is that it can be transferred from one platform to another,” he says.

It can be attached to most boom lifts with 1.83 to 2.44 metre platforms. The tubular steel structure is designed to transfer the kinetic energy into surrounding structures while maintaining a protected area for the operator. The Genie OPS weighs 16kg and is bolted on to the boom lift’s platform with no modifications needed.

The Genie OPA is designed to be unobtrusive to operators and features a pressure sensitive horizontal bar that is fitted around waist height below the boom lift’s control panel. “The Genie OPA is designed to alert ground personnel when an operator makes contact with the platform control panel,” says Ed Richardson. “The OPA interrupts boom movement, sounds an alarm and causes a light to flash when excessive pressure is applied to the sensing bar.”

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

CONTRACTORS’ DIARY Date Event

Venue

Contact

28-29 Oct

2015 NZ Bridges Summit

Pullman, Auckland

tinyurl.com/nz-bridges

1-3 Nov

NZ Transport Agency / NZIHT 16th Annual Conference

Copthorne Hotel & Resort, Bay of Islands, Pahia

tinyurl.com/NZIHTconference

Corrosion and Prevention 2015 Conference

Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide

www.acaconference.com.au

10 Oct

Hawkes Bay. Turners & Growers Complex, Whakatu

hawkesbay@civilcontractors.co.nz

1 Nov -30 Oct

Auckland. ASB Showgrounds

auckland@civilcontractors.co.nz

15-18 Nov

Regional Excavator Operators’ Comp

2016 11 - 16 Apr

Bauma 2016 Munich

Please send any contributions for Contractors’ Diary to kevin@contrafed.co.nz, or phone 09 636 5710

70 www.contractormag.co.nz

www.bauma.de

More efficient rock excavation

TB280FR excavator equipped with a German made Rockwheel. Twin header rock wheels can make lighter, quieter work of trenching and rock face trimming.

With pressure on excavation contractors to perform tasks more quietly and more efficiently in urban areas, operators are starting to consider the use of twin headers as an alternative solution to traditional rockbreaking equipment.

Twin headers can be attached to a variety of excavation equipment and have the benefit of producing an extremely accurate trench or face profile, even working through tough material, including rock and reinforced concrete from 10 to 110mpa compressive strength.

Typically, Rockwheel owners operate several different machines by using an adapter to allow them to exchange cutting heads of differing width and power between equipment to suit tasks such as trenching or profiling.

Operators find that machine vibration is reduced when using these attachments and

ground-transmitted impact noise much lower than when using traditional rock breaking methods.

Rokla Rockwheel grinders are able to work under water, require no case drain line and unlike hammers, can work in an elevated position. A 360 degree rotating head is an option, allowing for detailed excavations at any angle.

Backfilling is also more effective as the spoil material removed by Rockwheels is already reduced to a space filling fragment size for higher density filling and reduced compaction.

The evenly distributed cutting teeth spread the impact, resulting in less risk of damage in and around a construction site.

Distributor Semco has fully trained specialists to help contractors match Rockwheel twin headers to different types of equipment with varying hydraulic capacities.

New hydro-demolition robot Aquajet’s Aqua Cutter 410A Evolution, a small, compact hydro-demolition robot, is this first of its kind to be sold in the Southern Hemisphere.

Imported into New Zealand by Concrete Treatments NZ (CTNZ), the system will see first use on a contract for head contractor McConnell Dowell as part of the SCIRT rebuild of the Southern Relief Sewer Main Rehabilitation project in Christchurch, where CTNZ is operating as a subcontractor.

The Aqua Cutter 410A is specially designed for applications in confined areas and to replace hand lance work. The hydraulic and articulated arm, with two rotating joints and three extensions, can reach as far as three metres into horizontal, vertical and overhead areas.

The power control module (PCM) can be disconnected from the tracked crawler allowing the crawler to be driven into tight and inhospitable environments, such as small tunnels and flooded sewer pipes. And the crawler can be operated from a safe distance with a radio remote control.

CTNZ says the robot system is an extremely capable unit and will provide a new capability in the hydro demolition and scabbling market in New Zealand.

CTNZ commissioned Aquajet agent Metco Industrial in Australia to source the parts of the system and assemble the units prior to delivery.

It also used IFAP accredited training providers out of Australia to provide additional operation and safety training to staff.

Dion Richards (left) and Josh Carston say their Fendt tractors are nimble and have great features.

High praise for Fendt tractors Josh Carston and Dion Richards own and operate Reporoa-based JW Carston Contracting and they run it with five Fendt tractors.

Dion says the main reason they work with Fendt tractors is because of their versatility.

“We can do a lot with one tractor. We can have a power harrow on in the morning and then triple-mow in the afternoon,” he says.

All Fendt models have infinitely variable transmissions so drivers can choose how they drive them. Some like to drive in manual transmission mode, others drive with foot pedal mode using the tractor management system which changes the transmission ratio and engine RPM automatically to reach a desired ground speed set for the foot pedal operation.

The suspension is superb with air suspension for the cab and independent front axle, says Dion.

Dion and Josh bought the tractors from Piako Tractors in Rotorua. Dion says owner-managers Darrell Russell and Ian Pilcher and their team give excellent service.

For more information, contact AGCO NZ manager Peter Scott on 272 708 027, Peter.Scott@agcocorp.com.

OCTOBER 2015 71

CONTRACTOR CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND

Health and safety updates News pages, covering the association’s latest news, views, activities and intentions.

With legislation passed on August 24 and Royal Assent on September 4, work is being undertaken on many fronts. The new law will be called the Health and Safety at Work Act and will come into effect April 4, 2016.

A series of regulations are being developed to support the new Act. These include: • General risk and workplace management • Major Hazard Facilities • Asbestos • Engagement, worker participation and representation (available shortly 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.

The Construction Safety Council is being reignited with the successful trial of tier one competency testing and will be used on landmark transport projects in the coming months.

Health and safety work and submissions Work continues in conjunction with NZTA on the Zero Harm group and the development of minimum standards. The group is currently working on minimum standards for ‘Working around mobile plant’, ‘excavations (awaiting the ACoP), and lifting.

Civil Contractors NZ is currently preparing a submission on MBIE’s discussion paper on regulating work involving asbestos and licensing fees proposed under the Health and Safety at Work (asbestos) regulations.

Contracts amendment bill The Construction Contracts Amendment Bill

continues a very slow path through Parliament, being somewhat stalled while the Health and Safety reform Bill was being passed and with the inclusion of retentions within the amendment. CCNZ among other interested groups has been discussing the issue with parliament and, by the time this magazine is printed, there may be progress in the passing of this Bill. The minister’s intent is that retentions are to be ‘deemed to be held in trust’, which means that retention monies may be used for cashflow and need to be fully allowed for within the businesses accounting practices.

Procurement We have provided a submission on the Planning Construction Procurement Guides being prepared by the MBIE New Zealand Government Procurement group.

Prequalification Prequalification review and updates – NZTA is trialling the implementation of IS Net, which will replace the current prequalification system. It is hoped that many local authorities will adopt the system to reduce the time and cost to contractors of providing information at the tender box and of submitting many different submissions for different prequalification system.

The idea is that IS Net reviews Health and Safety management systems used by a contracting company under NZTA requirements.

IS Net then ensures that those requirements are time dependent and updated – meaning that the prequalification status of a contracting company or supplier remains current.

Zero Harm roadshows NZTA is conducting a series of roadshows around the country as previously advised and they are not just for roading contractors.

These 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. Road show dates are: Napier Tuesday 29 September Whangarei Thursday 8 October Palmerston North Tuesday 20 October Wellington Wednesday 21 October Blenheim Thursday 29 October Christchurch Monday 9 November Cromwell Tuesday 24 November Dunedin Wednesday 25 November To register e email zeroharm@nzta.govt.nz with these details: • company name • attendee name(s) • attendee email address(es) • preferred regional roadshow session

NZTA indexes on the web The latest Cost Index Values for both Infrastructure and Public Transport for the June 2015 quarter are available via the links on the NZ Transport Agency’s ‘Procurement-tools’ web page: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ procurement-manual/procurement-tools.html

Bauma April 11-17, 2016 The association, having had the opportunity to visit Bauma in 2013, highly recommends that contractors consider attending the biggest construction trade show on earth. Bauma allows you to experience the industry for construction machinery in its full dimension.

It is the place to see the most important new developments from around the world and to meet international market leaders. Bauma is where you can exactly the right solutions to meet your needs.

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