NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
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AUGUST 2018
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CONTENTS
CONTRACTOR
INSIDE:
32 Regulars
Highlights / Features
6 Editorial
20 CCNZ Branch Awards
8 Upfront 12 Contractors’ Diary 18 On the Cover 78 Classic Machines 84 Innovations 86 Civil Contractors NZ update 86 Advertiser's index
Comment 66 Peter Silcock CCNZ 68 Jonathan Bhana-Thomson NZ Heavy Haulage Association 70 Brett Martelli Heaney & Partners 72 Brett Gliddon NZTA 73 Kerrie McEwen Plan A 74 Phil O'Reilly Iron Duke Partners
NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
AUGUST 2018
$8.95
Highlights from award nights in Auckland, Whangarei and Otago.
24 I PWEA NZ 2018 Conference and Awards Photos from the conference and winners of the IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards.
28 R IMS 2018 Samantha Gain presenting from the Conference on the Association's current activities and future plans.
32 K apiti Expressway heads north Progress report on construction of the second section as it advances northwards.
44 C ompany Profile: Seay Earthmovers Earthmoving and quarrying comprise two separate businesses run out of Taupo by the Seay brothers.
A SHORE THING Hirepool expands into the trench shoring sector
ON THE COVER Hirepool has yet again expanded its business, moving into the trench shoring sector with the purchase of a 50 percent share of TSNZ. See page 18
50 A ustralasian focused infrastructure review A presentation from the IPWEA NZ conference by Jon Grayson, looks across the Tasman.
54 R eshaping a city with passion A look at Citycare Group's contribution to the Christchurch rebuild.
58 T asman District Council Modelling assets Insights into how its roading asset deterioration modelling has worked so far.
76 Darren Cottingham DT Driver Training
62 H istory: Desert Road
77 Peter Benfell Connexis
82 C ase study: Waste water project
A road a long-time in the making. Hamilton City Council's project, vital to unlocking growth in the area, is nearing completion.
AUGUST 2018 5
CONTRACTOR
EDITORIAL
Thinking about young engineers The Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) was an association with a name that went back to 1982 when many of today’s engineers were still watching Sesame Street. It was also an association with roots going back to 1914 when the Institute of Local Government Engineers of New Zealand and the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers merged. Last year it rebranded and changed its name to Engineering NZ and opened up its membership to be more ‘inclusive’. I wasn’t aware of this change, until recently when I sat in on a presentation to a lively group of young engineers and engineering student at an Engineers With No Borders (EWB) session in Auckland. Engineering NZ's chief executive of the past three years, Susan Freeman Greene, gave a keynote address based on the new age direction of the association (condemning the old one as “aloof and inward looking” amongst other negatives). Fair enough. But I can't say I had much to do with IPENZ, compared to other engineering associations such as IPWEA (page 24). Susan is the association’s first CEO who hasn’t an engineering background (and has a legal and human rights mediation background), but her young audience radiated in accord, and, after all, they are the association’s future. Membership currently stands at around 22,000 (13 percent of whom are women). Susan spoke passionately about engineers being unsung heroes in terms of public recognition and other holistic career perspectives while I drifted off thinking of all the bum-numbing engineering-themed conferences I sit through over the decades covering major sectors such as roading, civil contracting, extraction, and water infrastructure. Commercial reality (someone has to pay for a project) dictates these presentations focus on budgeting, funding, contracts, regulations, commercial solutions, sponsor plugs (someone has to pay for the event), technical papers, case study projects, government consultation (it's usually tax and ratepayers’ money being spent) and, most importantly, data quality – an engineer is only as good as the information they are using, or have access to. And these sessions are usually peppered with so many acronyms your brain throbs. But if you can come up with a better engineering shorthand, then put your hand up. So if you want a chance to bring a bit of humanity into your career then the EWB is one of those best opportunities, as working within commercial reality of the engineering world can be comparatively budget-conscious, contractual, regulatory, and even litigious. One thing usually missing from these conference presentations, in my view, is any discussion about the 'cultural' make up of our engineering fraternity (and I’m not talking the number of females in our workforce as the technical proficiencies and liabilities of the engineering profession are gender and ethnicity blind). I am talking about engineering culture and technology after our skill shortages have been filled by waves of immigrants with engineering skills from regions such as Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Southern Africa, Europe and the UK who must have been trained differently and must now work within ‘Kiwi’ culture. How do they view this? How do they fit in? What do they learn from us and, more importantly, what can we learn from them? Just a thought?
GENERAL MANAGER David Penny DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 190 4078 Email: david@contrafed.co.nz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Mary Searle Bell, Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Richard Silcock. 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
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/NZcontractor @NZContractormag nz contractor magazine nz contractor magazine @nzcontractormagazine 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
Connexis www.connexis.org.nz
ISSN 0110-1382
A LS O P U B L I S H ES
Local Government, Quarrying & Mining and Water New Zealand magazines. 6 www.contractormag.co.nz
EDITORIAL MANAGER Alan Titchall DDI: 09 636 5712 Mobile: 027 405 0338 Email: alan@contrafed.co.nz
The Ready Mixed Concrete Association www.nzrmca.org.nz
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Open day attendee enjoying operating the small excavator with Ray Patrick, Fulton Hogan South Island assessor.
Fulton Hogan opens doors to Canterbury students An enthusiastic group of Canterbury students enjoyed a ‘hands on’ day at Fulton Hogan in Christchurch and it has inspired a few young women into a career in the infrastructure industry. Thirty-four students took the opportunity to explore wide aspects of Fulton Hogan's operations; from surfacing to safety management to signs and graphics. The open day was part of Girls with Hi-Vis month, an annual initiative by Connexis to encourage more women to join the infrastructure industry. The afternoon session was particularly popular where students were fitted out with hi-vis gear for a trip to the Canterbury Miners Road Training Ground where they learnt about operating excavators, dump trucks, graders, landscaping equipment and other machines. Training manager Andrea Wilson, who organised the open day, says the company; “Wanted to open their eyes to the possibilities and help them understand that their career pathway will be supported with training, that they can earn while they learn with
Fulton Hogan and the opportunities for advancement are not limited. "And there is now a NZ Cadetship Programme designed specifically for bringing in the next generation of Fulton Hogan employees, where they will be supported by mentors and are rotated every three months over the two year programme to various departments to learn all about each area before settling on their permanent role with the company.” Connexis chief executive Peter Benfell says GWHV is a unique opportunity for women to find out about job options they had never previously considered or didn’t realise were available. “Girls with Hi-Vis offers women of all ages and backgrounds, and from all over the country, a hands-on taste of a work day with our major infrastructure companies. They can also hear from other women already working the industry, and maybe see where they might have a future." Females only account for about four percent of employees in the infrastructure industries in general.
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Government transport policy The CCNZ expresses concern at a medium-term construction gap in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport that risks losing Kiwi civil construction capability and capacity to overseas markets. CCNZ chief executive Peter Silcock says the potential $2 billion gap will occur between 2019-2022 as investment shifts from completion of major state highway construction projects to construction of rapid transit and public transport projects, which will not really ramp up until post-2022. Investment in rapid and public transport before 2022 will more than likely be on planning, land acquisition, design, consenting and procurement rather than construction, he says. “We understand there is a change in focus with the current Government. We support this, and commend an increasing focus on regional development, road safety and sustainability. But these projects need to happen in a way that retains capability and capacity within the industry.” The gap, as it stands, is likely to result in a loss of capacity and capability, particularly to Australia as large infrastructure projects ramp up across the Tasman, he says, adding that the latest policy statement is not without its merits. He praises changes from the draft that would increase investment in the country’s vital transport networks and smooth out an unattainable spike in construction of rapid transit that would have forced contractors to recruit from overseas. The increased continuity of work would make it more attractive for contractors to train and develop Kiwi expertise to do the rapid transit work required, he says. “It’s very important we have a steady workflow, and we’re glad this is starting to gain recognition. We’ve been talking with Minister Twyford regularly, and what we need to do now is bring shovel-ready projects forward to fill the gap and ensure we keep the skills we need to get the job done.” A further review of the policy statement is planned for 2019 and Silcock says the planned review is creating ongoing uncertainty amongst contractors, and called on the Government to clarify whether this is likely to reinforce or reconsider its priorities expressed in the 2018 policy statement.
An exercise in logistics – correction In the June issue of Contractor, our story on a new cargo wharf and breakwater recently completed at Waitangi on the Chatham Islands said it was the magazine’s understanding that the long-term ownership and management of the new wharf facility will soon be announced in favour of Chatham Island Ports, a subsidiary of CIET. We have since been advised that the Government will be the owner of the wharf for up to the next five years. Within the next five years, a process will be undertaken to determine the future long-term ownership of the wharf.
New H&S Site Safe course Site Safe has launched a new training initiative to help senior business leaders improve health and safety in their organisations. The two-hour Safety Excellence for Leaders workshop will help business owners and leaders from small to mediumsized companies understand their health and safety duties, and what they can personally do to boost health and safety, but doesn’t renew Site Safety Cards (Passports). As an interactive workshop it takes the form of a facilitated discussion, where participants learn from their peers, real-life case studies and roleplays. Led by an experienced health and safety professional, this workshop encourages active debate on how to influence and lead the change in health and safety culture. Participants will be challenged to reevaluate where their organisation stands on key health and safety indicators, and emerge with clear action plans to address their pain points. Learners will receive a Safety Excellence for Leaders Certificate upon successful completion of the workshop. Key topics covered include: • Compliance – understand it and move beyond it; • Culture – evaluate and lead the change; • Get Involved – how to communicate confidently and be a positive influence; • Measure what Matters – re-evaluate what’s measured; and • Find Key Areas of Improvement – form an action plan. For information on bookings and course: bit.ly/sitesafetraining
AUGUST 2018 9
CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Extractives apprenticeship programme MinEx, in conjunction with MITO, is bringing together an opportunity for new entrants to the industry, including school-leavers, who want to take up an apprenticeship in the extractives sector. Expressions of Interest are being sought from interested potential apprentices who are either working within the mining or quarrying sectors, or who are about to take up employment in either sector. The pathway starts with MITO’s New Zealand Certificate in Mining and Quarrying (Level 2). This training programme takes approximately seven months to complete, and is most suited to those entering the industry. Graduates can then proceed to the New Zealand Certificate in Mining and Quarrying (Level 4) training programme which will be ready for enrolments in 2019. It is expected that this training programme will take approximately two years to complete.
Rural contractors dig deep for Wellington Free Ambulance Agricultural contractors opened their wallets and raised more than $33,000 for Wellington Free Ambulance during their annual conference held in Masterton back in June. A popular event during the conference is the charity auction dinner that raises funds for the local ambulance service. “We thank the RCNZ sponsors, suppliers and Masterton businesses that provided the items that we auctioned off,” says RCNZ chief executive Roger Parton. “I never cease to be impressed by their generosity and the generosity of the contractors and others who purchase the products they donate. “This year the auction dinner was sponsored by Tulloch Farm Machines, which is based in Masterton. Tullochs not only donated items for the auction, they also collected a number of items from local businesses that helped make the auction a success.” Wellington Free Ambulance fundraising advisor Rachel Carr says the service is very grateful for the fundraising efforts of the Rural Contractors NZ Conference. “We are the only emergency ambulance service in the Greater Wellington and Wairarapa region, and the only emergency ambulance service in New Zealand that is free, thanks to the generous support of our community,” Rachel Carr says. “We rely on donations to keep our service free to patients, so fundraising efforts like this are hugely appreciated.”
10 www.contractormag.co.nz
Learners must be committed to completing the required elements of the training programme, which includes a mix of classroom and workplace-based training and assessment. And any apprenticeship scheme can only work with strong support from employers, so they must be committed to supporting their learner(s) through the training programme, such as providing them with time off to attend the classroom training, and paying training fees associated with the apprenticeship. For those wishing to complete a Certificate of Competency for a Statutory Position, the New Zealand Certificate in Mining and Quarrying (Level 4) will include all unit standards required for a current A Grade or B Grade Quarry manager CoC. Send expressions of interest to MinEx CEO Wayne Scott at wayne@minex.org.nz, including full details of the potential apprentice, contact details of the employer, and sector stream (quarry, coal mining, etc).
Hirepool buys into Trench Shoring NZ Hirepool has bought a 50 percent stake in TSNZ, also known as Trench Shoring NZ, and now trades as Hirepool TSNZ. “TSNZ is a solid company with long-standing team members. We are very pleased that all of TSNZ’s employees are remaining on board and will continue to be led by TSNZ general manager Frank Swanberg, who will report to Hirepool’s chief operating officer, Colin Sinton,” says Brian Stephen, Hirepool’s CEO. See Cover story on page 18.
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Controversial Transmission Gully tax A briefing document from the New Zealand Transport Agency to Transport Minister Phil Twyford, released to news sources under the Official Information Act, recommended he green-light investigation of a Transmission Gully toll to "shape demand" for the new $852 million, four-lane expressway connecting northern Wellington to the Kapiti Coast when it opens in 2020. The project was started under National as a Public Private Partnership delivered with savings over a traditional procurement model and without the need for tolling. Once opened to traffic, the NZTA will begin paying it off, along with interest, maintenance and operating costs, in annual instalments of $125m over 25 years. The Transport Agency briefing document says tolling the 27-kilometre gully motorway would help make the main commuter route between Wellington and Kapiti more "mode neutral". Tolls were an important part of the transport agency's toolkit because they provided an extra source of revenue, the document said, and also useful for transitioning the nation towards a more "responsive" pricing system. "Tolling gets people used to paying as they travel, and paying extra for certain benfits." We already pay tolls on three roads – the Northern Gateway north of Auckland, the Tauranga Eastern Link, and the Takitimu Drive toll road near Tauranga. Twyford has since confirmed he gave the recommendation of tolling TG his blessing, which is a lane-change for the Labour Party that didn’t support the idea of a toll when it was in Opposition. Twyford says his party was; “critical of the previous Government's financing of Transmission Gully through a public-private partnership because it increased costs over the life of the project. "Now that the project is going ahead under the former Government's arrangements, it may make sense to establish a revenue source to off-set some of those costs." Back when the Government was in opposition its then-transport spokesman Michael Wood reportedly said; “My understanding is that past modelling has shown that a toll on Transmission Gully risks making the road so poorly used that it defeats the purpose of building it in the first place”. Opposing the toll idea is the Automobile Association, Porirua Mayor Mike Tana, and National's associate transport spokesman Brett Hudson, who says it would be a rough pill for Wellingtonians to swallow on top of petrol excise tax.
Disclosing directors’ residential addresses questioned The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is looking at how it treats directors’ addresses in the Companies Register as part of its deliberations on whether to introduce a director identification number. The publication of directors’ addresses currently helps to support the transparency and integrity of the corporate system and the companies register. Publication of directors’ addresses also provides a mechanism for third parties to contact directors directly, including to serve legal papers and documents. Residential addresses also provide a data point for users of the companies register to distinguish between directors with the same or similar names, to find companies connected by their ownership structure. However, if an identification number is introduced for directors, it may be more appropriate to allow directors to use an address for service to protect their privacy and security, says MBIE. “A director identification number (DIN) would make it easier for users to identify directors on the register. Differences in residential addresses and the spelling of directors’ names would not prevent users from identifying all the companies that a director is connected with.” The ministry is calling for feedback on a discussion document on this issue.
CONTRACTORS’ DIARY 2018 Date
Event & Venue
Contact
2018 1-4 Aug
Civil Contractors NZ Annual Conference 2018, Hamilton
www.ccnzconference.co.nz/
16-17 Aug
Building Nations Symposium, ANZ Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland
infrastructure.org.nz/BNS-2018
19-21 Sep
Water NZ Conference, Hamilton
www.waternzconference.org.nz/
11-13 Oct
Concrete NZ Conference 2018, Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton
www.theconcreteconference.co.nz/
5-7 Nov
NZTA & NZIHT 19th Annual Conference, Marlborough Conv Cnt, Blenheim
bit.ly/NZTA_NZIHT_2018
27-30 Nov
Bauma China 2018, The Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC)
www.bauma-china.com/
South Island Agricultural Field Days. Kirwee, Canterbury
www.siafd.co.nz
2019 27-29 Mar
Please send any contributions for Contractors’ Diary to alan@contrafed.co.nz, or phone 09 636 5712
12 www.contractormag.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Some of the competitors with Tonga Nikora from Higgins Waikato posing in the cab.
Waikato and Bay of Plenty regional excavator operator competitions
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The first round of competitions for this season’s regional excavator operator competitions was kicked off at Mystery Creek at the National Agricultural Fieldays back in June. The CCNZ Waikato and Bay of Plenty Branches competed against operators in their regions, with registrations closing early to accommodate the 32 competitors over two days of competition. Waikato branch winner was Clayton Daldy from Brian Perry Civil, and second was Rob Veltmans from Splice Construction. The Waikato Company Challenge for the two highest scores went to
k in
Clayton Daldy and Regan Lammas from Brian Perry Civil. Bay of Plenty branch winner was veteran Brandon Crowley of Crowley Excavators, who beat his dad Craig Crowley this year (last year Craig won) who was second. Both branches say a big thanks to national sponsors: CablePrice, Connexis, Z, Humes, Hirepool, First Gas, beforeUdig, and; branch supporters: King Drilling, Winstones, Connell Contractors, Fulton Hogan Waikato, Success Group, Hick Bros, Schick Civil, Brian Perry Civil, and Splice Construction.
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Waikato Expressway damage still in test stage Seal damage on the Ngaruawahia and Te Rapa sections of the new Waikato Expressway, most noticeable on the south-bound, slow left lane, became public during an NZTA update to Hamilton City Council. At this meeting Councillor Garry Mallett questioned Transport Agency spokesman Peter Simcock on how surface damage could appear so quickly on a flagship roading project? "On those two projects, we probably allowed designs that were untested. And we have learnt from those two. For the Huntly and Hamilton sections, we've put a lot more specification into the contracts," Simcock reportedly answered. “We did identify some issues with the designs when we evaluated tenders for the Ngaruawahia section. In fact, we had three bids and all three designs raised concerns for us. "While we did challenge the designs at the time of the tender evaluation and when we awarded the contracts, we received all the assurances from their experts – and they were recognised pavement experts – that they would perform.” Simcock added that the ‘contract model’ favours innovation and in the Te Rapa and Ngaruawahia cases, it led to carriageways that were relatively inexpensive to build, but which cost more to maintain. It was also reported that the NZTA expected ‘suppliers’ to help address the problems. NZ Transport Agency senior manager project delivery, Chris Hunt, said at the time the agency had to carry out tests to identify the cause of the deteoriation before it could say what remedial work may be required or how much it will cost. More recently, Hunt confirmed to Contractor magazine that rutting has occurred in parts of the 7.6 kilometre Te Rapa section and adjoining 12 kilometre Ngaruawahia section. “Rutting is occurring at several points along each section, most noticeably in the slow lanes which carry more and heavier traffic leading to increased loading. Rutting occurs when moisture gets into the road surface. This moisture then softens the layers of the road beneath and causes further deterioration. “The expressway is designed with a subsoil drainage system, which protects the pavement layers from ground water. Seasonal fluctuations have no effect on the pavement layers. “We need to know what’s causing the issue so we can fix it. Issues like this can be complex and are potentially caused by a number of factors. “Recent repairs have been made to the Te Rapa and Ngaruawahia
sections to maintain the road surface. There will continue to be ongoing work carried out until a more permanent solution is developed and agreed to in the summer. “We have been monitoring, and will continue to monitor, the performance of the road surface and testing has been conducted on both sections and will be the basis for long-term solution works.” The issues on the Waikato Expressway and the Kapiti Expressway are not the same he adds. “The Kapiti Expressway has had water getting into the layer under the asphalt which has changed the texture of the road [last year the $630 million Kapiti Expressway needed fixing due to water seeping into the seal. It suffered further damage in February due to ex-Cyclone Gita]. “Water is a contributing factor in the performance of the Waikato Expressway, however this is not the only factor. The pavement designs and sub grade conditions on each project are different. “Investigations are still underway on the Waikato Expressway to fully understand the cause and identify the right solution, but the issues are not likely to have been instigated by the level of the water table.” Until testing is completed, he says no one knows what repair work will cost, but the agency expects its suppliers to help with the fix. The issue has become a target for the likes of the Road Transport Forum, with its chief executive Ken Shirley claiming quality issues on our new motorways are becoming endemic. “Evidence that the brand-new Waikato Expressway is developing ruts and breaking up comes hard on the heels of similar build quality issues with the new Kapiti highway and proves that there is an endemic problem with the way NZTA manages their roading projects,” he says. “These projects cost motorists and commercial road transport operators hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, paid for through fuel excise and road user charges. The very least New Zealanders should expect is that the projects are undertaken to a reasonable minimum standard. “The Agency needs to start focusing on its core role of properly building, maintaining and managing our state highway network. It’s all very nice to be doing things like running seminars for Wellington bureaucrats on what the world will look like in 2050, but New Zealanders expect NZTA to do the basics properly first,” says Shirley.
Safety awards still open If you or your team achieved great health and safety in construction, then share your success with the industry by entering the Site Safe Construction Health and Safety Awards. Applications are now open for entries from businesses and individuals who have demonstrated leadership, innovation and commitment to health and safety. Entries close September 1. The awards are free to enter for businesses of all sizes and winners receive a trophy and certificate, plus a $1000 gift from the sponsor. The awards are open to both Site Safe member and non-member companies.
16 www.contractormag.co.nz
Categories are: 1. The Safety Innovation Award – small to medium businesses (up to 50 employees); 2. The Safety Innovation Award – large businesses (over 50 employees); 3. The Safety Leadership Award (small, medium or large businesses); 4. The Safety Contribution Award (individual or small team). The awards will be presented at Site Safe’s Evening of Celebration on Wednesday, November 7, at Alexandra Park in Auckland. The evening also celebrates the graduation of students who have completed the Site Safe Certificate in Construction Site Safety.
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CONTRACTOR
ON THE COVER
A SHORE THING 18 www.contractormag.co.nz
Hirepool has yet again expanded its business, moving into the trench shoring sector with the purchase of a 50 percent share of TSNZ. BY MARY SEARLE BELL TRENCH SHORING NEW ZEALAND (now known as TSNZ) supplies and
hires purpose designed and built excavation shoring equipment – both for trenches and open pit excavations. The company was established in 2007 and has grown steadily since then. This growth is set to continue with Hirepool’s recent acquisition of half the company. Under the new agreement with Hirepool, TSNZ continues to offer the same high quality specialist products and services to contractors throughout the country, and will retain the same staff with their expert knowledge. The TSNZ team will still be led by general manager Frank Swanberg, but will be operated day-to-day by Hirepool, and will be known as Hirepool TSNZ. Hirepool’s general manager of sales and marketing, Gary Richardson, says trench shoring is an area the company has been wanting to expand into for quite some time. “We’ve been in discussions for a couple of years now but things haven’t come together until now. “Shoring is a growing category in the civil construction industry and an ideal fit with Hirepool’s current rental range, especially our existing pumping and dewatering gear.” General manager Frank Swanberg says TSNZ offers the widest range of shoring gear in our country, and his team have the most knowledge. “We’ve been involved in a number of major projects – in the past few years in Auckland alone there’s been the construction of the north and south portals of the Waterview tunnels with Brian Perry Civil, a stormwater diversion for Victoria Park Tunnel, and the Southwest Interceptor project for Watercare. And there’s a lot of
other exciting projects in the pipeline.” Frank himself was instrumental in the generation of the new Worksafe Excavation Safety Good Practice Guidelines, and is passionate about developing better safety practices in the civil construction sector. He says the increasing health and safety regulations will bring greater demand for trench shoring equipment. “We expect the sector to grow; our acquisition by Hirepool will allow us to grow too,” he says. “The new arrangement will combine the expertise of TSNZ with the market reach of Hirepool, which should allow for further expansion of our trench shoring offering. “Our range of equipment covers almost all excavation shoring jobs, from the smallest to the biggest. “The Gripshore system is our smallest and is unmatched in this category. Designed for trenches up to two metres deep, they’re lightweight and easy to assemble – in fact Gripshore can be installed by hand, no machines required – and can be put on the back of a truck and taken anywhere. They’re ideal for smaller contractors and drainlayers. “At the other end of the scale is our Slide Rail and large hydraulic systems, for excavations up to six metres deep. These are ideal for longer lengths of pipe, larger diameter pipelines and culverts, and open pit excavations. Slide Rail also provides excellent clearance in the trench.” TSNZ currently services the country from two branches – one in Auckland and another in Christchurch. Hirepool has an ever growing number of branches throughout the country, with yet another two locations due to open later this year. This continued growth highlights the ongoing success of Hirepool. Gary says the company has just had another record year; “thanks to continued support from our customers”. “Based on feedback, we are developing an enhanced customer experience,” he says. “Our new system will be paperless and faster – we’ve designed a more streamlined and user-friendly experience that uses iPads in the yards, which will provide a quicker, more accurate process. “We’re currently rolling it out across the country and we intend to add a payment gateway before the end of this year, which will allow transactions to be completed online.” On a philanthropic note, Hirepool continues to give back to the community. For the past 10 years, after one of its drivers who was stuck down a cliff was lifted to safety, it has sponsored the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Recently the firm has started supporting Sustainable Coastlines, a charity that cares for and helps clean up our coastlines and waterways. It’s a cause that Gary says is close to the staff’s heart. Also, Hirepool continues to be the principal business partner of Civil Contractors New Zealand, helping support the work the association does on behalf of the industry. This attitude resonates well with the TSNZ team. “Our teams think alike and operate alike. There is a good cultural fit between the two companies,” Gary says. “If that fit wasn’t there this deal wouldn’t have gone ahead.” With the new agreement having come into force on July 1, you can expect to see TSNZ trench shoring equipment, its branches and website rebranded as Hirepool TSNZ over the coming months. Other than that, you can still expect the same quality products and expert knowledge from the same team you’ve always dealt with. l AUGUST 2018 19
CONTRACTOR
CCNZ BRANCH AWARDS
Awards night in Auckland CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND’S Auckland Branch hosted
its 2018 Excellence Awards at the end of June with around 500 people attending. This year’s CCNZ Auckland Excellence Awards included the Hynds Construction Awards, which featured awards
for seven categories of construction excellence among Auckland’s contractors. The event also included the Stellar People Awards, which featured awards for Auckland’s Young Contractor of the Year, Young Engineer of the Year and Outstanding Individual of the Year.
Hynds Construction Awards SME category A WINNER: Grouting Services PROJECT: White Rabbit Stability Upgrade Phase 1B – Micropiling
SME Category B WINNER: Grouting Services PROJECT: Waiparuru Removable Anchors
Medium Category C WINNER: Ross Reid Contractors PROJECT: 200 Hingaia Road
Medium Category D
The winners of the Hynds Construction Awards with award sponsors John, Leonie and Adrian Hynds
WINNER: March Cato PROJECT: Wairau Pump Station, Eastern Rising Main Replacement (Wairau Road Section)
Stellar Recruitment People Awards
Large Category E
Young Contractor of the Year
WINNER: Brian Perry Civil PROJECT: Tuakau Wastewater Treatment Plant for Watercare
WINNER: Jake Alderson COMPANY: Higgins Contractors
Large Category F
WINNER: Arun Rana COMPANY: Ross Reid Contractors
WINNER: McConnell Dowell & HEB Construction Joint Venture PROJECT: Mangere BNR upgrade
Woman in Contracting WINNER: Elaine Kerins PROJECT: HEB Construction
The Highly Commended Award – Young Engineer of the Year
Young Engineer of the Year WINNER: Amy O’Donnell COMPANY: CPB Contractors
Outstanding Individual of the Year WINNER: David Loe COMPANY: HEB Construction Amy O’Donnell, Young Engineer of the Year
20 www.contractormag.co.nz
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AUGUST 2018 21
CONTRACTOR
CCNZ BRANCH AWARDS
Northland award success
Shane Reynolds (from sponsor Hirepool) with Tony King and Keith Cocking from winners Fulton Hogan, Projects over $1m.
The Civil Contractors New Zealand Northland Branch’s 2018 AGM and Northland Construction Awards was held in June at Toll Stadium, with over 200 people attending and nine awards up for contention. CCNZ Northland Secretary Tracey McKenzie says the night was a great success, featuring an inspiring presentation on the Invictus Games from Royal New Zealand Air Force Warrant Officer Toni Tate, and topped off by fantastic music from local band Inertia. Civil Contractors New Zealand congratulates the 2018 award winners:
Desarae Williams (from sponsor Whangarei District Council) with Anthony Van der Veer from winners FH.
NZ Transport Agency 2018 Community Contribution Award
Oil Intel Total Lubricants 2018 Northland Leadership Award
Hirepool 2018 Construction Projects over $1m
WINNER: Clements Contractors
WINNER: Sarra Ali COMPANY: Clements Contractors
WINNER: Fulton Hogan PROJECT: Kensington to Manse Street Intersection Improvements
Firth 2018 Construction Projects $0-$100,000 Award WINNER: Steve Bowling Contracting PROJECT: View Road Retaining Wall
Humes 2018 Construction Projects $100,000-$500,000 Award WINNER: Steve Bowling Contracting PROJECT: Digger Valley Road Bridge Renewals
Connexis Warren Drake Memorial 2018 Trainee of the Year Award WINNER: Elliot Wright COMPANY: Clements Contractors
22 www.contractormag.co.nz
Hynds Pipe Systems 2018 Construction Projects $500,000$1,000,000 WINNER: Robinson Asphalts Project: Te Mara Estate
2018 Environmental Award WINNER: Fulton Hogan PROJECT: Lemons Hill Slip Repairs
Whangarei District Council 2018 Health & Safety Award WINNER: Fulton Hogan PROJECT: Whangarei District Council North Area Maintenance Depot
Other generous sponsors of the night included Ten4 Engineering who contributed to the bar tab and Gough Cat contributed to the MC’s costs. CCNZ Northland Branch would like to recognise the work put in by the judging team coordinated by James Corlett. Other judges were Desarea Williams, Bob Kennedy, Barry Stenberg, John Leathwick and David Greig.
Projects up to $1 million WINNER: Downer New Zealand PROJECT: Portobello Road Stormwater
Projects between $1 and $5 million WINNER: Downer NZ PROJECT: Carisbrook Underground Electricity Main
Projects over $5 million WINNER: Fulton Hogan PROJECT: Central Eastern Access
Hynds Photograph of the Year
Otago lays it on A record 320 guests attended the 69th Civil Contractors New Zealand Otago Branch Annual General Meeting and Dinner in Dunedin on Friday June 29. The event was held at the Commerce Building in Dunedin, and included the 2018 Hynds Otago Construction Awards. Special Mention went to Troy Calteaux of Andrew Haulage, who was officially recognised by platinum
Hynds Innovation Award
sponsor CablePrice representative Daryl Highsted as winner of the Otago competition. Troy later went on to take out the top prize at the nationals at the Central Districts Fieldays event, which was hosted by CCNZ Manawatu Branch in March. Civil Contractors New Zealand congratulates the winners of the 2018 Hynds Otago Construction Awards:
Submerged Aerated Fixed Film (SAFF)
Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)
Passive Treatment Filter (Zero Power Treatment Process)
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
WINNER: Fulton Hogan PROJECT: Eastern Access Road
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES AND SMALL COMMUNITIES
WINNER: Andrew Haulage PROJECT: Bob’s Peak
CCNZ Otago Environmental Award WINNER: SouthRoads PROJECT: Katikati Beach Stabilisation
Hirepool Young Contractor of the Year Award WINNER: Keith Matheson COMPANY: SouthRoads
Scan QR code for more info
0800 93 7473
hynds.co.nz
AUGUST 2018 23
CONTRACTOR
IPWEA NZ CONFERENCE
At the IPWEA NZ 2018 Conference in Rotorua
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2 1. Tim Macintosh & Joe Brennan (both from Hynds Pipe Systems). 2. Charles de Vilder & Paul Southen (both from PipeWorks). 3. Adam Humphries & Steve Garbett (both from Fulton Hogan). 4. Jamie McPherson (Road Efficiency Group and Tasman District Council), Gene Ollerenshaw (Road Efficiency Group and Rationale) & Ewen Skinner (Morrison Low). 5. David Oliver & Kane Maxwell (both from Pipe & Infrastructure). 6. Paula Meredith (Rotorua Lakes Council), James Logan (Hygrade) & Pulith Kapugama (WSP Opus). 7. Leigh John (Aquapipe). 8. Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ) & Geoff Marshall (Porirua City Council).
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9. Vaughan McEwen (New Zealand Defence Force), Liam Foster (WSP Opus), Piers Lehmann (Christchurch City Council) & Priyani de Silva-Currie (Calibre). 10. Len Whittaker (EZE Civil Engineering Consultants) & Craig van Asch (Exeloo). 11. Irmana Garcia-Sampedro (Christchurch City Council) with Bill Noel (Pattle Delamore Partners). 12. At the Wagners stand.
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AUGUST 2018 25
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IPWEA NZ CONFERENCE
2018 IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards
The 13th IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards were presented at the Fulton Hogan IPWEA NZ Conference dinner in Rotorua.
EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC PLANNING
WINNER The Queenstown Town Centre Master Plan Queenstown Lakes District Council and Rationale The Queenstown Lakes District Council led a multi-disciplinary team in the development of a masterplan that achieves the vision: “Supporting a thriving heart to Queenstown, now and into the future”. Queenstown has reached a stage where proactive planning and infrastructure investment is required to meet today’s demands and support tomorrow’s aspirations. The project delivered a 35-year, $327 million Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan.
HIGHLY COMMENDED Road works impact and risk strategy New Zealand Transport Agency, WSP Opus and Fulton Hogan
Ben Smith (Rationale), Mark Baker and Erin Moogan (both from Queenstown Lakes District Council), Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ) and Edward Guy (Rationale).
EXCELLENCE IN MAXIMISING ASSET PERFORMANCE
WINNER Wellington Water Supply Resilience Study Wellington Water and Stantec A major earthquake in Wellington would result in widespread damage to the water network, which would take weeks to repair. Stantec’s resilience study developed a strategy for a postearthquake basic water supply and identified networks requiring seismic resilience upgrades, then developed a network upgrade programme. The judges described the study as an excellent example of analytics to meet client expectations.
HIGHLY COMMENDED Integrated Maintenance Management System New Zealand Transport Agency and Downer
26 www.contractormag.co.nz
David Hogg and Cedric Papion (both from Stantec) with Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ).
BEST PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT UNDER $5 MILLION
WINNER The Half Moon Bay Ferry Pier Auckland Transport, Downer, BDG Architects, Lautrec Consulting Engineers and Bellingham Marine The Half Moon Bay ferry pier is an important public transport hub. A new ferry pontoon and pier provides better levels of passenger service and comfort, protection against the elements, and improves safety for people getting on and off ferries. Downer’s close collaboration with key stakeholders including SeaLink, combined with innovative engineering processes, ensured the team not only achieved all success factors required, but exceeded Auckland Transport’s expectations.
Harish Singh and Scott Keene (both from Auckland Transport), Paul Somerford (BDG Architects), Tanuj Juneja and Jim Galloway (both from Downer) and Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ).
HIGHLY COMMENDED
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Te Awa River Ride
The Brylee Reserve Integrated Wetland
Waikato District Council, The Te Awa River Ride Charitable Trust, AECOM, Holmes Consulting, Emmetts Civil Construction and Fulton Hogan
Auckland Council, Morphum Environmental and HEB Construction
BEST PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT OVER $5 MILLION
WINNER The Mangere BNR Plant Upgrade Watercare, CH2M Beca, the McConnell Dowell – HEB Construction Joint Venture, AECOM and Holmes Consulting Watercare’s $140 million expansion of the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant is the largest single-site wastewater capital works delivery in New Zealand since 2000. The upgrade will add capacity for 250,000 people, helping to meet Auckland’s projected growth, adding resilience and maintaining high
standards of water quality in the Manukau Harbour. The joint venture team, comprising McConnell Dowell and HEB Construction, worked collaboratively with Watercare and its designers to enhance the programme, manage the risks and provide alternative solutions in a culture driven by a key concept of ‘Together Doing it Better’.
Peter Hodgson (McConnell Dowell-HEB Construction Joint Venture [MDHCJV]), Garry MacDonald (Beca), Shane Morgan and Sven Harlos (both from Watercare), and Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ), with Colin Newbold and Greg Wichman (both from MDHCJV).
AUGUST 2018 27
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RIMS 2018
Updating IPWEA
Samantha Gain, president of IPWEA, updated RIMS conference participants about the engineering association’s current activities and future plans.
IPWEA NEW ZEALAND, as you hopefully know, is a membership organisation. We support the provision of public works through training and events, publications and manuals, and branch meeting and conferences like RIMS. We’ve been around for about 108 years and I’m the first female president. I am also not an engineer, so we’re ticking a few boxes on the diversity stakes at the moment, which is really great. We joined IPWEA Australasia three or four years ago now as a special division, and that’s going very well for us. We’re here to serve you, our members, and we have a tight staffing team. I’m not a paid member of staff – it’s a voluntary role for me, but Peter Higgs who happens to be the immediate past president, manages the IPWEA New Zealand business, and Jacqui Carroll office manager; Trina Paul, events manager; and Frida Wells, marketing manager, are the key workers in our business. We also have some of the marketing comms work done in the background in Australia. 28 www.contractormag.co.nz
Governance We have a branch structure and five branches. Jamie Cox is the chair of the East Coast branch (engineering manager, Wairoa District Council); Sarah Sinclair, Northern Branch chair (chief engineer Infrastructure & Environmental Services, Auckland Council); Chris French, Wellington/ Taranaki branch chair (associate Water and Waste Water, Beca); John Mackie, Northern South Island chair (head of 3 water & waste Christchurch City Council; and Erin Moogan, Otago/Southland branch chair (Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations manager, Queenstown Lakes District Council). Erin Moogan is also on the RIMS committee. On the IPWEA board are the five branch chairs and then six members who are elected at large, and of those six members, each year three come up for election – and elected for a two-year term (elections took place in May with three roles rotated). We’ve recently tried to make better connections with our
various entities and committees and RIMS is one of those. Gordon Hart, who’s been the chair of the RIMS committee for quite a while now, comes to our board meetings in a kind of ex officio capacity in order that we have the linkage into the REG committee. And the NAMS (NZ Asset Management Support) committee chair, Al Munro, sits on the board anyway. Within the family we also have the IDS (Infrastructure Decision Support) and while IPWEA is its owner, it is run as an arms-length organisation. We also have the Land Development Engineering Group (LDEG) which is a special interest group,
Young IPWEA We have a committee of the younger members – under 35’s – the official age for being ‘young’ in an IPWEA sense. And I must say, it’s an initiative that is right across Australasia. All divisions have Young IPWEA and there’s an Australasian committee as well. It’s been a very, very successful initiative and it started off three or four years ago with the idea to bring more young people into the industry and make connections through the organisation, and to provide career paths. Young IPWEA representatives sit on each division board and the chair of Young IPWEA sits on the Australasia board. In New Zealand, Chris Chapman is an elected board member of IPWEA having come up through Young IPWEA. It’s a great initiative, and I encourage you, if you have younger people in your organisation, to get involved.
IPWEA network Internationally we are part of IPWEA and when we joined there was a bit of concern about what that might mean for New Zealand, and was it going to be a good thing. I think we can definitely say it’s been a good decision, and the divisions are all working well together now; we’ve got some real traction going. The chief executives of all the divisions have regular meetings and sharing of initiatives. It’s going well and IPWEA has a couple of programmes that we are running at the Australasian [level]. One of these is the street lighting smart controls programme which you may be aware of. Out of this programme there’s been a standard draft specification for LED street lighting that’s been developed. And there will be another conference in Australia on that theme later this year, which will have kind of more of this smart controls focus rather than the street lighting focus. Another thing that IPWEA Australasia has established is NAMS Canada set up to provide access to IPWEA’s AM tools, publications & training. It was done kind of on spec, but again that is proving very successful. Indeed a lot of sales and a lot of training are being delivered. We’re affiliated members of IFME, the International Federation of Municipal Engineering. Ross Vincent has been the president of IFME in the past, so we have good connections there. We have connections into the American Public Works Association (APWA), which aligns with IFME and PWX, which is the Public Works Expo – an annual conference of APWA which I will go to this year in Kansas City. There’s a
“...when you are setting up a project, get a multi-disciplinary team on it when you’re starting to plan your work. Don’t just talk to the engineers. Make sure you are involving your planners and your finance people and your lawyers. You know, all the people who are going to help you to deliver...” good representation from Australasia there too. It also includes a study tour, so if anyone is interested in doing a study tour associated with this conference in August, do get in touch because the study tour is being run out of Australia. The hoopla4jobs website is a service that’s provided by IPWEA which is well used in New Zealand (and quite successfully) so do have a look at that if you’ve got roles coming up. Hopefully you get the IPWEA NZ fortnightly e-news with a New Zealand focus and links to content from all the Australian divisions.
The Excellence Awards Every year we have the IPWEA New Zealand Excellence Awards and they’re presented at our conference dinner. There are four categories: Strategic asset management, maximising asset performance, best public works project under $5 million, and best public works project over $5 million. Entries closed mid-May.
Collaboration From my perspective role collaboration is a really key thing for me. It’s not only collaboration between councils, about what your policies are, or what your asset management policy is, or what your approach to your roading is, which assets tools you use, which contractors you use, or even how you do procurement. I mean all that’s important, but we’re a small country and we don’t need to be re-inventing the wheel. And I think we need to be talking even more than we do already. Events like this are a great opportunity to do that, but we also need to take forward the contacts that we make and actually do that sharing. Interestingly, at the Infrastructure Management Forum, Malcom Alexander (chief executive, Local Government NZ), was talking about his interactions with central government. Even at central government there’s a lot more talk about collaboration – collaboration between departments, and for local government organisations. The ability for us to access relevant central government departments is important and I think we should have more of an opportunity to do that and for our voice to be heard, so I’m keen to promote that. The other key learning from both the forums, was that when you are setting up a project, get a multi-disciplinary AUGUST 2018 29
CONTRACTOR
RIMS 2018
Awarding-winning project The Mangere Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) Plant upgrade project was built under a joint venture between McConnell Dowell and HEB Construction for client Watercare Services in Auckland. It also involved CH2M Beca, AECOM and Holmes Consulting. Costing $140 million, it is the largest single-site wastewater capital
team on it when you’re starting to plan your work. Don’t just talk to the engineers. Make sure you are involving your planners and your finance people and your lawyers. You know, all the people who are going to help you to deliver, all the people that need to be involved at the outset so you can plan for the best result.
Training and education Keeping relevant is key for IPWEA NZ, and while work at the moment is quite internally focused, one of the key things that we are doing is refreshing, or having a close look at, the training that we offer. We’ve got a training working group under way and we’re trying to develop some of the things that we’re a bit more agile about in responding to industry demand. So, you should see some of those things coming through. And if you’ve got any ideas about things that you know we should be doing, please let us know.
Career paths and resourcing This is a sector-wide problem in the local government sector generally, and more particularly in assets management and in engineering. We’re doing some work jointly with the Tertiary Education Commission on its programme which is called ‘Engineering e2e’. It’s called ‘Fostering our Future’, and the purpose of this 30 www.contractormag.co.nz
works delivery here since 2000 and, so far this year, has taken out the 2018 IPWEA Excellence Awards in ‘Best Public Works Project’ over $5m, and the Civil Contractors New Zealand’s Auckland Branch Excellence Awards for large projects. This major project will be featured in the September issue of Contractor.
is the acknowledgement that we are lacking in skilled and qualified people with engineering-related qualifications. The programme has three objectives: to attract, develop and retain people. It’s not the sort of qualification like a BE; it’s more a sort of BE Tech. This programme is looking at ways to provide some different qualifications, and different paths to qualifications to bring people into this sector and to retain them. At least 50 percent of public works professionals hold an uncredited qualification in infrastructure management. IPWEA and ‘Engineering e2e’ are working together to evaluate the feasibility of using micro credentials to provide recognition and pathways for the development of the unique skills required by qualified infrastructure assets managers. Micro credentials are packages of learning designed to meet specific learner needs. They are generally smaller than conventional qualifications and validate skills and learning linked into specific work force demands. We need your help to answer the big questions and share your experience. Join the conversation at www.fosteringourfuture.works. There is a five-minute questionnaire there and it takes you through what the barriers to learning in your organisation are and what would you find useful in relation to how qualifications might be expressed. And, I’m always open to talk about anything that you think IPWEA New Zealand could be doing that we’re not, or things that you think are great. Please let me know.
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CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Kapiti Expressway heads north The second section of the Kapiti Expressway is advancing northwards with construction well underway. Richard Silcock went to check on progress. PHOTOS: MARK COOTE PHOTOGRAPHY
WORK ON THE $330 MILLION, 13-kilometre,
second section of the dual-lane Kapiti Expressway, from Peka Peka to just north of Otaki (known as PP2O) has, despite recent wet weather, progressed well with most construction taking place at the northern end. Following preparatory enabling works, relocation of some utilities (water, power, gas etc) and fauna (500 eels were relocated from one waterway), clearing of vegetation and removing 31 houses along the intended carriageway (refer Contractor December 2017) physical work began in earnest last December. This has included earthworks along the alignment, and the construction and widening of existing local link roads (SH1 traffic will temporarily be diverted to these arterial/ local roads to allow contractors uninterrupted workspace). Foundations for some of the new bridges has also commenced along with preloading of the ground (peat) at the southern end. The expressway is being constructed by Fletcher Construction under a standard NZS3916 design and build contract and delivered by an 80/20 split joint venture between Fletchers and Higgins Contractors. Subcontractors include Brian Perry Civil for the bridge piling and Goodman Contractors for the earthworks. 32 www.contractormag.co.nz
Falsework for the Otaki River Bridge being lifted onto the river site.
AUGUST 2018 33
CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Above: Building sandcastles! Construction of the two abutments for a bridge that will pass over the realigned railway line. The present railway line, lower right, will be moved to the left and pass between the two abutments, with the expressway passing over it. The current road (SH1) and overbridge is in the foreground. Right: Goodman Contractors shifting sand at the northern end of the project. Opposite page: Temporary steel casing for the Otaki River Bridge piling operation being lowered into position.
34 www.contractormag.co.nz
Fletchers has engaged BECA as head designers with Tonkin & Taylor responsible for geotechnical/storm water design and Studio Pacific Architecture for landscaping and urban design. WSP Opus is the Transport Agency’s principal advisor for the project. This section of the expressway will connect with the completed 18-kilometre section at Peka Peka, cross-over SH1 and then follow a straight line northwards, bypassing the town of Otaki to the east, before rejoining SH1 a
kilometre or two just north of the town. Initially there was concern by local businesses that they would lose customers however these concerns have largely been allayed with the provision of local connecting roads, two ‘gateway’ roads and interchanges north and south of the township which will provide access to the CBD. “This will provide access to the town and will also alleviate the traffic congestion currently experienced due to the volume of
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AUGUST 2018 35
CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Above: Piles and concrete piers for the new Otaki River Bridge being constructed on the southern bank of the river. Right: Currently SH1 passes through Otaki township. The construction site and crane working on the new Otaki River Bridge can be seen top left.
traffic currently passing through the town heading north/south on SH1, particularly during public holiday periods,” says the agency’s project manager for PP2O, Glen Prince. “We established an excellent relationship with this close-knit community of just under 6000 and are getting tremendous support,” he says. “Through a programme of face-to-face consultation, public meetings and a regular flow of information about the project, most 36 www.contractormag.co.nz
understand and look forward to the benefits the expressway will bring to them and the town. “Even the local secondary school has got involved, producing regular monthly videos on different aspects of the construction. They will also be helping plant some of the two million native plants along the route.” Asked by Contractor if the new expressway will just move the traffic bottle-neck further north, Prince says research indicates that the volume of traffic drops off north of Otaki, so
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CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Above: Relocating one of the 31 houses from along the intended route of the expressway. Britton’s, Alpha and Central House Movers shared the work. Right: Symbolic cut out figures indicating a pathway for children – part of the safety strategy during construction.
the expectation is this will be manageable. There will be nine new bridges constructed, the longest being a 330-metre bridge over the Otaki River (bridge 5), which is currently under construction on the southern bank, just upstream from the SH1 bridge and adjacent rail bridge. Construction manager, Steve Findlay, says they are well advanced with the bridge foundations, with over half of the 18, 2.1-metres-in-diameter bored concrete piles now formed to a depth of 25 metres. “The concrete piles are constructed using bentonite support (in lieu of steel casings) and 38 www.contractormag.co.nz
incorporate plunged column reinforcing steel,” says Steve. “The columns and crossheads will be constructed in situ and once these are complete we will install the 70-tonne concrete beams and commence the bridge decking towards the end of this year. “With the river level low at the moment we may take the opportunity to sink another set of piles from the southern side before moving to the north bank to complete the piles and piers for the northern abutment.” In terms of construction challenges, Steve says that apart from a few minor realignments
CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
of the initial carriageway design, the Otaki Bridge is probably their biggest challenge. “As we are working in the bed of the river, which is prone to rapidly reaching high water level, velocity and volume as it flows from the nearby Tararua Ranges during periods of rainfall, we keep in contact with the regional council on a daily basis as they have flood warning systems in place upstream.” The construction of steel-strapped reinforced earth abutments for a new rail overbridge at the northern end is also well advanced. The abutment panels have been pre-cast on site (refer Contractor December 2017) with the exposed aggregate panels forming part of the overall design aspect which will be repeated throughout the project. To allow for the expressway alignment, the main trunk railway line is being relocated over a distance of 1.6 kilometres at the northern end. It will take around four months to construct
the new track with the ‘switch-over’ expected to take place either over the coming Christmas period or next Easter. Fletchers, in conjunction with KiwiRail, is constructing the new track and Siemens will be responsible for installation of the signals. As yet the final pavement surface is still to be decided, but will be determined by traffic data and noise modelling results in line with the consent conditions. It is expected this new section will cater for around 18,000 vehicles per day and open to traffic by the end of 2020 – providing in total 31 kilometres of uninterrupted four-lane expressway from Mackays Crossing, near Paekakariki (where it will join the Transmission Gully Motorway) to north of Otaki. There will also be a 10-kilometre purpose-built shared walking/cycle/ bridal track alongside the expressway. “It will be of a similar design to the completed section of expressway
(Mackays Crossing to Peka Peka) and will link with the QE Park cycleway,” says Prince. “It will include landscaping, bridges and underpasses to enable walkers, cyclists and people on horses safe passage through key parts of the route.” Consideration for extending the expressway further north, from Otaki to Levin, is currently under review by the agency, which has defined nine options for a proposed alignment. However as a result of the Labour Government’s new transport policy, this has as yet to be confirmed. There is a strong lobby group promoting this extension, however with the government’s focus on making roads safer as distinct from building new ones there could be a case for just upgrading the existing highway at this stage. Following an extensive review the agency is expected to report back to the government shortly and a decision made before the end of the year.
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40 www.contractormag.co.nz
Over the years...
Aerial view looking north over the Otaki River towards the township of Otaki, with the SH1 road bridge on the left, rail bridge centre, and the piles for the new expressway bridge on the right.
The present concrete, two-lane-bridge over the Otaki River on SH1 was built in 1955, replacing a 272-metre-long wooden bridge which was built in 1901 nearer the river mouth. Prior to that, river crossings were made by canoe or horse drawn coach through a ford in the river which was constantly subject to washout when the river was in flood. Records show a number of fatalities occurred. The first rail bridge over the river was constructed in 1886 using timber cut from a local Totara forest. Ballast for the track was taken from the Otaki River. The current rail bridge was constructed in 1931, as a part of the government’s plan to provide work during the Depression years.
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COMPANY PROFILE
44 www.contractormag.co.nz
FOUNDED ON
RED ROCK Auckland might seem far away to a business based in Taupo, but four-laning has brought it well within reach. Hugh de Lacy explains.
EARTHMOVING AND QUARRYING comprise the two otherwise separate businesses run out of Taupo by Seay brothers Graham and Bruce, but while the dozers and excavators operate around the central North Island, the quarry’s sending frequent truck and trailer loads of scoria daily up to Auckland. It’s this red rock that the Auckland market needs, especially since the city’s volcanic quarries at the likes of Mount Wellington have long since depleted their supply to Auckland’s rapid growth. There are a couple of other red scoria rescources left, but with nearly 40 years to run on their 50 hectare quarry in Taupo, the Seay brothers have the Auckland market comfortably in their sights. And what’s hauling down the cost of trucking to Auckland is the four-laning of SH1 that now stretches as far south as Karapiro, on Taupo’s doorstep – or it will do when the
by-pass projects round Huntly and Hamilton, currently under way, are completed. That’s going to cut the truck journey time between Taupo and central Auckland by nearly an hour, and Bruce Seay says this will add to efficiencies of supply. Taupo Scoria, as the quarry operation is named, was acquired by the Seays in 2004 from the Byford family transport business down the road in Taihape. As well as the sought-after red scoria it supplies all types of road and construction aggregates throughout the central North Island. The red scoria, a premium drainage material, occurs in a layer above the main basalt rock base, a fair chunk of which ends up in roading projects and the concrete construction sector run by the sister company, Seay Earthmovers. Of the quarry’s output, about 60 percent is red scoria with the rest being various forms of
Above: The Motuoapa Marina project on Lake Taupo waterfront, was to widen and deepen the existing marina which is about 300m long by about 200m wide, and involved removing a large island in the middle to make way for more pleasure-boat berths. Far left: As well as the sought-after red scoria, Taupo Scoria supplies all types of road and construction aggregates throughout the central North Island. Red scoria, a premium drainage material, occurs in a layer above the main basalt rock base, a fair chunk of which ends up in roading projects and the concrete construction sector run by the sister company, Seay Earthmovers. PHOTO: Q&M TAUPO SCORIA QUARRY 2009
AUGUST 2018 45
CONTRACTOR
COMPANY PROFILE
Brothers Bruce and Graham Seay have been involved with the company their father founded in 1978 from the beginning.
46 www.contractormag.co.nz
construction material. Earthmoving was what the company was founded on by Hartley Seay in Auckland in 1978 with his sons Graham and Bruce involved from the start. It quickly found its core market was the Taupo region, which prompted the move to Taupo about 40 years ago. In recent times Bruce has moved back to Auckland specifically to market the company’s quarry products. Today the earthmoving company employs more than 30 people and the quarry has a staff of eight and, according to the Seays, both are earning ‘robustly’. Over its lifetime Seay Earthmovers has been involved in a huge range of projects, from roading, landfills, sub-divisions and forestry contracts to hydro-electric schemes, steam field and geothermal power developments. Among the most challenging were geothermal works in the Wairakei, Ohaaki, Mokai, Rotokawa and Tauhara fields, and on the Wheao/Flaxy and Hinemaiaia hydro schemes. The company’s most recent project was the Motuoapa Marina right at their back door on the Lake Taupo waterfront. The project also marked the company’s 40th anniversary by winning the Supreme award at the Civil
Contractors’ Waikato Construction Awards ceremony at Wintec University back in April this year. The essence of this project was to widen and deepen the existing marina which is about 300 metres long by about 200 metres wide, and involved removing a large island in the middle to make way for more pleasure-boat berths. The potential for spoil run-off contamination into the lake was obvious, but what made the project an award-winner was that the Seays chose to block and seal the marina entrance and pump most of the water out while the excavation was under way, a process that was preceded by the building of a causeway to the island. The alternative to blocking the entrance with rock-fill from the quarry was to work from the banks using drag-lines or a dredge, which could have resulted in excessive sediment escaping into the lake. More than 400 metres of Chinese-made permanent sheet piling was installed. This was sourced by Graham Seay through a Chinese company with which he has separate associations, and which over the years has supplied the company with the likes of excavator attachments and quarrying materials.
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CONTRACTOR
COMPANY PROFILE
Above: Fonterra Stream Diversion (Reporoa). This Project picked up an Environment Waikato Regional Construction Award 2015.
It took a week to pump the marina out to a depth of less than a metre while the excavators and trucks started digging out the island. With the water level low enough, the 30-tonne excavators were able to clear away the last of the island and to lower the level of the marina bed. A floating silt curtain was installed when the marina was closed off to mitigate the potential for silt and pumice to contaminate the lake. A total of 45,000 cubic metres of material was excavated over a 12-month period, most of it used to form adjacent car-parking and other amenities. The project, which cost about $4 million, won the $1m to $14m category at the Waikato Construction Awards, on its way to also winning the Supreme award. 48 www.contractormag.co.nz
This accolade Bruce Seay credits to the company’s staff: “From our senior executive office administration and site managers to our highly skilled operators. “They’ve been the essence of our success over the years.” The two Seay companies boast one of the largest Caterpillar machinery operations in the central North Island, having had a close relationship with the Gough Group over the past 40 years. The latest piece of Cat equipment bought by the company is a 323F series fully automated grade control excavator. It’s an investment which, combined with the steadily-declining travel time between Taupo and Auckland, the Seays believe will help secure future business as the region faces a continuing housing shortage and massive government investment in infrastructure.
CONTRACTOR
INFRASTRUCTURE
Australasian focused infrastructure
review
Jon Grayson is responsible for financial operations, commercial operations, and the infrastructure and housing group at Treasury. He spoke at the IPWEA NZ 2018 Conference in Rotorua on an infrastructure review that looks across the Tasman. “OUR NATION IS FACING a bow wave of infrastructure investment in the not-too-distant future, replacing the likes of 100 year-old water assets and schools where the average age of the estate is over 40 years,” says Grayson. “I could go on, but the point is there is a large task ahead of us. The issue is, can we turn that challenge of providing good efficient infrastructure into an opportunity?” Infrastructure by its nature has a catalytic-like effect on economic growth and wellbeing, he adds, so getting planning and investment decisions right pays huge dividends. “Whether that’s in efficiently moving people and goods around the country, whether it’s in enhancing our global competitiveness by having efficient pathways to market, whether it’s in providing quality utility services like water and electricity at a reasonable cost, or whether it’s about providing infrastructure that allows government and local government to provide social services effectively.” Infrastructure also tends to be “very expensive kit”, he says. “So, ensuring that there is a competitive market for the delivery of new infrastructure, or ensuring the incentives are in place for more efficient utilisation of existing assets can save considerable costs.” As the rate of technological advancement accelerates, so too does the challenge. Therefore ensuring the system is in shape becomes even more important, he says. “Just to use, as an example, electricity distribution traditionally has involved a very simple business model of moving electrons from generators to consumers with very low risk monopoly returns. “With technological change the prospect of off-grid transmission and bulk energy storage, and the roll-out of electric vehicles, those dynamics change dramatically and leaves us with the risk of stranded assets unless those providers have the agility and adaptability to convert a threat into an opportunity.” Our three waters is another sector facing significant challenges. “At one level, we could simply change the water quality regulations, but I doubt that would be sufficient. It is unlikely to provide a sustainable solution if the industry is not in a position to respond and invest to meet those higher standards. “We currently have 78-odd water authorities, mainly very small water providers across the country. So, the question is whether they are in the position to be able to respond to the demand for higher quality water standards, and step up to the mark to replace, upgrade or expand water infrastructure to meet those standards. “Our Department of Internal Affairs, with support from Treasury, is leading a review, which will provide options 50 www.contractormag.co.nz
on industry structure, regulatory settings – and I’m talking about not just quality, but also economic regulation for consideration by Government and its local government partners. “In this respect, I appreciate IPWEA’s role in organising the Water Summit in Wellington in May. It was an ideal forum for airing strategies and solutions for this challenge.”
The Australasian infrastructure connection Another area of focus for the National Infrastructure Unit within Treasury is a review into what is refered to as ‘infrastructure institutional settings’, he says. “This is a review at the highest level. How do we organise the system so that the incentives within the system produce the right outcomes? Are those incentives right throughout the system from planning right through to delivery?
“This review will consider whether there are better fits in aggregating central Government infrastructure procurement and transactional capabilities, and offering that to the local government sector and other agencies.” “Whether the way the government plans its own infrastructure investment is conducive to good long-term outcomes; or whether the incentives are right for other infrastructure providers, like local government and the private sector, to produce the right outcomes. “This review will consider whether there are better fits in aggregating central government infrastructure procurement and transactional capabilities, and offering that to the local government sector and other agencies. “And how we get the settings right to build capability and innovation across the value chain, and whether we can get a good handle on the pipeline of projects coming up and understand its impact on the market.” Grayson says “the seeds” of this review is already manifest in what’s called the Australian/NZ Infrastructure Pipeline. “We want to build on that, strengthen that, give it greater credibility to excite the market about the opportunties in this country.” In terms of encouraging a competitive market to ensure value for money, can we develop a single cross-Tasman infrastructure market, he asks? “The potential outcome of this review, and something that government will consider, is whether we should have an
Grayson says “the seeds” of this review is already manifest in what’s called the Australian/NZ Infrastructure Pipeline. Jon Grayson
independent infrastructure entity.” This could be similar to the various infrastructure bodies at the Australian state and federal level, he adds. “Those Australian infrastructure bodies are showing promising signs of taking a more long-term approach to infrastructure planning and investment, a focus on the highest-priority projects that have the greatest value, improving the standard of analysis to get those priority projects further up the list, and ensuring that planning is joined up.” During question time Grayson was asked how we will compete against the Australian market in terms of contractors doing the project works? “That is something I do hear quite a bit… that the action is in Australia, it’s a much bigger market. “I don’t buy the premise that investors, contractors, all participants in the infrastructure sector won’t be attracted to New Zealand. If you took that concern to its logical extent, we would only see activity in Sydney and Melbourne. “These players are rational. They will go where the
business is, where the demand is, and where there is a conducive business environment; and they have confidence to invest in capabilities here if they have the confidence that projects will be delivered.” “I think a credible pipeline is an important part of that… that allows them to plan and invest in capability here with some certainty. “But that pipeline itself, to be credible, needs to have a robust strategy behind it so people have some confidence that those projects will be delivered. “Simple things like a consistency of approach in the way we look at risk allocation between the government and private sector; documentation; seeing the same people across the negotiation table. “And then there are other things that we could look at like harmonising standards between Australia and New Zealand [such as] mutual prequalification and ensuring the bidding rules are transparent and encourage innovation. “I’m quite optimistic that if we get those things right, investors and contractors will come.”
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CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Reshaping a city with passion
As one of the country’s largest council-owned maintenance and construction companies, Citycare Group was one of the major contractors to contribute to the Christchurch rebuild.
Above: On the Avon’s western side Citycare Civil, together with partner JFC, constructed a green space with walking and cycling paths. Care was required to avoid damaging tree roots when working near significant trees.
54 www.contractormag.co.nz
AFTER SEVEN YEARS Citycare has matured into a maintenance and construction company turning over $300 million a year and with a well-balanced portfolio of North and South Island contract work. Its division Citycare Civil, in a joint venture with John Filmore Contracting (JFC), has been integral in the rebuilding the heart of Christchurch. The restoration and development of the central city area surrounding Christchurch’s Avon River has been a particularly highprofile feature of its work. This project involved constructing a two-kilometre-long City Promenade walk that weaves its way through the central business district, replacing Oxford Terrace on the Avon’s eastern side with a new city
‘waterfront’. On the Avon’s western side Citycare Civil, together with partner JFC, constructed a green space with walking and cycling paths. Care was required to avoid damaging tree roots when working near significant trees, so Citycare employed innovative excavation processes such as air vacuums that eliminated the need for hydro-vac technology. “Excavation with air vacuums worked well and was definitely safer, cleaner and faster than conventional methods,” says Roger Foy, general manager Major Projects for Citycare Civil. Meanwhile Citycare, along with its project partners, worked on the restoration of the nearby Victoria Square which had sustained extensive damage to its surfaces and
Above: This project required extensive repairs to adjacent footpaths, underground pipes and substantial landscape construction. Left: Around 17,500 new plants were planted in and around the square and just over 170,000 new pavers laid, while three kilometres of pipes and cabling have been placed below ground.
structures during the earthquakes. Together they restored the square and made it more accessible with new links to nearby features like the riverside promenade. This project required extensive repairs to adjacent footpaths, underground pipes and substantial landscape construction. Around 17,500 new plants were planted in and around the square and just over 170,000 new pavers laid, while three kilometres of pipes and cabling have been placed below ground. A new drainage and irrigation system will aid in extending the life of the square. Another large, iconic construction project forming part of the new Avon River Precinct was Christchurch's new central city play area – the Margaret Mahy Playground, which was awarded the Best Public Works Project over
$5 million at the 2017 IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards. Opened in December 2015, with separate activity zones for different ages, it's one of the largest playgrounds in the Southern Hemisphere. “All the slopes and surfacing have been designed to meet accessibility standards – a 1:12 maximum gradient for children, or adults in wheelchairs, says Foy. Another project was the restoration and repair of central Christchurch’s historic Bridge of Remembrance and strengthening work on the Triumphal Arch, completed at the end of September 2015. The company later installed new paving on the bridge, along with a ramp to improve accessibility and lighting to highlight the arch. AUGUST 2018 55
CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
“At times our teams were required to be highly sensitive to the emotions of those observing our work, notably the CTV site where the work we did was undertaken at cost.”
The Joint Venture also worked on the newly landscaped site of the former Canterbury Television (CTV) building that opened to the public back in February. The collapse of the CTV building in the February 2011 earthquake on the corner of Cashel and Madras Streets resulted in the loss of 115 lives and the injury of many more people. Three of the car parks and much of the building’s foundation were retained, while the western side of the foundation has been covered with stone chip. Planter boxes have been placed on the eastern side where the 56 www.contractormag.co.nz
concrete is exposed. “Citycare Civil did this work at cost as a gesture of goodwill to the city,” says Roger Foy. “At times our teams were required to be highly sensitive to the emotions of those observing our work, notably the CTV site where the work we did was undertaken at cost. “This sort of work was always a huge boost for our staff, to feel the extent to which their hard work was not just embraced but truly loved by Christchurch residents.”
CONTRACTOR
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Abel Tasman Drive in Golden Bay.
Tasman District Council
Modelling assets Outcomes from modelling an asset network effectively can help justify funding in a council’s next Long-Term Plan. Tasman District Council has been doing just that. Here are some insights into how its roading asset deterioration modelling has worked so far. COUNCILS ARE UPDATING their Activity Management Plans (AMPs) and Long-Term Plans (LTPs), in conjunction with preparing business cases for 2018-2021 investment through the National Land Transport Fund. This means roading asset managers again face the challenge of ensuring they have a solid and reliable evidence-based business case to secure their funding. Tasman District Council owes part of its success to investing wisely through asset deterioration modelling to help secure funding. The network has been hailed as an example of industry best practice. Transportation manager, Jamie McPherson, manages 1750 kilometres of roads including 90 kilometres of sealed roads in the Tasman region. He is responsible for the outcomes of the council’s roading network condition and performance, and making sure his community is getting value for money. Historically, the district’s large roading network has had a good level of investment and, overall, is in good condition. Big on primary production, the three big ‘Fs’ of forestry, fishing and farming are the mainstay of the region’s economy. In recent years, the district has experienced rapid growth 58 www.contractormag.co.nz
including Aucklanders shifting to the region in search of a better lifestyle, and a growing expat community. This has put pressure on infrastructure budgets, especially with an ageing population and relatively low incomes. Jamie says the local community is struggling with the same challenges that other communities face: “as we grow, expectations increase in terms of outcomes”. Over the past four years, the council has reduced its roading resurfacing and rehabilitation budgets by 30 percent compared with historic budgets and was beginning to become concerned about the longer-term consequences of lower budgets. “There was a push within our council to save costs and reduce debt projections,” says Jamie. “So, we needed to carry out modelling on our roading network to ensure that a reduction was feasible.” He wanted to test different investment scenarios to know if council was spending the right amount of money. “It’s the million-dollar question for any council, and modelling has been part of the way for us to answer that question. We can plug in different scenarios. What if, for
Westhaven Inlet on the remote western coast of Golden Bay.
example, we only spent $2 million annually? Or what if we increased that to $3 million in future years? We can play around with those options and it tells us what the outcome might be or the consequences of those decisions.” Jamie adds that any evidence to justify investment needs to be believable and as accurate as possible. “It has to tell a story and be understandable, and sometimes that’s a challenge. It’s very easy for a technical person to produce a technical report that other technical consultants can read, but it’s much harder to translate that technical information into easily-digestible summaries on which senior councillors and management can make strategic decisions.” Jamie and his team have used the IDS modelling tool (built within the dTIMS Software) via contractors over the years which has helped their roading network get to the standard it is today. The most recent run was done directly with IDS late last year.
“I directed them on what outcomes we were looking for; which was to understand the long-term effects of decisions we make today about resurfacing and rehabilitation budgets in our AMP and LTP,” says Jamie. “I supplied access to our Road Assessment and Maintenance Management (RAMM) database and specified the investment scenarios that we wanted modelled which included low, normal, high and a combination of low-normal.” Data plays an important role in modelling any asset network; the accuracy of the outcomes and recommendations improve as the amount of good data increases. However, most local authorities have limited detailed condition data and Tasman District is no different. “We have high speed data for about 30 percent of our network, and some falling weight deflectometer strength information,” says Jamie. “But there is always the uncertainty about how confident we can be with the results – an issue that most local authorities have to deal with.”
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AUGUST 2018 59
CONTRACTOR
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Jamie advises that the more that is known about a pavement, the more possible it is to tailor the rate of deterioration. “If you have better data, the better you understand how the pavement will actually deteriorate and the outcomes and results from the analysis are more accurate. Recommendations from IDS through the analysis help me take that information within my organisation and justify future investment in data collection and improvement.”
Outcomes and the future Sharing some of the outcomes of Tasman District Council’s recent modelling project, Jamie says, “We received answers to how different investment levels would affect the longterm condition of our sealed network, in terms of roughness, cracking and surface age. We’ll also use the results as an initial input into updating our forward works programme.” One outcome he wasn’t expecting was that all scenarios suggested council would need to increase the amount of resurfacing on its rural access roads. “I was not anticipating this as the ONRC had us in the mindset that higher class roads should get more and everything else will get less.” The quality of the analysis reporting has also improved over the years, says Jamie. “In this latest modelling report, IDS is helping our consultants to write information in a way that is more understandable. For example, in the executive summary, easy FAQs such as ‘What does all this mean?’ and ‘Is the current resurfacing rate adequate?’ provide answers to those simple questions which is really handy. The report still has the technical geeky stuff in the back that people like me can read.” Looking to the future, Tasman District Council faces an increase in truck weight limits and the potential impact on local roads and, in particular, weaker pavements, especially considering the forestry and farming focus in the area. Jamie says data collection is key. “For some of our roads, we need better strength data because we don’t know how strong they are underneath.
We need to collect high-speed data to track if the roads are getting worse over time. Like everyone else, we have been grappling with investing enough to protect the condition of our assets against these bigger, heavier trucks.” He continues, “The outcomes from the modelling this time around gave us enough confidence that, overall, our condition is not going to worsen a lot. But, again, we need to test some of the assumptions and the only way to do that is by collecting better data. IDS’s experience and overview of dTIMS across a range of other networks provided some recommendations on what further data we should collect. That will help us justify prioritising expenditure on data collection.” Jamie concludes, “Overall, this latest modelling project helped us develop confidence and commit to a ‘low-normal’ investment scenario, with lower spend on resurfacing and rehabilitation for another three years before returning to what we consider ‘normal’ investment in historical terms. “This means we can save our community money in the next few years without compromising the future condition of the network. Our next steps are to field validate the modelling outputs as part of updating our forward works programme and we plan to develop a data collection strategy.”
Tadmor-Bushend Road near Tapawera prior to recent rehabilitation.
Region covered by Tasman District Council showing the ward boundaries.
Council engineers inspect Tadmor-Bushend Road as part of planning for rehabilitation.
60 www.contractormag.co.nz
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HE
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TYNDALL COLLECTION; ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
A road a long-time in the making
New roads in the 19th century meant new areas being opened up to pastoral farming and, sometimes, warfare, but the Desert Road offered neither. Hugh de Lacy delves. Of all the key roads in the North Island, none was as late coming into regular usage as that which runs across the Rangipo Desert between Waiouru and Tokaanu, east of the mountains Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. Widely, but mistakenly, regarded as having been prompted by the start of World War Two and the establishment of the Army training base at Waiouru, the Desert Road was until a few years earlier just an old stage-coach track that fell out of use in favour of the one up the western side. 62 www.contractormag.co.nz
The eastern route was about 60 kilometres longer, but it passed through bush country made accessible by the completion of the North Island Main Trunk Railway in 1908, and the road traffic tended to follow the rail west from Waiouru to Ohakune and then up the western side of the mountains to Taumarunui. So it was not until the mid-1930s, when war in Europe was simmering but had yet to boil over, that agitation from the likes of the Auckland Automobile Association (AAA) nudged the first Labour Government to open
NATIONAL PUBLICITY STUDIOS COLLECTION; ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
up the shorter western route. Until then maintenance of the old track, most of it at an altitude of 600 metres, was so sparse hardly any motorists dared use it, but the development of the road from Bulls to Taihape forced the logic of a road straight across the Rangipo Desert and up the eastern side of Lake Taupo and so on into the Waikato. This meant a reduction in traffic on the hilly and windy Parapara Highway between Whanganui and Raetihi and on up through Taumarunui to Te Kuiti and all points north. The fact that there was no obvious prospect of farming the Rangipo Desert was another factor, besides the railway, that drew road traffic up the western route. Rangipo translates as the place of the dark sky, and the desert was given its name by a tohunga from the Arawa canoe, Ngatoroi-rangi, who is said to have climbed Mt Tongariro – almost dying of the cold in the process – to claim the eastern side of it for his descendants, now known as the Ngati Tuwharetoa.
Originally the name Rangipo applied only to the land between the volcanoes and the Kaimanawa Mountains, with the wider region being referred to as the Onetapu Desert, though this subsequently fell into disuse. The top of the three volcanoes were gifted to the country by the Tuwharetoa chief Te Heu-heu Tukino IV in 1887, which was the nucleus for the proposed Tongariro National Park – New Zealand’s first and just the fourth in the world. The initial land made up just 2600 hectares and a further 22,400 hectares was later purchased by the Government, which added further bits to it over the years so that it now covers 80,000 hectares. The creation of the park may have been a factor, alongside the unfarmability of the land on the eastern side of the volcanoes, and the Wellington-Auckland road’s pursuit of the rail up the western side, that delayed so long the construction of the Desert Road. In gratefully announcing in mid-1936 that the Government was allocating money that
Widely, but mistakenly, regarded as having been prompted by the start of World War Two and the establishment of the Army training base at Waiouru, the Desert Road was until a few years earlier just an old stage-coach track that fell out of use in favour of the one up the western side.
AUGUST 2018 63
CONTRACTOR
HISTORY
TYNDALL COLLECTION; ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
A workforce of 800 had built more than 230 buildings, 20 kilometres of streets and eight kilometres of horizontal infrastructure in Waiouru by Christmas of 1940, and New Zealand’s war effort was in full swing.
64 www.contractormag.co.nz
year to make the Desert Road at last suitable for motor vehicles, the touring manager of the Auckland AA, R.E. Champtaloup noted that there were “no severe grades and the light nature of the soil should provide very easy constructional work.” And indeed, given the relative ease with which a road could be constructed there, compared to virtually anywhere else in the North island, it’s even more a wonder that it wasn’t properly formed, nor even metalled, much earlier. This was despite the first stage coaches creating a dry-weather track by operating an occasional service between Taihape and Taupo as early as the late 1880s. By mid-1939 work was progressing steadily on constructing a six-metre wide road through the sparse snow-grasses and tussocks that are all that can grow since the mass sterilisation of other seeds by the mainly ignimbrite lava flows of 20,000 years earlier. The road-builders found the first 20 kilometres or so of the Desert Road north from Waiouru relatively easy going with the volcanic pumice providing a firm and solid base, but before the road was sealed the pumice also generated great clouds of choking dust that were a deterrent against users. After the long straights, the road reaches a summit at a point known as The Three Sisters, where it suddenly begins bucking, twisting, rising and plunging before latching itself onto the Tongariro River and dropping off the
Central Plateau for the run into Turangi. The declaration of war on Germany in September that year sent the Desert Road construction into over-drive after the Army identified 65,000 hectares of the Rangipo Desert as an ideal training ground, and Waiouru – at the time a bare platform at which the trains sometimes stopped – as its base. The Government bought it for that purpose within a few weeks of the declaration of war. Waiouru is the shortened version of the original Maori name Te Wahi Oru Nga Tangata, which prophetically means the place through which everyone must pass, and 7000 trainees at a time passed through it on their way to the North African, European and Asian war theatres. And after World War Two they continued to pass through there to Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and the half-dozen armed policing actions into which New Zealand was subsequently sucked into. A workforce of 800 had built more than 230 buildings, 20 kilometres of streets and eight kilometres of horizontal infrastructure in Waiouru by Christmas of 1940, and New Zealand’s war effort was in full swing. The Desert Road itself was rapidly completed, and eventually sealed, and threequarters of a century after most of the other elements of SH1 had come into mainstream usage it became the preferred route through the centre of the island.
19–21 September 2018, Hamilton TYNDALL COLLECTION; ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
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AUGUST 2018 65
CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
Is cut price bidding undermining our infrastructure? PETER SILCOCK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CCNZ
CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND recently worked with
Major Associate member Teletrac Navman and Colmar Brunton to complete the 2018 Construction Industry Survey. The results will be released to the public at our annual conference in Hamilton to help CCNZ members, and New Zealand as a whole, better understand the issues contractors are facing. As we reviewed the results, some of the numbers around procurement got me thinking. A massive 85 percent of survey respondents (and 93 percent of companies with more than 50 employees) believe poor procurement usually affects the entire project adversely. So, this means what happens during procurement has an ongoing effect, and also raises questions about what sort of impact procurement has on the quality of the infrastructure we build or maintain. Teletrac Navman’s survey asked contractors to rate statements, with 12 statements focused on procurement. Not surprisingly, ‘Client focus on lowest price’ was the highest-ranking response with 81 percent rating the impact as high or very high. What surprised me was the second highest rated statement. ‘Cut price bidding by contractors’ was rated as a high or very high impact in 76 percent of responses. Wow. That got me thinking about why contractors would behave like this in a market where I am continually told there is plenty of work available. While it is true CCNZ has expressed concerns to Government about a potential hole in the infrastructure pipeline over the next few years, that is not with us yet and many local authorities and councilcontrolled organisations are increasing their capital works programmes. So why are contractors engaging in cut price bidding? The simple explanation of strong competition for contracts (and this is the case) does not seem to explain the behaviour. The suggestion of ‘cut price’ infers that prices are lower than they should be. Could the market have spiralled down to a level that’s not sustainable? Does the level of commitment contractors have in terms of plant and people mean they can’t afford to miss out on a job because if the wheels stop turning things will fall over? Or do many contractors just not understand their own costs well enough? The other question is if 76 percent of contractors see this as a problem, why don’t they make a change? Of course,
Does the level of commitment contractors have in terms of plant and people mean they can’t afford to miss out on a job because if the wheels stop turning things will fall over? most contractors would deny they engage in cut price bidding. It is always other contractors who do that. Are the remaining 24 percent the ones putting in the cut price bids? I would say these factors all contribute, and part of the answer lies in the hands of contractors themselves. Reports of projects’ losses and the level of risk being passed to contractors are changing the industry’s approach to procurement. As I travel around the country, contractors are telling me they are picking and choosing which jobs they bid for, how much risk they take on, who they work for and ensuring that the bids they put in are sustainable. Part of the answer also rests with clients. Contractors are choosing which clients they want to work for, and in turn clients are asking the question “how can I become a preferred client”? Because they realise that they can procure a top-quality project that exceeds expectations by working in partnership with a quality contractor(s) that has well qualified staff, the right plant and strong working relationships with consultants and other contractors. Improving procurement is a major focus for Civil Contractors New Zealand as the voice of New Zealand’s contractors. We use every opportunity to highlight the need for procurement to support a strong, healthy contracting industry with the capacity and capability to build and maintain the infrastructure we all rely on every day. The pace of change continues to accelerate and we all need to keep pace. New technology enables us to measure and monitor more than ever before and we need to upskill our people to use these new tools and the information they produce to harness this information to better inform our operations, management and importantly our bids. The top two survey responses in terms of procurement clearly illustrate it takes two to tango. Both contractors and clients need to lift their sights if we want to deliver quality infrastructure we can all be proud of.
Postal Address: PO Box 12013, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Physical Address: Margan House, 21 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington 6011 Phone 0800 692 376
66 www.contractormag.co.nz
CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
Are wire rope barriers – barriers to oversize? JONATHAN BHANA-THOMSON, CEO, NZ HEAVY HAULAGE ASSOCIATION
WIRE ROPE MEDIAN BARRIERS have an excellent record for
reducing head-on accidents in black-spot areas, however the requirements for other road users – including the oversize industry – must be taken into account when planning for them. The past few years have seen the rise and rise of retrofitted wire rope median barriers – particularly as part of the NZTA’s $600m Safe Roads project. This association has been engaged with this project from the start, but the sheer number of projects that are being considered means that it is difficult to attend all the meetings and stay in touch with the different stages of each. Then add to that the recent revelation on The Nation TV programme that NZTA has a project to add up to 980 kilometres of median barriers to the nation’s State Highways. Much of this appears to be driven by the Associate Minister of Transport, Julie Anne Genter, who is on record as saying “The Government has proposed a significant boost in funding to improve local and regional roads right around the country. This will have a particular focus on proven safety treatments, like median and side barriers.” Don’t get me wrong, median barriers are an effective tool to improve the safety of road users where there are accidentprone areas and we support the installation of median barriers where necessary to prevent fatalities and major injury accidents. However, we are concerned the planning of these installations has to take into account the width and clearance requirements of the overdimension transport industry. Otherwise the median barrier solution to eliminate fatalities may well create new risks. Where centre barriers are installed thought needs to be given as to the positioning of roadside signage, light poles and trees to ensure particularly wide loads do not have difficulty manoeuvring around them, placing a significant portion of the load in the opposing lane for traffic on the other side of the barrier. This is particularly the case where centre barriers are installed on roads with a single lane in each direction. Motorists travelling on roads divided by a centre barrier do so with a degree of comfort that oncoming traffic on the other side of the barrier cannot affect them. While overdimension loads are required to have pilots to warn oncoming motorists of the overdimension load hazard, it can be difficult to attract the attention of some motorists in this situation. It is of great concern to the oversize industry that a major NZTA project to install nearly 1000 kilometres of wire rope barrier is to be finalised soon, but there appears to have been very little visibility of it. At least with the Safe Roads projects, NZTA seeks input from local residents, road users and other parties about what safety issues there are, and the ways to mitigate that risk that is going to work for all stakeholders. It is not just the oversize transport industry that has issues 68 www.contractormag.co.nz
It is of great concern to the oversize industry that a major NZTA project to install nearly 1000 kilometres of wire rope barrier is to be finalised soon, but there appears to have been very little visibility of it. with the design of these barriers. A median barrier can also prevent emergency services from accessing an accident site, and traffic that is built up behind an accident on a road with single lane in each direction will cause major issues. Other problems with these barriers are where they are installed on the side of the road, then the shoulders are no longer accessible for road maintenance vehicles to pull off, without major traffic management, when large vehicles break down there is often not a lot of space to pull over, and there are even scenarios where school buses no longer have space to pull off the road to let their passengers off due to road side barriers. Finally, people that live adjacent to these barriers only have the option to turn left out of their front gate and then undertake a u-turn at the next gap in the barrier if they want to travel in the opposite direction. The oversize industry is seeing greater and greater demand for overdimension loads – particularly prefabricated units to be transported from the manufacturer to site. Part of the Government’s KiwiBuild programme for new houses appears to rely on new transportable houses constructed in a manufacturing facility and then shifted by transporter to the final residential site. If the transport of these oversize loads is to be undertaken safely, then more thought needs to go into the planning of any new median barriers, so as to identify and remove any roadside barriers, and if this can incorporate road widening at the same time, then this would be hugely beneficial. The Association has written to the Minister concerned and the NZTA about the Wire Rope Median project seeking engagement with this project. We are calling for a careful analysis of the locations, the overall road width, and the identification of roadside width restrictions before any further wire rope barriers are approved. If this means targeting specific and shorter pieces of accident-prone areas with a greater investment in road widening and roadside restriction removal, then we would support this.
KEEP EQUIPMENT WORKING HARD WHILE OPERATORS STAY SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE. All you need are the right tools. Get connected.
0800 447 735 teletracnavman.co.nz
CONTRACTOR
LEGAL
Harnessing the Construction Contracts Act 2002 BRETT MARTELLI, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, HEANEY & PARTNERS
CONTRACTORS ARE WELL aware that under the CCA, if a
payment claim is not paid or disputed by the statutory or contractual deadline, the other party is automatically liable for the amount of the payment claim as a debt due which is enforceable in the courts. Occasionally, contractors have thought that the CCA will apply if the invoice says “This invoice is a payment claim under the CCA”. That is not correct. In some cases the contractor will need to comply with the letter of the legislative requirement. In other cases, it may be sufficient if there has been substantial compliance. Each case will turn on its own facts but a particular case can show what is not going to comply with the CCA. This article reviews what must be said/sent to meet the requirements of the CCA and a case where the contractor did not meet the necessary standard.
What should be sent? Section 20(2) of the CCA says a payment claim must: a) Be in writing; and contain sufficient details to identify the construction contract to which the payment relates; b) identify the construction work and the relevant period to which the payment relates; c) s tate a claimed amount and the due date for payment; d) i ndicate the manner in which the payee calculated the claimed amount; e) and state that it is made under this Act. It is (b) and (e) that cause the most disputes. In CJ Parker Construction Ltd v Ketan [2017] NZCA 3, the contractor (CJ Parker Construction Ltd) partially renovated Mr Ketan’s house. Unusually, there was no contract between the parties. Mr Ketan became dissatisfied with the work and terminated the arrangement. CJ Parker sent Mr Ketan a “Tax Invoice” claiming $240,542.10. The invoice: • S aid “this is a payment claim under the Construction Contracts Act 2002” for work completed between 7 May 2013 and 10 July 2013; and
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Common sense always goes a long way. If the payment claim provides enough information and reference for a person not associated with the work to understand the calculations, the chances are that the payment claim will be valid. • Described the work loosely as “Main Contract”. The particulars were incomprehensible, for example, one description of work read, “plumbing & drainage for 2 stages as per quote $77,395 plus GST, currently (stage 1) 70 percent work done to charge 20 percent plus GST for major work already done for both stages”. The invoice charged $15,479 for this item. Other descriptions were similar. Payment was not made and CJ Parker applied for summary judgment for $240,542 on the basis that the invoice was a valid payment claim and the respondent did not reply with a valid payment schedule in time. Therefore, the invoiced amount was a due debt under the CCA. Ketan opposed summary judgment on the basis that the payment claim did not indicate the manner in which the payee calculated the claimed amount. The court held that CJ Parker was not entitled to summary judgment. In other words, Mr Ketan might have a defence to the claim and CJ Parker would have to test the defence properly at a full trial. In coming to that conclusion, the court noted: • Although payment claims should not be held to be invalid because of minor technical deficiencies, the payee must indicate an objectively understandable basis upon which the value of the work claimed was calculated; and • CJ Parker merely set out general figures without reference to ascertainable factors in its calculation which were not sufficiently detailed and comprehensible. Common sense always goes a long way. If the payment claim provides enough information and reference for a person not associated with the work to understand the calculations, the chances are that the payment claim will be valid. Aside from proper descriptions of calculations covered above, under section 20(3) CCA, payment claims must be accompanied by a document which: Outlines the process for responding to the payment claim; and explains the consequences of not responding to the payment claim and not paying the claimed amount, or the scheduled amount, in full.
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CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
Committed to working with contractors BRETT GLIDDON, GENERAL MANAGER, SYSTEM DESIGN AND DELIVERY, NZTA
THIS IS MY FIRST COLUMN as the NZ Transport Agency’s
new general manager, System Design and Delivery, and my appointment comes at a time of significant change for land transport; it is both challenging and exciting. The NZ Transport Agency is committed to working with contractors and consultants to further develop the strong relationships we already have with the industry, and to work together to make the most of the new opportunities we have to develop a better land transport system for New Zealand. I joined the Transport Agency several years ago. My work has covered many different aspects of the transport industry: Infrastructure delivery, maintenance and operations, the introduction of new technology, developing public transport, providing walking and cycling amenities, and working with communities. One of the first projects I worked on was considered a multi-modal public transport landmark for the time – the delivery of Auckland’s Northern Busway beside the Northern Motorway (State Highway 1). I then moved further north along SH1 to work on the Northern Gateway Toll Road, and later to lead the investigation to extend the SH1 motorway from Warkworth to Wellsford. After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, I represented the Transport Agency during the establishment phase of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT). In the same year, I was also appointed Highways Manager for Bay of Plenty and oversaw the delivery of the Tauranga Eastern Link and the transfer of Route K to the Transport Agency and the later electronic tolling of the road. On my return to Auckland as Highways Manager, I was heavily involved in the successful Waterview Connection project, serving on the Well-Connected Alliance board and overseeing the extension of Auckland’s cycling/walking network including the distinctive magenta-coloured light path. Before my new appointment, I was senior manager for the System Design and Delivery team. In my new role there are a number of goals that I want to help the NZ Transport Agency achieve: • Health and safety – We will continue to be an advocate and leader for reducing harm. I want the Transport Agency and our suppliers to continue to lift the bar and set the highest standards for health and safety so that all people working on our sites return home safely every day. • Collaboration – working together with contractors and consultants, and also with the group important to us all – local government – to deliver a safer and more accessible land transport system for New Zealand. • B eing ready for the future – the Transport Agency recently celebrated the first anniversary of its transformation, designed to ensure we’re better placed to anticipate the needs 72 www.contractormag.co.nz
The NZ Transport Agency is committed to working with contractors and consultants to further develop the strong relationships we already have with the industry, and to work together to make the most of the new opportunities we have to develop a better land transport system for New Zealand. of the future. It is important for the industry to move with us, and we will work hard to ensure that together we are in a strong position to take advantage of the opportunities with the new land transport priorities and embrace the challenges of new technology. • Focusing on customers – one of the key challenges we have is keeping up with customers’ expectations for transport in a changing world. The focus on customers and how they will use the transport system, both easily and safely, is reflected across the Transport Agency’s entire business. We’ll encourage the industry to ensure that when they work for us they focus not only on infrastructure and technology outcomes, but also the social outcomes that impact positively on people and their communities and deliver innovation and value for money. The Transport Agency is finalising the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) for 2018-21, which will be adopted by the end of this month. The NLTP will set out the Transport Agency’s investment programme, with its co-investment partners, for the next three years, but just as importantly it will reflect the Government’s new vision and priorities for the land transport system. This new programme of work will still be big and complicated, with around $4 billion being invested in the land transport system annually, although there will be a different mix of outcomes. The change is away from a separate focus on road building, to one that considers the development of a complete transport system, embracing and better connecting all transport options – walking, cycling, public transport, rail and roads – to make it easier for people to choose how they get around. There are challenges ahead, but they are incredibly exciting. Your industry has been successful at dealing with change in the past. My role, and the role of my team, will be to ensure that you continue to do so. There are great opportunities and rewards for us all.
COMMENT
CONTRACTOR
Preparing a winning bid methodology KERRIE McEWEN, GENERAL MANAGER AND A SENIOR CONSULTANT WITH PLAN A – TENDER SPECIALISTS
THE TENDER’S JUST been released and your team has directly
relevant experience and the required skills to do the job. Excellent! Now all you need to do is convince the tender evaluators that your team is best-placed to deliver the works. In almost every civil construction or maintenance tender the Methodology section accounts for a high percentage of marks of the Non-Price Attributes, and rightly so – the evaluators want to know how project-specific risks will be managed and how value-for-money will be maximised. While inserting a list of bullet point statements covering how you will deliver is tempting (especially with a tight deadline looming), it’s worth investing time into crafting a customised, thoughtful and compelling Methodology. To maximise your chance of a higher score in this vital section of your Non-Price Attributes, try the following:
Understand what your client is really trying to achieve and their risks In an ideal world, the RFT provides details on what’s important to your client for this project or contract, supported by targeted and specific questions to allow the evaluators to differentiate between bidders. But we’ve all seen RFT documents which don’t fully capture what’s required in a contract or project (including the classic cut-and-paste from an old RFT for a different contract altogether). In this situation it’s essential to step away from the RFT itself and think about what the client is really trying to achieve. What’s critical for success for them? What are their biggest risks or fears? How can your team help them to deliver a successful project? And how can you add value every step of the way? Thinking about the answers to these questions early on in your bid preparation is a strong framework for your Methodology, underpinned by riskfocused win themes.
Make technical language accessible The project you’re bidding for might be extremely technical, but it’s important that your Methodology statement can be understood by someone without a higher engineering qualification. Chances are there’ll be at least one person on the Tender Evaluation Team who does not have the same technical insight and knowledge as everyone else. If you can connect with that person as well as the technical experts you’re on your way to a winning formula. The key here is to avoid jargon for jargon’s sake, and explain ‘the why’ of your Methodology along with the ‘what this means’ for your client and project stakeholders. A useful approach is to use risk-focused language, as opposed to task-focused language. Once you have your
process for delivering the project or contract worked out (which is hopefully packed with value-add and innovation), bring your bid writer and subject matter experts together. The idea here is to interweave the risks into the tasks, and then clearly explain the benefits of your proposed approach. The client will be reassured you have the right process – not only to deliver the job but to manage the associated risks and ultimately protect their reputation.
Widen your scope Consider broadening your Methodology beyond the usual RFT questions. Become familiar with your client’s Vision and Values; understand what their key drivers are; find out if they’ve released a sustainability strategy; understand who the stakeholders are and how the project will impact them – and work with your entire bid team to connect your Methodology to these areas.
“...interweave the risks into the tasks, and then clearly explain the benefits of your proposed approach. The client will be reassured you have the right process – not only to deliver the job but to manage the associated risks and ultimately protect their reputation.” And it’s worth noting that ‘sustainability’ doesn’t just mean environmental management. In Auckland Transport’s 2017 ROI for their Physical Works Supplier Panels, for example, respondents were asked how they could help AT achieve objectives relating to local community and economy; valuing local Maori and Pacific culture in Auckland as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and includes water quality and waste management. Even if these areas are not featured in the RFT, chances are that your client will be thinking about them anyway if they’re a local authority, or government organisation. Outlining your approach to supporting a sustainable supply chain or developing local skills, for example, will most likely resonate with them. It’s also worth looking to other sectors outside the civil contracting industry for inspiration. The social services, health and education sectors are increasingly focused on measuring ‘outcomes’ rather than inputs – and it’s a useful approach to take when writing your next methodology description. AUGUST 2018 73
CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
From road to rail PHIL O’REILLY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IRON DUKE PARTNERS
MAJOR CHANGES TO OUR transport policy announced in the Government Policy Statement (GPS) in April have now come into play. And, as the big dollars begin to roll out, after 40 odd years of under-investment, we can now see how this government intends to invest. Transport is a complex issue, touching many sectors. And, it seems, that everyone is in on the debate. Having worked across transport policy for several years, I have noticed that everyone appears to hold ‘evidence’ that justifies their viewpoint. But we must remember that since land transport policy is driven by many factors – the ‘evidence’ can often have a certain political flavour. This means that transport policy is now defined much more by underlying belief systems than it is by purely economic or objective evidence. For example, a National-led government will tend to invest in roads because their constituents and the people around them drive cars. The Greens, by comparison, want to invest in cycleways. It therefore follows that the primary shift in this Labourled policy statement is the sidelining of planned major road projects in favour of more public transport and rail – exactly what Labour campaigned on. In real terms, this means several things: • S afety improvements – Annual funding for safety upgrades across regional and state highway networks will double from $90m to $180m – a measure which most will welcome. This presents a prime opportunity for private sector product innovation and the delivery of safety projects across the country’s roads. The other good political thing about this is that safety improvements can be made almost immediately and will be visible to the motoring public come 2020. • Increases to petrol excise – The government plans to increase the petrol excise by between 9 and 12 cents over three years. While Aucklanders will face the double hit of both a regional fuel tax of 10 cents + GST and increase in excise, some believe higher petrol prices tend to lead to more efficient cars on the road and fewer cars overall. This, however, is a difficult line to sell to a struggling young family driving a second-hand car across town to their workplace every day and dropping kids to school on the way. • No more RONs – The previous government’s flagship policy of ‘roads of national significance’ (RONs), many of which were leading in and out of, or between, large provincial towns or cities, will be no more. Projects that have already been agreed and funded will go ahead and there is some 74 www.contractormag.co.nz
increased funding for the maintenance of regional roads. However, those in the road construction sector will see their pipeline for new large highway projects dwindle. The challenge here for government is that voters will be paying a bigger fuel excise without seeing much activity on their home patch. Expect to see the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund being used to do more work in this space. • More (light) rail – Rail will receive a slice of the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) with NZTA now having to treat all modes of land transport as one. This is a first for KiwiRail and will open up more projects funded by the NLTF. In addition, ‘rapid transit’ has been created as a new class of funding, with $4 billion allocated for light rail projects in Auckland and, potentially, the regional rail passenger service between Auckland and Hamilton. Wellington will also be eyeing up a slice of this funding for its own long-discussed light rail projects. This will be an area of opportunity for those in the infrastructure sector to assist government delivery of the significant promises and signals in the rail space. Regional rail also benefits from this announcement, and from the regional economic development initiative. • A bigger role for NZTA – NZTA now covers funding for all modes of transport, rail, cycling, walking, coastal shipping and rail, as well as motor vehicles. This is a major operational change for NZTA and will likely bring heightened risk to the agency which has just come out of a major organisational restructure. Furthermore, NZTA is very good at understanding and building roads but, with the best will in the world, it doesn’t know much about coastal shipping or railways – yet. • Public transport – Public transport wins in many ways. Firstly, public transport funding has improved by 46 percent and that could mean cheaper fares or more frequent transport options for public transport users across the country. The second big win here is in public transport infrastructure with the biggest piece of new transport infrastructure being the light rail link from Auckland City to the Airport. But this is a little harder to sell. Even Minister Twyford, at his most optimistic, is talking about shovels being in the ground by around 2020. The political trade-off here is that voters will be paying more in fuel excise for no major improvements to the roading network, but they will receive two light rail lines that will impact some Aucklanders and hopefully improve public transport services.
• Business confidence – For many years now business has had a road-focused advocacy voice, underpinned by the fact that New Zealand is a largely sparsely-populated hilly country where roads are necessary for business. This means one of the effects of the increase in excise and road user charges will be freight costs. Logistics firms will inevitably pass these costs on to consumers. Business will also acknowledge that changes to the land transport policy will create uncertainty. However, given the past underinvestment in transport infrastructure, it’s possible that businesses will cautiously welcome increased investment in transport whatever it may be. Despite there being some uncertainty still around a few large projects, such as the third main line in Auckland and Otaki to Levin expressway, I expect businesses to adapt quickly to the new transport policy reality. The changes to New Zealand’s land transport policy will
This is a major operational change for NZTA and will likely bring heightened risk to the agency which has just come out of a major organisational restructure. no doubt polarise opinion, with those in favour of public transport seeing it as a winner; those in favour of roads seeing it as a loser. Politicians, to win favour, will need to find a new middle ground in transport infrastructure planning and provision. They will need to find policy solutions that enable the interests of economic development, public health and safety and more prosperous communities to play out in a more stable, long-term policy fashion. I see this as being the main political challenge over the next three to six years.
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CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
A case for e-training DARREN COTTINGHAM, DT DRIVER TRAINING
I’M FREQUENTLY ASKED how such a manual and physical task
as driving, or operating a piece of machinery can be taught using a computer. Isn’t it better to have in-person training? The answer is not necessarily and certainly not always. Significant cost benefits and improvements in learning outcomes can be gained by embracing e-learning, which can be delivered on a computer, tablet or smartphone, and has been around for decades. Let’s have a look at the main benefits of e-learning to your company and your drivers and operators.
Cost-effective and better outcomes E-learning is often more cost-effective because you are not paying for a trainer to travel to your location, or for your drivers to travel to the trainer’s location. And if you have drivers in remote places, then travelling to a training location could take up to a couple of hours each way. In many cases, e-learning can be accomplished more quickly than classroombased learning meaning savings in wages, too. Classroom-based learning can be frustrating as it is often set at the pace of the slower learners in the class. This means faster learners disengage through boredom, while those who can’t keep up stay silent through fear of looking foolish. The average attention span is around 20 minutes. When you put a person in a three hour classroom training session, how much knowledge can they retain? E-learning has the advantage of breaking concepts down into brief modules that can be completed over several shorter sessions, perhaps even over a few weeks, if that’s more convenient. And the knowledge gained in each module can be immediately applied in the workplace. For example, our online forklift operator’s (OSH) certificate course is split over 16 modules and augmented by a practical assessment. Rather than taking four-five hours in a classroom, it takes two to two and half hours, delivering a real cost benefit to a company.
E-learning is inclusive and multi-faceted Many employees do not use English as their primary language and e-learning can be offered in multiple languages. Drivers don’t have to be embarrassed if they don’t understand a topic as they can take a module as many times as is necessary and do their own research. Night-shift workers can do their training at night when they would usually be awake, rather than having to make their way to daytime training where they might be tired and disengaged. Everyone receives the same training in the same delivery style with the same questions. There’s no variation for time of day or the instructor. 76 www.contractormag.co.nz
Classroom-based learning can be frustrating as it is often set at the pace of the slower learners in the class. This means faster learners disengage through boredom, while those who can’t keep up stay silent through fear of looking foolish. Look for carefully crafted content that suits your requirements and includes live video, animation, photos, diagrams and voiceovers followed by questions to assess a trainee’s understanding of the materials. Data can also be extracted to show exactly how a driver has done in the training. As they are required to answer questions, this can be measured and used in an audit trail.
You retain control When drivers go to an off-site, classroom-based course, how do you (as their manager, supervisor or boss) know what they are learning and whether they are engaged? With e-learning you can see the exact content they will be learning. Some e-learning courses give access to the learning materials for up to a year or more, so if a driver begins to develop bad habits, they can run through the course again.
Is online learning the right solution all of the time? From ‘how to’ videos on YouTube showing everything from changing a tyre to cooking a quiche, through to courses offered by MBIE for understanding your obligations as an employer, online instructional material has been broadly adopted and is widely available. But this type of learning is not a substitute for every type of training. Tasks requiring teamwork or where social interaction is required are more difficult to teach online. When a company doesn’t have the right technology or a person to manage it, e-learning initiatives struggle.
Where does e-learning excel? E-learning excels in conveniently and cheaply delivering in-depth theory about a topic in engaging ways. It gives much more scope for the demonstration of practical tips and tricks in a multitude of scenarios that might be difficult or expensive to duplicate with an in-person training session.
COMMENT
CONTRACTOR
Now is the time for exponential growth PETER BENFELL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CONNEXIS
ALMOST THREE YEARS since the launch of Civil Trades, the
nationally recognised accreditation programme for civil contractors in New Zealand we find ourselves at a tipping point. From that landmark moment in December 2015, we have continued to grow awareness, engagement and, crucially, participation in Civil Trades Certification (CTC), to the point we are now poised for an explosion of exponential growth. To light that fuse however, we must be vigilant, never resting on our laurels. We must continue to ensure the training, support and pathways we are offering are both fit for purpose and accessible to the right people.
Growth and engagement Before we address the challenges that lie ahead, let’s take a moment to look back and appreciate how far we’ve come. As of April 2017, we had 25 workers registered to complete their Civil Trades, as of July this year we had well over 200. Towards the end of 2017, we were seeing eight to 10 registrations for CTC per month. In June that number was 45. To see that momentum grow has been hugely gratifying, and a good deal of credit for it must go to the workers themselves. They all represent the best advertising we could wish for on the benefits of achieving CTC. Not only do their co-workers see those certified being recognised for their skills, they see those workers taking an increasing pride in their achievements and their work. Where once a worker may have been known within their workplace for their good technical skills, now they are nationally recognised for being good in all aspects of the business, from management and reporting to health and safety. The effect is not just an improvement in individuals or businesses, but a quantifiable raising of the skill level across an entire industry.
Pipeline maintenance and expansion As is fitting for the civil works sector, we have often talked about this growth and skills improvement as a talent pipeline. Like all pipelines it needs constant maintenance to allow it to be expanded. The first challenge in extending that pipeline is making sure employers are connected with talented, motivated and interested job seekers. To find those workers we must compete with other sectors, such as construction, also battling skills shortages, but which have a much stronger tradition of structured apprenticeships. We must also compete with tertiary education providers and other technical professions which offer financially rewarding career paths. To that end, our Transition to Work pre-employment programmes aimed at upskilling workers with no previous
industry experience, have been extremely successful in helping staff large scale projects. Additionally, we have been working hard in schools and on nationwide roadshows showcasing the civil industry, with emphasis on how the Gateway Apprenticeship programme can lead school leavers on to an apprenticeship and then Civil Trades Certification. Combined, these training steps place our career pathways on par with those long offered in other trades. But it is not enough to rest there. We have also spent much of this year developing and refining a new suite of qualifications. These will ensure our apprenticeship model is effectively structured, making sure it encompasses all the assessments, mentoring, support and technical training our apprentices require. Look for more detail on what this new programme will entail as we near the October launch date.
Looking to diversity Another way to improve the skills deficit is to embrace the gender imbalance which has long been part of the civil sector’s employment landscape. It has been thrilling to see the way so many of our businesses are recognising the benefits of making sure they are talking to as many young women as young men when it comes to recruitment and finding trainees. Not just because when you’re battling a skills shortage it makes no sense to ignore half the population, but also because increasingly businesses realise the diversity of employees bring the diversity of ideas, talent and problem solving. The most obvious indicator of this movement was in the pleasing increase in the number of civil sector business that signed up for our annual Girls with Hi-Vis campaign, which aims to address the gender imbalance in infrastructure by offering women a hands-on experience of the different jobs and aspects of an industry they may not have ever previously considered.
Onward and upward In December this year, the first workers who achieved their Civil Trades Certification, will find their certification registration up for renewal. It represents another landmark moment in our three-year journey since the CTC launch in 2015. It’s a good moment to acknowledge how far we’ve come, while recognising the journey never ends. Our emphasis now is the evolution to ensure we have the talent and numbers behind us to hit those infrastructure targets, resolve that skills shortage and create a thriving industry people want to be a part of. AUGUST 2018 77
CONTRACTOR
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CLASSIC MACHINES
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C H I N E S
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Euclid’s Big Singles
The S-28 and S-32
Designed to compete directly with the Caterpillar 651, the Euclid S-28, and later S-32, were the largest single-engined overhung scrapers that the company ever manufactured, and as it turns out, also the rarest. By Richard Campbell. DURING THE 1960S, there was a surge of
interest in really big single-engined motor scrapers. Projects had become much larger and the need to shift bulk earth at a reasonable cost was of great importance to earthmoving contractors. Caterpillar had gained a bit of a jump on the competition with its model 651 which was first introduced in 1962. Not to be outdone, Allis-Chalmers, M.R.S, Clark-Michigan, Wabco and Euclid all developed really large single-engined scrapers to do the job and take Caterpillar on. Of these five manufacturers, only Wabco, and to a lesser extent AllisChalmers, had any real success in this size category. Euclid had seen the need for a machine larger than its existing S-24 in 1962 (after Caterpillar had already introduced its 78 www.contractormag.co.nz
651) and immediately began development of a couple of test “mules” to see how well they performed. After a few tweaks, the first production machines, now known as the Euclid S-28, made their appearance in late 1963. The Euclid S-28, as the designation implies, held 28 cubic yards struck and 38 cubic yards heaped, a very worthwhile payload. In operational trim, the machine weighed almost 46 tons empty. It was powered by a General Motors 12V-71N V-12 diesel rated at 441 flywheel horsepower and had an Allison CLT5960 six-speed powershift transmission which allowed it to move along at around 30 miles per hour. The S-28 also introduced a few firsts for Euclid, some of which would be incorporated into other machines in the range.
First of these was a power down apron. Up until 1963, all Euclid scrapers featured a cable operated, gravity closed apron. (Some machines, such as the TS-14 still retained this feature for a while). Due to the new configuration of the S-28’s gooseneck, application of a gravity closed apron was not feasible so another solution had to be found. The result was the power down ‘radial arc’ apron. By 1964, both the smaller S-24 and TS-24 also featured a power down apron. (So did the TS-18 which came out in 1972). Next innovation was the roller push block. If you have observed for any time push loading of scrapers, you may have noticed that it is possible to lift the
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1. Factory portrait of a Euclid S-28. It is a particularly clean design but structural failures would eventually spell its downfall. Sharp eyed readers will spot the nonsuspension seat (ouch!), single lever bowl control and the roller stops on the inside of the bowl for the two-part ejection system. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
2. Just delivered Euclid S-28 on a highway expansion job in the USA. This is probably the machine’s first load judging by how clean it is. The new owner has sensibly specified the machine with an air suspension seat! PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION 3. An S-28 on the fill depositing its load. The high apron opening is notable and greatly aided the ejection of chunky loads. This machine is also fitted with the optional air suspension seat.
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rear wheels of the scraper off the ground when loading. This results in a loss of control over cutting depth for the scraper operator. Euclid’s roller push block was an attempt to negate this problem, and it worked to a greater extent. The fact that it did work resulted in the roller push block being made available as an option for all other Euclid scrapers
The last trick up Euclid’s sleeve was the single lever bowl operation control. This was a concept ahead of its time and only really recently reintroduced on more modern scrapers. One lever controlled all functions – bowl lift/lower, apron lift/lower and ejection. In order to get this rather complex device to work, Euclid engineers
PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
4. A very unusual find was this Euclid S-28 which had been transformed into a watercart. No doubt the bowl structure had died and the owner did not want to part with a perfectly good tractor unit so this was the result. There is a model made of this actual machine. PHOTO: INTERNET
AUGUST 2018 79
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CLASSIC MACHINES
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1. L ooking quite the brute of a machine that it was, the obligatory factory shot of a Euclid S-32, successor to the S-28. Note the enlarged planetary wheel covers, twin exhaust stacks and the modified bowl (Euclid extended it rearward by around 20” rather than fit sideboards). By now the air suspension seat is standard equipment. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
2. An S-32 from about 1969, now in Terex livery. Nothing has really changed apart from the decals although this example has the late series Donaldson STG dual aircleaners. One final change before the machine was discontinued was the addition of kidney shaped exhaust mufflers, added to the top of the hood. With a GM 12V-71T under there, these things were quite noisy! PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
3. A Euclid SS-28 heads downhill to the cut after depositing its load. Designed for high volume loads and high speed hauls, the Euclid SS-28 is a very rare scraper and competed with the Caterpillar 650. It employed the bowl of the Euclid S-28 and tractor unit of the SS-24. The Euclid designed roller push block is well in evidence. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
80 www.contractormag.co.nz
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employed air boosted servos to the hydraulic valves. This proved to be somewhat problematic as operators complained that they lost “feel” for the bowl functions. Previous Euclid scrapers used a direct linkage to the valves allowing minute adjustment by the operator. The air booster just opened or closed the valves immediately which made for quite jerky operation. Also, unless the air system was regularly – i.e daily – purged of water, moisture in the air lines quickly corroded the polished surfaces of the valves causing them to stick, with the usual unfortunate consequences. Euclid offered a multi-lever reversion package to overcome this problem but still offered the single lever control up until the late 1960s and well into the production of the S-28’s successor, the S-32. Another break from Euclid tradition was the application of a two-piece bowl floor, part of Euclid’s “roll out, snap out” ejection system. All Euclid scrapers of the 1960s had a curved bowl floor hinged just behind the cutting edge. Application of a roller lever or direct
hydraulic force lifted the floor up and forwards rolling out the load. Euclid deemed that due to the length of the S-28’s bowl floor, this was not a practical way of getting the load out and so they came up with the two-piece floor. Instead of having just one hinge behind the cutting edge, it also had another about half way along. When the hydraulically actuated roller lever lifted the bowl floor to eject the load, the floor rose and contacted rollers on either side of the bowl top bending the floor in half near the end of the stroke allowing the last of the bowl’s contents to be “snapped” out. Great idea when new but repeated banging of the bowl floor against the stops eventually resulted in structural failure. In fact, structural failures would plague both the S-28, S-32 and the twin-powered TS-32 all their operational lives.
In Service Unfortunately for Euclid, the S-28 was not the runaway success they had anticipated. Caterpillar’s head start, along with strong competition from Wabco, plus operator resistance towards the single lever bowl control system meant that under 200 were
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4. Another very rare photo of an SS-28 at work getting a helping hand from a Cat D9G. Units of this size were usually tandem pushed to reduce loading times. This photo shows the bowl layout well. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
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ever manufactured, with production ceasing in 1966. A twin-engined version, the TS-28, was investigated with a few prototypes but not put into production.
The S-32 (an S-28 on steroids) Euclid did not give up on capturing some of the large single-engine scraper market and set about fixing some of the S-28’s shortcomings. This resulted in the S-32 which was introduced in 1966. Capacity of the bowl was increased to 32 cubic yards struck, and 43 cubic yards heaped. In order to shift this higher quantity of material, the engine was changed to a General Motors 12V-71T turbocharged V-12 diesel which pumped out 498 flywheel horsepower. A larger Allison CLBT5965 six-speed transmission featuring a hydraulic retarder was installed and the entire planetary final drive system was enlarged. Empty weight of the S-32 was 52 tons, a 6 ton increase over the former S-28.
5. T he LMF 1:50 model of a Euclid S-28 watercart. If you examine the photo of the real thing, LMF has done a very commendable job of reproducing this model, right down to the Michelin tyres. The price however is not for the faint hearted! PHOTO: BUFFALO ROAD IMPORTS
Multi-lever bowl control was now offered as standard although the single lever system continued to be available as an option. By 1968, the name Euclid ceased to be used on GM’s range of earthmoving equipment, GM adopting the new name of TEREX. Production of the (now) Terex S-32 continued as before. Alas, the S-32 suffered the same fate as the former S-28, with structural failures high on the list and low volume sales. The S-32 was eventually withdrawn from sale in 1971.
But Wait, There is Another I have left the rarest of all until last. This is the SS-28, a 28 cubic yard, three-axle scraper utilising the bowl of the S-28 and the tractor unit of the SS24 with either GM 12V-71N of Cummins NVH-6 diesel engines. This machine was designed to take on the Caterpillar 650 three-axle scraper but unfortunately for Euclid, the SS-28 again suffered the same fate as its siblings and is even rarer than the S-28, with under 100 being built.
The New Zealand Connection. As far as the author can ascertain, no S-28s, S-32s and certainly no SS-28s were ever imported into New Zealand. The S-32’s twin-engined counterpart, the TS-32, was imported however, and shifted a lot of dirt in the Waikato coalfields. None exist today.
How do I know if its an S-28 or an S-32 if I see one? Chief spotting differences are as follows: S-28s have a single exhaust stack and recessed planetary drive hubs. S-32s have twin exhaust stacks and prominent planetary drive hubs.
For the Model Collector Against all odds for such a rare type, there is a 1:50 scale model of the Euclid S-28 available, albeit as a watercart. The model is made by LMF, a French producer of limited edition models and is a hybrid of resin/white metal and brass. It is beautifully made but horrendously expensive. I’m hoping to add one to my collection – one day! AUGUST 2018 81
CONTRACTOR
CASE STUDY
Future proofed solution for wastewater project
Hamilton City Council’s $7.65 million wastewater project in Rotokauri, vital to unlocking growth in the area, is nearing completion.
THE FAR WESTERN INTERCEPTOR Extension extends the city’s current wastewater network with a two kilometre pipeline from the Te Rapa bypass to the existing pipeline beside Avalon Drive. Rotokauri has been identified as key for future growth on the perimeter of Hamilton, with about 1000 hectares identified for residential, commercial and industrial expansion. Up to 20,000 new residents are expected to move into the area over the next three decades. The decision was welcomed by developers and landowners in the Rotokauri area who endorsed the extension through submissions to the council’s 10-year-plan. Construction began mid-2016 and the project is nearly complete. Hamilton city council awarded West Construction this project and Humes was made the exclusive supplier for concrete products. Due to the large nature of the project, Humes and West developed a partnership approach to the job. Heath Rickit, Civil Engineer at West Construction says; “To accommodate all the growth in Rotokauri, the Western Interceptor was built to take some of the flow.” “The project was originally going to start with a 450-capacity pipe that would have been large enough as it was going to be sufficient to take over the excess wastewater of the Western Interceptor, but the council decided to upgrade to a larger diameter pipe (DN1050), which is actually a lot easier to work with.” Hundreds of pipes and two manholes were first delivered to site. The project required 860 DN1050 class 4 Polyethylene (PE) lined pipes and 14 DN1800 PE lined manholes. Stan Hodson, account manager at Humes, says the biggest challenge Humes faced was the ground condition and the timing for the project. “The council had put a tight deadline and we had to match our production schedule to the required contractual time frame,” he says. The project window meant Humes had to 82 www.contractormag.co.nz
produce a minimum of 15 pipes per day. The manholes and cover lids are also all PE lined so Humes used a different manufacturing process for this as it’s not standard. “About 300 pipes and two manholes were first delivered to site and then we based our production schedule around their lay schedule,” says Hodson. “It gave us credibility in the market place to be able to deliver a large volume of concrete pipes and manholes to the technical specifications of the Council and the contractual requirement the contractor had to meet within the deadline. “We believe Humes’ manufacturing process is the only process in the country capable of delivering large volumes of concrete pipes and manholes within such a tight timeframe. “Like any project, until the contractor had started digging, we had no idea what the ground condition would be like. So once they started laying, they were able to give us their lay schedule.” Another challenge was welding the pipes to match QA requirement from the council. The PE liners were welded in all-weather and ground conditions, section by section to avoid contamination of liner. “Humes has a full 360 degree AGRU PE liner, and to be honest, it is much easier to weld,” says Heath Rickit. “We also found the PE 80 AGRU liner a lot easier to work with because it’s softer and therefore it’s much more malleable.” The pipeline is future proofed as it allows for population growth and being PE lined, there will be no hydrogen sulphide degradation, therefore extending the asset life. Due to hydrogen sulphide issues here, Stan believes PE-lined concrete pipes will become more widely used.
Moreover, as shields for pipe installations in deep ground conditions are required, Humes’ 2.5 metre long pipes are embedded in the shields, making it a safe environment for contractor staff to install.
“Humes West partnership have delivered the council a very successful outcome. There will be more stages in the council growth plan, so this is a pretty critical project that will improve the city network,” says Hodson.
AUGUST 2018 83
CONTRACTOR
INNOVATIONS
New conveyor scanner
New work Lamp from Hella Proven in the toughest civil contracting mining conditions, the HypaLUME LED Work Lamp is now available in 110/230V AC with a range of beam options. This high producing lamp delivers a net output of 28,000 lumens while only consuming 300W, significantly reducing power consumption when compared to traditional lamps that produce this much light. With a colour temperature of 5700K these lamps provide a near daylight work environment that is optimal for fatigue avoidance and high alertness. The heavy duty housing features a Grilamid lens offering unbeatable toughness against impacts and vibration. Sophisticated electronics ensure light output remains stable over a wide range of voltage variations and a built-in soft start feature eliminates a high in-rush current at start up. All these quality features combined make the HypaLUME Work Lamps suitable for a variety of applications including excavators, shovels, crushers, blast-hole drill rigs, workshops, wash bays, separation plants, underground tunnels, loading bays, fixed light towers, warehouses, coal handling, processing plants, conveyor lines, and continuous miners. Throw in a five-year warranty and these Kiwi designed and manufactured lamps offer complete peace of mind and a long life solution.
84 www.contractormag.co.nz
Loadscan has launched its anticipated conveyor volume scanner (CVS) – a tool to tell how much material is moving across a conveyor belt. Like the load volume scanner before it, the newly released Loadscan CVS system is set apart by its software and web-based user interface. Unlike other optical belt scales, which provide some data but don’t integrate easily, the Loadscan CVS has been designed to provide you with hassle-free, insightful reporting. The CVS is an above-belt Lidar laser measurement system making it perfect for production management to understand inventory production rates in volume and tonnes, in real time or for the accurate measurement of contract crushing quantities. With the correct size frame, the CVS can run on any belt from 400mm to 2000mm wide and can be custom mounted for larger belts including deep belts to measure even greater quantity of product.
Latest engines in new ADTs Two latest Komatsu ADTs feature an advanced transmission system powered by low-emission Tier 4 engines. Komatsu has released two new articulated dump trucks, the 28-tonne capacity HM300-5 and 40-tonne capacity HM400-5, both powered by low-emission Tier 4 Final engines and featuring Komatsu’s advanced truck transmission system. The HM300-5 is powered by Komatsu’s SAA6D125E-7 engine rated at 242 kW net, while the HM400-5 is powered by the SAA6D140E-7 rated at 348 kW net. Both engines are US EPA Tier 4 Final emissions certified, cutting both nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions by 90 percent compared with their Tier 3 equivalents, while delivering up to 14 percent lower fuel consumption compared with previous models. These engines incorporate an advanced electronic control system that performs high-speed processing of all signals from sensors installed in the vehicle, providing total control of equipment in all conditions of use. Engine condition information is displayed via an on-board network to the monitor inside the cab, providing all necessary operating data to the operator. Additionally, this data can be accessed and managed via the Komtrax telematics remote monitoring system (supplied as standard on all Komatsu construction and utility machines), ensuring owners and fleet managers stay well on top of all maintenance requirements.
Smartphones from Cat Caterpillar has rolled out a range of rugged smartphones, Cat phones, across New Zealand. This tough and durable smartphone range was purpose built for those in the construction and extraction industries, among others. The range is led by the Cat S60 model and is the world’s only smartphone with an integrated thermal camera. The Cat S60 is now available via Spark online and in selected Spark stores, JA Russell and Cat Gough dealerships, and will also be available via PB Tech, and online at JB Hi-Fi and Noel Leeming. Leading features of the S60 include: • An integrated thermal camera, powered by FLIR (the global leader in thermal imaging technology), which can pick up heat and measure surface temperatures from a distance of up to 30 metres; • Is drop-proof up to 1.8 metres; and • Waterproof up to five metres for up to one hour, making it the most waterproof phone on the market. The range also includes the Cat S31 and Cat S41 models, which will be available through selected PB Tech stores and online at JB Hi-Fi and Noel Leeming.
Top performing hydraulic hose and couplings Gates says it achieves the requirements of high-powered, high-pressure hydraulics with its MegaSys line of engineered and matched hydraulic hose and couplings as part of an integrated solution with peak performance, flexibility and enhanced durability. Gates MegaSys spiral-wire hose is constructed of up to six alternating layers of spiraled, high tensile steel, designed and tested to an industry-leading one million impulse cycles with working temperatures of -40°C to +121°C. Hoses use synthetic rubber nitrile tube that is compatible with biodegradable hydraulic fluids, and are available with Gates abrasion resistant XtraTuff cover (25 times abrasion resistance over stranded covers) or MegaTuff cover (300 times abrasion resistance over standard covers) for extra reliability and safety. These hoses also feature colour-coded lay lines and pressure ratings through all sizes, making the hoses easier to identify in stock and in service while reducing inventory requirements. “It is important when selecting hydraulic hose and couplings that the hose and couplings have been engineered and designed to work together, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability,” says Gates. “Mixing and matching of different hydraulic hoses and couplings can lead to reduced lifespan and susceptibility.” For more information: www.gatesaustralia.com.au, or email Gates at southpacsales@gates.com.
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CONTRACTOR
CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND
CCNZ update CCNZ warns of infrastructure pipeline gap New Zealand’s civil contractors have welcomed a record level of investment in transport but expressed concern at a medium-term construction gap in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport which risks losing Kiwi civil construction capability and capacity to overseas markets. Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Peter Silcock says the potential $2 billion gap would occur between 2019-2022 as investment shifted from completion of major state highway construction projects to construction of rapid transit and public transport projects, which would not really ramp up until post-2022. Investment in rapid and public transport before 2022 would more than likely be on planning, land acquisition, design, consenting and procurement rather than construction, he says. “We understand there is a change in focus with the current Government. But the transition needs to be managed in a way that retains capability and capacity within the industry.”
EPIC Careers in Infrastructure Over the past month CCNZ members have been sent a toolkit for our new careers promotion initiative EPIC – the result of a year’s hard work from Civil Contractors New Zealand’s members, who pooled their ideas and resources to deliver the campaign. EPIC is an amazing careers promotion platform we have developed to help the next generation and people already in work see the potential of a career in civil contracting. The hard copy toolkit includes posters, brochures and a guide for members. An EPIC website is live at www.EPICwork.nz, and social media channels have been set up on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Downloadable resources are available to members only through the new CCNZ website’s members area at www.civilcontractors.co.nz (see item below).
New CCNZ website goes live Civil Contractors New Zealand has launched a new website at www. civilcontractors.co.nz. The site includes a Members’ Dashboard, where members can log in to download EPIC Careers in Infrastructure resources and order
hard copies of CCNZ documents. More downloadable resources will be added as time goes on. Website logins have been sent to key contacts at CCNZ’s member organisations. If you are a CCNZ member and looking to log in, please send your name, role, the name of the organisation you work for and your contact email address through to website@civilcontractors.co.nz and we’ll get you set up and good to go.
CCNZ speaks up on transport and infrastructure issues CCNZ President Brian Warren, executive councillor Bailey Gair and chief executive Peter Silcock recently met with Shane Jones, Minister of Infrastructure and Associate Minister of Transport. Topics discussed at the meeting included staff shortages and uncertainty about the medium-term pipeline of work, the timing of and development of potential Provincial Growth Fund projects, procurement and how government can, through procurement, support and encourage industry skills development. New National Party Spokesperson for Transport and Infrastructure, Jami-Lee Ross met with the full CCNZ Executive Council at its meeting on June 27. CCNZ provided an introduction and briefing about the current state of the industry that was followed by discussions about challenges and potential solutions.
A DVERT IS ERS IN D EX AB Equipment 39 Allied Petroleum 51 Bauma 59 CablePrice 17 CCNZ 66 Connexis 75 DT Driver Training 83 ELB Equipment 11 EROAD 37 Firth Concrete 49 Gates Australia Pty 35 Global Survey 57
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