FEBRUARY 2014 $8.95
BOMAGS TAKE TO THE ROAD
Fulton Hogan buys four new rollers for workhorse duty in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.
YIMBY –YES IN MY BACK YARD United Civil Construction made a lot of Opua homeowners happy.
ROAD(LESS) WARRIORS
Modern-day protesters doing more than just waving placards.
SAFETY FIRST FOR HEAPHY TRACK TOURISTS Department of Conservation funds construction of bridges for tourists’ safety.
DIRECTIONAL DRILLS
WHEN PUSH TURNS TO PULL + DIRECTIONAL DRILL
+ MIXING TANK
=
LOCATING SYSTEM
ALL TARGETS MET!
Vermeer速 packs more power and more features into every directional drill to help improve efficiencies across the board. From curb-to-home to longer easement work to large-diameter pipeline projects, Vermeer速 has the equipment that delivers optimum torque, thrust and pullback power, plus advanced technologies and equipment that help you stay on target. 10357
Dealers Nationwide Freephone: 0800 30 30 90 or visit our website
www.abequipment.co.nz 10295
Vol 38 No 1
FEBRUARY 2014
Highlights Classic Machines Quiz – The answers..................................... 12 Obituary – Gary Harris...................................................... 18
22
Obituary – Mike Smythe.................................................... 20 YIMBY: Yes in my back yard – United Civil Construction....... 22 Road(less) Warriors – Modern-day protesters ........................ 30 Transport in Focus – The Auckland Transport Infrastructure Forum...................................................... 36 Safety First – DoC builds bridges for Heaphy Track.............. 38
30
Departments Editorial.................................................................................. 2 Upfront................................................................................... 6 On the cover – Bevy of Bomags take to the road...................... 14 Comment............................................................................. 42 Classic Machines – The Wabco 339F...................................... 48
38
Motoring............................................................................... 52 Products and Services & Advertisers’ Index............................ 54 What’s On & Contractor Diary................................................ 56
48 On the cover Fulton Hogan buys four new Bomag rollers from Porter Equipment for workhouse duty in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay . See story on page
14
52 CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 3
EDITORIAL
Here’s to 2014 As the country gears up (so early!) for the national election later this year, there’s an inevitability that we’ll be bombarded with posturing from all sides about the state of the country’s infrastructure. There will be some who say not enough is being done (change the government!); those who say too much is being done (change the government!); and those who will climb back on their soapboxes to ensure another three years’ free gravy (change the government! – or let me play on your team and I promise to play nice, even though we can’t stand each other). One thing that nobody can deny, however, is that over recent years, an enormous amount of investment has been committed which will serve the economy for many years to come: and there’s plenty of major project work already on the books for the next six or seven years; the Christchurch rebuild, Wellington’s Northern Corridor, including Transmission Gully, Wellsford to Puhoi and Auckland’s Waterview tunnels being the most obvious. Then there’s (potentially) the monorail to Milford Sound (decision delayed) and Auckland’s Central Rail Link – a tunnel under the CBD which will make rail travel in the city a consideration for far more people for whom congested motorways or crowded buses are currently the only choices. Many of these decisions are, of course, political. And while we generally don’t have the violent policy swings we’ve seen in the past, there’s always a good chance that plans will be “re-investigated” by a new government just because, on principle and to justify their own serving of gravy, they need to be seen to be “making a difference”. One group that would seemingly welcome the cancellation of all new road building throughout the world is Generation Zero, a group of young zealots wanting to bring about “stronger climate change policy in New Zealand and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future”. Bernard Hickey recently spoke to Generation Zero (see Road(less) Warriors on page 30) to find out what they do, and what they’re trying to achieve. Not because we think their message is particularly new or news-worthy, but because of how they’re going about making their voices heard. Gone are the days of placard-waving students protesting outside Parliament (change the government!); this group makes submissions to Select Committees; it has a slick PR team that, like Dr Russell Norman and Gareth Morgan, has an opinion on almost anything and everything. The point is that these “Young Turks” are likely to be at the forefront of a new generation of protesters who know how to use modern technology to their advantage. They’re also likely to go on to form political futures for themselves, morphing from radical today to cabinet ministers of the future. The ideas and ideals they form now will stay with them throughout that career. Also in this issue you’ll find two obituaries: in December, Gary Harris and Mike Smythe died within a couple of days of each other. As Gavin Riley points out, the contracting industry has lost two highly skilled leaders of integrity at a time when such people are needed more than ever.
PUBLISHER Contrafed Publishing Co Ltd Suite 2.1, 93 Dominion Road, Mt Eden, Auckland PO Box 112357, Penrose, Auckland 1642 Phone: +64 9 636 5715 Fax: +64 9 636 5716 www.contrafed.co.nz MANAGING EDITOR Kevin Lawrence DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 512 800 Email: kevin@contrafed.co.nz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Peter Gill, Gavin Riley, Jeremy Sole, Alan Titchall ADVERTISING MANAGER Mike Bridgman DDI: 09 636 5724 Mobile: 021 228 4988 Email: mike@contrafed.co.nz ADVERTISING SALES Amanda Gilroy DDI: 09 636 5714 Mobile: 021 066 4914 Email: amanda@contrafed.co.nz ADMINISTRATION/SUBSCRIPTIONS DDI: 09 636 5715 Email: admin@contrafed.co.nz PRODUCTION Design: TMA Design 09 636 5713 Printing: Client Focused Solutions Ltd 027 255 1818 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.
The official magazine of The New Zealand Contractors’ Federation www.nzcontractors.co.nz Roading New Zealand www.roadingnz.org.nz The Aggregate & Quarry Association www.aqa.org.nz The New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association www.hha.org.nz The Crane Association of New Zealand www.cranes.org.nz Rural Contractors New Zealand www.ruralcontractors.org.nz The Ready Mixed Concrete Association www.nzrmca.org.nz InfraTrain New Zealand www.infratrain.co.nz
Kevin Lawrence Managing Editor kevin@contrafed.co.nz
4 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
ISSN 0110-1382
UPFRONT
A horizontal achievement One of the many components of the Memorial Park Tunnel project (see Honouring the Fallen, page 40 Contractor, Dec 2013-Jan 2014), was the installation of a 710mm stormwater pipe. Because of the design of the cut and cover tunnel, a low-point in the stormwater collection needed to be connected to the existing stormwater network. This meant working around existing underground infrastructure, including within centimetres of a 100-year old brick arch sewer, under SH1 and a nearby historic building. Ground conditions in the area are also variable, ranging from rock to marine sediments – as the entire region was under water until the 8.2 earthquake of January 1855 raised the land by two metres – thereby turning the original “Basin” into a reserve ideally suited to cricket and traffic congestion. Universal Underground’s Neil Vanner says the ground conditions at the tunnel end of the drill shot were a real concern to the success of the pipeline. “The pilot hole was drilled with the drill rig set up in the traffic trench. This was necessary to avoid drill rod sinkage in the softer ground closer to the Basin Reserve,” he says. “A Para-Track 2 location system was used and required running a wire along the ground surface to induce a current into the ground for the drill head to follow.” Although the Para-Track 2 is one of the most advanced underground location systems available, it struggled to provide the required information at a critical section along the deepest point under SH1. Contributing to the Para-Track 2’s difficulties was the presence of manmade electro-magnetic interference – a cell tower 30 metres away, high voltage underground power cables and more than 10,000 large magnetically charged moving vehicles crossing the drill path daily.
6 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
To assist, a “DCI eclipse transmitter was run in parallel with the Para-Track 2 and when the field from the above ground wire was turned off, additional information could be obtained to make comparisons.” He says grade information was never compromised because the drill head was hardwired back to the on-board drill computer with a wire connection down the inside of every drill rod. The 200 metre long pilot hole was drilled only once reaching its maximum allowable tolerance. Universal Underground used its largest horizontal drill rig for the job – a Robbins Universal 200x240 with 100 ton pull back, given its proven track record and current record for the installing the longest on-shore pipeline in New Zealand, a 1036 metre pipe with a total weight of 200 tons. The pipeline was installed into the tunnel over a 12-hour period, including a four-hour break to weld the two 100-metre sections of polyethylene pipe into one, and reaming the final 30 metres of tunnel in the collapsing ground. To complete the job a cement plug was pumped around the pipe at both ends to control ground water tracking along the outside of the pipe. Vanner says, “This was a technically difficult project with an expectation of high accuracy in immensely variable ground conditions and tight working space. “Due to the fast track construction, hundreds of workers and dozens of sub contractors compete for space to undertake their component of the work, thus requiring a high level of time management and communication.” A team approach by all involved contributed to the ultimate success of the storm water outlet pipe from the Memorial Park Tunnel in downtown Wellington.”
UPFRONT
Auckland’s first PPP announced The $31 million Skypath, a walkway and cycle track over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, will be the Auckland council’s first public private partnership (PPP), according to mayor Len Brown, announced as part of an ambitious plan for 2014 which includes bringing forward Auckland’s City Rail Link to an unspecified time. Auckland Council has forecast a funding shortfall of about $12 billion over the next 30 years, and Brown says the council hopes to use PPPs or other funding options to build better waste management and major transport projects. Unfortunately, despite his recent censure, these announced changes reportedly came as a surprise to the Auckland Council.
An artist’s impression of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Skypath, the council’s first venture as a PPP.
Wind: A Safe Future
2014 CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 14 – 16 April 2014
WELLINGTON PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:
Wind energy has become a vital and mature part of the electricity mix. The industry is now targeting efficiencies while continuing to innovate. In NZ, wind energy is becoming more diversified and internationally focused. The 2014 conference is your chance to explore the opportunities in fulfilling wind energy’s potential, nationally and internationally.
Get involved: Attend Gain market insight. Discuss policy and development issues. Connect with key NZ and international industry and government players. Exhibit Demonstrate your products and services. Profile your business. Sponsor Develop brand awareness. Show your commitment to NZ’s growing wind energy industry.
FIND OUT MORE AT: WWW.WINDENERGY.ORG.NZ Organised by the New Zealand Wind Energy Association
PO Box 553, Wellington 6140, New Zealand // Phone: +64 4 499 5046 // Email: info@windenergy.org.nz
CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 7
UPFRONT
Promoted to the board
Practical advice
Youngman Richardson national sales manager Phil Fairfield has been made a director and appointed to the board of the company. Phil joined Youngman Richardson in 1998 and went to work as a warehouse storeman learning the company’s products and procedures before becoming a sales representative several years later. He is also a current board member of the Hire Industry Association.
Yan Wei, the first ‘polar mechanic’ from LiuGong, has experience working on heavy equipment in both the Arctic and Antarctic. From experience he has three hard and fast rules when he’s driving at work: don’t lock the doors, keep the skylight open and always drive alone. Why? “It’s important to get out quickly if the snowmobile slips into the sea – and if anything bad happens, being alone will keep the lives lost to a minimum,” he says.
In Transit
Colin Crampton, well-known to regular readers as NZTA’s group manager highways and network operations, left the position at the end of December for a new job as Capacity Infrastructure Services’ new chief executive. Capacity’s team of 80 engineers, project managers, planners and operations staff is responsible for managing the water, stormwater and wastewater networks of Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington city councils.
Capacity’s chairman, Peter Allport, says Crampton’s “background as a professional engineer and his successful career at Transit and NZTA give him a solid understanding of the realities of infrastructure project management, as well as the care needed when dealing with multiple stakeholders in areas of critical infrastructure.” Until a permanent replacement is appointed, Cramption’s 2IC, Neil Walker, has stepped into the role of interim group manager.
WET or DRY! T T COS P S E W I O L RSH OWNE OF
5 year warranty
Grade match from the Rodeye and self calibrating Submersible
IP68
US Military Standard
810G
www.globalsurvey.co.nz
8 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
Smart Targeting
MIL STD
0800 453 422
UPFRONT
Top of the Mainland in action The Nelson-Marlborough Excavator Operator Competition was held in Blenheim late last year at the Annual Marlborough Truck Show. Fine weather and a good turnout of 10 competitors from seven different contractors from Takaka, Nelson and Marlborough saw a successful event. The course that was set had a very challenging layout for the Hitachi machines (ZX3.8s and ZX120s), and all competitors then were required to man the Hitachi ZX1.7 supervising and teaching children how to scoop small bottles of drink from a Humes Stock Trough. The competition was very close between all competitors and the level of all the competitors was very high: In first place was Geoff Hocquard of Bryant Earthworks in Marlborough; in second place, Jonathan Marfell of Edridge Contracting Marlborough; and in third place Daniel Bruning of Fulton Hogan Takaka.
NZTA adopting new orange tape Confusion for motorists navigating major road works in Auckland will be reduced with the adoption of bright orange temporary lane marking “tape”. NZTA’s acting highways manager, Steve Mutton, says the tape is commonly used in Europe. “The tape helps reduce the risk of an incident, particularly on construction sites where driver attention is focused on additional signage, speed limit
changes and altered or narrowed lanes. Risks can be compounded by the ‘ghost’ or ‘shadow’ of old markings confusing drivers, especially if there’s sun strike, rain or if it’s dark.” The tape will be used first on sections of the Causeway Upgrade Project on the Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16) and the Upper Harbour Highway project on the Northern Motorway (SH1).
CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 9
UPFRONT
‘Victory’ claimed in South Auckland When the Prime Minister announced $11 billion of new projects for Auckland back in June, some of the plans were embryonic. That is to the point that a proposed East-West link between Onehunga (south-west) and East Tamaki (south-east) which will help alleviate chronic all-day conjestion around the city’s most established commercial and industrial hubs, hadn’t been scoped out. Four options being considered meant the new highway could have run either north or
south of the Manukau Harbour. And this caused the locals south of the harbour much consternation, as it would have meant driving four lanes of highway through 100 homes and several local schools. After much gnashing of teeth and local meetings rallying the affected and disaffected, Auckland Transport and NZTA have now confirmed the road will be north of the harbour, exactly where logic says it’s most needed. Opponents are claiming victory.
NZ Transport Agency physical works contracts December 2012 – January 20, 2014 (including contracts not previously published) Successful tenderer & name of contract
Contract est. No of tenders
Range of tenders
Award price
WHANGAREI, HAMILTON, NAPIER, WANGANUI, MARLBOROUGH No contracts let AUCKLAND Downer NZ (Jun 13)– ATMS4; SH20 Bader to Puhinui ITS backbone extension (updated)
5
$1,550,156 - $2,494,618
N/A
N/A
$136,250
$1,030,000
5
$612,916 - $865,189
$612,916
Higgins Contractors (Dec 13) – SH29 Eastern Kaimai safe system Corridor Fulton Hogan (Oct 13) – BOPE State Highway & Whakatane District resurfacing 2013/14
$1,411,092 $5,453,000
6 N/A
$1,355,330 - $1,533,229 N/A
$1,355,330 $5,408,664
Waiotahi Contractors (Oct 13) – Bay of Plenty East area wide pavement treatments 2013/14
$1,363,370
6
$1,296,344 - $1,599,274
$1,296,344
Conspec Construction (Mar 13) – Symonds Street underpass seismic improvements TAURANGA Conspec Construction (Dec 13) – HPMV bridge strengthening – SH29 Waikato to Port of Tauranga
$2,000,000 N/A
$1,550,156
WELLINGTON Downer NZ (Dec 13) – Routine bridge maintenance repairs MWH NZ (Aug 13) – SH5 Quarantine Road roundabout upgrade Downer EDI Works (Dec 12) – Routine bridge maintenance repairs Riverside Construction (Dec 12) – SH1 Southern rail overbridge strengthening
$122,040 $611,000 $145,660 N/A
4 N/A N/A N/A
$93,512 - $138,733 N/A N/A N/A
$93,512 $524,321 $94,484 $197,113
CHRISTCHURCH Downer NZ (Mar 13) – SH79 Pusey Gorge guardrailing (Stage 2) G T Liddell Contracting (Mar 13) – Region 12: SH73 Starvation Point safety barrier upgrade
$297,000 $231,000
N/A N/A
N/A N/A
$326,532 $264,470
$1,070,470
N/A
N/A
$1,118,570
DUNEDIN Geovert (Feb 13) – SH6 Nevis Bluff 2013 rock stabilisation works
Notes: 1. NZ Transport Agency physical contracts let are presented 21st – 20th (note: In the March issue it will be January 21 to February 20). 2. At NZ Transport Agency’s request, for reasons of commercial sensitivity, no tender range is given where there are only two tenders. 3. All amounts rounded to nearest dollar.
10 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Te Atatu work started Work started in December on the Te Atatu Interchange on the Northwestern motorway. Key features of the $50 million project include widening the motorway between Te Atatu and Patiki Roads, widening all five ramps on the interchange, enhancing existing facilities for walkers and cyclists and widening and raising the Te Atatu Road overbridge.
Infrastructure ITO CEO & Chair Helmut Modlik is the new CEO of the Infrastructure ITO following the merging of InfraTrain and ESITO (Electricity Supply Training Organisation). Modlik was CEO of Telco Technology Services. We welcome Helmut to our panel of regular industry columnists – see page 47 for more.
New Tirau SH1/SH5 Roundabout Two large pin oak trees that were planted to commemorate the visit of the Queen on New Year’s Day 1954 will be retained in the design of a new and long-awaited roundabout at the instersection of SH1 and SH5 in Tirau.
Northland bridge upgrades Work upgrading upper North Island state highway bridges to accommodate heavier loads carried by HPMVs has begun with work on two of the bridges crossed by trucks moving to the Portland Cement works south of Whangarei. These two upgrades alone are expected to reduce the traffic by 14 truck movements per day.
Transmission Gully: For the record In early December, NZTA announced that the Wellington Gateway Partnership has been selected as the preferred bidder for the 27 kilometre Transmission Gully project, which will be the first state highway project in New Zealand to be built as a public private partnership (PPP). The Wellington Gateway Partnership is one of the two shortlisted consortia which the Transport Agency invited in April 2013 to submit proposals for the design, construction, financing, maintenance and operation of the Transmission Gully state highway for 25 years. Now the negotiations start. If accepted, the consortium will then design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the new Transmission Gully highway for the 25 years that will follow the expected five-year period to build the highway. It is aimed to have the Transmission Gully highway open for traffic by 2020. The Wellington Gateway Partnership includes the following: • Leighton Contractors (lead) • HEB Construction • InfraRed Infrastructure General Partner • The Bank of Tokyo–Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) • Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) Transmission Gully will connect with the McKays to Peka Peka Expressway north of Paekakariki when the Gully route is completed.
THE ROPE CENTRE WIRE • ROPE • CHAIN • SLINGS
D M STANDEN (also known as The Rope Centre or Slingmakers) are well known and respected in the liftin equipment, wire rope, chain and height safety markets. Consultation, in-house and onsite testing and inspection services are available.
SHI bottleneck to be fixed In December the Prime Minister officially launched a $19.5m project to widen two kilometres of Auckland’s Northern Motorway between Upper Harbour Highway and Greville Road from two to three lanes, part of the accelerated programme announced in June. The section of motorway is used by an average of 36,000 vehicles per day. Completion is expected mid-2015.
WorkSafe New Zealand launched Workplace health and safety has a new home, at WorkSafe New Zealand, set up in December in response to the Pike River mine commission of inquiry. The stand-alone agency takes over from MBIE. See www.worksafe.govt.nz.
Ngaruawahia section opens The $200 million 12.3 kilometre Ngaruawahia section of the Waikato Expressway was opened by Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee in December. Ngaruawahia is the second section of the $2.1 billion Waikato Expressway to be completed.
a name you can rely on
Special Wire Hoist and Luffing Ropes 8-52m THERopes, ROPE CENTRE General purpose ropes 1-60mm
LIFTING EQUIPMENT WIRE ROPE • CHAIN HEIGHT SAFETY EQUIPMENT • THE GunneboSLINGS chain lifting slingsROPE and componentry CENTRE HOISTS CONSULTATION, IN-HOUSE AND ONSITE TESTING WIRE • ROPE • CHAIN • SLINGS Grade 80 & Grade 100 AND INSPECTION SERVICES AVAILABLE
Slingmakers) FAX: are well known lifting THE CENTRE PHONE : +64ROPE 9 837 7100 +64and9respected 837in the 710 equipment, wire rope, chain and height safety markets. WIRE • ROPE • CHAIN • SLINGS EMAIL: ph: +64 9sales@ropecentre.co.nz 837 7100 email: Consultation, sales@ropecentre.co.nz in-house and onsite testing and
www.ropecentre.co.nz
D M STANDEN (also known as The Rope Centre or
services D M STANDEN (also known as Theinspection Rope Centre or are available. Slingmakers) are well known and respected in the lifting equipment, wire rope, chain and height safety markets.
Special Wire Consultation, in-house and onsite testing andRopes, Hoist and Luffing Ropes 8-52mm General purpose ropes 1-60mm inspection services are available.
www.ropecentre.co.nz
Special Wire Ropes, Hoist and Luffing Ropes 8-52mm Gunnebo chain lifting slings and componentry General purpose ropes 1-60mm Grade 80 & Grade 100 CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 11
PHONE : +64 9 837 7100 FAX: +64 9 837 7101 EMAIL: sales@ropecentre.co.nz
COMPETITION
1
General Motors (GM) had an incredibly successful run with its 2-cycle 53, 71, 92, 110, 149, 567, 645 and 710 series diesels. However, the “General” was not responsible for its original design, which dates back to the late 1920s. What company, (which the General acquired in 1937), was responsible? Winton
2
Who built this wondrous piece of equipment? Brand and model please. Kohering 505 Skooper
3
Caterpillar expanded its product range massively in 2010 with the acquisition of which 100-year-old American company? Bucyrus International
4
Which company bought the mining excavator range from German manufacturer Demag in 1997? Komatsu
5
The Caterpillar D8 is legendary with the original D13000 powered examples being produced in five different versions spanning the period 1935 through 1954. What is the missing machine in this serial number sequence of D13000-powered machines…5E, 1H, 8R, 2U, and ? 13A
6
7
8
9
10
12 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
TEST
AND WIN AND THE WINNER IS... Thanks to all the people who took the time to enter the Classic Machines-inspired competition in our December 2013 issue. Congratulations go to Campbell McCormick of Taupo who takes away the first prize of a $300 model from The Model Barn. And 12-month magazine subscriptions are on their way to Shaun Hurst of Te Puke, Rick Goodman of Waikanae, and Ross Bros of Cambridge.
11
12
Can you name the manufacturer of this motor scraper? Wooldridge A very busy scene in a large NZ hydroelectric project of the late 50s early 60s. Where is it? Matahina
A sweet little Track Marshall dozer. Who manufactured the engine that powers it? Perkins 13
Who manufactured the early rippers, wheel loaders and loader attachments for Allis-Chalmers? Tractomotive Corp What is this attachment known as? Bank Sloper or “Slope Board” Better known for its underground mining equipment, who was the manufacturer of this bulldozer? Eimco
Since the late 1920s, Carco has been a well-respected manufacturer of logging winches for all brands of tractors used in the woods. Who is its biggest rival in this field? Hyster.
What was the model of Hitachi’s first successful hydraulic excavator introduced into New Zealand in 1966? UHO6 (& I will also accept UHO6DT) 14
15
There are currently three manufacturers building off highway trucks in the “ultra hauler” (400+ ton capacity) class. Name them. Liebherr, Komatsu & Caterpillar (T282B, 960E-2K & 797F) LeTourneau introduced the world’s first practical wheel dozer in 1946. Since then other manufacturers have also introduced their own designs. Who built this brute? Hough (will also accept International Harvester)
TEREX POWER LOADERS MEET THE NEW STANDARD IN WHEEL LOADERS FROM 4 TO 18 TON
E BL O A AIL DEM V A R W FO NO
l Designed for maximum productivity & less downtime
l Single joystick for loader & drive control
l Hydrostatic transmissions on all models
l Unique linkage combines the best of Z-bar & Parallel linkages
l Excellent cabin ergonomics & all round visibility
l Automatic reversing fan and self-cleaning radiators
for when you need
ROCK SOLID RELIABILITY
Your satisfaction is our mission. With Terex products we can achieve that. Terex machines feature many innovations and features to keep your production levels high while caring about you, the operator. We want your business to succeed and strongly believe Terex Construction Equipment is the best option for your business.
CONTACT US TODAY FOR EXPERT ADVICE Freephone: 0800 POSITRACK (767 487) sales@advancequip.co.nz
www.advancequip.co.nz
ON THE COVER
Bevy of Bomags take to the road
Fulton Hogan buys four new rollers for workhorse duty in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.
The Bomag BW 151 AD … carrying out asphalt reseals for the Auckland Motorway Alliance.
14 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
The BW 214 DH … currently being used on the Lincoln Road interchange project.
A
nyone who has visited one of the world’s leading construction-equipment shows such as Bauma or Conexpo will know there’s no escaping the giant presence of Bomag. The 57-year-old German company, acquired in 2005 by the France-based Fayat corporate group, has a reputation for manufacturing compaction, paving and recycling machines that are second to none. It produces a range of 20 product groups and has 500 distributors in more than 120 countries. So it’s no surprise that leading New Zealand civil and roading contractor Fulton Hogan has added four new rollers to its list of Bomag purchases over the years. New Zealand distributor Porter Equipment has supplied Fulton Hogan’s Auckland division with a BW 151 AD-5 tandem vibratory and a BW 214 DH-4 single-drum vibratory roller, and the Hawke’s Bay branch with a BW 25 RH rubbertyred and a BW 138 AC-5 combination roller. “The 151 is dedicated to asphalt re-seals for the Auckland Motorway Alliance,” says Fulton Hogan’s Auckland fleet manager, Roger Firth. “This alliance, of which Fulton Hogan is a key partner, is responsible for the maintenance of the 220 kilometre Auckland motorway network. “The 214 is currently being used by our construction team on the Lincoln Road interchange project.” The Bomag BW 151 is well equipped to handle the demands of the alliance’s 10-year motorway contract. With an operating weight of 7.6 tonnes and powered by a four-cylinder Kubota V3307 engine, it claims impressive compaction outputs at varying soil-layer thicknesses – 160-320 cubic m/h for sand or gravel, 150-300 for mixed soil, and 75-150
for silt or clay. Its tonnes/hour compaction outputs at different asphalt layer thicknesses are: 40-80 (2-4cm), 80-170 (6-8cm) and 120-200 (10-14cm). With a gross weight of 15.85 tonnes and a four-cylinder Deutz TCD engine, the BW 214 vibratory roller is also capable of “workhorse” compaction outputs at specified compacted thicknesses – 590-1200 cubic m/h for rock fill (1.0m), 420-840 for gravel or sand (0.75m),
“We have many roller brands in our fleet. The Bomag’s reliability, build quality, operator comfort, and visibility are very good.” 300-600 for mixed soil (0.55m), and 180-360 for silt or clay (0.25m). Roger Firth says Fulton Hogan’s reason for buying the Bomags is because of the company’s positive experiences with the make in the past. “We have many roller brands in our fleet. The Bomag’s reliability, build quality, operator comfort and visibility are very good.” Fulton Hogan operators are also impressed by the performance of the new machines. “They say the rollers are a pleasure to operate and have great drum visibility,” Firth says. Fulton Hogan Hawke’s Bay’s two Bomags – pneumatic-tyred and combination – are being used on road construction work, with one also being employed on road maintenance work for Hastings District Council.
Branch manager Charlie Fergus says operator feedback has been excellent, because of the ability to alter the BW 25’s tyre pressures to accommodate the compaction and because of the good results obtained when doing maintenance patches. The BW 25 has an operating weight of 8.8 tonnes and is powered by a four-cylinder Deutz BF-4F engine. Its cubic m/h compaction outputs at specified layer thicknesses are: 100-180 for silt and clay (0.2m), 75-150 for gravel and sand (0.3m) and 75-150 for mixed soil (0.25m). For compaction at different asphalt layer thicknesses, the tonnes/hour figures are: 20-60 (2-4cm), 50-90 (6-8cm) and 70-140 (10-12cm). The BW 138 combination roller has an operating weight of 4.1 tonnes, features a four-cylinder Kubota V2203 engine, and offers the following tonnes/hour compaction outputs at different asphalt layer thicknesses: 30-55 (2-4cm), 50-90 (6-8cm) and 65-115 (10-14cm). Charlie Fergus promises the two Bomags will not be short of work in 2014. “Our two maintenance contracts in both Hastings District and Central Hawke’s Bay, along with our siteworks, will give us a busy year ahead.” He says Fulton Hogan Hawkes’s Bay has had a 12-year relationship with Porter Equipment and “they’re excellent to deal with”. Fulton Hogan Auckland’s Roger Firth is also pleased with Porter’s extra-mile service. “Porter’s recently honoured a large warranty claim for a repair on a roller that we purchased from the previous Bomag supplier. We were very impressed by this,” he says. “Bomag make a premium product and the service from Porter Equipment has been great.” CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 15
FIGHTER FK250H8 Transmission: 6sp Wheelbase: 4,270 mm GVM: 10,600kg GCM: 20,000 kg Max Power: 184 kW/250 PS Max Torque: 701 Nm/517 lbft
*Participating dealers only. The advertised recommended selling price of $59,990 applies to the Fighter FK250H8 and excludes GST and On Road Costs. On Road Costs to be advised upon contacting your dealer. Other Fighter models and special prices available upon request and are subject to availability. All orders must be placed by 31 March 2014 and must be registered by 30 September 2014. Offer subject to availability. For full terms and conditions or to ďŹ nd out more, talk to your authorised Fuso dealer, call 0800 PAYLOAD or visit www.FUSO.co.nz.
Gotta Digg founder Lance Curtis says his new Fighter’s reliability and efficiency have helped him build on his business’ reputation for excellence
Lance Curtis was one of the army of volunteers from around the country that headed to Christchurch in the wake of the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. The 26-year-old digger operator was working for his father in Nelson at the time and both agreed Lance’s skills could be put to good use. After a month giving his time for free wherever it was needed, Lance began to be offered short-term contracts and gradually picked up more business. Last year he set up Gotta Digg, specialising in rebuilding damaged driveways with the help of a new Fuso Fighter. “The Fighter’s been fantastic for my business.
It’s so reliable – it’s barely stopped in the six months I’ve had it. With a payload just over 7 tonnes, I’m able to take on more work, getting bigger driveways finished quicker.” Tried and proven, Fighter is defined by its reliability and return on investment and Lance is more than happy with its performance.
www.fuso.co.nz 0800 PAYLOAD
“Whether it’s loaded with rubble or the 3.5-tonne digger, you really notice the power and torque through the 6-speed transmission,” says Lance. “It’s so easy to drive and makes working in the Cashmere Hills a breeze.” Fighter’s cost-effective dependability goes hand in hand with Gotta Digg’s growing reputation for excellence. The truck’s performance is ensuring the business is well-positioned to capitalise on the increasing demand for contractors as the sector heats up.
OBITUARY
A straight shooter Gary Harris’s concern for integrity won him a lot of friends. And his skills went way beyond contracting. BY GAVIN RILEY.
H
alfway through Gary Harris’s 40-year career as a contractor, during which he founded two successful companies, he did something quite astonishing: he took an extended break and became a notable racehorse trainer. When Gary died in early December at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer, he left behind a host of Auckland contracting friends who liked his straight-up, personable nature and admired his work ethic and concern for principles. His actions and words conveyed his integrity. Thirteen years ago he gave a powerful speech at a meeting of the Auckland branch of the Contractors’ Federation about what he considered were the injustices of the attributes system – and was promptly elected to the branch executive. Six years ago he was typically up-front when his company, Jesmond Construction, made little money out of a high-profile, difficult contract – laying 800 metres of curving tramline from Auckland Zoo to the Museum of Transport and Technology. In a self-revealing comment, Gary said: “We don’t do run-of-themill jobs. This required abnormal expertise. We think our company is good at that. Plus, it was a big risk and we like taking risks. “It gave us enormous satisfaction and will be quite fantastic … It’s a community thing and that’s probably a reason we didn’t make a huge amount of money out of it. But you do get satisfaction out of doing a community thing.” Just three weeks before his death Gary signalled his intention to write a letter to Contractor expressing his views on corruption – a subject he felt passionately about. Though unable to complete this self-imposed assignment, he had demonstrated to the last his concern for honesty and ethics. Gary William Harris was probably born to be a contractor. His great-grandfather, an immigrant from Ireland, received a gold theodolite for his work as a surveyor on the Raurimu railway spiral in 1886-87, and his grandfather and father both operated bulldozers. Gary grew up on what he described as “the coldest and wettest dairy farm in New Zealand” on the slopes of Mt Taranaki. He ploughed his first paddock at the age of eight and on leaving school in 1962 was employed by his uncle at Stratford for four years, moving earth in summer and managing a billiard and snooker saloon in winter. After two years back on the family farm he became a subdivision site supervisor with Neill Construction on Auckland’s North Shore. In 1975 he founded HEB as a drainage company, carrying out subdivision work for Neill before undertaking massive subdivisions for the Housing Corporation at Kawerau, the 18 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
Gary Harris … satisfaction from helping the community.
“We don’t do run-of-the-mill jobs. This required abnormal expertise. We think our company is good at that. Electricity Corporation at Turangi, and in Manurewa. HEB eventually became a civil-construction company, Bruce Pulman bought a half share, and in 1982 Gary sold him his half share after deciding to take time out from contracting. Having already been a Taranaki golf representative, Gary turned his attention to other sports. He learned to ride a horse, tried western riding and dressage, was a member of a New Zealand polo crosse team that beat South Africa, began pre-training thoroughbreds for the racing industry, then spent 10 years as a licensed racehorse trainer during which time he won the Stratford, Dargaville and Whakatane Cups. His apprentice jockeys included the country’s leading woman. When the thoroughbred industry went into decline, Gary returned to contracting in 1994, founding Drury-based Jesmond Construction to provide employment for himself, daughter Tania and son Dean. The company began with just a 12-tonne Hitachi digger, a David Brown tractor and a small drainage contract at Papakura, but quickly established itself with a $225,000 seal widening of the state highway at Pokeno and an upgrade of Pokeno’s streets. In 2004 Jesmond Construction won a Contractors’ Federation construction award for building a $678,000 sewage-pump station at Wattle Downs for Manukau Water, and by 2006 had completed some 250 contracts.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Six horizontal drilling rigs to meet every application
Given his family history, Gary Harris was probably born to be a contractor.
When Contractor interviewed Gary in 2006, he said two projects had given him considerable personal satisfaction. One was creating the first synthetic bowling green in south Auckland, at the Manurewa club, where “the outcome was really good”. The other was carrying out a $2 million design-and-build upgrade of the Pukekohe training track for Auckland Racing Club. Gary was a first-class advertisement for contracting, bringing pride, joy and honesty to his work and prompting Contractors’ Federation northern regional manager James Corlett to describe his death as “a huge loss to our industry and community”. Gary Harris is survived by his wife Dianne, daughters Tania, Lisa, Kirsten and Maria, son Dean, 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
P 07 823 7415 F 07 823 7416 E neil@uul.co.nz M 027 431 2158 | 027 431 2159 34 Matos Segedin Drive, RD3, Cambridge 3495 NEW ZEALAND
CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 19
OBITUARY
Mike Smythe … a great loss to his staff – and the industry.
Passing of a pioneer For decades Mike Smythe was a relentless pacesetter and innovator in the trenchless industry. He was also a kind and inspirational boss. BY GAVIN RILEY.
C
ontracting has lost one of its superstar performers with the death of directional-drilling specialist Mike Smythe. But he hasn’t been laid to rest without a fanfare. When the managing director of Cambridge-based Smythe Contractors succumbed to cancer in early December at the age of 69, his staff paid him a glowing public tribute. Lamenting the passing of a man who was “figurehead, boss, father, brother, mentor taskmaster, workmate and godfather to us all”, they said:“We have lost one of life’s gentlemen who pioneered the trenchless industry in NZ and we will strive to retain his legacy and all he taught us to carry Smythe’s into the future.” “Pioneer” is a word that also applied to Mike’s father Bernie. He founded the business as a sole trader more than 60 years ago and became the first contractor in the country to install phone and power cables with the use of a mole plough. Mike, the eldest of seven children, joined the business at 16 and when he took over running it in 1964 quickly showed he had
20 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
inherited his father’s talent for forward thinking. On an overseas trip he saw prototype machinery for installing underground services without the need for trenching, and he quickly recognised this as being the future of underground utility installation. Mike brought the first directional drill into New Zealand just over 20 years ago but had difficulty convincing engineers to install underground services with the new technology and it took three years to get a directional-drilling listing in the Yellow Pages. By early 2000 Smythe Contractors owned eight directional drills, including two of the largest in the country, a Vermeer D80 and a D50, and Mike’s reputation for professionalism and thinking outside the square meant the company was undertaking some of the most interesting and challenging projects in the trenchless, pipe-jacking, directional drilling and micro-tunneling sector. In 2001 Smythe set a New Zealand best performance for a continuous drill while installing a 250mm-diameter sewer at Mangere. The following year it posted a similar achievement when
Mike stayed a long time at the “coalface”, operating drilling machines until 2001. it installed a 520-metre, continuous, 250mm-diameter pipeline at Half Moon Bay. Also in 2002 Smythe celebrated its golden jubilee by winning a merit certificate in the Contractors’ Federation construction awards for its design-build contract to install a water pipeline across Lucas Creek to supply the Paremoremo district on Auckland’s North Shore. Despite being Smythe Contractors’ leader, Mike stayed a long time at the “coalface”, operating drilling machines until 2001. Even after that, until recently, he still spent lengthy periods on site supervising the installation of gas and gravity-sewer lines and steerable rock drilling. Likewise he continued to live up to his company’s motto of “breaking new ground every day”, in 2008 importing the largest directional drill seen in New Zealand – a 50-tonne American Augers “maxi” capable of installing an unprecedented one-metre-diameter pipe for a kilometre. The drill promptly set a New Zealand record by installing 950 metres of 560mm-diameter pipe in a continuous operation at depths of up to 32 metres. Since then Smythe’s role as trenchless-industry pacesetter has continued. “The one-off large-diameter projects we performed three or four years ago are now bread and butter shots as we explore new depths of our equipment’s and operators’ ability to deliver these challenging installations for our clients,” company manager Simon Payne told Contractor in late 2012 on the occasion of the business’s 60th birthday. As Mike Smythe’s employees’ posthumous public tribute makes clear, in addition to leading from the front he was very popular with all his staff. A Contractor article about his company to mark its golden jubilee quoted a senior staff member as saying: “Mike is the best boss I’ve ever had. He doesn’t dictate; he relies on everybody in the company to contribute. If there are problems on the job he doesn’t try to solve them on his own. We spend hours brainstorming. He respects everyone for the skills they have. He’s also very jovial – he’s always enjoying a joke.” Simon Payne said Mike remained positive to the end and continued to inject his ideas and enthusiasm into the company. “He will be greatly missed by family, workmates and members of the trenchless industry.” Mike Smythe is survived by his wife Isobel, daughters Deborah and Kim, son David, and six grandchildren. CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 21
AWARD WINNER
YIMBY
Excavation of the on-property stations were by auger or hand-digging.
22 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
A typical installation.
Happy property owners at Opua in the Bay of Islands are benefiting from an award-winning sewer project, courtesy of United Civil Construction, a contractor at the top of its game. BY GAVIN RILEY.
O
ver the past five years, Whangarei-based United Civil Construction has established a reputation for excellence in the Far North, carrying out the historic sealing of the final 19 kilometres of SH1 to Cape Reinga and winning three Contractors’ Federation Hirepool construction awards for local-authority sewerage projects. Having won in 2009 and 2011, United Civil scored a notable third victory in last year’s competition when its Opua sewer scheme in the Bay of Islands was judged best entry among projects valued at between $1 million and $5 million. Most of Opua was serviced by on-site septic tanks until the Far North District Council awarded United Civil the contract in 2012 to design and construct a low-pressure sewer scheme servicing up to 190 properties. The scheme would entail individual property pumping stations collecting domestic sewage and pumping it through a small-diameter pipeline via a boundary kit to a collector main. A network of collector pressure pipelines would deliver the effluent to the head of the sewer system at Paihia. Because the
discharge point for the scheme would be some 80 metres above the lowest pumps, intermediate booster pump stations would be required. Though United Civil had extensive experience of constructing gravity sewers and sewer pump stations, it had not previously undertaken the installation of a low-pressure sewer system. Fortunately, a strong and healthy culture of teamwork existed from the outset between United Civil and its partners – the Far North council (the client), GHD (the design engineer), subcontractors (including directional drillers, electricians, domestic drainlayers, septic-tank cleaners, surveyors, and the sewer network maintenance contractor), and suppliers. Ably led by project manager Steven George (a finalist in the 2011 Contractors’ Federation trainee-of-the-year awards), United Civil faced a number of challenges. There was a high level of hydraulic and geotechnical design risk, the conditions of contract (NEC) were unfamiliar to the company (and indeed to the principal), the topography of certain individual properties was extremely difficult, there were inflexible time and funding constraints, the CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2013 23
400 TON CAPACITY
“
WHERE EVER THE WORK IS.
”
EASY MOBILIZATION AND SIXTY METRE MAIN BOOM, 79M LUFFING/FIXED JIB WITH FAST ERECTION AND DE-ERECTION TIMES MAKE THE GROVE GMK6400 ALL TERRAIN CRANE A MIGHTY ALLY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FOR POLLOCK & SONS CRANE HIRE,
“We are very happy with the GMK6400 crane. New opportunities are opening up that were previously dominated by 2-3 companies. Customers are surprised at the cranes capacity considering it is a true 400 ton capacity mobile taxi hire crane” – Wayne Slater, Director, Pollock Cranes
Thomas Slater, Transport Manager, Pollock Cranes Six months of research led Pollock Crane Hire into deciding on the largest capacity 6 axle all-terrain telescopic mobile crane in the world – the Grove GMK6400 All-Terrain. l 60m main boom with 79m of luffing/fixed jib l excellent roadability (with boom and outrigger removal technology) l indentical outrigger footprint as Grove gmk6220L (220ton) and gmk6300L (300ton) already in Pollock Cranes fleet. l mega-wing attachment with self-assembly, increasing main boom capacity by close to 100% with 60m main boom. l fast erection and de-erection times for motorway and bridge beam lifts. l fully rigged on the road with hook and basic lifting equipment enabling a 100-400 ton capacity.
TAURANGA HEAD BRANCH 6 Rerewai Place, Lambert Quay Mount Maunganui p +64 07 574 2951 m Wayne: +64 21 84 38 80 m Thomas: +64 21 843 088 e wayne@pollockcranes.co.nz e thomas@pollockcranes.co.nz
AUCKLAND BRANCH 296 Neilson Street, Onehunga, Auckland p +64 09 3661327 m +64 021 84 3553 e john@pollockcranes.co.nz
HAMILTON BRANCH 43 Tawn Place, Pukete, Hamilton p +64 07 850 5095 m +64 021 84 39 93 e grenville@pollockcranes.co.nz
WHAKATANE/KAWERAU BRANCH Cnr Manukorihi & Tamarangi Drive, Kawerau p +64 07 323 9320 m +64 021 84 31 44 e enquiry@pollockcranes.co.nz
AWARD WINNER
extent of on-property works to rehabilitate existing domestic drainage could not be reliably ascertained in advance, the works were in an urban area, and extensive consultation with oftenabsent owners was required. “That the Opua sanitary sewer scheme was completed within tight and inflexible deadlines, on budget and without incident, serves as a testament to the technical expertise, projectmanagement and risk-management skills of United Civil staff,” the company said in its award submission. The company described the steep and sharply varying nature of the individual sites as “daunting”. Because many had retaining walls of various sizes and construction, detailed on-site design by the consultant was not possible, with United Civil having to carry out this work in advance of construction and on a property-byproperty basis. Many properties were fully “built out” with only single-file foot access possible to the back of the section, where the pump station was almost always located. This made it difficult to get construction materials to the back of the property, let alone machinery. From a technical perspective the project was complex and involved inputs from, and the coordination of, several disciplines – civil, mechanical, electrical and geotechnical. For example, the single booster pump station was fitted with an actuated shut-off valve. This valve, fitted to the main carrying the flow entering into the pump station, was attached to a controller that caused the valve to close in certain circumstances. This in turn allowed the utilisation of on-property storage and a reduction in the need for large emergency storage tanks. For this system to work, a complex control logic was developed using
inputs from existing stations in the downstream network and from levels within the pump station wet well. United Civil says experienced practitioners in design of low-pressure sewer systems have stated that the Opua scheme is located in one of the more difficult topographies anywhere in the world in which such systems have been constructed. United Civil says it and GHD spent many hours in the field during the tender (and later detailed design) stage assessing possible routes over which to construct the network of pressure mains that would convey sewage collected from individual properties into the discharge point at the northern and most elevated extent of the site. Possible routes were assessed based on constructability, length, hydraulic profile and the calculated mean residence time of the sewage in the pipe. Concurrent with this process was an assessment of pump systems and configurations, and specifically their ability to pump efficiently, their reliability, and their wholeof-life cost. Initial network designs were then “value-engineered” and rationalised before being presented to the client for approval. The compact nature of the sites limited the maximum size of machine that could be used to around five tonnes. United Civil bought additional small rubber-tracked excavators (1.8 and three tonnes), along with augers to drill holes in which the on-property pumps stations were installed. In many cases, however, it was not possible to use a machine of any size to carry out the on-property drainage works, and trenches and holes had to be excavated and backfilled by hand. Construction efficiencies were achieved by aiming where possible for a “once only” visit to a property. Given that the
Domestic pump stations after installation. They often had to be placed in hard-to-access places.
26 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
Above left: Existing septic tanks were emptied, washed and disinfected before being filled in. Above: Excavation of the on-property stations were by auger or hand-digging.
Super Silent
The quietest in the field! Sound levels as low as 47dBa at full operating RPM, allows BBA pumps to boast of the quietest diesel pumps in the NZ market. As if that is not enough, they also pack them with outstanding cost saving benefits and environmentally friendly features such as float stop start, incredible fuel efficiencies (some with a fuel autonomy of 2 weeks!), low emissions, to help drive down your costs and improve your operating efficiency.
www.primepump.co.nz
Call Now
0800 482 747
info@primepump.co.nz
Solid Pumping Performance CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2013 27
AWARD WINNER
Re-instatement of a back garden.
on-property works required a variety of skill sets to perform multiple tasks, a very high degree of coordination was needed to achieve this objective. The contract management team was extremely productionfocused and developed contingency plans in case any particular work had to be halted for unforeseen reasons. This strategy proved its value when about three-quarters of the way through the project a change of scope brought work to a halt. Having a contingency plan in place allowed labour and plant to be used elsewhere on the scheme without any adverse effect on the programme. United Civil achieved significant efficiencies through the use of a single PN grade of HDPE pipe and the use of a single type of on-property pump. The company also implemented a number of valuable innovations… • It took advantage of the sudden availability of a shorter alternative alignment for a network main, sharing the costsaving with the client. • The contract scope called for the decommissioning, cleaning, breaking and filling of all existing septic tanks. Where there was a shortage of material to complete backfilling, or bringing material onto the site would have been difficult, a lightweight polystyrene or scoria fill was used, creating considerable timesavings. • To speed construction and reduce reinstatement costs, directional drilling was used to install both network rising mains and pressure service connections. • Instead of adopting a valve chamber formed using block work, United Civil installed a monolithic precast concrete structure. 28 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
This allowed for an accelerated construction of the booster pump station. • Rather than construct a cast in-situ concrete tank to serve as an emergency storage chamber at the booster pump station, United Civil created the equivalent volume by using largediameter spun concrete pipes with plugged ends. Again, this innovation was cost-effective and accelerated commissioning of the pump station. During construction United Civil minimised the environmental impact of its activities. Spill kits were kept on site, sucker trucks were used to clean up and remove drilling mud from the sites, silt-control fencing was used during any significant excavation, septic waste was removed to a council-owned treatment facility, mufflers were fixed to all construction machinery, and rubbish was removed daily from work sites. The majority of the Opua sewer scheme works were completed by the end of February 2013, well ahead of programme, and all works (including additional works) less than two months later, within the original 12-month contract period. Commenting on United Civil’s Contractors’ Federation construction award, the company’s managing director, Andrew Campbell, says: “We’re very pleased to have this project recognised in this manner, particularly when judged in such outstanding company. “The success of this design-and-construct project is, I think, testament to the capability of our outstanding staff, designers, subcontractors and suppliers, and is also a reflection of working with an engaged and proactive client and in a community that appreciates the very real benefit that this scheme provides.”
New Zealand’s largest and most modern hire fleet... ...available at 60 locations nation wide! Power Generation & Pumping
Access Equipment Vehicles
Earthmoving & Compaction
Portable Toilets & Showers
Containers
Barricading & Fencing
FEATURE
) S S E L ( S D R A O O I R ARR W 30 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
A new generation of activists are against new roads and in favour of public transport. But gone are street protests and banners of earlier protest movements: the new weapons of choice are Select Committee submissions and social media. So whether you agree or consider them deluded fools, you’d also better get used to firebrands such as Generation Zero, one of the most active and high profile of the youth protest groups of the past few years. By BERNARD HICKEY.
T
he protestors and activists of the 1970s and 1980s became the cabinet ministers and prime ministers of the 1990s and 2000s. They rebelled against the conservative social and economic views of their parents, campaigned against racism and protested for a nuclear free New Zealand. Eventually they forced the opening up of our fortress economy, the banning of nuclear ships and the creation of a more multi-cultural and globally-connected nation. Those with longest hair and the scruffiest clothes seemed to go the highest. Phil Goff, Murray McCully, Helen Clark and Tim Shadbolt all went on to cut their hair and become mayors and prime ministers and foreign ministers, but the views and thinking they developed during those protests stuck. What were once seen as radical views of the left and right eventually became mainstream, as they moved closer to power. Even allowing for the softening of radical ideas, tempered by pragmatism that comes with age, fundamental attitudes towards how the country should develop will now, as then, invariably be shaped by what happens in future politicians’ youthº.
The many faces of Phil Goff – bringing once-radical views to politics. (Source TVNZ)
Did you vote for Murray McCulley? “I think that pressure groups have a real place in our society.”
Mostly, today’s young activists and idealists are focused on the environment, and climate change in particular. The biggest street protests of the past five years were not about youth pay or unemployment or higher GST. They were against mining on conservation land. CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2013 31
FEATURE
Paul Young, Generation Zero’s Wellington solutions and strategy researcher
“The reason we exist is to get stronger climate change policy in New Zealand and accelerate the transition to a low carbon future.”
The most active grassroots campaigning on any public issue in recent months has been around the Auckland Unitary Plan and the debate over Auckland’s inextricably linked transport system and housing problems. Generation Zero is a group ‘liked’ by just 5000 on Facebook and led by only 10 unpaid but close-to-full-time volunteers who want a zero carbon New Zealand – despite its impracticalities, and their seeming total disregard for the fact that roads are built to help commerce, and public transport will do nothing to help move freight. In July and August it staged a speaking tour of 13 venues throughout the North and South Islands that was sponsored by Sir Stephen Tindall. Called ‘What’s the holdup?’, the group argued New Zealand was lagging behind on reducing carbon emissions. “The reason we exist is to get stronger climate change policy in New Zealand and accelerate the transition to a low carbon future,” says Generation Zero’s Wellington solutions and strategy researcher Paul Young.
An idea borne out of acrimony Generation Zero was born out of a group of 12 young New Zealanders who went to the UN climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009. Like many watching what was supposed to be a triumphant step beyond Kyoto, they were shocked when the talks collapsed without a deal amid acrimony between America, China, Brazil and India. They returned determined to work from the ground up in New Zealand to build a political force to reduce carbon emissions and achieve something to combat climate change. Young, who went to the subsequent Cancun climate change conference in 2010, says Generation Zero was formed in New Zealand as one of many youth groups being formed globally. Australia’s Youth Climate Coalition has 90,000 members. “Copenhagen was a slap in the face for the idea that the world’s governments
Only 5000 ‘Likes’ on Facebook, but has the potential for influence beyond mere numbers.
Members of our national team gathered together in Wellington for our annual review and planning weekend.
32 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
would put aside their competition and really do something for the long-term greater good over the short-term interests,” he says. But Generation Zero is no ordinary protest group that marches for a day and then fades away in an Occupy Wall St fashion. It has done its share of publicity stunts and public events, but its main activity is to get down and dirty with the detail of policy submissions. It’s the sort of minutiae that corporate lobbyists revel in and it’s already been noticed around the corridors of power in Wellington. Young produced a detailed 26 page submission from Generation Zero in September on the Wellington Regional Council’s Public Transport Spine Study. It was backed by 450 submitters and challenged the study’s dismissal of a light rail option. Instead, Generation Zero proposed a reshaped route for light rail through Newtown and Kilbirnie to avoid another tunnel through Mt Victoria, saving $400 million. Generation Zero is also active in the debate over Auckland’s transport plans.
“Even the relatively poor economic cases are based on the assumption that traffic volumes are going to keep growing as they’ve done for the past 50 years.” It has cooperated with the Auckland Transport Blog and the Campaign for Better Transport to create a detailed and staged plan to build up rail and bus routes over the next 20 years that avoids the big new motorways and harbour crossings being planned by the current Government. They are already waging an active campaign against the mooted but yet to be finalised East West link. They argue that the forecasts of continued increases in car usage are based on pre-Global Financial Crisis trends that no longer apply. Significantly, they say the youth are less interested in cars and keener to jump on buses or trains. They worry that multiple billions could be spent on motorways that will be unnecessary in decades time, when spending fewer dollars on upgrading public transport
Local Election Scorecard – with a D rating for climate change, would many Gen Zero supporters have voted for Brent Todd?
New Modular Hydraulic Shoring Systems for Hire For larger excavations demanding increased clear openings TSNZ offers Heavy Duty Hydraulic Bracing Systems from MGF in the UK. Each leg features a hydraulic pack with an integral double-acting hydraulic ram. Modular extensions are then selected and connected using robust pin and bolt joints to meet the required configuration. The hydraulic pack is operated using a pump unit for fine adjustment of the frame dimensions and also to provide system pre-load where appropriate.
For further information contact
Frank Swanberg, General Manager TSNZ, Freephone 0800 746 7369 or your nearest Humes Sales Centre on 0800 502 112 CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2013 33
FEATURE
would be more effective. “It’s about creating an alternative public transport network for people that is congestion free. It’s not buses stuck in traffic with other cars. It’s trains and busways with a dedicated right of way so you’ve got reliable frequent services that are actually going to give people a viable alternative,” says Young. True to form, rather than reaching for a placard, he points to the research on car usage globally over the past five years and the growing evidence in favour of public transport, walking and cycling. A 2012 Economist article on transport trends shows average kilometres traveled per car dropping in the USA, UK, Germany, France and Japan, while the proportion of youngsters with a driver’s licence has also slumped. But does that trend apply here? “There are so many more services available online. We don’t go to video stores anymore. We just download them. We don’t need to travel as much. More and more people work from home,”Young says. “There’s also some social change happening around status. In the past the car has been a status icon. My experience of the younger generation today is that it’s
A modern approach to lobbying using social media to carry the message
much more of a utility rather than a status thing,” he says. “Being able to spend more time on your smart phone while you’re on the train or the bus is actually quite a desirable thing.”
A Roy Morgan poll in New Zealand in August found the proportion of 18-24 year olds with a drivers licence has fallen to 70.4 percent from 76.0 percent over the past 10 years.
A FEW QUESTIONS Generation Zero and other activist groups are up against a strong Government drive in favour of big new motorway projects such as the Roads of National Significance (RoNS). As John Key said recently, “We like them: get over it.”
Surely the drop in car usage among young drivers is just a temporary thing linked to the financial crisis? Young says the international studies had accounted for the cyclical economic effects and much of the slowdown had already started in 2005, well before the Global Financial Crisis.
Won’t you all learn to love cars and get real as soon as you all have families and get kids like the rest of us? That one made Young smile. He acknowledged none of the Generation Zero activists had children, but he was confident parents could be encouraged back towards allowing their kids to cycle, walk and bus to school if the infrastructure could be improved.
Couldn’t you achieve more on climate change working directly in politics with a political party? Young was adamant a broad movement for change that lasted longer than a particular brand of Government would be longer-lasting and more likely to encourage businesses to make permanent change. “Look at Australia. It’s not good enough to have only one side of the political spectrum taking these problems seriously because that’s not
34 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
forming a long term basis for change that’s really needed,” Young says. “If we’re going to have flip flops every 3-6 years then businesses are not going to change their practices because they don’t have certainty,” he says.
How are we going to get economic growth without these big RoNS? Harking back to the cost benefit analysis for the projects, he says they were marginal at best, depending on the discount rates used. “Even the relatively poor economic cases are based on the assumption that traffic volumes are going to keep growing as they’ve done for the past 50 years. That’s largely just an extrapolation of past trends rather than considering the drivers behind that, which we think are changing.”
Can’t we just build these motorways and the drivers will come? Young says this thinking reinforced the risks involved with spending so much on motorways when the underlying trends were changing. “When you’re talking about the kind of money we’re talking about, is it not worth waiting a few years to see, rather than locking all this expenditure in? Groups such as the OECD are talking about a structural change in travel behaviour that’s going on.”
Infrastructure Works
2
Infrastructure Works - Excavation and Reinstatement
3
Infrastructure Works - Infrastructure Pipelaying Technician
3
Water Reticulation - Planned and Reactive Maintenance Technician
3
Water Reticulation - Supervisor
4
Infrastructure Works Supervision - Water and Wastewater
4
TRANSPORT
Transport in Focus In late November Contractor magazine’s Ruth Le Pla attended the Auckland Transport Infrastructure Forum, compliments of event organiser Conferenz, and supported by (amongst others) Roading New Zealand. PPPs were a major focus in the discussions aimed at “Unlocking Auckland’s potential”.
International interest in our PPPs EY (Ernst & Young) director infrastructure advisory Gordon Dunfield-Prayero has highlighted the implications for New Zealand contractors of dramatic changes currently taking place in the European infrastructure market. Speaking at the Auckland Transport Infrastructure Conference late last year, Dunfield-Prayero said European contractors and investors are looking to diversify outside of their home markets. “Australia and New Zealand are a key target market,” he said. Dunfield-Prayero cited Infrastructure Journal statistics showing the European public private partnership (PPP) market has shrunk 50 percent in value since 2007 and far fewer transport opportunities are now coming to market in the region. The European downturn, he says, means overseas contractors and specialist investors are showing “unprecedented” and “significant” interest in the New Zealand and Australian infrastructure markets. Many of them have already set up shop in Australia with many more looking to follow suit. They typically view Australia and New Zealand as a single market, and bring both specific interest in transport projects and the benefit of international financing relationships. Dunfield-Prayero, who is based in EY’s Sydney offices, said PPP transport projects currently dominate the project pipeline in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, a deal has recently been completed on the Gold Coast Rapid Transit project, while Queensland’s New Generation Rollingstock and the Sydney North-West Rail Link projects are currently in procurement. Spread across the country, further potential PPPs include Queensland’s Toowoomba Bypass and the F3/M2, Sydney Light Rail and WestConnex projects in Sydney. In New South Wales, there’s the Moorebank Intermodal project; in Victoria, the East-West Link and Melbourne Metro; and in Western Australia the Perth Light Rail and Airport Rail Link projects. Here The Wellington Gateway Partnership has started preferred bidder negotiations with the NZTA to build the 27 kilometre Transmission Gully project north of Wellington as a PPP. Led by Leighton Contractors, the partnership includes HEB Construction, InfraRed Infrastructure General Partner, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFH and the Accident Compensation Corp. While governments are investigating new ways of deriving the benefits of PPP without paying the full premium for private finance, Dunfield-Prayero emphasises the important role that PPPs can increasingly play in delivering affordable transport projects with a strong business case. At the same conference, Auckland Mayor Len Brown signalled his intention to put PPPs at the heart of conversations about the city’s transport future. Brown said that while PPP talks have been on the agenda for the past 18 months, he’s now shifting them centre-stage, and kicking off a line-by-line review of council’s existing transport expenditure 36 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
in preparation for its 2015 10-year budget. At the time Brown had two key messages for international companies looking to get involved in large New Zealand projects. “First, if you’re coming from overseas with an interest in building here, the preference is that you don’t come over here with your labour base: we’ll provide that. “And secondly, get into alliances with New Zealand business so that when you’re presenting you do so within partnerships and joint ventures.” Brown said alliances help build capacity and capability, and ensure local talent is employed. “At the same time they take advantage of technological, resourcing and project management competence from overseas, and obviously, sometimes, some very good financial arrangements.” Brown reiterated to delegates at the transport conference that since Auckland City doesn’t have bottomless resources, it needs to broaden its funding base. “And the only way to do that is by utilising PPPs, and the balance sheets of banks, or overseas or domestic companies.” He said he had received a lot of interest in potential Auckland PPPs from firms in Australia, Europe, America and Asia, particularly China. Just a few weeks after the conference, Brown released “Building a better working world”, a position paper prepared for council by professional services firm EY. (See box story.) For some time, Brown has been saying Auckland should be able to deliver PPPs at optimum levels as the city picks the learnings from overseas PPP experiences, some of which date back 15 to 20 years. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect,” he said at the conference, “but we’re coming to PPPs at exactly the right stage. We’ve seen the very best and the very worst. “The best have had very good modelling done at the front end and highly efficient and effective financial models delivered at the back end.” Brown also said another key priority will be “adjusting people’s psyche” to deal with how Auckland’s transport system could be transformed. In part, that will entail moving people from “kneejerk reactions” to “genuinely understanding” the current problem. “There’s limited revenue within government and council: so we need a broader base,” he said.“That’s the discussion we’re going to take to Aucklanders... This is about facing the truth.”
Think “Whole of Life” Meanwhile, in a discussion on whole of life thinking, Resolve Group principal consultant Rob Lorden said New Zealand often lags behind overseas practices. “It’s very obvious when you see a motorway that has to be maintained and operated for the next 20 or 30 years how different an international organisation’s design often is to New Zealand ones....There are improvement opportunities to build whole of life costs into many things that we do in New Zealand at the moment.”
To PPP or not to PPP When to use a PPP
When not to use a PPP
The NZ Treasury Guidance on Better Business Cases (August 2012) indicates that a public private partnership (PPP) approach may be considered for large-scale and long-duration assets where: • the project is sufficiently complex that innovative approaches can be employed; • outputs or outcomes can be well-specified, enabling clear performance specification; • the assets are specific-purpose and can only be used for the purpose intended (such as a prison or hospital); • the service is durable and it is unlikely that the service requirements will vary unpredictably over the life of the contract; and • there is a market appetite and depth (to attract multiple bidders).
• G overnment needs to (or is in a better position to) maintain control of the project; • T he functional requirements over the long term cannot be defined with certainty, or with adequate contractual flexibility; • T here are too many unquantifiable risks; • T here would be insufficient operational phase risk to warrant the returns paid on long term private capital.
Resolve Group general manager Michael Kwok predicted that as funding and the resources to complete jobs becomes scarcer, the opportunity to look at whole of life of projects will become more important. “We’re already seeing quite a major shift in whole of life expectations around projects and programmes. Programmes for NZ Inc are massive: not just for Auckland. So it’s a case of how we use our resources. I suspect change will start where the need is and percolate throughout the country from there.” Kwok also noted an increasing emphasis in the past five years on the relevant skills section in tender submissions. “It’s about getting the right people to line up in the right spots and working in the right places at the right time,” he said. He conceded this can be problematic for contracting companies tendering for several projects at any one time. For client companies, however, he said,“it is advantageous to look at both the project and people proposed, and then look to the link between the people and the methodology provided. This provides a view of how experienced the project team is both in working together and also in how effective and innovative they are.”
SOURCE: EY DIRECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE ADVISORY GORDON DUNFIELD-PRAYERO
REALISTIC ASSESSMENT CALLED FOR In November last year Auckland mayor Len Brown called for a “realistic, warts and all” assessment of PPP models. Brown, who was speaking at the release of a new positioning paper on options for PPPs for civic projects, said there is “absolutely no place for rose-tinted glasses” when considering billion-dollar projects. Prepared by professional services firm EY, the “Building a better working world” paper outlines the pros and cons of the three broad-brush types of PPPs which may be appropriate for the local government sector. These are: • Collaborative construction based models; • Long-term service contracts. These typically take a whole of life approach to asset management, where Government pays the private sector to deliver infrastructure and related services over the long term; and • Long-term partnering models. Brown also said lessons learnt early on in the UK showed that in the most successful PPP models, ownership is retained by the public sector while the risk falls to the private sector. The full EY Report can be accessed at http://bit.ly/1b41U5y
Auckland • Hamilton • Rotorua • Taupo • Wellington • Christchurch
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TRAINING TC – STMS L1 – WCTL – STMS L1 REFRESHER COURSES
• •
Scheduled courses run on a monthly basis All our Trainers have Practical experience
We have trainers based in the upper North Island, lower North Island & in the South Island
• •
Easy to book Food Provided
Please see our Website or phone to enquire
0800 53 22 22
www.trafficmanagementnz.co.nz
CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2013 37
PROJECT
SAFETY FIRST
for Heaphy Track tourists The Department of Conservation (DoC) is itself building three new road bridges to ensure the safety of travellers at the north end of the Heaphy Track. HUGH DE LACY reports.
S
o worried was the Department of Conservation (DoC) about the safety of trampers heading for the Heaphy Track after the devastating Aorere River floods of Christmas, 2010, that it is paying for three new bridges to replace fords on the northern approach route. The road on which the bridges are being built is owned by the Tasman District Council (TDC) which couldn’t justify picking up the $500,000 tab for bridging the dangerously flood-prone fords itself, but was happy for DoC to build them and turn them over to the TDC in 10 years’ time. The 78.4 kilometre Heaphy walking and cycling track hosts around 7000 trampers a year, and to access the northern end they have had to cross three fords on Aorere River tributaries. Normally these fords are barely shin-deep, and cars have no trouble negotiating them to reach the car park and DoC’s Brown Hut that mark the northern terminal of the track. But on December 28, 2010, the rains came down and the volume of water in the Aorere rocketed from nine cubic metres a second (cumecs) to 3560, and the river level at the three fords hit a phenomenal 8.2 metres. What made it worse was that the December 38 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
Warrior Surface Box Range With Wedge Seating
The Warrior surface box has been specifically designed to offer fast and easy access to emergency and belowground services. The Warrior Wedge seating operates in two directions and has seats to ensure the security and location of the cover within the frame.
Manufactured from ductile iron and incorporating the large wedge seating principle, the warrior surface box offers long-term stability and performance.
Conformity
The Warrior surface box fully meets the requirements of BS 5834 Part 3, 1985 and the performance requirements of BS 750 1984. Certified with the BSI Kitemark for quality.
Badging WW
SV & FH standard badges are available. Contact us for other individual badge requirements.
Security
Safety chains can be fitted for added security.
Unique single-piece
Non-rock, heavy duty design.
Large Wedge Seatings
Offer non-rock performance and greater stability under heavy traffic loading.
Bonding Ribs Positive Register
A register is designed into the wedge seat for positive locating each time the cover is closed.
NORTH ISLAND David Oliver 0272 471 686 david@pandi.co.nz
To increase the adhesion between casting and bedding mortar. High performance polyestor resin mortar is recommended for installation of this unit.
Prising Slots
Located at both front and rear of unit for easy opening and fast access to services.
SOUTH ISLAND Mike Phillips 0274 333 172 mike@pandi.co.nz
PROJECT
28, 2010, flood followed a once-in-500-year downpour that had hit the north-western corner of the South Island just a fortnight earlier, and Tasman was still reeling from that when the post-Christmas event hit. It was the worst flood on the Aorere in 108 years, with $6 million in damage caused by the wall of water, rock and debris that plunged down the valley from the flanks of the 1700 metre Aorere Peak in Northwest Nelson State Forest Park, before emptying into Golden Bay at Collingwood 50 kilometres to the north. It was a miracle, the locals reckoned at the time, that no one was killed but, following further floods in Nelson and Tasman Districts this year, landowners are still paying the price in the form of escalating insurance premiums. Such is the size of the Aorere catchment, and the volatility of the river and its tributaries, that rises and falls in the water levels can occur literally over a period of minutes, and DoC’s nightmare is for a vehicle full of tourists being swept away in an unpredictable fresh wave of water. Clearly DoC also thought it was miraculous that no tourists perished approaching one of the country’s most popular long walks in 2010, because it persuaded the TDC to let it build the bridges at DoC’s own expense. “The department felt there was too much of a risk, and we’ve had anecdotal evidence of people being swamped in the fords, and having to try to cross them to get up to the track,” DoC’s northern South Island project manager, Kim Forbes, told Contractor. “It’s a territorial authority road, so we’ve stepped out of the norm to do these bridges: the department’s funding them and the TDC will take them over in 10 years’ time, so it’s a whole different thing for us. We could not just walk away and leave it, knowing the potential risk and harm,” Forbes says. A few of the local farmers had some reservations about the bridges, fearing a resultant increase in tourist traffic would threaten their relative isolation, but the implications to the tourist industry of deaths on so famous a track have proved paramount. Previously the farmers themselves did most of the maintenance on the fords, flattening out the gravel stream-beds with tractors and backscrapers to ensure at least their own vehicles could get through, if not the tourists’. The road to the head of the track is sealed from Collingwood as far as Bainham, 15 kilometres south of Collingwood, but thereafter it is unsealed, winding, and so narrow that Thelin Construction principal 40 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
David Thelin reckons the widest parts of it are the three bridges his company is building. Thelin Construction is based in Richmond, Nelson, and it has built more than 300 bridges in the wider region over the past half-century. The contract with DoC specifies 15-metre-long bridges over the first and third fords, with the middle bridge comprising two 15-metre spans, and all three being single-laned and 3.7 metres wide. The first bridge that tourists will encounter when travelling south up the Aorere Valley from Collingwood to the Brown Hut is called the Seventeen-Mile Bridge, and it spans a water course that is normally about six metres across. The middle bridge, about four kilometres on from Seventeen-Mile Bridge, crosses the 20 metre-wide Walsh Creek, and is called the Nineteen-Mile Bridge. The third bridge, two kilometres further on and within 100 metres of the Brown Hut carpark, is named for the six-metrewide Fossil Creek. The bridges are of pre-stressed concrete, with the components fabricated at Thelin Construction’s premises on MacPherson Road, Richmond. They sit on caissons – three of them in the case of the two-span Nineteen-Mile Bridge, which has one at each abutment and a third at the junction of the two 15-metre spans. The smaller bridges have caissons at the abutments, and all three have guard-rails running along either side. Concrete for the pre-stressed components was supplied to Thelin at its yard by Allied Concrete, while Takaka company Concrete and Metals supplied the on-site pours. David Thelin says the job has been pretty straight forward, with the weather and the river behaving themselves reasonably
well throughout the construction process so far. There’s nothing revolutionary in the bridge designs,Thelin says, and certainly they pose less of a challenge than some of the structures the company has built since his father, Carl Thelin, a carpenter by trade, turned to building bridges because he liked working with concrete. Among the older Thelin’s major projects were the 300 metre Tapawera bridge on SH6, and the 150 metre Takaka River bridge between Takaka and Collingwood. Back then Carl Thelin’s main client was the former Waimea County Council, which had launched a major bridge-building campaign in the 1960s and 1970s. Initially Thelin Construction did nothing but build bridges, but in the 1970s Carl Thelin had to diversify into concrete pre-casting, now the company’s principal revenue-earner, just to keep pace with his bridge-building work. David Thelin bought his father out of Thelin Construction eight years ago, and today it employs about 10 permanent staff, and in the pre-cast yard runs one 100-tonne and one 70-tonne crawler, backed up by a 65-tonne hydraulic crane. Errol Thelin, David’s uncle, works for the company as organiser and administrator, allowing David to do what he likes best: getting his hands dirty out on-site. Bridging the three fords leading to the Heaphy Track was going back to the company’s roots, David Thelin said, when under Carl’s management it built one Waimea County bridge after another for at least 10 years. The three bridges in a row near the Heaphy Track hardly compare in size and complexity with the likes of the Tapawera and Takaka structures, but they give an iconic edge to the company’s signature on the roads of the South Island’s north-west, he says.
COMMENT
Plans for 2014 JEREMY SOLE CEO, NZCF
H
ere we are again with a new year under way – I’m writing this column on my final day of leave and in the middle of a motorcycle trip between Auckland and Wellington – I’ve stopped at the side of the road to write it given I just received a wind-up from the managing editor – just hope the mobile broadband is working! The 2013 year was tough with loads going on in the industry and all coming from different directions and with a high level of industry importance and intensity and urgency. Most people I’ve spoken to had similar observations regardless of the industry they are operating in. I guess it’s a sign of the economy warming up and a harbinger of good solid economic times ahead. Well that is how I’m choosing to see it. I think 2014 is going to be a health and safety year for the federation and the industry. The Pike River Bill has been through Parliament and the new Health and Safety legislation is well on its way through the development process to be out for consultation in the first half of the year. This is going to require significant input from industry and afterwards will require quite a bit of work and changes within businesses. While much of the new
42 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
legislation will simply codify what firms should already be doing, it also heralds a new phase of accountability where lip service won’t suffice anymore and systems that promise but are not functional at all levels will be an invitation to send directors to jail. The federation will be working in this area to ensure all members are sufficiently informed about what is required and how to go about designing and implementing appropriate systems and ensuring that they are embedded in their organisations.
Internal office review One of the surprising things about the internal national office review process started last year is that much of the feedback about what the federation should be doing, and what we need to change, focused almost entirely on stuff we were already doing. This was frustrating at first but of course it dawned on us that it isn’t sufficient to be doing the stuff – we need to facilitate a step change in our engagement with members and ensure they get sufficient visibility over activities, and opportunities to provide input. So we’ll be looking for a new structure this year which will ensure this happens. At
the same time the conversation between Roading NZ and the federation focused on bringing the two organisations together has gained momentum and the team working on this is looking forward to presenting ideas to the members at Branch meetings, hopefully in the first half of the year. There is a good feeling and lots of goodwill around this initiative and we look forward to the effectiveness that will come from having one voice for the industry.
Looking ahead I’m going to sign off before it starts raining now and get back on the road – but next month I’m doing a joint column with Mark Kinvig from NZTA to discuss the SME perspective of the new road maintenance contracts. Much has been written and much has been said on this topic and we will be taking the opportunity to nail down and be more explicit about the expectations of how the new model will work and how SMEs in particular can expect aspects of the new models to affect and protect them and encourage strong values-based relationships at all levels in this area. Happy New Year!
COMMENT
Electronic communications and NZS 3910:2013 – key points to note RACHEL FERNANDO SOLICITOR, CONSTRUCTION LAW TEAM, KENSINGTON SWAN
S
tandards New Zealand’s new NZS 3910:2013 contract has been updated to include for greater use of electronic communications and documentation. This is great to see, particularly given that contracting is traditionally a documentheavy business. There are some legal issues that arise out of electronic communications, which are worth being aware of. This article looks at three: • How does electronic communication affect contract formation? • Is an electronic signature as good as a normal signature? • How is electronic service of documents dealt with (‘service’being formal delivery/receipt for legal purposes)?
Presently, the answer is not entirely clear. It is not specifically addressed in the Electronic Transactions Act 2002, leaving parties to argue whether email is sufficiently similar to post to mean that the posting acceptance rule should apply. However, the Electronic Transactions (Contract Formation) Amendment Bill, is expected to clarify that an offer is deemed to be accepted at the time of the receipt of the acceptance by the party making the offer. The postal acceptance rule will not apply to electronic acceptance of a contract. The Bill is currently awaiting second reading before parliament, after being recommended to be passed into law by the Commerce Committee.
Contract formation
Electronic signatures
Generally speaking, the same legal requirements apply to formation of a contract electronically, as if the contract was being formed using a hard-copy document. There must be offer and acceptance, certainty of terms, and intention to create legal relations between the parties. The point of acceptance can be an issue in an electronic transaction. Generally, an offer is deemed to be accepted at the time the acceptance is communicated to the party making the offer. An exception to this is the ‘postal acceptance rule’, which is that an offer is deemed to be accepted when it is posted (as long as it is properly stamped and addressed). So, is an offer sent by email deemed to be accepted at the time the acceptance email was sent, or when it was received by the party that made the offer?
Electronic signatures can be as good as the real thing, but note that the Electronic Transactions Act puts some qualifications around this. Under the Act, an electronic signature needs to: A adequately identify the signatory and adequately indicate the signatory’s approval of the information to which the signature relates; and B be reliable given the purpose and circumstances in which the signature is required. The Act helps to clarify these broad requirements by describing circumstances in which electronic signatures are presumed to be reliable, for example where the signatory is the only person who controls the way the electronic signature is created, and there’s a way of telling if the electronic signature has been altered.
It is also worth noting that the person receiving the electronic signature must consent to its use In general, consent to the use of electronic communications in place of physical documents and original signatures is a key point in order to validly use them, however note this consent can be implied from a person’s conduct.
Electronic service of documents Under NZS 3910:2013 the parties can agree to electronic service of documents. The sender has to retain evidence of the origin, destination, and time of sending the communication. Where service of a document relates to the Construction Contracts Act, there are additional requirements that are important to be aware of. Regulation 10 to that Act requires the information in a notice or document that is served electronically to be easily accessible so as to be usable for subsequent reference, as well as requiring the recipient to have consented to the information being given electronically.
Moving forward The new provisions for emailing documents and for using electronic signatures are subtle but significant changes are in the new NZS 3910:2013. For many contractors, email and electronic documentation will be business as usual, but for some this may be a leap into the 21st century. In either case, it is worth taking note of the above points and getting advice to ensure that legal technicalities don’t get in the way of what should be a positive move in contract administration.
PIPE SEALING PLUGS
sizes. tches to cover a range of pipelines. • One bag stre in air or er wat of le. ling ilab sea • Pressure hoses are ava • Sealing bags are used for . s are used to re-direct flow • High quality bypass plug
E FOR AND
Phone: 0800 48 2000 specialisedtools.co.nz
BL AVAILA
HIRESALE CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 43
COMMENT
Helping young people prosper key to Kaimai Valley Services MURRAY CLAYTON WATER OPERATIONS MANAGER, KAIMAI VALLEY SERVICES
M
urray Clayton is the water operations manager at Kaimai Valley Services, a business unit of the Matamata Piako District Council. The team look after the water, wastewater and reticulation services for the district. Murray’s team look after water treatment, water meter readings to repairing any leaks in the pipes around the region it’s a busy job. “I manage a team of nine staff – eight full time staff and one part-timer. There are two foremen in my team and the rest carry out the day to day work,” Murray says. As well as their daily tasks, some of Murray’s team are also working through their qualifications with the Primary Industry Training Organisation (Primary ITO). Primary ITO provides NZQA-endorsed qualifications across the water treatment, wastewater treatment, irrigation, and water and wastewater reticulation sectors of the water industry. One of Murray’s team is working towards his National Certificate in Water Treatment and other reticulation staff with in Kaimai Valley Services are working towards their National Certificate in Water Reticulation. There are two levels of the Water Reticulation certificate. Level 3 is ideal
44 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
for water, wastewater reticulation servicepeople, network operators and utilities servicepeople while Level 4 is aimed at current and aspiring supervisors. Murray and the team at Kaimai Valley Services are big believers in the power of education. “Training gives my staff more of an understanding of what is required and they build on that. We’ve got a young guy called Jason Hancock who has come through the Gateway programme at his secondary school, then gone on to do an apprenticeship with us.” The Gateway programme provides recognition to students who complete a work placement by having their learning in the workplace assessed. Students can blend school study with workplace learning to get a taste of what working in the water industry might be like. Another bonus of the scheme is that if an employer sees promise in the young person an apprenticeship offer can follow, as in Jason’s case. Murray himself has worked his way up the ranks.“I’m one of the guys who worked out in the field, and worked through the system. We’re really committed to helping young people in the industry gain their qualifications and succeed. That’s what we
like to see.” In terms of recommending Primary ITO training to other businesses in the water industry, he says, “I would definitely recommend them! I have even spoken about the positive benefits of training and the secondary schools Gateway scheme to other organisations up North. I would absolutely recommend Primary ITO to other companies.” Coming up to 26 years at Kaimai Valley Services, Murray says he still enjoys his job. “I still find my job satisfying – even 26 years later. Making safe, drinkable water for everyone and making a difference to the community is what keeps me going. Not one day is the same – there are always emergencies, plus I get to work outdoors which is a bonus for me although I do tend to do more sitting on my behind than manual labour these days!” Murray laughs. As well as the satisfaction he gets from his job, Murray gets satisfaction from seeing the young people he has helped and trained succeed in their careers. “I want to see young people prosper. We recently had one of our first apprentices, Scott Laurie, leave to go to university to do an engineering degree. I feel proud to see young people who have worked with me making a success of their lives.”
YANMAR, YOUR BEST PARTNER FOR BUILDING THE FUTURE World’s First compact excavator to the market in 1971 World’s First True Zero Tail Swing Excavator World’s First Tailor Made Hydraulic Quick-Coupler in the industry
Yanmar compact excavators. Available from 0.8 tonne to 10 tonne. Powerful, Reliable, Durable and Efficient Excavators.
S PA R E S / / S A L E S / / S E R V I C E
FREEPHONE 0800 848 267 www.transdiesel.com
COMMENT
Heat – another hazard to manage JANET BROTHERS MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIFE CARE CONSULTANTS INC)
A
t this time of the year exposure to heat often becomes a concern. This year, however, it has been more talked about than ever, due to the long trousers and long sleeves policy on many construction sites and the hot weather the entire country has experienced. When we are hot our body cools us down by pumping blood to our skin, which is why we often turn red and we sweat. Sweating is a very efficient way to cool down and on hot days we can lose litres of fluid through sweating. Sweating is healthy as long as we replace the fluids which we lose. As with a lot of things the prevention is fair easier than the cure, for staff who are working in the heat and especially with the long sleeves and trousers policy we need to educate the staff to manage the hazard of heat just the same as any other hazard. It is difficult to eliminate or isolate the heat, so we are left to minimise the effects. There are a number of ways we can do this: • ensure there is sufficient water on site.
In a hot environment each worker may need to be drinking up to six litres a day; • Have some shade available for them to rest in. This may be a brolly or shade cloth;
An easy check of how hydrated we are is the urine colour chart below. Other than first thing in the morning when our urine will be dark, it should be light and transparent at all other times and if not we need to drink!
Divining the waters – is as important today as in medieval times.
46 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
• I f possible get the heaviest and most physical tasks done in the morning before the heat of the day is at the highest; • Have short regular breaks. This might be five minutes every hour and when they are resting ensure it is somewhere in the shade and as cool as possible. Sports drinks with electrolytes are useful at the end of the day and may be more useful for people who suffer from cramps as they can help to replace the sodium and potassium that is lost through sweat. If the worker doesn’t like drinking plain water, very diluted fruit juice can make it easier to keep the fluids up. Tea, coffee, coke and other sweet drinks will help to dehydrate so they should be kept to a minimum and certainly not ‘counted’ as replacement fluids. An easy check of how hydrated we are is the urine colour chart below. Other than first thing in the morning when our urine will be dark, it should be light and transparent at all other times and if not we need to drink! Heat can affect us in a number of ways: Heat rash, also known as prickly heat, is skin irritation caused by sweat that does not evaporate from the skin. Heat rash is the most common problem in hot work environments. Heat cramps are caused by the loss of body salts and fluid during sweating. Low salt levels in muscles cause painful cramps. Tired muscles—those used for performing the work—are usually the ones most affected by cramps. Cramps may occur during or after working hours. Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to loss of water and salt from heavy sweating. Signs include headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, thirst, and heavy sweating. Heat stroke is the most serious form of heat-related illness, and it can happen when the body becomes unable to regulate its core temperature. Sweating stops and the body can no longer rid itself of excess heat. Signs include confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures. Heat stroke is a medical emergency that may result in death! Call 111 immediately.
COMMENT
Introducing the Infrastructure Industry Training Organisation HELMUT MODLIK CEO INFRASTRUCTURE ITO
Kia ora koutou It’s a pleasure to introduce myself as CEO of the Infrastructure Industry Training Organisation (ITO), created through the merging of InfraTrain New Zealand and the Electricity Supply Industry Training Organisation (ESITO).
I
’m delighted to be on board and to have the opportunity to lead the organisation into 2014 and beyond. My background is in economic development, health, information technology, education and telecommunications. Civil infrastructure is a new area for me, and I’ve had to spend much of my time over the past two months getting to know the industry, our customers and stakeholders. During this time I have been hugely impressed by the good work that is happening in the sector, and by the qualities and commitment of the people working in it. Civil infrastructure is undoubtedly crucial to the development and prosperity of New Zealand, and I am fortunate to be leading the Infrastructure ITO at such an exciting time. The mood is positive, with current and planned investment creating opportunities that the ITO is keen to support.
A good example is our partnership with other ITOs, training providers and Auckland-based industry in the Pan-Auckland Education and Training Alliance. Together we want to act strategically, planning for a future that improves profit margins but also achieves longer term benefits such as raising productivity and improving work practices in order to make the infrastructure sector better, during both upturns and downturns.
brand and identity in the first half of next year. The main focus for us moving into 2014 is building a high performing organisation. Both InfraTrain and ESITO were in a strong position prior to the merger. In 2014 we will tap into existing strengths and available synergies to lift our performance even further. This will enable us to become not an infrastructure ITO, but the infrastructure ITO for New Zealand. Achieving this will begin with listening
Achieving this will begin with listening to and understanding our customers’ needs If we are to gain maximum benefit from the opportunities ahead, then quality, integrated and relevant workforce training is essential. The Infrastructure ITO will be at the heart of achieving this. The merger between InfraTrain and ESITO which took place in October has been a great success. We will continue to fine tune our organisation over the coming months, with minimal if any impact on our customers. The official merger process will culminate with the launch of our new
to and understanding our customers’ needs. This includes understanding the common ground and different needs in the civil construction, electrical supply and telecommunication sectors, as well as in individual companies. We will ensure our work reflects those common and different requirements. However, in all cases our operational improvements will have the same aim – to add value to the industries and trainees we serve, while meeting the needs and objectives of stakeholders such as the Tertiary Education Commission.
MEGAJET WORKSTATION 4 IN 1 Generator, welder, compressor & charger all in one powerful package. The perfect addition for any mobile service vehicle AUCKLAND HEAD OFFICE Phone: (+64) 09 443 2436 Email: sales@yrco.co.nz
SOUTH ISLAND OFFICE Phone: (+64) 03 341 6923 Email: gregl@yrco.co.nz
• • • •
T EWUC NPROD
THE POWER OF 4. Generator Welder Compressor Charger
YRCO.CO.NZ
QUALITY INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT FROM THE WORLD’S LEADING MANUFACTURERS CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 47
CLASSIC MACHINES
48 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
CL
M
ASSIC
S A C H I N E
The Wabco 339F With sales of its electrically operated B series Tournapull scrapers slowing down significantly, Wabco realised that it was time to upgrade its large open-bowl scraper line, or it was about to get left behind in the large motor scraper market. By RICHARD CAMPBELL
T
he Wabco B series, introduced in 1959, and particularly the model B-70, had been good sellers for Wabco but was, by the late 1960s, decidedly old technology and still featured cable controlled bowl functions. Wabco’s design team totally revamped the old B series tractor unit but elected to stay with the former’s GM 12V-71N powerplant. This was attached to an Allison CLBT5960 6-speed transmission with in-built retarder. In this configuration the B339F (the ‘B’ was retained for a short time in the machine’s designation) put out 475 horsepower and was capable of 33 mph. A totally redesigned, fully hydraulic steering system was fitted which was a mirror image to that fitted to the smaller C222 and C229 scrapers, only larger. What really set the machine apart from its predecessor was the all-hydraulically operated bowl, apron and ejector. Rated at 25 cubic yards struck and 34 cubic yards heaped, the B339F was more than capable of taking on its contemporaries, the Caterpillar 631, Terex S-24 and AllisChalmers 460.
Weighing in at 39½ tons and possessed of very good riding qualities (unlike some of its competitors), Wabco saw no need to fit any form of suspension system to the machine which was formally introduced to the contracting world in late 1968. The B in the designation had been dropped by 1970 and now the machine was known simply as the 339F. Manufactured up to 1972 with only a few cosmetic alterations, Wabco changed the powerplant in this year to the turbocharged GM 12V-71T V-12 diesel rated at 500 horsepower and replaced the transmission with an Allison CLBT5965. The single aircleaner was replaced with dual units, one on either side of the machine’s radiator cowl. Capacity and other basic operating specifications remained the same. The last major change came in 1974 with the addition of all the OSHA mandated equipment that was by now necessary on motor scrapers in the USA. These included a ROPS, seatbelt, exhaust mufflers, emergency brake and mudguards on the scraper.
Above: Obligatory factory photo of a fairly late production Wabco 339F. This machine has all the later recognition features – relocated Donaldson STG aircleaners, ROPS mountings, mufflers but is without the rear mudguards on the scraper which would date this photo around 1973. Left, above: Early 339F getting a helping hand to load the bowl from a Caterpillar D9G. Factory fitted sun canopy was a popular addition to many Wabco scrapers and not unique to the 339F. The machine is carving out a roadbed next to a cornfield. Photo dated 1969. Left, below: Halfway through ejecting its load, this 339F clearly shows the Caterpillar-influenced bowl design. The fuel tank, mounted on the rear of the tractor had to be removed to allow access to the differential or to inspect the final drives making this a somewhat tiresome task.
CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 49
CLASSIC MACHINES
Above: Working in the Beverly Glen Estates subdivision in the Hollywood Hills, this is one of six Wabco 339Fs belonging to WRScarbrough. Taken in 1975, Scarbrough was developing 358 high-quality hillside homesites in this exclusive area of California. Above right: 339F getting a push from a Cat D8H with push cup near Monteray, California. This particular 339 has the optional air dryer (used to purge the air system of unwanted water) mounted on the left front of the radiator cowl.
Horsepower and bowl capacity still remained unchanged but by now the 339F had gained over two tons and now weighed 41.3 tons empty! The 339F was dropped from production during 1976 due to a worldwide decline in the sales of large scrapers, however the tractor unit continued in production as the prime mover for the models 333F and 333FT elevating scrapers.
The 339F described Based on the former chassis of the model B-70 Tournapull tractor, all the driveline components of the 339F were housed safely away inside this ‘tub’ which made them well protected but sometimes a little difficult to access. At the front was the engine, a General Motors model 12V-71N connected directly to the Allison powershift transmission. From there the output was directed through a Detroit no-spin differential and then to the final bull gear and pinion-type drives. Braking was provided by air operated, hydraulically actuated wedge shoe brakes. These were identical on both tractor and scraper. At the back of the chassis tub was the 200-gallon fuel tank. An all-new hitch and gooseneck assembly had been developed to connect the scraper to the tractor. This held the dual low-mounted hydraulic steering cylinders that allowed 90 degree turns either side of centre. Advanced for its time, the 339F had a variable displacement hydraulic pump supplying the steering circuit that allowed for a very smooth steering response.
50 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
The bowl was very clean and modern looking and cast a nod in the direction of Caterpillar to its design influence with inside mounted apron arms, straddle mounted bowl lift cylinders and an apron opening and closing device that closely resembled that of its rival. Fitted with a 4-section cutting edge, the bowl held 25 cubic yards struck and 34 cubic yards heaped and featured bulldozer ejection via a single hydraulic ram buried in the push block. Standard tyre size on both tractor and scraper was the 33.5x33, 38-ply E-3 but other types were also available including Michelin radials. Differing from most other manufacturers of motor scrapers, Wabco placed the operator on the centerline of the tractor unit (which probably accounted a great deal for its superior riding qualities). A broad instrument panel was provided with the instruments on the left side, steering column in the centre and bowl operating controls placed unusually on the right of the panel. A full bonnet width windshield was fitted as standard equipment. With most motor scrapers the operator looks over his right shoulder during loading, but, due to the placement of the seat on a 339F, the operator looked over his left shoulder, a bit of a plus when working stockpiles or drop-offs. Milsco air suspension seats were standard. Visibility from the seat was very good except to the front when loading as the machine had a “nose up” attitude during this part of the work cycle. Few optional extras were offered for the 339F but those that were included a cab,
BRIEF SPECIFICATIONS
Wabco 339F(mid production) Engine: GM 12V-71N naturally aspirated V-12 diesel rated at 475hp at 2100 rpm. Transmission: Allison CLBT5965 6-speed full powershift transmission with integral hydraulic retarder. Top Speed: 33 mph. Steering: Full hydraulic, 90° turns to each side of centre. Turning Circle: 40’ 7”. Brakes: Air operated, hydraulically actuated, wedge type shoe on all Axles. Std.Tyres: 33.5x33, 38 ply E3 on all axles. Capacity: 25 cubic yards struck, 34 cubic yards heaped. Operation: Full hydraulic. Cutting edge: 11’ wide, made up of four 33” wide reversible and interchangeable sections. Length: 47’ 2”. Width: 13’. Height: 3’ 3½”. Operating Weight: 40 tons (empty), 81 tons (loaded).
heater, air dryer, windscreen wiper and of course the different tyre sizes mentioned previously.
New Zealand connection No Wabco 339Fs were ever imported into New Zealand. ISP/Domtrac (NZ franchise holders at the time) had tried to sell some 339Fs to various contractors that were working on the Twizel/Pukaki/Ohau hydro electric schemes but it appears that none of them were prepared to give the machine an opportunity.
We are the
Rail Safety Experts
For the model collector No one has yet produced a model of the Wabco 339 as either a mainstream diecast or a “limited edition” collectable in any scale. This is indeed a great pity as the tractor unit from this model could also be used to produce other machines in Wabco’s ‘300’ series, notably the 333FT elevating scraper. A model of the 333FT does exist, but it is a kitset, very hard to find, and if that wasn’t bad enough, it is to a very odd scale (1:70) making it incompatible with most people’s collections.
on the
Top left: A couple of Bracken Construction’s Wabco 339Fs at work on the Newcastle Bypass in Pennsylvania, USA, 1971. Bracken had six 339s on this job. Note that these 339s are lacking the usual two horizontal stiffeners on the radiator guard which Wabco experimented with for a while. They were soon re-introduced as they provided more protection for the machine’s radiator. Above: Exiting Wabco’s main assembly building in Peoria, Illinois, USA is a brand spanking Wabco 339F, tightly chained down to a Rock Island flat car. This photo shot in 1969 will never be repeated as Wabco scrapers and the Rock Island Line no longer exist.
New Zealand Rail Network
We provide safe access to the rail corridor. We can help you obtain a permit and provide guidance and advice for working safely in the rail corridor. We provide highly trained protection personnel, signage, communications equipment & Hi Rail access.
DC Signals works to provide excellent rail protection to contractors in the Auckland Metro and throughout New Zealand. DC has been involved in major projects such as DART project and the Auckland Electrification Project.
Visit our website www.dcsignals.co.nz For queries or bookings email us at protection@dcsignals.co.nz Unit 10, 343 Church St, Penrose, Auckland 1061 • Ph: 09 634 9135/ 021619951 • PO Box 112019, Penrose CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 51
MOTORING
PETER GILL >> Motor noter
WILL IT STILL
BE DEAFENING? Most people are aware of the motor sport known as Formula One. Many will be aware that there is also a Formula Two and Formula Three class of single seater racing. But brand new is Formula E. This Formula is for single seat race cars powered by electricity. Renault
is at the forefront of development of the new cars, but others are involved too. The first round of Formula E is scheduled for Beijing in September. Apparently, organisers think that the atmosphere at the event will be electric.
Maxxed-out A name that’s been around in New Zealand since the early 1990s has just faded out. It’s the Nissan Maxima. This was Nissan’s large six cylinder sedan. Nissan New Zealand assembled the model at Wiri, South Auckland for about eight years, until closing its assembly plant in about 1998. After that, it imported the model from Japan. Back in the early 1990s, I thought so highly of the Maxima that I awarded it the Car Of The Year on behalf of the national business publication I then worked for. I have long since lost interest in Car Of The Year awards, with every tin pot publication handing them out. Next thing it will be the Manawatu Muckraker handing out a Car Of The Year Award. I am suspicious that some publications make their choice according to how much advertising money car companies have spent with them. Anyway, the Maxima has been replaced with the Altima, which is longer and taller than the Maxima. It has a 2.5 litre petrol engine, is built in Thailand, and starts at $43,990. Apparently the next model Nissan Thailand plans to build is to be called the Grand Riot. 52 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
!
It used to be said that the best way to get to know your car is to wash it. That way you would become aware of its every nook and cranny. Owning three cars and living on a dusty rural road, I prefer estrangement. I go to the Caltex car wash in town.
Blowing in from the west
It would be easy to think that the first Ford Zephyr was the British-built piece of Ford ugliness, now referred to as the Mark One, that appeared in 1954. It went through four iterations, finishing production in 1972 and looking just as gnaw-your-arm-off ugly as when it started out. Fact is that the first Ford Zephyr appeared in 1936. It was made by Ford’s Lincoln division in Detroit. It had a 4.4 litre V12 engine, was offered for several years, and did very well in the market place. The British Zephyrs sold well, too, but you always got a feeling that the work force that built them was resentful and grudging. And you’d be right. After all, what would you expect of a the demeanour of a worker that has a chip buttie for breakfast. And lunch.
Toyota wins again 2013 was a brilliant year if you were a seller of new cars and light commercial vehicles in New Zealand. Sales were the highest since 1984. An illustration of how the market has soared is that 70,000 new cars and light commercial vehicles were sold in 2009. In 2013 the figure was 113,000. Top selling car was the Toyota Corolla. Top selling ute was the Toyota HiLux. Reaction of the seller of the runner-up ute, the Ford Ranger? Bugger.
SON OF FORD
A common sight on New Zealand roads and construction sites in the 1950s and 1960s was the Fordson 7V truck. It was introduced in 1937. When World War Two broke out, the factory’s capability was used to assemble military vehicles, but the 7V went back on the market in 1945 and remained on sale until 1949 when it was supplanted by a new vehicle, the ET6. Note how cab-over-engine trucks were being built as far back as the 1930s. The 7V appears to have come from the “Hit A Brick Wall Hard” styling studio.
NOW EMPLOYING! • EXPERIENCED SALES REP • Silverdale. Send CV to greg@taylorbuilt.co.nz
Safety fence • Steel y posts • Fencing products • Fabric screening Ground staples • Industrial sewing service • Filtercloth • Silt fence Flexible flumes • Geotextiles • d-watering filters • Cess pit filter bags Biodegradeable ground cover • Floating silt log 0800 RJREID (757343) www.taylorbuilt.co.nz sales@taylorbuilt.co.nz 45 Forge Road, Silverdale, AUCKLAND CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2014 53
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Innovative penetrating radar
From left: Tony Fairfield (YRCO), Richard Grainger, Richard Baird, Tony Troy (Tauranga Hire) and Brodie Lawrence (YRCO)
Under two tonne hire market A gap in the hire market and the chance to get back into the industry has seen Bay of Plenty locals Richard and Heather Grainger launch Tauranga Hire, dedicated to providing general equipment to the under two tonne market. Youngman Richardson has supplied around two thirds of the fleet. Richard’s 25-year relationship with Youngman Richardson began from initially working for a Tauranga hire company and then as owner of the 16 strong Ready Hire branch network. “The goodwill that was built up over that time was enough for me not to have to think twice when deciding on a preferred supplier for the new venture,” he says. “Likewise when we approached Youngman Richardson it was just like old times and they were only too happy to help us get things started.”
New LED flood lamp Narva is offering an economical and reliable LED work lamp with an improved, smooth and even spread of bright white light compared to h alogen alternatives. The 72425, 9-33 Volt LED lamp features a low current draw of 0.8A at 12V, ideal when the vehicle’s engine is switched off without the risk of draining the battery. The lamp can easily be added to an existing circuit, such as reverse lamp circuit, since the minimal current draw does not require wiring to be upgraded. At just 39mm deep its compact design makes it easy to mount on utility vehicles, rear bars, spare wheel carriers and to the rear of semi-trailer trucks. The inclusion of stainless steel mounting hardware prevents rust and corrosion.
Position Partners has become the exclusive distributor for US Radar’s Seeker SPR range in New Zealand and is now offering a new, leading range of ground penetrating radar (GPR) solutions. Ideal for utility mapping, accurate as-built data and structural applications, the Seeker SPR range is suited to a number of industries, including survey, construction and local government. “The Seeker SPR range complements our existing GPS, laser levelling and machine control solutions, enabling more efficient and accurate construction via underground mapping,” says Ben Davis, construction business area manager at Position Partners. The Seeker SPR series can be customised to suit the surface, accuracy and depth requirements of any given application. And, unlike other GPR systems that require post processing back at the office, the Seeker SPR series delivers on-the-go processing for an accurate, real-time, 3D view of the area being mapped.
New distributor for IHI mini excavators Youngman Richardson is now the New Zealand distributor for the full range of IHI mini excavators. “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to market and distribute this iconic brand which has had a strong presence in the New Zealand market for over 25 years,” says Youngman Richardson sales and marketing director, Ed Richardson. “This announcement comes hard on the heels of the company’s appointment as distributor for Ammann compaction equipment. Once again this gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of our sales and after market support package, he says.
ADVERTISERS INDEX AB Equipment 2 Advancequip 13 All-Terrain 10 CablePrice OBC CBL Insurance IBC DC Signals 51 DM Standen 11 DitchWitch NZ 41 Fuso 16, 17 Global Survey 8 54 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
Gough Cat 5 Hirepool 29 HTC 43 Hydroflow Pipe & Infrastructure 39 Kerrick 42 Maccaferri 6 NZ Wind Energy Association 7 Pollock & Sons 24, 25 Porter Group OFC, IFC, 1 Primary ITO 35
Prime Pumps 27 Real Steel 21 Rocktec 9 Taylor Built 53 Total Oil 55 Traffic Management 37 Transdiesel 45 Trenchshoring 33 Universal Underground 19 Youngman Richardson 47
WHO IS TOTAL?
These are the faces of Oil Imports, your TOTAL Oil Distributor in New Zealand. We are a team of specialised, focused individuals that strive to be the best in our business and for our customers. We have the product range and the capability to deliver wherever our customers are. Every person working at Oil Imports is driven by the TOTAL promise.
To find out more go to www.totaloilsolutions.co.nz/ourpeople or contact us on 0800 868 256. Think oil, think Total.
WHAT’S ON
Expect a lot of spice at BC India Growth in the Indian construction industry might have slowed in recent months, but long term the prospects are good. One of the main drivers is the need to invest in improving the infrastructure and housing and this huge market is expected to continue to be one of the most dynamic for the global construction machinery industry. According to the Planning Commission of India, the country is investing one trillion US dollars in its infrastructure as part of the current 12-year plan (2012 to 2017), a figure that is twice as high as in the previous planning period. Consequently it is assumed that in the coming years the number of construction machines sold in India will continue to rise. While last year between 50,000 and 60,000 units were sold, experts from the British management consultants Off-Highway Research estimate that
sales figures by 2016 will be around 80,000 units a year. Which is why it is an ideal opportunity that India is hosting BC India, a Bauma Conexpo Show, for the third year in a row. The past two, and very successful, editions of this international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles, were held in Mumbai. The event has now moved to near Delhi and is taking place from December 15-18, 2014 in the India Expo Centre. Suffice to say; a large number of global machine and equipment suppliers in the construction sector will be attending. The last Bauma Conexpo India, in February 2013 in Mumbai, attracted 710 companies from 33 countries and some 28,000 trade visitors. For further information on BC India go to: www.bCindia.com.
WHAT’S ON Date Event
Venue
Contact
4-8 Mar 14 8-11 May 14 24-26 Jun 14 9-12 Jul 14 6-9 Aug 14 25-28 Nov 14 15-18 Dec 14 21-24 Oct 15
Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA Verona, Italy Tarmac’s Hillhead Quarry, Buxton, England Rydges Lakeland Resort, Queenstown Rotorua International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi Santiago, Chile
www.connexpoagg.com www.samoter.com www.hillhead.com www.cranes.org.nz www.nzcontractors.co.nz www.bauma-china.com www.bcindia.com conexpolatinamerica.net
Conexpo-Con/AGG & IFPE SaMoTer & Asphaltica Hillhead 2014 Crane Association Conference NZCF / ACENZ / Roading NZ Conference bauma China bC India Conexpo Latin America
Date
NEOC Regionals Venue
Contact
Phone
12-13 Feb 14 22 Feb 14* 23 Feb 14 13-15 Mar 14
Southland Wellington/Wairarapa Manawatu Finals
Stuart MacLeod Micharl Carson Trevor Blenkiron Giles Sullivan
027-4463191 027-4424341 027-4420375 027-4311529
stuart.macleod@southroads.co.nz ecarson@xtra.co.nz excavate@xtra.co.nz giles@nzcontractors.co.nz
Waimumu Field Days Summer Carnival, Upper Hutt Esplanade Day Field Days, Feilding
Please send any contributions for Contractor Diary to kevin@contrafed.co.nz, or phone 09 636 5710 *Provisional Date – TBC 56 FEBRUARY 2014 CONTRACTOR
177 years of construction. 1 small problem.
That’s why Municipal Authorities and others require performance bonds and many hold retentions long after the contract is completed. Although we write bonds all over the world, we are still New Zealand’s oldest and largest specialist provider of bonds. And after all these years our job has not changed – we are still providing solutions to support you and your business. In fact, if you were responsible for the Tower in question, you would have started in 1173 and noticed a problem with the foundations when you were only three storeys up. 177 years later, the job would be complete, and the good councillors of Pisa would still be holding that retention.
P +64 9 303 4770 | F +64 9 300 5046 Tower One, Shortland Centre, 51 Shortland Street PO Box 3772, Auckland 1010, New Zealand www.cblinsurance.com
GET OUT OF A TIGHT SPOT BY GETTING INTO A ZERO-TAIL SWING HITACHI ZAXIS MINI EXCAVATOR
ZAXIS MINI EXCAVATORS FROM 1.7 TO 6.4 TONNE FINANCE FROM 4.99% OVER 36 MONTHS ON ALL MINI EXCAVATORS*
0800 346 275 Finance@cableprice.co.nz
ZERO-SWING MULTI-FUNCTION | EXCELLENT CONTROLLABILITY | EASY-TO-READ MULTI-MONITOR
ZX22U-2
190413_Hitachi_Mini_V2
Engine Power.............14.6 kW Operating Weight........2,210 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.07 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
ZX38U-5 Engine Power.............21.2 kW Operating Weight........3,960 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.10 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
ZX55U-5 Engine Power.............28.2 kW Operating Weight........5,210 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.14 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
ZX33U-5 Engine Power.............21.2 kW Operating Weight........3,510 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.08 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
ZX48U-5 Engine Power.............28.2 kW Operating Weight........4,900 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.11 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
ZX65USB-5 Engine Power.............34.1 kW Operating Weight........6,470 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.24 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
ONE BIG PACKAGE! HITACHI ZX17U-2 3 BUCKETS, QUICK HITCH AND TANDEM AXLE FULLY GALVANISED TRAILER
ZX17U-2 Engine Power.............11.0 kW Operating Weight........1,850 kg Backhoe Bucket.........0.044 m3 Track Type..................Rubber
* Finance offer includes ZX17U-2 package deal. Finance from 4.99% @ 30% deposit for 36 months. * Mini range refers to any new Hitachi excavator from 1.7 - 6.4 tonne. Valid until 31 May 2014. Approval is subject to CablePrice (NZ) Ltd. Normal credit criteria. Conditions apply.
0800 555 456 sales@cableprice.co.nz www.cableprice.co.nz