CONNELL NEWS
autumn 2018
ROTOKAURI bulk watermain The Rotokauri Bulk Watermain project covers nearly three kilometres, running from Pohutawaka Drive to the intersection of Aorangi Road and Te Wetini Drive in northern Hamilton. Watermains, stormwater utilities, wastewater and other services like power, gas and telecommunications exist in the area, which makes placing the new watermain a challenge. Key project features include approximately 827m of open trenching, 1898m of horizontal directional drilling, a sleeve under the railway and six connections to existing pipework. Drill Section Sub-contractors, CDS New Zealand Ltd, have done a brilliant job with three shots now complete. This has brought us from the end of Te Wetini Drive right through to Pukete Road, meaning more
than three-quarters of the total distance has been covered. The drilling so far hasn’t been without its issues, of course, but the team has stepped up, developing appropriate solutions every time. At one point during the project we dealt with sections selling after welding the 800m pipe string weighing a total of 78 tonnes. This meant we had to cut the pipe and use two of the 30 tonne excavators to manoeuvre and squash it into two sections, stretch it out and reweld it, before we could pull it in. On the first shot (400m long) the pulling head pulled off. The second shot (600m long) saw the pipe get stuck at 6m deep. On the third shot (800m long) it happened again, when the pipe got stuck 30m from completion. CDS’s crew, along with Connell’s staff, worked through the night and into the following day to get this string in. Racing against
the clock to get this pipe in the ground and avoid large penalties from property owners, CDS put their thinking caps on and with a few sheetpiles and a bit of concrete the drill rig was reset and the last 30m finally came in. This was a mammoth effort and a great result. The pull was one of the longest pulls in New
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KINLEITH substation Kinleith substation is located near Tokoroa in the South Waikato region of the North Island. This project’s objective is to reconfigure and rebuild the substation, which supplies power via Powerco, the local distribution company, to a pulp and paper mill KINLEITH SUBSTATION - NEAR TOKOROA. owned by Oji Fibre Solutions s well as the distribution network around Tokoroa. Most of the primary equipment at Kinleith is programmed for replacement in the next ten years with much of the equipment in poor condition and/or at risk of failure. Total works are to be planned and completed by June 2020. Scope of Works (Civil) The proposed expansion of Kinleith substation involves an extension of the switchyard within the current site boundaries. The work includes: 1. Construction of four 110/33kV and transformer foundation pads and firewalls. 2. Construction of twenty DCB Pads/ CT/VT foundation pads. 3. Installation of ten precast ODJB’s. 4. Installation of a new 11kV switchroom building comprising monolithic pad, tilt panel walls, mezzanine floor and Kingspan roof panels. 5. Strengthening existing cable tunnel walls. 6. Demolition of existing transformer plinths, foundation pads, traverser track and retaining wall. 7. Oil interceptor and stormwater drainage. 8. Installation of precast concrete cable troughs and FRP lids. 9. Cable trenches. 10. Security fencing and retaining walls.
Progress Excellent progress has been made to date on this more than two year project. With three separate work faces operating concurrently to meet the stringent timeframes, the crews have been working tirelessly. The ODID foundation slab has been completed and 55 pre-cast tilt panels have been installed to date. T9, the first of the four transformer foundation pads, has been poured and the eight metre high firewalls will be installed in June 2018. Bay 280 area foundation pads have been poured, allowing broadspectrum access to extend the existing gantry. Consistent levels of rhyolite rock were encountered, together with many unidentified live cables, during installation of the precast concrete troughs. The team worked diligently and professionally in avoiding all of these challenges - a truly magnificent effort. The existing security fence has also been removed, with retaining walls and pads demolished, to make way for new structures.
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Zealand for this size pipe. CDS has set up for the final 220m shot along Pukete Road. This will bring us to the tie in point of the open cut section at Cullimore Street. Open Cut We have completed the open cut section up Cullimore Street, which includes testing, and are now working along Highland Drive. Great progress has been made with a timely run of fine weather proving extremely helpful. The expectation is that Highland Drive will be installed by the end of May with road reinstate to follow. Then we will move on to the final section along Pohutukawa Drive. The team is following behind installing all the connection points. To date we have completed two cut-ins to the existing 250mm mains, with Highland Drive scheduled next for completion. These cut-ins are quite delicate and require high focus and precision to get all the levels right. We are also onsite installing the last section of 560 PE and completing the work around the tiein point between the 630 PE pipe.
ON point at hobsonville The new substation in Hobsonville Point is set amongst a fresh urban housing development and is Connell Contractors’ first project as the main contractor for Vector. The site has been backfilled over the years and the spoil replaced with Terefil the switch room walls include a weatherboard effect. 500 – a lightweight concrete grout. This was then covered with a bentonite waterproofing blanket and sealed with site concrete. This soil improvement system is the result of a collaboration between Vector and Watercare to future-proof Watercare’s upcoming North West interceptor project, which is planned to run through Vector’s site. The site has been challenging with up to four metre deep excavations in weak soils. In addition, existing fibre optic cables were located running through the main building footprint. To help the substation blend in with surrounding homes, the walls of the new switch room include some architectural panels that show a weatherboard effect. The contract period for this project is expected to be eight months.
our committment to civil trades training Dave Connell was involved with a group that developed the Civil Trades qualification and he then went on to serve as the first Chairman of the Civil Trades Board. Dave (pictured, below right) recently Connell Contractors believes great (Commercial Manager) and Parma Nand achieved his Civil Trades qualification in staff are the key to productivity and (Operator) have also achieved their Pipeline Construction and Maintenance sustainable growth. While short term qualifications through the RCC process. through the Recognition of Current gaps can be filled with skilled immigrants, Connell Contractors understands Competency process. longer term planning requires a that a company cannot expect loyalty, commitment to training young Kiwis. commitment and a good culture if it Connells currently has twelve Civil doesn’t reciprocate by investing in its Trades apprentices. Wayne Collinson people.
board visit to kinleith The board of Connell Contractors visited the Kinleith Substation site during April 2018. Along with the company’s Independent Director, Jerry Rickman, we welcomed Gill Cox from Connell’s previous Christchurch enterprise. This visit was a great opportunity for the board to see first hand the issues staff face when they’re on the job. Company management values the insight gained and feedback received from these visits. Pictured (left to right): Lester Foxall, Michael van de Pas, Wayne Collinson, Dave Connell, Margo Connell, Jerry Rickman and Gill Cox.
Our team Michael van de Pas CFO Michael is a Chartered Accountant with 16+ years experience in the accounting and commercial space. He has previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hamilton Airport, Hi-Tech Enviro Systems, and Waikato Milking Systems. Michael brings experience working across all facets of business including at management and board levels. He describes his role at Connell Contractors, which he began in February 2018, quite simply: “I collect money and pay bills!” As well as providing oversight for the financial side of the business, including reporting on how the business is tracking and predicting how it will perform in the future, Michael is also driving the implementation of new accounting software.
According to Michael, the Connell’s team is friendly, approachable, and has an intense focus on excellence. “That, along with the different personalities we have within the business, make this an impressive team to be part of. “This is an industry where reputation is key. Reputation for exceptional quality of work, employees and advice, and I believe Connell Contractors nails each area.” Outside of work, Michael likes spending time with his wife and two children. He enjoys the occasional bike ride and hike and, if the moment takes him, will even pull out the old electric guitar for a strum. Michael is particularly proud of becoming a father to two daughters and “Surviving it so far!”
Connell Contractors is an award winning, multi-disciplinary civil construction company operating throughout New Zealand from bases in Hamilton and Auckland. We have been successfully delivering projects to our clients for over 30 years and have earned a reputation for market leading performance on a broad range of civil engineering projects. Hamilton 22 Foreman Road, Hamilton 3241 PO Box 10526 | p 07 958 3408 e office@connellcontractors.co.nz
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STRUCTURES
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www.connellcontractors.co.nz