Nelson And Marlborough’s Best In Civil Construction Revealed

A cycle track built in extreme conditions, a land reclamation project with exceptional environmental controls, and a talented young operations manager were among the outstanding civil construction projects celebrated at the Civil Contractors NZ Nelson Marlborough Awards Dinner on Friday.

Around 300 guests attended the ceremony at the Rutherford Nelson Hotel on 6 August, coming together to applaud the people and companies doing challenging and vital work at the top of the South Island.

Fulton Hogan was the big winner on the night, with their Champion/Salisbury Road Roundabout Upgrade sweeping the Hynds Projects Over $1.5 Million prize and the coveted Hirepool Supreme Award. The company’s Renwick and Havelock Watermeter Contract also bagged the Judges Recognition Award.

The Champion/Salisbury Road Roundabout Upgrade was completed on behalf of Tasman District Council on a high traffic flow road, which sees in excess of 18,000 vehicles per day. More than 13,500 hours went into the project, which won for its innovative solutions, strong communication, and inclusive community liaison.

The Renwick and Havelock Watermeter Contract was established to reduce water waste on behalf of Marlborough District Council, as their area historically used three times as much water per person compared to Nelson. Fulton Hogan installed 1,300 new water meters as part of the project, which won plaudits for stakeholder engagement and data control.

Mike Edridge Contracting Ltd also did well, securing two wins - one for the Southwater Projects Valued $0 - $50,000 for the design and build of the Bannochburn Fire Pond, a 400m3 self-filling pond to help fight fires. The other was for Total Oil NZ Projects Valued $50,001 - $200,000 for the Wither Hills Reservoir Slope Re-Profiling, a 1,300-hour project to improve access to the slope for walkers and cyclists, as well as to make it more stable during earthquakes.

Nelmac took the prize for Cable Price Projects Valued $200,001 - $ 750,000 for its work on the Poormans Stream Shared Pathway. This 2.5-metre-wide pathway passes along a stream and through numerous nature reserves in Nelson. Nelmac received the award for maintaining constant communication and cooperation with the public and ecologists throughout the project.

Taylors Contracting Co won the award for Land Dimensions Ltd Projects Valued $750,001 - $1.5 Million for Seafield Terrace Rock Revetment. This project saw the company supply and place 5,000 tonnes of rock armouring for a sea wall in a marine reserve area, which included new outlets, footpaths and pavements. The company was recognised for its tight communication between residents and the Department of Conservation.

Simcox Construction took the Tasman District Council Environmental Award for the Separable Portion 1 – Waikawa Marina project, which involved reclaiming 460 metres of land along The Snout with 4,000 tonnes of rock. The company filled 33,000m3, built timber boardwalks, and dredged the Waikawa stream, with their work exceeding expectations for environmental control.

The Health and Safety Professionals Innovation Award was won by Nelmac for its work on the Pike29 Memorial Track – a 10.7km cycle and walking trail linking to the Paparoa Track. It took 29,000 hours, including 70 helicopter hours, with teams living and working on site in extremely harsh weather conditions and on difficult terrain. Nelmac was given the award for their innovative techniques to get such a challenging project completed, prioritising the safety of workers above everything else.

The Nelson City Council Health and Safety Award was presented to Downer NZ. This was for its overall health and safety record across all the projects it submitted for judging.

There was also a CCNZ Nelson Marlborough Branch Supplier of the year award, presented to Hynds Pipe Systems by popular vote from industry peers on the night.

And lastly, the Bank of New Zealand Young Achiever Award went to Nick Webby of Fulton Hogan. The 30-year-old is Operations Manager for the Tasman Journeys NOC Contract and has been with Fulton Hogan since 2007. He impressed the judges because of his adaptability to change, travelling offshore and learning another language to help achieve desired contract results.

Award judges Bruce Taylor and Peter Fisher said the standard of entries was extremely high this year.

“Judging these awards has been an amazing reminder of the great work taking place in this part of New Zealand,” Mr Fisher said. “From the way we get around, to the water we drink, and the activities we take part in, none of it could be possible without these outstanding companies and the people they employ.”

CCNZ Nelson Marlborough’s Chairman Brendan Dodd agreed, saying Friday’s awards ceremony was a highlight of the annual calendar for local contractors.

“I am sure we all left feeling truly inspired by all of the hard work and dedication that goes on in Nelson Marlborough’s civil construction industry, day after day.”

Amongst the attendees were four Life Members - Snow Edgar, Charlie Taylor, Mike Edridge, and judge Bruce Taylor.

Ahead of the prize giving, a minute’s silence was held in memory of Denis Chambers, a CCNZ Nelson Marlborough Life Member who recently passed away.

Winners: CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards 2021

Southwater Projects Valued $0 - $ 50,000

Winner: Mike Edridge Contracting Ltd – Bannochburn Fire Pond
Client: One Forty One Ltd
Value: $45,700

Mike Edridge Contracting designed and built a 400m3 HDPE Lineal Pond for firefighting purposes in Bannochburn Forest in the Awatere Valley. The pond is self-filling, utilising surrounding water run-off. It was designed using a GPS model pond, and was completed on budget and on time, in a total of 250 hours.

Total Oil Projects Valued $50,001 - $ 200,000

Winner: Mike Edridge Contracting Ltd – Wither Hills Reservoir Slope Re-Profiling
Client: Marlborough District Council
Value: $152,000

This project involved the re-profiling of a slope behind the Marlborough District Council water supply reservoir. Mike Edridge Contracting had to contend with tough Chilean needle grass during the project, which they managed ably. The company improved slope stability for during earthquakes, as well as public access for walkers and cyclists. It took 1,300 hours to complete.

Cable Price Projects Valued $200,001 - $ 750,000

Winner: Nelmac – Poormans Stream Shared Pathway
Client: Nelson City Council
Value: $600,000

This project involved development of 2.5-metre-wide pathway along the true left bank of a stream from Main Rd Stoke to Neale Ave, taking in Greenmeadows Reserve, Isel Park and Neale Ave Reserve. The project used Magnum Stone Product as retaining wall, and involved reshaping of the stream edge, removal of redundant services, fish salvaging, an ongoing partnership with project ecologists, and emphasis on sediment control, bunding, fencing and site security. Communication with the public was of the utmost importance and Nelmac did this in outstanding fashion.

Land Dimensions Ltd Projects Valued $750,001 - $1.5 Million

Winner: Taylors Contracting Co – Seafield Terrace Rock Revetment Works
Client: Nelson City Council
Value: $1 Million +

Taylors Contracting celebrated its 50-year anniversary recently, demonstrating its resilience and ability to withstand changing market conditions and the many project challenges that have come its way. The company’s work on the Seafield Terrace Rock Revetment Works saw it commit more than 4,600 hours into supplying and placing 5,000 tonnes of rock armouring for a sea wall in a marine reserve area. The project area was 250 metres long, 7.5-8 metres wide at base, three metres wide at top, and completed in 15-21 metre sections. The team built a new culvert outlet, sumps, footpath and pavement. Communication during the project was tight between residents, iwi and the Department of Conservation.

Hynds Award for Projects Over $1.5 Million

Winner: Fulton Hogan - Champion/Salisbury Road Roundabout Upgrade
Client: Tasman District Council
Value: $2.015 Million

This was a high traffic flow project on a road that receives more than 18,000 vehicles a day. It was completed eight weeks early, in a total of 13,544 hours. The team used innovative solutions to overcome safety challenges. There was inclusive community liaison and traffic management was of the utmost importance. Communication skills and thinking outside of the box were Fulton Hogan’s strengths during this project.

Hirepool Supreme Award

Winner: Fulton Hogan - Champion/Salisbury Road Roundabout Upgrade

(See above)

Tasman District Council Environmental Award

Winner: Simcox Construction – Separable Portion 1 – Waikawa Marina
Client: Port Marlborough NZ
Value: $3.150 Million

Four hundred and sixty metres of land along The Snout in Pictor was reclaimed, using 4,000 tonnes of rock to fill in 33,000m3 area. The project saw 3,000 trucks and trailers passing through the heart of Picton, took 3,500 hours to complete, and involved the dredging of Waikawa Stream. Five large diameter concrete culverts and manholes were installed, along with timber boardwalks and jetty abutments. The overall environmental control on the project exceeded expectations in all areas.

Health and Safety Professionals Innovation Award

Winner: Nelmac – Pike29 Memorial Track
Client: Department of Conservation
Value: $2.54 Million

A 10.7 km cycling track was built along the Pike29 Memorial Section of the Paparoa Track. It took 29,000 hours to complete, including 70 helicopter hours. Two crews of three people worked seven days on/seven days off, living and working on site, where accommodation and cooking facilities were provided. The teams worked through difficult terrain in all weathers, including snow, wind and mud. It was a challenging job in extreme conditions, which saw them remove 850m of rock using explosives, as well as felling trees, installing culverts, and laying forming pads for the diggers. Safety was considered first and foremost, taking priority over productivity.

Nelson City Council Health and Safety Award

Winner: Downer NZ

Given for exceptional overall health and safety on all their submitted projects.

Judges Recognition Award

Winner: Fulton Hogan – Renwick & Havelock Watermeter Contract

Client: Marlborough District Council
Value: $1.4 Million

The team installed new water meter manifolds to Renwick and Havelock communities, with over 1,300 individual property installations completed over 11,379 hours. This was done to reduce water waste caused by leakages in both private and public land caused be an ageing line. Historically, around 900 litres of water were used per person, which was very high compared to Nelson’s 250 litres per person. The project’s success was down to high levels of public communication, good stakeholder engagement, accurate data control, and well-kept documents.

CCNZ Nelson Marlborough Branch Supplier of the Year Award

Winner: Hynds Pipe Systems

As voted by industry peers on awards night.

Bank of New Zealand Young Achiever Award

Winner: Nick Webby
Employer: Fulton Hogan
Age: 30 years old

Nick is Operations Manager of the Tasman Journeys NOC Contract. He started with Fulton Hogan in 2007, and has experience as a Sealing Manager, Paving Manager, and having worked on the 2013 Wellington Hybrid and NOC Contracts. Nick received this award because of his adaptability to challenge and see projects through to conclusion, being prepared to travel offshore and learn another language in order to achieve the desired contract results. He constantly gets supportive and favourable comments from senior management teams.

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