From Bridges To Underground Rail: Civil Construction Celebrated At National Awards

Some of New Zealand’s most mind-blowing infrastructure projects of the past year were honoured on Friday night at the Civil Contractors New Zealand Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards.

From an 86-metre-long suspension bridge on one of New Zealand’s most picturesque cycling and walking trails to tunnelling under Auckland for a section of the high-profile City Rail Link, the award-winning projects all demonstrated the outstanding skill of Aotearoa’s civil construction industry.

The awards were presented in front of a crowd of more than 600 people at a black-tie awards dinner hosted at the conclusion of the Civil Contractors New Zealand National Conference at Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch.

Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard said the awards, presented across six categories, were “well deserved recognition” for the untiring efforts of contractors building the infrastructure that supports economic growth and vibrant communities.

Abseil Access, headquartered in Wellington, won the Category 1 Award for projects with a value of up to $2 million for its work on the ‘Hugo Bridge’ on Lake Dunstan Trail. The impressive 86-metre-long suspension bridge took just four months to create, from concept design to the completion of construction. That was despite its relatively remote location and the need for Abseil Access to build it to withstand climate extremes, including large snow loads and high winds.

The judges noted the timber and steel used in the bridge’s construction to ensure it would blend into the local environment, and commented that its $240,000 cost represented “real value for money”.

“The social outcomes of this work as part of the Dunstan trail have enabled a whole new cycling industry to establish in the area with further support to the existing hospitality and accommodation businesses.”

The award for projects with a value of between $5 million and $20 million was presented to HEB Construction for its work on the Interislander Rail Ferry Terminal Linkspan Project.

The project involved undertaking time-critical wharf upgrades ahead of the arrival of the UK Ferry ‘Valentine’, which was brought in for the 2021-2022 summer holidays after the main Cook Strait Ferry ‘Kaiarahi’ suffered a gear box failure. The Valentine’s wider and heavier stern required the port’s hydraulic linkspan vehicle and cargo bridge to be upgraded in order for it to berth.

The judging panel commented that the project was successfully delivered without compromising safety, quality, or the environment.

“This was truly a great outcome for the client KiwiRail, Port owner CentrePort and the constructor HEB with the new linkspan operable as planned on 24 of December 2021 just in time for the busy

summer holiday period.”

The award for projects with a value between $20 million and $100 million was won by Brian Perry Civil for its upgrade of the town wharf in Bluff.

The project had to be highly cost effective, after initial proposals from multiple parties in 2018 exceeded the budget of client Southport NZ. As a result, Brian Perry Civil came up with a unique alternative design that would allow the project to go ahead. Project costs were further reduced through collaboration and a risk-management approach that meant risks were apportioned to the party best able to manage them.

The bluff wharf upgrade was lauded by the judges for its innovative contract approach, outside the box thinking, and the project team’s ability to complete the works in a way that minimised disruption to tanker operations at the port.

The award for projects with a value between $20 million and $100 million went to CB Civil for the Peacocke Northern Transfer Mains Project in Hamilton.

This was a significant project involving laying a 5.5 km dual wastewater pipeline in support of a wider programme of works being undertaken by Hamilton City Council to provide infrastructure for more than 8,000 new homes over the next 30 years.

The judges said they were impressed by the collaborative and innovative approach taken by CB Civil, which brought costs down and allowed an additional $5 million of work to be included in the project budget.

They also noted the project’s success being completed without incident, its use of recycled and alternative materials to improve environmental outcomes, and year ahead of schedule.

The award for projects with a value over $100 million was won by the Downer NZ and Soletanche-Bachy Joint Venture for its work on City Rail Link Contract 1 Britomart, in Auckland.

This major project involved construction of two rail tunnels starting at Britomart Station and extending under the old Central Post Office and adjacent public space.

The judges commented on the significant challenges involved in completing the works, including temporarily supporting a 14,000-tonne heritage building during tunnelling and working in and around Auckland’s busiest commuter rail station.

Despite these challenges, the project was completed successfully and with zero harm to workers across the more than 2.5 million hours of work undertaken.

The CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards also included an award for excellence in the maintenance and management of assets. South Island civil construction and maintenance company CORDE took home top spot in this category for its outstanding performance on the Waimakariri Road Maintenance Contract – a contract the company has held for the past 27 years.

The judges noted CORDE’s strong field knowledge and use of technology, which allows its client Waimakariri District Council to access real time data on road maintenance across the network. They also noted CORDE’s ability to allocate its maintenance efforts to where they were most needed, and its commitment to staff training, and its ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

Mr Pollard congratulated all the winners and finalists in this year’s awards.

“It has been a challenging year but throughout it all our contractors have continued to do their jobs, and do them exceptionally well, as they continue to transform, connect and power our country.”

Hirepool is Civil Contractors New Zealand’s Principal Business Partner and the premier sponsor for the awards. Gary Richardson, General Manager at Hirepool, said the quality of award applications received this year was extremely high.

“These awards are always a highlight of the year as they provide an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the best in the industry, and celebrate the skill, tenacity and ingenuity of civil contractors up and down New Zealand,” he said.

“The commitment and expertise of this year’s winners is legendary.”

Thirty-six finalists were announced from among the entries received in this year’s awards. In addition to the winners, six of the finalists received high commended awards.

These included Universal Underground, for installing a new wastewater pipe diverting water away from the route of the City Rail Link project in Auckland; Geovert, for developing a unique stabilising solution for an embankment adjacent to a new major Waikato River crossing to the Peacocke development in Hamilton; and E Carson & Sons, for the Jervois Quay Emergency Stormwater Upgrade in Wellington.

Other high commended recipients were Rock Control, for its work building a rockfall canopy alongside State Highway 1 on The Kaikoura Coast; McConnell Dowell Constructors, for the Westland Milk Products ocean outfall on the West Coast of the South Island; and SouthRoads for its road maintenance work on the Southland Network Outcomes Contract.

© Scoop Media