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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Rapid repair of main wins award
A rapid response to an imminent crisis that would have left an entire Dunedin borough without water has earned a construction company a top regional award. Fulton Hogan won the supreme award at Friday night's Civil Contractors New Zealand Otago Branch Hynds Construction Awards for its emergency repair of a water main in St Leonards during last year's October floods. Fulton Hogan Three Waters project manager Dean Scott said the team was proud to win the award and it showed a small-scale job could win it as well. He said the team of 20 people was immensely proud when they saw the West Harbour reservoir fill up with clean water when they finished connecting the pipes last October. Unprecedented damage caused by severe weather in Dunedin led to a state of emergency being declared. One of the most significant effects was an extensive slip in St Leonards which disrupted the main water supply line. A slip had covered a driveway that was on top of the main. Mr Scott said the reservoir from which the main supplied water to West Harbour was quickly depleting and Fulton Hogan immediately responded. At the time, the company's maintenance contract emergency teams were already at full capacity responding to other slips and road closures in Dunedin and the Three Waters team pulled together resources to work over a weekend. Mr Scott said that was "no small feat" considering the scale of the event. "We responded quickly as this was for the community. They need water supply and the clock was running. "We were notified mid-morning on the Friday of the Maia slip and told the water supply was out for the community. "The line was livened up at midday Sunday." The team worked with ProCivil to install a temporary water line above the slip. The steep terrain meant heavy machinery could not be used and smaller pipes, from Christchurch, were used to fix the water main. "The team demonstrated incredible resourcefulness and physical endurance, carrying and installing multiple smaller pipes by hand to create a functional bypass, ensuring the reservoir's water supply was maintained." Contractor winners Civil Contractors New Zealand Otago Branch Hynds Construction Awards Supreme award: Fulton Hogan Dunedin — St Leonards water main emergency repair. Projects up to $500,000: Fulton Hogan Dunedin — St Leonards water main emergency repair. Projects $500,000- $1 million: Fulton Hogan Dunedin — Vauxhall wastewater pump station upgrade. Projects $1 million-$5 million: McConnell Dowell — Waikouaiti water treatment plant intake upgrade. Projects over $5 million: Downer — Queenstown Airport engineered materials arresting system project. Subcontractor of year: Pro Civil — Wingatui water main renewal. Young contractor of the year: George Rutter, Rutter Civil. Women in contracting: Georgia Campbell, Whitestone Contracting. Regional excavator operator competition: Josh Keane, McEwan Haulage.
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Close call for Christchurch rail contractors after distracted trainee wrongly gives all clear to work
Rail contractors in Christchurch were given the all clear to work on the tracks, but realised a train was approaching when level crossing bells started ringing. Photo: daboost/123RF Contractors working on a rail line in Christchurch managed to avoid being struck by an oncoming train after they were given the all clear to work on the track, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission says. In a report released on Thursday, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission found a trainee rail protection officer had authorised Fulton Hogan workers to start work on the main south line in Hornby on 7 March 2024, before a scheduled train had passed through. The workers realised a train was approaching when level crossing bells started ringing and were able to get off the track in time. The investigation found the trainee was carrying out tasks unsupervised that required a high level of proficiency. They had limited experience and became distracted, which led to an important step in the process of track protection being missed. The supervising officer was absent while the trainee was performing the safety-critical tasks associated with track protection and was not available to provide the guidance necessary to rectify the situation. They also did not have any training in coaching and mentoring personnel undertaking safety-critical roles, and the level of supervision required had not been clearly articulated or documented. It identified three safety issues; that KiwiRail did not take all steps to ensure that Fulton Hogan staff carried out work in accordance with its safety systems, that Fulton Hogan's procedures for supervision of trainee rail protection officers were inadequate and that the track work protection largely relied on administrative controls, which were subject to human error. The commission said there were lessons for all industries where the supervision of safety-critical tasks performed by inexperienced or unqualified staff was necessary to maintain safety. It recommended improvements to training and supervision and use of engineering controls. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Te Puke's John Rohloff claims second at excavator competition
'I wasn't expecting anything like this. 'When I saw my name come up across a number of the events [during the awards night], I thought 'Jeez, I might be in with a shot here'. 'I owe it to my employers, Fulton Hogan, for supporting me in doing this, and to Civil Contractors NZ for putting this on. 'I'm just grateful.' Rohloff said he thought the key was good time management, especially on the Saturday of the two-day event. 'That's what helped on the 135 13-tonne challenge; I set good times and I achieved what I wanted to.' First-place winner Northland's Steven George demonstrated his grit to rise above a historic field of competitors, outclassing 11 of the country's top operators to reign supreme. The Whangārei owner-operator showcased nerves of steel and precision operating to clinch the victory. He took the title over Bay of Plenty champion Rohloff, while last year's runner-up, Michael Brown, also of Fulton Hogan, took third place. George's success in the competition, held on March 14-15 at Manfeild Park in Feilding during Central Districts Field Days, follows previous attempts in 2023, when he was runner-up, and 2024, when he took third. He was supported at the competition by Julie Fraser. Victory speech George said winning the competition title was 'bloody awesome' and thanked everyone involved for their efforts in his victory speech. 'Thanks very much to everybody who put this on. 'All the organisers, sponsors, volunteers, it's just great 'Third nudge at this. I was second, dropped to third and managed to get there today. I wasn't too confident. 'I enjoyed watching all the other competitors. Everybody's pretty skilled. I don't usually get nervous, but this evening was a bit of that.' This year's event marked the 31st anniversary of the excavator 'battle royale' and broke new ground with three female regional champions — Georgia Lyford, of Canterbury Westland, Lydia Hill, of Nelson Marlborough, and Tanya Claxton, of Hawke's Bay East Coast — competing in the national finals for the first time in the competition's history. The 2025 winners: Champion: Steven George, Steven George Contracting, Northland Connexis One-day Job Challenge: Josh Keane, McEwan Haulage, Otago
