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CONTENTS
CONTRACTOR
INSIDE:
48 Regulars 4 Editorial 6 Upfront 8 Contractors’ Diary 18 On the cover 64 Classic Machines 68 Innovations 70 Civil Contractors NZ update 70 Advertisers index
Comment 56 Peter Silcock CCNZ 57 Greg Sheehan Sheehan's Transport Assistance 57 Charlotta Harpur Heaney & Partners 58 Caroline Boot Plan A and Clever Buying 60 Jonathan Bhana-Thomson NZ Heavy Haulage Association 61 Roger Parton AQA 62 Andrew McKillop Road Efficiency Group
Highlights / Features 14 P PE comments from the readership An overwhelming response to Contractor magazine's Personal Protective Equipment story published last month.
22 O bituary: Sam March Sam's nephews share a few memories of him and March Construction. Chris Lee also pays tribute.
24 P rofile: A passion for modelling
– Peter Fraser
Contractor talks to Peter about his modified Kumbee Hammermill invention and his perfectly scaled models.
28 T he rebuild of SH1 – the second chapter The great push to re-open SH1 between Picton and Christchurch in time for the Christmas holidays was a warmly-welcomed success, but the work goes on.
34 T urning a dream into reality We look into what has made Bulls-based business Central House Movers so successful.
ON THE COVER Danny Richmond is the first contractor in New Zealand to put the latest Hitachi ZX210LC-5B digger to the test on a job site, and he couldn’t be more pleased with its performance. See page 18
40 P rocurement NZQA generic procurement qualification – a strong case.
42 S mall town rejuvenation A discovery and rejuvenating parts of Greymouth’s CBD were the highlights of an ongoing West Coast project.
48 L ogistic overload Restoring six SH1 bridges involved a very complex heavy haulage programme.
52 H istory: Auckland's boulevard – Tamaki Drive Why this stretch of road holds such a special place in the hearts of many Aucklanders.
64 MARCH 2018 3
CONTRACTOR
EDITORIAL
More H&S argument and a good question on qualifications Our story on David Price's protest against blanket full-cover PPE in our February issue drew a tsunami of comments both online (our website drew over 10,000 visitors to the story in one day) and through emails sent to myself. All of you are unanimous in your support of David and his plea to use commonsense when enforcing full PPE over the sweaty summer months. You can read some comments on page page 14, plus an open letter from Murray Francis from Road Metals (page 12) and another from Greg Sheehan Transport Assistance (page 57). WorkSafe says it does not prescribe what PPE is appropriate for every work situation. “It is for the PCBU to understand the risk of exposure, that includes weather, task, task duration and location. The PCBU decides how they are going to manage the risk, which includes consideration of hat, sunblock and appropriate clothing, rest breaks and hydration that is appropriate for the task. In some cases, the most appropriate PPE would be top to toe, but that is a decision of the business, not WorkSafe.” A PCBU is a ‘person conducting a business or undertaking'. It is a legal definition taken directly from SafeWork in NSW. On face value the first PCBU is yourself. If you don't perform your work duties to work rules, and how you are told and expected to perform your job, and you have an accident – then it's your fault. And if you read the regulations you will see that, as a worker, you can be prosecuted as an indivdual for causing your own accident. Arguably, the last PCBU in line is WorkSafe itself, because it is in charge of the nation's overall worksite health and policing and enforcing H&S legislation. If we have another Pike River crisis, then the agency will be answerable to the public and the government. While I understand full PPE for saving nicks and cuts on bare skin, I think the potential 'melanoma' angle in terms of long-term work-related hazards would be hard to prove. Is it possible to prove any cancer is work related when the disease is so common and also related to family genealogy and the country's high UV rays (highest in December, but no one bothers to spread that message to citizens and visitors). Workers spend three times more leisure hours than work hours exposing themselves to environmental threats (such as UV rays), so how do you prove which hours of sunshine (or other environmental conditions such as personal smoking and CBD exhaust emissions) caused the cancer? Don't get me wrong. I am the first to say this country has a slack history dealing with potential harm from worksites through the actions of naive governments and slack regulations – Pike River happened less than seven years ago. I started employment in the 1970s when we were the last place on the planet to stop making (I kid you not) and using 245T (a nasty herbicide containing dioxin and also used to form Agent Orange). It was made here until 1987 and used by some councils well into the 1970s, maybe later, as a weed control. I should imagine proving a cancer-related disease through work contact with that chemical would be very litigious involving the ACC. A few years ago while researching OSH worksite health stats around the world, I found out that stats are collected differently between countries (and even states within countries), so global comparisons are inaccurate, which doesn't stop some sources in this country speculating that we have three times more work accidents than the UK. I also noticed that socialist countries, such as New Zealand and the UK, are quick to 'recognise' and talk-up long-term work-related illnesses (which are compensated out of their welfare schemes). On the other hand, countries where work-related illness claims are insurance based, such as the US, are very cautious to speculate on what is work-related and what is of general health. Anyway, food for thought, and let’s move onto another theme in this issue on page 40 with a call for those in the public sector spending 40 percent of our GDP to hold a suitable procurement qualification. This call is supported by Civil Contractors NZ, Business NZ, Metals NZ, Infrastructure NZ, and Medical Technology Association of NZ among others. Is anyone in Wellington listening? Alan Titchall, Editorial Manager
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 EDITORIAL MANAGER Alan Titchall DDI: 09 636 5712 Mobile: 027 405 0338 Email: alan@contrafed.co.nz GENERAL MANAGER David Penny DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 190 4078 Email: david@contrafed.co.nz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Mary Searle Bell, Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Cameron Officer, Richard Silcock. ADVERTISING / SALES Charles Fairbairn DDI: 09 636 5724 Mobile: 021 411 890 Email: charles@contrafed.co.nz ADMIN / SUBSCRIPTIONS DDI: 09 636 5715 Email: admin@contrafed.co.nz PRODUCTION Design: TMA Design, 09 636 5713 Printing: PMP MAXUM
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.
www.linkedin.com/NZcontractor @NZContractormag nz contractor magazine nz contractor magazine @nzcontractormagazine The official magazine of Civil Contractors NZ www.civilcontractors.co.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
CONTRAFED
A LS O P U B L I S H ES
Local Government, Quarrying & Mining and Water New Zealand magazines.
The Ready Mixed Concrete Association www.nzrmca.org.nz Connexis www.connexis.org.nz
ISSN 0110-1382 4 www.contractormag.co.nz
CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with BCITO chief executive Warwick Quinn, Richard Johnston and Casey Bosscher.
Free training fees for apprenticeships Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with a Dunedin apprentice and his employer highlight the government’s new Fees Free policy at the opening of the refurbished Dunedin Law Courts. Casey Bosscher is doing his carpentry apprenticeship through the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO). He is encouraging apprentices to take advantage of the government’s new policy that makes industry training fees free for the first two years of an apprenticeship for eligible first-time learners enrolling in eligible programmes. BCITO chief executive Warwick Quinn says the demand for skilled workers in the construction industry is very high across
6 www.contractormag.co.nz
all trades and regions. More than 65,000 construction workers are needed over the next five years and a little under half of those need to be trade qualified. “We need to be training more apprentices to meet this demand. We hope that by having the first two years of eligible programmes free of fees this will encourage employers to take on more apprentices and encourage more New Zealanders to choose an apprenticeship,” says Warwick. “With the demand for skilled workers in the industry and incentive of two years fees free, there has never been a better time to consider a career in the trades.”
UPFRONT
CONTRACTOR
Principal bond victory The effectiveness of principals’ bonds as payment protection for contractors has received strong endorsement from a High Court ruling that may see them used more often in construction contracts. By Hugh de Lacy. Principals’ bonds provide similar payment protection to contractors as performance bonds do to their clients, but until the November 2017 High Court decision in favour of Auckland firm Rohits Civil and Infrastructure, their effectiveness in the marketplace was uncertain. The case arose when Rohits became concerned that its client in the Scott Point special housing project in Hobsonville, Clark Road Developments, seemed to be having trouble paying its bills after it was late in meeting 13 of 19 progress payments for work on the subdivision. The parties couldn’t agree on how much Rohits was owed, Clark Developments claiming an overpayment of nearly $415,000, and Rohits saying it was owed $574,000 in retentions, and about $2 million for loss of profits, income and costs under the $7.7 million contract. Rohits demanded payment from the principal’s bond holder, China Construction Bank (NZ), and when it was refused it took the case to the High Court. There Justice Matthew Muir ruled that case law showed that principal’s bonds had to be treated “as in substance a promissory note” which put an obligation on the bank that was “entirely independent of the ultimate contract between the account party and the beneficiary”. The bond had to be paid on demand, Justice Muir ruled, without regard as to whether the client was in default or not. Rohit had ceased work on the Clark Road site after the late payments, and after two instances of payment cheques being dishonoured.
Concerned that its plant and machinery on the site might be seized by a liquidator, Rohits commenced proceedings to call in the bond. In response, Clark Road purported to cancel the contract and sought an injunction to prevent Rohits calling in the bond. China Construction Bank refused to honour the bond anyway, on the grounds that the cancellation of the main contract rendered it null and void. Justice Muir did not agree, ruling that the disputes over the amounts due were irrelevant to the bond, which he said would have to be paid on demand unless the contract had been completed or there was fraud involved. Rohits principal Rohit Chand tells Contractor magazine he was delighted with the outcome of his challenge to Clark Road and China Construction Bank, which he had first considered after taking up the 15 minutes free advice time that CCNZ has with Auckland law firm Kensington Swan under its associate membership scheme. CCNZ chief executive Peter Silcock says that, as a result of Justice Muir’s finding, he expected principals’ bonds to be used more commonly in construction contracts as builders sought the extra payment security they offered. Kensington Swan lawyer Ariana Stuart agrees, saying the ruling was “a great outcome” that allows contractors to negotiate what is effectively insurance against late or non-payment. Stuart advises contractors to try to negotiate a principal’s bond to cover work for clients they suspect might encounter difficulties meeting progress and other payments. “Principal’s bonds are effectively the equivalent of cash if they’re called upon,” Stuart says.
RIMS calls Continuing on from the success of RIMS 2017, the 2018 forum this month has an excellent programme planned with day one focusing on the roading infrastructure management industry and day two featuring three concurrent, focused theme streams: optimised decision making, procurement and performance monitoring and corridor management – something for everyone. Keynote speakers are: Andrea Reeves, Office of the Auditor
General; Tim Herbert, Ministry of Transport; Ross I’Anson, NZ Transport Agency; Chris Bennett, World Bank Group; and Warner Cowin, Height. The venue is Palmerston North Conference & Function Centre and the event is being held on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 March. More information: www.rims2018.co.nz, contact joanne@ conferenceteam.co.nz, or phone 03 359 2600.
MARCH 2018 7
CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
UPNEXT with Pacifecon Name Location
Estimated $$ value
Civil works for residential Canterbury $27m subdivision
Estimated start date Late 2018
Road realignment Auckland $23m and new bridge
Late 2018
Civil works at retirement village
Mid-late 2018
Northland
$14m
Rockfall/ Southland $11m Early 2019 avalanche protection Erosion control/ Wellington $11m Early 2019 Seawall Pacifecon currently holds information on over 4000 civil projects with a combined value of over $52 billion. If you would like more information on these projects, or realise that a subscription to the Pacifecon building intelligence service would be a useful way to increase your market share and productivity, go to www.pacifecon.co.nz, or phone 09 445 0345. Inclusion of a project does not mean it will proceed to the scale and timeframe indicated above. It is, however, the best available picture at the time.
www.pacifecon.co.nz
Transporter restrictions on SH1 and SH2 Bridge repairs being carried out over the next few months on major state highways will have an impact on machinery movements, on permitted overweight transporters, travelling on both SH1 at Waihohonu on the northern end of the Desert Road, in the central North Island and on SH2 at Tukituki near Waipukurau. Severe restrictions will be placed on all over dimensional and overweight transporters for several months while repairs and strengthening works are undertaken. This will necessitate contractors requiring the movement of construction and or forestry machines in particular, to be aware that transport options will be severely limited during this time, where machinery is required either side of these bridges. Be aware that there are also some weight restrictions on bridges on the only alternative route via SH46 – SH47 – SH4 – SH49 that may reduce options for large machinery transport as well. Transporter movements will need to be carefully planned and booked to ensure machinery is uplifted and delivered when required. Details are listed on the NZTA website at www.nzta.govt.nz/ traffic or from NZ Heavy Haulage Assn at info@hha.org.nz.
TRT new chief operations officer Tidd Ross Todd has appointed Lawrence Baker to the role of new chief operations officer working alongside Robert Carden, engineering director and Bruce Carden, manufacturing director. With them, Lawrence will be leading the team at TRT in Australia and New Zealand and his appointment follows the announcement of managing director, Kevin Chubb’s resignation after 20 years at TRT.
“This is a critical new role for TRT and we knew we had to find the right person to help Bruce and I lead the business,” says Robert Carden. Lawrence brings a wealth of experience to his new role after moving back to New Zealand after residing in Australia, Western Samoa and Japan for over 19 years. During this time, Lawrence has had senior roles in the automotive and steel industries. Lawrence Baker.
CONTRACTORS’ DIARY 2018 Date
Event & Venue
Contact
2018 16-17 Mar
National Excavator Competition, Central District Field Days, Feilding, Manawatu nzcontractors.co.nz/national events
21-22 Mar
Road Infrastructure Management Forum. Palmerston North Convention Centre bit.ly/IPWEA_RoadInfrastructure
8-14 Apr
Bauma, Munich, Germany
www.bauma.de/index-2.html
13-15 Apr
National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo, Panthers' Penrith Grounds, West Sydney
www.dieseldirtandturf.com.au/about
23-25 May
Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference, Queenstown
Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference
17-20 July
AQA/IOQ Anniversary Conference, Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton
bit.ly/AQA_IOQAnnConference
18-20 Jul
2018 Crane Conference, Grand Millennium Hotel, Auckland
www.cranes.org.nz/2018-crane-conference
1-4 Aug
Civil Contractors NZ Annual Conference 2018, Hamilton
www.ccnzconference.co.nz/
19-21 Sep
Water NZ Conference, Hamilton
www.waternzconference.org.nz/
27-30 Nov
Bauma China 2018, The Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC)
www.bauma-china.com/
Please send any contributions for Contractors’ Diary to alan@contrafed.co.nz, or phone 09 636 5710
8 www.contractormag.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Worker’s trial period changes criticised The government is to “gut” a policy that has led to a 10 percent increase in hiring in the construction industry,” says ACT leader David Seymour. “The government will limit the use of 90-day trial periods to businesses with fewer than 20 employees. “This is despite the fact that Motu's research found a 10.3 percent increase in hiring in the construction and wholesale trade industries as a result of the policy. “Only half of construction workers work in firms with fewer than 20 employees. This means much of the construction industry will not have access to a tool that has helped them expand in a country desperate for new houses. “Civil Contractors New Zealand last year said the industry needed 30,000 more workers over two years.
“Trial periods gives employers more confidence to hire new employees, meaning people who struggle to find work, like the young, have a better chance of gaining skills and employment. “Officials told the last government that 90-day trial periods were not significantly increasing the number of short-term employment relationships or worker turnover or deterring employees from changing jobs. “This means hysterical warnings from Labour and the unions about exploitative hiring and firing were simply false. “It was ACT that made National extend the policy from small businesses to all businesses in 2010 – this is ultimately what the government objects to,” says Seymour.
Plan A adds to management team Plan A senior consultants Heather Murray and Kerrie McEwen have taken on more of the company’s day-to-day management responsibilities. Alongside developing bids for clients, Heather Murray is now operations manager, and Kerrie McEwen general manager. Plan A founder and procurement specialist Caroline Boot says both have been involved in managing the Plan A business for some time. “They both have deep knowledge of tendering processes and what a great bid looks like across a range of industry sectors. “Having them now directly involved in managing Plan A shows our ongoing commitment to best practice tendering and supporting clients in New Zealand and globally. “Their input into Plan A’s management also will give me more time to focus on procurement support and training, through Plan A’s sister company Clever Buying.”
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UPFRONT
CONTRACTOR
Call for SME institute Dramatic change is needed to grow our small business economy and, to that end, a summit of heavy hitters gathered in Auckland in January to push for a new approach. Entrepreneur Tenby Powell put out a call pre-Christmas for government to set up an Institute for Small Business and gained overwhelming support from within New Zealand and farther afield. “It’s an idea whose time has come,” says Powell. “This is not a small step improvement to that which already exists, it’s an entirely different paradigm of thought in respect of our SME economy and I have recommended to the Minister for Small Business, Stuart Nash, to think big and not be bound by that which has gone before.” Powell organised the summit, called SME LEAP (Leading Enterprise Acceleration & Productivity) which was sponsored
by Westpac NZ and Staples Rodway accountants. It also coincided with the first meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on which Powell serves. SMEs (businesses with less than 20 employees) make up 97 percent of registered businesses, employ 30 percent of the workforce and contribute some 28 percent to GDP output, he adds. “Having convened the government-appointed Small Business Development Group (SBDG) for five years, I am very aware of the acute underresourcing in respect of small business development. “For some years now, I have been advocating for increased government resources to strategically support small business by way of targeted research, interagency collaboration, business education and regionally-focused economic growth initiatives.”
Phil Parkes.
Roles at WorkSafe Phil Parkes is the new chief operating officer at WorkSafe. He has been part of the agency’s senior management team for over three years and has a background in regulatory and operational management roles both here and in the UK. Craig Marriott has also been appointed as acting general manager for the High Hazards and Energy Safety group. He will be in this role until June, based in New Plymouth but travelling nationally. Craig has more than 25 years’ experience managing safety in high hazard industries, and experience across process and occupational safety disciplines, in technical and managerial roles and has developed safety cases for some of the world’s most hazardous processes. Mark Pizey left the agency last month to take up a role in the private sector.
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
Water engineers ace NZQA procurement qualification The latest graduates of the NZQA Level 6 Certificate in Infrastructure Procurement are engaged in council water departments – a significant shift from the qualification’s past emphasis on transport procurement. When the NZQA qualification was broadened in 2015 to cover a comprehensive range of procurement skills, it was hoped that it would provide a practical means for busy procurement specialists in a wide range of sectors to develop and prove their skills. Recent graduates Fiona Pratt, of Whangarei DC and Nicola Marvin of Gisborne DC, both noted significant improvements in their procurement practices as the direct result of working through the qualification. “We have much more robust processes in place now,” says Nicola. “Across our department, there’s far greater awareness of what’s required, being thorough, recording everything, writing better documents.” Fiona adds, “The whole procurement process is now much easier and more cost-effective. What’s more, I believe that it’s much fairer and more transparent for our suppliers.” Both graduates acknowledged that they had to invest time and effort into working on the qualification, but most of the evidence needed for the assessments was based on procurement projects that they were working on with their councils. The qualification now attracts council and government
Fiona Pratt (left, and Nicola Marvin
procurement staff from a variety of sectors, including a growing number of water engineers, as well as procurement specialists engaged in areas such as facilities maintenance, IT, construction, and even education. The assessment process takes between 6-18 months, during which time expert review and feedback is given to candidates on their procurement plans, RFT documents, and evaluation reports, to bring them in line with the latest in government procurement compliance and best practice. To find out more about the NZQA Procurement qualification, visit www.cleverbuying.com.
Chinese labour Immigration NZ says it had only received an application for foreign workers from a local subsidiary of a Beijing-based property developer before news broke about up to 200 Chinese workers arriving to build an Auckland hotel. Developer Fu Wah says it intended to bring in the foreign workers because of a skills shortage in our construction sector to help finish the $200 million-plus Park Hyatt Hotel on Auckland's waterfront, expected to be completed by March next year. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway sought clarity from Immigration NZ that the application for work visas was legitimate and in an area of genuine need. Fu Wah New Zealand has set up a joint venture company with
LBY New Zealand Construction, a subsidiary of LBY China. The company wants to bring in 174 experienced workers from China to work with about 100 local workers for the fit-out phase of the project.
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
PPE comments from the readership Never in the history of this magazine has there been such an overwhelming response to a story. The moment ‘a long hot summer made worse by PPE’, based on comments from David Price the director of D&K Price, making a stand against full cover personal protective equipment (PPE) was published on our website, the comments poured in.
ON ONE DAY, our Facebook page was hit with over 10,000 visitors keen to read this article and many of them left comments, all in support of David’s cause. On top of this, once the print magazine hit your desks and smoko rooms, the editor received dozens of emails also in support of David. We have printed a few of them here, anonymously. Many of them said go ahead and publish our names and companies as we are proud to stand up to the blanket full-cover policies. We admire their courage. However, although these policies are not regulations enforced by WorkSafe or the NZTA, they have become mandatory among a number of large civil contracting companies that required it from their staff and from subcontractors. Online comments on the PPE article published in the February 2018 Contractor magazine can also be found on our Facebook page: https://contractormag.co.nz/contractor/workplace-safetycontractor/ppe/). We also approached WorkSafe for a comment and this is its response: Alan Cooper, Chief Advisor Better Regulation at WorkSafe says, “WorkSafe does not prescribe what PPE is appropriate for every work situation. “It is for the PCBU to understand the risk of exposure, that includes weather, task, task duration and location. This should also take into account things like shade or period of exposure. “The PCBU decides how they are going to manage the risk, which includes consideration of hat, sunblock and appropriate clothing, rest breaks and hydration that is appropriate for the task. In some 14 www.contractormag.co.nz
cases, the most appropriate PPE would be top to toe, but that is a decision of the business, not WorkSafe.”
From Contractor readers l Thank God I am not the only one who thinks the PPE regulations are stupid. I also own and operate a construction company and some sites are full PPE long sleeves and pants and with the heat I find myself getting way overheated trying to do my job with unnecessary clothing. It’s just a big ‘arse cover’. They don't care about the guys on the ground doing the work – only what it looks like on paper. If companies put as much money into proper training and hiring competent people, there would be no need for rules that ‘blanket cover’ job sites. l Full cover PPE should not be a must. We are all responsible for our own risk of UV. I am a subcontractor and I work with all companies, big and small, and I know hardworking Kiwis around the country don’t want full cover PPE as it is not necessary. We can all put on sun block and we all know how to keep cool and work safe. However, there’s no way we can protect ourselves from the effects of overheating wearing full PPE cover. l I did have a WorkSafe quarry inspector visit our operation and when I mentioned the long/long requirements and the effect on our
health their reply was: "They do it in Australia". Problem is Australia has many other back ups to the heat, a place where staff can go to rehydrate, cool down then return to station. Roading workers are told to drink plenty – where do they go to relieve the vast amounts of water consumed? I suggested to our H&S manager we needed electrolytes in our drinks and the company should provide them. The reply was ‘electrolytes don't work’. Good luck with the battle against the removal of common sense, I myself have left the industry after 45 years still with all fingers and toes intact. l Today I worked in 28 degrees heat. Stressed due to the reason I couldn't cool down. The sweat was running off me. Just before Xmas it was 30 degrees heat. I was soaked while sitting in my truck. Due to the heat and long hours I fell asleep in the truck twice while on the same site. I woke up stressed, and fell out of the cab trying to get out (no injury thankfully). I had been working long hours. I kept myself hydrated as much as I could, but women’s toilets are not always on site. I was also under the pump due to the work load. Full-on PPE is a major hazard when it comes to the heat wave we are currently experiencing now and well before Xmas. They may say Australia has been using long sleeves for years, but it’s a totally different heat to New Zealand and less humidity. Please link me to your social media list so I can read with much interest. l What a fantastic and enlightening article that I read in the Contractor mag about full cover PPE (FCPPE). Finally, someone is standing up to the ‘system’ and changing things for the better of
their employees. I congratulate them no end. I have been working in our industry for 20 years now, and I started as a labourer with FH on a road construction crew. From there I moved up the ranks quickly, and I now run my own business called Civiltrain, which is in its 12th year of trading. My job sees me training and engaging with people at every single level in our game. This gives me a very fortunate overview of what is happening at a range of levels in our wonderful industry. l FCPPE is killing our workforce slowly. There, I have said it. We have such a strong focus on H&S, but for some reason we seem to have forgotten about the first word, ‘Health’. The employer must looks after both health and safety. And for the most part they do their absolute best. But what I have seen happen, especially since Pike River, is an over cautious approach to hazards that are not necessarily there. This is why I applaud Dave Price for having the proverbial to articulate so very, very well, the actually ‘health’ detriments of FCPPE. It is a double-edged sword. The core focus of my job is to train/teach people how to build and maintain roads, earthworks, and anything civil really. The ‘health’ stories I hear would make your eyes water, and because I am passionate about civil, I have been doing my own research into the matter for quite a few years. I was actually going to write an article for you guys about this, but being a small company I knew I had to tread carefully as my reputation is important. However I think I am past that point now, hence the email to you. l I can outline medical conditions ranging from heat exhaustion right through to Type 2 diabetes, skin conditions, mental health
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CONTRACTOR
UPFRONT
issues and personal issues (ie, at home) if you like. But I shouldn’t have too. As the voice for our industry I think it’s important for you to encourage companies to seek sound medical advice that is tailored to the individual – and by this I do not mean these blanket policies for certain workers. I mean to the actual individual person based on their body and health condition. Most of them are not athletes, however they are often treated like they are. The main purpose behind FCPPE was to reduce melanoma, when in fact, it actually increases your chances of this type of cancer. Someone will die or be hurt very badly before the industry kneejerks. This is simply not good enough, and things need to change. Maybe Contrafed could lead the way here? l My partner is a top nurse and I have spoken with many A&E staff including doctors etc. This is a conversation that I have all the time with people. I do fear that employers simply do not know the medical implications (let alone performance) of blanket policies around FCPPE. What is really freaking me out right now is when I talk to field staff there seems to be a common denominator. And that is, ‘I am getting these headaches either during the day from about 10am, or at the end of the day’. That sentence alone is one of many, but the medical side of this is downright scary. To the point where some staff, especially TC staff, are dicing with severe organ damage and body stresses on a daily basis. If we accumulate this over a week, a month, a year etc, then we are literally killing them slowly. I applaud you for keeping this subject alive. Please make it a focus, and please seek PROPER medical advice (not first aiders) and publish the info you find. A&E staff would be a good start as would renal staff. If I had time I would be outlining what my own personal research has found. I will leave you with this. I often work overseas, and a while back I was working in American Samoa for MacDow. The H&S officer told me I had to wear FCPPE. It was nudging 35 degrees with 90 percent or more humidity. I refused to wear the PPE, and the officer (who had worked in our industry for many years) apologised to me and stated that he hated making his staff do this – but it was his job. In the end we agreed that I would wear some disposable overalls which were very thin, and we got on with the work. After work we caught up and had a chat. He told me that he had also done some research with medical staff, and found, wait for it, six pages of medical conditions that could directly be attributed to FCPPE … six pages!!! Only one of those conditions was melanoma. Which is odd because that is what FCPPE is supposed to minimise. Turns out that when the skin softens your chances of getting melanoma increase dramatically because of the simple fact that people do not wear FCPPE while at home. So, what happens in their spare time? They get fried. Vitamin D deficiency is another one worth talking about, as is the impact of sugary electrolyte drinks on the renal system (if done properly these electrolytes work well, they can save lives. However, I am yet to meet a H&S officer who has the first clue about the ‘science’ of hydration). I am blonde and fair skinned. I burn very easily. When I started 20 years ago I only got burnt once, and that was on day one. After that my foreman was like a military marshall. We had to sun block three times a day (first thing, morning smoko and at lunch, which back then was at 2pm). I never ever got burnt again. Oddly enough, sunblock technology is still with us, and is even better than it was 20 years ago. This is not rocket science. l Just wanted to say your recent article on full body cover was 16 www.contractormag.co.nz
great. Goodmans fully support the common-sense approach taken by D&K Price and do this ourselves where we can. Thanks for putting this point of view across. We look forward to reading more on this stance. l I did read on Facebook an article on the wearing of PPE in the heat of summer and the effect on the health and safety of staff. It is time someone took a stand on the fact that larger companies have lost the ability to think in a logical fashion with regard to the health and safety of their employees. One rule does not cover all and does not protect all. The goals set by companies are never going to be achieved. Each work station should be addressed on its own and appropriate PPE issued for that task. In my own case I was in a 6-figure position which I walked from as it was causing harm and the company ignored all incident reports and medical reports from the company doctors on the wearing of inappropriate PPE for the task. As a quarry manager operating a machine, ROPS and FOPS cab in temperatures recorded above 40 degrees in cab. Management ignored incident reports and medical reports. The H&S manager was advised NOT to visit the quarry as there was a potential for the issue to be taken to a higher level which was contrary to the express wishes of the company CEO. At a full staff meeting in Christchurch in September 2016 the CEO stood in front of the meeting and clearly stated that the wearing of Long / Long clothing was demanded by management no exceptions and if the staff didn't like the rules they could F__K OFF. Bullying in the workplace – another strike against the company management. Wearing full PPE in adverse conditions with no respite from natural conditions will cause harm to staff. l This article is brilliant and well written. It mirrors my thoughts exactly. At Road Metals, we do not ask our employees to cover their arms and legs as I also believe that this causes immense stress in the hot weather we have been experiencing. Our company does supply sunscreen and sunhats and does warn of the dangers of the sun, but as adults they are all capable of taking responsibility for themselves. I think it is unfair for people working in air-conditioned offices to make this rule for others who are working outside. I say that next time we are advertising for operators, we should state, “Come and work for Road Metals where you can roll up your sleeves and get on with the job”. Although, I do state to future employees, that although we don’t insist on full cover up within our quarries and on our sites, we are in many cases a subcontractor to companies that do insist on this requirement and therefore will require it. We have no choice if we want to be the subcontractor for them. I have argued for years that we as contractors should not have allowed this to happen. I strongly agree that we need to protect our employees from any harm, but believe that by making them cover up from head to toe, causes them stress from being uncomfortable and too bloody hot and that’s when accidents can happen. How can we attract newcomers to our industry when we tell them they can’t wear shorts or short-sleeved shirts? Anyway, thanks David for this article. I find it intriguing that the introduction of this policy was not made in conjunction with consultation with all employees, and subcontractors, and as such, is a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act. On the WorkSafe front, this is not a requirement from them, as I have asked the question before and they don’t have any issues with our staff wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts.
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CONTRACTOR
ON THE COVER
New generation Hitachi digger
A REAL WINNER Danny Richmond is the first contractor in New Zealand to put the latest Hitachi ZX210LC-5B digger to the test on a job site, and he couldn’t be more pleased with its performance.
“THE DIGGER IS really smooth, quick and responsive to operate
and doesn’t lose any power when doing multiple actions. It hasn’t missed a beat on productivity, and fuel consumption is around 17 to 18 litres an hour. It is a bloody good machine.” Danny’s company Madd-K Contracting purchased one of two pre-sale demonstrator models of the newly minted ZX210LC-5B, which were brought in by CablePrice late last year for customers like Danny to trial. The first new models under general release are expected to arrive in April, with features such as Hitachi’s new generation -5B engine with muffler filter and a TRIAS (three pump) hydraulics system, both of which play a big part in the digger’s higher yields and improved fuel efficiencies. A Trimble GNSS machine guidance system is another key part of the offering, which takes the guesswork out of earthworks. The operator is shown on a screen in the cab, where to dig and the exact lines to follow. This integrated technology is already making a big difference on the job at Transmission Gully, where Madd-K is contracted to Goodman Contracting, says Danny.
18 www.contractormag.co.nz
“The Trimble system gives us a 3D image of the job, which we can view from all angles including upside down to look down batter lines, slopes and swale drains. Before we start, we can see if there is any depreciation that shouldn’t be there, or anything strange in the swale drains, instead of finding out when we’re on the job. As a smaller firm, it is great to have this technology, which will definitely help us continue to attract the bigger jobs.” Danny shares operating duties of the digger with one of Goodman Contracting’s crew, so the Trimble technology also enables him to keep an eye on the machine’s progress and performance, he says. “It only took a short while for the other operator to get used to the machine and now I can’t get him out of it.” Other ‘bells and whistles’ to get Danny’s seal of approval include a roll switch that makes operating the tilt bucket “real smooth”, and a comfortable cab and seat, making the digger a pleasure to drive. He also appreciates the comprehensive reports produced by the digger, especially around fuel efficiency, temperature, and its range of motion. CablePrice equipment product manager, Andrew Crane, says other customers who trialled the demonstrator models of the
ZX210LC-5B have also been impressed with its smoothness, quietness and speed, along with the Trimble and TRIAS technology. “The two demonstrator models were factory fitted with brackets allowing the Trimble wiring and cab kit to be easily installed after the machines arrived in New Zealand. The first lot of machines in the ZX-5B range arriving in April will require a full local install if customers require machine guidance. However later in 2018, we expect to see a range of Hitachi models from 13 to 35 tonnes, including the ZX210LC-5B, arriving from Japan with factory-ready machine brackets that will allow machine guidance systems of any make to be simply installed. Andrew says the digger’s TRIAS hydraulics pump system delivers lower fuel consumption and higher productivity and is now standard on all model ZX200 to ZX360LC-5B excavators. “The TRIAS system is also great for putting on different types of hydraulic attachments and provides significantly more hydraulic flow.” The new ZX210LC-5B digger is certainly ticking all the boxes for Danny Richmond, who says he can’t fault the service, back up and support of CablePrice during the purchase.
“The Trimble system gives us a 3D image of the job, which we can view from all angles including upside down to look down batter lines, slopes and swale drains. Before we start, we can see if there is any depreciation that shouldn’t be there... “ “Aidan, Alex and the team made it such an easy process. I didn’t even have to leave the work site. The machine turned up when they said it would and was ready to go. The guys were right on the ball if there were any problems or questions. I’m really impressed with the way CablePrice conducts its business.” After driving most brands of excavators during his career, Danny says he would highly recommend the Hitachi ZX210LC-5B to other operators. “It’s definitely right up there, and is quite possibly the best digger I’ve ever operated.” l
MARCH 2018 19
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OBITUARY
Sam March director (left), and Noel Becker mine manager.
Farewell to a top civil contractor and gold miner – Sam March Guy and Andy March, two of Sam March’s nephews, share a few memories of him and March Construction. SAM WAS BORN on July 14 1945. He spent the first four years of his life in Lees Valley on the family farm before moving back to Christchurch and attending various primary schools including Ilam, Medbury and New Brighton District School, before completing his secondary schooling at Christchurch Boys’ High School. Upon leaving Boys’ High Sam was employed at a local contracting firm CL Cox. It was here where Sam learnt to operate heavy machinery peddling the likes of 10RBs and Priestman Wolfs. He also developed his abilities in pipelaying and all types of civil construction. During his time at CL Cox Sam rekindled his love of horses and used to work with Cliff’s father, Pop Cox, doing track work for him. Sam would be seen around clutching a packet of Rothmans with a copy of the Friday Flash and Best Bets 20 www.contractormag.co.nz
poking out of his back pocket In 1968 Sam left CL Cox bound for Sydney to experience his first “OE”. However, it was to be a fairly short-lived adventure. Being an industrious type, he quickly secured work in a wool store, but when approached by the union rep to relieve him of some fairly hefty union dues, you could say Sam politely declined! In the union-dominated Australian workplace this sort of behaviour did not really put him at the top of their most liked list, so after offending more than couple of union officials he realised he would not hold down a job in Australia and came back! Australia’s loss was New Zealand’s gain! Later that same year he went down to West Arm in Manapouri working for The Consortium driving a new trax-cavator.
During his time in Manapouri Sam had clearly worked out in his mind that he wanted to be a contractor and he wanted to have his own business. He returned to Christchurch at Christmas 1968 and then in 1969 he joined AE Edmonds and Son as an operator. Buzz (March) had returned from chasing mum around the North Island and selling insurance to join Sam at Edmonds. Soon after Wayne (Mags) Nicholson also joined Edmonds, beginning his lifelong association and friendship with the March family. In early 1971 Buzz and Sam decided to form March Construction (MCL) with its official incorporation date being May 18, 1971. A friend and colleague of theirs, Paul Stribling, moonlighting from his job at the Christchurch Drainage Board, helped price jobs with Buzz and Sam. After some unsuccessful tendering, they won two jobs on the same day, one to build Sheffield Crescent and the other a subdivision for Auburn Florence in the east of Christchurch. They bought their first piece of equipment, a Priestman Wolf, which remains in the MCL yard today, and borrowed a trailer. The tow vehicle for this was Buzz’s 1954 purple Hillman Minx called Murtle the Turtle. That was MCL’s plant fleet. The first hole in Sheffield Crescent was dug by Sam and Tim. Buzz arrived a week later having worked his notice period with Edmonds, then Mags another week later as MCL’s first employee. The third job became a bit of a watershed moment for the company, when Sam and Buzz were approached by a man named Ron Bodger. Ron was a surveyor for one of the largest property developers in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, Cyril Smith. Their former employer, AE Edmonds and Son, had gone broke during the early stages of building the Parklands subdivision. Ron said to Sam and Buzz, “Are you boys interested in doing some work on this development?” They said, “You bet”. Ron said, “Meet me in the Bower tavern at 5pm”, where he presented the rates for the work and Buzz and Sam took the opportunity with both hands. What followed was years of work opening up the suburb of Parklands. This meeting at the Bower was quite pivotal as Ron presented them with an opportunity for their first gold mining venture in Gibbston, Central Otago and it also set the scene for where many, many deals were done by Sam and Buzz over the years… namely the pub. Some of these deals were successful and some less so, but there was always a story to tell. During the first few days of the Parklands job, a wellestablished large construction company, McConnell Dowell, was working close by and they were failing to dewater the ground successfully. A couple of their foremen came on to the site and said to Sam, “this job has broken one contractor and it will break March”. They said they would be back in the morning to see the swimming pool created when March dug the first hole, to which Sam replied, “bring your slippers”, they said “did you mean flippers?”, Sam said “no, your slippers”.
The next day they turned up to a dry manhole and could not believe it. The new business necessitated an incredible work ethic and dedication which meant 16 hour days and seven day weeks, and this has been a hallmark of the March brothers throughout their working lives. From there the company flourished and many good years followed. MCL developed into a multi-disciplined civil contractor successfully undertaking all aspects of civil construction. The company became very well known in Christchurch for its orange colour and bold name on the equipment. It began to contract around the South Island and then into the North Island. Sam and Buzz also became prominent developers of land throughout the country and this included Travis Country Estates during a long and enjoyable partnership with Tony Merritt and Alec Fairweather. MCL is now part of the world’s largest construction group, competing at the top of the market and working on some significant major projects currently including the building of new rail tunnels under Auckland’s Chief Post Office, a historic building originally built by Sam’s great grandfather, James Jamieson 105 years ago. I know Sam was very proud of MCL, its history and what it has now become. A significant part of that success is due to his abilities, drive and hard work over a very long time. He will forever be the co-founder of MCL. From a business perspective Sam was a very entrepreneurial man who undertook many ventures but ultimately will be remembered as one of New Zealand’s best civil contractors and gold miners. In the late 1970s Sam and Buzz were aware of another Christchurch contracting company, Ryan Brothers, gold mining very successfully in the Skippers Canyon, Queenstown. One day Ron Bodger said, “Look do you boys want to go gold mining?” As usual being up for any adventure Sam and Buzz said “Hell yes”. Ron had access to mining permits and the first gold mining venture started during the Christmas period of 1979-1980. The boys built a small shaker screen in the workshop at MCL in Christchurch and established this near Rum Curries Hut on the banks of the Kawerau River in the Gibbston Valley along with a Hitachi UH09 excavator and Fiat Allis FL10 Track Loader. This small venture made them $38,000 over the Christmas break and at that point gold fever set in! Many more mining ventures were undertaken over the next decade in Central Otago, the West Coast and Australia with Sam at the forefront of all these activities. Sam developed a reputation as one of the most skilled and knowledgeable alluvial gold miners in the country. During this time Sam and Buzz became known as “Roaring Meg” and “Gentle Annie”. I’m sure you can all work out who was who! While in Australia, Sam and Buzz met Warren Batt. As you can imagine, with a lifelong career in the construction and mining industries there are countless sidesplitting stories, almost all of which cannot be told within these walls. MARCH 2018 21
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OBITUARY
We would like to share a couple of the more sanitised ones with you. During the freezing Christchurch winters, particularly during well pointing operations, it was traditional to have a fire to warm up with prior to work starting. One morning Sam decided it wasn’t quite warm enough and poured another 20 litres of diesel on the fire which then proceeded to erupt into a ball of flames and consequently melted the insulation off the high voltage overhead cables and ended up taking the power out to an entire suburb. Jumping forward some 40 years Sam was in the caravan at the site of a pump station job in Peraki Street, Kaiapoi. It was late on a Friday afternoon and like all good contractors Sam wanted to get the hole dug for the pump station before the end of the day. He was operating the Priestman Wolf with the clamshell bucket and he was going hard. The six-wheeler International truck was so grossly
overloaded with wet silt but Sam said to Pete Dormer and myself, “Just one more bucket Stick”. Well, unfortunately this was one bucket too many! As Pete Dormer turned the truck out onto Peraki Street at 5:30pm, the tail door burst open and most of the contents of the pump station spread down the road. This evoked a Shakespearean reaction from Sam as he cradled his head in his hands and said, “It’s a f**king disaster”, which only got worse when he snapped his broom in half early in the clean-up! As a man Sam was both respected and loved by us all. As a family, we are all fortunate to have been able to work together over a very long period of time. On a personal note both Andy and I feel very privileged to have been able to work with Sam, learn from him and have many long conversations about business and life over the years.
A man of substance Chris Lee, managing director, Chris Lee & Partners, makes a tribute to Sam March. WHEN LONG-TERM Christchurch contractor and itinerant gold miner Sam March died in January of lung cancer, a whole rural town grieved. A real man, a real New Zealander, has died. Sam was the sort of New Zealander for whom those of my generation will always give thanks. It would not be overstating matters to record that Sam had been one of many who helped create the country that many of my age celebrate. With his older brother Buzz, Sam left school as a young teenager, went pretty well straight into partnership with his go-getting brother, and over the past nearly 60 years he did his bit to build New Zealand’s infrastructure and to mine gold, generating perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars as gold sales grew, now our second largest export to Australia. Sam was the ultimate quiet, hard-working, amiable problem-solver, with special skills in teaching and leading his workers, currently numbering around three dozen at the project he managed at the time of his demise, a gold mine in the Southland rural village of Waikaia. He had learnt his gold mining skills in the field over nearly four decades, not in any university. His brilliant, gracious man-management skills were natural to him and knowledge was to be shared; dignity was to be maintained. Had NZ’s school of management needed a personification of good management practices, Sam would have been the model. Just one of his triumphs sums up Sam. In the 1980s, the government announced it was building a new hydro plant in Central Otago and would move part of the town of Cromwell to obtain the optimal site. Cromwell’s dozens of shops, houses and some orchards had to be demolished before the newly-created lake drowned them. The town had been built on the junction of the Clutha and
22 www.contractormag.co.nz
Kawarau Rivers, a busy joining of rivers that had been a lucrative source of gold more than 150 years ago. As the miners rushed back to mine the river bed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the town was built on the shingles beside the river, with churches, pubs, blacksmiths, grocer shops and miners’ huts covering the shingles. From the river junction, the Lady Ranfurly gold plant set records for daily gold extraction. Sam and Buzz, with a fellow geologist, the late Ron Bodger, knew the history, so when the plan to flood the town was announced, Sam and Buzz marched down the main street, hammering in white pegs to define their claim to explore for gold. The TV cameras were there, perhaps believing the pegging was a stunt. In the years it took to move parts of the town, Sam led a mine that proved nicely profitable, exploring the shingles that no one had imagined would ever be accessible while they were topped by a town centre. Sam and Buzz also won the contract for March Construction as engineering contractors, to build much of the infrastructure for the new town of Cromwell. Sam March was no academic. He left school early and achieved his high levels of knowledge in the field. He was never a scone-doer, never greedy, never abusive. He was a small, wiry, strong man, quiet, amiable and oldfashioned. His sausage casserole was enjoyed by many, his macaroni cheese a weekly highlight and he was a dab hand at roast chicken or grilled chops. The young high-fliers of today, armed with their MBAs, will do well if they can contribute as much to ‘’real New Zealand’’ as Sam did. He has five daughters and one son and is survived by his second wife, Maureen.
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CONTRACTOR
PROFILE
A passion
24 www.contractormag.co.nz
for modelling Peter Fraser has long retired from the extraction and contracting industries, but his legacy lives on with his modified Kumbee Hammermill, still in use around New Zealand and many other countries. Alan Titchall talks to Peter at his home about his invention and his perfectly scaled models of crushers and quarry equipment. CONTRACTOR MAGAZINE first wrote about Peter Fraser (June 2016) through ex-editor Gavin Riley, who is now living in the same suburb of Havelock North. More recently, Peter’s name came up again through our Classic Machine writer and machinery historian Richard Campbell. When Peter rang him, while researching details of a LeTourneau carryall and sheeps-foot roller, they discovered they had something in common. They are both keen on models of machinery and equipment. Peter and his father Jock were well known industry identities in the Hastings area where they operated a contracting and transport business, John Fraser and Sons Contractors, plus an alluvial quarry at Mere Road at Fernhill, Hastings. In January 1967 Peter and his father found out there was a road to be built that would provide access to the Ngaroro River, so they traipsed across open country in Fernhill looking for a block of land near the river. They found survey peg No 13, Jock’s favourite number. They walked the boundary, found the corner and Jock said: “This is mine!” They also bought blocks 10, 11, 12, set up a small plant and crushed metal for the first section of the Hastings motorway, now known as the expressway. They didn’t tender for the supply of metal for the second section because of the way the contract was set up. Peter suggested to his Dad that they just sit back, which they did, and in the end they inherited all the cartage because they owned the right vehicles. John Fraser and Sons had become the biggest contracting company in Hastings. John Fraser and Sons merged its interests in 1972 with HB Transport Holdings, and Peter was assigned the job to design and build Fraser Shingle on the land at Fernhill. He was 36 years of age. Now, in his early 80s, he still remembers every detail of the original operation. Eventually, on behalf of the Holding Company, Peter bought out all of the other plants in the area because the capacity of Fraser Shingle was well over 100,000 tons a year. “It was a very successful operation,” he recalls, “but, sadly, due to the 1987 economic crash HB Transport Holdings board sold the quarry in 1987 to Milburn [now Holcim ].” The Holcim quarry as it operates today will feature in the April-May issue of Q&M magazine. Peter worked for Milburn at the quarry until he, and 28 other managers around the country, were made redundant in 1988. His son Scott also worked at Fraser Shingle and was there for 28 years. He is now a senior manager at Winstone Aggregates, also at Fernhill.
The Kumbee redesign Although never trained as an engineer, Peter is capable of drawing very professional plans (see photos) and had the reputation in his working days for redesigning bought machinery and making it more efficient. Peter says he was lucky to have attended Dannevirke High School as a boarder, as the school had a reputation for an excellent engineering course. Peter also had a gift for technical drawing and says he owes much of his success to his engineering master. “There were no computers in those days so you had to research things by looking though books and lots of overseas magazines.” Peter adds that he also had a lot of help from the late Bruce Webster from Websters Lime in Havelock North. The original alluvial quarry used a Kumbee Hammermill, bought from Keith Neiderer and built into the Fraser Shingle plant. “I thought the running costs were exceedingly high,” says Peter. “I did a lot of research into this crusher. I weighed the original liner plates brand new, then divided the weight by the costs, which became so much per kilogram. “Then I weighed the worn liner plates and discovered that some of the plates were only 10 percent worn and had to be discarded.” With this knowledge he set about designing a new set of liner plates using one-inch wear alloy plate that could be gas cut and drilled. The original plates were from Nihard material and could not be drilled. Peter then fitted these plates to the hammermill and this proved his point. Also, the original plates could be fitted
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in only one position. His new plates could be fitted in any position, right or left, front to back, etc and be repositioned part worn in other positions of less wear. Peter went to A&G Price in Thames with his drawings and asked them to manufacture the plates from Nihard material. Peter then went to Paul Tidmarsh, who remains a good mate to this day, and asked him to build him a modified hammermill from his drawings. “I made my drawings available to any operator who wanted to convert to this new design, which could be done in three stages, two top quarters and complete bottom half. “I suppose I could have patented my design, but I believed in our industry and at that time we were all looking at ways to cut costs.” Peter calculates that his liner plates cut the running costs of the crusher by 86 percent and back in those days that was a lot of money. The original Kumbee also used a five-disc rotor with the centre hammer held by a forked shank. Peter worked out that it didn’t need a forked shank and, by adding another disc, you could use all the same shanks. He also found that he could have the shanks’ profile cut from two-inch plate and, by fitting a Caterpillar track bush cut to a two-inch width and fitted, the ID was the same size as the pivot shaft. Peter then had the shanks hard surfaced. Another cost saving. Worn hammers also found another handy use after Peter discovered his Maori employees used them as hangi (earth oven) stones, because once heated they held their heat, and didn’t split like traditional stone. The ‘Fraser modified design’ is still being used throughout New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Peter estimates that Keith Neiderer had built about 650 Kumbee Hammermills and Paul Tidmarsh also manufactured them through his engineering division Tidco (now Rocktech) and branded them ‘Tammerjack’, but they were exactly the same crusher. There’s a Kumbee still at use in the Winstone Aggregates plant at Fernhill, where Peter’s son works.
In his retirement These days Peter enjoys lengthy times at his beach house playing snooker and making models. Although never trained as an engineer, Peter is capable of drawing very professional 26 www.contractormag.co.nz
plans (in the photo he is holding tech drawings dated June 1978 of his modified Kumbee Hammermill).
The Kumbee model with Tidco base Peter has always been a hobbyist and a few years ago he got an inkling to make scale models of quarry plant and equipment that he used at Fraser Shingle. Peter decided to build them in 1/10 scale and obtained his original plan of the Kumbee from Holcim. With his technical drawing skills, he says he had no trouble in drawing new plans in 1/10 scale. For the main body of the model he used 1/8 Perspex. The breaker plates are all cast in resin after making a mould using RTV rubber. The liner plates were made from 1/8 Perspex and bolted into place using BA bolts and nuts and washers that are all made to scale. The rotor disc he turned on his home workshop lathe from various 1/8 Perspex, while the shaft was from made from brass complete with threaded locking nut as per the original drawings. The hammers are made from various thicknesses of plastic strip and the shanks cast from resin. The base for the models is the same as for the Barmac Rotopactor. He was fortunate to have a copy of the original plans from Tidco. The base was constructed from plastic sheet, the deck from mesh as used by plasterers, the hand rails and ladder from Plastruct plastic, strip and rod. The conveyor has a vulcanised rubber belt. All the rollers are made from brass tube and are able to rotate. “A very labour-intensive job, believe me,” adds Peter. The electric motor was made from a piece of one and a half inch plastic pipe with the fins added from plastic strip. The fan cover is from the bottom end of a pill bottle with mesh from a piece of fly screen. The bearings were made to scale with brass tube and cast in resin.
The Kew Ken jaw crusher model Peter’s interest in the model 56 Kew Ken began back in 1965 when his father Jock took a truck to Andrews and Beaven in Christchurch, purchased a portable crushing plant and towed it back to Hastings (see photo). Later, at Fraser Shingle, Peter operated two portable model 56 crushers and a third one that was built into the plant. Peter began making his 56 Kew Ken jaw crusher models by photocopying plans from the original Kew Ken Armstrong Whitworth manual on his daughter’s photocopier. The dimension of the full-size machine is 720mm, with the man-frame made from 1/8 Perspex sheet with the swing and fixed jaw from plastic sheet. The red fly-wheel is made from a piece of 70mm plastic pipe. The cast lettering on the fixed jaw, proved a challenge Peter says. The letters are made using plastic strip and glued down individually. “When I got to the ‘S’ in ‘crusher’ I found I couldn’t bend the plastic strip without breaking it.” Peter Fraser was not going to be beaten, “so I took a piece of brass wire, made an ‘S’, then filed it flat on both sides”. “Just to make sure it stuck, I glued it with super glue.”
Barmac MK11 Rotopactor Peter Fraser is currently working on a Barmac MK11 Rotopactor model complete with Tidco stand. A quarter segment of the crushing chamber will be removed so as to see the rotor in position. The 150 electric motor already
on the model was made from drawings that were supplied by WEG Electric Motors of Matamata.
Can you help with next project? Peter says his next project is to tackle a 16x8 or 16x12 Hauraki single togged jaw crusher manufactured by A&G Price of Thames. Peter’s father Jock built and operated two of these crushers in the early 1950s and 1960s; one was in a fixed plant and the other portable. A&G Price is no longer in business and so if there is anyone amongst our readers who may have one in the retirement section of their quarry then Peter would appreciate a photograph so he can measure up and scale his model. Please phone him on 06 877 1013.
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CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
The rebuild of the second chapter
28 www.contractormag.co.nz
SH1
The great push to re-open SH1 between Picton and Christchurch in time for the Christmas holidays was a warmly-welcomed success, but the work goes on. Hugh de Lacy reports on this project in the second of his articles.
MARCH 2018 29
CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
THE VISITOR SPEND in Kaikoura over the Christmas holidays
The euphoria that accompanied the road re-opening on December 15 has since waned, but the workforce led by the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery alliance (NCTIR) is still battling to clean up the mess, and in mid-February the road north of Kaikoura was still being closed at night for safety reasons. A total of 7000 five-tonne concrete blocks is needed for just the seawalls north of Kaikoura, where more than a third of the work lies in preparing the foundations.
30 www.contractormag.co.nz
just past was quadruple that of the same period in 2016, topping $12 million and showing just how vital to the local economy was the re-opening of SH1 between Picton and Christchurch in mid-December. Figures released in February by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed the big recovery in Kaikoura’s tourist cash-flow, but also that it – like the road repairs – still has some way to go, given that the December spend in 2015 topped $16 million. For the whole of that year tourism contributed $111 million to the whale-watch haven, while last year it managed only $68 million, even with the December surge. Given the continuing boom in overseas tourism to New Zealand – visitor numbers in 2017 reached 3.7 million, equivalent to the entire population of the North Island – this year is likely to see Kaikoura’s 12-month tourism spend top $120 million. Such a recovery could scarcely have been imagined by the locals after the shaking stopped that night of November 14, 2017, when the magnitude 7.8 earthquake narrowed the gap between the North and South Islands by six metres. During the two minutes that it lasted, the earthquake created ruptures in no fewer than 21 fault-lines spanning 170 kilometres of the north-eastern South Island – and sent a tsunami along the Kaikoura coast that was seven metres high in places.
It took more than 1.5 million worker hours – 250,000 hours a month – over the following one year, one month and one day to get both the road and rail operating again by a workforce that had more than 4500 people inducted into it. The euphoria that accompanied the road re-opening on December 15 has since waned, but the workforce led by the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery alliance (NCTIR) is still battling to clean up the mess, and in midFebruary the road north of Kaikoura was still being closed at night for safety reasons. Slip Nine at Waipapa Bay, north of Kaikoura, was one of the biggest of the 85 that closed the road and the railway line that night, and it’s still a major focus of the ongoing work, according to Tim Crow, the NZ Transport Authority’s earthquake recovery manager. “Slip Nine has been a big one for us: it’s a very large slip and we remain concerned about it because it’s still coming down,” Tim tells Contractor. Traffic is confined to a single lane through the bay, and there are other slips like it, albeit on a smaller scale, all along the coast that continue to threaten both the road and the railway line. Tim says the broad strategy, from now until the clearing and rebuilding is expected to be finished sometime in April, is to push the road out towards the sea as far from the threatening cliff faces as possible, and in turn to cut the faces back as far as is practicable so they no longer threaten the highway and rail line. A second major work site is Ohau Point where the seal colony used to sit at the bottom of a waterfall, charming tourists in their thousands. The waterfall, which is on private land, is currently closed off and the seal colony is no more, while contractors focus on lifting the carriageway from its present five metres above sea-level to 10 metres. This part of the repairs involves building one of the longest stretches of seawall out of a total of 2.8 kilometres that have to be rebuilt after the quake and subsequent tsunami damaged no fewer than 302 retaining walls, 97 of them along the coastline. A total of 7000 five-tonne concrete blocks is needed for just the seawalls north of Kaikoura, where more than a third of the work lies in preparing the foundations. Even the seals, which returned to the battered coast soon after the quake, have required major relocation work, with no fewer than 11,000 adults and pups having to be moved by hand out of the way of the works. By Christmas nearly one million cubic metres of spoil had been shifted off the road and railway along the 194 kilometre stretch between Cheviot and the Clarence River, where there were more than 1500 damaged sites, 200 of them requiring major work. The Irongate Bridge has absorbed most of the 140 beams required for bridge repairs along the road, the longest of which was seven spans and 144 metres, and which was built in just 14 weeks. Slips still moving, or likely to resume advancing towards the road, have so far been sluiced by a total of 152 million litres of helicopter-borne water. Work is well advanced on repairing the hundred buildings that were damaged, nine of them severely.
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CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Work is continuing 24/7 and over the next few weeks will gradually move off the slips and into the upgrading of amenities like road barriers and rest-stops. Seed was collected last April from the rare Ohau Point daisy, and 200 seedlings propagated for re-establishment later this year.
32 www.contractormag.co.nz
All this is being done by a workforce halved from the peak of 1700 that brought the road to its tentative reopening before Christmas, and which temporarily boosted the population of Kaikoura by 30 percent. The total bill to repair the key South Island transport corridor has settled at around $1.2 billion, of which $351 million had been spent by last September, and more than half by early this year. Upgrading the alternative access routes to Kaikoura and to Christchurch for the temporary boost in traffic volumes has cost $60 million, with a further $231 million budgeted for additional improvements, most of which are still in the design stage. For most of its length, the railway line is largely free of the threat of further inundation by slips and has been open mostly at night since last August, leaving the line free during the day to facilitate road repairs. Traffic on the rail line is gradually getting back towards the million tonnes of freight it used to carry annually, thanks to repairs at 220 sites, including to major damage to 20 rail tunnels. As work on the slips and roads winds up over the next couple of months, the focus will switch to environmental work covered by more than 30 approved consent packages. One beneficiary will be the rare Ohau Point daisy from which seed was collected last April and 200 seedlings propagated for re-establishment later this year. Tim Crow says work is continuing 24/7 and over the next few weeks will gradually move off the slips and into the upgrading of amenities like road barriers and rest-stops.
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Turning a dream into reality Mike O’Bryne of Central House Movers has built a reputation for turning a dream into a reality. Richard Silcock looks into what has made Mike and this Bullsbased business so successful.
34 www.contractormag.co.nz
FOR A MAN WHO left school at the age of 15
with a poor understanding of reading and writing, the MD of Central House Movers, Mike O’Byrne, has come a long way. From growing up and helping-out on his parents’ dairy farm in south Taranaki he now operates (along with his extended family) a multimillion-dollar heavy haulage business and owns a lifestyle block on the outskirts of Palmerston North. And he attributes his success to shear hard work, building a reputation for providing a professional service and exceeding clients’ expectations. “As a kid I used to help with milking the
Mike O’Bryne, Central House Movers.
cows every morning at 5am before going off to school,” says Mike. “I think that work ethic instilled in me the need to work hard and while academia did not really interest me I loved the practical things and working with machinery. “On leaving school, I worked for several years for a local contractor in Taranaki before setting up my own business, O’Bryne Earthworks, and did a lot of work on farms. “I lived and worked out of an old shed, sleeping on an old mattress in the corner and working 24/7. Life was pretty rough but I made enough to buy an old house in New
HEAVY HAULAGE
Plymouth and have it relocated to Manaia. “It was that move that sparked my imagination and prompted me to consider heavy haulage as I figured it was far more lucrative than earthmoving in those days. “I purchased the former Keith Hay Homes yard in Stratford and leased a truck and trailer unit and in 1991 got into this business with the dream of making it the best in the industry.” In early 2000 Central House Movers (CHM) moved to Bulls on SH1 into what was the former Carter Holt timber yard. “Bulls is far more central to the Manawatu, Taranaki, the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa which is where we do most of our business, but we also retain a yard in New Plymouth.” CHM has an impressive fleet: three Kenworth 600hp fully automatic tractor units, a Stirling (Ford Louisville Freightliner) unit, two MTE command-steer trailers with clipon axles, a four- axle TRT trailer with two
steering axles, two Hino trucks for carrying jacks, two crane trucks (an eight-wheeler and a four-wheeler), two Grove cranes (a 60-tonner and a 20-tonner), several tip trucks and four diggers for site works, a couple of utes and an old 1984 W900 Kenworth that is used for truck shows and shifting the odd house. “The command-steer trailers have really proven their worth,” say Mike. “They enable us to operate around some really tight corners as they track independently of the truck. They are the Rolls Royce of trailers in my view. “These days all of our plant is purchased new, right down to the state-of-the-art automated hydraulic jacks. Having the latest gear pays as there are less maintenance problems and three guys along with a pilot can run a medium-sized relocation quite easily using state-of-the-art technology. “We have three moving crews. My two sons,
CONTRACTOR
Above: One of four Profab boats which were moved from the boat builders yard in Palmerston North to Foxton beach. Opposite page: A large character home being moved from central New Plymouth to Bell Block to make way for a new motel. “The command-steer trailers have really proven their worth. They enable us to operate around some really tight corners as they track independently of the truck. They are the Rolls Royce of trailers in my view.”
MARCH 2018 35
CONTRACTOR
HEAVY HAULAGE
Above: A two-storey, turn-of-thecentury house being ‘extracted’ from a property in Palmerston North before being relocated to Eskdale, Hawke’s Bay. Top right: Reversing a house up an extremely tight driveway past two other houses in New Plymouth. Below right: Two Ford Louisville units were utilised to position this house in two sections onto a difficult site.
36 www.contractormag.co.nz
Aaron and Mathew, and Roy (Stephen) Read – who has been with us for some time and has a wealth of experience – each head-up and supervise the crews.” Mike adds that he is extremely privileged to have such an amazing group of people working for CHM – many of whom have been a part of the business for many years. While it is essentially a family run business, CHM employs 13 additional staff. Most are engaged in the actual relocation work, while others – like Mike’s daughter-in-law Kiri, who runs the office and sales side of the business, and Mathew’s wife, Jen, who is a qualified Class 1 pilot – can be brought in to assist. They also have a diesel mechanic and a small team of builders and painters on staff for repairs, restoration and painting of the stock houses. “We are at the top of our game,” Mike tells me. “We are relocating around 200 houses a year at the moment and would have to be a
leader in our field particularly in this part of the country. I attribute this not only to the reputation we have built up over the years but also to the present housing shortage and availability of builders. “Clients are either buying ‘discarded’ housing direct from an owner, or through us, and then have us do it up and move it to their section. Many relocated houses are used as beach houses or on farms for staff quarters. “We are also seeing an upsurge in pre-built, prefabricated housing where the client buys new from a building company and has us move it to their new section, or for example, to an established property as a stand-alone house for rental income or to house family members. “While house relocating is our bread and butter, we often relocate farm buildings and cow sheds as well. We have also moved a number of large boats for boat builders in Palmerston North and Wanganui.” On the question of health and safety, Mike says that in this type of business it is a
CONTRACTOR
HEAVY HAULAGE
An old villa which was due for demolition was purchased by a new owner who had it moved from the Manawatu to Pukekohe, a distance of some 500kms, after the top section was removed.
38 www.contractormag.co.nz
priority, though he says the criticisms around parts of the new Health and Safety Act where ‘one rule fits all’ do have some merit. “However you can never be too careful and the regular checking of gear, the load, the route, and following correct safety procedures is paramount.” The biggest challenge for the industry these days, he adds, revolves around the increase in the amount of traffic on the roads and impatient drivers who try and pass and disregard the pilot vehicle, signs and directions. “Accidents that can result from this kind of stupidity could have an adverse effect on our industry’s ability to operate in a safe
environment, with the up-shot being more bureaucratic enforcement and curtailment around our hours of operation and road use.” Being in this type of business has been a dream come true for him, he says. “I really love the work and to this day I am still passionate about it. I live and breathe it and still get a ‘buzz’ from what we can achieve despite the long hours and often adverse weather conditions. “I believe the success of our business can be attributed to our relations with the client, our hands-on approach to each relocation and by our adherence to that LV Martin slogan, ‘it’s the putting right that counts’. “It’s the customer who has to be satisfied.”
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CONTRACTOR
PROCUREMENT
NZQA generic procurement qualification
–a
strong case
PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS spend more than $99 billion of taxpayer and ratepayer money each year on goods and services, which is more than 40 percent of the country’s GDP. Of this expenditure, some $41 billion is spent on infrastructure, mostly through procurement via tendering. Procurement via tendering in other areas (such as IT, health, social services, justice, defence, education, etc) is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. Procurement activities (particularly via tendering) are ubiquitous in all public sector organisations, such as public service organisations, ministries and departments, state services organisations, District Health Boards, Crown agencies (such as the NZTA), educational institutions, local and regional councils, and many more government organisations. A cursory review of the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) website shows several hundred live tenders at any one time. Hundreds more tenders are advertised daily through other common channels such as Tenderlink, LG Tenders and websites of government organisations. All of those tenders involve procurement using public moneys, for contracts ranging from physical works to social services, health services, facilities maintenance, public transport, training services, hospitality, information technologies and many more. There are on average between five and 25 people involved in planning, developing RFT documents, processing and evaluating each of those tenders. Their responsibilities for prudent and cost-effective decision-making are core to the value that we taxpayers, ratepayers and wider communities receive for public funds invested on our behalf. Within the 78 Local and Regional Authorities throughout New Zealand, it is estimated that between 4000 and 8000 of their 30,000 plus employees are involved in procurement activities as either a primary activity or a part of their jobs. They are supported by hundreds of specialist procurement professionals employed by consultants. It is hard to estimate the overall number of public sector employees who are involved in procurement activities, since, for many, ‘procurement’ is not included in their title but may be a significant part of their job description within middle or senior management roles. Extrapolating the local government numbers involved in procurement would suggest that at least 20,000 people (and very likely, over 30,000 people) are regularly engaged in public sector procurement activity. The implementation of the NZ Government’s Rules of Sourcing in 2013 and the establishment of NZ Government Procurement as a division of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are key recent initiatives that demonstrate the burgeoning importance of procurement to the government. Over the past five to six years, the emergence and increase of distinct new job titles such as procurement specialist, procurement advisor and procurement manager in most government organisations, also demonstrates the growing recognition of procurement as a specialist skill and a key operational and management role within the public sector. 40 www.contractormag.co.nz
Procurement capability needs Globally, in OECD countries, there are strong moves to ‘lift the capability of procurers to meet emerging challenges’. Work to ‘professionalise’ procurement was the subject of a presentation by government procurement manager John Ivil at an OECD meeting in October 2017. Increasing procurement capability has been identified as a key issue in the 2016 and 2017 surveys from Government Procurement (particularly in the area of clients providing feedback to tenderers). That survey had 2095 respondents and represented companies that respond to government tenders from most sectors including central government, councils, schools, and DHBs. Further feedback on frustrations of tenderers indicates that key areas of concern are compliance with Government Rules of Sourcing; cost-efficiency in tendering processes; unfair practices; lack of transparent and robust evaluation criteria; and inadequate management of conflicts of interest. These are key areas that can be addressed through qualification and training of practical skills in procurement. Improvement in procurement capability was also identified as a critical need by a wide range of representatives of both suppliers and clients in the three surveys undertaken by Infrastructure NZ over the past 18 months. A key initiative for Government Procurement this year has been development of the Procurement Capability Index – essentially a self-assessment tool for organisations that is focused on their strategic procurement capability. This is considered a first step towards encouraging public organisations to monitor (and then improve) their procurement skills. Until 2017, our government supported (and provided subsidies for) candidates to study towards qualifications available through the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). However, at the beginning of 2017, this support was discontinued. While not official, the feedback was that the training and the qualifications are not very relevant to New Zealand conditions and legislation; broad in reach (including covering private sector contexts); and academically focused rather than being accessible for ‘on-job’ qualification. These factors combined to result in a high rate of discontinuation by trainees. NZ Government Procurement has withdrawn from most of the training that it was formerly providing; and it does not currently promote or endorse any specific training or qualification.
The procurement qualification landscape Since the early 1990s, a procurement qualification has been required by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for at least one member of the Tender Evaluation Team on projects valued over $200,000 (extract from NZTA manual). This is a significant contributing factor to NZTA being universally recognised as New Zealand’s best performer in procurement (one source is the Infrastructure NZ surveys, 2016 and 2017).
Until 2016, the qualification that underpinned this success was limited to NZTA’s procurement procedures. However, a Targeted Review of the Qualification undertaken by Connexis ITO in 2015-2016 has seen the Level Six Qualification broadened to include all of infrastructure, as well as application of the Government Rules of Sourcing. This is now the only practical procurement qualification available on the NZQA framework. More than 300 qualified tender evaluators hold the previous version of the NZQA Procurement Qualification. The first three graduates of the new version of the qualification received their certificates in 2017; and a further 90 (approx) people are at various stages in their assessments towards achieving the qualification.
The current NZQA qualification title is restrictive Although the title of the NZ Certificate in Infrastructure Civil Engineering suggests it is limited to the infrastructure sector, the content is generic in nature. It covers procurement planning, developing RFT documents, evaluating tenders and application of legal and ethical principles to tendering. The Outcomes and Evaluation Criteria can be readily applied to any significant procurement activities, regardless of the industry or sector of the contract being procured. The new version of the NZ Certificate in Infrastructure Procurement Procedures is not well known. Where it has been introduced (such as at the GovProcure 2017 conference in Wellington) there is a common and understandable perception among public sector procurement professionals that it applies exclusively to infrastructure. That forms a barrier to organisations with wider procurement
needs (as expressed by the Ministry of Education, NZ Defence Force, District Health Boards, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Development, Department of Internal Affairs, and others). When approached, the qualification developer Connexis (as the infrastructure ITO) stated that it wishes the qualification to retain the word ‘Infrastructure’ in its title.
Support from stakeholders A recent pilot survey was circulated to suppliers to government as well as procurement staff. There were 98 responses from the sectors indicated below. Of these, 98 percent agreed that there should be a generic NZQA procurement qualification that demonstrates capability relevant to all government procurement practitioners (82 percent fully agreed, and a further 16 percent agreed “in some circumstances”, with commentary indicating this will be relevant for larger, more risky or complex contracts being procured. An impressive 99 percent of respondents further agreed that the government should make it mandatory for at least one tender evaluator for all significant public procurements to be NZQA qualified (88 percent fully agreed, and a further 11 percent agreed “in some circumstances” – ie, for larger and riskier, more complex projects). Industry groups that have expressed support for the development of a generic public sector practical procurement qualification include Business NZ, Metals NZ, Civil Contractors NZ, Infrastructure NZ, and Medical Technology Association of NZ. There is a well established need, strong support and a vitally interested market for a practical and generic procurement qualification suitable for public sector procurement staff engaged in tendering activities. By Caroline Boot, Clever Buying.
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MARCH 2018 41
CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Small town rejuvenation
42 www.contractormag.co.nz
A discovery and rejuvenating parts of Greymouth’s CBD were the highlights of an ongoing West Coast project. Richard Silcock takes a look at what was discovered, what has been done, and what is planned. IT MAY NOT BE a mystical El Dorado, with pathways lined with gold, nor been the scene of a wild-west movie thriller, but Greymouth, with an urban population of just under 10,000 often has bone-chilling misty days, is the home of brewer Monteith’s and has streets that are paved with coal tar. Not an issue in itself, but the discovery of an old tar waste dump exuding dangerous toxic fumes and dust was to cause some concern for the local council and the contractors involved in the town’s redevelopment project. According to the Grey District Council previous exploratory excavations in the area of the dump had not signalled it as an issue. “What was discovered however was that while coal tar had been used as a road
surfacing material around the late 1800s, early 1900s, when the town was a thriving centre for gold, pounamu (jade) and coal extraction, it was not deemed a health hazard as it was well below Ministry of Health acceptable toxic levels. “But there was an unknown area that had been used as a large tar waste dumping ground,” says Mel Sutherland, the Council’s asset and engineering manager. “The concentration in this area was so highly toxic it necessitated the implementation of additional and strict health and safety measures by the contractor, with the digger operators excavating the site required to wear protective clothing and masks and follow WorkSafe guidelines.
Left: The Greymouth Town Square. With an urban population of just under 10,000, Greymouth often has bone-chilling misty days, is the home of brewer Monteith’s and has streets that are paved with coal tar. Below: A section of Tainui Street, showing the new planter boxes, street furniture and outdoor cushions. A heritage listed building is on the right past the cafe.
MARCH 2018 43
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PROJECT
Looking along Tainui Street, showing the new paving, indented parking, plantings, rubbish bins, cycle stands, signage and an open grassed area to the right. Opposite page: During construction in Tainui Street. The road level was lowered and with the amount of coal tar present it meant the material had to be excavated and removed. This required resource consents for both the removal of the waste and for its burial elsewhere.
44 www.contractormag.co.nz
“Our preferred solution was to encapsulate the site in concrete,” says Mel. “However as the road level was to be lowered and with the amount of coal tar present it meant the material had to be excavated and removed. This required resource consents for both the removal of the waste and for its burial elsewhere. “We were fortunate to be able to access a nearby landfill site for this disposal, as it had been used previously as a ‘cell’ for the disposal of other contaminated waste material.” This redevelopment project has been the result of the Council’s economic and public surveys and consultation with a number of stakeholders, including business owners, the public and tourist operators. This led to the formation of a project advisory group and the appointment of landscape and engineering design consultant Opus, which came up with an urban design framework to reinvigorate the central business district and ‘reconnect’ Greymouth with its past history and the nearby Grey River, which runs into the Tasman Sea immediately to the west of the town. According to Mark Devenny, an Opus principal infrastructure design engineer, the concept plan for this upgrade was to not only provide links and reflect the surrounding
natural environment but to also capture the culture, climate and heritage of this West Coast town which has its roots deeply embedded in the mining, jade, fishing and now forestry industries. “The people of Greymouth wanted to maintain the character of the CBD and be reminded of its past through retaining and restoring parts of the town and its heritage buildings,” he says. “They also wanted to see the streets upgraded and public green spaces created that would be inviting and accessible, that would connect with each other and the river, and at the same time provide for a range of public activities and amenities.” Stage one of the project, which saw the creation of a town square and the repaving and landscaping of several adjacent streets, was pretty well completed at the end of last year, with the exception of a glass and steel shelter canopy over a section of the square. The streets feature hexagonal paving, indented parking areas, street furniture and cycle racks. The square has been created at the confluence of Tainui Street, Mawhera Quay along the river front, and Mackay Street which is the town’s main street. “The square provides a gathering place for people and is a focal point for the future
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CONTRACTOR
PROJECT
Top: The streets had to be dug up and the level lowered. With the discovery of the coal tar dump, fences, plastic screens and sprinklers were used to minimise contamination and inhibit the spread of any toxic dust. Above: Some of the new planter boxes, low level gardens and indented parking. Above right: Visitors look over a yet to be completed green open space featuring artworks by local artists.
46 www.contractormag.co.nz
redevelopment,” says Mel. “It is aesthetically pleasing and features paved and planted areas, modern street furniture, feature lighting and landscaping.” Significant civil earthworks were required in the form of excavating and lowering the level of the streets and upgrading or replacing some of the underground infrastructure. Timaru based Paul Smith Earthmoving, which now has a depot in Greymouth, was tasked with this part of the work. It started with the excavation of the existing pavement and base layers of the three streets, replacing the underground stormwater services with larger capacity pipes, and then reconstructing the streets. Its biggest challenge was lowering the street levels by 300mm, as this impacted on all the underground services and the shop frontages, but was required as a part of the design for a flatter profile and to create a more pedestrian friendly streetscape. Basecourse and sand were used for the foundation for the ‘new’ streets with concrete and exposed aggregate paving stones laid on top. The pavers alternate in colour from dark to light and were created using a variation in the oxide mix. “Every attempt was made to maintain normal access to shops and allow traffic movement
along the streets during the course of the excavations and construction phases of the project,” says Mel. “However, some disruption was inevitable given the streets had to be dug up and the level lowered. With the discovery of the coal tar dump, fences, plastic screens and sprinklers were used to minimise contamination and inhibit the spread of any toxic dust.” The next stage of the project, to create a paved pedestrian link from Tainui Street to Mawhera Quay and enhance the floodwall by creating a pedestrian boulevard effect in the vicinity of the clock tower is presently under review by the Council. Stage three would see a raised and landscaped pedestrian link to the railway station at the northern end of the town. “When complete the CBD will be a vibrant and inviting destination, a place for people to do business, to linger, to gather and enjoy,” says Greymouth mayor, Tony Kokshoorn. “Our CBD will celebrate the town’s natural environment, its climate, rich culture and heritage, its inspiring people and the stories they have to share of this place.” The total cost for stage one of the project was $1.9 million and it is expected the whole comprehensive rejuvenation plan will come to fruition over time as funds become available.
CONTRACTOR
HEAVY HAULAGE
LO G I S T I C
OV E R LOA D
48 www.contractormag.co.nz
Restoring six SH1 bridges damaged in the Kaikoura quake involved a very complex heavy haulage programme to get over 100 concrete beams from the North Island to the South in a few short months. By Mary Searle Bell. IN LATE 2016, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Kaikoura, devastating the landscape. State Highway 1 between Seddon and Cheviot was badly damaged – the NZ Transport Agency estimated that close to one million cubic metres of rock and debris fell onto the road and adjacent railway line. In particular, the highway north of Kaikoura required months of work to repair. However, on December 14, 2017, one year, one month and one day after the earthquake, following a tremendous effort by the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) alliance partners, the road was reopened. HEB Construction is part of the NCTIR alliance and has been responsible for rebuilding and repairing a number of bridges damaged in the quake. These included the seven-span Irongate Bridge, north of Mangamaunu, six debris flow bridges (three road and three rail), Bridge 908 south of Ward, and the 480-metre rail bridge across the Clarence River. Construction of the new bridges required 144 concrete bridge beams. Because of the time and supply constraints of the project, the majority of these beams were manufactured in the North Island – about 80 percent in Rotorua, more in Hastings and at HEB’s plant in Mount Maunganui, and just 11 in Christchurch. “Only a few places could manufacture beams of this size in time,” says haulage project coordinator, Darryl Holden of HEB Construction Heavy Haulage. “The plan was to get the beams to a storage site near the project and have them ready and waiting for the bridge builds.” The beams all had the same dimensions, and were 21.95 metres long. Most weighed 32 tonnes, however the outer beams (about 10 percent of the total) were far heavier, says Darryl, weighing 39 tonnes each – these ones were manufactured in Hastings. The timeframe for delivery was August to November 2017. “It was a logistical nightmare getting all 144 beams down there,” says Darryl. “First, we had to analyse the road to work out how we were going to get them to site, then we had to liaise with the NZTA regarding having so many 30-metre-long loads on the road between August and November – we knew we would be flooding the road with heavy gear, and this was a road already under pressure because of the closure of State Highway 1.” From the North Island, the beams travelled across to Picton then down the alternate Picton-to-Christchurch highway via the Lewis Pass before heading north up the inland road to Kaikoura. The option of travelling north from Kaipara was ruled out – the loads couldn’t go through the tunnels on this route as the containers holding the slips back meant the beams couldn’t get around the corners. MARCH 2018 49
CONTRACTOR
HEAVY HAULAGE
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes Short and long term hire with a lifting range from 6 tonne to 14 metres radius, and 1 tonne to 45 metres radius. • Remote control operation • Cost effective mobilisation to site.
Suitable for: Lower rise buildings, light construction office blocks, high end residential housing and school facilities where there is a mixture of light weight precast, structural steel beams and timber truss to be lifted. Capable of lifting up to 51 metres high.
Contact 09 277 2227
www.waikatoaucklandcranes.co.nz 50 www.contractormag.co.nz
“We had to do a feasibility study, and look at all the bridges on the route, including a number of Bailey bridges. We also had to consider ferrying the loads across the Cook Strait – we didn’t want to have too many beams on a ferry, nor overload the road from Picton. “In addition, Wellington Harbour had also suffered quake damage, so a few fences had to be realigned so the beams could be loaded onto the ferries. “Then we had to chat to our concrete precast suppliers as they could manufacture the beams faster than we could load and take them away, but they didn’t have room to store them for us.” Darryl says they created a load-out programme, which entailed the beams being placed in the yards in a specific order so the right ones could be accessed at the right time. “We had limited resources so the only way we could get all the beams to site on time was by engaging subcontractors,” says Darryl. In addition to the HEB heavy haulage crew, teams from five different haulage firms were subcontracted to move beams. NZ Heavy Haulage Association chief executive Jonathan Bhana-Thomson describes it as a great piece of collaboration. “Six individual members of the association were involved in sharing the transport of these beams,” he says. “I don’t think there’s been a project quite like this before in the history of the organisation.” Regardless of who was doing the move, all the loads were configured the same. They each had a truck on the front and a jinker behind. The tight corners and the bridges going into Kaikoura ruled out the use of trombone trailers. Due to the nature of the traffic on the road from Picton
to Kaikoura (tourist traffic in particular), the loads were escorted by three pilot vehicles over this stretch. The first beam started its journey to Kaikoura on August 22, with the last beam arriving from the North Island on November 8. HEB then started feeding the bridge sites from the laydown site. “We were able to use trombone trailers for the lighter beams as the corners weren’t so bad,” says Darryl. “We had two HEB units on it, and later added a third.” The final beam was delivered on December 5, and Darryl was finally able to catch his breath. “I celebrated when we finished,” he says with a laugh. “We couldn’t have done it without the support of all our subcontractors. And you have to remember that they all had previous projects booked that had to be accommodated – their normal work had to continue; Kaikoura had to be squeezed on top.”
These additional jobs had to also be factored into this loadout programme, further complicating the already complex schedule. “We had a weekly programme that detailed exactly what was happening. We were always within two to three hours of this,” says Darryl. “The hiccups happened when snow or an accident occurred, then a beam would catch up with the one in front of it, so we’d have to delay the second truck to ease the load on the road.” The police and NCTIR constantly monitored the transport project, and of the 144 beams shifted, only one – the second to last – garnered a negative comment from a member of the public, who said the load should have pulled over earlier to let their vehicle pass. But if that is the only piece of negativity in this logistically complex project, then Darryl, the HEB team and their heavy haulage subbies can be very pleased with themselves.
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MARCH 2018 51
CONTRACTOR
HISTORY
Kohimarama on Tamaki Drive, Auckland. Photos Alexander Turnbull Library
52 www.contractormag.co.nz
Auckland’s boulevard
Tamaki Drive Tamaki Drive could loosely be described as Auckland’s boulevard, a showpiece facing a magnificent harbour. Richard Silcock traces its history, and explores why this stretch of road holds such a special place in the hearts of many Aucklanders. TAMAKI DRIVE LINKS Auckland’s central business district with the exclusive and trendy eastern suburbs of Orakei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama and St Heliers. Skirting the coastline it provides largely uninterrupted and unfolding picture postcard vistas of the Waitemata Harbour and seascape. Some would say it is a stretch of road that many Aucklanders are extremely passionate about. There are often heated public debates over any proposed changes to it, or to the public spaces and amenities lining its 8.2-kilometre length, for Tamaki Drive passes many exclusive upmarket homes and apartments, prominent reserves, historical sites and landmarks, a number of popular beaches, a public swimming pool and a large marina. In summer, parts of the road are lined with flowering pohutukawa trees and expensive cars can often be seen parked up around Mission Bay and St Heliers, while those ‘on-trend’ and wishing to be seen frequent the many sidewalk eateries. The numerous cliffs and promontories which the road circumnavigates are largely composed of sandstone and in places remnants of seashells and pumice can be seen in the strata. Golden sand adorns the beaches and such is their popularity the council spends millions of dollars barging in and replenishing the sand which is often depleted following severe storms. >>
MARCH 2018 53
CONTRACTOR
HISTORY
From Parnell looking east over the estuary. Photo Alexander Turnbull Library
Tamaki Drive is plied by around 32,000 plus vehicles a day and is both a week-day commuter route and a cruisy scenic Sunday afternoon drive for both Aucklanders and visitors alike. Tour coaches include ‘the drive’ as part of their route and frequently stop to spill their load of tourists at icons such as Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, the Savage Memorial, or the Memorial Fountain, art deco clock tower, Walsh Brothers Memorial and the recently refurbished stone-clad Melanesian Mission House (circa 1858) at Mission Bay. Tamaki Drive also serves as the access road for the Royal Akarana Yacht Club and the Tamaki Yacht Club. Prior to European settlement, the area was the preserve of local Maori who settled around the various bays, with a pa built at Orakei and a significant presence on Bastion Point that affords a 180-degree view of the harbour. Seafood was abundant and the harbour provided an excellent ‘highway’ for their canoes. Walking tracks were formed around the foreshore and into the interior with the coastal strip given the name Tamaki Makau Rau – meaning ‘the isthmus desired by a hundred lovers.’ Although land in the area was ‘acquired’ by the Crown for development as early as 1841, it was not favoured by the early European settlers who tended to settle to the west of the ‘town’. A bridal track was the first attempt at establishing 54 www.contractormag.co.nz
carriage access in the mid-1860s, but it was not until 1870 that the first house was built at Orakei. A defence post was established at Bastion Point (Fort Bastion) in 1886 to guard against a rumoured attack by Russian ships, but apart from that little was done by way of development. Through until the turn of the century and apart from the bridal track, access was by walking track and then a ferry service with a number of wharves built, the first at St Heliers and Orakei in 1905. At the outbreak of WW1, gun emplacements and tunnels were established where the Savage Memorial is now sited and during WW2 at Bastion Point an anti-aircraft battery, observation post and a radar station were installed along with a military camp. Development of a road was not until 1926 when construction commenced on a 3.5-mile section between Campbell’s Point and Hobson Point to service the increasing number of houses that were then being built especially in Orakei and East Tamaki using ‘cheap’ labour as a result of the economic Depression. The ‘city fathers’ did see it as an opportunity to build a “magnificent boulevard” reminiscent of the European and American boulevards, however this did not eventuate due to cost.
Tamaki drive and railway line crossing estuary, looking west.
Construction of Waterfront Road, as it was then known, was carried out by the Public Works Department (and subsequently the MoW) following pressure from Auckland City Council on the government to fund it in return for political support. A proportion of the project was also funded by the Tamaki/Orakei Roads Board, the Arch Hill Roads Board and the Parnell Borough Council following their amalgamation with the City Council, which also managed the project. The road was extended to Mission Bay following the construction of Orakei Bridge and then on to St Heliers. It was initially constructed as a single-lane metalled carriageway, largely by 1000 unemployed men using picks, shovels and horse-drawn carts, however during the latter stages of construction steam-driven rollers and tractors were used. In the early-1930s the road was renamed Waterfront Drive and then changed to Tamaki Drive and was sealed using bituminous concrete paving and laid on a macadam base. It was completed essentially in 1932 at a cost of £270,000 though further work carried on until 1939 when bigger culverts were installed. Grades were generally kept to a reasonable standard, but with no heavy earthmoving machinery, cut-and-fill techniques were avoided with the road following the natural contours of the coastline. Where cliffs jutted out into the harbour, land was reclaimed and the road built around them, though some were ‘cut-back’ during the latter stages of construction. Responsibility for maintenance became an issue but was eventually accepted by the council as its responsibility. Resurfacing and widening from a single lane thoroughfare to double lanes in most places has occurred over the intervening years with most of the pavement surface now asphalt. A stormwater and sewage pumping station was constructed in 1951 at Orakei, while the pedestrian overbridge to the Parnell Baths was built in 1967. Bus shelters first appeared in 1939. These days a dedicated
Looking over Mechanics Bay and the seaplane base with Tamaki Drive in the background.
bus-lane extends along a good part of Tamaki Drive as does a shared walkway/cycleway. Bastion Point gained international media exposure in 1977 when Maori protestors staged a ‘sit-in’ on the land originally occupied by Ngati Whatua, which, and as previously mentioned, had been ‘acquired’ for defence and development purposes by the Crown. After a heated confrontation with Police lasting 507 days, the site was returned to the iwi, marking the beginning of subsequent Treaty of Waitangi Tribunal hearings. Every year Tamaki Drive is closed to traffic for part of a day for the running of the ‘Round the Bays Fun Run,’ an iconic event, when 70,000 to 80,000 people run or jog the 8.2 kilometres. Started in the early 1970s it is believed to be one of the largest ‘fun runs’ in the world. Such is the desire of Aucklanders to preserve all that Tamaki Drive represents and borders, the Tamaki Drive Protection Society was formed in 1991 with the primary purpose of ensuring it is safeguarded as a public amenity. It is listed with the Auckland Council as a scenic way and recreational traffic corridor in the District Plan, with new developments having to adhere to set guidelines that are in keeping with the natural scenic qualities of the area. Due to the increased volume of traffic, ongoing work for the widening and improvement of the road at pinch points, such as the intersection with Ngapipi Road, is in the advanced planning stage. This $7 million construction is expected to commence in August this year, with the seawall extended and heightened to stop ‘king tides’ inundating the road, a second traffic lane added and additional traffic lights installed. The project will involve earthworks over an area of 1.25 hectares, land reclamation, paving and the installation of a stormwater system. Due in part to the number of incidents (some fatal) involving pedestrians, cyclists and cars, the widening of footpaths and an improved dedicated cycleway are also being planned for this much loved and scenic jewel of a road. MARCH 2018 55
CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
Leadership needed on pre-qualification PETER SILCOCK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CCNZ
OUR ASSOCIATION HAS supported pre-qualification as it is a mechanism to exclude cowboys from bidding for work and to reduce compliance costs through not requiring contractors to present the same information repeatedly. However, our objective of reduced compliance costs has not been realised. Over the past few years we have seen pre-qualification used by more and more clients and at the same time we have seen a proliferation of commercially run pre-qualification systems. Every week there seems to be another system being offered to contractors or adopted as a requirement by a client. The quality, cost and veracity of these systems vary significantly. They range from extensive business assessments to down and dirty online tick-box systems. Some are run by multi nation operators while other are developed by specific companies or local authorities. The reality is that we now have dozens of pre-qualification systems operating. This means that contractors working for a range of clients are having to subscribe to and maintain multiple systems. One contractor told me that his company maintains 12 different systems. This is creating massive inefficiency and adding rather than reducing compliance costs for contractors. These are costs which will, of course, ultimately get passed on to clients. There is an advantage for clients in that they have a ready list of contractors that meet their requirements in terms of quality, track record, health and safety, capability and capacity. It means they know who to approach with their RFPs and their tender evaluation teams don’t have to sift through the same mountain of paper over and over again. It also means a contractor that regularly works for one client doesn’t have to continually resubmit the same information with each tender. The attraction for clients of specifying a particular prequalification system is that it enables them to reduce or eliminate the direct costs of managing their own system for holding information on contractors. They simply need to ask the contractor to provide evidence that they are a current subscriber to ‘X’ system? But do these systems really add value to the industry or do they just add to the industry compliance costs and line the pockets of the scheme operators? The reality is that for some systems at least paying your annual subscription is the way your system is kept up to date!
While contractors understand that they need to meet the requirements of clients we also need to ask the question: are the needs of our clients so varied that they need different pre-qualification systems?
The research CCNZ did last year with Teletrac Navman asked some questions about pre-qualification. Of the people that knew about their company pre-qualification/ Contractor Management Systems about 40 percent of them said they operated only one system, 20 percent two systems, 20 percent three or four systems and 20 percent five or more systems. The survey revealed that the costs of running the systems varied, 10 percent said $100,000 plus, 20 percent said $50,000 to $100,000. If we extrapolate that out to say 30 percent of our members are investing $50,000 per year each that amounts to $5.7 million. Taking into account that many of our large companies will be investing considerably more than $100,000 and adding the other 70 percent of the industry, I think we would be safe to say this is costing approximately $10 million to $15 million per annum. That is a massive cost to load on to the industry. Something worth trying to reduce. While contractors understand that they need to meet the requirements of clients we also need to ask the question: are the needs of our clients so varied that they need different pre-qualification systems? Most of the systems operated today are commercial systems and therefore it is very unlikely that they will willingly rationalise. These systems are quite rightly specified by clients. The civil construction industry desperately needs our major client groups, central and local government, to take some leadership on this. These issues were discussed at a recent CCNZ Executive Meeting and it was agreed that we need to promote and facilitate these discussions both regionally and nationally.
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56 www.contractormag.co.nz
COMMENT
CONTRACTOR
A long hot summer made worse by PPE GREG SHEEHAN, SHEEHAN’S TRANSPORT ASSISTANCE
WELL, HERE WE go again. A long hot summer made worse by PPE, February 2018 Contractor magazine. Somebody brave enough to stand up and say, “What a nonsense!” David’s views on workplace PPE and mine are of the same opinion. Will PPE stand for ‘poor pricks expired’ in the future? Back in March last year I rattled some cages on the same topic, only to get fobbed off by persons deemed to be dedicated to preserving us from ourselves. WorkSafe NZ, nearly 12 months later, still cannot accept the fact, that with some exceptions, we need to look after ourselves in all manner of things to do with how and where we work. Yes, I accept that there are requirements around workplace safety, but for ‘Pete’s sake’, can’t we be expected to have some logical input ourselves, especially how we dress for our work! Some 51 years on from when I started in road transport and construction, our PPE has certainly improved from floppy cotton sunhat, sunglasses and boots. For the past 20 odd years, my own business of providing heavy haulage operators with professional oversize load piloting, still uses that same PPE, but now with a hi-viz polo shirt … plus other items that are weather, or site specific. Where site requirements dictate the additional items, then they are also worn as applicable, such as a hard hat, safety glasses, ear protection buds or ear muffs, leather gloves, hi-viz rain coats, or vests that are also reflectorised. I have, and use, an NZTA approved coloured white pilot vehicle with prescribed regulation signage, lights of various amber and purple combinations, depending on the size of the load. And I’ll wager a case of Martinborough Pinot Noir that WorkSafe NZ has no idea what the various combinations of amber and purple lights mean, relative to the oncoming size of the load. I have a very good first aid kit, which I have used on more than one occasion to patch up a colleague’s cut, or unnecessary small injury. I have a reflectorised STOP/GO sign, a red flag and white gloves for traffic control, a fire extinguisher, three different radios to talk to every truck on the road to advise them of any necessary action on their part and radios to contact forestry crews and despatch offices. I also have a hands-free Bluetooth phone to ring home to tell Karin that I’m late again, or make another arrangement to enable a safe heavy shift somewhere. I have spare bulbs, generally given to another transporter who has a light out somewhere and other, carry ‘stuff’ that someone might need to ensure safety. All this is not just for the blokes that we are working alongside, but we also have to look after the safety of the public such as visitors in campervans from outer Hanoi or inner Transylvania, as they stare eyes wide shut and mouths wide open, stopped in the centre of the road, as we pass!
Greg Sheehan and Dave and Jeff Kernohan in the dust at Lake Rotoaira Forest, with a Thunderbird TMY255 hauler from Lake Taupo Forest. Try wearing full sleeves and trousers hi-viz PPE in these sorts of conditions where temperatures are over 30 degrees, says Greg.
I like to think that I’m safety aware and all of the above represents my ‘PPE’ that is job specific, and I do try and look out for my mates with whom I work. Since just before Christmas, most of my recent work has revolved around the shifting of forestry crews. These guys also work in an industry marred with possible injury potential, and work bloody hard in sometimes atrocious conditions with mud or dust and, believe me, the central North Island pumice country can produce heat and dust like nowhere else and the dress code is definitely not full sleeve clothing protection. Heat stress, as David has alluded too, is a serious problem and the mandatory wearing of full long sleeve shirts and trousers in this instance would be ridiculous (leg chaps for chainsaw operators excepted). I say: hard hat – yes; gloves – yes; boots – yes; hi-viz shirt – yes. Any other gear is a decision relative to how you need to dress to do your job safely and watch out for your mates! Yes, I agree, the need for individual attention to your own personal workplace safety is a must, but water and lots of it from a readily accessible chilly bin, perhaps sun cream before the dust rises, would be a far more sensible action to take, than being compelled to dress inappropriately. Try helping the transporter driver to load, guiding him or her as the log processor machine walks up the ramps, chain it down (and there are rules regarding this too), place hazard panels to delineate the dimensions of the load, sweep or shovel excess dirt or clay off both the load and the transporter deck and then get on with it! We’re shifting a whole forestry crew today. It’s only a short haul and there are nine machines, processors, grapple loaders, blade machines and log arches, fuel container and the smoko container too. It’s forecast to be 28 degrees this arvo! … Hi-viz polo shirt and shorts, sunglasses, hard hat, gloves and boots is the correct PPE today! MARCH 2018 57
CONTRACTOR
LEGAL
Coastal flooding challenge CHARLOTTA HARPUR, HEANEY & PARTNERS
CLIMATE CHANGE WILL impact on us all, and especially on
those living and working along the coast. In December 2017, the government released revised guidance documents and a comprehensive analysis of possible future scenarios of the impact of sea-level rise on New Zealand (available at www.mfe.govt.nz). The guidance is intended to be used by local government in future planning, and by those who provide services and infrastructure to coastal areas. It is estimated that by 2040-2060 global sea-level rise will be approximately 0.2-0.4 metres above the 1995 levels. Accounting for sea-level rise over a 100-year timeframe, allowance is made for a rise of one metre. Secondary changes include coastal erosion. Storm surges and the frequency and intensity of storm results from the global warming of the seas. The report suggests that these will impact on erosion, flooding, groundwater and drainage levels, saltwater intrusion and liquefaction. In fact very recently we have seen the severe impact of such intense storms along the coast of southeast Auckland, the Coromandel and on the West Coast and Haast. The effect is both personal and economic. Lost livelihoods, flooding to private and commercial property, sewage overflows, and damage to roads and other infrastructure has been significant. It is predicted that the extreme coastal water levels that are currently expected to be reached or exceeded on average only once every 100 years, will by 2050-2070 occur at least once per year. Sea-level rise is not the same everywhere. Land also moves and winds and currents lead to uneven distribution of effects. In assessing the risk exposure to New Zealand’s various regions, the report identifies that the highest coastal risk exposure is to the Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay regions, with the Waikato having the greatest length of road network exposed. Currently, with the coastal areas being less than 1.5 metres above mean high water spring tides, there are over 68,000 buildings, 133,000 residents, five airports, over 1500 wharves and over 2000 kilometres of road vulnerable to the effects of storm damage. The total replacement cost of all buildings within this zone has been assessed at $19 billion in 2011. The reality is that at times, difficult and unpopular decisions will need to be made to protect existing property and infrastructure on the coast as well as future investment.
58 www.contractormag.co.nz
The guidance document focuses on an ‘adaptive planning’ process to address the challenges that future climate change will bring. The purpose of this approach is to allow for decisions to be made now, which include built-in elements to allow for adaptation to future changes. The guidance places emphasis on community engagement with a wide range of stakeholders through discussion and debate around causes and effects of the problem as well as the range of responses possible. Implementation of the guidance will be primarily through the Resource Management Act (RMA) and the local planning rules set out in district plans. The RMA requires developers and local authorities to consider natural hazards when considering suitability of development of land. Restrictions and conditions can be placed on developments in order to mitigate the effect of natural hazards, such as coastal erosion. Scrutiny of the decision-making is provided by the specialised Environment Court. The guidance recognises that there is, at times, the potential for tension between the RMA and provisions of the Building Act 2004. Under the Building Act, the council cannot refuse building consent if the proposed development makes adequate provision to protect the land and building work from natural hazards. The focus is however limited to consideration of the safety of the building and its users over a 50-year timeframe and not on the wider environmental consequences that development in a “hazardous” area may lead to. Parties undertaking developments understandably wish to avoid unnecessary red tape and thereby allow work to proceed quickly and economically, especially in times of housing shortages. However, long-term protection of infrastructure as well as buildings is also now recognised as being required. There will therefore need to be an understanding that installing protection measures such as sea-walls or other infrastructure at the current safe levels will not be sufficient if it is in an area which is likely to be affected by sea-level rise within the next 100 years. All the guidance can do is to provide some direction in an uncertain world. Only future generations will know if it has achieved its aim.
COMMENT
CONTRACTOR
A small title change will make a huge difference! CAROLINE BOOT, PLAN A AND CLEVER BUYING
IT WILL BE A surprise to many government procurement
practitioners that for nearly 30 years, there’s been a NZQA Procurement Qualification relevant and valuable to their industries. But a single word, ‘Infrastructure,’ in its title currently restricts its audience to a fraction of those who would benefit from it. Until 2016, that qualification was focused solely on NZ Transport Agency processes, which are, after all, acknowledged to be head and shoulders above almost all other government procurement processes. The Targeted Review of the Qualification (required by NZQA) over 2015 - 2016 changed all that. The review broadened and simplified the qualification, making it relevant to all sectors, accessible for busy full-time procurement staff, and immensely practical. What’s more, it built in knowledge of Government Rules of Sourcing and NZ tendering case law; invaluable for those who’re keen to avoid an increasing number of legal challenges to tendering processes. The qualification covers all the practical aspects of procurement that need to be covered, in a well-planned, robust and fair tendering process. There’s strong focus on effective procurement planning, on developing RFT documents that are aligned to drivers for Value for Money and don’t waste time for suppliers or evaluators on irrelevant information. Graduates need to demonstrate they have the skills to process and evaluate tenders; and that they can apply ethical and legal compliance standards throughout their procurement processes. It is estimated that around 20,000 of the 348,000 people who are employed in the 2900 agencies that form our public sector get engaged in procurement activities. They’re employed by ministries, departments, Crown entities, local and central government, Reserve Bank, SOEs, DHBs, educational institutions, and many other types of organisations. They spent taxpayer and ratepayer money in a wide range of services, projects and products, from construction, to health, social services, IT (remember Novopay?), facilities maintenance, defence, professional services, education programmes and more.
The skills that this qualification encompasses are relevant to significant procurements in all of those contexts. Yet, there’s a major barrier to uptake of the qualification, that rests in the single word ‘Infrastructure’ in the title. The Qualifications developer was Connexis, the Infrastructure ITO. At present, although the qualification is open for any educational organisation to offer provided they get approval from NZQA, Connexis has the monopoly and it is the only organisation with permission to offer it. But Connexis, when approached with a request to remove the word ‘Infrastructure’ from the title so it became attractive to a market that’s 50 or maybe 100 times the size of their current market, was not keen. The consultation exercise (which would extend to the working group of a dozen or so people who developed the new version, plus a handful of tertiary organisations that offer related qualifications) would be too onerous, it claimed. The actual changes to the qualification description are simple: Removal of the word ‘Infrastructure’ from seven places in the detailed description. No other changes are involved. The purpose, graduate profile, employment pathway and unit standards would all be 100 percent relevant and meaningful without the word infrastructure being included. So, the alternative is to develop a whole new generic procurement qualification. That’s a process that can only be done by an approved organisation, and would take years. The pilot survey results undertaken by Plan A (see page 40) showed clearly that there is a definite market appetite and 98 percent support for a practical, generic NZQA procurement qualification. The qualification exists already, but the title creates a barrier for uptake by the vast majority of government procurement professionals. bit.ly/Workforce_SSC
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CONTRACTOR
COMMENT
Better communication needed over project impact JONATHAN BHANA-THOMSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NZ HEAVY HAULAGE ASSOCIATION
TWO RECENT BRIDGE upgrade projects on State Highway roads have caused angst for the freight industry – particularly the oversize sector. One of the bridge projects is on SH1 in the middle of the Desert Road, the Waihohonu Bridge, which requires the replacement of the bridge deck following a truck accident on the bridge in the middle of last winter. The second project is the strengthening of the Tukituki Bridge on SH2 north of Waipukurau, enabling it to take full High Productivity trucks on the route. In each case the projects will mean that the bridges have restrictions for up to 12 weeks, thereby causing major issues for the delivery of freight. Certainly, the need for the bridge work is required, and we support the work being done – and in the case of the bridge on the Desert Road, this is perhaps the best time of the year to be undertaking the work. However what the NZ Heavy Haulage Association, as well as the Road Transport Forum and the Road Transport Association have issues with is the lack of communication around the impact of the works, the nature of the restrictions, and the time frame in which all this happened. In the case of the Waihohonu Bridge, this Association found out about the restriction, some four days prior to the work starting, with the project team not considering the full impact of the way that the bridge deck is to be reconstructed, and the fact that the proposed detour also has restrictions for larger oversize loads. To their credit, the project team have been responsive to the issues raised. We have also collectively raised this to the highest levels within NZTA, and the response received acknowledged the failing, and sought to ensure that the effect on road users for such significant projects is fully considered. A protocol that is in draft stated that the freight industry will be notified 30 calendar days in advance of any such works affecting the travel of permitted loads. Analysing these situations for future learnings is useful for the construction as well as the road transport industry.
Road upgrading is valued From the perspective of the oversize industry we absolutely want to see the capacity of bridge structures maintained and improved, and we acknowledge that in many cases this will mean that there are restrictions on the travel of freight and in particular oversize loads.
Construction method has impacts on road users The way that a project is undertaken has impacts on the road users and we know that what best suits the construction process, does not always fit well with road users – and vice versa. There are different options for the construction method that should be considered, and the impact of these options for all parties needs to be analysed.
Seek input from road users We advocate full information about the bearing that construction has on the users of that section of road, should be done in conjunction with road users. The various Associations have direct and useful information that we can add to the discussion about the impact on road users – in the case of the oversize transport industry, the Heavy Haulage Association is a ready source of information. In our case there are only a certain range of roads that are regularly used for oversize loads, and both the construction team as well as those designing the traffic management plans should ask whether the route is one that is a crucial oversize route, a secondary route, or one that is seldom used. Also we can provide information about the types of loads that use the route in question, and whether the planned detour is suitable for oversize loads.
Seek input early There is nothing more frustrating than spending a lot of time planning for a project, than for it to have a spanner thrown in the works by last minute demands from road users. It is better to engage early and explore the options sooner rather than have to consider the impact in a time-pressured situation.
Communications – do it once and do it right With both the bridge projects mentioned above there has needed to be multiple sets of communication info go out, updated with changes in plans once the full picture is known. This only adds confusion to those receiving it, and is to be avoided. Working together in partnership with road user groups is the way to head off these situations, and I urge early and engaged discussions in order to produce the best outcomes. 60 www.contractormag.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR
Dust, rogues and DoC ROGER PARTON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, AQA
THE YEAR HAS STARTED for the quarry sector in something of a dust storm and some strong warnings to rogue quarries whose brazen avoidance of new health and safety requirements continues to put our entire industry at reputational risk, not to mention the lives of their workers. On a brighter note, we also have a positive acknowledgement of our endless messaging about the need for proximate resources from a most unexpected quarter – the Department of Conservation. Dust is a fact of life in quarrying. When you break rock or stone you can’t but create dust. Some of that dust may contain sharp particles of silica which if tiny enough, can cause lung damage if inhaled. Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) has been the subject of multiple government inquiries since the 1930s so it’s nothing new. Quarries do need strong monitoring of dust to ensure workers are protected. Most unfortunately, mainstream media have somehow allowed the potential for RCS to affect quarry workers to now become travelling ‘clouds of toxic dust’ affecting quarry neighbours. In fact it is almost certain that the only risk, if any, is to workers – and responsible quarry operators, supported by MinEx and WorkSafe, are working to combat such risks. Neighbours of quarries at Yaldhurst near Christchurch first picked up on RCS ‘risks’. These fears should have at least subsided when independent testing showed virtually nil RCS was present in Yaldhurst; another round of testing is expected to confirm this initial result. Instead, Yaldhurst neighbours fed the fears of people at nearby Templeton where Fulton Hogan is proposing a new quarry. Again, there were ‘toxic dust’ headlines. Eventually MinEx and the AQA managed to get up a balancing story which had the local Medical Officer of Health acknowledging there was little, if any, risk from RCS. What we all acknowledge is that general dust can provide minor health hazards and at least be a nuisance to neighbours. This means we must all pull up our socks and work even harder to manage dust. Of course, that should also apply to every farmer, ever road worker, every sub-dividing developer and a host of others as well. The reputational risks are strong if one operator is not seen to be meeting any council resource consent requirement – or government regulation. That’s why the quarry industry and its health and safety organisation want a tougher approach taken this year to small quarries that continue to flout health and safety regulations. The Aggregate and Quarry Association represents 85 percent of the companies that supply rock and stone material used in
New Zealand roads and buildings as well as fertiliser such as lime. That covers a couple of hundred quarry sites around the country. Yet it’s known that there are around 1100 quarry sites across New Zealand, many of them on remote rural properties. Many still can’t be seen for the dust as they try to run away from new health and safety requirements. Frankly, if they insist on continuing to put themselves and any workers at risk they should be shut down. This would of course bring a cost. Some of these smaller quarries help keep down the price of aggregate which may otherwise have to be carted a greater distance. As you will most likely know, the big cost is not crushing the stone or rock but transporting it. The cost doubles in the first 30 kilometres and then substantially for each few extra kilometres. So, it was with particular delight I learned that the Department of Conservation has been granted resource consent to extract rock and gravel from a West Coast river on conservation land. DoC will extract up to 5000 tonnes of large rocks and 500 cubic metres of bulk fill gravel from the Waiho River near Franz Josef Glacier to help protect its walking track. The new government has a proposed policy of no new mines on conservation land, although it is still considering options for implementing the new policy, including how to approach different types of mining and quarrying activities. DoC chose the Waiho River site because it is closest to the proposed rock wall for the walking track, and to get rock from the next nearest quarry would “increase the price by a minimum of four times”. Let’s just hope that there’s not too much dust created by this sensible DoC decision.
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Explaining REG and it role in roading ANDREW McKILLOP, PROGRAMME MANAGER, ROAD EFFICIENCY GROUP
THE ROAD EFFICIENCY Group (REG) has been working with Road Controlling Authorities (RCAs) since its establishment in 2013. It was set up in response to the government Road Maintenance Task Force (RMTF) and is a collaborative project between Local Government NZ and NZ Transport Agency. The RMTF was made up of representation from across the whole sector including contractors, consultants and local government. That model had been retained through REG. “The partnership between Local Government and the Transport Agency has really energised sector collaboration to build capability and develop best practice systems that are customer focused,” says Malcolm Alexander, chief executive, Local Government NZ. Jim Harland, the chair of REG (and NZTA’s director of Regional Relationships, Southern) says he is confident that the partnership between RCAs (local government) and the Transport Agency has allowed the sector to take a giant leap forward by realising the RMTF’s recommendations. REG has worked with the sector to create and embed a new national investment and customer focused activity management framework for roads based on the One Network Road Classification (ONRC) and a business case approach, he says. And the change is supporting the sector to improve customer focused investment, support collaboration, share good practice and implement new business delivery models including understanding the best contract form. The national consistency developed through the ONRC will mean that comparisons can be made on the performance of roads based on their classification irrespective of who owns them (eg, local authorities, NZTA, DoC). REG is leading change across the sector and encouraging excellence in network management. Jim Harland says REG has delivered a number of innovative tools and systems that are increasing RCAs’ ability to better understand the performance of their transport network, appreciate what best practice looks like and in the longer term guide more effective decision making based on robust evidence. REG’s success has been based on its focus of facilitating collaborative learning opportunities that support the sector in supporting their own development, enabling the codesign of resources and the implementation of the ONRC. The ONRC is the critical foundation which differentiates the transport network using a classification system that allows customer levels of service to be front and centre in investment decision making. The ONRC will help transport 62 www.contractormag.co.nz
decision makers move away from managing roads based on technical asset classification and adopt an approach based on managing and providing for customer outcomes. This new approach will allow us to have richer discussions with our communities and representatives and ensure we are investing in the right things at the right time for current and future users. It is an exciting time for RCAs to be working in. Now that the Activity Management Plans have been updated for the 2018/21 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) the sector will need to work even more closely with its contractors and consultants to embed the ONRC into service delivery and procurement practices. “We want to make sure that the investment focus provided in the new Activity Management Plans provides better outcomes for our road users,” says Jim, who adds that up until now the focus of REG has been very much around supporting council staff to develop their Activity Management Plans utilising business case principles and imbed the ONRC for the next National Land Transport Programme (NLTP). The expectation is that the new Activity Management Plans need to be based on both technical and customer performance measures and that the ONRC is utilised as the basis of differential investment across a transport network. In his closing address to the Annual NZTA/NZIHT roading conference last November, Jim stressed the need to change the way we do business as there is high variability in levels of service and costs across the national road network. The new customer-focused system will help RCAs to ask the searching questions around network performance, understand how they compare to peers, and ultimately improve their ability to explain to their communities the rationale and costs of the investment required. “This will lead to increased confidence in investment decision making and with that comes improved performance in maintenance, and more consistent levels of service across the country,” he says.
The expectation is that the new Activity Management Plans need to be based on both technical and customer performance measures and that the One Network Road Classification is utilised as the basis of differential investment across a transport network.
Over the past 12 months REG has produced a number of tools that fill the gap across the sector. These include reporting on the quality of each council’s transport data used for decision making, and also allowing each council to compare the performance of its network by classification with ‘like’ councils, regionally and nationally. In producing the performance measurement tools, REG has identified a wide variance in the quality of data across the various transport networks. Good decision making is based on good data, therefore the sector as a whole needs to work together to improve data quality. What this means for the supply chain is a willingness to come to the table to share the benefits of innovation, and expertise in doing the right thing.
A national approach to roading “The focus on service delivery and procurement is the next natural step for REG to engage with industry and the sector. Maintenance and construction crews are carrying out works on the transport network every day. This work is the crucial delivery end of all the planning done by RCAs, and what our customers see and experience every day. “Investment in maintaining the transport network can be one of the biggest expenditures for many councils. It is important that as a sector we can demonstrate effective delivery, an appreciation of the customer’s needs and demonstrate value for money. “As the long-term planning process progresses councils will be having conversations about why they need to invest in transport, what the right level of investment is, and what are the right roads and time to deliver on what the customers need now and in the future. “If you clearly understand why you are doing the work identified, have agreed levels of customer service linked to hard data, and are focused on customer outcomes then you’re starting to have good conversations around setting investment priorities,” says Jim. Looking forward, the REG journey is not finished. Thinking about the diversity across the sector and how different principals operate, the big question REG is currently working on is understanding what are the current skill gaps in the sector noting that the needs of the rural, provincial
and urban councils are quite different. Working with a mix of representatives from across the sector over the next six months REG will complete and publish its sector skills assessment. REG has found that the more it understands the sector and successfully implements new tools, the greater the opportunity to promote best practice and support the development of the sector. The journey will continue to support improved investment decision making to enable more effective service delivery and ultimately provide better outcomes for customers using the transport system. Projects REG has planned for 2018 include further development of the sector’s capability, incorporation of the ONRC into service delivery, expanding the value and use of the ONRC, performance measures, and reporting. REG is also looking to encourage more young people to get involved in the transport sector, increasing the understanding of the value of our transport assets, and taking a fresh approach to how transport maintenance contracts are planned for, tendered and let. For more information on the Road Efficiency Group visit nzta.govt.nz/roads-and-rail/road-efficiency-group/
REG is supported by a Governance Group being: Jim Harland (Chairman)
NZ Transport Agency
Malcolm Alexander
Local Government NZ
Craig Thew
Hastings District Council
Jim Palmer
Waimakariri District Council
Tony McCartney
Auckland Transport
Howard Cattermole
NZ Transport Agency
Kevin Reid
NZ Transport Agency
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AUCKLAND HEAD OFFICE Phone: (+64) 09 443 2436 Fax: (+64) 09 443 2435 Email: sales@yrco.co.nz SOUTH ISLAND OFFICE Phone: (+64) 03 341 6923 Fax: (+64) 03 341 6955 Email: saleschch@yrco.co.nz
YRCO.CO.NZ
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Forgotten Companies – Bucyrus-Erie The Bucyrus-Erie Company was world famous for its range of face shovels, draglines, cranes and other mining and quarry equipment. However, it also made a wide range of tractor equipment that was popular through the 1930s to the middle 1950s that is now largely forgotten. By Richard Campbell. THE BUCYRUS FOUNDRY Company of Bucyrus, Ohio, USA was founded in 1880 and made a range of steel castings and general metal products. In 1887 it shifted to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take advantage of the better logistics opportunities this location offered for the distribution of its products and began producing small cranes and steam shovels for industrial use. Its big break came in 1927 when it merged with the cashstrapped Erie Steam Shovel Company, becoming Bucyrus-Erie. Before too long, Bucyrus-Erie shovels were becoming preferred equipment on jobsites due to their well thought out design and reliability. In order to boost its profile in the European market and get around the high taxes and duties British users paid for imported earthmoving equipment, Bucyrus-Erie entered into a manufacturing agreement with the well known and respected UK company of Ruston & Hornsby in 1930, a partnership that was to last for almost 50 years. UK-manufactured Bucyrus-Erie equipment was marketed as “Ruston-Bucyrus”, and featured engines and some components that were plentiful in the UK and Europe and didn’t have to be imported from the USA. A great many of these machines found their way into New Zealand and Australia. Bucyrus-Erie was also very conscious of the growing role of the crawler tractor in construction and in the late 1920s, began to design and market a range of complementary 64 www.contractormag.co.nz
attachments that could be fitted to them. While Bucyrus-Erie products could be fitted to any brand of track type tractor, quite early on in the piece Bucyrus-Erie formed a very close association with McCormick-Deering, which in turn was absorbed into International Harvester. The result was that Bucyrus-Erie became a preferred supplier to that company.
THE PRODUCTS Bulldozer Blades Bucyrus-Erie made an extensive range of cable and hydraulically operated blades to fit the entire range of International-Harvester track type tractors. These were sold under the trade names of Bullgrader and Bulldozer. Basically, the Bulldozers were an ‘S’ (straight) blade, and the Bullgraders were angle blades which could also be manually adjusted for tilt, a useful feature when cutting trails into a bank. Both hydraulic and cable operated types were manufactured with the hydraulically operated Bullgraders being particularly popular on the small International TD-6, TD-9 and TD-14 tractors. They were instantly recognisable as Bucyrus-Erie products because of their mounting frame which featured a graceful, cast curve-shaped link between the hydraulic cylinders and
1. With a very respectable load, a Bucyrus-Erie B-250 scraper passes the camera lens towed by an International TD-24 with a P-28 cable control on the rear and a scraper push plate on the front. Note how the bowl lift and ejector cables are completely immersed in dirt! PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
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2. Factory photo of a Bucyrus-Erie model P-24 cable control as fitted to an International-Harvester TD-18. The P-24 was a very simple and easily adjusted unit but had a lot of exposed parts which would wear quickly in dusty conditions. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
3. An excellent down-on photo of a Bucyrus-Erie ‘S’-series open bowl scraper (in this particular instance, an S-45). The bowl was raised and lowered from the rear as was the tilting floor, both sets of cables laying over the load and exposed to dirt, dust and goodness knows what else, but they loaded well! This particular design of scraper was known as a “throw-arm” type.
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4. International-Harvester TD-24 (first series) fitted with a Bucyrus-Erie front cable frame and Bullgrader. The machine is working in West Virginia, levelling land for Mercer County Airport, circa 1951.
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the blade lift rods. Bucyrus’ cable operated blades for the TD-18 and smaller I-H tractors were outboard mounted on the track frame and looked somewhat ungainly (similar to LeTourneau’s “speedline” frame). They had quite a fast cable speed due to the fact that they would only accept a 2-part line and were not particularly popular, most operators preferring the hydraulic variety. Surviving examples are very rare. The unit offered for the International TD-24 was far more conventional and robust and could accept up to a four part cable giving very
precise control if needed. Bucyrus-Erie’s entire blade range was absorbed by I-H in the late 1950s and also built under licence in Australia by ArmstrongHolland.
Cable Controls Bucyrus-Erie manufactured its own cable control units (PCUs) in four different sized models – the P-14, a single drum unit primarily intended for dozer and ripper use, the C-22, a double-drum type designed for small track-type tractors (and not in production for very long), the P-24, a double drum unit for tractors up to
5. The “Big Red Team” in action! Two International TD-24s, the rear unit fitted with a Bucyrus-Erie P-28 cable control and straight bulldozer, while the front machine tows a BucyrusErie B-250 scraper rated at 27 cubic yards. Note that the model P-28 cable control on the push tractor was the only model B-E built that featured enclosed workings. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
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International TD-18 size, and the P-28, also a double drum unit designed for the largest track type tractors of the period. These were simple designs, based on straight cable routing, and featured good line speeds. Due to their open frame construction (apart from the model P-28), they ran cool in operation and were relatively easy to adjust. However the open frame made them susceptible to dust entry and high component wear. The Bucyrus-Erie PCU could be fitted to all makes of track type tractor, not just International Harvesters. Bucyrus-Erie’s PCU range was sold to Superior Industries not too long after International-Harvester purchased Bucyrus-Erie in 1953.
The Scrapers Initially, Bucyrus-Erie offered five different sized cable operated scraper models from five to 17 cubic yards heaped capacity. These were the models S-45, S-67, S-90, S-112 and S-152. They were of a design called a ‘throw-arm’ scraper and differed from conventional scrapers in that the bowl was raised and lowered from the rear and maintained a fairly flat profile throughout all phases of their operation. The ejector was hinged just behind the cutting edge and was also lifted by cable from the rear, rolling the load out. This type of scraper has a lot of exposed cable which is susceptible to high wear under certain conditions. They were also very difficult to top-load with a shovel or dragline. Bucyrus-Erie redesigned its entire towed scraper range in 1949, selling the existing S-series patents and jigs to Southwest Manufacturing of Alhambra, California, which continued to manufacture them under its own brand name well into the early 1970s. The new Bucyrus-Erie units were the B-91, B-113, B-170 and B-250 ranging in capacity from 10 to 27 cubic yards heaped. These were of a far more conventional design than the previous ‘S’-models but still featured roll-out ejection, which required that the ejector cable be routed over the top of the load, exposing it to wear from dust. The model B-170 was upgraded slightly with a capacity increase in 1955 becoming the B-170A, however none of the other ‘B’-scrapers were so altered. 66 www.contractormag.co.nz
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International-Harvester absorbed the B-series scrapers into its own product range at the same time it acquired BucyrusErie bulldozer blades. There were also three models of hydraulically operated two-axle scraper, the G-28, G-38 and G-58 which were very popular, especially with councils. International-Harvester discontinued these scrapers almost immediately after acquiring B-E and they did not reappear under International-Harvester branding. Bucyrus-Erie scrapers were offered for a short period in the UK by Ruston-Bucyrus and built under licence in Australia by Armstrong-Holland. As well as these, a small number of the model S-45 were built in New Zealand by CWF Hamilton.
Rippers & Rollers In order to make its attachment range as broad as possible, Bucyrus-Erie also manufactured a cable operated ripper, the CR-2, and several sizes of sheepsfoot tamping compactor. While its compactors were a little lightweight in construction and not particularly successful, the CR-2 ripper was the complete opposite, and Bucyrus-Erie sold quite a few of them. They differed from most of their competitors by having a very short cable lift tower and semi-cowled wheels. This gave them a very low centre of gravity so that they weren’t as prone to toppling over as some other brands were. International-Harvester did not take on either of these product lines when it acquired Bucyrus-Erie’s other products.
Tractor-Shovels Bucyrus-Erie manufactured a tractor-shovel attachment that could be installed on International TD-9 and TD-14 tractors. Although it was a bit clunky and over-engineered, it featured all hydraulic operation and had most of its mass at the back, ensuring a bit of operating counterweight. These types of machines were popular in civil works for excavating car parks, garages and basements. However, International was also very good buddies with Drott (inventors of the four-in-one bucket), so when I-H acquired Bucyrus-Erie’s attachment division, the B-E loaders quickly faded into history.
1. International-Harvester TD-14A at a vintage equipment show in the USA. It is fitted with the classic Bucyrus-Erie hydraulic bulldozer, immediately recognisable by its curved lift arms. This was a particularly rugged unit for the day. Note that the cable control unit on the rear of the tractor is a Heil, not Bucyrus-Erie. Heil was also a major supplier to I-H. PHOTO: HCEA
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2. Photos of Bucyrus-Erie compactors are very rare – no one took pictures of them it seems. However, the author found this little gem in the files, towed by an International TD-24. Note that this machine also has another rare piece of equipment attached, an Isaacson front PCU and cable frame. PHOTO: AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
3. Almost as rare as photos of Bucyrus-Erie compactors are pictures of its “LoaderShovels”. Even rarer considering this is a preserved example dating from 1945. International immediately discontinued Bucyrus’ loaders when it acquired the Bucyrus line in 1953 as it was already marketing Drott’s ‘Skid Shovels’. PHOTO: HCEA
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4. Bucyrus-Erie model G-38 hydraulic scraper. Bucyrus made three different sizes of these and they were very popular among smaller contractors and councils for landfill and roading work. Quite a number of them have survived to the present day and the occasional example can still be seen earning its keep. PHOTO: INTERNET
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5. Towed by a Caterpillar D8-2U tractor is this Bucyrus-Erie CR-2 cable operated ripper. As you can see, it differs considerably from other rippers of the period in that it has a very low profile and semi-cowled steel wheels which made it very stable in rough going. This is a preserved example exhibited at the HCEA, Bowling Green, Kentucky. PHOTO: HCEA
Competition The tractor attachments business was really hot property in the period 1932 through 1960. Bucyrus-Erie had a raft of competition including some well known and other not so well known names that are now consigned to history such as: LeTourneau, GarWood, Heil, LaPlant-Choate, Kay-Brunner, Isaacson, Wooldridge, SlusserMcLean, Buckeye, Baker, Ateco and Carco. Bucyrus-Erie did well in maintaining consistently good sales against all those other suppliers. All good things come to an end eventually and Bucyrus-Erie was no exception. Despite buying up two of its major competitors, Marion and O&K in the late half of the 20th century, Bucyrus International as it was now known, was bought out by
Caterpillar Inc in 2010 for over US$4 billion thus ending 113 years in the earthmoving business.
For the Model Collector Not a great deal on offer here but there are some examples. EMD Models build a very nice replica of an S-112 scraper with P-24 PCU but it is hard to find and expensive. The same company also builds a TD-18 tractor with a Bucyrus-Erie Bullgrader attachment and the same comments as above apply. Both of these are to 1:50 scale. There are also models of the International-Harvester TD-24 to 1:50 and 1:25 scale by Spec-Cast Models, which feature Bucyrus-Erie PCUs and blades. These are worth seeking out as they are good representations of the real thing. MARCH 2018 67
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Cool PPE in demand and now available Kerry Godinet from Kerry Godinet Marketing took a special interest in the ‘blanket PPE over the summer’ story published in the February issue of Contractor magazine. “David Price is correct in thinking that the current regulations/coverage of Long Longs have a number of workers still suffering from heat exhaustion,” he says. “Kerry Godinet Marketing has been working alongside many major civil contractors throughout the country since 2012 in supplying KG Koolwear polo shirts and vests to keep their teams cooler in PPE. “KG Koolwear polo shirts allow the body to breathe and the company guarantees comfort, fit, coolness and breathability of its garments.
“Workers now regularly wearing our brand of work garments range include civil contractors, roading crews, harvesters, drivers, storemen and many others.” Late last year the company added pants to its workwear range. “These along with the polo shirts and vests are 100 percent polyester and have proven to handle the rough and tumble of everyday use,” says Kerry. There will be other options added to the range going forward for the 2018/2019 year, he adds. This summer has been exceptional with temperatures soaring – nice to holiday in, but another matter if having to work in the heat, he says. For the winter months workers have been wearing under garments under their polo
shirts; ideally a merino long sleeve top, or a polyprop, or at the minimum a t-shirt, he says. “Keeping warm during the cold season is about ‘layering’ and not just wearing a heavy jacket. Jackets alone do not keep the wearer warm.” All polo shirts and vests comply with all current NZ/AUST Standards (TTMC-W/4602.1/1906.4) and will comply with the new standard (TTMC-W17) when new stocks arrive in the near future, says Kerry. “Now is the time to be working on your PPE workwear for mid-year and for next summer when your workers will be trying to cool down in the workplace.” Contact: Kerry Godinet Marketing, Ph 021 441 183.
Autonomous haulage – a proven record Komatsu is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) after a decade of proven safety, productivity, environmental resistance, and system flexibility in an array of environments. In 2005, Komatsu began an AHS trial at a copper mine in Chile. A second successful deployment followed in late 2008 at Rio Tinto’s iron ore mine in Australia. Rio Tinto currently operates AHS trucks in four mines in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The entire AHS operation is controlled remotely and efficiently from Rio Tinto’s operations centre in Perth, roughly 1500 kilometres from the mines. Following those successes of AHS deployments, Komatsu
supported Suncor’s pilot of AHS in a section of its oil sands mine in Canada in 2013. Today, the AHS operates around the clock, hauling three different commodities, in six mines across three continents. By the end of last year, the AHS recorded a world-leading, cumulative total of 1.5 billion tons of hauled materials. In the area of safety, AHS is significantly safer than in conventional mining environments where even a small truck driving error could cause a serious accident. AHS-enabled customer productivity has improved, reducing load and haul unit costs by more than 15 percent compared with conventional haulage methods. In addition, the optimised automatic
controls of the AHS reduce sudden acceleration and abrupt steering resulting in 40 percent improvement in tyre life compared with conventional operations, and the various benefits of AHS deployment also show a great contribution to reducing the environmental impact.
Massey Ferguson devotion Stackhouse Contracting is based in Cheviot, North Canterbury and Murray and Darrelle Stackhouse provide cultivation and baling services for local farmers. Before they got into contracting they leased farms and one of those farms had a Massey Ferguson tractor. The local dealer was and still is JJs in Christchurch, and the dealer and the tractors have always been reliable. “We have had a long standing relationship with Massey Ferguson going on for 20 years. You get a relationship with a firm and stay with them,” says Murray. “We have had no reason to change. We will carry on being loyal and all our Massey 68 www.contractormag.co.nz
Ferguson and Lely gear comes from JJs.” Murray runs three Massey Fergusons, an MF 7726, an MF 7620, and an MF 7475. The MF 7726 is the latest addition and was bought new this year. It has a variable transmission and Murray bought it for ploughing, ripping and baling. With 260hp, the MF 7726 is the largest of the Stackhouses’ tractors. Murray says he got it to add more efficiency to the contracting business, and hence more efficiency for farmers. He and his drivers spend 10 hours a day in the tractors during the season. Comfort is important, both to make work more pleasant but also safer, with less driver fatigue.
More information: AGCO NZ manager Peter Scott, Ph 272 708 027, email Peter.Scott@ agcocorp.com.
INNOVATIONS
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Kiwi satellite technology Satellites orbiting more than 20,000 wider community, including health and safety kilometres above the earth’s surface are now risks. But if you can collect asset information trying to locate and record what lies beneath easily with modern mobile equipment, within in a new trans-Tasman initiative spearheaded a spade’s width accuracy (30cm or less), by Christchurch geospatial technology everything changes.” company Orbica. It would enable companies and Orbica and partner Reveal Infrastructure organisations that manage underground are trialling a groundbreaking satellite-based assets to accurately record their location augmentation system (SBAS), funded by the without paying for costly survey grade Australian and New Zealand governments, to equipment unless millimetre accuracy is see if it can pinpoint underground assets – required. such as waterpipes – that have been dug up “It’s about democratising the accuracy and in urban environments, with a margin of error precision of data,” says Kurt. less than 0.5 metres, and down to 0.1 metres For the average person on the street, it or even better. has the potential to reduce end-user costs If successful, traditional surveying for utility services due to reduced costs in of those assets could potentially be the infrastructure industry and decreased supplemented with mobile devices. health and safety risks for the public and That could revolutionise the utilities those working in the utilities construction infrastructure industry, says Orbica CEO Kurt and maintenance sectors. Janssen. Orbica has partnered with Enable “Here’s the thing: often underground Networks and Christchurch City Council asset data has a large positional margin and will test SBAS on actual exposed of error. Five metres is not unheard of, and underground assets in the second phase of the lack of understanding about the level the project, commencing in March. That’s of accuracy in digital asset records causes when SBAS’ suitability for recording the many headaches for the utility owner and location exposed underground Contractor_180x128mm_CompAirAd_GC_1017.ai 1 of9/10/2017 3:21:40 PM assets will
become clearer. Geoscience Australia is collaborating with Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) on a two-year project to improve the positioning capability of both countries. The New Zealand government has contributed an additional $2 million to the initial $12 million in funding from the Australian government.
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CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND
CCNZ update CCNZ ACENZ Call for Papers open! You are invited to submit abstracts for consideration for presentation at the combined CCNZ ACENZ Conference, Smarter Together. There will be delegates attending from around the country from the contracting and consulting engineering communities so it’s a great chance to share your knowledge and experience. Go to www.smartertogether2018.co.nz/ then Call for Papers to download the Presentation/Abstract Submission Guidelines and the Abstract Template. For more information contact melanie@fp2.co.nz.
Partnership & Exhibition opportunities Don’t miss out on the opportunity to display your goods and services at the joint CCNZ/ACENZ Conference this year. This will be a perfect forum to establish new business contacts and build on your existing relationships. Claudelands provides plenty of indoor and outdoor display space so there is lots of choice for your exhibition stand, a fantastic programme and many opportunities to be a sponsor. Get in early and secure your spot at the next conference; we’ll look forward to seeing you there. For any questions about packages and stands, please email Melanie on melanie@fp2.co.nz.
Transport GPS under review The Government Policy Statement (GPS) on transport is a critical document for the contracting industry as it directs expenditure from the National Land Transport Fund into things that the Government wants to achieve for New Zealand’s land transport network. With the Labour/NZ First Government signalling changes to its investment priorities the GPS is under review. CCNZ has been advocating for balance and consistency of investment in our transport network. It’s important that the catch up in infrastructure investment we’ve made in recent years doesn’t stall. For contractors to retain capacity and build capability we need consistent
investment with long-term horizons. CCNZ expects the new GPS to be out sometime over the next month.
New CCNZ Central Regional Manager Stu Gardner resigned from the role of Central Regional Manager in early January because his family is relocating to Dunedin. Ross Leslie has been appointed to the role and started on February 19. Ross, who is Wellington based, will be known to some of you through his previous role as National Operations Manager of InfraTrain (now Connexis). Other roles he has had include Vertical Horizons, Lower North Island manager, and various roles with the NZ Army with staff training, careers management, leadership and planning.
Wellington Water proposed contractor panel service delivery strategy CCNZ National Office staff have been working with Wellington Branch members to provide comments on the proposed contractor panel. The strategy looks to change the way Wellington Water procures its capex programme and is the final stage in the codesign process which started early last year.
CCNZ’s Executive Council February meeting Key on the agenda were: • A presentation from NZTA on the activity of the Zero Harm group including road worker safety • A presentation from CCNZ’s new Technical Manager, Stacy Goldsworthy, on his priorities and how his role relates to the CCNZ Strategy • A report on progress with CCNZ’s Careers promotion work • Consideration of the 2018/19 fees and budget • The consideration of the Terms of Reference for the recently formed National Excavator Operator Competition Committee • Discussion regarding the proliferation of prequalification systems • Discussions regarding PPE particularly Long Longs • An update on arrangements for the 2018 Conference.
ADVERT ISERS IN D EX AB Equipment 5 Ace Equipment 33 Allied Petroleum 15 Auckland Cranes 50 Cable Price OFC, 18, 19 CCNZ 56 Connexis 51 General Compression 69 Geotechnics 41
70 www.contractormag.co.nz
Gough Cat OBC Heaney & Partners 7 Hirepool 17 KG Promotional 10 Loadscan 11 Mimico 9 Oil Intel 23 OMC Power Equipment 12 Osborne Sales & Lease 47
Pacific Steel 39 Porter Group IFC Porter Hire 37 Power Equipment 45 Power Pac 31 Smart Dig 27 Synergy Positioning 6 Transdiesel 13 Youngman Richardson 63
LAST WORD IN PICTURES Coinciding king tides and storms early last month left West Coasters reeling and sections of SH6 completely cut off. This photo was taken by our graphic designer, who was at Punakaiki when the road, just 200 metres North of the Pancake Rocks, was washed out. Fulton Hogan and MBD Contracting were quick to shore up the bank with massive boulders from a local quarry. You can see a short video of some nifty articulated manoeuvring by driver Mel Quinn, from Greymouth operators MBD Contracting, on our YouTube page. YouTube/NZ Contractor mag Photos by Tracey Asher.
KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
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YOUR GOUGH CAT MACHINE SALES TEAM - BY REGION Northland Jimmy Brewin 021 860 074
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