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INSIDE: Schick Construction completes new roundabout at Tirau crash hotspot Going bush on the Coromandel: Waikato Construction Awards winner Traffic modelling – shaping a design Drive it if you dare – the notorious Skippers Road
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CONTENTS CONTRACTOR
26
INSIDE: Regulars
Highlights / Features
2 Editorial 4 Upfront 12 On the Cover 46 Classic Machines 50 Motoring 54 Innovations 54 Advertisers Index 56 Contractors’ Diary
14 Getting around a crash hotspot
Profile 18 Inspector Gwynne Pennell The view from the top.
Training 40 Waterview student connection Industry experience right outside the classroom door.
Comment 42 Jeremy Sole NZ Contractors’ Federation 43 Chris Olsen
A four-legged roundabout for the junction of SH1 and SH5 near Tirau.
22 Going bush on the Coromandel EPL a winner in the Contractors’ Federation Waikato Construction Awards.
26 Traffic modelling – shaping a design The 2nd article in a series on aspects of roading design.
32 Good asset management, a UK perspective British roading efficiency expert Matthew Lugg.
ON THE COVER
34 Drive it if you dare Skippers Road is as much an enginneering feat as a scenic gem.
38 Tripartite Conference: Rotorua beckons Update on the NZ Contractors’ Federation, Roading NZ and the Association of Consulting Engineers conference.
When it comes to wheel loaders there’s nothing better for increasing production and improving profits than the latest Doosan DL Series range. See page 12
39 Golden glow to 2014 The NZ Heavy Haulage Association celebrate 50 years at this year’s conference.
52 Community A helping hand for The Rock community garden in the Bay of Plenty.
Roading New Zealand
44 SB Costello, S Wilkinson, and CK I Ibrahim Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland
45 Helmut Modlik Connexis
18
34
50 JULY 2014 1
CONTRACTOR EDITORIAL
Of conferences, roads and mergers “Bear in mind that one heavy truck is worth about 10,000 cars in terms of the wear/damage it inflicts on a road… a high volume of trucks will force road design into a particular direction,” says Bruce Chappell, the asset management manager for the Auckland Motorways Alliance. “Traffic modelling”, he says, “is not an exact science, but it’s a crucial starting point for road design.” We learnt these interesting facts from an interview in this issue conducted by Lawrence Shaffler, who reports in the second part of what is a technical series on how a road gets built, and all the steps, considerations, compromises that go into the finished product. We figure that many of you will know your own part of the puzzle, but maybe not every aspect of roading construction. You’ll find Lawrence’s feature on page 26. In an unrelated, but complementary piece, we have an article supplied by NZTA reporting on “British roading expert” Matthew Lugg and his recent four-week tour through the country. He was very impressed with the standard of our asset management. “The value of good asset management is just so well recognised here, it’s widely accepted and its understanding is quite a bit more nuanced than in the UK,” he says. And in a nod to the quality of our roads, he adds; “I will definitely have very positive things to report back. I’ve been very impressed with the condition of your roads; I think our UK local highway managers would dream about having roads like these.” Presumably Lugg didn’t tackle Otago’s Skippers Canyon road while he was here – “A skinny ledge blasted out of the vertical rock face”, built in the 1880s to access what was believed to be the world’s richest bullion river – the Shotover. Read about this historic road built by hand on page 34 to see why it’s described as being “as unbelievably scary as it is beautiful”. No doubt by now those of you planning to attend one or more of a number of industry conferences will have already made the commitment to attend. Within our own circle we’ll be at AQA in Whangarei, the Crane Association’s 40th in Queenstown, Heavy Haulage’s 50th in Rotorua and the combined ACENZ / RNZ / NZCF tripartite conference, also in Rotorua. And it’s this last one which may have the most far-reaching effect. On the agenda is the much-discussed proposed merger between NZ Contractors’ Federation and Roading New Zealand – both of which are Contrafed Publishing shareholders. If you’re affected by, or want to affect the outcome, all members are encouraged to vote either in person, or via proxy, at the respective AGMs. There’s more on this on pages 4 and 42. As NZCF CEO Jeremy Sole puts it; “The different, merged, civil contracting representative environment will require an approach that is trusting, collaborative and openly engaging with any tough internal issues to the point that internal and external participants and clients have confidence the organisation’s voice is well considered and truly representative.” Your vote could make all the difference in securing the outcome you believe will best represent your interests for many years to come. Elsewhere in this issue Alan Titchall looks at the challenging project that won Whangamata-based EPL Construction the supreme award in this year’s Contractors’ Federation Waikato Construction Awards. Regular contributor Gavin Riley interviews Inspector Gwynne Pennell, the forthright head of the CVIU, who has very complimentary words for the transport operators she meets in the course of her work. The new training organisation, Connexis, that resulted from the merger of InfraTrain and the Electricity Supply ITO, is explained on page 4 and again on page 45 through its new chief executive, Helmut Modlik. Serving the wider infrastructure industry, the new organisation is promoted as a ‘one stop shop’ providing training, qualifications and support initially for the civil construction, electricity supply and telecommunications sectors. So please read on. Next issue Hugh de Lacy interviews Tommy Parker who has taken over as group manager Highways and Network Operations (HNO) for the NZ Transport Agency; while Gavin Riley updates the massive work (some 57 percent already completed) being carried out by contractors in the rebuild of Christchurch. Kevin Lawrence, Editor
2 JULY 2014
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 MANAGING EDITOR Kevin Lawrence DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 512 800 Email: kevin@contrafed.co.nz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Peter Gill, Gavin Riley, Jeremy Sole, Alan Titchall, Gabe Andrews ADVERTISING DDI: 09 636 5724 Email: kevin@contrafed.co.nz ADVERTISING SALES Amanda Gilroy DDI: 09 636 5714 Mobile: 021 066 4914 Email: amanda@contrafed.co.nz ADMINISTRATION/SUBSCRIPTIONS DDI: 09 636 5715 Email: admin@contrafed.co.nz PRODUCTION Design: TMA Design 09 636 5713 Printing: Client Focused Solutions Ltd 027 255 1818
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.
The official magazine of The New Zealand Contractors’ Federation www.nzcontractors.co.nz Roading New Zealand www.roadingnz.org.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 The Ready Mixed Concrete Association www.nzrmca.org.nz Infrastructure Industry Training Organisation www.infratrain.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Strength through unity Members of the New Zealand Contractor’s Federation and Roading NZ will have the opportunity at the joint conference in Rotorua in August to vote, at their respective AGMs, over a merger of the two associations. For the proposal to go ahead member voting in both organisations will require 75 percent in favour. If passed, it will be the end of a 24-years history that started when road surfacing members of the federation formed the Bitumen’s Contractor’s Association in 1988, before rebranding as the Pavement and Bitumen Contractors’ Association, and later Roading New Zealand. The two associations believe there are many benefits from a merger and it will reduce membership churn, attract new members, save common members two subscription costs, and shift the allocation of voting rights to the direction of a stronger overall representation. Put succinctly by the chair of Roading NZ, Cos Bruyn; “Why are we doing this? To speak with one strong united voice and to ensure the new organisation is appropriately funded and relevant to our members and customers.” This proposal came about as the result of a closer relationship between the two associations that sparked off in 2009 when NZFC developed its Healthy Industry Statement. This led to further dialogue with the roading association in 2010 that saw the two entities formally adopt a joint vision for a Healthy Civil Construction Sector and a guide for issues to be addressed together. Since then, the two associations have worked together on a number of initiatives, including a successful submission to Transport Minister Steven Joyce for significant industry funding, which led to the set up of the Road Maintenance Task Force, as well as industry training and health and safety initiatives. The 2012-year saw the potential for even more interaction with the election of Downer CEO Cos Bruyn, the chairman of RNZ to the NZCF’s Executive Council. Finally, in 2013 a committee was formed made up of three NZCF representatives and three RNZ representatives to explore the feasibility of a new merger. The merger committee proposes a new rebranded organisation that takes the best from both NZCF and RNZ; resulting in the current NZCF membership structure adopting an additional category for existing and new firms with over $100 million turnover. It is also proposed to adopt the current NZCF financial structure and to transfer RNZ assets into that structure. While bringing the two organisations together will create increased efficiency and reduce duplication of cost and effort, it is also expected to require additional funding. Another aspect of the proposal is a new, combined, name. This would be the third name the NZCF has operated under in its 70-year history and the merger committee intends submitting a number of options to the AGM for consideration. Meantime, members of the NZCF and RNZ are encouraged to attend their respective Annual General Meetings to be held at the annual conference at Rotorua on August 8, 2014. If you are unable to attend the AGM it is recommended that you fill out the proxy voting form so that you can appoint a Proxy through your association. 4 JULY 2014
A wrong bridge Astute readers in the North Canterbury region would have picked up that on page 34 in the June issue of Contractor, in our story on the last single-lane bridge on SH1 in the South Island, we pictured the wrong bridge. The last single-lane bridge left on SH1 between Auckland and Invercargill crosses the Hurunui River in North Canterbury, about 30 kilometres south of Cheviot (pictured). It was built by the Public Works Department in 1930, and is made up of eight 18.3 metre plate girders sitting on reinforced concrete cylinder piers, and the road slopes steeply downward to meet it on the south side. In the last issue we mistakenly used a picture of the swing bridge at the mouth of the Hurunui River, some 10-15 kilometres further south. There are 275 bridges in the Hurunui district, crossing the region’s braided waterway systems.
Infrastructure ITO relaunches as Connexis The training organisation that resulted from the merger of InfraTrain and the Electricity Supply ITO was officially launched as Connexis on June 30. Connexis has been combining systems and processes of the two old enities to operate effectively as one organisation for the past few months. The latest step involved the development of the new brand. Serving the wider infrastructure industry, the new organisation is promoted as a ‘one stop shop’ providing training, qualifications and support initially for the civil construction, electricity supply and telecommunications sectors. Part of the new set up has been the appointment of a new board of directors (including representation from both civil construction and electricity supply), chaired by Frances Hague and a new chief executive Helmut Modlik (see comment page 45). Connexis operates principally from Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch and Auckland, with other field staff working from satellite offices throughout the country. Chair Frances Hague says that the merger has allowed a combining of training, skills and resources in the infrastructure sector with the aim of providing even better service to people seeking training and the companies they work for. “We believe the new Connexis brand and our organisation provides us with the necessary framework and critical mass to help deliver this. As we continue to build Connexis our aim is to work with the industry to help provide skill capacity and capability development to add value across the sector.” Visit the Connexis website: www.connexis.org.nz
Watch where you stick that bucket Think twice before you dig – that’s the message that Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is sending to contractors to encourage them to keep an eye out for survey marks when working in the ground. Survey marks are used for surveying of property boundaries, engineering, road building, mapping and resource management projects. They are most commonly seen on the roadside, but can be located anywhere on public or private land. “These small metal marks might not look valuable, but they’re a vital part of New Zealand’s infrastructure,” says deputy chief geodesist John Ritchie. “Their value is in their location, and it can cost thousands to repair or replace them if they’re damaged or lost. This adds to the cost of construction and development, and undermimes the work required to reinstate property boundaries.” Ritchie says that damaging or destroying a mark is also against the law, meaning that anyone who does so can be fined. “Thankfully there’s an easy way to check that your work won’t do this – www. beforeudig.co.nz is a one-stop-shop website for making sure it’s safe before doing anything that might disrupt infrastructure in the ground.” The website includes information on survey marks, power cables, water pipes and other underground infrastructure. It removes the need for contractors to contact the owners of this infrastructure individually, and gives advice on next steps if work is likely to cause damage. “If notified of work that is likely to disrupt a mark, LINZ will provide information on marks that require protection,” says Ritchie. “In some cases it may be possible to re-design your worksite to avoid at-risk marks. If that’s not an option, contractors will need to contact a licensed surveyor to carry out the required protection work. “Whatever the solution, it’s easier – and less costly – if we know first. So please help us to protect this important infrastructure – think twice, and visit beforeudig.co.nz.”
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Another great event The 46th NZ National Agricultural Fieldays and its 900 exhibitors welcomed thousands through its gates last month – the rough weather earlier in the week doing nothing to deter the crowds. Numbers from the four days came in at nearly 120,000 visitors, with over 32,000 of those turning up for the event’s final day. “I’d like to thank our exhibitors, particularly those who stepped up and made amazing awardwinning sites, for helping us put on another great event for 2014,” says CEO Jon Calder. “The growing number of innovation entries was well up on last year, signifying Fieldays’ core purpose; the purpose of advancing primary industry.”
Construction team wins award At the Safeguard NZ Workplace Health and Safety Awards, the Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL) construction team took out the ‘Best initiative to address a safety hazard’ award. The project was contracted by Fulton Hogan HEB Construction Alliance, which set up a bag-filling system that assists with the construction of the central embankment of the Mangatawa
interchange on SH2. By cutting down on the manual handling needed, construction workers were less at risk on the job, say the judges. “It’s great to see health and safety being made a priority,” comments NZTA Bay of Plenty Highway manager Brett Gliddon. “FHHCA pride themselves on their initiative and commitment to health and safety on the TEL and this is just one award that acknowledges that.”
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The NZTA is reducing its funding to Ruapehu’s local road network, a move that concerns many rural territorial authorities. The agency’s review of its Funding Assistance Rate (FAR), determining the subsidy level councils receive for road works, means that it could move away from a model that recognises different road networks have different needs. The Ruapehu District Council says this does not take into account the district’s unique geology, topography or weather, and argues that the area’s value in terms of GDP produced should see even more central Government investment. “Ruapehu district currently accounts for $321 million in primary value for forestry, meat and dairy alone excluding any value added processing or tourism returns with only 0.03 percent of NZ’s population,” says RDC chief executive, Peter Till. “The key to Ruapehu making an even bigger contribution to the economy is in opening up the productive potential of our primary producers, forestry and tourism sectors which are all dependent on having access to an efficient and effective road network.” NZTA set the new base rate for Ruapehu at 63 percent for 2014/15 year, down from a base rate of 66 percent. Till says that the new FAR model means only one subsidy level is being applied across all of the council’s roading activities including maintenance, operations, renewals, emergency works and special purpose roads, which could mean that situations such as large slips on remote rural roads may remain unworked on for some time.
UPFRONT CONTRACTOR
IN BRIEF Correction David Fehl from Fletcher Construction points out that our story in the May issue of Contractor ‘Moving Forward’ on the Wellington Northern Corridor, should have said Transmission Gully, running from McKays Crossing to south of Porirua will be built by the Wellington Gateway Partnership. And the McKays to Peka Peka section is being built by an Alliance of NZTA, Fletcher, Higgins and Beca; not by the Wellington Gateway Partnership.
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ChCh road works end in sight To date, 57 percent of SCIRT work in central Christchurch has been completed, and the most intensive work affecting road users is scheduled to drop off from this month – meaning fewer delays and detours for motorists. By the end of the year, 90 percent of SCIRT’s work in the central city is expected to be complete.
Construction industry advice A new website www.construction.comcom.govt.nz is designed to give contractors a quick guide to the key elements of competition and consumer law. You can check out the five most important things you need to know about competition and consumer law using the links on the site, plus there are short guides about these laws and examples of the kind of behavior that could get you and your business into trouble.
RYCO 24.7 news Otorohanga Hydraulic Solutions has taken over the RYCO 24.7 franchise for the King Country. With branches and mobile services throughout the country, RYCO 24.7 uses a franchise model and specialises in the design, manufacturing, testing and servicing of a huge range of quality hydraulic hoses and fittings. In other company moves, Wairarapa Diesel Services has appointed Tim Johnson, previously operating drilling rigs for Griffiths Drilling in Upper Hutt, to run its RYCO 24.7 mobile service operation.
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Now that’s a heavy lift This is how your get a derailed train back on its tracks – with mobile cranes. This picture was taken earlier in the year at Liguria, Italy when several Terex mobile cranes were used to return an Intercity 660 locomotive and its railcars back on their rails after it had been derailed by a landslide near cliffs on the southwestern Ligurian coast. While there were no injuries, the accident site couldn’t have been worse – vertical rock on one side and nothing
but water on the other. The lift was achieved by a ‘crane barge’ – a sort of self-submerging dock that could transport the cranes to a position close to the cliff – 90-metres long and 27-metres wide, with an overall capacity of 11,700 tonnes. A Terex AC 700, that executed most of the heavy lifting, was secured to the dock.
Getting to know Tommy Parker Now Tommy Parker has taken over as group manager Highways and Network Operations (HNO) for the NZ Transport Agency, he is keen to introduce himself to all readers throughout the country. “For those who I haven’t yet met, I have been with both Transit and the Transport Agency over nine years and I have a well-established presence in the Auckland market. “A key focus for me over the coming months will be to consolidate and deliver on the programmes of work outlined in the State Highway Plan 2014/15, and to ensure all of HNO are well supported to do this. “We have an experienced management team and I am looking forward to our continued drive to deliver world class infrastructure for New Zealanders.” Parker says the agency has now released its State Highway plan 2014/15, which can be read online at www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ 8 JULY 2014
state-highway-plan/docs/. The State Highway plan is part of a suite of strategic documents and its purpose is to communicate the Transport Agency’s state highway annual work programme to staff, the wider transport sector and special interest groups. Parker says the highways improvement programme will continue to focus on the following key priority areas: •C ompleting the North and South Island high productivity motor vehicle investment routes; •D elivering safety focused activities that align to the Safer Journeys strategy; •C ontinuing to progress the Roads of National Significance; •D elivering regional projects to ensure an appropriate use of remaining regional funding. “We hope this 2014-15 State Highway Plan provides you with the level of information
Tommy Parker
relevant to your interests,” he says. “Our commitment to working together remains stronger than ever and we look forward to receiving feedback from you on the service we provide. I’m excited about the challenges ahead for us at the Transport Agency and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue to build great new personal and professional relationships.” • Contractor is profiling Tommy Parker in the August 2014 issue, based on an interview by regular contributor, Hugh de Lacy.
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
V8 racing mentor As the 2014 V8 Supercars headed into its fifth championship round – and with an uncharacteristically tough start to the season for Red Bull Racing Australia’s reigning champion – Jamie Whincup took time out to meet and mentor Komatsu apprentices at their Perth facility and pass on his experiences, including the importance of working as a team. He challenged the apprentices to focus on the cross-over skills of problem solving, communication and working under pressure. “V8 Supercar racing is not a single-person sport; without the rest of my team at Red Bull Racing Australia, I wouldn’t be able to succeed – so it’s great to be able to demonstrate the benefits of teamwork to the apprentices,” he said.
First network contact awarded The NZ Transport Agency has awarded the first of its new state highway network maintenance and operations contracts for the Bay of Plenty area to a partnership led by Higgins. This $79 million contract will run over seven years and aims to deliver improved road maintenance efficiencies and reduced costs, says the Transport Agency’s Highways manager for the Bay of Plenty, Brett Gliddon. “This is a new operating framework for the Transport Agency. In the past, there have been a number of consultants and physical works contracts for delivering maintenance works on the state highway network. With this new way of doing business there is one contract for a larger area, which includes the Rotorua, Whakatane, Opotiki and Kawerau districts.” Higgins has formed a partnership with Beca, and local Bay of Plenty contractors Waiotahi, Combined Roads and Traffic (CRTS), and Avalon Industrial services to deliver the new contract, which is performance-based and took effect from this month (July). The next contract to be awarded for the region will be announced in November 2014 for the Western Bay of Plenty area, which will cover state highways in the Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty area.
HPMV trial ends
Position Partners expands
The NZTA says no further permits will be issued for 23-25 metre High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs) until policy is finalised later this year, following a limited trial which has been operating around the country. The agency says it is now working with the trial operators to determine a way forward that will enable some of the longer vehicles to continue to operate in a limited capacity on approved and short haul routes. “The purpose of this trial was to understand how these special use HPMVs operate, identify any problems and to determine a final framework for these vehicles in the future,” says Transport Agency freight portfolio director, Harry Wilson. Video recordings of the vehicles in operation taken by the Transport Agency have shown that tracking of some of the vehicles on certain corners needs improving. At some pinch points on the network the trial vehicles occupied the full lane width, creating a safety risk. “The extra length and time taken when tracking around corners means that these vehicles are not suitable for travel on much of New Zealand’s road network; however there are routes where they can operate safely and provide significant productivity and safety benefits. The trial has allowed us to prove this,” says Wilson.
Australian-based Position Partners, a positioning and machine control specialist, has expanded into New Zealand with a new branch in Christchurch. “Since introducing new technologies such as ground penetrating radar and unmanned aerial systems in Australia, we’ve noted a rise in demand from other countries, including New Zealand,” says Martin Nix, Position Partners CEO. “It makes sense to open a branch in Christchurch that will offer a range of solutions and support services for the surveying, engineering, mining and construction industries,” he added. Position Partners New Zealand offers sales, hire, services and training across a range of products including mobile mapping and scanning solutions, US Radar ground penetrating radar (GPR), MAVinci and AscTec Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Carlson machine guidance.
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CONTRACTOR ON THE COVER
Making hard work easy When it comes to wheel loaders there’s nothing better for increasing production and improving profits than the latest Doosan DL Series range. DESIGNED TO SCOOP, carry, and load material, Doosan Wheel
Loaders can handle a wide range of material handling tasks. This includes loading and transporting granular material such as sand and gravel for construction and municipal operations, as well as industrial, mining and quarrying applications. Recently delivered to Southland quarry operator J Crooks & Sons, by distributor AB Equipment, was a Doosan DL300 Wheel Loader. This was purchased on the back of some outstanding performances attributed to an existing Doosan DL400 Wheel Loader with over 8000 hours of operation to its name. J Crooks & Sons is a privately owned hard rock quarrying company that has been in the family for over 70 years. Currently in the capable hands of Mort and David Crooks, the business is located on 100 acres of land on the outskirts of Invercargill. Their core business is the supply of finely ground dunite to the fertiliser industry. Mobile crushing plants also allow them to take on contract jobs for the roading industry. Mort Crooks is quite pragmatic when it comes to purchasing new equipment and is adamant that the Doosan DL Series Loaders provide great value for money. “When you look at it, this equipment, it’s powered by a Cummins motor, has ZF transmission and has excellent componentry. In my opinion it’s a superior piece of equipment but without the big price tag,” he says. And he’s not the only one that thinks that way. The feedback from the operators is that they are very impressed with how smooth the Doosan DL Loaders are to operate. No doubt the operators also enjoy the outstanding comfort features, with Doosan’s world-renowned cab that makes it easier to focus on the work at hand. The operator is surrounded by more space, better visibility, automatic air conditioning, adjustable steering column and ergonomically placed controls. As well, the air suspension seat has multiple settings to match all sizes and preferences. Mort Crooks is also aware of the power and strength the Doosan Loaders provide when loading trucks at his quarry. With its powerful breakout force and quick response time the Doosan Wheel Loader is designed for the tough jobs. For a big performer, the Doosan DL Series Loaders are agile and smooth and provide a superior lift height and lift capacity and enough traction to penetrate hard materials no matter the task. Few machines match the easy maintenance of Doosan Wheel Loaders. Regular maintenance is short and simple, while long service intervals increase the availability of the fleet. Two tool carrier options provide added versatility with seamless attachment 12 JULY 2014
The team at J Crooks & Sons. From left: Brandon Leggat, David Crooks, Craig Beatty and Mort Crooks.
capabilities along with bucket capacities that range from 1.9 to five square metres. Overall the Doosan DL Series Wheel Loader is ideal for highway projects, quarries and other job sites and where you need to move material reliably and efficiently. No matter the task, you can be assured the Doosan DL300 Wheel Loader Series is up for the challenge. A member of the Hellaby Holdings Industrial Group of Companies, AB Equipment has its headquarters in East Tamaki, Auckland. From this location, the company operates a complete, fully owned network of 18 branches throughout New Zealand. AB Equipment sells new and used equipment and provides the all-important local area base for the provision of benchmark customer support programmes. For further information on the Doosan Wheel Loaders call 0800 303 090, or contact your nearest AB Equipment branch. l
“When you look at it, this equipment, it’s powered by a Cummins motor, has ZF transmission and has excellent componentry. In my opinion it’s a superior piece of equipment but without the big price tag.”
JULY 2014 13
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
Getting around a
A local team for a local problem. HUGH DE LACY sees how Hamilton’s Schick Construction will hopefully put a dent in the Waikato road toll.
The construction contract required 25,000 cubic metres of earthworks, and work began in January – a month earlier than originally scheduled – and was largely finished by Easter.
14 JULY 2014 CONTRACTOR
THE JUNCTION OF SH1 AND SH5 near Tirau was the scene of no fewer than 44 accidents between 2008 and 2013, leaving four people dead and four more seriously injured. But that toll should drop markedly now that Hamilton-based Schick Construction has completed a new roundabout for NZTA, which will open in November. Nearly 12,000 vehicle movements occur a day through Tirau, with about two-thirds of them continuing up or down SH1, with the rest heading to, or from, Rotorua. The new roundabout replaces a T-intersection which had already been the subject of heightened safety measures before the decision was made to replace it. Additional signage and improved line markings at the intersection did not reduce the carnage, with one fatality occurring from two serious collisions after they were installed. That led the NZTA, in association with the South Waikato District Council, local iwi and Road Safety Partners, to develop a long-term solution that includes a focus on the Government’s “Safe System” approach to road safety.
The system, which is part of the Government’s Safer Journeys Strategy, comprises four elements, of which two – safe roads and roadsides, and safe speeds – were specifically applied to the Tirau crash hotspot (the other two elements are safe road-use and safe vehicles). The Tirau project was scoped as early as 2011-2012, and reached the resource consent stage in the last quarter of 2013, with the contract awarded to Schick last December. The problem with the existing intersection was that it was located in the middle of three tight curves on SH1, reducing sighting distances from all three directions and resulting in successions of T-bone crashes into drivers’side doors. Four options were considered before the final one was settled on, the others being a threelegged roundabout, a channellised seagull intersection and a left-slip lane upgrade. The three-legged roundabout was found to offer little improvement to the sight problems, while the other two options promised little reduction in the frequency of collisions. That left the option of the four-leg single-lane
crash hotspot
roundabout slightly west of the old intersection, with a 46-metre central island featuring an existing historic stand of pin oaks, and seven metre wide circulating lanes approached under a 70km/hr speed restriction. SH1 occupies two of the roundabout’s legs, SH5 a third, while the fourth provides safe access to the adjacent Tirau reserve. Landscaping is centred on the pin oaks to create a sense of arrival at Tirau, and stormwater is treated by way of grass swales before it is discharged into the nearby Oraka Stream – an upgrade that should improve the quality of the run-off from the carriageways. The oaks were planted to commemorate a visit by the Queen, and they have been uplighted and highlighted by “Welcome to Tirau” signage. Five koru-shaped bunds planted with flax have been built on the island around the oaks, and the land surrounding the four legs of the roundabout has been further landscaped to create a visual transition between the road itself and the recreation reserve. The construction contract required 25,000 cubic metres of earthworks, and work began
The project started off with a ceremony in association with the South Waikato District Council, local iwi, Road Safety Partners, and the contractor.
CONTRACTOR JULY 2014 15
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
The junction of SH1 and SH5 near Tirau was the scene of no fewer than 44 accidents between 2008 and 2013, leaving four people dead and four more seriously injured. The Tirau project was scoped as early as 2011-2012, and reached the resource consent stage in the last quarter of 2013, with the contract awarded to Schick last December.
16 JULY 2014 CONTRACTOR
in January – a month earlier than originally scheduled – and was largely finished by Easter. Contractor Schick Construction started out in 1986 as a rural family cartage and digger business that was bought out by Patrick Peoples in 2001, and put on the path to rapid expansion in the civil construction industry. From a fleet of just 12 trucks and a pair of diggers, it has grown to have no fewer than 65 pieces of heavy plant and machinery, and offers services that range from civil structures, roading and earthworks to drainage, siteworks and subdivisions. Cartage and earthworks are still the company’s specialty, but its expertise includes minor bridge construction and repairs, retaining wall and stopbank construction, and coastal and riverbank protection. Six years ago, as the company moved from a small to a medium-sized enterprise, Peoples took in Mike Keir and Mark Dawbin as minority shareholders, and about the same time built a new home base facility at Te Rapa. Until recently Schick Construction operated exclusively in the central and upper North
Island – from Auckland, Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and Taupo, over to Hawke’s Bay and across to Taranaki – but it has lately set up shop in Christchurch to tap into the $40 billion being spent there in earthquake recovery work in Canterbury. The massive post-quake investment in a region of fewer than half a million people looks set to run for at least 10 years, and Peoples is positioning Schick to become a significant player in the region. The company employs 75 permanent staff, including its own professionals in the fields of civil engineering, contract management, surveying and quantity surveying. It takes pride in its low staff turnover and offering opportunities for educational advancement, with five technicians currently working their way through engineering qualifications. Manpower is the company’s most important investment, the company says, and a recently introduced long-service award has seen a dozen employees’ decade or more of service recognised.
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CONTRACTOR PROFILE
Inspector Gwynne Pennell with Sergeant Gilbert Williams, of the CVIU Waikato, who has just received his 28-year medal for long service and good conduct with the Police and Ministry of Transport.
The view from the top Forthright head of the CVIU, Inspector Gwynne Pennell, has complimentary words for the transport operators she meets in the course of her work. BY GAVIN RILEY. THE COMMERCIAL Vehicle Investigation Unit is a low-profile organisation. Incredibly, there’s less information about it on the internet than there is about another operation known by its initials, the cloak-and-dagger GCSB. It’s not as if the unit functions under the kind of strict security blanket that envelopes the GCSB. Managed from Wellington, it is responsible for on-road monitoring of the commercial-vehicle industry, including trucks, mobile cranes, 18 JULY 2014
buses, taxis, couriers and mobile homes, and it has nothing to hide. The unit has 82 enforcement officers and 20 vehicle safety officers. It operates eight weighbridges around the country and its staff have a lot to oversee: the certified pilot scheme, driving hours and logbooks, investigation of serious commercial-vehicle crashes, road and bridge vehicle-weight limits, vehicle fitness, transport licensing, vehicle and load dimensions, passenger safety, load
security, and dangerous goods. This list of responsibilities sees officers inspecting around 140,000 commercial vehicles annually, weighing around 45 percent of them, and uncovering about 25,000 offences. It’s a law-enforcement area, one might think, that’s ripe with the potential for constant friction. But not according to Inspector Gwynne Pennell, the CVIU’s national manager. She says the Ministry of Transport’s
annual compliance survey shows offences are trending down and adds; “We’re happy with the active approach of operators to compliance issues, which has in part been driven by ORS [the operator rating system].” And there’s a pragmatic approach to the unit’s work. It’s not all stick and no carrot. “Our approach is, we would rather the operator’s money was directed to getting the necessary repairs completed, and we don’t generally write notices where a repair is warranted unless there has been a failure to repair the fault by the operator. “We do take a firm line with contributory factors to crashes, which include speed, fatigue/distraction, and [not wearing] seatbelts,” Pennell says. “We do appreciate the challenges the industry faces as we have great relationships with the sector, but we also know that some will cut corners to gain a competitive advantage over those who try hard to comply. “We acknowledge that the sector is progressive and forward-looking and has given a commitment to keep New Zealand’s economy ticking over.” She says an area where commercial-
Inspector Gwynne Pennell is front row second right in this recent photo taken at a medal presentation to four members of the CVIU’s team which covers the Waikato-Bay of Plenty.
transport operators can improve is in the simple, everyday checking of tyres, lighting, loading, weight, seatbelt-wearing, logbooks, and windscreens – “what we call a driver walk-around”. Heavy-haulage and mobile-crane operators are among the better-behaved
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commercial road-users, it seems. “Last year, I gave heavy haulage the thumbs-up as they do a pretty good job. We have almost no issues with cranes, and if we do it is usually with the boom and counterweights.” Inspector Pennell comes across as an
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JULY 2014 19
CONTRACTOR PROFILE
A CVIU presence at a combined Transport Agency-Police education stand at the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek. With his back to the camera is CVIU Senior Sergeant Lex Soepnel.
empathetic figure operating in a tough environment – but then she’s no ordinary police officer. She grew up, and still lives on the Kapiti Coast; was educated at New Plymouth Girls’ High, Wellington College of Education and Victoria and Massey Universities; is a trained teacher; and has a BA in politics, business degrees and a master of laws. She embarked on a teaching career in Porirua East, but was very upset when the introduction of Tomorrow’s Schools meant the special-needs children in her care were going to be confined to units and not mainstreamed. Noting that the Cannons Creek community constable was working very effectively with disadvantaged families, she joined the Police in 1990 to do what she could to make a difference. She served in Wellington, Otaki, Hawera, Levin and Whanganui, as well as spending a year with the Police Association in 2006. She explains this secondment, candidly and self-revealingly, as; “Back to the things that matter the most with me, which is championing the underdog. I’m assertive, which is not necessarily the most desirable attribute for a woman. Women who are feminine have a much easier time of it because that is what males relate to. “The work I did primarily at the association was in the development 20 JULY 2014
Investigation of serious commercial-vehicle crashes is one of the CVIU’s many jobs. Pictured is Waikato-based Senior Constable Skip Keepa.
of the new Policing Act and arranging legal assistance for officers who found themselves in a tight spot. It certainly did my career no favours.” But it didn’t stop her being appointed head of the CVIU in 2010. She says that as well as offering “operational currency” the job demanded a huge range of skills – in prosecutions and investigations, relationship building, strategy development and regulatory/legislative
[
compliant. Our scarce resources are then utilised to best effect. This is what was promised to industry with ORS. Insurance companies are also pushing for the uptake in these areas.” Four years into the CVIU job, Gwynne Pennell isn’t sure how long she’ll continue or what she’ll do next. For however long this refreshingly forthright woman continues as CVIU head, her colleagues and transport operators
Our approach is, we would rather the operator’s money was directed to getting the necessary repairs completed
reform, training, resource management, and keeping the community safe from a different angle. She says it’s great working with a sector that has jobs, knows what it is trying to achieve, and has a sense of humour. But the challenges are constant. “The work isn’t easy because we do a very complex job, particularly in the health-and-safety and fatal-crash space. We’re very much pushing for operators to invest in technology to meet ‘willing compliance’ expectations,” she says. “If we know they have systems which are actively monitored, that leaves us free to target those who are deliberately non-
]
can rest assured she genuinely enjoys working with them. “What I thoroughly enjoy about my role is that I get to work on the roadside with staff who are passionate and highly committed to the commercial sector,” she says. “I enjoy the public interactions as the drivers and operators have a great sense of humour, work incredibly hard and, for the hours behind the wheel with things that happen around them, do an incredibly good job keeping that big gear off the small stuff out there. “The commercial sector are not road warriors.”
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CONTRACTOR PROJECT
GOING BUSH on the Coromandel Whangamata-based EPL Construction was a winner in the Contractors’ Federation Waikato Construction Awards this year for a challenging project high in the Coromandel Ranges. ALAN TITCHALL explains.
The new Pinnacle Hut, east of Thames, belongs to the Department of Conversation for accommodating trampers walking the popular Pinnacle Track on the Coromandel Peninsula. It is the most popular and busiest DoC ‘hut’ in the country and can sleep over 80 people in relative comfort. New amenities include solar lighting, decking with stunning views across the peninsula and beyond, and modern ablution facilities, thanks to the work of EPL Construction.
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IN A CLASSIC, UNDERSTATED Kiwi way, it is called a ‘hut in the bush’, but look at the photo and you realise it is a large, new construction in the middle of a dense forest that can accommodate dozens of visitors. The remote Pinnacle Hut, east of Thames, belongs to the Department of Conservation for accommodating trampers walking the popular Pinnacle Track on the Coromandel Peninsula. It is also the most popular and busiest DoC ‘hut’ in the country. The old hut used to be described by trampers as “damp and yuk”. The new building is now described as “awesome”. It can sleep over 80 people, who pay a small fee, in relative comfort and with amenities that include a cold shower, solar lighting, decking with stunning views across the peninsula and beyond, and three chemical long-drops with “no smell or spiders” – thanks to the work of EPL Construction. If you are fit, it will take you just over two hours to reach the hut from a car park at the end of the closest road, but most folks take four hours. The track follows an historic pack horse trail up the Kauaeranga valley and involves crossing three swing bridges and the Kauaeranga river at least three times. Suffice to add, by the time you reach the new hut, those new long-drop loos are a very welcome sight. Building the new water supply and wastewater disposal system at Pinnacle Hut proved a challenging and very successful job for EPL Construction, and its work was awarded the 2014 Contractors’ Federation Waikato Branch Award’s Category One (projects under $250,000), and impressed the judges so much it was also awarded the Supreme Award for best overall
The challenges of distance meant nothing could be left behind or forgotten, and there was no room for error. The all-year-round demand for this popular hut meant the work had to be completed within five weeks – with the hut booked out immediately after construction was due to finish.
JULY 2014 23
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
project among all the category winners. EPL’s ability to plan and execute high risk work in such a remote location with only helicopter access or a difficult threehour walk each way was a considerable achievement, say the judges. One of the judges, Richard Goulding, says the remote location, weather risks, tight timeframes and need for extensive use of helicopters had made for an extremely challenging task. “The contractor managed the job superbly with great planning, organisation and lateral thinking as well as technical skills, to achieve a memorable outcome,” he says. “The Department of Conservation loved the fact that a local contractor could deliver this project and was most impressed with the time and effort put into understanding the job and going the extra mile on all the little things.” Bruce Connell, managing director for EPL Construction, says that in addition to the remote location a lot was dependent on ‘fine’ weather, careful planning, attention to detail and prefabrication of key components. “The challenges of distance meant nothing could be left behind or forgotten, and there was no room for error,” he adds. The all-year-round demand for this popular hut meant the work had to be completed within five weeks – and with the hut booked out immediately after construction was due to finish. Project manager Hamish Johnson says the helicopter pilot from Skywork did amazing work in what was sometimes 40 knott gusts. One occasion he positioned a three metre square, aluminium, septic tank between two support posts with only 25mm to spare either side. These loads were made up of timber, aggregate, and tanks. On one particular day the chopper flew non-stop for 6.5 hours. “Each trip flew 1000kg bundles of material or equipment. At $54 a minute for the 17 minute round trip, we needed to maximise each load.” The entire project was effected seamlessly, without delay or incident, he adds. “Careful planning and strong communication between the on-site construction team, ground support crew, engineer and other contractors ensured that everyone was kept well-informed and issues were able to be resolved quickly when they arose.” 24 JULY 2014
All category winners were presented with glass trophies, created by Hamilton glass artist Di Tocker, at the NZCF Waikato Branch annual awards dinner earlier this year. From left: The EPL team with their trophies – Hamish Johnson, project manager; Amanda Connell, administration manager/director; and Bruce Connell, managing director.
Yeah – but something must have gone wrong? “Well – a plastic lid fell off a tank as it was being hauled by helicopter over the forest,” says EPL Construction director Amanda Connell, struggling to find something negatively eventful for this story. So much effort went into pre-planning and coordinating materials to be transported by chopper up to the site, they could not afford to let anything go wrong, she iterates. “The challenge was not forgetting anything, and there were so many components and tools to every aspect of the job. “The guys were up there for a week at a time, so if they had forgotten something – too bad.” “The weather was kind to us. There were a couple of occasions when the flying was marginal.” Strapping and balancing loads to the bottom of a helicopter was something new to the company, says Amanda. Nor were the ‘guys’ used to living in such close proximity to each other for weeks on end, although they did have the use of the DoC hut while it was closed to the public for the period – three weeks. “There was no electricity and meals had to be planned carefully. They were also sharing the hut with the building and roofing crew – between four and six workers – on site.”
OTHER WAIKATO AWARD WINNERS Other award winners in the Contractors’ Federation Waikato Construction Awards were: CATEGORY TWO for projects of $250,000 to $1m Won by Hamilton-based Schick Construction and Cartage for the Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant. Judges praised Schick’s innovative approach, design, and build option for the site. CATEGORY THREE for projects worth $1m-$10m Won by Hamilton-based Connell Contractors for the Pressure Main 11 section in Christchurch. Judges hailed the company for its innovation and methodology and the way in which it met major challenges “head on”. CATEGORY FOUR for projects over $10m Won by Brian Perry Civil, Waikato, for the WRK WKM C Transmission Line civil works at Taupo. Judges said the contractor had put in “a superb effort in all respects”.
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CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY FEATURE
TRAFFIC
MODELLING – shaping a design This is the second article in a series on aspects of roading design. The first, “Gaining traction – getting to grips with a PPP”, was published in the June issue and based on plans for the Transmission Gully project. This time we focus on modelling factors that shape the overall design of a road. Written by LAWRENCE SHAFFLER. MULTIPLE FACTORS determine how roads are designed and while each is unique, common to all is an initial traffic modelling phase that guides the selectors to an appropriate pavement. But the process forces designers to assess a Pandora’s Box of what-ifs. Traffic modelling, says Bruce Chappell, the asset management manager for the Auckland Motorways Alliance, is not an exact science, but it’s a crucial starting point for road design. “A traffic modelling study is commissioned early in a project – during the planning stage. Among other things it assesses the proposed new road’s potential impact on traffic flows around the network – on the existing infrastructure and environment. “That data feeds directly into design considerations. For example, it might predict 20,000 vehicles per day over the new road – with >>
26 JULY 2014
JULY 2014 27
CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY FEATURE
The problem with chip seal is noise, and if the road runs near a residential area, designers may be forced to use a different surface – usually an “open graded porous asphalt”.
a projected growth over the years. But more importantly, it will identify what percentage of those are heavy vehicles (trucks). “Bear in mind that one heavy truck is worth about 10,000 cars in terms of the wear/damage it inflicts on a road. While overall traffic volume affects the road’s design to a degree – dictating the number of lanes, for example – the number of heavy vehicles and their axle loads is as important. A high volume of trucks will force road design into a particular direction.” Other factors incorporated into the modelling, he adds, include the new road’s design life. It’s typically 30 to 40 years and is specified by the client commissioning the project. The design must be sufficiently robust to meet its projected life. Coupled to that, modelling also incorporates a ‘whole-of-life’ cost-prediction analysis, and assesses a variety of different pavement types. The costs range from modest to expensive, and each has associated whole-of-life maintenance costs that are factored into the design equation. Note that “pavement” refers to a road’s sub-surface structure (called the sub-grade) – everything below the road’s actual surface. Irrespective of the type of pavement, the surfacing itself has a relatively short lifespan and requires periodic renewal.
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Drainage considerations While it’s impossible to plan for catastrophic events (earthquakes or extreme flooding) that will cause failure, pavement design must incorporate measures to guard against the potential damage water can inflict – which means good drainage. A poorly-performing or blocked drainage system promotes early failure. The traditional pavement used in New Zealand, says Chappell, is the “unbound granular” type. A crushed rock structure, it’s permeable and relies on the friction between the interlocking stones for its strength. But it’s vulnerable to water. “Because water is not compressible, it forces the stones apart and weakens the pavement. Good drainage is vital, particularly if the proposed road runs along rivers or lakes where flood levels fluctuate. You can’t fight the water table – you have to design a solution that accommodates it.” Where the water table is an issue, the designer might choose to build a high embankment, though that affects overall cost. With the topography around river areas, Chappell adds, cut-and-fill strategies generally aren’t an option, so the fill material needs to be imported. He also points out that pavement designers don’t get to specify the route (that’s the client’s
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prerogative). This means designers often devise solutions that are compromises – pavements which meet the demands of multiple stakeholders but might not be the best engineering decision. “Extraneous factors such as the road’s proximity to residential areas, for example, might influence how the road is built. We might be forced, say, to build a road through a trench
when a bridge would be easier and cheaper. “But because the residents don’t want to see a bridge on their landscape, we have to work with the trench. If that trench runs through a swampy area it significantly complicates the engineering and pavement design. So the solution might be the right compromise – but the wrong engineering.”
The traditional pavement used in New Zealand is the “unbound granular” type. A crushed rock structure, it’s permeable and relies on the friction between the interlocking stones for its strength.
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JULY 2014 29
CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY FEATURE
Surface options
Skid control & traction
Traffic modelling also influences decisions around pavement surface. Chip seal, says Chappell, is by far the most common option – a layer of aggregate (chips of a consistent size and shape) set into a thin film of bitumen. “Because it’s cheap and offers longevity if it’s built well, it’s given New Zealand an excellent networks of roads relative to the size of the country and distribution of its population.” The problem with chip seal is noise (from the interaction between tyres and surface), and if the road runs near a residential area, designers may be forced to use a different surface – usually an “open graded porous asphalt” (OGPA). OGPA also uses aggregate on a bed of bitumen but uses bigger stones to promote porosity. While OGPA is a lot quieter than chip seal, says Chappell, the irony is that it was actually developed for spray suppression – noise suppression just happened to be an incidental side benefit. “Thanks to the bigger stones an OGPA surface reduces the amount of spray displaced by tyres in wet weather. Spray is a particularly important safety concern on multi-lane roads because it reduces visibility. “With an OGPA surface, the tyres force water downwards rather than sideways – and visibility is maintained. But because it’s also much quieter than chip seal, OGPA is often specified for roads near residential areas.” Acoustic (noise-suppression) walls are sometimes an alternative option. “The technology is costly but relative to an OGPA surface maintenance requirements are low. Aesthetic considerations also play a role – some think walls are a better solution because they remove a view of a motorway, for example. Others think the walls are unsightly and will have to be cleaned of graffiti repeatedly.”
Road designers must also weigh up the skid control/traction characteristics of various surfaces – relative to their wear properties. “There are two elements to this issue. For higher vehicle speeds you want a surface with a good macro-texture – where the stones stand proud and provide good grip to prevent vehicles hydroplaning. “But you also have to consider the stones themselves – the micro-texture. For effective braking and stopping power tyres rely on an abrasive stone texture. Over time, though, the rubber polishes the stones and they lose their effectiveness.” There is a wide range of available aggregates. Some polish quickly and lose performance – others last much longer. Interestingly, the longest-lasting aggregate isn’t stone at all – it’s slag, a waste product from the steel mills. Crushed and laid over the bitumen, it polishes very slowly. Perversely, it’s fairly expensive. A road’s skid properties are important around intersections as well as railway and pedestrian crossings, but aggregate choice will also be affected by the nature of the road. On straights with a median barrier dividing opposing lanes, the skid resistance requirement is low. Where there isn’t a median barrier, a surface with a higher skid resistance is required. Interestingly, Chappell says a lot of the road renewal work happening around the country is geared to improving skid resistance – it’s not, as is commonly believed – because of road failure. “Ultimately, road design is about looking ahead and assessing traffic volumes over the next 30 to 40 years – specifically how the growth of a region might impact on the number of heavy vehicles using the road – coupled to a realistic maintenance regime. “For road engineers the ultimate Eldorado is a pavement that remains unmoved and solid over its entire life, where you never have to do anything other than occasional resurfacing. That’s the goal for which we strive.”
On straights with a median barrier dividing opposing lanes, the skid resistance requirement is low. Where there isn’t a median barrier, a surface with a higher skid resistance is required.
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Chappell says a lot of the road renewal work happening around the country is geared to improving skid resistance – it’s not, as is commonly believed – because of road failure.
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CONTRACTOR UK TECHNOLOGY
GOOD ASSET MANAGEMENT A UK PERSPECTIVE
After four weeks and 16 presentations around the country, British roading efficiency expert MATTHEW LUGG, OBE is enthusiastic about the way we have embraced ‘best practice asset management’. DURING HIS NZ TRIP, Matthew Lugg spoke with a wide range of audiences from Northland to Gore. “The value of good asset management is just so well recognised here, it’s widely accepted and its understanding is quite a bit more nuanced than in the UK.” That type of compliment is not to be underestimated, coming from a man who brings with him 34 years of relevant professional experience, a wealth of information and numerous case studies of road efficiency. Matthew’s career saw him rise from graduate engineer to strategic director in a number of appointments with Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire County Councils. Today, he is a director for international infrastructure and business services group Mouchel, from which he is seconded to the UK Department of Transport as an advocate for its Highway Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP). One of the most impressive case studies he presents is the Transport for London (TfL) London Highways Alliance Contract (LoHAC). Matthew says TfL and the London local authorities took a transformational approach to the delivery of highways maintenance by moving to new, and collaborative, contractual arrangements based on a single framework contract for use over an eightyear period by all London boroughs. “LoHAC has developed a genuinely collaborative ethos based on partnerships and shared responsibility between organisations,” says Matthew. “There is now greater transparency around decision making, a commitment to trust and teams built on shared risks.” According to Matthew, LoHAC 32 JULY 2014
anticipates savings of up to $900 million on highways services over the next eight years and notes that NZTA’s new network operating contracts for the State Highway Network are based on similar principles. How does a UK case study like this matter to New Zealand? “It doesn’t matter whether it’s London, or Auckland, or Dunedin. Some of the terminology and statutory processes may be different but the basic principles will be the same. It is how you do it that matters. “The important thing is you can talk about theoretical concepts but the practical experience is something that people can relate to. The reality is that good practice is already out there in most cases, it’s just not being shared. It’s not about inventing something new, it’s about bringing good practice to the sector and sharing it more widely.” This country does have its own characteristics that will influence how best practice asset management is achieved. “The sparse population is a limiter, there are great distances here,” says Matthew. “In the UK, councils are in close proximity – in New Zealand, relatively small councils are spread over large areas.” That’s why the work of our own Local Government New Zealand/NZ Transport Agency collaboration, the Road Efficiency Group (REG), is so important, he adds. “A lot of initiatives have saved money, there is evidence to prove it, and REG is capturing those benefits.” What kinds of savings can be achieved depends on a number of factors: The expertise you bring to a project in the first place, how ambitious you are and what opportunities are actually available
to make efficiencies. Geographical, economic and social factors all play their part, as does capability – you need skills and expertise to make it happen. “And the good thing is, there’ll never be an end to it – even if you do a good job, there is always scope for improvement. REG is on the right page, it’s made a really good start, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, all this best practice experience now needs to be embedded.” Matthew is very much in favour of producing documents of case studies that outline best practice, all of which help to make real connections. “Documents can provide all that valuable information, it’s about giving people access. Plus, many people in case studies make themselves available, so in effect you have a ‘phone a friend’ for your next project.” Having spoken to a mix of audiences, from mayors to transport committees, CEOs and practitioners, Matthew says he has had very positive feedback. “If I can help to promote new ways of working and, at the end of the day, improving customer service, then that is what I’m here to do.” One highlight of his trip was presenting to the Otago and Southland Transport Committee, where his own professional background came in very handy. “I can show the practical experience, and in a political environment I can relate to politicians. “Everyone recognised the benefits of collaboration, it’s just great to see two regional transport bodies move forward on a joint transport plan. I got a sense there is a lot of nodding heads, and in that region there is now a consensus to move forward. “Also, there’ll be the Local Government NZ Centre of Excellence, which is a
“The important thing is you can talk about theoretical concepts but the practical experience is something that people can relate to. The reality is that good practice is already out there in most cases, it’s just not being shared.
Mathew Lugg
very good initiative. If I’ve helped to support the thinking, than that’s ‘mission accomplished’.” LGNZ only recently announced the new Centre of Excellence, the brief of which includes supporting road controlling authorities in implementing best practice and other tools, such as the incoming One Network Road Classification. Matthew says REG and its UK counterpart have been in touch ‘quite a bit’, and there is a lot of crossover in what is being done in the UK and here. “Key themes, outcomes – we’re on the same page. We’ve had some pretty intensive discussions with the REG Asset Management Group, we’ve been going through a lot of stuff in detail, who knows,
perhaps there’s even scope to formalise a relationship. Not everything we have is transferable, but a lot of products touch a spot.” Potential synergies between HMEP and REG could be realised in the proposed Waikato Road Authority Technical Alliance, which Matthew introduced as part of a day with the Waikato Mayoral Forum at Karapiro. “It is emerging collaborative alliances such as this one, which can really benefit from our shared experiences.” Matthew says in the UK the downturn and recession is more of a driver than it is here. “But I’ve noticed things are tightening up here as well. “People live longer; putting more
pressure on public services. That’s just one aspect, of course, and no matter what the climate, it’s always important to make best use of public moneys and give ratepayers the best deal possible. Our message to the public should be ‘we can save you money’.” Any final words: “I will definitely have very positive things to report back. I’ve been very impressed with the condition of your roads; I think our UK local highway managers would dream about having roads like these.” MATTHEW’S PRESENTATION is available on the REG website at www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/ road-efficiency-group/asset-management.html
• Article supplied by the NZTA
JULY 2014 33
CONTRACTOR FEATURE
HE
RI TAGE
TRAILS
DRIVE IT IF YOU DARE Arguably the scariest if not the most dangerous roading in the country, Skippers Road, is as much an engineering feat as a scenic gem, as HUGH DE LACY discovers.
IT MAY NOT BE the most dangerous road in the world – you’ve got to go to Bolivia for that – but Otago’s Skippers Canyon road has enough of a fear factor to whiten the knuckles of all but the most intrepid motorists. Carved out of sheer rock faces initially as a track for goldminers’ pack animals 125 years ago, the 22 kilometres of Skippers Road is a specified no-go area for the country’s rental cars, and no less of an anathema to private motor vehicle insurers. For much of its length it’s a skinny ledge blasted out of the vertical rockface hundreds of metres above the river, and so narrow that, if two cars meet from opposite directions, one of them has to back up for kilometres before they can squeeze past each other. It’s a road that would probably never have been built, and certainly not as early as the 1880s, had it not been that it rimmed what was believed to be the world’s richest bullion river, the 34 JULY 2014
Shotover, which acted as a giant sluice-box for the vast gold deposits created by the ongoing collision of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates around Mount Aurum. Thomas Arthur and Harry Redfern triggered the rush to the Shotover when they found four ounces of gold in just three hours at Arthur’s Point, a little north of Queenstown and south of the canyon, in November 1862. It was to become one of the biggest of the Otago rushes, albeit short-lived, sending miners by the hundred up the river beyond Arthur’s Point and the canyon into the headwaters beyond. But Arthur’s and Redfern’s quick strike was peanuts compared to the lode two Maori miners, Hakaria Maeroa and Dan Ellison (aka Raniera Erihana), found soon after. Sighting a promising-looking beach on the western side of the river, the pair swam across, almost losing a dog which followed them into the vigorous current.
For much of its length it’s a skinny ledge blasted out of the vertical rockface hundreds of metres above the river, and so narrow that, if two cars meet from opposite directions, one of them has to back up for kilometres before they can squeeze past each other.
Motorists must apply for a permit before attempting to tackle Skippers Canyon road as it is one of the world’s most dangerous.
Once on the other side the two of them gathered a phenomenal 11 kilograms – yes, kilograms – or 300 ounces by nightfall, a payday that would have netted them around NZ$450,000 at today’s slightly straitened global price. It was that find that gave the Shotover its reputation as the world’s richest gold catchment, though because records of the total take from the river were informal and sketchy, it’s a claim that can’t be substantiated. Within months of Arthur’s and Redfern’s discovery, packhorse tracks had given rudimentary access successively to Deep Creek, Maori Point and Skippers, the latter being the location above the canyon where a northern Irish seaman, Malcolm Duncan, had found gold a year or so earlier. Duncan had spent years on American whaling ships and went by the nickname Skipper, which duly attached itself to the canyon no less than to the creek he mined. The deluge of miners created demand for a permanent road into Skippers for heavy mining machinery as soon as the easily accessible gold had run out. The route through the canyon was accordingly surveyed in 1883, 21 years after the original strike, and completed in stages by four different contractors, using mostly Chinese labour, over the following seven years. It was an enormously difficult road to build with the soft rock having to be blown from the cliff by black powder and heaved over the side
JULY 2014 35
SKIPPERS ROAD, BURTON BROTHERS, 1860-1870S http://collection.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.irn=546109
CONTRACTOR FEATURE
It was an enormously difficult road to build with the soft rock having to be blown from the cliff by black powder and heaved over the side of the gorge by shovel and barrow, and the road surface greasy with mud in the winter and blown into billowing clouds of dust in the summer.
of the gorge by shovel and barrow, and the road surface greasy with mud in the winter and blown into billowing clouds of dust in the summer. The expense led to the public view that the road cost more to build than it returned in gold, but that claim can’t be substantiated either. The now-famous suspension bridge at Skippers Point, from which the AJ Hacker organisation runs its signature bungy jump operation, is the third of three across the Shotover on the same site. The first was a suspension bridge built six metres above the river in 1866, but wiped out a few years later by flooding. It was replaced in 1871, but even then the approaches to it were so precipitous that plans were put in place for a high bridge to be built later. However, work on this bridge, the surviving one 100 metres above the river, didn’t start until 1898, took two years, and its formal opening in 1901 was just in time for most of the miners to quit the canyon in a vastly safer fashion than they had arrived in it. As long as the rush lasted, the principal settlement in the canyon was Charlestown, near Maori Point where Maeroa and Ellison had their golden afternoon. Charlestown’s day in the sun was brief: After reaching a population of over 1000 while the pickings were still easy, its population had stabilised to barely 400 by 1864 as the goldpanners departed to make way for the quartz miners. The settlement at Skippers Point likewise flourished briefly, its population also reaching 1000, but thinning just as quickly to 200 by the time the third bridge was built. Even with a permanent road in place, pretty much as it is today, Skippers presented a daunting challenge to motor vehicles, which were banned from it for some years after the road and bridge were completed. For decades afterwards motor vehicle insurers specifically 36 JULY 2014
excluded the Skippers Road from their coverage, though the Insurance Council of New Zealand told Contractor that ban has since been modified to an omnibus list of driving hazards to avoid, such as farm tracks and beaches. However, Skippers is still one of just four roads in the country that most car rental firms forbid their vehicles to be used on, the others being SH89 between Queenstown and Wanaka – the Crown Range road, the Tasman Valley road near Mount Cook, and the Coromandel to Kuaotunu stretch of SH25 on the Coromandel Peninsula. Some companies also stipulate that their cars not be driven on Ninety Mile Beach, part of which is gazetted road, the SH70 Inland Kaikoura Road between that town and Waiau, and the SH38 Urerewa Road between Wairoa and Tuai. In terms of its real, rather than imagined, dangers to motorists, Skippers Canyon rates up there among the world’s most frightening. A survey by British motoring firm Driving Experience, using World Health Organisation data, rated Skippers as the 22nd most dangerous road in the world, with an “overall road fear factor” of seven out of 10, despite its traffic these days being confined mainly to tourists travelling by minivan and coach. Deaths on Skippers are few compared to the annual toll of between 200 and 300 on the road rated (at 10 out of 10) that is the world’s worst – the 69 kilometre North Yungas Road from La Paz to Coroico in Bolivia’s Yungas region, featuring a carriageway no more than three metres wide, edging sheer drops of 1000 metres or more. Nearly as dangerous is the 64 kilometres South Yungas Road from La Paz to Chulumani which also takes a huge annual toll on motorists’ lives. Skippers Road might appear benign by comparison, but the authors of the Driving Experience survey were still enough in awe of it to describe it as being “as unbelievably scary as it is beautiful”.
CONTRACTOR TRIPARTITE CONFERENCE
Last call – Rotorua beckons Readers should be getting prepared for the combined NZ Contractor’s Federation (NZCF), Roading NZ (RNZ), and the Association of Consulting Engineers NZ (ACENZ) annual conference from August 6 to 9. THE FOUR-DAY, tripartite event, themed Achieving Results Together, takes place in Rotorua’s Energy Events Centre in the Government Gardens. The conference will focus on unity among the industries, collaboration, and a bit of fun thrown in as well. The conference will celebrate the journey of bringing three aspects of the industry together. As mentioned elsewhere in this issue, members of the Contractor’s Federation (NZFC) and Roading NZ (RNZ) attending the joint conference will be asked to vote over a merger of the two associations at their respective AGMs. The two associations believe there are many benefits from a merger and will reduce membership churn, attract new members, save large members two subscription costs, and shift the allocation of voting rights in the direction of a stronger overall representation.
Something for everyone Roading NZ chief executive Chris Olsen says three organisations coming together for the one conference will also provide delegates with the benefits of a programme with diverse speaker representation across the entire contracting and engineering consulting industries focusing on the theme of achieving results together. Jeremy Sole, NCZF CEO, says; “The agenda is being set up to appeal to the widest range of industry participants, from small businesses to very large businesses. Networking opportunities for smaller to medium sized businesses
38 JULY 2014
is going to increase exponentially. It’s a conference where a lot of long-term relationships are established.” Opportunities to network and form relationships will be abundant with ACENZ representing over 175 corporate members, employing over 9600 people in the country in a variety of professional and technical roles. The power of three organisations in one conference also gives sponsors and exhibitors marketing opportunities, company visibility and brand awareness.
The social side All conference sessions and all, but one, social function will be held in the Events Centre, which is within walking distance of the retail precinct, accommodation, restaurants, and other facilities. Taking on the responsibility of keeping proceedings running smoothly and the audience entertained is the country’s most prominent business MC, Greg Ward. Guest speakers for the conference include Dr Norman Chorn, a strategy and organisation development practitioner; Dr Jason Fox, a motivation strategy and design expert; Glenn Martin, Martin Jetpack inventor; Eduardo Niebles, BST Global managing director; John Gamble, president and chief executive of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Canada and Celia Lashlie, researcher and social justice advocate. Jeremy says with the industry, markets and the world changing at such a rapid pace, the event’s speakers will help the audience get their heads around
understanding those changes and to be prepared for them. The conference will be ideal for: • Owners and managers engaged in infrastructure; • Leaders in government agencies involved in infrastructure; • Local authority procurement decision makers; • Suppliers of products and services to the infrastructure industry; • Anyone who has an interest in relationships in the wider infrastructure sector. The all-important social programme promises both the grandeur of black tie awards dinners and the much talked about and highly anticipated ‘let your hair down’ dress up dinner. The theme for this year’s dress up dinner, held on the Thursday night, is “Star”. Whether it is Neil Armstrong or Marilyn Monroe, anything goes that puts stars in your eyes is the brief, so don’t turn up not in costume and be left feeling awkward. As usual the Partners’ Programme this year promises a little bit of pampering, a little bit of eco-awareness, and a whole lot of fun. The Saturday also offers an optional leisure programme with golf, ziplines, karting, off road safaris and 4x4 thrill rides available. • Registrations remain open for the event and can be done online or manually. The relevant documents and pricing information can be found at the conference website, www.powerof3conf.co.nz.
HEAVY HAULAGE CONFERENCE CONTRACTOR
Golden glow to 2014 The celebration of the NZ Heavy Haulage Association’s 50th anniversary adds an extra dimension to this year’s conference to be held in Rotorua. By JONATHAN BHANA-THOMSON, CEO, HHA. THE VENUE OF THE conference at the Distinction Hotel will provide the opportunity to celebrate the event as well as the capacity to take the expected extra guests and display of the large transporter units that are and have always been a feature of the heavy haulage industry. The 50 years since the Heavy Haulage Association was first instituted have seen massive changes in the types and size of loads that need to be moved as well as significant changes in the transporters that are utilised within the industry. What hasn’t changed is the need for this specialist association to advocate on behalf of its members to ensure that the roads used to transport large loads as well as the permits that need to be gained, are suitable and safe for transport operators to use. Over the past 50 years the association has gone from strength to strength and this is visible in the 10 percent growth in membership of the association in the last 12 months. So it is with this aspect of acknowledging the innovation within the industry and celebrating our heritage that this year’s conference and AGM will be held. Centred in Rotorua, close to where the first meeting of the association was held (Taupo), this will provide many opportunities for members both current and past to get together to recall and reminisce about the good old days. While this anniversary conference is a celebration of this notable event, the
business of the association continues on, and following the opening of the conference on Thursday August 14, there will be an opportunity for delegates to be updated with the latest updates on the significant policy developments of the past 12 months. This includes the recently consulted-on changes to the enforcement and penalties regime for overweight permits (long time coming), and the changes to the RUC regime that the association has been seeking changes to for the past two years. A regulators’ panel and presentation session follows this to provide an opportunity for NZTA and the CVIU to give a stock take on current policy issues as well as respond to questions from the membership. The afternoon sessions have an innovation theme which includes presentations from a local business leader, the latest information from a group of industry suppliers and a session discussing health and safety themes. The day rounds out with the association’s AGM, which leads nicely into the dinner and awards evening, this year held on the Thursday night. This evening celebrates and recognises those individuals and companies that have contributed to the work of the association.
Achievements celebrated The theme of celebration typifies the second day of conference on the Friday. This kicks off with an illustrated history
of the association. The book Mighty Moves, published two years ago, features the industry and its achievements, and this session is a chance to focus more on the work of the association and its achievements. The more colourful stories of the past as told by members will also be presented in a session prior to the lunch break. Either side of this, given that it is election year, the association wanted to give an opportunity for some colourful MPs to present something of their story and life in politics. So Maurice Williamson and Clayton Cosgrove will take the podium to present their tales, and, given the impending election, will not be able to resist a little politicking also. Other presentations will be from some industry icons as well as some of the association’s long-time supporter companies to look back in the past as well as look to the future. A celebration dinner rounds out the Friday with an opportunity to relax and be entertained as well as dance the night away. The two main conference days are proceeded by specialist meetings for both the housemover group and a group of heavy recovery operators. Finally the Saturday following the conference will include a truck and equipment display from both the past and present. • Information about the conference and registration forms are available on the Association’s website: www.hha.org.nz
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JULY 2014 39
CONTRACTOR TRAINING
The Waterview
student connection The country’s biggest infrastructure project running alongside the Unitec Institute of Technology campus in Auckland provided an ideal opportunity for students to gain industry experience right outside the classroom door. FLETCHER CONSTRUCTION, a member of the Well-Connected Alliance involved in the SH20 to SH16 Waterview Connection project, hired, trained and paid a team of 10 Unitec Institute of Technology students for the job of precision monitoring for ground surface movement before, during and after the tunneling machine ‘Alice’ passes nearby. These students had been ‘filtered’ down by Unitec lecturers from a pool of 60 who submitted expressions of interest. Providing complete and reliable monitoring data to Auckland Council every month is part of the project’s resource consent requirements – representing a significant challenge for the Unitec team, all of whom are studying full time. Also involved were Unitec staff, who managed the data collection and processing phases in conjunction with the
students and who were ultimately responsible for ensuring the delivery of data. Staff dedicated up to 20 hours a week recruiting, scheduling and managing the student team, as well as meeting with Fletchers’ chief surveyor on a monthly basis on progress updates. To date the work has been completed on time each month and to the required millimetre accuracy standards. This was achieved with the use of precise levelling equipment.
Real work experience Dave Allen, lecturer in surveying at Unitec, says that while students learn current methods and processes in the classroom, there is no substitute for being tested by a real work environment. “What we teach them are the measurement science principles
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Allen says the project opportunity delivers on Unitec’s promise to produce graduates who are genuinely work-ready and highly relevant to employers.
]
Delivering on Unitec promises
Students Anas Matar and Frances Nelson were on the surveying team supporting the Well-Connected Alliance.
and gaining this work experience gives them an understanding of the commercial dimension of time and cost. “The students are learning that deliverables have to be met regardless of conditions – and at times they went out in some atrocious conditions,” he says. “If they don’t get it right, they know they have to get back out there and complete the task to the required standard, and ensure reliable results are delivered.” Each member of the student team typically does between 10 and 20 hours a month and they are paid on an hourly-rate basis for their efforts. Students went through Fletchers’ health and safety and induction programmes as well as project training when they were recruited for the project back in March. “Once the team gained sufficient field experience, the datagathering task itself was not that onerous, but the challenge was to maintain consistency across the project duration, such that every month accurate, reliable results were attained,” says Allen. “As a learning process we can see how they have moved into problem-solving mode; they are coming to us less often with queries over the results and resolving them themselves. “Timeliness in completing the various levelling runs, and accuracy, has improved over the course of the year.”
“We are fortunate Fletchers were open to our approach to give these students work opportunities,” comments Allen. The value in the collaboration for employers is that they benefit from cost-effective and quality-assured work while being able to support the sector’s emerging workforce development. Michael Cutfield, the surface survey manager on the Waterview Connection project, agrees that the benefits work both ways. “We’re able to gain valuable survey information at the same time as contributing to the education and experience of the next generation of surveyors. It’s got to be good for the survey profession and the construction industry!” Allen says the project opportunity also delivers on Unitec’s promise to produce graduates who are genuinely work-ready and highly relevant to employers. “Being employed by Fletchers, one of NZ’s largest companies, while working on one of NZ’s largest infrastructure projects provides this group with a huge advantage on their CVs. “For Unitec, being able to leverage relevant employment opportunities for its students while they are studying is an increasingly important part of its offer. “The work experience gained and skills learned has already made the difference for some of the original students on the project who had jobs at major firms lined up for when they graduated.” The students involved endorse Allen’s comments. “This experience has given me a new insight into the industry, how it is managed and the importance of the work. I have enjoyed every second of it and it has reaffirmed my career goal of becoming an engineer,” says Frances Nelson. Anas Matar, another student working on the project, says; “It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to work on this project which everyone in Auckland knows about and we see in operation every day; being part of it makes our skills and knowledge feel very relevant.”
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CONTRACTOR COMMENT
Two very significant events JEREMY SOLE CEO, NEW ZEALAND CONTRACTORS’ FEDERATION
WE’RE HEADING FULL STEAM towards two significant events, and I can’t believe the pace of this year which is now half gone. I guess time flies when you’re having fun. The first event, first in importance and second in time, is the proposed merger between the Contractors’ Federation and Roading NZ. This proposal has developed legs after many years of frustration and angst and, more latterly, in an increasingly more willing, and successful, environment of collaboration and openness. It will be good to participate in the federation’s milestone 70th Annual General Meeting this year to run through the final proposals and experience the vote. This proposal has the potential to unite the civil contracting sector in its important advocacy activities. This will ensure that a united representative voice is always at the table and its views are always heard when government and government departments are deliberating. There are few benefits from having two competing industry voices, but one of them has been that when the two organisations arrive at the client’s doorstep with a united voice – then the clients tend to listen more intently. Of course the flipside of this is that it’s often after the fact, and had there been a single united industry body representing a spectrum of interests in the first instance, then the client may have been more likely to consult with it before it got to the point where the industry felt the need to mobilise. I don’t think that the tensions have resulted from either party being right or wrong, or that anyone held any legitimate claim to the moral high ground in the past. Rather it was symptomatic of how division creates division and unless there is a circuit breaker at some point in time it will just continue to endure or
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The different, merged, civil contracting representative environment will require an approach that is trusting, collaborative and openly engaging with any tough internal issues to the point that internal and external participants and clients have confidence the organisation’s voice is well considered and truly representative. escalate. Eventually, as organisations increasingly feel the need to escalate their boundary defences, they start to lose touch with the reality that everyone else sees and start to see or imagine Machiavellian tensions everywhere they look. I guess this pretty well describes the human condition as we’ve seen it for many millennia and as reflected in the history books and we are seeing it today in the Middle East and in the Ukraine and to a lesser degree within our own political system. Coming back down to earth now, the different, merged, civil contracting representative environment will require an approach that is trusting, collaborative and openly engaging with any tough internal issues to the point that internal and external participants and clients have confidence the organisation’s voice is well considered and truly representative. Speaking of ‘truly representative’, we are all looking forward to the first ever industry tripartite conference in Rotorua in August with RoadingNZ, the Association of Consulting Engineers, and the federation. This is a very useful gathering of contractors and consulting engineers and a smattering of government stakeholders and clients. We are also hosting a session for the
unsung heroes of the industry – the family members who sit behind the person on the digger and run the business on a day-to-day basis with little or no recognition. These are the people who pay the bills, chase the debtors, do the tax stuff and manage the cash flow. They don’t get to go out in the fresh air and sunshine to build something every day – they get to stay at home or in the office and build the business from the inside and that can be a tough and thankless job. So we’re running a session to make their lives easier. We’ll also have some big picture business sessions and some inspirational people to activate creativity and plenty of opportunities to network with peers and potential subcontractors and clients. And, of course, there’s CablePrice’s, now internationally infamous, dress-up evening and the more austere Hirepool national construction awards and Z Energy’s recognition of commitment and excellence on the part of individuals and companies in developing themselves and their people in the Z Energy People Awards. • Register for the conference at www.powerof3conf.co.nz
COMMENT CONTRACTOR
Step change needed in the accountability of utility companies CHRIS OLSEN CEO, ROADING NEW ZEALAND
THE NEW ZEALAND UTILITIES Advisory Group is currently reviewing the National Code of Practice for Utility Operators’ Access to Transport Corridors. Roading New Zealand (RNZ) and the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation (NZCF) generally support this Code of Practice, but believe that there have been too many preventable utility strikes and are disappointed that the Code has not adequately addressed this problem. We think this is both an urgent and important issue and have joined forces to get this changed. We submitted to the Advisory Group that there needs to be a step change in the accountability of utility companies under the Code to eliminate strikes to underground services. Here’s why. Some years ago I witnessed a contractor picking up a set of plans showing that power cables ran through his job and, not surprisingly, these plans had the usual “all care no responsibility” stamp on them. The contractor thought it was unreasonable to have this stamp on the plans because he had a responsibility to keep his workers safe and considered that the utility company was not being helpful. He relayed his view to the equivalent of what is now WorkSafe which obtained for him a set of plans without the stamp. What I found interesting was that, before he got back to the site, the utility company was already there physically locating the power cables. As a result, there were no utility strikes on that job and minimal delays. The simple lesson I learnt from this was that accountability drives good outcomes. While it is true that in some instances contractors do not follow proper procedures to locate and avoid underground services, it is also true that in some instances utility companies delegate their responsibility for locating
underground services to the contractor often with incorrect information and/or under a type of contract not suited to this type of risk. It is quite clear to me that this approach can set contractors up to fail and, while this may be of benefit to the utility company, it does not reflect well on them or the contractor in the public eye. This practice also may not comply with the requirements of a PCBU under the new Health & Safety Reform Bill. Under this proposed new legislation a utility company is a PCBU and Section 33 (1) states that: “A PCBU with management or control of fixtures, fittings, or plant at a workplace must, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure that the fixtures, fittings, or plant are without risks to the health and safety of any person.” RNZ and NZCF believe that the first
Consequently, we have recommended to the Advisory Group that the Code be amended to: • incorporate a requirement that utility companies are fully accountable for knowing the accurate location of their underground or overhead services; • require utility companies themselves to physically locate any underground or overhead services because this is their responsibility under the Health and Safety Reform Bill which cannot be delegated and evidence from situations where this has occurred shows zero strikes occur; • incorporate a requirement that any roading works that impact on utility locations be advised to utility operators for updating the location of services thereby ensuring the accuracy of service plans; • require the adoption of the State
It is quite clear to me that this approach can set contractors up to fail and, while this may be of benefit to the utility company, it does not reflect well on them or the contractor in the public eye. duty of care under this provision is to accurately identify/locate underground services and plant so they can be avoided and not cause harm. Because of the lack of accuracy and the unreliability of many “as built plans”, we believe that the only reasonably practicable approach is for the utility company to physically locate them. RNZ and NZCF note that Section 24 of the Bill states that; “A duty under this Act may not be transferred to another person.” And are unaware of any evidence showing utility strikes in instances where utility companies have physically located their underground services instead of transferring that duty to a contractor.
Highway Health and Safety Leadership Forum’s “Best Practice Subsurface Utility Location Guide” as SCIRT data shows it has reduced the number of strikes substantially; • require utility companies to use procurement strategies and forms of contract appropriate to the risk profile because the New Zealand Transport Agency has shown repeatedly that these types of contracts have a profound impact on successful deliverables and outcomes. Let’s hope common sense prevails and the New Zealand Utilities Advisory Group takes a sector perspective on changes to the National Code and makes this step change to eliminate utility strikes. JULY 2014 43
CONTRACTOR COMMENT
Measuring alliance team integration S B COSTELLO; S WILKINSON, AND C K I IBRAHIM DEPARTMENT OF THE CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND
AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY UNDERTOOK a recent study to measure team integration in alliance projects and has developed an Alliance Team Integration Performance Index. Since pioneering our first motorway alliance project in 2001 – the Grafton Gully Motorway Extension – the NZ Transport Agency has been instrumental in promoting collaborative contracting in this country. Teamwork is the central tenet of alliance projects and given New Zealand’s continuing commitment to alliancing, it is critical that team integration performance, and more importantly how that performance changes over time, is measured in order to ensure continued success. A lack of available tools, nationally as well as internationally, to measure team integration in alliance projects prompted a recent study at the University of Auckland. The study initially focused on the key indicators of team integration in Alliance projects or, more simply, what makes teams integrate better. Seventeen indicators were identified as influencing team integration in construction contracts. From these, experienced alliance practitioners were tasked with identifying the critical key indicators of team integration and their relative weightings, for inclusion in an Alliance Team Integration Performance Index (ATIPI). The experienced Alliance practitioners came up with (1) team leadership; (2) trust & respect; (3) a single team focus on project objectives and Key Results Areas (KRAs); (4) collective understanding; (5) commitment from project alliance board; (6) creation of single and co-located alliance team; and (7) free flow communication as the critical indicators for measuring team integration. The next question was how to easily measure the indicators, such as team leadership, trust and respect or collective understanding, which are notoriously difficult to quantify. Further 44 JULY 2014
research focused on determining appropriate quantitative measures for each key indicator, which could be agreed upon to represent an effective way of measuring performance. While a long list of measures were identified, the desire to develop a practical and usable indicator prevailed and one measure for each indicator was adopted. The key indicators and their respective quantitative measures are: (1) Team Leadership: Variation of actual time / cost against programme / budget expressed as a percentage of the project’s progress; (2) Trust and respect: Survey of alliance teams’ satisfaction on the level of trust and respect by using a Likert scale; (3) Single team focus on project objectives and Key Result Areas (KRAs): Survey of alliance teams’ understanding on the project objectives and key results areas by using a Likert scale; (4) Collective understanding: Percentage of alliance team attendance in weekly project briefing; (5) Commitment from Project Alliance Board (PAB): Percentage of project alliance board members (original) attendance in project alliance board meetings; (6) Creation of single and co-located alliance team: Number of staff allocated on-site against the overall number of staff expressed as a percentage of the single and colocated alliance team; (7) Free flow communication: The turnaround time for Requests for Information (RFI) and Design Engineering Instructions (DEI). The final problem tackled in the research was how to distinguish between different levels of team integration performance. The linguistic variables for the performance levels, namely
‘poor’, ‘average’, ‘good’, ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’, describe vague concepts and needed to be converted into quantitative ranges for each quantitative measure. This was again achieved using the same experienced alliance practitioners, coupled with ‘Fuzzy Set Theory’ to account for any variability in responses. Of particular interest, when comparing the resulting boundaries for the performance levels with studies overseas of other collaborative contracting approaches, was the high levels of performance required in alliance projects to be considered to be working at a ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ level of team integration performance. This, in some respects, is not surprising given the central role that team integration plays in alliance projects. To validate and test the applicability of the model a computerised version of the ATIPI was developed, thereby providing an automated way of calculating and presenting graphically the resulting performance, via a spider web diagram. An independent panel of Alliance experts carried out the successful validation of the ATIPI, based on the degree of appropriateness, objectivity, replicability and practicality, as well as overall reliability and suitability to be adopted as an assessment tool. The assessment tool was then successfully trialled on three Alliance projects to demonstrate its applicability. The establishment of the ATIPI tool provides owner and non-owner participants with a systematic and structured approach to measure team integration performance consistently and objectively over the life cycle of alliance projects. Such assessment is vital for the teams to gain greater insight into their performance and, hence, provides a point of reference to drive continuous improvement.
• IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TEST THE TOOL to see how effective your team integration practices are, then visit the research tool website at: www.mediafire.com/view/6yezyqpc33takql/ATIPI_Demo_Final.xlsx
COMMENT CONTRACTOR
Introducing Connexis – your infrastructure ITO HELMUT MODLIK CEO CONNEXIS
BY THE TIME YOU read this, the Infrastructure Industry Training Organisation will have been officially launched as Connexis. It’s a unique and interesting time for us, as we leave behind our previous incarnations as InfraTrain and the Electricity Supply ITO (ESITO) and focus on becoming the ITO of choice for New Zealand’s infrastructure industries. Our new brand has been a long time coming, and is something we’re very proud of. The name Connexis is made up of the words ‘connect’ and ‘nexus’. If you’re at the nexus of something, you are at its very core. We see ourselves as being at the core of infrastructure industry training in New Zealand – playing a vital role in supporting trades people reach their potential.
Improving our connections The Connexis story is about far more than two organisations coming together. It’s about improving our connections with people – our employees, trainees, employers, our business partners. It’s also about serving the people who
use and benefit from infrastructure – individuals, organisations, communities, and New Zealand as a nation. While infrastructure is ‘only’ a physical commodity, ultimately it changes people’s lives. Recent severe weather and disaster events have reinforced just how much our infrastructure really matters. Going forward, our vision is to make a difference for each employer and trainee we serve. We want to be the best in class, and aim to achieve this through a singleminded focus on our customers, each and every one. We hope our customers will come to view us as valued partners, with strong relationships based on trust and confidence that we deliver. Everyone we work and engage with has
a part to play in the mutual and collective success story that we aim to write. That’s why we’ve designed a new brand that reflects our thinking and values, and emphasises the connectedness of us all. I am excited about the future and the contribution we aim to make in infrastructure. It’s an industry that is really going places, and it is fantastic to be part of it at this time. We are currently providing support for the civil construction, electricity supply and telecommunications sectors, but in future will be looking to deliver value to other infrastructure sectors wherever we might be needed. I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
Everyone we work and engage with has a part to play in the mutual and collective success story that we aim to write. That’s why we’ve designed a new brand that reflects our thinking and values, and emphasises the connectedness of us all.
Remote, Worksite, & Emergency Site Wide Area Lighting The Aust Light Tower is a unique, easy to deploy solution that can light a wide area (up to 10,000M2) for almost any situation. The durable sailcloth fan-inflated ‘tube’ and base is man-portable and fits into the boot of a sedan car. It can be operating within minutes from a portable generator or mains power supply. It’s robust and suitable for all work sites and emergency sites, including road works. Best of all, it costs a lot less than conventional wide area lighting alternatives.
www.groundforce.co.nz | 0800 864 701
For all sales enquiries call Doug Irvine at Groundforce Mob: 021 541 152 • Em: doug@groundforce.co.nz
JULY 2014 45
CONTRACTOR CLASSIC MACHINES
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International Harvester 175 pay loader
Introduced in 1963, the Model 175 was one of a quartet of totally integrated track type loaders to be offered by International Harvester (the others were the 100, 150 and 250). BY RICHARD CAMPBELL. Above: One of the first production models of the International Harvester 175 goes through its paces in an abrasive environment. The machine is fitted with a Drott 4-in-1 multi-purpose bucket and a 5-shank radial arc ripper, also of Drott manufacture.
46 JULY 2014
THE MODEL 175 replaced the former TD-14 and TD-15-151 track type tractors that were supplied bare to Drott Manufacturing, which then built and added the loader frame, arms, hydraulics, counterweight and bucket to the machine transforming it into a dedicated track type loader. Drott would also replace the single grouser track shoes if required with double or triple grouser shoes at customer request. Drott was strongly aligned with International as a business partner and its biggest claim to fame was the invention of the 4-in-1 loader bucket, an incredibly useful tool still offered today by many manufacturers. Another of Drott’s inventions was the ‘HydroSpring’, a device which cushioned shock loads on the hydraulic system and was in widespread use on International’s track loaders throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. International Harvester realised however that
these machines, like a number of other track loaders, were pretty much a compromise so the decision was taken to build a dedicated track loader from the ground up. Utilising the engine and torque converter/ transmission assembly from its model TD-15B dozer, a completely new machine was constructed with an integrated loader tower, rigid track frame and planetary final drives. With an operating weight of approximately 14 tons and carrying a 1¾ cubic yard bucket, the new model 175 was powered by an International DT407 six cylinder diesel putting out 115 flywheel horsepower. One of the features carried over from previous Drott designs was the Z-bar loader linkage, which gave the machine exceptional breakout force at ground level as it exerted a very strong prying action. Unlike a lot of other track loaders of the period,
[
A monolithic welded steel tub held the engine, transmission and drive train and also formed the foundation of the loader tower. Track frames were rigidly connected to the chassis structure by two heavy cross members.
the operator was very well placed on the machine and not buried in a ‘tub’ from which it was difficult to enter and exit. In fact the 175 had an almost walk-through deck and good visibility to the rear. Supplied standard with an extra third hydraulic valve, the 175 could be fitted with a 4-in-1 bucket, ripper or both (with a diverter valve) if the customer required it. The 175 was very well received by the contracting market and sold exceptionally well. International Harvester had a winner on its hands. During 1966, an upgraded version was introduced, the model 175B. This differed from the initial production version by having a slight horsepower increase from 115 to 120 horsepower, modifications to the carrier roller mountings and an increase in standard bucket size from 1¾ to two cubic yards. The range of optional attachments also expanded to include an angle blade, logging forks and a stone grapple. Again, the machine sold in quantity and was used in all sorts of applications.
International Harvester launched the final version of the machine, the model 175C in 1972. Featuring an all-new engine, the six-cylinder IH DT466, was rated at 140 flywheel horsepower. This change brought the machine into parts commonality with other tractors in InternationalHarvester’s ‘Pay Line’ range as the DT466 engine was also used in the TD-15 dozer, 412 elevating scraper and was the rear engine of both the 433 and 444 motor scrapers. Changes were made to the undercarriage, making these components stronger, and OSHA required ROPS mountings were also incorporated into the chassis to make the machine safety compliant. In this form the 175C remained in production until International was taken over by Dresser in 1982. Dresser did not persist too long with manufacture of the type as demand for track type loaders was waning and it was finally withdrawn from production. All time production of the International 175 exceeded 13,000 examples with the only real
]
Above: In this factory photo, a brand new 175B sits on the IH loading dock awaiting rail freight to its new home. It has a full lighting package, a 2 cubic yard general purpose bucket and one of the new operator seats with the sun-reflective upholstery, an IH exclusive.
JULY 2014 47
CONTRACTOR CLASSIC MACHINES
competition to the type coming from the Caterpillar 955. The 175 was especially popular in demolition and logging applications where it could take all the punishment dished out to it in these harsh operating environments. Isolated examples can still be found working.
The 175 pay loader described
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3
We will look at the 175B model that was produced in the largest quantity (over 6500 examples). Power was provided by a six-cylinder, International model DT407 turbocharged diesel engine putting out 120 flywheel horsepower. This in turn was attached to a single stage torque converter and two-speed powershift transmission with manually selected high and low speed ranges giving an effective four speeds forward and reverse. Steering was effected by International’s patented planetary, multiple disc brake steering system which allowed both tracks to be powered at all times. This unit was oil cooled to prolong the life of the discs. Power was transmitted from the clutches to the planetary final drives which could be serviced without breaking the tracks, and were isolated from shock loads. A monolithic welded steel tub held the engine, transmission and drive train and also formed the foundation of the loader tower. Track frames were rigidly connected to the chassis structure by two heavy cross members. Standard track frame was a 6-roller type with 39-section sealed track and 15’ triple grouser track shoes. Track tension adjustment was via a grease-filled hydraulic cylinder mounted in each track frame. The operator sat high and had an excellent view of the work area and tools. Floor panels were flat and allowed an almost walk through environment. A centrally placed instrument panel was well provided with gauges to monitor the machine’s performance.
1. Nice side view of a 175B shows a lot of detail, especially the track frame where the two crosswise mounting beams can be clearly seen. Also, the indicator rod on the left hand tilt cylinder – indispensable when the machine was fitted with a 4-in-1 bucket. 2. A European-based 175B, sits in a French gravel quarry. Fitted with a locally made cab, the machine has a 4-in-1 bucket, full track guards and a Drott radial arc ripper, strangely with no shanks! Nice to see that this machine is still active and appears in very good condition for a 40+ year old machine. 3. A model 175C hard at work on an industrial estate in Illinois, USA. By now the 175s have gained a ROPS, and a muffler to comply with ever-increasing OSHA regulations covering earthmoving equipment.
4 48 JULY 2014
4. A survivor. This 175C in Atlanta, Georgia, USA is for sale as the sign indicates. It has a factory ROPS, muffler and an extra counterweight for the 4-in-1 bucket as the machine has no rear-mounted attachments. Prospective new owners better be prepared to shell out for some new undercarriage however as this machine’s track chains and shoes have seen much better days, and several seized track links are in evidence.
As mentioned previously, the loader mechanism was of the Z-bar type. Two hydraulic cylinders provided the lift and two cylinders furnished the crowd/dump force. Automatic bucket positioning was standard, and when fitted with the optional 4-in-1 bucket, a rod on top of the left tilt cylinder gave an optical reference as to what mode the bucket was in. Optional equipment included a cab, heater, lighting package, different sized track shoes, radial or parallel action ripper and a winch.
Manufactured by First Gear, they were released in 2007 and are still generally available. The 1:25 scale example in particular is museum quality and available in three versions – general contracting (with ripper), demolition (with special demolition bucket and winch) and an example as used by the US Fire Service, painted in red. Either large or small scale would make an ideal addition to any serious collection.
Fully outfitted 175C with sweeps attached to the front of the ROPS. This machine is almost certainly intended for forestry use as it also has the mesh guarding on the rear of the ROPS as well. 175s were very popular building logging decks, roads and on the landings’ loading trucks.
The New Zealand connection
BRIEF SPECIFICATIONS
As could be expected, the International 175 sold very well here to all sectors of the contracting and forestry industries, and all three versions of the machine (175, 175B and 175C) were imported. It is believed that over 250 machines came into NZ during the time the machine was manufactured (1962-1982). With the rise of the hydraulic excavator came the demise of the track type loader and examples of the 175 are not a common sight these days. It is to be hoped that someone will save one for preservation.
International Harvester 175B Pay Loader
For the model collector For a change, I am pleased to be able to report that there are two excellent models of International’s 175 track loader available and these both represent the model 175C version – one to 1:50 and the other to 1:25 scale.
Engine: International DT407, 6-cylinder, inline turbocharged diesel rated at 120 flywheel horsepower at 2400 rpm Transmission: International full powershift countershaft type transmission with two forward and two reverse ranges plus a high/low splitter giving four speeds in either direction Top Speed: 5.2 mph Steering: Planetary type with multiple disc brakes, oil cooled Track Frame: 6-roller Tracks: 39-section, sealed Standard shoes: 15’ triple grouser Standard bucket: 2 cubic yard, general purpose Length: 15’ 8” Width: 7’ 2” Height: 7’ 1” Operating weight: 14½ tons
JULY 2014 49
CONTRACTOR MOTORING BY PETER GILL
Sort of frisky Britain seemed to be the world champions at producing strange little cars in the 1950s. We have featured a few on these pages over the years. One that I have only just discovered was the Frisky. It was built in a number of model variants between 1957 and 1964. Most models had a twin cylinder Villiers motor cycle engine boasting a whopping 324cc. Frisky? Really? If you’re 92 maybe. While looking at pictures of this car, I was not surprised to learn that the company’s founder, one Raymond Flower, also ran a brewery.
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... A truck brand that was once quite high profile in New Zealand was Fargo. The company started up in 1913 in Chicago. It was bought by Chrysler in 1928. Chrysler also bought out the Dodge brothers. From then on, a Fargo truck was identical to a Dodge or a De Soto. In recent years, Chrysler has faded out the Fargo name. Which is probably just as well because now Fiat has bought Chrysler, they would probably have wanted to change Fargo to Fargoissimo. 50 July 2014
THIS D OLD RCEK TRU
THREE WHEELING ON HYDRAULICS
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PLEASE DON’T HIT DELETE
To think that the Citroen DS will be 60 years old next year is quite extraordinary when you look at this picture. Sixty years old, that is, since it was unveiled. Of course, it would have been in the design process three or four years prior. These cars were a giant hydraulic pump. Hydraulic pressure raised them from a collapsed position up onto their suspension when the engine was started. Hydraulic pressure aided the steering and the brakes. The hydraulic system kept the car level in every situation, even if you took one wheel off. That meant you could drive it on three wheels. I did that for a TV show I was in. People who saw me immediately changed their brand of sherry.
Google has rolled out a new version of its driverless cars. It is a pod-like vehicle with seating for two, for use in cities. Google’s plan is that you don’t own the car. You summon it with your smart phone, enter your destination, it takes you there, and you wave your credit card at it before it lets you out. In theory, this sounds like good thinking. But I do worry when computer companies start messing with cars. At one stage, Fiat was thinking of basing its car electronics on the Windows platform. I wouldn’t want to be in it when it “performed a fatal error”
NOT WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR A lot of years ago I recall test driving a ute version of the Mini. Sounds strange, I know. But there was such a thing. Not many were sold and I haven’t seen one on the roads for years. Now, BMW, owner of the Mini brand these days, has come up with a new version called the Paceman. I haven’t driven that one because it looks as though they’ve decided not to put it into commercial production. Back to the
original one in the 1970s. As is the way of young and lusty couples (or was then, anyway) ardour caused by coursing hormones was given expression in cars. I found it nigh impossible in the car version of the Mini. But provided it was warm, dark and not raining, and the tailgate was opened to horizontal, reasonable results could be attained with the ute. July 2014 51
CONTRACTOR COMMUNITY
Above: The community crew. Top right: James Corlett, NZCF, surveys the work in progress. Right: Judy and Owen Takuira-Ngaropo.
A helping hand for community service Bay of Plenty Contractor’s Federation branch members come to the aid of The Rock community garden to build an access track as part of their commitment to the local community. SANDWICHED BETWEEN two residential developments in Hartford Avenue and Santa Barbara Drive in Papamoa, near Tauranga, lie a number of raised vegetable gardens fashioned from recycled timber posts. On any given day, amongst the green broadleaves of silver beet and rows of cauliflower you’ll find Owen and Judy Takuira-Ngaropo, who produce food to fill the bellies of Papamoa’s less fortunate. Food banks, soup kitchens and charity groups are among the garden’s regular customers, along with the elderly in need of assistance. On hearing about the positive change Owen was generating within his community, the NZ Contractors Federation’s Bay of Plenty branch offered to construct a level track and turning bay so wheelbarrows, vehicles and mobility chairs can access the rear of the expanding garden. The track took two days to complete, with day one dedicated to boring 50 post holes for a small retaining wall to level the slope and a 100 cubic metre section of turf was turned for another garden. Day two saw the earthworks completed, geofabric laid and crusher dust put down and compacted. Owen was astounded, overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of the federation members who donated materials and manpower to complete the task, which up until that point had seemed out of reach. “It’s just unbelieveable, I can’t thank you all enough,” he says. 52 JULY 2014
NZCF’s Northern regional manager James Corlett says the garden is a remarkable achievement. “If the drive of one man can achieve something of this scale, imagine what a community could achieve if positive energy was focused on a task.” The journey to build the garden started in January 2012 and within two-and-a-half years the flourishing garden appears as if it has existed for a decade. Owen’s idea to turn the hidden 6000 cubic metre grass reserve into a vegetable garden to feed the community was sparked by gifting the oversupply of his kamo kamo harvest to his neighbours. Their appreciation for such a small gesture opened his mind to feeding the community on a large scale. The Tauranga City Council (TCC) supports the garden and has assisted in its development wherever possible and installed irrigation. The underground stormwater infrastructure meant the land could not be built upon, so it was being mown by Council. Peter Mora from the TCC said, the community space has many benefits from hindering anti-social behaviour in the vicinity, to educating people on how to be self-sufficient and feeding those in need. The garden is a full time job for Owen, who is assisted by helpers and a few neighbours who understand the value of serving their community. The TakuiraNgaropo’s own garden, which was once abundant with flowers has been sacrificed to the greenhouses to cultivate seedlings.
Judy’s ill health means she cannot aid physically, so that’s left to Owen while Judy takes care of the fundraising and seedling cultivation in addition to her part-time job. The garden is funded through donations, vegetable sales at weekend markets and their own pockets. Fortunately, local businesses and volunteer groups who have witnessed Owen’s passion for helping those less fortunate, have donated time and materials to ensure the garden’s success. The Tauranga Eastern Link Alliance donated six hundred posts and strainers from kiwifruit orchards they were clearing to make way for the new highway; these posts were also used in the construction of the track. The manpower for the project was provided by Richard Kettelwell, NZCF BoP chairman and partner at Sharp Tudhope Lawyers; James Corlett, NZCF; Peter Mora, Tauranga City Council; Mike Stall, Hynds Pipe Systems; Mike Speed, Todd Arnold and Darcy Robertson from HEB Construction; Craig Olive, Bruce Whakarri and Nathan Aporo Higgins; and David Hearn and Chaz Lovett from Downer. Materials were generously supplied by Fulton Hogan, Geotech Systems and Hirepool. • Anyone interested in helping at the garden is welcome to drop in on Saturdays (10am – 3:30pm). Alternatively, details can be found on the Facebook page: Facebook/ The Rock – Hartford Ave Community Gardens.
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CONTRACTOR INNOVATIONS
Heavy-duty pressure cleaner
A small milling wonder The Wirtgen W35DC is touted as the most versatile compact cold milling machine on the market. Thanks to its unique three-wheel set up and lockable front wheel, the W35DC can almost pirouette on the spot, which makes it endlessly versatile when milling in incredibly tight radii around tricky obstacles without sacrificing accuracy. The compact nature of the W35DC also means it can complete smaller milling operation work without causing large scale rerouting of traffic, and the right rear support wheel can be folded in under the outer edge of the machine’s bodywork, allowing flush milling right to the kerb. In addition to its wide 500mm milling drum, a standard loading conveyor attachment transforms the W35DC into an effective support machine, conveying milled material to the bucket of a front end loader, for example. Not only does this eliminate manual clearing of the milled material in time-sensitive situations, it also ensures a clean track behind the machine for the next run. Alternatively the conveyor attachment can slew to the left or right, letting the operator create a windrow on either side of the machine. Quick-release hydraulic couplings are a quick and easy process for a single team member. The operating discharge height of the conveyor can also be altered depending on the application. “It might be small, but the W35DC boasts plenty of grunt thanks to its 42.5kW diesel engine,” says Richard Seay from Wirtgen NZ. “This ensures a maximum milling depth of 110mm is easily reached and in a consistent and economical fashion.”
The Contractor 5000 is a petrol powered, cold water, mobile pressure cleaner manufactured here by Kerrick for the contracting and hire industries. It operates at a pressure of 5000 psi with a flow of 20 litres per minute, making it the ideal product for heavy duty cleaning jobs that need a bit of grunt. It is powered by a 22hp Honda petrol engine fitted to a 2:1 reduction gearbox that allows the pump to spin at the lower speed of 1450rpm. The frame can be either galvanised or powder coated and the 10-inch pneumatic wheels allow operators easy movement over rough terrain. A gun and lance are standard, with optional accessories, such as drain cleaning and turbo nozzles, hose reels and sand blasting kits. Ultra high pressure water jetting Hughes Pumps and Kerrick were recently commissioned by Not Just Coatings in Christchurch to design and build an ultra high pressure water jetting unit with an electrically braked trailer. The client company specialises in providing painting and coating solutions for the industrial sector and will be using the new system to strip coatings and corrosion from tanks and steel structures in preparation for painting. For more information on these two products contact Kerrick on 0800 253 774 or visit their website www.kerrick.co.nz for details.
An en-tyre-ly great idea One man’s waste is another man’s treasure. When Gloria and Miles McElwain of Budget Tyres of Hamilton found themselves with a never-ending supply of end-of-life tyres, they had a brainwave. By making rubber matting out of cut-up tyres, they created MatMate. These new high quality rubber mats quickly found 101 uses in the region, particularly on farms. Then the construction industry found out and demand has taken off. The mats are now being used by local contractors and heavy machinery operators for ground stabilising in muddy conditions, intersecting pipe protection, pavement and curbing protection, crane outrigger mats, and temporary parking pads. More information at www.matmate.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR LIGHTKNIGHT PRIZE DRAW AUGUST 2014
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CONTRACTOR INNOVATIONS
World’s most powerful all-terrain crane We never get tired of new crane photos and this one is from Berlin-based crane and rigging rental company Mobi-Hub, which used its new Terex AC 1000 all-terrain crane to unload a 175 tonne power plant column from a barge and place it on a ‘multi mover’ heavy haulage vehicle. “This type of load is normally lifted using a lattice boom crane or a tandem lift with two all terrain cranes,” says the company. “However, these two alternatives are not only more complex technically, but also significantly more expensive.” Having received their new Terex AC 1000 crane recently, the third option was to carry out the lift using only the AC 1000 crane, which proved to be the fastest and most cost-effective way, both in terms of logistics and setup and teardown times. The nine-axle Terex AC 1000 is the world’s most powerful all terrain crane that can travel with its 50 m-long main boom on public roads to nearly any location in the world, and is said to feature the fastest setup times of any crane in its category thanks to its luffing jib erecting system.
Throw away the paper log book Logmate is an electronic drivers logbook system for commercial drivers launched recently that does away with paper log books – the worst part of a of commercial driver’s job. It comes in the form of a simple application for iPhone and Android that allows commercial drivers to do away with the more cumbersome paper log books. Greg McDowell, Logmate Founder and managing director, says the application simplifies work time entries by saving driver details, leveraging smartphone GPS and date-time capabilities to enable driver to log a day’s activity at the press of a button. “The baked in intelligence of the Land Transport Act 1998 means the app also reminds and informs drivers as obligations arise.” He says Logmate is one of the first mobile applications approved by the NZTA to replace paper log books, and to get this it had to undergo a six week trial period in conjunction with both the agency and the CVIU. Through creating a transparent operating environment, Logmate also enables logistics companies to manage bookings and workloads more effectively by being able to view activity in a digestible format on demand. Logmate application supports Androids and iOS with other platforms to be added at the transport industry’s request. It is suitable for any class tow, three, four and five licence holders or those with passenger endorsements.
New diesel additive A new diesel additive is on the market through Hybrid Fuel Technology NZ that was developed in association with the Australian Government under the auspices of the country’s National Australian Testing Authority. Called Fyrex CI, it is said to enhance mineral diesel and biodiesel to produce high efficiency burn rates, reduce engine wear, increase engine power and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. For more information see www.hftnz.co.nz
CONTRACTORS’ DIARY Date Event
Venue
Contact
3-7 Jun 14
Crocus International Exhibition Center, Moscow
www.conexporussia.com
CONEXPO Russia 2014
24-26 Jun 14
Hillhead 2014
Tarmac’s Hillhead Quarry, Buxton, England
www.hillhead.com
9-12 Jul 14
Crane Association Conference
Rydges Lakeland Resort, Queenstown
www.cranes.org.nz
6-9 Aug 14
NZCF / ACENZ / Roading NZ Conference
Energy Events Centre, Rotorua
www.nzcontractors.co.nz
13-16 Aug 14
Heavy Haulage Association Conference
Distinction Hotel, Rotorua
www.hha.org.nz
3-6 Sep 14
Steinexpo 2014
Homberg / Niederofleiden, Germany
www.steinexpo.eu
21-24 Oct 15
Conexpo Latin America
Santiago, Chile
conexpolatinamerica.net
25-28 Nov 14
bauma China
International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China
www.bauma-china.com
15-18 Dec 14
bC India
India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi
www.bcindia.com
Please send any contributions for Contractor Diary to kevin@contrafed.co.nz, or phone 09 636 5710
56 JULY 2014
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