The Taylors Way - Year in Review 2022 - 2023

YEAR IN REVIEW

THE PEOPLE

THE PROJECTS THE RESULTS THE TAYLORS WAY

The Taylors Way

A great workplace culture

Many workplaces say that they value their people. At Taylors we treat everyone who works with us like they are part of our family.

Taylors Contracting Co Ltd is a familyowned business that began in 1971 when the late Bob Taylor and his wife Marlene bought a single Fiat bulldozer and went about the district clearing land, building tracks and roads for forestry clients, irrigation dams for horticulture and general farm water supply ponds.

Today Taylors Contracting Co Ltd employs more than 150 employees and is based at its purposebuilt facility in Brightwater, near Nelson, with a regional office in Christchurch.

Taylors uses integrated systems, GPS survey equipment, the latest soil testing equipment, and has a communications network covering more than 130 machines.

OUR KEY VALUES

SAFETY

Of Staff and Suppliers.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Environmentally responsible to the community while meeting the requirements of the law.

RELATIONSHIPS

Developing positive relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, clients and staff.

QUALITY

Project completed how, when and where required for the price the client wants.

For more information go to www.taycon.co.nz

Continuity + Innovation

A clever and modern approach

Our business requires us to solve problems and develop innovative and future-focused solutions.

Taylors Contracting Company Limited is Telarc Registered for Quality Health & Safety and Environmental. This means that the business has been independently and professionally assessed and demonstrates a commitment to high standards in safety, quality, and environmental management.

Telarc Registered for Quality and Environmental Management, and Health & Safety

Hydrogen fuel production may be part of greener use for forestry residue

David Robinson is the business development manager for Taylors Contracting and has 18 years of experience in senior management roles in the forestry industry in Nelson Tasman. He shares his thoughts on the future of hydrogen;

“In New Zealand, the Government is backing the future of hydrogen by assisting with funding the establishment of hydrogen refuelling stations along the length of State Highway 1. The first South Island station is set to be built in 2023.

“Although hydrogen is a very lightweight gas it packs a lot of energy, having three times the energy as the same weight of diesel.

“Our region has three large sawmills, all using their own mill residues to power their furnaces for wood drying. Demand for green hydrogen could be met locally by way of the sawmills including its manufacture as part of their heat production.

“This is where the forestry sector comes into play with its known slash and residue issue. The region hasn’t the same quantum of slash residues as seen in the Gisborne area, because here there is a local market for the low grade wood.

“A recent paper by DETA Consulting suggested that the Nelson Tasman region has a net surplus of forestry residues and in the future will be a regional exporter to places like Canterbury where biofuel energy demand will be greater than supply.

“Local production of hydrogen from forestry residues presents an opportunity to connect the power needs of heavy vehicles with reducing the risk of mass discharges for forestry waste from plantation.”

Taylors Contracting Co. Ltd.

Message from the CEO

It has been a busy, challenging, and positive year for our team as we have tackled some high-profile, largescale projects, assisted the community in responding to the impacts of major weather events, and continued to think creatively about the work that we do to deliver high-quality infrastructure solutions that work for people and the environment.

Like many of you, our business has managed the challenging issue of COVID-19 over the past 12 months. We have been making sure that we keep our people safe and provide support when needed. We’ve had to work closely with our customers and suppliers to manage the impact of COVID not only on people but also on the supply chain. Ordering goods and services has become an exercise in patience for many of us!

Increased fuel costs have had a major impact on many businesses, including ours. We are proud that we have been able to continue to offer competitive and attractive proposals for our clients around the South Island from our two operational bases in Christchurch and Brightwater.

We were delighted to finally be able to celebrate our first fifty years in business, an event that was delayed due to COVID. This is a huge milestone and we couldn’t have reached it without strong relationships with our people, our community, and our customers.

Thank you to our great Taylors team for all their hard work and dedication. We’re proud to have you all as part of the Taylors family.

We look forward to the next year with confidence.

CEO

Thank you for taking the time to read about the year that Taylors Contracting has just completed.

“Delivering high-quality infrastructure solutions that work for people and the environment.”

Te Pā Harakeke

Client: Nelson City Council

Collaborators: Nelmac, Stantec, Department of Conservation

KEY PROJECT CHALLENGES

● Dealing with the residue of toxic sludge onsite

● Working with the estuarine environment

● Filtering debris from seawater coming in on the tide

● Ensuring the existing model train track continued to be operational

● Relocating fish and eels in the pond and euthanising invasive species

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

Transforming a stagnant, algaedominated pond, formerly known as the Modellers Pond, into an engaging and attractive play and recreation area that works with the area’s estuarine environment.

The name Te Pā Harakeke was gifted by local iwi and is resonant with meaning as harakeke (flax) grows in whānau lots sheltering the young growth at the centre. The whānau of harakeke is stronger together and the name signals that the area will be a place for whānau.

Te Pā Harakeke

Client: Nelson City Council Collaborators: Nelmac, Stantec, Department of Conservation

Taylors Contracting’s Nelson Civil Department Manager Robbie Swarbrick discusses the project’s key challenges and the creative solutions that the Taylors team devised to overcome them.

Sludge solution

“The main environmental difficulty with this project was dealing with the residue of toxic sludge. Copper sulphate had been used over many years to treat the water to keep it clean; however as this became environmentally unacceptable the practice was stopped and the pond was overrun with Ruppia, aquatic weed and algae resulting in a smelly, stinky, pungent pond that was an eyesore.

“There was no design instruction provided to us for the disposal of the toxic sludge which remained at the bottom of the pond. Nelson City Council’s environmental policy of “reduce, reuse, recycle” prohibited the sludge being removed from site and disposed of at landfill.

Fish and wildlife management

“We worked alongside a fish and wildlife ecologist during the draining of the pond. Three-millimetre fish screens previously used at the Waimea Dam site were used to prevent the eggs of invasive species escaping the pond into the estuary.

“It took two days to fish the pond and sort the species, with thousands of eels transferred to new habitats. The Department of Conservation was on hand to provide euthanasia treatments for the invasive species. Records of relocated species were kept and Stantec Engineers recorded water samples hourly while the fishing process was undertaken.

“We came up with the solution of laying locally sourced Lee Valley Limestone “bricks” over the sludge layer. This essentially soaked up the sludge and provided a solid base layer for the subsequent layers of fill.

“This also solved the issue of the unpleasant odour which became prevalent after the draining of the pond and which had led to complaints from the community. This solution was also cost-effective and enabled the Nelson City Council to comply with the “no concrete” design brief which local Iwi had requested in order to return the area to a habitat as close to its original form as possible.

Sand to meet specifications

The weather played a part in the project, including providing an unexpected benefit.

“When we couldn’t get the supply of sand needed to meet design specifications within the allowed budget, onsite managers and council representatives came up with the solution to excavate the sand which had accumulated from a storm surge in the Tāhunanui back beach carpark. This was a real win:win – providing free maintenance on council reserves and reducing the cartage of sand which was readily and freely available locally.”

“When the harakeke blossoms so do the whānau”

– Nelson City Council kaumātua Luke Katu

KEY FACTS • 2022–2023

Quarry Dept

The Taylors Quarry Department is a specialist Quarry, Crushing , Drill and Blast business unit. The department operates and manages a number of quarries. Our operators provide specialist quarrying assistance to a number of additional external quarries including contract crushing services, specialist drilling and blasting services to both quarry customers and construction sites. We specialise in GPS-located drilling with hole monitoring and logging.

235,000

Aggregate , riprap and Hardfill products produced

Tonne

6 Managed and operated

Active Quarries

External Quarries

5 Additional external quarries to which we provide services

96 Cumulative Taylors staff quarrying experience

7 Qualified Quarry Managers

Quarry Managers

Years Mobile Units

6 Mobile Screening and Crushing

Motueka Stopbank Refurbishment

Client: Tasman District Council

Collaborators: Iwi, neighbouring landowners

KEY PROJECT CHALLENGES

● Flood management during construction

● Liaison with local iwi

● Liaison with landowners

● Dust control

● Time management

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

Improving Community Resilience. This work helped to ensure the system is capable of safely and reliably containing a 2% Annual Exceedance Probability event (AEP, or 1-in-50-year flood).

Taylors worked closely with several different landowners, managing access to land around farm activities such as spraying and stock movements.

Motueka Stopbank Refurbishment

Client: Tasman District Council

Collaborators: Iwi, neighbouring landowners

Taylors Contracting’s Andrew Plunkett discusses the project’s key challenges and the creative solutions that the Taylors team devised to overcome them.

Flood management during construction

“Taylors needed to have stringent Trigger Action Response Plans in place and closely monitor Motueka River levels as we didn’t want to have sections of the stopbank open when a flood event was in full swing.

Liaison with local iwi

“We kept in close communication with local iwi over potential known sites for artefacts and ensured that we adhered to protocols relating to stopping work if unexpected or suspected artefacts were unearthed.

Liaison with landowners

“We worked closely with several different landowners, managing access to land around farm activities such as spraying and stock movements.”

Taylors supplied feed to some farmers as a result of loss of stock feed due to trucks crossing paddocks.

Time management

There were up to 13 road trucks carting fill from Tasman View Rd (TVR) to Motueka/Riwaka.

“This required precise time management so that trucks were not ‘queuing’ at the load site (TVR) or the dump site (stopbanks).”

Technology

“Taylors Contracting has a Broad toolkit and utilises specialised tools combined with the right operators and technicians with high expertise. We used Trimble GPS Machine Controls to enable our operators to complete earthworks precisely to the client’s design tolerances i.e. our excavators and bulldozers didn’t put too much or too little earth where it needed to be. We delivered precision through a combination of our in-house survey department technicians and specialised earthmoving equipment. In this case, our use of the tri-drum roller (pictured on page 17) as opposed to a single-drum roller allowed for heavier compaction and was more effective in the tight site restraints.

Win:win

“Taylors was able to source the fill for the stopbanks project from its Tasman View Road site. “This provided a win:win for the developer of that land, and the Tasman District Council by further developing the public road for future development in the area.”

Our People

The Heart of a Great Workplace

Many workplaces say that they value their people. At Taylors we treat everyone who works with us like they are part of our family. Here are just a few of the fantastic people we are proud to have as members of our Taylors whānau talking in their own words about the work they do.

John Brunsden Forestry Bulldozer Operator

You will find John Brunsden enjoying an active retirement in the forests of Tasman Bay in the seat of Taylors’ newest bulldozer – the John Deere 850L.

John Brunsden came to work for Taylors Contracting in 2007 while on holiday in Nelson with his wife Carol in their newly acquired “retirement motorhome”. Having just sold his own North Island contracting business BRN Contracting after 47 years, John’s intention was just to help out on some forestry skid sites for a month before Christmas on his favourite machine – the bulldozer. Fifteen years later and John is still moving earth for Taylors. Asked what he likes about working for Taylors John says that Taylors is a great employer that offers good support,

good gear, and is one of the few companies he is aware of that offer time-and-a-half after 40 hours and carry out an annual wage review.

Although at times it is a little challenging being an employee after having been an owner/operator himself, John enjoys conversations with the Taylor brothers about what kind of gear they should invest in and is always pleased when he sees his ideas turning up on the back of a transporter!

John’s most memorable and enjoyable job for Taylors was at D’Urville Island. While constructing a road on private land on the island the team got to enjoy plenty of blue cod caught straight off the beach. Carol came down for the duration of the job to cook for John and the small crew.

John reckons the only thing that will make him give up the bulldozer is a boat! ■

Corina Warren Accounts Administrator

After more than 11 years with Taylors, Corina Warren loves that she is still being challenged to learn and grow in her role as Accounts Administrator.

Corina is an example of Taylors’ flexible approach paying dividends. She saw her role advertised in a local school newsletter and initially just worked mornings to fit around her school and kindy-aged children. When her youngest child started school she increased her hours to 9am-3pm and now works fulltime.

Many of Taylors’ suppliers have contact with Corina as she is responsible for accounts payable and processes invoices for subcontractors. She also looks after stock levels and invoicing for the Quarry department and payment claims for some contracts, such as the Rivers department’s contract with the Tasman District Council. “I love the variety I’ve got in my job now. Every day I’m doing different things.”

If you visit Taylors’ Brightwater office you’ll often see Corina’s warm smile as you sign in at reception. It’s clear that she enjoys her job.

“There are a really good bunch of people throughout the business. I really appreciate that we are so well looked after. There is genuine care for everyone who works here. I feel really lucky because you don’t always get that.” Corina particularly values the focus on people’s wellbeing within the business.

“That old stereotype that men don’t really talk about their feelings much, that’s not necessarily true. There are lots of men here that are very comfortable talking about how they’re feeling and making use of whatever assistance we have available to us. That focus is huge in our company and it’s taken really seriously.”

She also gets to see first-hand the importance that’s placed on empowering everyone to speak up about health and safety.

“Operators determine if they’re comfortable doing something. They have the power to say ‘we have to find another way’ if they don’t think it’s safe. That’s really good. The most important thing is that everyone is safe.” ■

Ollie Bradley Engineering Apprentice

When 17-year old Ollie Bradley was contemplating his future career prospects he did his research. He checked out businesses where he might be able to do an engineering apprenticeship and when an opportunity came up at Taylors he jumped at the chance.

“It sounded appealing because it involved a range of stuff. I’d done a mechanical engineering course at Te Pukenga (previously NMIT) and applied for the job here when I got my Level 2.”

Ollie says he’s loving his experience at Taylors. “I’m doing fabrication and welding. At the moment I’m helping to make stuff for our new digger that’s just come in. I get to fix things, like the odd bucket for a piece of equipment. I help out. It’s all hands-on stuff. I love learning new things, especially about machinery.”

When Ollie was still at school he was able to spend Fridays at Te Pukenga. This was a good opportunity for him to see if he enjoyed the kind of work he’d be doing as an engineer.

He’s been made to feel very welcome at Taylors and says the people are the aspect of the job he enjoys the most. “Everyone’s really nice, funny and friendly. They are good people to work with. We have good bosses.”

He sees himself working at Taylors once he has completed his apprenticeship. One of the main factors that will keep him at Taylors is the surprising range of work that the company does. There’s plenty to keep him interested, he says.

“I knew Taylors did a wide range of stuff but I didn’t know they did so much, like roading and all that.”

Ollie has had some challenging work to do so far, including working on the Challies Island Bridge project, which has been his favourite job to date, in part because of the problem-solving involved.

He sees plenty of opportunities for learning and a good career ahead. ■

Nelson Tasman Flood Response

Client: Fulton Hogan, Marlborough Roads

Collaborators: Nelson City Council, OneFortyOne

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Nelson Tasman region was struck by a weather event in the week beginning 16 August 2022 which saw the Richmond Hills and Tākaka area receive significant rainfall creating a large amount of damage to the roading and infrastructure network throughout the region.

On Friday 19 August the Civil crew were called in to assist in the Civil Defence Emergency works by Fulton Hogan (as contractor to Waka Kotahi). The event demanded more equipment than Fulton Hogan had available.

The Rivers team, who normally work in the Tasman area, were moved to Nelson City’s Maitai Valley where the Maitai River had eroded part of the road and exposed a number of services including the main North-South Fibreoptic Cable and the water main to Nelson City.

Nelson Tasman Flood Response

Client: Fulton Hogan, Marlborough Roads

Collaborators: Nelson City Council, OneFortyOne

Key project challenges

Our truck drivers had to contend with traffic delays carting to site due to the Rocks Rd SH6 being closed for slips. Crews worked into the dark hours before poor conditions and changeable river levels forced a retreat. SH6 (Whangamoa) was closed on Friday 19 August due to multiple slips and washouts. Nelson was cut off at this time and a detour via Kaikoura was in place due to the abutment at Leatham Bridge at Branch River SH63 being washed away.

The crew worked their way into the Whangamoa clearing slips and assessing the undercuts for stability. The road was down to one lane in some locations and difficult for heavy haulage to navigate. Emergency works enabled some equipment (Articulated Dump trucks and our LX 160 Loader) to be driven directly from Brightwater to the Whangamoa on the road rather than waiting for transporters. Specialty forestry equipment and operators were needed (grapple attached to excavator) to clear trees from the roads and banks above the road. The Civil team worked collaboratively with all departments within Taylors as well as outside stakeholders such as OneFortyOne.

Concurrent works were carried out on SH63 by another crew to reinstate the bridge abutment at the Leatham Bridge. Taylors Contracting had the benefit of being set up already in the area with two R45 Dump Trucks, a Bulldozer and Excavators on a project for Manawa Energy at the Branch River Infiltration Gallery.

The river was diverted away from the abutment while the rock abutment was completely rebuilt.

Key achievements

Three culverts were installed in record time – the full road closure helping to accelerate the process. Dual 1200mm culverts replaced a single 600mm culvert at one washout location and another single 900mm culvert replaced a 450mm culvert.

Teamwork enabled an incredible achievement to complete allocated tasks working with multiple agencies, contractors and worksites.

Up to 10 truck and trailer units from multiple subcontractors were coordinated at times. Taylors are incredibly proud of our people who displayed their skills, resilience and stamina during the emergency works response.

Taylors Contracting had the benefit of being set up already in the area with two R45 Dump Trucks, a Bulldozer and Excavators on a project for Manawa Energy at the Branch River Infiltration Gallery.

KEY FACTS • 2022–2023

Forestry Dept

Taylors provide a full service from start to finish, including post-harvest clean up. We have a deep knowledge of regional soil types. Our team includes people with senior management experience within companies that own forests.

80,446 100

People Hours

The Foresty team (35 approx) completed 80,446 safe operating hours with no significant lost time or injury incidents

31,500

Loads

Engineering Support Services for an estimated 1.1 million tonnes of timber assets annually (equivalent to approx 31,500 logging truck loads)

50

Kilometres Kilometres

Maintained approx 100km of active forest roads each month

Upgraded or constructed approx 50km of forest access roading each year

150

Upgrade or construct approx 150 processing landings a year

80,000

Tonne

Utilised a total of approx 80,000 tonnes of processed gravel products building and maintaining forest roads, plus additional products sourced on site

13

Bridges & Culverts

Involved in the construction of three new bridges, 10 major culvert crossings and hundreds of small culvert crossings

Challies Island Bridge

Client: Fulton Hogan

Taylors constructed a moveable bridge across the Waimea River in Tasman to minimise the environmental impact of the new Challies Island quarry.

Fulton Hogan has a consent to extract the gravel from the Challies Island site and remediate the extraction sites into wetlands. Fulton Hogan has contracted Taylors Contracting to complete the gravel extractions.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

The 30m bridge allows 80-tonne (laden) rigid dump trucks to cross the river from the 22ha Challies Island site on the west bank, to the Appleby processing plant one kilometre downstream.

It can be removed in 48 hours if a major flood is predicted, and ensures no vehicle comes into contact with the water, eliminating sediment discharge and allowing continuous unimpeded fish passage.

The Challies Island 30m bridge allows 80-tonne (laden) rigid dump trucks to cross the river from the 22-hectare Challies Island site on the west bank.

Challies Island Bridge PROJECT

The Challies Island bridge was an interesting technical challenge. Developing the bridge concept required innovative problem-solving and required significant financial investment from Taylors Contracting.

The Challies Island 30m bridge allows 80-tonne (laden) rigid dump trucks to cross the river from the 22-hectare Challies Island site on the west bank to the Appleby processing plant one kilometre downstream.

Fulton Hogan have a consent to extract the gravel from the Challies Island site and remediate the extraction sites to wetlands. Fulton Hogan have contracted Taylors Contracting to complete the gravel extractions.

Gravel extraction takes place over a specified period of time during the year which will have minimal impact on bird populations.

The bridge is designed and installed with consideration to the dynamic river flows and the consent requirements to not create erosion of the riverbed. Other considerations, such as not creating a navigational hazard to other river users (jetboats and kayaks), were incorporated into the design and installation.

Taylors are responsible for consent compliance during a forecast flood event which stipulates the bridge must be removed if the temporary foundations become compromised. Our flood response plan was developed by Dave Robinson and refined after each large rainfall event and elevated river flow. Further development of the process will be required through the coming years once the location of the next bridge site is identified.

Key Achievements

The bridge can be removed within 48 hours if a major flood is predicted and ensures no vehicle comes into contact with the water, eliminating sediment discharge and allowing continuous unimpeded fish passage as well as access for other river users.

The Bridge Project was a success from two standpoints:

● Designing and Installing a relocatable bridge, which is a huge testament to the skill and capability of our Workshop team who constructed it from modular components with little to no instruction from the manufacturer.

● Working within the strictly controlled river environment in a specified timeframe fell to the Project Management team of Nelson Civil Department. Construction of the bridge abutments, monitoring river levels during the extraction process, and fulfilling volumes to the client in full and on time.

Challenges

During gravel extraction there is ongoing community sensitivity in relation to this job. That requires us to be diligent around our communications with the community and our methodology.

The main challenges are noise and dust which are proactively managed to stay within required limits.

Te Mana o Te Wai, or mana of the water, is about recognising the vital importance of clean, healthy water for maintaining the health of our water bodies, freshwater ecosystems, and the communities that rely upon them for their sustenance and wellbeing.

KEY FACTS • 2022–2023

Rivers Dept

Taylors Contracting pursue knowledge and practices that lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions, which helps protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.

26,200

Total riprap placed

1,883

Total willow poles planted

Tonne

15,800

Total native plants planted

Trees m3 Willow Poles

52,730

Total river gravel relocation by truck

8,130

Total machine hours

Machine Hours

593

Work Packages

Total work packages completed

Waimea Community Dam

Client: Waimea Water Ltd

Designer: Damwatch

The Waimea Community Dam is a concrete-faced, rock-filled dam being constructed in the Lee Valley, near Nelson. It is one of the region’s most important infrastructure projects and the largest dam built in New Zealand in more than 20 years. Taylors Contracting is in a joint venture partnership with Fulton Hogan as contractors to Waimea Water Ltd.

WAIMEA COMMUNITY DAM WILL:

● Secure the region’s water supply for the next 100 years.

● Improve water quality to provide a better environment for people, plants, fish, and animals.

● Strengthen the economy through the success of primary industries and the subsequent growth of associated secondary and tertiary industries.

● Provide an estimated economic benefit to the Tasman region of $600-900m in the first 25 years.

Waimea Community Dam

Taylors Contracting Waimea Community Dam Earthworks Manager Alex Smith discusses key project challenges and achievements during the past year.

Key achievements (June 2022 – June 2023)

One of the big challenges for everyone working on the project was that the last big dam in the country was the Clyde Dam in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the contractor staff working on the Waimea Community Dam have had to innovate and problem-solve without having worked on a dam project like this before.

The project has encountered a number of unexpected factors, such as the rock geology conditions on the site (i.e. the hardness and softness of the rock) and the relative slope stability. This resulted in an embankment design with different types of fill materials and fill zones that the earthworks team had to deal with.

“We thought it was going to be a lot harder to excavate, but the soft rock created its own challenges with slope stability and worker safety. A lot more temporary works were needed for worker protection because of the geology we found.

“We have very strict specifications to build the dam to. Managing fill placement and bulk cut operations has been much more tricky than usual. You only have one chance to do it right. You’ve got lots of things you’ve got to keep juggling. We‘re focused on doing things safely and efficiently, making sure we’re getting all our documentation and communications in writing and trying to look forward for construction planning and problem solving. It makes the work days go quickly!”

At the peak of the project, Taylors had a team of approximately 25 working onsite and was running an impressive array of equipment, some of which was purchased specifically for the project.

“At peak time we were running up to seven dump trucks. We bought a 90-tonne excavator to work here, we had a 50-tonne excavator, and five or six other-sized 30-tonne to 20-tonne diggers. We bought a new drill rig for this project and had three bulldozers working onsite at one point.”

After nearly 20 years in the construction industry, it has been a real thrill for Alex to be involved in this project and he’s keen to work on large infrastructure projects in the future.

By the end of May 2024 the permanent works for the discharge pipework to discharge water from the dam down the Lee River will be completed. Once Taylors finishes dam construction, Alex anticipates Taylors will continue to work with adjacent landowners, building and maintaining private forestry roads in the valley. How will the dam work once the project is completed?

“When the reservoir fills up and is full for most of the year it will flow over the spillway,” says Alex. “Water will come over the spillway/flip bucket and run off down the river. During the winter period the reservoir will hold water, so it fills up for later use. In the summer when people start irrigating down on the plains or if there’s a drought the intakes will become active and they’ll start drawing the reservoir down maintaining the river flows.

“The water will go through the intakes into a pipe which runs through the concrete conduit under the dam embankment. The pipe will discharge into the river so the community can use the volume of water in the summer period and avoid restrictions on irrigation during drought conditions and continue irrigating on the plains.

“People using the river for swimming and other recreational activities won’t notice any difference, in fact there will be more flow in the river which will make the swimming spots better.”

Waimea Community Dam Joint Venture Key Personnel

John Roche

Current Project Director

Fulton Hogan Taylors Joint Venture

Matt Taylor

Construction Manager

Fulton Hogan Taylors Joint Venture

Alex Smith

Earthworks Manager

Fulton Hogan Taylors Joint Venture

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Bulk Cut operations

During the embankment cut-to-fill operation.

Parapet wall installations across the crest of the dam

76 units, each unit weighing 21 tonne, had to be placed with a 120-tonne crawler crane to an accuracy of +/- 12mm. Units had to be placed and keyed together. Taylors controlled the works and did the base prep work, which had to be accurate within a millimetre so that the 4.4m high units sat correctly.

Crest backfill

The way in which filter zones come together at the crest of the dam and interlocked together required a precise building sequence and placing fill within a confined working space at the top of the dam.

INNOVATION

“At all times we were asking ourselves - Can we do it safer? Can we do it better? Can we do it quicker?”

The installation of a 138m, 1200mm diameter string of HDPE pipe into the diversion culvert under the dam embankment as part of the temporary works river diversion strategy was a challenge. The team built a special attachment to connect the D9 bulldozer to the end of the HDPE pipe string to guide it up the 160m culvert under the dam.

“We managed to push it with the D9 to within 90mm of where it needed to be. We had to be quite precise because if we pushed it too far it would bump into other pipework that was already in the chamber, potentially damaging it.”

Lifting the HDPE pipe required the use of roller slings. However, the cost of buying them as a manufactured item and the long lead times to get the slings from Australia meant that another solution was required. The team designed their own slings and had them tested and certified to carry the required weights.

Using wire ropes, the team developed temporary debris booms to catch and move debris within the reservoir when there was a flood. This meant that when the flood waters receded the debris landed in the right spot. Forestry wire ropes were used with a pulley system to guide the floating boom up and down the reservoir.

Rock anchor drilling on steep slopes required the use of forestry tethering equipment which enabled the 21-tonne rock anchor drill rig to sit on the slope and be operated safely. Rock anchor drill depths drilled by the Epiroc T45 drill rig were designed in the office and drilled to the correct angle and inclination via GPS guidance in the drill rig.

Another example of GPS guidance was when the team mounted GPS mapping equipment onto the roller they used to compact the fill in the dam. This allowed them to generate a 3D model of the whole embankment, layer by layer, and to provide a construction “as-built” to the client. Precision drill and blast was required on several occasions to ensure that construction blasting didn’t damage the concrete structures already in place. Each blast had to be accurately designed, including the shape of the blast pattern and the delay sequence, and the predicted vibrations forecasted. Vibration monitors were used in real time to ensure they didn’t exceed the required specification limits.

The team purchased a diamond-tipped concrete saw that fitted onto the end of an excavator. As the rock was so brittle it was important to limit overbreak for the trenches for the spillway underdrains. Overbreaks require additional concrete work to be reinstated, so reducing overbreaks is a significant cost saving. A saw was purchased from Australia and the team learned the specialist skills to use it. GPS equipment was unable to be used to lay the pavement on the crest of the dam because of the hills blocking satellite visibility at certain times of the day. The team devised a way to use a Total Station to achieve precision control of the machine to do the prep work on the dam crest, which achieved level control to a millimetre accuracy.

For the dam crest pavement lay, the team made a special wing for the side of the plate compactor to enable them to pack a wedge shape into the aggregate as it was placed. This formed the required wedge for bitumen sealant between the parapet wall units on the crest.

3,000

Waterstop welded

m

900,000

Earthworks Excavation

m3

550,000

m3

Earthworks Filling (equivalent to two Wellington Stadiums)

Our People

Taylors, a great place to work

Madushi Jayasinghe is a Site Engineer in her third year working for Taylors. She loves the variety of work and the balance she gets from the mixture of officebased work and regular site visits.

Madushi Jayasinghe Site Engineer

Upon receiving a new project, a site engineer is responsible for managing all of the necessary paperwork and ensuring the quality of the project matches the engineer’s design. Regular site visits are conducted to oversee employees and collaborate with engineers and clients. The role involves a great deal of communication and engagement with others, all while ensuring the successful completion of the project.

A range of tests are carried out, depending on the project, including soil compaction and soil density tests to ensure that preparation work has been properly completed before roads are built.

If the project requires water sampling, it is carried out as well as keeping daily logs and documents updated, including recording hazardous substances.

Madushi was a qualified multi-storey structural engineer in her home country of Sri Lanka before emigrating to New Zealand. She wasn’t able to find work with that qualification so she did a refresher course at Te Pūkenga (formerly NMIT) and was then employed by Taylors.

“I did not have any knowledge of what was happening underground or earthworks. It was a really big step and experience for me. I’m still learning,” says Madushi.

“I find it fulfilling to be physically present and involved in the work on site. Personally, I enjoy spending time at the site rather than being confined to an office setting. My current work–life balance allows me to split my time evenly between office work and site visits, which is ideal for me.”

Taylors is currently supporting Madushi to study for her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and she hopes to progress to managing her own projects at some stage.

In the meantime she’d like to see more gender diversity amongst the engineering team at Taylors and in engineering generally. “I wish there were more female engineers. I’ve seen a lot of males but very few female engineers and workers.

“The field of civil engineering is incredibly diverse and offers a wide range of opportunities. If you prefer to work in an office environment, there are plenty of opportunities to engage in engineering work, documentation, and

technical report writing. Conversely, if you prefer to be more hands-on, there are also many opportunities to work onsite. Ultimately, the field allows you to find a niche that best suits your interests and strengths.

“Gender is not a determining factor in this line of work. It’s important to have diverse perspectives and voices in engineering, which is why I strongly encourage women to consider this career path. We need all genders represented to bring unique perspectives and ideas to the table.”

Madushi says that she has been very impressed by the way that Taylors support their employees.

“The owners are approachable and willing to engage with their employees. This level of openness is a rare trait to find in the business world. Taylors is a company that strives to assist its employees to achieve to the best of their abilities. They are known for their top-notch work and have earned a positive reputation within their industry. Working for Taylors is a great opportunity that many people would be fortunate to have.” ■

“The field of civil engineering is incredibly diverse and offers a wide range of opportunities.”

Taylors is currently supporting Madushi to study for her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and she hopes to progress to managing her own projects at some stage.

Tyler Chamberlain Machine Operator

Tyler Chamberlain was looking for a change from dairy farming when he started working with Taylors five years ago.

“I wanted to sit in a machine,” says Tyler. “I’ve been in dairy farming my whole life. I wanted to get away from the physical side.”

Tyler’s parents had a couple of diggers and a truck for their own drain laying business so Tyler had plenty of experience driving equipment. He’s also been mentored by machine operator Kevin Brunning, also known as ‘Skin’.

“Skin has taught me everything I needed to know. He’s known me since I was knee high.”

Tyler currently operates a 225 zero tailspin digger, working mostly within the Rivers team.

“I’m doing all the rock and trees and planting willows. I also do a lot of tree felling with a chainsaw. I’ve only done machine operating for a year-and-a-half fulltime. Otherwise I was just driving a dump truck whenever it was needed.”

With his working background, early starts aren’t a problem.

“I still start early, just like in dairy farming. That’s probably why it’s so easy for me to get up so early. You even get up early on your weekends off if you’re a dairy farmer.”

Tyler is enjoying getting out and about and seeing different parts of the countryside in his current job. “I still get to chat to farmers with my work in the Rivers team.”

Described by a colleague as having a natural gift for rock placement, Tyler’s work has also attracted praise from Taylors client, the Tasman District Council. Tyler himself feels that he’s finally realised a long-held ambition.

“I‘ve always wanted to drive a digger ever since I was a kid. It finally happened. I’m really stoked.”

Tyler says that the wider workplace culture at Taylors is also a big part of his enjoyment of his job.

“I’ve got quite a few friends here. Everyone’s approachable, definitely in our Rivers crew and the workshop boys. We have a pretty good culture in the Rivers department. We have BBQs outside of work and catch up with each other.

“I’ve told a few people to get a job here. People have asked me what it’s like and I’ve told them to apply. They didn’t get the jobs, but that’s not my fault. They obviously didn’t say the right things!”

Described as having a natural gift for rock placement, Tyler has attracted praise for his work from Taylors clients.

Branch River Infiltration Gallery

Client: Manawa Energy

Collaborators: Fulton Hogan Civil

(Taylors partnered with Fulton Hogan Civil as the Concrete construction subcontractor)

Taylors were contracted to construct the Branch River Intake enhancement at the Branch River Hydro Electric Power Scheme. The work involved the construction of an intake gallery system under the river bed upstream from the existing weir and intake.

KEY PROJECT CHALLENGES

● The installation of large 2.5m HDPE pipes and a new transition to the existing canal.

● Installation of the infiltration gallery and concrete structure below the river bed.

● Hydro Scheme shutdown required to complete the works.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

The infiltration gallery consisted of a precast concrete box structure with stainless steel mesh screens perpendicular to the concrete. The works involved a shutdown of the power scheme to allow the in-river works to be completed. Works also included control gates and commissioning, significant earthworks for the HDPE pipe, riprap, flood management, river diversion works, pumping, crushing and screening of all aggregates on site, and temporary works design.

Branch River Infiltration Gallery

Client: Manawa Energy

Collaborators: Fulton Hogan Civil

(Taylors partnered with Fulton Hogan Civil as the Concrete construction subcontractor)

The new intake increases the intake’s capacity, enabling the scheme to use its full consented take. It also means that it is able to operate when the river is in flood, which was not possible for the previous intake.

This project commenced in October 2021 at Branch River in the Wairau Valley area near Blenheim.

The new intake increases the intake’s capacity, enabling the scheme to use its full consented take. Importantly, it is able to operate when the river is in flood, which was not possible for the previous intake. The new intake is expected to bring in 10GWh/yr of additional generation and provide redundancy and flexibility to the intake system minimising outage times in future, which is great news for the community it serves.

The key focus area of this contract was ‘in river’ work installing the infiltration gallery 1.5m below the river bed. A specially-made bucket attachment was engineered by the Taylors workshop team for the pipe installation for this project. This meant that the team did not have to manually compact the gravel bedding as the pipe was lowered into place.

This work required by this project was especially challenging as the river had to be diverted and a bund created for this purpose in order to keep water out of the work area. This required constant dewatering using pumps.

It was crucial that care was taken while working in the river with the crew conducting bird nesting surveys prior to river work.

The completion of this project was affected by a limited window to do the work because of the weather. An unseasonal flood in January meant the river levels did not drop in the time expected, which meant the timeframe for ‘in river’ work was put under additional pressure.

Our People Taylors, a great place to work

Butch Schofield Quarryman

‘Butch’ Schofield took an unusal pathway to his current role within the Quarries team. He spent nearly ten years working as a butcher before joining Taylors nearly four years ago.

A co-worker’s wife told him about the opportunity to work at Taylors, and despite having no experience as a machine operator he approached Taylors.

“Taylors said that they would work with the right person to train them up and that’s exactly what they have done,” says Butch. “They’ve supported me to get all my tickets and training, including my B Grade Quarry Managers Certificate.”

Butch says he loves working outside and is really enjoying being involved in a range of tasks in the Quarry environment.

“I get to do a bit of everything – pulling rock, loading rock trucks, drilling, and I’ve got all my tickets for blasting. I really enjoy operating heavy machinery and blasting and the work environment is great. The Quarries team are a

really good group.”

Butch says that he’s keen to work towards being a Quarry Manager in the future but at the moment he’s enjoying operating the machinery and being a part of the wider Taylors team.

“The work environment is really good throughout the whole company. We’re certainly well looked after and there is a definite focus on health and safety and mental health. If you’re looking for a bit of a change I’d recommend Taylors. Nothing was spared to get me the training I needed.”

Butch’s manager Neil McKay says that he’d love to find more people like Butch. “He has an eye for the job at hand and thinks ahead. What he’s been able to achieve with no previous machinery experience has been impressive. We are developing his management skills and we see a real pathway there for Butch.” ■

Tim Fahey Drain Layer

Tim Fahey joined Taylors shortly after leaving school at 16. Since that time he has completed his NZ Certificate in Infrastructure Works (Pipeline Construction & Maintenance) with strands in Drinking Water – Stormwater & Sewer, Level 4. Tim works in the drainage crew and says that the past three and a half years with the company have been full of variety.

The drainage team moves around all departments where pipe work is required so locations can be varied from urban subdivisions to remote forests or rural road networks.

Tim says that he already had a good idea of what Taylors was like as a workplace.

“I knew it was a good place from my uncle Mike, who still works here, and my cousin Gilbert, who used to work here too. I knew the opportunity was here to move up and move forward.”

School wasn’t a place where Tim thrived. “I did the trades programme at school in civil infrastructure. I did a couple of months of that and ended up leaving school early to come here. That was the best thing I ever did. Learning on the job suited me better.”

Tim is motivated by the range of options available to him within the business.

“There’s an opportunity to keep moving up and moving forward within the company. There are so many avenues and routes you can go on. If I didn’t want to do pipe laying anymore, the business is so diverse, there are lots of opportunities to upskill and retrain.

He enjoys the fact that everyone at Taylors sees themselves as part of one big team and that they always try to help each other out.

“Here people in different teams are happy to lend a hand and push other people forward even if you’re not working with them. They see themselves as part of the larger team not just their own little team.” ■

Josh Grant Site Engineer

Site Engineer Josh Grant has had an exciting start to his career. At only 23 he has already worked on the Central Plains Irrigation Scheme and the Waimea Dam and is currently working on the Kate Valley Landfill project based at Taylors’ Christchurch office. Josh studied at Te Pukenga (formerly NMIT) and started work with Taylors part-time while completing his studies. He joined Taylors in Nelson fulltime at the end of 2019 and relocated to Taylors in Christchurch in September 2022.

“I like the big machinery and the earthmoving aspect of Taylors’ work,” says Josh. “I knew it was quite a good culture here because I was part of the Wanderers team, which Taylors sponsors. I was talking to Charlie Taylor through that connection to Wanderers and he said that there could be an opportunity to work at Taylors if I was keen on pursuing that option.”

Josh likes the variety of work he gets to be involved in and the combination of great equipment to use and a healthy workplace culture.

“I went straight up the dam and started working up there on the aggregate processing and testing. There was so much variety in the jobs I got to do there. You get your fingers in so many different pies and you get to learn a lot of different things. And the quality is strict. So you learn how to do things correctly under pressure, making decisions quickly. There’s quite a lot of opportunity. That’s the big thing, the opportunities that I’m getting.”

Josh says that he can see a definite career path ahead at Taylors. “I want to move up through the ranks and have some sort of input, helping Canterbury grow and getting a few more jobs for the business. I want to be a part of that.”

Josh says that the culture at Taylors is a big part of the appeal of his job. “Everyone loves to have a bit of a joke.” When he tells people about his work Josh says that they are often surprised by the size of the business.

“It surprises a lot of people that there’s a Canterbury branch! It surprises them how big Taylors is, how much Taylors are involved in, and how advanced they are in regard to GPS machine control. It’s pretty cool!

“I’m definitely enjoying working here. I can’t really imagine myself being anywhere else at the moment.” ■

Josh Grant (far left)

Kate Valley Landfill & Energy Park

Client: Waste Management NZ (WM)

Phase 2

Collaborators: Canterbury Waste Services (CWS), Geotechnics, Eliot Sinclair

KEY PROJECT CHALLENGES

● Working adjacent to an operational landfill

● Tight specification tolerances for final batter

Kate Valley Landfill & Energy Park

Client: Waste Management NZ (WM)

Phase 2

Collaborators: Canterbury Waste Services (CWS), Geotechnics, Eliot Sinclair

Key achievements

The Canterbury team were able to successfully complete the required earthworks for cell 2A-3 on time and in line with the client’s programme and expectations. This work included clearing existing vegetation, removing approximately 10,500m3 of unsuitable material and topsoil and the placement of 29,000m3 of fill.

Due to the nature of the landfill liner, there were tight tolerances to meet in terms of final profiles. GPS was used extensively throughout the filling process to ensure the specification tolerances would be met.

Active and operational landfill

The construction of the 2A-3 cell was adjacent to another landfill cell that was actively being filled with waste from the Canterbury region.

This waste was trucked into position and compacted by the CWS earthworks and landfill teams. Careful consideration had to be given to CWS movements on site to maintain a steady stream of waste.

To solve this a site traffic management plan was created to delineate work zones and Taylors haul routes and shared haul routes. This plan was developed in conjunction with the CWS teams and WM.

Specification tolerances

Excavation of unsuitable material and topsoil from the cell had to be completed and signed off prior to the placement of fill.

Each layer of fill had to be excavated from a borrow site, trucked to the cell, placed and finally compacted with the 825 compactor in layers with each layer being density tested. The final 1:3 batter slope had to be compacted and trimmed within 25mm of design.

To achieve this the batter was over built and successively trimmed with the D6 dozer and 14m grader using GPS, with the design model displayed in each of the machines. Periodic checks were completed with a GPS rover. When the batter was finally ready the cell was flown with a drone and the entire cell checked against the design.

This ensured that when the subsequent liner layers were installed the batter was free from undulations that could potentially bridge and break the liner from the weight of waste above.

Periodic checks were completed with a GPS rover. When the batter was finally ready the cell was flown with a drone and the entire cell checked against the design.

As a board comprised of four Taylors family members and four independent directors we are proud to support the family nature of Taylors Contracting. Family is where the business began and it is an important legacy to protect as we move forward.

This past year we have also been pleased to welcome an additional two younger Taylor family members who are sitting in on Board meetings to gain some governance experience.

Taylors Contracting’s independent Board members are Steve Hart, a civil engineer with considerable big project experience, Craig Dennis who is an accountant with broad financial management and governance experience, Lindsay McKenzie who has extensive experience in local body administration as well as being a director of a number of companies, and I myself, providing extensive governance experience having being the Chair of a number of commercial and community entities.

While the role of a Board is governance, it also has ultimate responsibility for the company’s performance and outcomes.

As a Board we actively monitor key responsibilities such as health and safety, financial matters, strategy, and risk, while delegating most of the day-to-day decisions in these areas to Taylors’ extremely experienced and competent management team.

Taylors has a very comprehensive information management system which ensures that we as its Board are kept well informed about the company’s activities. This allows us to have a clear and up-to-date understanding of the company’s activities and makes our governance role easier to carry out.

We congratulate the staff and management of Taylors Contracting on their achievements over the past year. In particular, we are very pleased to see its great company culture and excellent employee support structures.

Regards,

As a family business lasting relationships matter to us.

Thank you to all our clients for the trust you show in us by placing your projects in our hands.

We are proud to continue the legacy of our founders Bob and Marlene Taylor. We are delighted that the next generation of the Taylor family are taking an active interest in learning about the business as Associate Board Members.

Pictured after attending a recent board meeting from left to right are: Charlie Taylor and his daughter Katrina Taylor-Hewitt, Lachie Bell-Taylor and his father Matt Taylor.

Pictured: Ian Kearney (Chair), Steve Hart, Craig Dennis, Charlie Taylor, Matt Taylor, Arthur Taylor, Lindsay McKenzie & Marlene Taylor