Winners of 2014 Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards

13 August 2014

Winners of 2014 Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards

Two very different bridges feature among winners of the 2014 Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards.

Winners of the awards, run by the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation (NZCF) and Roading New Zealand, include a farm bridge over the Motu River at Gisborne and the multi-million dollar Lower Hatea River Crossing at Whangarei.

The joint awards, which had a record number of entries this year, have six categories, recognising excellence in civil construction projects, asset management and maintenance carried out by New Zealand companies at home or abroad. They cover projects with budgets ranging from less than $0.5m to greater than $30m.

Category one - for projects with a value of less than $0.5m, went to Katikati-based Bridge It NZ, for a project to replace a 1950s farm swing bridge over the Motu River.

The job was the biggest of its kind for the company, which was formed six years ago. Judges praised the design and construction work and the way the company worked to minimise environmental impact and involve the local community in the project.

Category two – $0.5m to $5m, was won by McConnell Dowell Constructors for repair works on the historic Arapuni Power Station diversion gate and tunnel.

Judges were impressed by the way the team overcame challenging conditions to repair and ensure ongoing use of the gate, which was built in the 1920s and is protected by the Historic Places Trust.

Winner of category three – $5m-$30m – was McConnell Dowell Constructors for the iconic fish-hook design Lower Hatea River Crossing at Whangarei, which features a rolling bascule to allow river traffic to pass underneath.

Judges said: “There are only a handful of rolling bascule bridges in the world and this is the first one built in NZ in the last 50 years. This was all achieved with a safety-first culture, on time, on budget and is an asset of which the community is extremely proud.”

Category four – greater than $30m – went to Fulton Hogan for the Christchurch Southern Motorway Stage 1. The road, the first of NZTA’s Roads of National Significance to be built in the South Island, was hailed by judges as having “Exemplified construction excellence in all respects.”

McConnell Dowell Constructors were highly commended in the category for construction of the Te Mihi Geothermal Power Station at Taupo.

Road Science was the winner of the Excellence in the Maintenance and Management of Assets section for its work for NZ Transport Agency in Waikato. Judges said the innovative scientific analysis approach looked set to be used across the country.

Downer NZ won the Excellence in Routine Maintenance section, for its long-standing contract to provide water and wastewater services for Horowhenua District Council. The citation described it as “An excellent example of a well-run maintenance contract delivering value to the council, its residents and the contractor.”

Winners were announced at the Hirepool Construction Excellence awards dinner during the tripartite New Zealand Contractors’ Federation, Association of Consulting Engineers and Roading New Zealand Conference in Rotorua.

ENDS

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