Water treatment plant takes contractors' top award

Auckland's main water treatment plant in Mangere. Photo / Supplied

A major upgrade to Auckland's main water treatment plant in Mangere took top honours at the Civil Contractors New Zealand's (CCNZ) national awards.

The winner of the coveted CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards "Projects with a value greater than $100 million" category was the $140m Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant Biological Nutrient Removal Upgrade — a McConnell Dowell and HEB Construction joint venture.

The project, completed in April 2018, adds water treatment capacity for around 250,000 people. Contractors moved 100,000m3 of earth, poured 15,000m3 of concrete, and installed 10km of pipework and 90km of cable to get the job done. It faced off against Christchurch's Russley Road SH1 upgrade, a joint venture between McConnell Dowell and Downer.

CCNZ Chief Executive Peter Silcock said though the awards represented pinnacle industry achievements, it was also important to recognise the everyday achievements of New Zealand's contracting workforce.

A Downer NZ and HEB Construction joint venture to install a new wharf at Waitangi in the Chatham Islands which required a purpose-built quarry won the $20m-$100m category, while HEB Construction won the $5m-$20m category for repairs to Wellington's damaged wharf after the Kaikoura earthquake.

Schick Civil Construction was awarded the up to $5m — larger companies category for Hamilton's Victoria on the River development on the banks of the Waikato, with March Construction highly commended in the category for a challenging project replacing the Kaiapoi sewer outlet.

ARC Projects won the up to $5m — smaller companies category for creation of a drain and pump station that worked in harmony with its surrounding environment in a
Christchurch wetland, while Taylor Contracting won the Maintenance and management of assets category for its work in maintaining 285km of Tasman District riverbank.