A novel test of excavator writing skills during the 2021 national finals. Photo / Supplied
A novel test of excavator writing skills during the 2021 national finals. Photo / Supplied
Te Awamutu local Mike Bowe will have his, and his excavator’s, mettle tested in Feilding this week when he shows off his skills in a 13-tonne digger to represent Waikato at the CCNZ CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition.
Bowe is one of 13 regional champions from around New Zealand whose excavator skills will be pushed to the limit over a series of epic and enthralling challenges. Some of the challenges will test “real-world” skills such as traversing a trench and digging around pipelines, whilste other more unusual tasks may include slam dunking a basketball into a two-storey concrete pipe using an excavator’s bucket, and a slalom course. He isn’t taking the road to nationals lightly.
“I know how much work goes into the nationals, it’s a lot of work and a lot of preparation to build up the skills for the competition.
“That’s mental preparation too — every time I jump in the digger between now and nationals, I’m thinking about how I can improve, make things better and faster and be prepared the best way I can be. I want to be there and take out the title.”
Mike Bowe after besting the field at the 2022 Waikato regional finals. Photo / Supplied
Manfeild Park will host the heavy-metal showdown, which will take place on March 17 and 18 during the Central Districts Field Days.
Bowe qualified for the event after his success in the Waikato regional competition in December. The Bowe Brothers Excavating Ltd owner-operator is a four-time Waikato champion who enjoys the challenge of working on projects both big and small.
CCNZ chief executive Alan Pollard said the CCNZ CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition was about celebrating the exceptional skill of New Zealand’s top excavator operators and inspiring the next generation to get behind the controls.
“The more unusual tests of skill always bring the spectators but the competition also has a more serious side, with plenty of more traditional tasks such as trenching, operating around underground services, and tests of operator’s health and safety knowledge.”
Defending champion Troy Calteaux competing at the 2021 finals. Photo / Supplied
One of the most challenging elements of the competition is the Z Energy One-day Job Challenge, which tests all aspects of an operator’s skill set and involves site planning and layout, as well as execution, for a task such as constructing a house foundation.
Pollard said it was “one of the most unique spectacles New Zealand has to offer”.
“The operators at our national finals are the elite, the ‘SAS’, if you like, of our excavator operating community.”
He urged people to turn out in force to show their support for the competitors, many of whom have been involved in the response to Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Excavator operators play a critical role in nearly all of our country’s biggest projects. Not only do they transform the terrain for roading and water projects, but they also build stopbanks to defend against flooding and assist with the cleanup when the worst weather hits.”
He said there was more demand than ever for civil construction workers and there had never been a better time for job seekers to enter the industry and make a real difference to communities in need.
The Platinum Sponsor for this year’s competition is CablePrice, which has been a long-standing supporter of the industry and the competition. CablePrice provides and services the Hitachi excavators the competitors operate during the event. Other major competition sponsors include Attach2, BeforeUDig, Connexis, First Gas, Hirepool, Humes, Z Energy, Milwaukee, Civil Trades, Contractor Magazine, and Doug the Digger.
