*UPDATE: Craig placed 5th. Well done Craig for a great job supporting BOP at the Nationals*
Craig is one of 12 champions from around New Zealand who will test their excavator skills at a series of entertaining and highly challenging tasks.
These range from tests of ‘real-world’ skills such as traversing a trench or lifting and relocating a manhole cover, to crowd-pleasing tests of precision such as popping a champagne bottle using an excavator’s bucket, and slam dunking a basketball into a two-storey concrete pipe.
“The nationals would have to be the hardest two days of work you do in the whole year,” says Craig.
“The machine operating side is pretty easy, it’s the civil stuff I find a bit harder because we do a lot of farm work.”
The finals event will take place on March 19-20, during the Central Districts Field Days at Manfeild Park.
This year marks the 27th anniversary of the annual competition, which is organised by Civil Contractors New Zealand to raise awareness of the skill involved in excavator operation and the rewarding careers available in civil construction.
Craig qualified for the event after his success in the Bay of Plenty regional competition in 2020.
Good luck Craig.