Timaru local Sam Burleigh secured the title of Canterbury Westland’s top excavator operator after winning the Civil Contractors New Zealand Canterbury Westland CablePrice Excavator Competition at the Road Metals Quarry in Rolleston on Saturday.
The Thompson Engineering 2002 foreman emerged victorious after a gruelling afternoon of challenges designed to test the limits of excavator operators’ skills, earning a coveted spot at the national finals next year and walking away with more than $3,000 in prizes.
Along the way he put his Hitachi machine through its paces, completing everything from truck loading to crowd-pleasing feats of precision, including an 'egg and spoon' manoeuvre requiring operators to deftly lift an egg into a cup using their excavators, without it breaking.
Burleigh said this year’s event was his first win in four attempts, having previously competed in the competition every year since 2022. His previous best showing was in 2023, when he came third and ended up at the national finals after the winner was injured just prior to the event.
“The toughest task is normally the egg in the cup,” Burleigh said. “Last year, I picked it up and dropped it, but this year I picked it up and just popped it straight in the cup.”
The 36-year-old said the experience he had developed operating excavators on work sites since the age of 18 had helped him on the day, as well as keeping calm under pressure.
“I just went into cruise mode today and did my jam and pretended that no-one was watching.”
Other eye-catching challenges completed by operators this year included a giant game of golf played using excavators, and a 'log swing' challenge that required operators to balance their machines on two logs while spinning through 360-degrees without touching the ground.
Theory-based challenges also featured, with competitors marked on their knowledge of health and safety protocols, as well as a standard pre-start test.
Burleigh’s victory over 28 other elite Canterbury Westland excavator operators pm Saturday was determined after comprehensive scoring across all competition tasks.
Aidan Te Pakeke Palmer, also from Thompson Engineering 2002, claimed second place in a closely-fought contest, while Jomar Clavo from Isaac Construction rounded out the podium in third place.
The excavator competition also featured a novice category for first-time competitors with less than five years of industry experience, won by Alex Waller from Smith Crane and Construction. Trade stalls were present for the first time, demonstrating the latest in civil construction technology.
Competition organiser James Flower said the record number of entrants this year highlighted the competition’s prestige and the depth of talent across the Canterbury Westland region.
“Events like this illustrate the technical expertise possessed by operators in a fun family-friendly way, helping young people appreciate the skill involved and the career opportunities available in our industry.
“It went like a dream, despite a deluge of rain, and there was a real carnival atmosphere created by the excited spectators.”
Burleigh will join winners from 11 other regional competitions across New Zealand for the national final at Central Districts Field Days in Feilding over 19-21 March, in a battle to become New Zealand's ultimate excavator operator.
The sponsors for this year’s CCNZ CablePrice Canterbury Westland Regional Excavator Operator Competition were CablePrice, Attach2 Equipment, Connexis, Firstgas, Hirepool, Humes, Road Metals, Youngman Richardson, Condor Pumps, RB Cartage, Cirtex, Maugers Contracting, Commercial Vehicle Holdings, Geofabrics, TDX and Hynds.
Winners - experienced competition
First place: Sam Burleigh (right), from Thompson Engineering 2002
Second place: Aidan Te Pakeke Palmar (right), from Thompson Engineering 2002
Third place: Jomar Clavo (right), from Isaac Construction