The annual National Excavator Operator Competition will be held at Central Districts Field Days in Feilding from 20-21 March 2026
Prepare for excitement as New Zealand’s finest excavator operators battle it out to be crowned National Excavator Operator of the Year in the CCNZ CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition!
The National Excavator Operator Competition will be held at Central Districts Field Days in Feilding 19-21 March 2026
Competition days are Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March.
Meet this year's regional champions
Each year, top excavator operators from across 12 regions of New Zealand compete for the right to compete at the CCNZ CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition.
This year's champions so far are:
Bay of Plenty
Andy Morris, Bay Civil
Tauranga local Andy Morris was
named the Bay of Plenty’s top excavator operator following his victory at Fieldays in Mystery Creek, earning him a coveted spot in the CCNZ CablePrice
National Excavator Operator Competition grand final in Feilding.
The Bay Civil excavator
operator and foreman said this year’s event was the fourth regional
competition he had competed in, although it had been almost a decade
since his last appearance.
“It’s a changed a lot since the last time I was there, the amount of
tasks you have to do is a whole lot more and there’s 100% a lot more
time pressure.”
He put his success down to good time management, as well as the skills
he used every day, particularly the “meticulous drainage work” he was
often involved in.
Read Andy's story>>
Canterbury Westland
Sam Burleigh, Thompson Engineering
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 in October.
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.
Read Sam's story>>
Hawke's Bay East Coast
Marcus Ingram, Galbraith Earthmovers
Marcus Ingram from Galbraith Earthmovers was revealed as the winner of the Regional Excavator Operator Competition at the CCNZ Hawke's Bay East Coast awards, after placing in the top three at the event in October. His victory earns him the prestige of representing Hawke’s Bay East Coast at the national finals in March 2026.
Trained by 2016 and 2017 National Excavator Operator Competition winner, Steve Galbraith, Marcus has shown intelligence and aptitude in a rapid rise to becoming a top operator, honing his skills through an extensive list of Cyclone Gabrielle recovery projects.
Waikato
Zahnn Hedges, Connell Contractors
Hamilton man Zahnn Hedges was
announced as Waikato’s best excavator operator at a prize-giving in
Hamilton following his outstanding performance at Mystery Creek Fieldays.
The Connell Contractors
earthworks supervisor and foreman said he was “rapt” to have taken top
spot after finishing third in three of his past four attempts at the
regional competition.
“I honed in a bit more this year and tried really hard not to rush some
of the tasks I might have in the past – it’s all about being fine on the
levers.”
Hedges’ victory over the 21 other Waikato operators at the event was
determined after comprehensive scoring across the range of
precision-operating tasks and a health and safety test.
Read Zahnn's story>>
Thanks to our awesome sponsors
This year's event wouldn't be possible without our awesome sponsors, especially our Platinum and Naming Rights Sponsor CablePrice.
Other major competition sponsors include Attach2, BeforeUDig, Civil Trades, Connexis, Contractor Magazine, Doug the Digger, First Gas, Hirepool and Humes Pipeline Systems.