Two charity golf tournaments hosted by Civil Contractors New Zealand have helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for life-saving causes.

CCNZ Bay of Plenty branch hosted 'Teeing Off for MATES' at Renner Park Golf Club, Tauranga on 12 November, raising more than $30,000 for the construction mental health support charity MATES in Construction.

One thousand balls were hit by 250 players on the day – with prizes of $500 awarded to those who hit their balls closest to each of the 18 holes on the course. A sausage sizzle provided a consolation prize for the unluckier golfers.

CCNZ Bay of Plenty Branch Secretary Kat Chantler said she was “blown away” by the amount of support.

“The atmosphere was brilliant and it was a wonderful feeling having the local community, the players and the sponsors all coming together to support a great cause.”

CCNZ Bay of Plenty Branch Vice Chairman Mike Speed was the instigator of the event and pulled in a long list of big names in the civil and private construction industries as sponsors.

MATES in Construction CEO Victoria McArthur said the funds raised at the event would allow MATES to provide 1,566 construction industry workers with the skills they needed to recognise that a mate is struggling, and the confidence to reach out to them to offer help.

“It was incredible to see the local community and nationwide sponsors coming together to make Teeing Off for MATES such a massive success. It’s thanks to the support of our investment partners and fundraisers that we are able to continue doing this important mahi across New Zealand.”

Not to be outplayed in the fund-raising stakes, CCNZ and the Institute of Quarrying ran a similarly successful charity golf event on 17 November, joining forces to stage a charity golf day at Templeton Golf Club in Christchurch with just over $12,000 raised going to Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue. 

Teams of four players paid $400 to enter and enjoyed a BBQ lunch, afternoon refreshments and an opportunity to network with peers.

CCNZ Canterbury-Westland Golf Day Sub-committee Leader John Crawley said in addition to raising an impressive amount of money, the tournament provided participants with a chance to let their hair down a little and get some socialising in after a ‘tough few years’ for the industry.

Not taking itself too seriously, the event featured a “Happy Gilmore” hole set up by Komatsu where the 92 competitors took a run-up before their drive. There was also a competition to hit the longest drive, with the distance measured by surveying equipment kindly supplied and operated by Elrick & Co.

The Commercial Vehicle Hire team took first place and, in a generous gesture, handed back their prize of a helicopter trip for four to be auctioned off for charity. The Komatsu and Fulton Hogan teams were second and third respectively, and left with prize hams.

Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Ambassador Stewart McSkimming said the funds raised would be put towards new and updated equipment for the helicopter crews.

“We are constantly striving to improve patient outcomes. We fly in one of the largest and most diverse Air Rescue territories in New Zealand and watch over approximately 680,000 people in the area who rely on us to be there, should we be required, in a timely manner,” he said.

Photos from this event are available on DropBox.

CCNZ has 12 regional branches across New Zealand. These branches regularly organise events for members, awards evenings, and charitable initiatives to care for and strengthen the communities they live and work in.

CCNZ thanks the amazing sponsors and volunteers from each of these events.

CCNZ Bay of Plenty 'Teeing Off for MATES' charity golf tournament
Sponsors (by hole number)
1 Renner Park Golf
2 C3
3 Livingstone Builders
4 Vertu Equipment
5 Hutchinson Homes
6 Hirepool
7 Hynds
8 Moon Civil
9 HEB Construction
10 Placemakers
11 Sharp Tudhope
12 Taylor Bros
13 Complete Traffic
14 Addline Transport
15 Fulton Hogan 
16 Stevensons
17 Map Projects
18 Humes

Major Sponsors: CCNZ and Bay Civil

CCNZ Canterbury-Westland and Institute of Quarrying Combined Charity Golf Day
Sponsors (by hole number)
1 Fulton Hogan 
2 Terra Cat 
3 UINZ
4 Hydraulink 
5 Downer 
6 Hirepool 
7 Elrick & Co
8 Johnston Civil
9 CVH
10 Komatsu 
11 CVH
12 TR Group 
13 Taggart 
14 Suck It Up 
15 Speirs Finance 
16 Isaac Construction
17 Industrial Radiators 
18 TDX 
Drinks Cart Sponsors Managed Labour Hire
Apparel Prizes Paramount Plumbing & Drainage