A wastewater tunnel bored 110m under Auckland by a giant machine the length of two rugby fields and a boardwalk suspended above a tidal estuary on a historic Māori travel route were among the winning projects at the CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards on Friday night.
The awards were presented at The Civil Contractors Conference in Wellington and recognised outstanding achievement across six categories: from small yet significant works to one of the greatest feats of civil engineering ever undertaken in New Zealand.
Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard said the winning projects highlighted the level of expertise and depth of capability in the industry.
“The work of civil contractors has an immensely positive impact on society. These projects will safeguard our communities for generations to come by building resilience, supporting our economy and protecting our environment.”
The Central Interceptor Main Works, delivered for Watercare by a Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture, won the award for projects valued more than $100 million. With a budget of $1.6 billion, New Zealand’s largest wastewater project deployed the tunnel-boring machine Hiwa-i-te-Rangi to create the country’s longest wastewater tunnel – at 16.2km-long. The Central Interceptor will futureproof Auckland’s beaches and waterways by reducing instances of wastewater overflow by up to 80 per cent.
The judges described the project as an “outstanding” entry and were impressed with the contribution the project had on the wider construction industry and Auckland as a whole.
“Through training, development, and the introduction of new people into the industry, the team helped build construction capability while also delivering positive social and economic outcomes for local communities.
“For its careful planning, resilient delivery, practical innovation, client focus, and lasting social value, the Central Interceptor Main Works Project is a worthy winner.”
The award for projects valued between $5 million and $20 million recognised another critical piece of infrastructure on the Central Interceptor project. That award recognised a new confluence chamber built by Seipp Construction to merge wastewater flows into the 4.5-metre-wide Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel from the existing Western, Eastern and Southwestern Interceptors.
The judges said Seipp Construction’s use of innovative construction techniques and value engineering to identify efficiencies saved time and millions of dollars on the confluence chamber project, leading to an “exceptional result”.
The work on a section of Te Whau Pathway linking the Northwestern cycleway to Horowai Reserve in Te Atatū South secured the award for projects valued between $20 million and $100 million. HEB Construction engineered Te Kowhai Nui – a purpose-built travelling gantry – to allow a 1.35-km boardwalk to be built from above the mangroves without disturbing the ecologically-sensitive estuary below as it traced a Māori portage route through deep, soft mud.
“Technology and process improvement were clear strengths of the project. The use of BIM [Building Information Modelling] and lean construction methods helped the team coordinate effectively, improve certainty and deliver ahead of time,” judges said.
A project to improve coastal resilience at Hataitai Beach on the Evans Bay Cycleway in Wellington was recognised with the award for projects valued between $2 million and $5 million. Downer created a durable seawall along one of Wellington's busiest arterial routes – protecting a key link in the Evans Bay Cycleway network to support active transport options for the capital’s community.
“This project stands out as a fitting example of how an innovative contractor can drive better outcomes when working in a functional collaborative environment creating a win-win-win situation for the contractor, client and the ratepayer,” judges said.
Further north, in Auckland, a project to remediate Paremuka Dam Culvert in Henderson won Pipeline & Civil the award for projects valued up to $2 million. The contractor’s careful repair of a deteriorating culvert beneath a KiwiRail railway line and dam was completed both within budget and while supporting Auckland Council’s environmental and biosecurity objectives.
In the South Island, exemplary road network maintenance in Selwyn District secured HEB Construction the Excellence in Maintenance and Management of Assets award. The award recognised the success of a six-year roading maintenance partnership between the contractor and Selwyn District Council, with judges noting consistently high scoring across the contract’s key performance indicators.
Judges said the trust HEB had developed with council allowed it to introduce innovations including AI-powered road condition monitoring and the first use of rubber chipseal in the Southern Hemisphere.
Several projects received highly commended recognition from the judges throughout the awards night. In the $2 million to $5 million category, Pipeline & Civil was commended for its piling work to strengthen a critical wastewater pipe in Akoranga Reserve in Northcote, and Fulton Hogan was commended for its work replacing the Rua O Te Whenua radar and communication towers in the Waitakere Ranges. The $5 million to $20 million category saw Fulton Hogan commended for its work remediating a portion of SH60 on Tākaka Hill in Abel Tasman National Park and Downer for the Wellington International Airport Runway EMAS project – a safety system designed to bring aircraft to a safe stop should they overshoot the runway.
Other highly commended projects included the Canterbury Museum redevelopment undertaken by March Construction and a project by MAP Projects to build the Otawere Water Storage Reservoir – both in the $20 million to $100 million category. McConnell Dowell was commended for the Auckland City Hospital Central Plant and Tunnel project in the category for projects valued at more than $100 million.
In the category for maintenance and management of assets, Fulton Hogan was commended for the Auckland South Urban Maintenance – Super Weekends programme, after racking up almost 200 weekends of intensive work to maintain roads serving more than half of Auckland’s population. Downer was also commended for its New Plymouth Infrastructure Partnership with the local council, which demonstrated best practice in collaborative infrastructure maintenance.
Champions of the industry were also recognised on top of champion projects.
Former editor of Contractor Magazine Alan Titchall and leading roading engineering specialist Dr Bryan Pidwerbesky were honoured with respective Service Awards, while the Major Associate Award went to CCNZ Principal Business Partner Hirepool.
The CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards, established in 1978, are New Zealand's premier recognition of civil construction achievement. More information on all the project finalists for the CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards can be found in
the finalist book.
2026 Winners and commendations
Category 1 – Projects under $2 million
Winner: Pipeline and Civil – Paremuka Dam Culvert Rehabilitation
Category 2 – Projects between $2 million and $5 million
Winner: Downer – Evans Bay Cycleway Stage 1 Part 3 Separable Portion 2 Hataitai Beach
Highly commended: Pipeline and Civil – Akoranga Reserve Piling
Highly commended: Fulton Hogan – Rua O Te Radar Tower and Building
Category 3 – Projects between $5 million and $20 million
Winner: Seipp Construction – Confluence Chamber, Central Interceptor, Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant
Highly commended: Fulton Hogan – SH60 Tākaka Hill Remediation
Highly commended: Downer – Wellington International Airport Runway EMAS
Category 4 – Projects between $20 million and $100 million
Winner: HEB Construction – Te Whau Pathway SP1
Highly commended: March Construction – Canterbury Museum Redevelopment
Highly commended: MAP Projects – Otawere Water Storage Reservoir
Category 5 – Projects over $100 million
Winner: Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture – Central Interceptor Main Works
Highly commended: McConnell Dowell – Auckland City Hospital Central Plant and Tunnel
Category 6 – Excellence in the maintenance and management of assets
Winner: HEB Construction – Selwyn District Council Maintenance Contract
Highly commended: Fulton Hogan – Auckland South Urban Maintenance – Super Weekends
Highly commended: Downer – New Plymouth Infrastructure Partnership
Civil Contractors New Zealand Service Award
Recipient: Alan Titchall
Recipient: Dr Bryan Pidwerbesky
Major Associate Award
Winner: Hirepool