Egmont Village’s Ryan Prankerd has been crowned Taranaki’s ultimate excavator operator after outperforming seven other competitors at the Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice Taranaki Regional Excavator Operator Competition on Saturday.

The event returned to the public stage at Stratford A&P Showgrounds as part of the Stratford A&P Show on 29 November, marking a welcome shift back to spectator-friendly territory after last year's private event.

Lead organiser Joe Ingram said the A&P Show setting elevated the competition experience for the operators this year.

“Holding the event at the A&P Show brought the buzz of a crowd atmosphere back. These operators thrive on performing under pressure, and there's nothing quite like executing a precision teacup pour using your excavator with hundreds of eyes watching your every move.

Eye-catching challenges that entertained the hundreds of visitors included familiar favourites such as the delicate teacup pour, precision painting using excavator arms and slam-dunking basketballs into manholes using excavator buckets.

Prankerd said he was “grateful and a bit surprised” about the win as the competition had been tight, with some well-known and highly skilled operators among the field.

The regional competition victory qualifies him for the national excavator operator competition finals at the Central Districts Field Days in March next year, and he was looking forward to it.

“I’ll be going there with a clear head and giving it a good crack. It will be great to meet some other top excavator operators from around the rest of the country too,” Prankerd said.

The return to the Stratford A&P Show wasn’t the only highlight of this year’s Taranaki competition. The event also introduced a new 'services dig' challenge that required operators to precisely excavate around a buried gas duct – demonstrating the care and control that their day-to-day roles require. 

Drawing inspiration from the classic children’s game Operation, competitors were also challenged to keep an electrified hoop clear of a four-metre-long wire course without making contact, in one of the more light-hearted challenges of precision.

Prankerd, who works as owner-operator at King Road Contracting, said Saturday’s excavator battle was his second attempt at the regional championships, following a debut outing last year. 

“The vibe was great and it’s a really accepting competition, whether you are there for the first time or returning. The painting challenge using the excavator was probably the most difficult for me – it’s not the kind of thing we do every day.”

John Northcott from Graham Harris secured runner-up honours with a solid performance, while William Adlam from AA Contracting came in at third place.

Ingram congratulated everyone who competed, as well as all the organisers and judges.

In addition to the main event, a guided mini dig experience was on show for children and young people to provide them with a chance to try their hands behind the controls of an excavator.

“Our region’s operators are true professionals and events like this help inspire the next generation while celebrating the expertise we have right here in Taranaki,” Ingram said.

The sponsors for this year’s CCNZ CablePrice Taranaki Regional Excavator Operator Competition were CablePrice, Hitachi, Attach2 Equipment, Connexis, Firstgas, Hirepool, Humes, Fulton Hogan, Hynds, Topcon, Graham Harris, Offshore Plumbing Services and I & D George Contracting.

A guided mini dig experience was on offer for children and young people, alongside the competition course.

This year’s winners’ podium:

1st: Ryan Prankerd, King Road Contracting.

2nd: John Northcott, Graham Harris.

3rd: William Adlam, AA Contracting.