Manawatū Whanganui crowns regional champion ahead of national showdown

10 Mar 2026

Marton local Dean Cave has earned the right to represent Manawatū Whanganui at the Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition after claiming victory at Sunday’s regional competition in Feilding.

Cave reigned supreme over nine other elite operators at the CCNZ CablePrice Manawatū Whanganui Regional Excavator Operator Competition, held at the National Driver Training Centre on Kawakawa Road.

The McIntyre Construction team member will represent the region in the national finals over 20-21 March during the Central Districts Field Days, where he will compete against 11 other regional champions to secure the title of New Zealand’s ultimate excavator operator.

Cave said it was “a pretty cool thing” to have won the regional round of the competition, having failed to place in his first attempt a decade ago when he was a lot less experienced.

“There’s newer machines and technology on the course these days and there was a bit more of a breeze and some rain this year, which made the water pour challenge a bit tougher.”

The ‘water pour’ challenge – which tasked competitors with pouring water from one bucket into another using their excavators, without spilling any – was one of a number of eye-catching challenges competitors had to contend with this year.

Other challenges of excavator expertise and precision included performing a slalom through road cones without knocking any over, traversing logs, painting a picture, and slam dunking a basketball, all using a high-tech Hitachi machine. Alongside the spectacular displays of skill, operators were assessed on foundational industry knowledge through a health and safety knowledge test and excavator pre-start checks.

Cave’s win qualifies him for the national final at Manfeild in two weeks’ time, where he says he will “give it a good nudge” in front of what promises to be a big hometown crowd.

Last year’s regional champion Daniel Watt from ARC Asbestos Removal and Demolition secured second place in this year’s Manawatū Whanganui competition, while another past regional champion, Neil Tau from Central Demolition, rounded out the podium in third. Ashhurst company Brownell Earthmoving took home the inter-company trophy for best combined score.

A highlight of the day was a special presentation of $14,000 to MATES in Construction, raised by local CCNZ branch members at the CCNZ Annual Manawatū Whanganui Golf Tournament in August.

CCNZ Manawatū Whanganui Branch Chair Jason Cryer said the charity played a vital role in looking after the mental health and wellbeing of people in the construction industry.

“We feel it’s very important to help MATES in Construction as much as possible, especially as it’s a charity which relies on donations from organisations like us. We support them so they can support our people – it all comes back around and creates better working environments.”

The CCNZ CablePrice Manawatū Whanganui Regional Excavator Operator Competition was made possible by the support of national sponsors CablePrice, Attach2, Connexis, Firstgas, Hirepool, Humes, Caltex Lubricants, beforeUdig, Civil Trades, Doug the Digger and Contractor Magazine. The assistance of an army of volunteers, helpful judges and local businesses also ensured the event was a success.