Masterful machine control and nerves of steel saw Dunedin’s Josh Keane power his way to victory against 19 of Otago's best excavator operators at the Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice Otago Regional Excavator Operator Competition on Saturday.
The event took place at Taieri Showgrounds in Mosgiel during the Taieri A&P Show on January 25, drawing in hundreds of spectators who were mesmerised by the excavator expertise on display as the competitors tackled tricky tasks of precision operating.
Keane said that his previous experience in the regional competition – an event he has won twice before – helped keep him on track for the win this year.
"It was tough but I must have done okay in the end. Every time I looked around at the other competitors everyone seemed to be doing pretty well, which kept the pressure on."
Many of the challenges completed by Keane and other Otago operators during Saturday’s competition were eye-catching tests of machine skill and precision, including using their excavator buckets to dunk a basketball, delicately pour a cup of tea, traverse logs and write words with a paint brush.
Beyond the crowd-pleasing stunts, the regional competition featured more standard tasks to test operators’ capabilities, including a job-safety analysis and risk assessment walk-through.
Keane’s triumph over second-placed Tyrone Wardlaw and third-placed Ricky Moore secured his spot in the national finals at the Central District Field Days in Feilding in March.
It will be his third appearance at the national finals, where he will represent Otago against 11 other winners from regional competitions in a quest to be crowned New Zealand’s ultimate excavator operator.
Last year’s national final’s winner and competition legend Troy Calteaux – also from Otago – will not be defending his title this year as he has decided to join the finals’ judging team.
Keane, who works for Dunedin company McEwan Haulage, said the national finals were "a different ball game" and he was hoping to improve on the fifth placing and third placing he had achieved in previous appearances.
Civil Contractors New Zealand Otago Branch Secretary Nicola Darling commended the high calibre of competition on show at the Otago regional final.
"Watching the operators do tasks like the teapot pour is something else – I can’t pour a great cup of tea on a good day but the operators can pour it to the millilitre using their machines," she said
"The looks of concentration on their faces is priceless – there are a lot of tongues hanging out."
She said other highlights of the event included the social and company excavator operator competitions and seeing so many children taking the opportunity to get behind the controls of an excavator as part of a mini-dig experience run alongside the competition course.
Darling said the annual Otago competition had become a mainstay of the civil construction calendar in the region and she encouraged other local excavator operators who enjoyed a challenge to step up and test their mettle next year.
"The precision required in modern civil construction is remarkable, and events like this help showcase the extraordinary level of skill that excavator operators possess to the wider public – inspiring a new generation to tackle the bigger tools of the civil trade."
The Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice Southland Regional Excavator Operator Competition was made possible by the support of major sponsors CablePrice, Connexis Te Pūkenga, Hirepool, First Gas, Humes and Attach2, along with local businesses and volunteers.
Winners: CCNZ CablePrice Otago Regional Excavator Operator Competition
- First: Josh Keane, McEwan Haulage.
- Second: Tyrone Wardlaw, Wilson Contractors.
- Third: Ricky Moore, Isaac Construction.
Social competition placings
- First: Chetan Raju – Twin Peaks Contracting.
- Second: Jason Cooper – Andrew Haulage.
- Third: Charles Alsdorf – Andrew Haulage.
Company competition placings
- First: Isaac Construction.
- Second: Wilson Contractors.
Winner Josh Keane doing the log walk challenge during the competition.
An operator doing the tea pour challenge during the competition.
L_R: Otago top three Tyrone Wardlaw (2nd), Josh Keane (1st) and Ricky Moore 3rd).