Waikato excavator operator shows steely determination to clinch regional win

25 Jun 2026

Andrew Prince from Morrinsville company James Lux Developments has been crowned Waikato's top excavator operator, securing a spot in the Civil Contractors New Zealand National Excavator Operator Competition grand final in Feilding next year.

Prince’s victory was announced at a prize giving evening in Hamilton, where his scores from the CCNZ CablePrice Waikato Regional Excavator Operator Competition at Fieldays earlier this month were revealed.

The competition saw operators push their excavators to the limits to tackle radical challenges of precision, including painting a sign, lifting an egg into a cup without cracking it and hoisting a log over and under a wire while avoiding contact – all using their machines.

Prince said despite being Operations Manager he still spends plenty of time tackling projects in an excavator and training up less experienced team members, keeping his skills sharp for the competition.

“The weather was nice and fine and I competed later in the day, so the crowds were a little smaller and all my workmates had gone home – that took the pressure off a bit.”

Prince achieved maximum scores in the painting, egg cup and basketball slam dunk, and hoop and wire challenges, stumbling only on the beer bottle pour by breaking the top of the bottle in his attempt to open it. The balance of scores placed him in pole position overall.

Nic Aston from Brian Perry Civil claimed second place, while Mason Schroder from Fulton Hogan rounded out the podium in third.
Prince said a lifetime of machine operating had stood him in good stead.

“My grandfather owned a contracting company so I’ve been on motor scrapers since I was four years old. When I was 11 I was on graders and doing pavement marking. Not many people have had the same opportunities as me, so I'm very lucky.

“I like to say I'm only 44 years old, but I have 40 years' experience.”

He said he was looking forward to representing Waikato at the national finals and was quietly optimistic about his chances.

“There were 16 competitors in the Waikato competition and there are 12 at the nationals, so my odds are better down there, or at least that’s how I’m looking at it.”

Prince will join winners from 11 other regional competitions across New Zealand at Central Districts Field Days next year for the national finals, to battle against the best of the best and attempt to establish himself as New Zealand's ultimate excavator operator.