Concrete NZ's 2023 Conference Awards Recognise Members' Outstanding Achievements
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
Concrete NZ’s Conference Awards, held during the 2023 Conference at Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton, acknowledged a range of notable individuals and teams from across the concrete industry for their technical excellence, as well as professionalism, patience and “people-first” attitude.
 Simon McKinney, stand up character impressionist, entertained the audience as awards MC.
Success in terms of diversity & inclusion, health, safety & wellbeing, along with carbon reduction was also celebrated.
The 2023 Conference Awards saw Concrete NZ's new awards framework, designed to enhance opportunities for celebrating achievements in the concrete industry, enter its second year.
The Conference Awards remain part of the established annual Concrete NZ conference formal dinner, and are primarily inward facing, appealing to Concrete NZ members across all the Sector Groups and the Learned Society.
Technical Excellence Award
Firth Industries for the Central Interceptor Low Viscosity Annulus Grout Supply
 Central Interceptor waste water tunnel, Auckland.
This award is given in recognition of a producer’s involvement in a project or initiative which calls for innovative solutions to meet a challenging architectural vision or engineering requirement.
Firth Industries worked with the Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture team to deliver the Lyon Avenue Caisson Wall, a critical project element of the Central Interceptor. The caisson stands 39 metres high and weighs approximately 1,000 tonnes.
The challenge was to design and place a grout to fill the 70mm annulus gap left behind by the cutting shoe, joining the external wall of the caisson with the ground to hold up the weight of the concrete.
Subject to rigorous testing, the specialized grout, with an ultra-low viscosity, required a 28-day characteristic compressive strength of 40MPa and had to remain fluid for over 50 hours.
The judges appreciated that these characteristics were crucial to the grouting process, which through careful planning and execution overcame many challenges.
 John Boules of Firth Industries receives the Producer Technical Excellence Award from Rob Green.
Technical Excellence Award - Highly Commended
Hynds Pipe Systems for Central Interceptor High Performance Jacking Pipe Supply
 High performance jacking pipe supply for Central Interceptor, Auckland.
The Central Interceptor is one of the largest wastewater projects in New Zealand. The $1.2 billion tunnel runs underground from Grey Lynn to Watercare’s Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant, reducing wastewater overflows into central Auckland waterways.
The project includes 14.7 kilometres of 4.5 metre diameter tunnel, two link sewers totalling 4.3 km, as well as 18 shafts, a major pump station and substantial wastewater management and network infrastructure works.
Hynds was successful in tendering for the manufacture and supply of high-performance hybrid jacking pipes and inter-jack sets for the link sewers. The judges acknowledge the significant innovation and commitment required before and throughout the project.
 Americo dos Santos of Hynds Pipe Systems receives the Producer Technical Excellence Highly Commended Award from Rob Green.
Extra Distance Award
Higgins Concrete for the Turitea Wind Farm, Tararua Ranges near Palmerston North
 Turitea Wind Farm is a 222-megawatt wind farm near Turitea, Palmerston North.
Consented back in 2011, the Turitea Wind Farm is New Zealand’s largest and consists of 60 wind turbines, each standing 125 metres high. Managing pandemic disruption, extreme weather and difficult access, the mix and sustainability requirements of the
project were met via Higgins' on-site batching plants.
Following the completion of the North Stage, the first plant had to be disestablished and removed from site. Protracted earthworks along with planning obstacles, meant Higgins had to establish a second, temporary batching plant at the South Stage, which
after certification went on to supply concrete in a challenging environment to the project's completion.
The judges admired the tenacious endeavour of Higgins Concrete in adapting to and overcoming multiple obstacles over an extended period of time to get the job done.
 Mike Botherway and Scott Ferguson of Higgins Concrete receive the Producer Extra Distance Award from Rob Green.
Extra Distance Award - Highly Commended
Allied Concrete (Fulton Hogan & Taylor Contracting JV) for the Waimea Community Dam
 Waimea Community Dam, Lee Valley, Nelson.
The Waimea Community Dam is the largest dam built in New Zealand in over 20 years. At 53 metres high and 220 metres long, the concrete-face rockfill dam required more than 32 thousand cubic metres of concrete from October 2019 to August 2023 – all in
line with a strict and demanding specification.
Concrete was supplied to the remote site for multiple purposes, including shotcrete for stabilisation purposes, as well as for the starter dam, culverts, plinths, up-stream face and spillway. Accurate heat of hydration analysis was critical, as was extensive
testing and modelling.
Amongst many features, the judges were impressed with the approach taken to address the project’s complex carbon footprint reduction specification. This involved cement replacement – with an estimated 30 percent of cement substituted for fly ash - as
well as native bush protection and comprehensive recycling.
 Nasser Almesfer of Allied Concrete receives the Producer Extra Distance Award - Highly Commended from Rob Green.
Health, Safety & Wellbeing Achievement Award
Higgins Concrete for its Golden Rules Programme
 Higgins' Concrete's Golden Rules Programme.
This award category acknowledges organisations and individuals that have demonstrated innovation and leadership in helping to improve health, safety and wellbeing in the concrete industry.
In 2020, after a period of less that acceptable performance in safety data, Higgins Concrete embarked on a strategy designed to lift and substantially improve the health and safety performance of the business.
Following employee feedback on current procedures and processes the simple but effective statement - Start Safe, Stay Safe, Home Safe - led to the development of nine Golden Rules that set the evolving safety parameters for all staff.
Higgins Concrete’s ongoing commitment to health, safety and wellbeing has resulted in a seismic shift in culture, engagement, understanding and improvement.
This is evidenced by “the numbers”, which the judges couldn’t ignore, and that include significant reductions in a range of key metrics acknowledged by ACC and WorkSafe New Zealand.
 Mike Botherway of Higgins Concrete receives the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Achievement Award from Rob Gaimster.
Diversity & Inclusion Award Allied Concrete - Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
 Allied Concrete's “Get a Haircut” campaign.
This award acknowledges organisations and individuals that have made a genuine commitment to advancing their culture by embracing:
- Diversity as the presence of difference within a given setting; and
- Inclusion, which relates to individuals with different identities feeling and being valued within that setting.
As part of the HWR Group, Allied Concrete considers itself a leader in term of integrating diversity and inclusion across all aspects of the business, believing that it is their people that make the difference as they are the ones who “keep the wheels
turning”.
HWR is a member of Diversity Works New Zealand, which as a partnership between the private and public sectors helps drive diversity and inclusion as a tool for better outcomes.
Allied Concrete actively takes part in Mental Health Awareness Week, encouraging staff to connect with their colleagues and explore the Mental Health Foundation’s Five Ways to Wellbeing in the Workplace.
Amongst a range of factors, the judges were struck by Allied Concrete's “Get a Haircut” campaign to help recruitment in a competitive market, appreciating the use of hair as a metaphor to say, ‘whoever you are, we want you just the way you are’.
Ella’s Story also resonated as a “real-life” example of Allied Concrete’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
 Bob Officer of Allied Concrete receives the Diversity & Inclusion Award from Rob Gaimster.
Diversity & Inclusion Award - Highly Commended ITW Construction for their Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
 ITW Construction Asia Pacific commitment to diversity & inclusion spans a range of companies.
Ramset, Reid and Danley are part of the ITW Construction Asia Pacific family, who have built success around teams which are diverse and feel a strong sense of belonging.
ITW has adopted a holistic approach to diversity and inclusion, making small, impactful actions that deliver sustainable results for their people, across different areas of the business.
ITW are committed to attracting, and developing a representative workforce and breaking down barriers to create a culture where belonging and inclusion is at the heart of everything they do.
The judges acknowledged ITW's all-inclusive focus on diversity and inclusion, which has seen them promote inclusive leadership, establish Employee Resource Groups to embed a culture of inclusion, as well as support cultural days and encourage employee
community engagement.
 Cameron Gilmour of ITW Construction Asia Pacific receives the Diversity & Inclusion Award - Highly Commended from Rob Gaimster.
Carbon Reduction Award
Holcim New Zealand for its Low Carbon Cement Replacement Facility & Verified Carbon Model
 Holcim New Zealand's low carbon cement replacement facility, Ports of Auckland.
The Carbon Reduction Award acknowledges those organisations that have undertaken initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint, and in turn help the concrete industry achieve its 2030 and 2050 targets.
Holcim New Zealand recently opened a new low-carbon cement replacement facility at the Ports of Auckland, which will enable the reduction of embodied carbon from the construction of our built environment.
Complementing this development, Holcim can now also provide project-specific, on-demand Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), a service that represents a significant step in the company's sustainability journey.
In short, the new Port facility in Auckland enables Holcim to offer customised low carbon products and solutions, backed-up by a verified carbon model that provides certified EPDs.
The judges noted that Holcim’s recent achievements are hugely important steps on the New Zealand concrete industry’s decarbonisation pathway to net-zero carbon by 2050.
 Cyril Giraud of Holcim New Zealand receives the Carbon Reduction Award from Rob Gaimster.
Carbon Reduction Award - Highly Commended
Golden Bay for its Carbon Reduction at Scale from Deconstruction and Energy Generation Waste
 Golden Bay's carbon reduction at scale from deconstruction waste.
Golden Bay is looking at all aspects of its business to shape a circular future by diverting wood waste from landfill to utilise as fuel - replacing 28 percent of coal to make their EcoSure cement.
Golden Bay have also partnered with Genesis Energy to solve their bottom ash (from electricity generation) waste stream issue. Traditionally taken to landfill, this pond ash will now be incorporated into Golden Bay’s cement as an alternative raw material,
assisting with product performance.
The judges applauded Golden Bay’s unwavering progress in this space, and that it remains on track with its world leading plan to displace 100 percent of fossil fuels with more circular waste, and in turn decarbonise their operation and products to achieve
a 30 percent carbon reduction by 2030.
 David Welsh of Golden Bay receives the Carbon Reduction Award - Highly Commended from Rob Gaimster.
2023 Conference Awards
|