66 | CONTRACTING Excavat T T Hugh de Lacy Projects with a positive impact Excavat offers the full complement of site preparation services, from clearing and excavation to landscaping and installing community facilities. A good building is one that sits on a solid and stable base and delivering such bases throughout Taranaki and further afield is Hawera-based specialist floor-pad and foundation construction company Excavat. Working in both the residential and the commercial sectors, Excavat offers the full complement of site preparation services, from clearing and excavation to landscaping and installing community facilities. That includes sub-grade testing and compacting, footing and slab preparation, and the installation of reinforcement, while its services to subdivision developers also cover site planning and design, earthworks, site preparation and infrastructure development. “We’ve made a name for ourselves by handling an unusually diverse range of projects, from key infrastructure jobs through to cleaning out calf-rearing sheds,” says managing director Bert Hamilton. “We successfully completed the civil works for Fonterra’s Project Hoiho at their Whareroa plant back in 2022, where they built a new plant room called the Energy Centre 6, which was aimed at reducing the risk of reticulated ammonia at the site. “That project demanded the highest-quality standards, and we’re proud of what we delivered. “More recently we’ve just completed work on Te Ramanui o Ruaputahanga in Hawera, which is a significant public attraction that’s really going to put our town on the map. “It’s incredibly satisfying to be part of projects that make such a positive impact on our community.” Excavcat’s Hawera home base, halfway between New Plymouth and Whanganui, gives it access to the markets of both those districts, as far as Marton to the east and up to Mokau, midway between New Plymouth and Hamilton, in the north. The company has 12 staff, and operates a comprehensive fleet of modern earthmoving equipment, including excavators, tip-trucks and compact machinery with laser-guided levelling systems. Excavat has also invested in Unicontrol GPS machine control technology, which has proven invaluable for commercial and local government clients. “This advanced system significantly improves site set-out precision, accelerates delivery timelines, and provides highly accurate as-built information – all crucial factors for large-scale projects and public infrastructure work,” Bert says. Excavat was set up in 2017 by Bert Hamilton and Joel Thomas, who came together combining their complementary backgrounds and shared vision for the business. The old school friends formed Excavat initially with a single employee and a 13-tonne excavator. Bert came from a background in the earthmoving industry, his grandfather having run Hamilton Earthmoving out of Kaikoura. Starting out as a builder, before spending 11 years selling safety equipment, having family on his mother’s side from Taranaki drew him to the region. Joel’s background was in farm machinery, especially dairy farming, and he had a small business called South Taranaki Earthworks, comprising a truck and a digger. This company was folded into Excavat, and Joel went on to do most of the running of it, as director of the fleet, until Bert came aboard full-time three years ago. With subcontracting for big companies like Todd Energy and Fonterra, Excavat has managed to come through a challenging period in good heart, though it hasn’t been easy. “The last 12 months has been really tough, and we’ve been lucky to have the relationships and the projects to keep us going,” Bert says. “As we’ve grown, we’ve faced challenges that have meant we’ve had to make some difficult decisions including letting some excellent team members go. However, through it all we’ve had a super-positive and committed team, who continue to deliver exceptional results for our clients. “There are signs, though, that things are getting better, mainly because of the record returns farmers are getting for meat and dairy,” he says. 021 625 874 neelelectrical@outlook.com 7 Laurent VC St, Hawera NEEL ELECTRICAL SERVICES LTD • Mains Cable / Builder’s Temp Supply • Residential & Commercial Wiring / Maintenance Services • Heat Pump Services • Aerial / Satellite Dish Installation & Maintenance • Addition & Alterations • Smart Vent / Heat Transfer Systems
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