42 | CONTRACTING Waiotahi Contractors Ltd Richard Loader Infrastructure projects boon for town Waiotahi Contractors is one of two key contractors on the Ōpōtiki Harbour and aquaculture development project, constructing the Ōpōtiki Harbour access roads. “This has created a massive amount of work and it’s bringing people to this town.” An economic development milestone has been marked in the Bay of Plenty as the Government invests $117.37 million in major infrastructure projects that are set to take Ōpōtiki from strength to strength. Long-standing civil contractor Waiotahi Contractors is one of two key contractors on the Ōpōtiki Harbour and aquaculture development project, constructing the Ōpōtiki Harbour access roads while HEB Construction designs and builds the Ōpōtiki Harbour Infrastructure. Waiotahi Contractors is a second generation company which has been operating in the district since 1957, and today comprises branches in Ōpōtiki, Whakatane, Tauranga, and Kawerau. Ōpōtiki branch managing director Spike Peterson says the small rural town was humming back in the day, and the business grew steadily over its first 30 years with several acquisitions of similar businesses allowing it to expand both its range of services and also its area of operation. “Back in the day we had a dairy facility, a meat works, a boot maker, clothing manufacturers, all of the banks were here, and the Ford and Holden dealerships were here,” Spike says. “Over the past 40 years, all of that has disappeared. We lost everything. That’s why Waiotahi Contractors went out into Whakatane and Tauranga to find more work, keep things rolling, and grow the company.” In the early 1980s, kiwifruit development took off in the Bay of Plenty and that was huge business for Waiotahi Contracting, as clients began converting dairy farms into kiwifruit orchards. Today, kiwifruit and dairy are still the backbone of the local economy, but the aquaculture industry is about to be tapped into thanks to this award from the Provicial Growth Fund which was made in 2020. The harbour and aquaculture development is set to unlock the region’s potential and drive the economic recovery of a location with high levels of deprivation, and about 44% of people on incomes of less than $20,000. The bulk of the funding, $76.4 million, is for harbour development, while $24.85 million is for the construction of the Whakatōhea mussel factory. Once these projects are complete in July 2023, an $8.8 million marina and wharf development will also be built. These projects have so far created 170 new jobs. “This has created a massive amount of work and it’s bringing people to this town,” Spike says. “I wish it had happened 10 years ago. My dad talked about it 25 years ago, and he turns 84 this year. When the harbour development opens next year, I’m going to take him out on my boat and we will drive through the opening.” Once again a thriving little town, there is hardly a house to be bought or rented in Ōpōtiki right now. Property values have doubled in the past two years, and property developers are either building or transporting about 160 new homes into Ōpōtiki over the coming 18 months. Meanwhile Waiotahi Contractors remains the trusted local name in civil construction, quarrying, sheetpiling, and trucking. With a team of 200 delivering high quality and innovative solutions across the Bay of Plenty, Waiotahi Contractors cover the whole spectrum of the contracting industry, from metal supply to the finishing touches. “Or as we like to say, from rock to roll,” says Spike. Email: info@ebthrust.co.nz | Location: 48 Te Tahi Street Whakatane 3120 Excavators 5 tonne to 50 tonne Loaders 3 tonne to 23 tonne Rollers • Bulldozers • Graders Dump Trucks • Water Trucks All Attachments including: Augers, Claw Buckets, Rippers, Rock Breakers, Root Rakes and Screening Buckets 07 575 9318 m: 021 353 908 hrmltd@xtra.co.nz hewlettsroadmachinery.co.nz Utilising only the highest quality equipment offering: Heavy Machine Hire HEWLETTS ROAD MACHINERY HEAVY MACHINERY HIRE
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