88 | House moves made easy Easy Moves T T Kelly Deeks “This triggered the design of a replacement and upgrade project to replace around 300 metres of the line....” CONTRACTING Overcoming challenges The company’s core workload is based on Three Waters projects for local authorities in greater Auckland. Kerry Drainage & Civil T T Russell Fredric Underpinned by more than half a century of history, the credibility and in-house capability on which Kerry Drainage & Civil was built continues to attract significant contracts. Based in Wiri, South Auckland, Kerry Drainage & Civil (KDC) is one of Auckland’s most experienced and capable infrastructure drainage contractors, with proven capability in undertaking and managing civil construction works in the Auckland region. General manager Tim Macintosh says the core workload is based on Three Waters projects for local authorities in greater Auckland, including for Auckland Council. A project for the council completed by KDC was a finalist in the 2024 Auckland Civil Contractors of New Zealand (CCNZ) category B awards for projects valued at $1 million to $10 million. This involved pipe renewal and emergency works to an existing vitrified clay stormwater pipe located in the middle of College Hill Road, known to be in poor condition and in need of upgrade as a result of a tomo, (sinkholes) that developed following the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Day floods. “This triggered the design of a replacement and upgrade project to replace around 300 metres of the line, including the downstream connection into a brick-barrelled culvert in the Victoria Street intersection outside the Victoria Park New World,” Tim says. The design was completed and a tender process started to award the contract for delivery of the physical works, and KDC were in the process of negotiating the contract when a second tomo developed. This brought forward the start of the project in a compressed timeframe. After nearly 40 years of moving things wide, tall, big, and heavy, Troy Etting with his building removal company, EasyMoves, has earned a reputation as a leader in the house-moving industry. With its can-do approach, modern equipment, and decades of experience, the tricky moves are made to look easy with creative solutions. “You can’t move every house the same way,” says EasyMoves operations manager Connor Etting. “Every house is different. It’s about coming up with creative ways to do it. We might make it look easy, but part of that is due to our experience, and another part is due to our gear.” As well as shifting houses, EasyMoves moves offices, classrooms, halls, churches, amenity blocks and more, always with skill, precision, organisation, and back-breaking hard work. EasyMoves started in 2003 after Troy had spent 18 years in the house-removal industry. Having grown up in Belgium after being born in New Zealand, Troy’s English wasn’t great at the time, but his labouring skills were top notch, and he quickly rose up the ranks. His son Connor concedes the building removal industry isn’t an easy one to break into, with a huge capital investment required to bring in all the specialised gear. But demand was strong in 2003, and building removal companies were few and far between. There wasn’t a lot of second-hand gear around, so Troy started small – initially without a trailer, just an old Mazda Titan truck and a few bottle jacks. He began by just moving houses on site until he built up EasyMoves enough to bring in some more sophisticated equipment, which included two Ford 5000 winch tractors and a 1994 Mitsubishi winch truck. Today, EasyMoves’ fleet still includes both the old Fords and the Mitsubishi, and they come to the fore when the more modern gear is too big to fit on a tricky site. The modern gear is top of the line and equipped with the latest technology. EasyMoves has recently taken delivery of a 2022 685hp Mack Superliner with a low-range gear box fitted into the transmission. This technology allows the truck to move slowly but with high power so it can navigate steep, muddy, and rocky terrain with greater traction, without losing power. “We have to always slow down for a lot of obstacles on the road, so we are conscious of lessening our impact on the rest of the traffic,” Connor says. “This truck has a full automatic transmission as well as the horsepower to take off again quickly and get up to normal travelling speed, even on a hill without any run-up.” EasyMoves will soon take delivery of a 2025 Mack Superliner, which comes with an impressive 785hp. The next step in EasyMoves’ fleet augmentation is to look into new trailer technology. Currently running a command steer trailer, which is hydraulically steered and also hydraulically managed, the latest trailers are hydraulically steered but managed by computer. Trailers are, of course, among the items that have just about doubled in price since Covid, and EasyMoves will be looking at an outlay of around $1 million. The reusing of houses used to be seen as a quicker and cheaper alternative to building, but as Kiwis move away from their DIY roots, more and more buyers see it as a way to salvage history and lower their carbon footprint. Connor says just about any house can be moved, and cost-effectively, depending on how much work is involved. EasyMoves commonly cuts houses into pieces and drops their roofs to make them a suitable size for the roads. It’s a tricky business, but the EasyMoves team makes it look easy. Because of the close proximity to motorway on-ramps, Auckland’s central business district and other important stakeholders, such as Auckland Central Police Station and Victoria Park New World, a complex traffic management plan had to be developed, and within a very short timeframe. The discovery of an unknown tunnel during construction required preserving the site and providing access and information to Heritage New Zealand. “The project started as an emergency, with many unknowns and a lack of information as construction began,” Tim says. “Despite these challenges, it was completed within programme and without any delays. One of the standout achievements was the use of low-carbon pipes, marking the first Healthy Waters project to do so.” While the project did not ultimately scoop a top CCNZ award, KDC’s staff were very happy to be recognised as a finalist, Tim says. “That category is for projects up to $10 million, so we were competing with some of the bigger players, and it’s good to see that we are seen to be able to compete with them.” Along with undertaking a variety of conventional civil works services, KDC also offers hydro-excavation, micro-tunnelling and horizontal direct drilling. KDC is currently working on several other important contracts for Auckland Council, including a stormwater separation project and a coastal outfall and stormwater network replacement project. TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TRUCK BUILDS CONSULTATION TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DESIGNS Proudly Supporting Kerry Drainage For consultations, contact Lance 021 435 297 | 021 275 3529 | ttm@ezytraffic.co.nz Traffic Made Ezy OFFICES IN WESTGATE AND OREWA
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