| 79 Shane Powell Earthmoving Equipment and staff the key to success The fleet includes two 14-tonne and a four-tonne excavator, a tip truck, transporter, grader, rollers and tractors with trailers. T T Russell Fredric “We’ve got some really good staff members and subbies that are great at what they do, and they’ve been with is for a long time as well.” CONTRACTING Investing in modern, well-maintained equipment, combined with a high level of professionalism has proven to be a recession-proof strategy for Shane Powell Earthmoving. Based in Mangawhai, Northland, the business is owned by and run by father-and-son team Shane and Flynn Powell. Flynn originally planned to start a building apprenticeship, but was given the opportunity to purchase a shareholding in the company and became a director at the age of 16. “We were still a young business at that point, and now with more machinery and being well-established, it’s worked out very well for Flynn, who is now 20 years old,” Shane says. “He’s an integral part of the business – we wouldn’t be where we are now without him. Whether it’s on the weekends, early starts or late finishes, he’s always there to help out and make sure things are ticking over.” Shane Powell Earthmoving employs four full-time staff and various subcontractors when workloads increase. “We’ve got some really good staff members and subbies that are great at what they do, and they’ve been with is for a long time as well,” Shane says. The business’ fleet includes two 14-tonne and a four-tonne excavator, a tip truck, transporter, grader, rollers and tractors with trailers. “We also hire in machinery for site-specific projects.” The 14-tonne Hitachi machines offer excellent versatility, being neither too big nor too small for the bulk of the work the business does, while the small machine is great for residential work and tasks such as house foundations, landscaping preparation, or roadside vegetation trimming. “We’ve got really good gear, modern machinery that’s maintained and presented well, which also reflects on the work that we do too.” Shane Powell Earthmoving has been involved in some significant commercial and private development work, for which the Unicontrol GPS system in the larger excavators has proven a total game changer. The in-cab system displays in 3D the full parameters of the design surfaces, including the heights, slope, elevation and length, and provides the operator with a real-time image of the where they are cutting or filling to. While the investment per machine is significant, jobs can be done much more efficiently than by conventional means. One of Shane Powell Earthmoving’s biggest jobs involved all the bulk earthworks, drainage and civil works for the new Causeway Church development, while also completing two Safeguard Storage commercial sites in Mangawhai. “The Causeway site was an amazing project to be a part of, and so far the biggest one we’ve ever done,” says Shane. “There was a massive amount of concrete laid and we did all the bulk earthworks, all the civil works, earthworks for the footings, the drainage, kerb and concrete. It was probably three years’ worth of work on and off. It was an amazing project to be a part of, probably the biggest one we’ve ever done.” Shane describes the Northland economy as somewhat stagnant, but his business has bucked the trend and had a really good year in 2025. “Due to our great staff and awesome repeat customers we’ve probably had one of the best years this year (2025). Last year and this year have been great for us.” NZ's preferred machine control system Unicontrol machine control hardware empowers earthmoving companies to achieve unparalleled precision in their operations. With Unicontrol, you can effortlessly transform designs into reality, ensuring every movement aligns with your plans. Unparalleled Accuracy • Increased Efficiency • Remote Management www.baypositioning.co.nz 0508 UNI GPS (0508 864 477) info@baypositioning.co.nz
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