| 85 T T Russell Fredric Harbour project challenging work The Waitematā Harbour Connections project aims to refine the scope of the harbour crossing. Drill Force NZ CONTRACTING Drill Force was established early 2008 by a small group of motivated investors, who were convinced there was an opportunity for a diversified, quality, client-focused drilling services company to enter the New Zealand market. They formed Drill Force and purchased several modern multipurpose drilling rigs, which they combined with extremely experienced staff and a solution-orientated management team. Director/project manager Ryan Tidswell says the Papakura-headquartered company, today, is run by four working directors and a silent director, employing a staff of 50-plus. Drill Force operates a comprehensive fleet comprising 40 drilling rigs, having made the decision to operate in the New Zealand drilling contracting market using only high-quality drilling rigs, ancillary equipment, testing and down-hole tooling. “We’ve got all the different auxiliary pieces of plant to go alongside that as well, such as transporters and support trucks,” says Ryan. The rigs give Drill Force the capability to offer an extensive range of services, from residential and rural work to being involved in large-scale commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects. Its expertise includes coal, gas and geothermal related projects. Last year, Drill Force provided its services and expertise on the Waitematā Harbour crossing geotechnical investigations after winning an NZ Transport Agency tender as the main contractor. A considerable period of the contract involved drilling 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Waitematā Harbour Connections project aims to refine the scope of the harbour crossing for either a bridge or tunnel option, prior to seeking a decision on which option to progress in mid-2026. “We’re the main contractor for the geotechnical investigations, so we engage all other services to undertake the work,” Ryan says. “In terms of the quantity of investigation that’s required and the time frame in which NZTA wants the information, really the only way to that reasonably is to run the rig 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Otherwise, if you do it in daylight only you’re talking more than a year.” Holes were drilled up to 80 metres below the seabed in water levels from zero to 24 metres, with the horizontal distance varying depending on the result of previous drilling results and the geology encountered. The Drill Force team finished their work early October in what was logistically a very challenging project due to the rigours of working in an exposed marine environment, plus the need to be flexible as the scope and requirements of the project changed. “While it’s been a challenging project, it’s been very rewarding in the same sense,” says Ryan. “We’ve had an awesome team both on the project side and in the field. It’s also given some of our younger staff that haven’t been exposed to those kind of projects some great experience.” Drill Force is also one of NZTA’s main contractors for the section one Warkworth to Te Hana stretch of the Northland Corridor connecting Auckland to Northland. For the bulk of 2025, Drill Force had a large number of crews doing heli work – a lightweight, compact drilling rig designed to be transported by helicopter to remote or hardto-access locations – in the north Auckland area. “Those are the two big geotechnical projects that we’ve got going on and then we’ve got the rest of our diverse business operations, including a geothermal rig operating at the moment as well,” Ryan says. HE L I COP T ER S ER V I CE S Leaders in Commercial and Agricultural helicopter operations throughout New Zealand. Preferred supplier for infrastructure, civil construction, exploration projects, and council compliant agricultural services. 09 422 7018 | 021 276 0075 | skyworkshelicopters.com WATER DELIVERIES Rhodes for Roads has been delivering water to both households and businesses in the local area for over 40 years. As a registered drinking water supplier in New Zealand we can offer quality artesian water or town supply water. With a fleet of purpose-built stainless steel water tankers, we pride ourselves on offering consistently great service to our water clients 7 days per week. We are proud to support Drill Force with their geo-technical work in the local area supplying water to the drilling rigs. Do it once, do it right Rhodes for Roads is a highly experienced civil construction company which proudly boasts a modern fleet of well maintained truck and trailers, excavators, graders, rollers, dump-trucks and loaders of varying sizes. 14 Hudson Rd, Warkworth 09 425 8454 | 0800 747 928 | enquiries@rhodesforroads.co.nz www.rhodesforroads.co.nz • Metal Supplies • Site Works • Roading • Excavation • Driveways • Dams • Drain Laying • House Sites
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