Business North October 2021

42 | Making their mark across the region Karen Phelps Kawerau: Waiotahi Contractors REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT to page 44 www.cdsl.co.nz | Authorised Dealer Service & Parts “The project has really demonstrated the diversity of Waiotahi Contractors offering as we have been able to complete bulk earthworks, services and roading.” W aiotahi Contractors has been busy working on a number of significant projects in the Eastern Bay of Plenty including one of the largest underway in the region at present. The Putauaki Trust Industrial Subdivision Phase 2 Project has seen Waiotahi Contractors complete a large roading project on State Highway 34, including a roundabout, cycle- ways and new footpaths over nine months with work due for completion in October. Company branch manager for Whakatane Hardus Coetzee says a major focus of the project has been ensuring the traffic on State Highway 34 can keep flowing and ensuring high levels of health and safety. It has re- quired significant expertise to create the right construction methodology, which has involved numerous phases, all tightly interlinked with specific deadlines to keep the project moving forward efficiently. He says the opportunity to work with the Putuaki Trust has proved mutually beneficial. “They have been fantastic to work with and have taken a very collaborative approach. They expect high quality and a real focus on health and safety which has fitted in well with Waiotahi Contractors’ own business philoso- phy,” he says. “The project has really demonstrated the di- versity of Waiotahi Contractors offering as we have been able to complete bulk earthworks, services and roading. We’ve also enjoyed col- laborating with local specialised contractors to deliver the project. It really shows the Eastern Bay of Plenty has the resources, knowledge and expertise to pull off large scale projects lo- cally and it’s something we’ve been very proud to be a part of.” Another significant project completed by Waiotahi Contractors in 2021 was the River Road culvert upgrade in Kawerau. This saw the company install box culverts to increase flow capacity. Working in a live stream was a big chal- lenge. Sheet piling was driven six metres into the ground to allow for excavation of material, before the construction of the new culvert.