38 | Hunter Civil T T Hugh de Lacy Complex project scoops top award The project won this year’s Canterbury/Westland Civil Contractors “Underground Services Award” for the Nelson branch of Christchurchbased Hunter Civil “...the logistics of completing the works in multiple environmentally sensitive areas, public parks, private property, local roads and the busy Nelson–Richmond highway added additional layers of complexity and required significant interface with the public.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A project to increase the flow capacity of the wastewater system to Nelson’s Bell Island treatment plant won this year’s Canterbury/Westland Civil Contractors “Underground Services Award” for the Nelson branch of Christchurch-based Hunter Civil. The duplication project involved repairs and renewal of sections of a previously decommissioned 1.4km pipeline running from the Beach Road pump station to the Bell Island treatment plant. Where the existing 450mm asbestos-cement pipe was damaged beyond repair, it was replaced with new 560mm PE pipe. To reinstate the section beneath SH6 with minimal impact on stakeholders, a structural liner was installed—an advanced technology used for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere. Less critical sections beneath the estuary were repaired using non-structural lining. Although seemingly straightforward, the project demanded detailed planning and coordination due to the range of repair methods, the involvement of multiple subcontractors alongside Hunter Civil crews, and significant stakeholder engagement to secure pipeline access. “Although this project appeared to be a straightforward pipe-laying and lining job, the logistics of completing the works in multiple environmentally sensitive areas, public parks, private property, local roads and the busy Nelson–Richmond highway added additional layers of complexity and required significant interface with the public,” says Hunter Civil Project Manager Patrick Connell. “Careful management of all stakeholders became essential to allow our fantastic Nelson branch to complete the project to our high standards.” The project was initiated because the existing rising mains network for the Richmond, Brightwater and Wakefield catchments could no longer handle peak flows, resulting in frequent wet-weather overflows that posed a public health risk. The duplicate pipeline was required to increase capacity and reduce these incidents. The completed solution is expected to add at least 20 years to the pipeline’s service life, while enabling maintenance to occur during dry-weather flows without disrupting service or causing overflows. “The project intent was to increase the resilience of the network by ensuring the majority of the new rising main was installed further back from the estuary coastline,” Hunter Civil stated in its award entry. “Public health, the environment and cultural values were the key drivers behind pursuing a cost-effective outcome.” Execution was further complicated by the large number of property owners and stakeholders involved, including the Tasman District Council, Nelson City Council, NZTA, local iwi Ngāti Kuia, and Great Taste Trail management. The Nelson team worked closely with the Christchurch head office to deliver sheet piling and temporary access pits across private land, roads, reserves and estuary areas, while also undertaking traffic management and installing air and scour valves. The Great Taste Cycle Trail crossed the work zone in several locations, requiring Hunter Civil to realign a section of the trail to create a NZ 0800 657 156 fosroc.co.nz On site mobile crushing and screening with modern tracked machines • Deliveries available from our Aylesbury Quarry of AP20, AP40, AP65, boulders, sand, dust & premix. 03 3181198 admin@southernscreenworks.co.nz 50 Bealey Rd, RD1, Aylesbury www.southernscreenworks.co.nz safer long-term route and allow for smoother diversions during construction. The CCNZ award entry highlighted the strong team culture on site, noting “small yet powerful initiatives that supported the team environment,” including fortnightly Friday barbecues and extra-curricular sporting activities where colleagues covered shifts so others could train or play. Other successful projects delivered by Hunter Civil include the McGrath Creek bridge replacement on SH73 near Arthurs Pass, and the Point Durham wind turbine installation on the Chatham Islands.
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