40 | Ceres New Zealand Dunedin - Ph: 03 477 1999 Transport Ltd • General Cartage • Trombone Trailer • Container & Artic Work • Fly Jib • Crane Trucks with Winches & Man Bucket Proudly Supporting Ceres New Zealand POWER HIRE, SALES AND SERVICE OF QUALITY POWER GENERATORS , Weather you need emergency generation for a short-term fault, a large industrial backup power system or a regular service plan undertaken by specialist, QPower technicians, QPower has a solution for you. 0800 230 400 | www.qpower.co.nz REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Stepping up on hospital project Ceres constructed 153 pile caps and three integrated lower raft slab structures. T T Karen Phelps Reaching finalist status in the 2026 CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards in Category 3 — projects valued between $5 million and $20 million — for the New Dunedin Hospital Inpatients Building Stage 2 Substructure Works (Pile Caps) was particularly significant for Ceres New Zealand. The project in question was not only New Zealand’s largest health infrastructure project but marked the first where the company had delivered this specific scope of works. “While Ceres has traditionally specialised in demolition and deconstruction, the Dunedin project saw us move further into construction, delivering the extensive substructure work required before the hospital building could rise above ground,” says Ceres project manager Dan Fallow. “We were up against some incredible projects in the awards so to make it to the top five was significant.” Engaged directly by Health New Zealand, Ceres had under previous separable portions cleared the former Cadbury Factory site at 280 Cumberland Street before progressing through deep excavation, piling and in-situ concrete construction. During the $12.037 million portion undertaken between June and December 2025, Ceres constructed 153 pile caps and three integrated lower raft slab structures across 175 working days. The project was completed within budget and to programme, despite challenges. The company had to work within a tightly constrained central-city environment, adjacent to heritage buildings, businesses and state highways. Contaminated ground containing asbestos-containing materials, heavy metals and hydrocarbons required careful management. Bespoke dewatering systems were used to control groundwater during excavations. The project also incorporated innovative construction methods. Prefabricated reinforcing cages were fitted with sacrificial formwork at ground level before being lifted into excavations, reducing the amount of work required in confined excavations. Ceres also reused screened crushed rubble recovered from the temporary piling platform, which had itself been constructed using material retained from the earlier demolition works. This eliminated the need to import an estimated 8,500 cubic metres of virgin aggregate and reduced truck movements through the city. Safety was another significant achievement with more than 39,000 worker-hours recorded without a lost-time injury. “Safety is treated as a non-negotiable value,” says Dan. “Considerable effort is made to eliminate or minimise risk through risk-based systems and management is committed to continuous improvement.” Dan says a key part of the work was Ceres’ collaboration with specialist structural concrete contractor Francis Ward. “We worked together from the beginning on construction methodology, with Francis Ward responsible for reinforcing steel detailing and fabrication, as well as on-site reinforcing, formwork and concrete placement. Their expertise and capability played a pivotal role in the successful delivery of this project.” Ceres New Zealand (LLC) specialises in demolition, deconstruction, disaster recovery, environmental remediation, groundwork and specialised contracting. With offices in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, the company plans and executes projects nationwide with dedicated in-house teams managing every facet from hazardous material removal and concrete cutting to earthworks and piling. Since founding with 10 employees Ceres New Zealand has grown to 36 highly skilled professionals supported by a flexible labour hire workforce.
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