Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Bay excavator champ hones skills for Central Districts Field Days competition

Bay of Plenty Times
7 Mar, 2018 08:47 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Slam dunking a basketball with an excavator at Field Days. Photo/File

Slam dunking a basketball with an excavator at Field Days. Photo/File

The Bay of Plenty's best excavator operator is honing his egg-carrying and slam-dunk skills as he prepares for next month's Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) National Excavator Operator Competition.

Whakatane's Craig Crowley from Crowley Excavators won the Bay of Plenty competition last June at Mystery Creek.

He will join the winners from nine other regions along with 2017 defending national champion, Steve Galbraith from Hawkes Bay, to battle it out at the Central Districts Field Days at Manfeild Park in Feilding on March 16 and 17.

Craig's son Brandon competed in the event last year and won third place plus the "One-Day Job" award.

The competition tests excavator operators' skills. Using a 12 tonne Hitachi digger, competitors have to complete such tricky tasks as pouring a cup of tea, slam dunking a basketball, popping a champagne cork and transporting an egg.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's a great event for families and spectators. These operators are the best in the business. We encourage everyone to come down and watch these enormous machines undertake very intricate tasks," said competition manager Tricia Logan.

The two-day event comprises four elements:

• Main course – competitors complete 12 to 15 activities in 60 minutes using 12-tonne Hitachi excavators, including pouring a cup of tea, and a series of excavation exercises;

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

• Emergency scenario – contestants must respond well to a realistic emergency situation involving first-aid skills and emergency response;

• The "CablePrice Mini Digger" event – competitors are judged on how well they brief and relate to young children to operate a 1.7 tonne Hitachi mini excavator.

• "One Day Job" event – competitors must construct something using a 5-tonne machine. The task is equivalent to a full day task but must be completed in just 60 minutes and be scoped, priced and planned by the competitor.

The event aimed to raise the profile of a growing industry that is increasingly embracing new technology. The construction and maintenance industry carries out $12 billion of work annually, employing 60,000 workers including excavator operators.

Discover more

Tauranga drag racers set new NZ records

16 Mar 11:30 PM

The competition is held on a site located in the Contractors' corner in the southeast of the Field Days' site at Manfeild Park, Feilding.

Central Districts Field Days are open 9am until 4.30pm on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th March and Saturday 17th March between 9am and 4pm.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Earthquakes every six to seven minutes detected under Mt Ruapehu

08 Jul 10:48 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

No fuel spill detected as boat sinks in harbour

08 Jul 10:36 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

08 Jul 10:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Earthquakes every six to seven minutes detected under Mt Ruapehu

Earthquakes every six to seven minutes detected under Mt Ruapehu

08 Jul 10:48 PM

Volcanic tremor remains low; Mt Ruapehu is at Volcanic Alert Level 1.

No fuel spill detected as boat sinks in harbour

No fuel spill detected as boat sinks in harbour

08 Jul 10:36 PM
The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

08 Jul 10:00 PM
Cops claim Kiri Allan told police she wrote the law, grabbed shrubs during arrest

Cops claim Kiri Allan told police she wrote the law, grabbed shrubs during arrest

08 Jul 09:03 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP