On The Up: Te Puke’s John Rohloff claims second at excavator competition

NZME has launched On The Up — a national campaign showcasing amazing stories of inspiration, success, courage and possibilities. Coast & Country News catches up with John Rohloff, who came second in the CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition last month.

Te Puke is now home to the country’s second-best excavator operator.

John Rohloff placed second at last month’s Civil Contractors NZ (CCNZ) CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition.

Dubbed “Mr Consistency”, Rohloff said he was over the moon.

“I wasn’t expecting anything like this.

“When I saw my name come up across a number of the events [during the awards night], I thought ‘Jeez, I might be in with a shot here’.

“I owe it to my employers, Fulton Hogan, for supporting me in doing this, and to Civil Contractors NZ for putting this on.

“I’m just grateful.”

Rohloff said he thought the key was good time management, especially on the Saturday of the two-day event.

“That’s what helped on the 135 13-tonne challenge; I set good times and I achieved what I wanted to.”

First-place winner

Winner Steven George taking on the Connexis challenge.

Northland’s Steven George demonstrated his grit to rise above a historic field of competitors, outclassing 11 of the country’s top operators to reign supreme.

The Whangārei owner-operator showcased nerves of steel and precision operating to clinch the victory.

He took the title over Bay of Plenty champion Rohloff, while last year’s runner-up, Michael Brown, also of Fulton Hogan, took third place.

George’s success in the competition, held on March 14-15 at Manfeild Park in Feilding during Central Districts Field Days, follows previous attempts in 2023, when he was runner-up, and 2024, when he took third.

He was supported at the competition by Julie Fraser.

Victory speech

George said winning the competition title was “bloody awesome” and thanked everyone involved for their efforts in his victory speech.

“Thanks very much to everybody who put this on.

“All the organisers, sponsors, volunteers, it’s just great

Runner up John Rohloff navigates the under the wire challenge.

“Third nudge at this. I was second, dropped to third and managed to get there today. I wasn’t too confident.

“I enjoyed watching all the other competitors. Everybody’s pretty skilled. I don’t usually get nervous, but this evening was a bit of that.”

This year’s event marked the 31st anniversary of the excavator “battle royale” and broke new ground with three female regional champions — Georgia Lyford, of Canterbury Westland, Lydia Hill, of Nelson Marlborough, and Tanya Claxton, of Hawke’s Bay East Coast — competing in the national finals for the first time in the competition’s history.

The 2025 winners:

Champion: Steven George, Steven George Contracting, Northland

Runner-up: John Rohloff, Fulton Hogan, Bay of Plenty

Third: Michael Brown, Fulton Hogan, Waikato

Connexis One-day Job Challenge: Josh Keane, McEwan Haulage, Otago

Humes MVP Award: Lydia Hill, Elite Excavations, Nelson Marlborough

Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy: Brad Fallow, SouthRoads, Southland