Whanganui foreman going for glory in national excavator competition

Loaders Civil foreman John McMillan with CCNZ Manawatū-Whanganui Branch chairman and National Excavator Operator Competition organiser Greg Lumsden.

Whanganui Loaders Civil foreman John McMillan says using a paintbrush at the end of an excavator is no easy feat.

McMillan has worked for Loaders Civil for five years as a foreman supervising construction projects. His current work involves building retaining walls at the Te Ore Ore slip site to stabilise State Highway 4 Parapara between Whanganui and Raetihi, but he’s swapping that for a different challenge this week.

Regional champion McMillan will be up against 13 other competitors in the CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition at Manfeild Park.

To win the Manawatū Whanganui regional competition, McMillan had to pour a cup of tea, dunk a basketball and paint the number 30 - all using an excavator.

“There’s guys out there that are far better than me but I guess when you go to a competition it’s consistency.”

McMillan said it took concentration and mind-to-hand communication.

John McMillan competing in an event at the Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Excavator Operator Competition.

Working an excavator was draining and required situational awareness when it involved using finer skills, he said.

“You’ve got to really know what your hands are doing, without thinking about what your hands are doing.

“If you take your mind off it, you’ll make a mistake.”

Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said this year’s finals would feature some breathtaking new challenges that would not be revealed to competitors until they arrived in the arena.

The competition aimed to celebrate New Zealand’s excavator operators and inspire young people to consider careers in civil contracting.

McMillan said labour shortages were felt across the board of civil construction, much like every industry.

“It could be more popular and it should be, it is a job anybody can do but you just need to get into the industry.

“There’s so many different avenues.”

He said he would like to see an influx of young blood coming through in apprenticeships to become civil contractors.

Pollard said the infrastructure challenges New Zealand was facing were becoming increasingly acute.

“We need more machine operators and many other roles across the industry and this is a great way to shine a spotlight on the talent required and the opportunities available in civil construction.”

The CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition will be held at Feilding’s Manfeild Park on March 15-16 during the Central Districts Field Days.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.