26 June 2023

Two Fulton Hogan projects from the Nelson region – the reinstatement of SH6 (pictured) and the environmental planning and management of the Challies Quarry and Wetland – have won 2023 National IPWEA (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia) Excellence in Asset Management Awards.

Chief Executive Ben Hayward says the teams on SH6 and Challies have achieved something special.

“There’s nothing like having your peers in the industry say ‘this work is as good as it gets’.  It is a major achievement that recognises the difference inspired engineering, design and implementation can make,” Ben says.

“The SH6 team rose to challenges stemming from a changing climate, while the Challies team is rising to the challenge of evolving attitudes to environmental management. These awards are recognition of outstanding adaptability and ingenuity.”

The SH6 reinstatement involved teams from Nelson and six other Fulton Hogan regions, subcontractors and WSP rebuilding and increasing the resilience of five sections of the highway between Havelock and Hira in a road closure in just 48 days, on behalf of  Waka Kotahi. The planning and design was such that two significant additional elements were added and the project was completed to the original schedule on 17 December, 2022.

For Challies, Fulton Hogan has been working with the Tasman District Council to develop a system for extracting aggregate from alongside the Waimea River and transporting it to the Appleby plant across the river, without adversely affecting the river. From next year, the team will begin progressively turning the 27ha quarry site into a wetland that will be part of the Great Taste Cycle Trail.

Taylors Contracting, with whom Fulton Hogan is involved in a number of projects in the Nelson region, played a significant role on both SH6 and Challies.