A Canterbury company took top honours in this year’s industry environmental and community awards for a Chatham Islands project while another Canterbury quarry was a runner-up.
A Canterbury company took top honours in this year’s industry environmental and community awards for a Chatham Islands project while another Canterbury quarry was a runner-up.
Southern Screenworks, based in Aylesbury near Darfield, won the Gold Award in the renamed MIMICO Environment and Community Awards at Friday night’s annual quarry industry awards Awards judge, former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Morgan Williams said Southern Screenworks overcame many challenges in constructing, operating and decommissioning a quarry at Ohinemama, near Waitangi, to provide more than 100,000 cubic metres of materials to build the new $52m wharf for the Chatham Islands.
“They were working 800km from mainland NZ and their success was highly dependent on community relations – given it was a single project quarry. Many affected parties had to be worked with to ensure all were happy with the many things they had to deliver – and not just aggregate.”
After the wharf was completed, the Ohinemama quarry was fully restored to farmland. Dr Williams has judged the MIMICO awards for 11 years and this year saw them renamed to reflect both environmental performance and community engagement. Additional criteria to focus on energy use was also included. He said all entrants had strong people themes.
The other Canterbury winner was Fulton Hogan for growing and saving endangered indigenous plants with multiple partners. It won a silver MIMICO award. The project began in 2010 when Fulton Hogan began developing a proposal to swap land with the Templeton Golf Course for a new quarry. As the golf course was a Site of Ecological Significance a mitigation package was required if the land was to become a quarry. Key indigenous and rare plants were identified and a collection and propagation programme commissioned.
An extensive stock of species has now been grown and has attracted interest from many other organisations investing in indigenous restoration in Canterbury. Although the proposed land swap with the Templeton Golf Course is now on hold, Fulton Hogan is using the propagated plants in other quarry rehabilitation programmes and donating plants to trusts and local council projects.
Another MIMICO silver award went to Golden Bay Cement in Whangarei for 20 years of restoring, in partnership with others, Matakohe/Limestone Island. The company has had a connection there for a century since establishing a cement works. The sponsorship includes a $300,000 commitment to the Friends of Matakohe/Limestone Island for a five-year project to revegetate the island (55,000 trees planted) and establish it as a reserve. This project also included commissioning the writing and publication of the island’s history.
Golden Bay Cement’s support enables a full-time ranger on the island, the establishment of visitor facilities, pest control on the island and also buffer areas on the mainland. Due to its pest free status Matakohe-Limestone Island has been able to operate as a kiwi crèche since 2003 working with support from many other groups and DoC. By March 2018 150 kiwi chick had been raised on the island for release in other conservation areas in the region.
“This entry is a great example of not only ongoing sponsorship (the largest for the company in the region) but direct involvement through staff working parties – to assist with restoration work and building projects,” said Dr Williams.Another MIMICO silver medal winner was GBC Winstones Belmont Quarry in Lower Hutt recognised Shane Hagai, Regional Quarry Manager, for his leadership working with communities within the quarry and beyond.
“It could be termed an example of quarrying for social good. Shane is one who breaks the status quo in the ways he facilitates his teams to embrace diversity, professional and personal challenges and change. He has developed ways to recognise and celebrate the ethnic and national diversity in his teams (fly their flags for special days or events), and has hosted an onsite White Ribbon Day awareness event,” said Dr Williams.
Local sports teams have also been supported.
Bronze medals went to GBC Winstones Flat Top quarry in North Auckland for growing and greening the work team, with the growing of vegetables and recycling; and to Fulton Hogan’s Waignaro Quarry at Ngaruawahia for maintaining environmental enhancements, community relationships and long-term commitments.
MIMICO is the trading name for Matamata Industrial Machinery Imports Ltd. Its managing director Rex Davies says his company is proud to sponsor the environmental and community awards as they encourage quarry companies to strive for excellence as does MIMICO.
OTHER AWARDS MADE AT QUARRYNZ CONFERENCE 2018
Q & M MAGAZINE AWARDS
The Quarry & Mining Magazine Editor’s Award for an activity or project that places the industry in a positive light, worth $1,000, was presented to two individuals.
Steve Hancox of Rodney Aggregates said of his successful nominee, Jason Kerrison, that he “leads from the front when it comes to health and safety on site”.
In accepting his award, Jack Rouse, assistant manager at Clements Contractors’ Western Hills quarry near Whangarei, said: “If we can show the younger generation, we have hit the nail on the head”.
IOQNZ AWARDS
The Institute of Quarrying New Zealand’s honorary fellowship award was made to Otago’s Trevor Tamblyn who entered the quarry sector in the mid-1960s. In 1972 he managed a gravel plant for Fulton Hogan, and later, a sand plant. After a long and rewarding career he retired 14 years ago.
- Winstone Aggregates Safety Award – Fulton Hogan, Miners Road quarry Canterbury.
- SCE Rocktec Innovation Award, worth $3,500 – Richard Millar, Ravensdown Dipton, Southland
- Lyn Jordan Memorial Trophy – Craig Hendry, Ravensdown Lime Operations Manager
- RD Hassed Memorial Trophy – Murray Smith, chair of the Institute of QuarryingNZ northern branch
- Porter Equipment Quarry Leadership Award – Brian Bouzaid, former manager of Kiwi Point Quarry, Wellington
- WorkSafe Chief Inspector’s Safety Leadership Award – Orica NZ
Judged during the conference, the AJ & RJ Loader Shield for best sponsor’s display was awarded to
SAECOWilson.