Source: Radio New Zealand
Steven George of Whangarei won the 2026 edition of the New Zealand National Excavator Operator Competition. Supplied
A Northland contractor has retained his national digger operator crown by successfully slicing a pizza with his excavator.
Whangarei’s Steven George also used the excavator to pour a cup of tea and play a super-sized game of Connect Four.
The three unorthodox challenges proved to be the biggest crowd-pleasers of the 32nd National Excavator Operator Competition held across Friday and Saturday at the Central Districts Field Days event in Feilding.
After winning last year’s competition, the Steven George Contracting owner-operator backed up his previous exploits by overcoming 11 other regional champions.
Supplied
Napier’s Marcus Ingram and Taranaki’s Ryan Prankerd were the biggest challengers, finishing on the podium in second and third place respectively.
Prankerd won the MVP award for his “sterling display of spirit and camaraderie” during the event.
George said it was “bloody good” to win against a number of new competitors this year.
“I came into this weekend not knowing what to expect. There were a bunch of new faces, as well as guys who have done it a few times before,” he said.
Other challenges on the course included slam-dunking basketballs, painting pictures and serving ice cream to the crowd.
Supplied
The digger operating marvel told RNZ the more unconventional tasks were not as difficult as they sounded.
“It wasn’t too bad to be honest. It was a lot easier than you’d think from watching on the sidelines,” he said.
“Those activities are crowd-pleasing ones, they love watching that kind of stuff and watching the machines do that.
“You just take your time, concentrate on what you’re doing and not rush it.”
The more traditional tasks included bulk trenching, digging carefully around underground services, truck loading and health and safety knowledge.
Supplied
Other winners included Rangitikei operator Dean Cave, who won the One-day Job Challenge, which tested competitors’ ability to plan and execute a complex task from start to finish.
Tasman operator Daniel Bruning was awarded the Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy, which recognised the participant who achieved the best scores across the truck-loading challenges.
Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said this year’s competition carried extra significance due to the essential work excavator operators had played in disaster-response efforts across the upper North Island in January.
“The competitors at this year’s event represent the very best of an industry that is more important to New Zealand than ever.
“These people are role models, who not only highlight the expertise and professionalism in our industry, but also inspire others to take up the tools and join the pool of talent required to build the infrastructure that will support the future of New Zealand.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
