Image: Winning line-up (from left) Michael Brown (third place); 2025 NEOC champion Steven George; and John Rohloff, runner-up.
Steven George, representing Northland, demonstrated his grit to rise above an outstanding field of competitors at the CCNZ CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition, outclassing 11 of the country’s top operators to reign supreme.
The Whangarei owner-operator showcased nerves of steel and precision operating to clinch the victory. He took the title over Bay of Plenty champion John Rohloff of Fulton Hogan, while last year’s runner-up Michael Brown, also of Fulton Hogan, took third place.
George’s success in the competition, held last month 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. He says winning the competition title was “bloody awesome” and thanked everyone involved for their efforts in his victory speech. “Thanks very much to everybody that put this on. All the organisers, sponsors, volunteers, it’s just great. This was my third nudge at this. I was second, dropped to third, and managed to get there today.”
This year competitors impressed spectators by completing clever challenges on the 13-tonne and 5.5-tonne excavator course including the ‘Connect Challenge’, which was trialled successfully by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last year. This jumbo recreation of the classic Connect Four game proved a perfect showcase of the outstanding fine motor skills possessed by the regional champions.
The competition’s Connexis One-day Job Challenge saw operators push their knowledge, as well as skills. Josh Keane of Otago-based McEwan Haulage was awarded the prestigious One-Day Job Challenge trophy for 2025, winning over judges with his attention to detail.
The Humes MVP award went to Nelson Marlborough champion Lydia Hill, from Elite Excavations in Blenheim, who demonstrated outstanding camaraderie amongst her competitors, as well as the judges and supporters through the event.
Invercargill local Brad Fallow, from SouthRoads, won the Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy for a second year running. The trophy recognises the person achieving the best scores across the truck-loading challenges featured in the competition and commemorates Geoff Duff of Carterton – a former National Excavator Operator Competition judge.
Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard congratulated all the competitors for their dazzling skills, and George on his victory. “Steven delivered a remarkable performance from start to finish, conquering a formidable course with some tricky new challenges thrown in the mix and a very strong line-up of opposition – it was a real masterclass in precision operating.”
Alan says the competitors represented the best of the civil construction industry. “The skill on display highlighted why excavator operators are so critical to New Zealand’s development. These men and women do more than just operate machines – they’re skilled professionals whose expertise transforms ideas into the roads, water networks and other vital infrastructure.”
The 2025 winners
• Champion: Steven George, Steven George Contracting, Northland.
• Runner-up: John Rohloff, Fulton Hogan,
Bay of Plenty.
• Third Place: 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.
Mini-mates
This year’s mini-dig was another competition fixture, enabling children to get behind the controls of an excavator to see what they could do as a grown-up if they took up the tools of the civil trades. The mini-dig also raised hundreds of dollars for mental health charity, Mates in Construction.
Sponsors
The Platinum Sponsor for this year’s national competition was CablePrice, a longstanding supporter of the industry and the competition. CablePrice also provided and serviced the state-of-the-art Hitachi excavators the competitors operated during the event.
The other major competition sponsors were Attach2, beforeUdig, Civil Trades, Connexis, Contractor magazine, Doug the Digger, First Gas, Hirepool, Humes and Low Cost Bins.
The competitors
Northland
Winner Steven George, from Whangarei, is an owner-operator with his company Steven George Contracting.
It was the third time he had been to the nationals and placed third in his last finals outing in March 2024, and was runner-up to Troy Calteaux of Otago, in 2023.
Bay of Plenty
John Rohloff from Te Puke works for Fulton Hogan specialising in bulk earthworks, loading trucks and spreading metal across the Bay of Plenty. It was his first National competition so coming second was quite an achievement.
Waikato
Hamilton operator Michael Brown works for Fulton Hogan and specialises in bulk earthworks and quarrying with more than 20 years of experience driving machines.
Coming in at third, this year was his second time at the finals, after placing as the runner- up in 2024.
Otago
Dunedin local Josh Keane works for McEwan Haulage and was hoping to strike it third time lucky after two previous appearances at the finals, where he had placed fifth and third. This year went home with the Connexis One-Day Job Challenge trophy.
Auckland
Papakura man Cameron Mabey, a foreman at TDM Construction, says his fifth-place finish at Auckland’s regional event last year gave him the motivation to aim for the top spot this year. However, his plan for the national finals without to approach them without any assumptions and just give it his all. He said, “just getting there was a good achievement”.
Hawke’s Bay East Coast
Waipukurau-based Tanya Claxton works as a foreperson for Higgins in Central Hawke’s Bay. This was her first time at the finals, after first tackling the regionals 19 years ago.
Taranaki
Jarrod See from Stratford works for Graham Harris, doing everything from earthworks on public land and amenities through to new subdivisions. He won the Taranaki regional competition after flying home from a Coldplay concert the night before. It was his first time at the finals.
Manawatu Whanganui
Daniel Watt from Palmerston North has worked in civil construction for 15 years and said he was thrilled to pick up the win in his first-ever attempt at the regional competition. He had plenty of home support at the Nationals with around 15 people cheering him on, made up of family and people from his company.
Wellington Wairarapa
Corey Olson started his civil construction career travelling across New Zealand constructing golf and motocross courses and recently founded Black Axe Contracting as a landscaping business. After four attempts at the regional competition this was his second win, after success in 2023.
Nelson Marlborough
Lydia Hill from Blenheim works for Elite Excavations Marlborough and has been operating excavators on civil construction projects across the Nelson Marlborough region, including on the new Whale Trail from Picton to Kaikoura. She grew up on a farm and has been operating excavators since she was 14 years old but admitted to being “slightly terrified” about competing on the national stage. Lydia won the Humes MVP Award.
Southland
Brad Fallow from Invercargill works for SouthRoads on bridge building, bulk earthworks and drainage. This year was his second time at the national finals, and he took home the Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy.
Canterbury Westland
Georgia Lyford from Christchurch works for Schick Civil Construction as a drainage operator and triumphed in the 2024 Canterbury Westland regional competition after two previous attempts. She said this time “she won it for the girls”.
Parting words from Jeremy Sole- a final column