Image: NEOC 2026 Winner Steven George (centre) with runner-up Marcus Ingram (right) and third place finisher Ryan Prankerd (left).
Whangarei’s Steven George made his second straight victory at the CCNZ-CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition.
The owner-operator won the competition last year and wove his heavy metal magic again this year to outclass 11 other regional champions at this year’s national final, held at Central Districts Field Days in Feilding, 20-21 March.
He narrowly held off runner-up Marcus Ingram from Napier to clinch the victory, while Ryan Prankerd from Taranaki took out third place.
Marton operator Dean Cave won the coveted top spot in the Connexis One-day Job Challenge, which tested operators on their ability to plan and execute a complex task from start to finish, after impressing the panel of judges with his meticulous approach. The Humes MVP Award was presented to Ryan Prankerd while the Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy for best scores across the truck-loading challenges was awarded to Golden Bay operator Daniel Bruning.
• The 2026 NEOC will be featured in the May issue of Contractor.