A roading project in Eketāhuna and a young leader from Pahiatua have been recognised at the prestigious Civil Construction New Zealand Manawatū-Whanganui Awards, held on Friday night in Palmerston North.

Tararua Alliance – a partnership between Tararua District Council and Downer – won the under $650,000 category for a culvert upgrade on Putara Road, Eketāhuna, and Pahiatua local Henry Pearce took out the Young Leader award, from a competitive field of entries from across the region.

Tararua Alliance Manager Daniel Erard said the results were a proud moment for the team. “Last year we were thrilled to win a national CCNZ award for Route 52. To also receive industry recognition locally is fantastic. This reflects a lot of hard work not only from our team but our subcontractors, iwi partners, Horizons, as well as support from TDC, NZTA and the local communities. Roading is a team effort.”

The Putara Road culvert upgrade was a technically challenging project. The culvert is adjacent to a tributary stream of the Mangatainoka River and provides access to Department of Conservation land. The replacement involved a deep 4-metre excavation and a full road closure for three days, isolating 16 homes.

The team worked closely with residents and emergency services to ensure the work was completed safely over a weekend, with local contractors Brownell Contracting working double shifts to get the road open by Sunday afternoon. Local iwi and Horizons played a critical role in the project, ensuring fish passage was built into the design and the project was carried out to minimise environmental effects.

Tararua Alliance Sealing Foreman Henry Pearce, 23, joined Tararua Alliance straight from school at 16 and developed a passion for road sealing. Henry is a natural leader with an excellent work ethic, who carries the respect of this team. In the peak of the road sealing season, Henry leads a team of 18 people.

Daniel Erard nominated Henry, saying, “Henry’s excellent communication skills, formidable work ethic and maturity creates a culture where his team enjoy their work and get outstanding results. Henry’s leadership of this hard-working team enabled us to complete a record reseals season for the community last year and the team will soon be kicking off our biggest reseals season yet, in November.”