A programme to improve flood protection, traffic flow and Lower Hutt’s connection with the Hutt River will create hundreds of jobs opportunities for local career seekers.
That’s the word on the street from Steve Findlay, the construction manager for an alliance charged with building the $750M transport infrastructure required for the Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi programme.
Formerly known as Riverlink, the wider programme also involves a major stopbank upgrade to protect residents from the risk of flooding, river-restoration work and enhancements to Lower Hutt’s CBD to with the goal of turning it into a true ‘river city’.
The transport improvements Steve is involved in include a new four-lane vehicle bridge over the Hutt River and a new interchange connection to State Highway 2, as well as relocation of Melling train station 300m south, bringing it closer to Lower Hutt’s downtown area.
The work is expected to take six or seven years, with alliance partners Fletcher Construction, AECOM, NZTA, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui working to ensure the transport side of the programme results in less congestion, improved safety and better public transport links through to Wellington.
“We expect to induct around 2,000 people over the project’s lifespan, so we will be hiring a lot of people,” Steve says.
“Engineers, commercial quantity surveyors, machine operators, field workers – all of them will be needed.”
Fletcher Construction will be looking to hire new workers, particularly from late this year and next year when construction of the major transport infrastructure gets underway, Steve says.
There will also be roles available with subcontractor companies supporting the transport works, not to mention the many job opportunities likely to arise through the other parties involved in the wider Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi programme.
That includes Greater Wellington, which is doing the flood protection and river restoration, and Hutt City Council, which is doing urban upgrades including a pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting Lower Hutt with the new Melling Station once it has been moved.
Nothing worth having comes easy
Steve says Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi will be a game changer for the region, but getting to the project’s finish line won’t be an easy task.
“From a construction point of view, we’re working in a heavily urban environment so staging large machinery, equipment and materials to construct the earthworks, roading and bridges isn’t so simple.”
He says synchronising the work schedules of the Alliance, Greater Wellington and Hutt City Council will be “a big exercise in coordination”, and it will be important to keep communicating openly with the community throughout the work.
“There’s no getting around the fact this will be a disruptive project – we’re right in the middle of where people live and work, so there’s plenty of change on the horizon. We’re going to be making every effort to minimise our impact on the community, but patience is going to be key over the next few years.”
A more technical challenge will be the piling, piers and abutments for the new road bridge. The bridge is required due to the higher flood-protection stop banks being built along the river, but any work around a riverbed must be carefully designed and considered.
“The piles will be up to five metres in diameter and 34 metres deep,” Steve says.
“People think digging the piles is the hard part but there’s much more to it. To pour the concrete for the piles we have to lower a 130-tonne reinforcing cage into the hole, and a 350-tonne hauler crane is needed for that.”
Despite these challenges, Steve is clearly enthused about the project. He’s been in the industry for all his adult life and says projects like this one, and the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway project he worked on previously, are immensely satisfying.
“It’s a great industry to be in, probably now more than ever. It’s the people that really make it and things have come a long way since I started out as an engineer, especially in the digital space where digital models are used a lot more these days.”
Major projects offer pathways in civil construction
Steve says major projects can be a good place for career seekers to enter the infrastructure construction industry, especially if they are willing to work their way up.
For school leavers or people considering changing career, a good attitude, health and safety awareness, and a full class one driver licence are the only non-negotiables, he says.
Having a class two or four licence or ‘Wheels Tracks and Rollers’ endorsement is a bonus, although some people gain those on the job.
“There is a huge skills shortage in New Zealand and there’s always opportunity in this industry. If you are good at what you do, chances are you will find a job.”
Want to work on the Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi programme?
Consider expressing your interest in a role on the Fletcher Construction careers site. Greater Wellington and Hutt City Council are also likely to be hiring throughout the programme of work, or if you are still at school, speak to your school careers advisor for advice on how to get your EPIC career in civil construction started.
