A 100-year milestone, a world record, and a Kiwi win at the Global Operator Challenge — Terra Cat brought the goods to the final Wheels at Wānaka
It’s one of those wet, dreary autumn days where the heavy clouds cloak the Central Otago mountains, drown out the sun and paint everything a shade of grey. But at the foot of a barely visible Mt Iron, the land is buzzing with spectators and heavy machinery that have all converged on Wānaka to give the iconic Wheels at Wānaka event a final send-off.
The Easter weekend held special significance for the Terra Cat team as well, with Caterpillar celebrating its 100-year anniversary just three days prior. Terra Cat CEO Chris Heaton says the stars couldn’t have aligned more perfectly from a timing perspective, creating an ideal opportunity to celebrate all things Caterpillar.
“The way the timing aligned with this being the final Wheels at Wānaka and Caterpillar’s centenary celebrations couldn’t have been scripted any better,” says Chris. “We’ve partnered with the event for the past three instalments and it’s always such a fantastic weekend.”
Run every second year, the large-scale interactive family-orientated event brings together on terra firma a vast array of vehicles and machinery from different disciplines and eras.
“It’s a very different experience to an industry event like the Mystery Creek Fieldays,” says Chris. “It’s family focused and more like a celebration of machinery that attracts people from across the construction industry. Catching up with all these old acquaintances makes the show so special.”
With a total of 65,000 punters pouring through the gates to this year’s Wheels at Wānaka, the Terra stand was a hive of activity all weekend. The big drawcards included the limited edition ‘centenary grey’ Caterpillar D6 dozer – the only one in the country – that was customised especially for the event, the Cat Global Operator Challenge and the always-popular, instantly recognisable Cat merchandise.
“Our staff were run off their feet all day trying to keep up with the demand,” says Chris. “Our Cat merch sales were up more than 250 per cent on 2023, which proves that Cat continues to be an industry leader and a valued brand, even after all these years.”
Chris says that both Cat’s heritage and present-day innovation were firm drawcards. From fans of the band to loyal owners, the mix of history and the latest technology generated all sorts of conversations.
“You really can trace the evolution of heavy construction machinery alongside the development of the Caterpillar brand. So, on one hand we have this incredible heritage that people love to see, including plenty of owners of original gear. But also, people like to see what the latest Cat equipment looks like too. A big part of what we do is educating today and tomorrow’s customers about the advantages modern Cat equipment brings to the job site.”
Terra Cat also took the opportunity to mark 100 years of Caterpillar with some of its most valued customers at an exclusive celebration function on the Friday evening.
“Caterpillar’s success from its humble beginnings transforming agriculture, to one of the largest, most identifiable and trusted companies in the world, is 100 per cent attributable to its customers,” says Chris.
“Hosting a special evening some of our biggest customers was a simple way that we could say, ‘hey, thanks for the significant role that you’ve played in the success of both Terra and the Caterpillar brand globally’.”
It might’ve been the final Wheels at Wānaka, but 2025 also marked something of a new chapter for Caterpillar, with Terra hosting the inaugural New Zealand leg of the Global Operator Challenge (GOC).
Twenty-three of the country’s best machine operators competed in three different challenges using three different Cat machines – a 325 excavator, a 962M wheel loader and a 255 compact track loader – with the six best-scoring operators moving through to Saturday’s final.
After a nail-biting finish, Mark Morley from Greymouth-based MBD Contracting was crowned the New Zealand champion, ahead of Allister Dransfield (Dransfield Contracting) and Jamie Ashby (C & R Developments).
“When they called my name out, I was absolutely gobsmacked. I didn’t know what to think or how to react as I wasn’t expecting to win,” Mark recalls.
“I thought I’d done okay at Saturday’s finals, but it was hard to know how you compared to the other operators as they were competing on different machinery at the same time.”
“I think the most nerve-wracking part was having three times the population of Greymouth watching me work. The nerves were at an all-time high, but I just tried to focus on doing the best I could, staying smooth and finishing each of the challenges within the tight time limits.”
With the New Zealand Global Operator Challenge crown secured, Mark now has his sights set on the Asia-Pacific regional finals in Japan. Should he place in the top three there, he’ll progress to the world finals at CONEXPO, Las Vegas in March.
Chris Heaton says the incredibly high skill level of Kiwi operators impressed everyone who watched the contest.
“The level of competition at this first-ever Cat Global Operator Challenge was incredibly high, and all contestants represented their companies and themselves exceptionally well, while showcasing the versatility of Cat machines,” he says.
“Caterpillar staff helped with the management of the GOC and commented that the hydraulic excavator skills of the Kiwi competitors were the best they’d seen.”
“The GOC was a resounding success, and we wish Mark the very best as he progresses to the next stage of the competition.”
Completing the Caterpillar-based festivities in Wānaka was a world record-breaking parade of Cat machines that spanned the generations. A total of 242 machines – many of them vintage and masterfully restored – rolled through the event grounds, creating a perfect celebration of Caterpillar and everything the business has achieved over the years.
“Despite the gloomy weather at the start of the weekend, the final Wheels at Wānaka was a resounding success for us,” says Chris. “Seeing the passion for the Caterpillar brand, the huge turnout of machines from across the country, and the outpouring of enthusiasm of everyone who attended this final event was both inspiring and humbling.”
“I like to think that Wheels at Wānaka attracts the equipment, the equipment attracts the people, and the people make the event. The conversations we enjoyed with visitors, customers, former employees and friends this year certainly reinforced the idea that the brand remains a true benchmark in the industry.”