Northland’s Steven George claimed victory at the Civil Contractors NZ CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition
Northland’s Steven George demonstrated his grit to rise above a historic field of competitors at the Civil Contractors NZ 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.
Steven’s success in the competition, held on 14 and 15 March 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.
Steven 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.”
“Third nudge at this. I was second, dropped to third, and managed to get there today. I wasn’t too confident. I enjoyed watching all the other competitors. Everybody’s pretty skilled, eh! I don’t usually get nervous, but this evening was a bit of that.”
This year’s event marked the 31st anniversary of the excavator ‘Battle Royale’ and broke new ground with three female regional champions – Georgia Lyford from Canterbury Westland, Lydia Hill from Nelson Marlborough and Tanya Claxton from Hawke’s Bay East Coast – competing in the national finals for the first time in the competition’s history.
Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard congratulated all the competitors for their dazzling skills and Steven 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.”
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