A contractor from Whangārei has won New Zealand’s national digger operator title after using his excavator to slice a pizza at a competition in Feilding.
Steven George kept his crown at the 32nd National Excavator Operator Competition, which took place on Friday and Saturday at the Central Districts Field Days event. He beat 11 other regional champions to take first place for the second year in a row.
The contest included unusual challenges that thrilled the crowd. George used his excavator to pour a cup of tea and play a giant game of Connect Four as well as cutting the pizza. Other fun tasks included slam-dunking basketballs, painting pictures and serving ice cream.
George said it felt “bloody good” to win against several new competitors. He explained that the strange tasks were easier than they looked from the sidelines. He said the key was to take your time, concentrate and not rush.
The competition also tested more traditional excavation skills. Operators had to dig trenches, work carefully around underground services, load trucks and show their health and safety knowledge.
Marcus Ingram from Napier finished second, while Ryan Prankerd from Taranaki came third. Prankerd also won the MVP award for showing great spirit and teamwork during the event.
