Kiwi company smashes global demolition competition

MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday, November 28 2013

Kiwi company smashes global demolition competition

A leading Kiwi demolition company has bowled over international judges and decimated the opposition to win "Contractor of the Year" at the World Demolition Awards 2013.

Nikau Contractors, which has offices throughout New Zealand, was thrilled with the win - announced in Amsterdam this month - that pitted them against over 100 international challengers and some of the world's most difficult demolition projects.

Nikau Director John Paul Stil said importantly the win signalled the first time a company outside Europe had scooped the top gong and Nikau was the first southern hemisphere winner of this category.

"We have almost more work than we can manage at the moment in New Zealand, but what this award will mean is that our international work will take-off as well," he says.

"International clients look around the world for companies that can deal with the most technical demolition and salvage jobs and we have now proven we can foot it with the best global companies."

Nikau Contractors has been hard at work across New Zealand as the country experiences something of a housing boom, and has been heavily involved with preparing Christchurch for its multi-million dollar rebuild.

The company, which has been in business 30 years and has completed 4,500 demolition jobs, won acclaim for its commitment to the rebuild of Christchurch. As part of NIKAU’s commitment to the rebuild of Christchurch, the Company made significant investments in plant and machinery. One such investment was the multi-million dollar investment in a 65-metre high reach excavator nicknamed ‘Twinkle Toes’.

Being the third biggest demolition excavator in the world, ‘Twinkle Toes’ is changing the face of deconstruction in New Zealand; capable of systematically demolishing a 22-storey building. NIKAU has employed the original operator, bringing him from England to train the NIKAU team.

"People probably imagine demo crews as people driving big cranes with wrecking balls attached," says John Paul. "But actual wrecking balls are just a part of the picture - we are more about remediating and transforming environments with a range of tools, and when you throw in some of the challenges we are faced with, like hazardous materials and other dangers, the solutions have to be a lot more sophisticated and wide-ranging than that."

Nikau Contractors, which employs 100, will turn over $20 million this year with a host of projects lined up in the North and South Islands.

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