Heroes with Heart.

On or around 6 August, our Tower Crane team was dismantling a large Terex Tower Crane at a project in Ellerslie, Auckland.

Led by Tower Crane Operations Manager Gilbert Fraser, the team included Kayden Bourke, Scott Carlaw, Jury Pahau, Edmond Navarro, Mason Laurenson-Peters, Albert Durham and Tipene Pukeroa.

As the team prepared to lift a boom section using our 400-tonne mobile crane, Gilbert, working at the top of the tower, suddenly experienced severe back pain.

Smith Crane and Construction is proud to have worked alongside HEB Construction on the Bledisloe North Wharf project - a major Port of Auckland waterfront development delivering a new cruise terminal capable of accommodating vessels up to 350 metres long and improving access for larger cruise ships and Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) vessels.

A huge congratulations to Latham Bruce, Crane Operator with Smith Crane and Construction, on being nominated “Subbie of the Month” at the Waipapa Site with Naylor Love.

Latham is a great example of the professionalism and attitude we value. He’s approachable, flexible, works well with everyone on site and is always willing to help wherever he can.

And clearly, he’s made an impression! When the feedback is simply, “That crane guy is so nice,” you know you’re doing something right!

Lifting the Game: Another Complex Lift Delivered

A frosty start and a challenging site didn’t stop the Smith Crane and Construction team from delivering another successful lift.

Working alongside McNeilly Heavy Haulage Ltd, who transported the modules to site, the team deployed our Liebherr LTM1130-5.2 mobile crane, configured with 42 tonnes of counterweight, to carefully place two prefabricated Arbol Eco Homes modules into position on a steep Queenstown residential site.

Following a locomotive breakdown at the historic Arthur's Pass Rail Siding, Smith Crane and Construction was proud to assist with the replacement of an 18-tonne bogie, helping return the 105-tonne locomotive to service on New Zealand's legendary Midland Line.

Completed in 1923, the Midland Line is one of New Zealand's greatest engineering achievements, stretching 223 km through the Southern Alps and home to the world-famous TranzAlpine.

Good luck, Abel!

A huge shout-out to our own Abel King, Machine Operator in our Civil Team at Smith Crane and Construction, who is heading to Brisbane to compete in the 2026 X-League Golf Championship on 7–8 August.

Abel, pictured in the centre alongside teammates from X-Golf Avonhead, are the only New Zealand team to qualify for this year’s championship.

The Christchurch trio will take on eight of Australia’s best teams from centres including Perth, Melbourne and Darwin in the Southern Hemisphere’s largest indoor golf championship.

Smith Crane & Construction is incredibly proud to be featured in the latest edition of the Cranes and Lifting magazine.

The article highlights our continued investment in New Zealand's lifting industry, including the arrival of our Liebherr LR11000, and our commitment to delivering world-class heavy lifting solutions on some of the country's most complex and challenging projects.

Congratulations to George on achieving his New Zealand Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering – Plant and Equipment Level 4. 

Our Kroll K1650L luffing tower crane has now been successfully mobilised on the New Dunedin Hospital Inpatient Project.

The Kroll K1650L is an extraordinary piece of engineering and one of the largest tower cranes operating in New Zealand. With a 135-tonne lifting capacity, it is configured on this project with a 78-metre boom.

A busy day at Lyttelton Port saw multiple heavy lifting operations take place simultaneously as major infrastructure equipment arrived aboard the same vessel.

Our team successfully unloaded KiwiRail locomotives and lifted them onto the rail network using the Demag AC 350-6 alongside the Grove GMK5220. Careful planning and coordination ensured the operation was completed safely and efficiently within the busy port environment.

Big gear, tight tolerances, and a proper team effort at Auckland Airport.

Over the weekend 02-03 May, our newly arrived 500T mobile crane was mobilised and set up on site to dismantle the largest tower crane Auckland Airport has ever used.

The 500T (Liebherr LTM1500-8.1), configured with a 49m luffer and 165T of counterweight, was onsite for a total of 3.5 days – with 2 of those dedicated to dismantling, carried out by an 8-person crew.

Smith Crane and Construction supporting Stage One of Waihao North Bridge.

Another 8 pre-cast hollowcore beams have departed the yard for Stage One of the Waihao North Bridge replacement project for HEB Construction.

Each beam measures over 24 metres long and weighs approximately 34 tonnes, with a total of 32 beams required for the bridge - adding up to more than 1,088 tonnes transported by the Smith Crane and Construction Heavy Haulage Division.

Monday 18 May 2026 represented a major milestone at Kaiwera Downs Stage 2, as we successfully installed the final blade on the last Vestas turbine. To celebrate the occasion, the national flags of everyone involved were tied to the final blade in a ceremonial display. It was a proud and emotional moment for all on site, reflecting on the past few months and the tireless effort and dedication our team has contributed to the project.

New Zealand’s largest lattice boom crawler crane, the Liebherr LR11000, is proving its capability at the Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm, with two turbines now successfully completed since lifting operations commenced after Easter.

Crews from Smith Crane & Construction have commenced erection of precast panels in Queenstown for Cook Brothers Construction, utilising one of our two Liebherr LTR 1220 220-tonne telescopic crawler cranes.

The precast elements are being manufactured by our Christchurch-based team, with manufacture, transport, craneage, and site installation all being delivered in-house. This end-to-end capability provides a seamless, one-stop-shop solution that ensures efficiency, quality control, and smooth coordination across every stage of the project.

Big upgrades underway at Nelson Marina.

Smith Crane and Construction’s Civil team has been engaged to remove the old 55T mobile boat lift platform and install a new structure to support a 110T mobile boat lift - opening the door for larger vessels and more efficient servicing.

Smith Crane and Construction was proud to work alongside Citycare Property to remount one of Christchurch’s most iconic landmarks - the Spitfire plane at Spitfire Square.

We’re proud to announce that Smith Crane and Construction has been awarded the crane and installation contract for the Kapuni wind farm and green hydrogen production plant in South Taranaki.

New addition to the fleet! Introducing our Liebherr LTM 1500-8.1 500t Mobile Crane.

Our Liebherr LTR11200 crawler crane has successfully installed the first set of turbine blades. Once complete, Kaiwera Downs will have a total capacity of 198MW, making it the second-largest wind farm in New Zealand.