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.

The first base tower section (65t), 1 of 36, was erected at Kaiwera Downs Stage 2 on 19/11/2025 using our LR1280W hydraulic lift crane, starting the beginning of this major installation phase. Now, with the final blade successfully installed at Kaiwera, the project is entering its final stages as work continues to wrap up on site.

Main construction on site utilised the Liebherr LTR11200 - the largest hydraulic telescopic crawler crane in New Zealand - alongside our Liebherr LG1550/550t lattice boom crane.

From October 2025 through to June 2026, Kaiwera Downs Stage 2 became home to a truly international workforce. Smith Crane and Construction was proud to have multiple nationalities working together on site, with up to 75 people reporting to work each day and bringing a wealth of international expertise and knowledge to the project. As an accredited employer, Smith Crane and Construction ran an international recruitment campaign bringing together people who had worked on wind farms all around the world, including Canada, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, South Africa, the UK, and India - to name a few.

This project has been a huge undertaking for our Gore-based team, from the very first lift through to this final milestone. The dedication, teamwork, and commitment shown across every stage ensured the project was delivered safely, efficiently, and to an exceptionally high standard - something we are incredibly proud of.

A special acknowledgement goes to Rusty Rhodes, Site Manager for Kaiwera Downs Stage 2. Thank you for your leadership, direction, and unwavering focus in driving the project forward and seeing it through to such an outstanding completion.

A huge thank you to Mercury for their ongoing support throughout Kaiwera Downs Stage 2, and to Vestas, a global leader in sustainable energy solutions, for the opportunity to work alongside them in delivering this impressive wind farm development. We are proud that Smith Crane and Construction could contribute to bringing this significant project to life.