Rakaia Weir Wins Canterbury Westland Civil Contractor Award

SCC’s Civil Team has taken home the Category A: 2025 Canterbury Westland Civil Contractors NZ Award for our work on the Rakaia Labyrinth Weir Project. 🏆

SCC manufactured custom precast panels designed to increase the weir’s ability to evacuate water from the canal intake during high river flows. The panels were produced at our Christchurch yard in purpose-built moulds fabricated by our in-house engineering team, then transported, and installed on site as part of the overall construction including all in-situ concrete. This project was a huge team effort across the company, providing Taylors and CPWL with a true one-stop shop.

Judges’ citation:

“The precision engineering required to make the moulds for the precast labyrinth weir panels was exceptional, with tolerances of half a degree for the inter-panel connecting bend and 1.5 mm for height. The design panel thickness of only 150 mm with a single layer of reinforcing necessitated great care with slinging and cartage to the remote Rakaia riverbed. On-site challenges were no simpler, with the same dimensional tolerances for construction but adding a two-hour travel time for concrete trucks and a much harsher working environment. Smith Crane and Construction were more than equal to these issues and presented Central Plains Water with a high-quality, resilient intake structure.”

A huge thank you to Taylors Contracting Co Ltd. , Central Plains Water Limited and Riley Consultants — this project wouldn’t have been possible without teamwork and collaboration.

Congratulations to our Civil Team! 🎉💪