Allied Concrete is continuing to make its mark on the industry after another successful awards evening at the Concrete NZ Conference 2023. Held in Hamilton at the end of September, our innovative approach to concrete solutions was recognised at its second annual event with our team taking out the Diversity and Inclusion Award, as well as being Highly Commended for the Extra Distance Award.

With a room full of some of the most notable individuals and teams across the concrete industry, it was a chance to celebrate technical excellence, as well as professionalism, patience and “people-first” attitude. Success in terms of diversity & inclusion, health, safety & wellbeing, along with carbon reduction was also acknowledged. The Conference Awards remain part of the established annual Concrete NZ conference formal dinner, and are primarily inward facing, appealing to Concrete NZ members across all the Sector Groups and the Learned Society.

Known for our commitment to keeping the wheels turning, Allied Concrete won the Diversity and Inclusion Award for our work internally and out in the community. This award acknowledges organisations and individuals that have made a genuine commitment to advancing their culture by embracing diversity as the presence of difference within a given setting, and inclusion, which relates to individuals with different identities feeling and being valued within that setting.

With campaigns like “Get A Haircut” which worked to enhance recruitment and make jobs accessible for all, Ella’s Story, which showcased a real-life example of diversity in action in our workplace, our involvement in Mental Health Awareness Week, and as a member of Diversity Works New Zealand, the judges labelled Allied Concrete as leader in this space.

As for being Highly Commended for the Extra Distance Award, this was a result of our joint venture with Fulton Hogan and Taylor Contracting to build the Waimea Community Dam between 2019-2023. The largest dam built in New Zealand in over 20 years, the project was a total of 53 metres high and 220 metres long and required more than 32 thousand cubic metres of concrete to be brought to life.

Concrete was supplied to the remote site for multiple purposes, including shotcrete for stabilisation purposes, as well as for the starter dam, culverts, plinths, up-stream face and spillway. Accurate heat of hydration analysis was critical, as was extensive testing and modelling.

Amongst many features, the judges were impressed with the approach taken to address the project’s complex carbon footprint reduction specification. This involved cement replacement – with an estimated 30 percent of cement substituted for fly ash – as well as native bush protection and comprehensive recycling.

A great event for all, we want to congratulate all the other entrants and recipients, as well as say a big thank you to our Allied Concrete team for making this possible.

Other Award Recipients:

- Technical Excellence Award – Firth Industries
- Technical Excellence Award (Highly Commended) – Hynds Pipe Systems
- Extra Distance Award – Higgins Concrete
- Diversity and Inclusion Award (Highly Commended) – ITW Construction
- Health, Safety and Wellbeing Achievement Award – Higgins Concrete
- Carbon Reduction Award – Holcim New Zealand
- Carbon Reduction Award (Highly Commended) – Golden Bay