Precise test for digger driver

DIGGER DISTINCTION: Taranaki's top excavator operator Jonathon Noonan prepares to shine on the national stage.

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Dexterity and precision will be needed for Taranaki's champion digger driver Jonathon Noonan to come away with the national title this weekend.

The Hawera contractor will lock buckets with 12 other regional winners in the National Excavator Operator Competition finals at the annual Field Days in Feilding.

Mr Noonan, who works for Presco Onsite, has climbed the ranks through the regional competition over the last five years.

"The first year I came fourth, then each year I moved up another placing until I finally reached the top.

"I originally entered to test myself against other operators."

Now he hopes to do it again on the national stage.

The event, organised by the New Zealand Contractors' Federation, is famed both for the rigorous nature of the competition and for some of its unusual tasks.

He will be at the controls of the 12-tonne Hitachi machine, but exactly what the competition will entail is a closely guarded secret.

"In the past I have used the excavator to pop champagne corks, pour cups of tea, slam-dunk a basketball through a hoop, put an egg in an eggcup and paint the sponsor's logo using a paintbrush attached to the front of my machine."

Mr Noonan said although speed was important, it wasn't the key to victory.

"The challenge is to be as precise as possible."

The federation's CEO Malcolm Abernethy said the competition always ensured unexpected challenges for the finalists and riveting entertainment for spectators.

As well as many practical challenges, including a construction project from scratch, finalists will be required to demonstrate their planning and project management, show extensive knowledge about the machine and deal with health and safety scenarios.

"I have dug around Wellington's major gas pipes, so I'm no stranger to pressure jobs," said Mr Noonan.

- © Fairfax NZ News