Pourerere Beach

After the severe weather event along the Hawkes Bay Coast line in 2011 Barker Contractors were commissioned by Opus Consultants and the local residents committee to repair the damage behind a number of beach cottages, along with moving some 4,000 cu.m of hill side placing an open water channel for future control.

The repairs to the local cottages involved removing all spoil that came down from the hills, demolition and removal of 2 damaged houses, and building a retaining wall structure the entire length of the Southern section of beach behind the houses. This called for some interesting techniques, but the result was exactly to what the engineers called for.

The removal of the hill was a project that required careful planning as the area was steep hill country and the soil had to be removed and used as fill to repair some of the slip damaged on the farm.

Striping topsoil was done by bulldozer, zero swing excavators and tracked dump trucks then took soil away, diggers cut and form batters, using a 5 ton machine to form the 700m of drainage network, and finally a liner was placed along entire drainage system flowing onto a gabion drainage disbursement field. Coconut matting was used to retain the grass-seed sown and trees planted to finish the project.

QRS - Quality Roading Services (Wairoa) Ltd

For over 30 years Barkers have had an association with QRS – Quality Roading Services (Wairoa) Ltd - first formed with working on bridge maintenance contract held by QRS in CHB. This relationship grew into a resource sharing, project sharing relationship.

Michael - himself worked on the Marys Hill, Willowflat flood damage contract for Wairoa District Council, held by QRS.

Barker's contract was providing the ground works for some of the larger Gabion walls built in the Wairoa area. 18 drop outs in total. One site consisted of 300 Gabion baskets. Barkers also provided the Gabion rock for this project.

A dropout on a section of road on State Highway 2, just north of Raupunga proved to be very challenging with many thousands of cubic metres of spoil to be removed and replaced with hard fill. This required the use of Barkers tracked dump trucks and excavators along with help from another Wairoa contractor.

Mr Apple

Re-Metalling and Resurfacing the Orchards roading network – Central Hawkes Bay

SAE on behalf of Ministry of Education

Barker Contractors over the years have been involved in many cabling and duct laying jobs. Working principally as a sub-contractor to SAE Napier, we have installed many ducts in schools for Back Boning of voice and data. We have worked in Auckland, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui and Hawkes Bay schools. This work often involves very careful isolating of services and hazards, trenching though concrete, pavers, bitumen and grass, laying of multiple ducts, installing cable pits and all fully reinstating all surfaces.

Centralines

Since Barker Contractors have been in business, Centralines, formally CHB Electric Power Board have been a client. 42 years of relationship. The first job was Michael working with his Trac-Grip backhoe at the substation near what's is now Takapau Meat Works. With the purchase of a Ditchwitch 4010 Michael went on to trenching at a new subdivision at Porangahau beach. From there, the company has trenched in kilometres of cable and duct into many streets in and around Waipukurau, Waipawa.

One of the more involved projects undertaken was the Central Business area of Waipukurau. 1.7km of duct and cable laid. Once completed, Barkers then laid the main street under the shop verandas, often working a night shift so not to disturb the retailers.

Undergrounding of the Main Street of Waipawa – SH2 was another challenge. Again, along under the shop verandas, all street lights moved.

CHB District Council

Over the years Barkers have worked with the CHB District Council.

The Russell park development saw Barkers lay 700m of new footpath and vehicle crossings installed into the park.

Just recently Barkers completed the site works for the new Porangahau Water reservoir up grade. This was enlarging the area, retaining walls constructed, site drainage, curb and channels poured and resealing a section of road.

Water mains, sewer, waste water reticulation has all been undertaken by Barkers, again for over 35 years.