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Kiwi Point Quarry – what you may not realise

Brian is the Wellington Operations Manager for Holcim NZ Limited and is based at the Kiwi Point Quarry in Ngauranga Gorge in Wellington, a role he has held for 19 years. He will talk to us about Kiwi Point Quarry, past, present and future. He will cover off its ownership by Wellington City Council as a strategic asset and the role Holcim NZ plays as its operator, both in Wellington and as a global company.

Brian’s career has seen him own and operate a waste management business in Wellington before starting his career in the quarry industry. This allowed him to work offshore for McConnell Dowell Contractors on the island of Savaii in Western Samoa on a cyclone rebuilding project for two years before taking on his role at Kiwi Point for the Wellington City Council, who owns the quarry asset. During Brian’s time with Council he also managed a number of business units including Landfills, Refuse & Recycling, Living Earth JV and City Cleansing.

Brian is a Wellington resident and lives on Wellington’s rugged south coast with his wife, Maylene. They have two adult children. He’s a keen scuba diver and fisherman and often ventures out for a dive or fish. His diving interest has seen him have a close encounter with a great white shark! He has dived in many interesting places around the world with New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal being among his favourite.

Brian holds a Quarry Managers certificate (quarrying & explosives) and is a Boat and Dive Master.

Professionally he’s:

  • Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying
  • Current Chairman of the Extractive Industry Training ITO
  • Current board member of Motor Industry Training ITO
  • Past President of Institute of Quarrying, with 12 years as board member
  • Past Chairman of the NZ Extractive Industry Health & Safety Council (MINEX)

Brian has represented the NZ quarry industry in the UK, South Africa and Australia. He presented a paper to a UK conference in 2004 winning the Institute’s Caernarfon Award. This Award is presented annually for the best paper given at an Institute Conference anywhere in the world which is adjudged to have contributed most to the advancement of some aspect of the Industry – either technical, environmental, or strategic.

He has also co-authored a book in 2004 called ‘The Story of the Owhiro Bay Quarry’.

Brian Bouzaid on Kiwi Quarries

By Graeme Tongs

Brian BouzaidFrom Brian’s site safety talk’s photos of injuries sustained by quarry contractors to the world of quarrying, we were given a comprehensive insight into the expansion into 70 countries by Holcim, an international company founded in Switzerland over 100 years ago.  Brian explained the company’s ownership or operation of a range of businesses associated with road and building construction across New Zealand. The constraints of various New Zealand quarry sites, types of material, estimated life and transport logistics were skilfully described along with the demands for raw material and options for infrastructure projects such as Auckland City and Transmission Gully once finite resources have been exhausted.

He took us back in history to the 1850s, and to 1936 when a four lane road was opened before the advent days of speed cameras in Ngauranga Gorge. The ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos showed the dramatic impact of the Kiwi Point Quarry close to urban development. One can imagine the residents of Malvina Major Retirement Village with telescopes or binoculars counting the goats and watching the plant as layers of rock are carved or blasted away.

The quarry plan, with its focus on minimising adverse impacts on adjoining industries, maximising production while operating to high safety standards and including changes arising from the Pike River experience, showed the diverse challenges of open cast quarry management. The primary and personal liability of the manager for any site accidents was explained by Brian.

The presentation included video and aerial photos to describe environmental management, dust suppression, training and development, scholarships and the importance of having an onsite team available to perform harness rescues from a range of machines where staff or contractors could suffer injury.

Recently the mobile crushing plant has been used to convert broken concrete into base course for roading (rather than land fill) and to convert recycled glass into sand.

Brian concluded by describing the Duopactor, used in quarries worldwide and invented by a decorated NZ war veteran. The final image was a giant sand pile created for an open day at a Hastings quarry picturing the quarrymen of the future with their Tonka Toys!

Snippets

National Blood Pressure Awareness Campaign on Saturday 5 October from 10am to 2pm. The Stroke Foundation of New Zealand, together with St John, Rotary Clubs and Foodstuffs are delivering their fifth Campaign. It aims to reduce stroke risks by raising awareness about the link between high blood pressure and stroke, providing information and hand outs, and offering FREE blood pressure checks to all. Blood Pressure sites will be set up in participating Foodstuffs supermarkets  (Pak N Save and New Worlds). The sites will be staffed by St John or Wellington Free Ambulance personnel and Rotary volunteers.The Rotary Club of Plimmerton is looking after Whitby and Mana New Worlds. Members, partners and family who are able to help out for an hour on Saturday, please contact Jenny Lucas on 234 7657 or email jenny.lucas46@gmail.com

David Knight gave a presentation about the Parumoana Speech Contest from its beginnings in 2003 leading up to the next competition on Friday 29 November 2013. There are two age groups, years 5&6 and 7&8, and the after the preliminary rounds which are held at each of the participating local primary schools the young orators attend the finals. These are held in the Aotea College Library and are run along Toastmaster lines with three judges. The subject of the 3 to 4 minute speech is the students’ choice and there are cups and prizes and participation certificates for each finalist.

Upcoming Social Events:

Tuesday 5 November:  Melbourne Cup Day at and with Mana Cruising Club with a Casino evening to follow. The bar will be open from 4pm, dinner will be at 6pm and the Casino will run from 7pm till 8.30pm – cost $10 per person with some proceeds going to the Mana Coastguard.

Saturday 9 November evening:   District Governor's cluster visit at the Porirua Club. As this will take the place of our normal weekly meeting there will be no club meeting on the following Tuesday (12 November).

Thursday 5 December is our Christmas function at Seasons Restaurant on Highway 1 at  Waikanae. Time:  6 for 6.30pm. Cost $50/head. Cash Bar.

Brian Bouzaid on Kiwi Quarries

 
 
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