Making his mark for New Zealand

Mark Morley from MBD Contracting has been crowned the winner of the first-ever Cat® Global Operator Challenge event held in New Zealand.

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Following on from finals held in WA and NSW, the Australasian round of the Cat Global Operator Challenge moved to New Zealand, with the event held at this year's Wheels at Wanaka, an all-vehicle, all-machinery history-in-motion vintage fair - including steam engines, tractors and farming heritage, cars, motor-bikes, trucks, earthmovers and heavy machinery.

The competition was organised by Caterpillar dealer for New Zealand, Terra Cat, with a record-breaking crowd of 65,000 turning up to view the spectacle.

The preliminary round saw 23 operators compete in three challenges using three different Cat machines - a 325 excavator, a 962M wheel loader and a 255 compact track loader.

The best-scoring six progressed to the final, which saw the competition rise to another level. After a nail-biting finish, Mark emerged victorious, pipping second-placed Allister Dransfield of Dransfield Contracting Ltd, with Jamie Ashby of C & R Developments finishing third.

More about Mark

Machinery has been in the blood of Mark ever since he was born 34 years ago in the South Island settlement of Paroa, just a stone's throw from the gold mining town of Greymouth, where his father was an alluvial gold miner.

Growing up surrounded by machinery, it was no surprise that young Mark developed a passion for the earthmoving fields and the equipment used to help them prosper.

"I started at MBD Contracting in 2008, when Iwas 17, first as a digger operator doing farm development prior to moving into more civil works," Mark said.

"Now, 17 years later, I'm a supervisor with the company."

MBD offers a diverse and comprehensive range of civil and construction services, from roading works to specialised rail maintenance and emergency repairs.