Kennards Hire Helping Keep $5b NZ Rail Project on Track

Kennards Hire is proud to be one of the hire companies supplying equipment to the team delivering the City Rail Link (CRL) project in Auckland. A single point of contact for Kennards Hire on-site streamlines the hire process and speeds up response times. 

The $5 billion CRL is New Zealand’s largest-ever transport infrastructure project, aiming to improve rail access to Auckland’s city centre through better connectivity within the network. 

It includes construction of twin 3.45km tunnels (up to 42m below ground) and two new underground stations, as well as upgrades to two existing stations.

The project involves hundreds of contractors and engineers, and is largely being delivered by Link Alliance – a group of seven companies with extensive experience in large infrastructure projects. There are often 2,000 people working on the project in any one day.

A single point of contact maximises efficiency

Given the scale and complexity of the project, the Kennards Hire Major Project team appointed a dedicated project manager.
Key account manager at Kennards Hire, Brendon Powley, says a direct point of contact for getting plant in and out of the site, invoicing and on-hire reports has helped everything run “as smooth as silk”.

Project Manager Croz Nanai says having one point of contact makes the Kennards Hire team more responsive.

“It means Link Alliance and their sub-contractors always know just who to approach when problems occur, no matter how unusual or urgent the request,” Croz says.

Problem-solving as challenges arise

Croz says one of the main challenges occurred during the massive floods of early 2023. The project was at the tunnelling stage, and the on-site teams urgently needed additional pumps to reduce the risk of the tunnels flooding.

“We had pumps available close by, so we were able to help get the problem sorted very quickly,” he says.

Link Alliance’s Engineering Manager, Nigel McCreight, says Kennards Hire did everything possible to help. 

“Kennards Hire provided additional pumps for us quickly, before the station was damaged by flood water. They also provided the dehumidifiers we needed.”

Nigel says Kennards Hire is proactive in getting ahead of issues and thinking of the “tricky things” that the project team might not have considered. These include a system for emptying Kennards Hire’s portable toilets located underground - a process normally carried out by road-going truck.

He says Kennards Hire not only offers a wide range of high-quality equipment, but extensive knowledge and support to back it up.

“In some cases, the on-site contractors have had to work with specialist equipment they’ve never seen before. Kennards Hire provided the on-site training and approvals to get the job done efficiently and safely.”

The Link Alliance plant, safety and supervisory teams particularly like the QR codes that come with all equipment. These enable on-site teams to access the training and risk management information they need, and provide an instant history of the plant or equipment, including showing when it was last serviced.

Kennards Hire also understands the strict health and safety requirements on-site, Nigel says.

“They know the rules, and they know our quirks, such as carrying out ongoing plant maintenance underground. A common weak point is the consistency and quality of delivery drivers. The Kennards Hire team has made sure to induct delivery drivers on health and safety and full PPE compliance.”

The importance of trust and transparency

Nigel says Kennards Hire has never let the project team down, and that his own 20-year relationship with the company has been very successful.

“Getting Brendon in front of the construction teams has been important,” he says, “by instigating introductions between Kennards Hire and other key personnel, we have all built trust and an excellent working relationship over time.”

Full transparency is key to building trust. Nigel says that upfront and ongoing transparent conversations have helped the Link Alliance know what to expect and avoid unwelcome surprises – such as a sudden large bill after plant was damaged. Agreeing the commercial terms on a large project early and cascading them down to Link Alliance’s subcontractors further developed the no-surprises strategy for all, he says.

Croz sees taking the initiative as one of the most important aspects of his job.

“At Kennards Hire, we like to engage early, in order to understand the project and to anticipate potential needs. This helps in responding quickly to problems, and in building trust with Link Alliance.”

Work is expected to continue on the CRL until late 2025. Kennards Hire is looking forward to continuing to support this ambitious project, and helping the Alliance team overcome challenges as they arise!