Attachments for Champions
Steven George and his rise to the top
Most contractors serve their clients well. Steven George of Whangarei serves them tea - poured with a 13-tonne excavator, to competition standard, twice running. The two-time CablePrice NEOC champion sat down with Attach2 on-site in Parua Bay to talk business, attachments, and why he's not done yet.
Laying the foundations
Surely Whangarei-based Steven George never envisioned himself scooping ice cream and serving tea with an excavator; although, having been in and out of them for 25 years, he has certainly honed his skills.
It all started with an old 10-tonne Komatsu on his father’s farm. After finishing school, Steven worked for a demolition company, using excavators and skid steers. He’s operated them at every job since, so he knows his way around them!
This vast range of experience drove Steven to become his own boss, launching Steven George Contracting in 2015. “I decided to get an excavator and have a go for myself,” Steven explains. That decision has since grown his operation into a three-machine business built on hard work, flexibility, and a nothing-is-too-hard attitude.
Today the fleet consists of a Sumitomo SH130, a Kubota KX57, and a Hitachi ZX17U - three machines that cover the full range of work Steven's team takes on. “I've got a mate on board helping out, and it seems to be going good. We end up doing anything, sometimes even jobs that I don't even think we should be doing with a digger,” he laughs.
Bread, butter, and the occasional batter
Farm work and house sites are Steven and the team’s bread and butter. Operating mainly within a half-hour radius of Whangarei, the team's scope extends well beyond that: from assisting a local commercial company with site prep and footpath work, to even hand-placing topsoil for gardens and trench digging for services. If it needs doing, Steven will find a way.
Collaboration shines through in the relationships he’s created locally, with a can-do attitude and nothing ever being too hard to handle. With just his three machines, Steven is happy to outsource when needed.
“I contract with a mate who has a five-ton Skid Steer and a six-wheeler truck. My father also has a six-wheeler truck. The three of us work together, doing what's needed wherever it's needed. If it's done well and the client’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
Grounded and good company
Steven, despite being a two-time champion and having placed in the top 3 twice for his meticulous excavator skills, is pretty down-to-earth and a big fan of teamwork. Today is no different, with the team working on a house site for one of the local chippies.
They have a long-standing relationship, and the work on this project consists of everything from full greenfield sites, cutting the house site and bench in, placing the water tanks and hard fill, and getting everything ready for the builders to come in and do their thing. They have also worked with the sparkies and completed trenching for the temporary power supply. There are many moving parts and people, but it is clear that Steven is a valued member of the community.
“It'll be our last day here, so we will make it all nice and neat and come back to finish off when it's dry.” Northland has seen a fair bit of rain over the last month, and with that comes its challenges. The team has to work patiently, waiting out the rain each week and aligning with Mother Nature’s unpredictable schedule to complete the project.
Machine work makes the dream work
Steven is deliberate about the equipment he runs. When it came to his Kubota KX57, loyalty to a proven machine played a big part in the decision. “We had a great run with a previous model - 5,000 hours, no issues. If it’s not broken, why change it?” He chose the KX57 for the smaller trench because it's stable and nimble in tight spots and can excavate tidier where the larger machines can’t. The larger 13-tonne Sumitomo handles the clay bulking and sweeping at the end before both machines head on to the next job.
Choosing Attach2 attachments followed similar logic - research, reviews, and a complete package that stacked up on value. "The reason I chose A2 gear was it seemed to have good reviews, the price stacked up, and the package seemed a complete package." For the Kubota, that meant a full complement of Attach2 buckets and a Heli-Tilt Coupler - the full recipe, as it were.
“I've been very happy with the Heli-Tilt. It is a good balance between functionality and price, and that's allowed us to be more efficient in what we do. Having the versatility to swap buckets without changing hoses just makes it faster and more efficient. We can just grab it, carry on, and get it done. It all passes on to the clients - we can get through more jobs.”
Doing what’s needed, wherever it is needed, is a consistent theme in Steven’s work, and this does not stop when it comes to his equipment. Steven says the Heli-Tilt has proven its worth in the field time and again. “With the 180-degree turn, it’s really handy. If you're in an awkward spot, you can still trim batters up quite nicely. Same with the trench - with any bucket on, you can just swing it around. Even with a grab bucket on, the rotating hitch lets you grab trees and pull them down. There is a lot more flexibility.”
Now past 2,000 hours on the Kubota, the Heli-Tilt has not skipped a beat. "No complaints. It has been reliable, and we have had no issues and we haven't needed to use their warranty or service support once." That kind of reliability is exactly what a small owner-operator business depends on. "Based off the experience we've had, I'd recommend Attach2 to anyone looking for a versatile, wide range of gear that's going to get the job done."
Feels like home
Stepping into the NEOC course feels familiar for Steven because the attachments on the Hitachi excavators at both the Regional (REOC) and National competitions are Attach2, who proudly supports the entire Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice Regional and National Excavator Operator Competitions - underscoring their commitment to excellence across the industry. As a Gold Sponsor, Attach2 supplies its attachments for the Hitachi 13.5-tonne and 5.5-tonne excavators used by all the finalists, including Heli-Tilt Couplers, Wide Grading Buckets, GP Buckets, and Multi-Grab Buckets.
For Steven, it meant no adjustment period - just the same familiar controls and responsive tools he uses every working day. "Jumping into the excavators at both the REOC and the NEOC meant working with familiar setups." That familiarity is an edge that matters when every second counts.
Attach2’s ethos “Attachments for Champions” was firmly put to the test and fully on display!
Just another day at work
Steven has entered around 10 regional competitions over as many years in business. The first few were learning experiences - he finished well down the pack and wasn't happy about it. But rather than walk away, he used each one as a calibration tool.
Perseverance paid off. Steven finally ‘cracked it’ and won the National competition both this year and last, having previously placed second and third in prior years, highlighting his resilience and competitive nature.
Through qualification taking out the top spot in the Northland REOC again, he was dubbed 'King of the North' by the trade press - before heading south to Feilding in March 2026 to take out the NEOC crown for a second consecutive year. The result made national headlines across RNZ and many other publications.
He edged out 11 other regional champions, with Napier's Marcus Ingram runner-up and Taranaki's Ryan Prankerd in third.
Not wanting to quit while he was on a roll, retaining his title wasn’t the only reason he came back to defend it. Just as in business, he realises the value of meeting like-minded people, and as he puts it, he also thinks it’s good to “keep your toe in the industry and compare yourself against who else is out there. Also, two wins are always better than one!”
Not putting too much pressure on himself on the day, Steven treated the competition like just another day at work: jumping from one machine to another, using Attach2 attachments, navigating tricky situations, thinking through solutions, and ultimately getting the job done well. For Steven, it was simply another day at the office.
Testing the limits
Although activities like the giant Connect 4 game, ice cream scooping, pizza cutting, and popping a champagne cork may look like fun, Steven explains that there is much more to it.
“I think the skills that stand out are the way that you do things. You're not just short-term thinking; you're thinking about what you need to be doing in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and an hour. The process that you go through tests your efficiency and the way that you do things.”
Alongside the culinary theatrics, the competition also tests the operators on bulk trenching, working safely around underground services, truck loading, and a range of health & safety knowledge, ensuring they are true role models of excellence for the industry. The Connexis One-Day Job Challenge that requires operators to scope, plan, and execute a job from start to finish under competition conditions was taken out by Marton’s Dean Cave, while The Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy, which recognises the best across the truck-loading challenges, went to Golden Bay's Daniel Bruning - a reminder that behind all the showmanship, this is a serious technical competition.
Pretty stoked
When Steven’s name was called as the 2026 champion, he was characteristically understated. "I was pretty stoked, pretty happy. Not many others have managed to do it back-to-back, and it was quite a good feeling to be among those few."
The win also carried personal significance beyond competition points. "It's personal pride, really. I'm more than happy to set an example for the kids." Steven's own children, aged three, four, nine and thirteen, were at the Northland regional competition to watch him win. "Even better than hearing my name called as the winner was having my kids there to watch and cheer me on. They say they want to follow in my footsteps and become an excavator operator too."
Exposure for the industry
Alan Pollard, CEO of Civil Contractors New Zealand, who put the event together year after year, is also a big fan of showcasing the sector to the future workforce. “If we’re looking at labour shortages [in the future], then we need competitions like this.”
Steven agrees with this sentiment and explains the significance of events like these for the industry's future. “I feel like these competitions matter for the industry because they provide a lot of exposure to the community as to what these machines can do. Machinery is the backbone of the world really. Try to do something without them. It is good exposure to the wider community and the kids, and hopefully they see that as a nice avenue for the future.”
Attach2’s General Manager - Sales & Marketing, Billy Hart, echoes the same sentiments. “Through ‘Attachments for Champions,’ we support these competitions, recognising and elevating the under appreciated skills of excavator operators. We are backing operators who are true role models, lifting industry standards, and inspiring the next generation of talent wanting to build New Zealand’s future.”
Onwards and Upwards
There are more challenges in the construction industry than winning at Connect 4 with your excavator. With rising costs and uncertainty, particularly in building projects, planning ahead and problem-solving are essential skills - skills he has fine-tuned, as shown by his performance in competition.
“We do also get those days where you're supposed to be in four different places on a Monday and somehow manage to make it work,” he tells us.
And for those who like to root for the underdog, remember, the first time Steven participated in the competition, he was not the leader of the pack. “It wasn't very good, and I wasn't happy with it. There's no point thinking about it, just go and do it and carry on. Learn where you went wrong, and it makes you a better all-around off-roader.”
“I said to my partner that next time I lose, whether it's Regionals or Nationals, then that's it, I'll finish. So, I guess I'll try again next year as well,” he laughs.
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