Strata Civil goes big in Queenstown
Queenstown’s booming development landscape is demanding bigger, deeper foundations — and Strata Civil is meeting that demand head-on with the most powerful earth drill in the Auger Torque range.
The Queenstown Lakes district has seen relentless growth in recent years, with large-scale residential and commercial developments increasing the need for speed, power, and enduring performance from local civil contractors
Founded in 2021 in Queenstown, Strata Civil has quickly built a reputation for taking on some of the region’s most demanding earthworks. In doing so they have made the move towards heavier, more capable equipment.
Director Ryan Bullock and his team specialise in reinforced concrete, retaining walls and piling — with a portfolio that spans everything from large terramesh retaining walls on Queenstown’s Skyline complex to skate parks, box culverts and water intake weirs.
The company has been using Earthworm attachments for around five years, but their latest purchase, an Auger Torque 80000MAX, represents a significant step up. Capable of delivering up to 80,898Nm of torque, it’s built for 21–45 tonne excavators and is one of the most powerful units available in the market.
“This one is a lot larger than what we’ve used previously,” says Bullock. “Which is allowing us to step up and do bigger jobs. Now we’ve got lots of projects coming up, with 12 months on this particular site and more in the pipeline to come.
The decision wasn’t made overnight.
“We actually researched it (the auger) for about 12 months,” says Bullock. “There was quite a lot of back and forth with Earthworm, and I was checking out what others were doing around the country too.”
The result is an attachment that now allows Strata Civil to bring piling work fully in-house.
“We’ve done a lot of this type of work in the past but have had to subcontract some of it out,” he says. “This enables us to do everything in-house now.”
Earthworm’s previous work was also a factor in the decision, with the expert service and speed of support over the years a big factor in Strata meeting project deadlines.
“If we ever do have an issue, they’re pretty quick to come to the table,” says Bullock. “We’ve had pieces flown down from Auckland overnight.”
With a strong pipeline of projects ahead and bigger casings to drive, the 80000MAX has made its presence felt on site, with Bullock stating the “big toys for big kids” always makes the job easier.