The fields of concrete hanbars currently being stockpiled near the mouth of the Waioeka River in Ōpōtiki has captured the attention of the media and locals alike.

What some may fail to realise that every single one of these hanbars have been individually casted, hand finished and quality checked before being added to the stockpile, awaiting construction.

David Wyeth, Project Manager on the Opōtiki Harbour Development from HEB Construction said, in an Opotiki District Council press release, “At the moment, the stockpile is around 40,000 tonnes and over the next couple of years that will grow more than six times the size it is now."

That sounds like a lot of concrete! And it is, which is why we have a lot of job opportunities available right now to hard-working locals in our region.

Here's a quick snapshot of the concrete stats:

• There are 5 different size steel hanbar moulds - 2 tonne, 5 tonne, 6.5 tonne, 10 tonne and 15 tonne
• Larger hanbars stand at around 2.4m tall
• Casting happens 2x each day, requiring 54 cube of concrete each time
• We expect to make around 18,000 hanbars to complete the project

Follow the Opotiki District Council Info Pages here for further updates.