Smith Crane & Construction Ltd

Smith Crane & Construction Ltd SCC is NZ's leading Crane Hire company providing innovative lifting & construction services. 24hr Phone 0800 622 545

A huge congratulations to Latham Bruce, Crane Operator with Smith Crane and Construction, on being nominated “Subbie of ...
26/08/2026

A huge congratulations to Latham Bruce, Crane Operator with Smith Crane and Construction, on being nominated “Subbie of the Month” at the Waipapa Site with Naylor Love.

Latham is a great example of the professionalism and attitude we value. He’s approachable, flexible, works well with everyone on site and is always willing to help wherever he can.

And clearly, he’s made an impression! When the feedback is simply, “That crane guy is so nice,” you know you’re doing something right!

It’s fantastic to see Latham recognised for the positive contribution he makes on site and the relationships he has built with the wider project team.

Well done, Latham - a very well-deserved recognition!

Latham is one half of the two-person lifting team working on the Waipapa Hospital project, alongside a Smith Cranes Rigger. Naylor Love is the main contractor delivering the third ward tower (Tower 3) at the east end of the Waipapa building.

With construction taking place within the active Christchurch Hospital campus, careful planning, coordination and communication are essential to keep the project moving while minimising disruption to hospital operations.

The team is operating a Liebherr LTM1090-4.1, currently configured in full fly, with Latham at the controls and his Rigger working alongside him to safely and efficiently manage the lifting operations in this challenging and highly controlled environment.

A fantastic achievement for Latham and a great reflection of the professionalism and teamwork of our crew on site.

Following a locomotive breakdown at the historic Arthur's Pass Rail Siding, Smith Crane and Construction was proud to as...
05/08/2026

Following a locomotive breakdown at the historic Arthur's Pass Rail Siding, Smith Crane and Construction was proud to assist with the replacement of an 18-tonne bogie, helping return the 105-tonne locomotive to service on New Zealand's legendary Midland Line.

Completed in 1923, the Midland Line is one of New Zealand's greatest engineering achievements, stretching 223 km through the Southern Alps and home to the world-famous TranzAlpine.

With road access restrictions ruling out larger cranes, our team utilised the M1200 Crawler, LTM 1090-4.2 and LTM 1090-4.1, along with an inverted lifting beam, to safely support the locomotive while the bogie was replaced. Through careful planning, technical expertise and a strong commitment to safety, the lift was completed with precision and efficiency.

Working on such an iconic piece of New Zealand's rail history was a privilege.

For more than 50 years, Smith Crane and Construction and our predecessor, J.C. Smith Contractors, established by Tim Smith's father, John C. Smith, have proudly supported KiwiRail and its legacy organisations with specialist lifting, bridge replacements, emergency bridge repairs and civil works across New Zealand.

We're incredibly proud of this long-standing partnership and thank KiwiRail for their continued trust.

We look forward to helping keep New Zealand's rail network moving for generations to come.

Good luck, Abel!A huge shout-out to our own Abel King, Machine Operator in our Civil Team at Smith Crane and Constructio...
31/07/2026

Good luck, Abel!

A huge shout-out to our own Abel King, Machine Operator in our Civil Team at Smith Crane and Construction, who is heading to Brisbane to compete in the 2026 X-League Golf Championship on 7–8 August.

Abel, pictured in the centre alongside teammates from X-Golf Avonhead, are the only New Zealand team to qualify for this year’s championship.

The Christchurch trio will take on eight of Australia’s best teams from centres including Perth, Melbourne and Darwin in the Southern Hemisphere’s largest indoor golf championship.

No New Zealand team has claimed the X-League Championship title in the competition’s 14-year history, so the team is determined to make history and bring the trophy home.

We’re incredibly proud to see Abel representing both Canterbury and New Zealand on the international stage. Wishing you the very best of luck – Smith Crane and Construction will be cheering you on all the way!

Smith Crane & Construction is incredibly proud to be featured in the latest edition of the Cranes and Lifting Magazine.T...
22/07/2026

Smith Crane & Construction is incredibly proud to be featured in the latest edition of the Cranes and Lifting Magazine.

The article highlights our continued investment in New Zealand's lifting industry, including the arrival of our Liebherr LR11000, and our commitment to delivering world-class heavy lifting solutions on some of the country's most complex and challenging projects.

A huge thank you to Cranes and Lifting Magazine for the opportunity to share our story. It's a privilege to showcase our people, projects, and equipment that continue to drive our business forward and support some of New Zealand's largest infrastructure projects.

Read the full feature here: https://www.cranesandlifting.com.au/wind-projects-in-development/

Lifting the GameCongratulations to George on achieving his New Zealand Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering – Pla...
18/07/2026

Lifting the Game

Congratulations to George on achieving his New Zealand Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering – Plant and Equipment Level 4.

George joined the Smith Crane & Construction Christchurch team in 2022 and has worked hard throughout his apprenticeship, completing a range of industry unit standards, further developing his practical skills and knowledge within the crane industry.

This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to George's dedication, commitment, and hard work.

Congratulations, George! We look forward to seeing what the future holds as you continue your career with Smith Crane & Construction.

16/07/2026

Watch One of New Zealand's Largest Tower Cranes Come to Life

Our Kroll K1650L luffing tower crane has now been successfully mobilised on the New Dunedin Hospital Inpatient Project.

The Kroll K1650L is an extraordinary piece of engineering and one of the largest tower cranes operating in New Zealand. With a 135-tonne lifting capacity, it is configured on this project with a 78-metre boom.

Watch the video to see the scale, precision and teamwork involved in mobilising this giant. It's an impressive operation that highlights the detailed planning, specialist expertise and equipment required to assemble a tower crane of this size.

Supporting the Kroll:
• Grove GMK5220 All Terrain Mobile Crane – 220-tonne lifting capacity
• Liebherr LTR 11200 Telescopic Crawler Crane – New Zealand's largest telescopic crawler crane, with a 1,200-tonne lifting capacity

Adding to the excitement, a second Kroll K1650L has recently arrived in Lyttelton and will soon be mobilised on site. Our Comansa LCL700 luffing tower crane will also be joining the project shortly, bringing together three of the largest luffing tower cranes currently operating in New Zealand on a single project - a significant milestone for the lifting industry.

Together, these machines represent an unmatched level of lifting capability and reinforce Smith Cranes’ position as a leader in delivering some of New Zealand’s most complex and demanding heavy lifting projects.

A big thank you to our client, CPB Contractors, for their continued support.

Thank you to Reframed Media for the amazing footage.

A busy day at Lyttelton Port saw multiple heavy lifting operations take place simultaneously, as major infrastructure eq...
15/07/2026

A busy day at Lyttelton Port saw multiple heavy lifting operations take place simultaneously, as major infrastructure equipment arrived aboard the same vessel.

Our team successfully unloaded KiwiRail locomotives and lifted them onto the rail network using the Demag AC350-6 alongside the Grove GMK5220. Careful planning and coordination ensured the operation was completed safely and efficiently within the busy port environment.

Also arriving was the newest addition to the Smith Cranes fleet – a second Kroll K1650L tower crane, destined for the new Dunedin Hospital project. Featuring a 69m main boom, a maximum tip height of 143m, and a 135t lifting capacity, it joins the first K1650L already in our fleet. Together, they make Smith Cranes the operator of New Zealand's two largest luffing tower cranes, further strengthening our capability to deliver complex heavy lifting projects across the country.

It was a successful day of coordinated logistics, precision lifting, and the movement of major infrastructure through one of New Zealand's busiest ports.

A big thank you to Lyttelton Port Company and for their support and collaboration in helping make the day's operations a success.

Big gear, tight tolerances, and a proper team effort at Auckland Airport.Over the weekend 02-03 May, our newly arrived 5...
29/06/2026

Big gear, tight tolerances, and a proper team effort at Auckland Airport.

Over the weekend 02-03 May, our newly arrived 500T mobile crane was mobilised and set up on site to dismantle the largest tower crane Auckland Airport has ever used.

The 500T (Liebherr LTM1500-8.1), configured with a 49m luffer and 165T of counterweight, was onsite for a total of 3.5 days – with 2 of those dedicated to dismantling, carried out by an 8-person crew.

The Comansa 21CM1100-50 (10m x 10m chassis, 120T ballast) was on site for over 3 years as part of the Eastern Terminal Integration project – far from a short stint. At its peak, it stood 40m high with an 80m reach and has a maximum SWL of 50T or 11T @ 80m radius, with ability to reach 90m with the special Jib extension. It’s also worth noting this is the largest flat-top tower crane in New Zealand – and one of four in Smith Crane and Construction's fleet.

The toughest lift of the job was a 26T pick at a 51m radius, completed in a live airport environment with zero room for error.

This job came down to precision and planning:
- Strict 70m height restriction
- Tight working windows around active runway operations
- Underground services dictating crane positioning
- Heavy lift matting used to reduce outrigger pressure to 25%

The crane was positioned within the building footprint, meaning only the tower sections could be removed from above. The chassis and ballast then had to be extracted from underneath with just 4m of clearance – tight access the whole way through. A 40T Franna and low mast 12T forklift were used to complete the extraction.

Not a straightforward job by any measure – but Smith Crane's made it happen.

Smith Crane & Construction Supporting Stage One of Waihao North Bridge.Another 8 pre-cast hollowcore beams have departed...
31/05/2026

Smith Crane & Construction Supporting Stage One of Waihao North Bridge.

Another 8 pre-cast hollowcore beams have departed the yard for Stage One of the Waihao North Bridge replacement project for HEB Construction.

Each beam measures over 24 metres long and weighs approximately 34 tonnes, with a total of 32 beams required for the bridge - adding up to more than 1,088 tonnes, transported by the Heavy Haulage Division.

Projects of this scale rely on strong coordination across manufacturing, logistics, transport, and site operations, and it’s great to see the continued progress being made onsite.

A huge thank you to the entire team for their hard work and dedication in keeping this project moving, and to HEB Construction for the strong working relationship and ongoing collaboration throughout the project.

Monday 18 May 2026 represented a major milestone at Kaiwera Downs Stage 2, as we successfully installed the final blade ...
25/05/2026

Monday 18 May 2026 represented a major milestone at Kaiwera Downs Stage 2, as we successfully installed the final blade on the last Vestas turbine. To celebrate the occasion, the national flags of everyone involved were tied to the final blade in a ceremonial display. It was a proud and emotional moment for all on site, reflecting on the past few months and the tireless effort and dedication our team has contributed to the project.

The first base tower section (65t), 1 of 36, was erected at Kaiwera Downs Stage 2 on 19/11/2025 using our LR1280W hydraulic lift crane, starting the beginning of this major installation phase. Now, with the final blade successfully installed at Kaiwera, the project is entering its final stages as work continues to wrap up on site.

Main construction on site utilised the Liebherr LTR11200 - the largest hydraulic telescopic crawler crane in New Zealand - alongside our Liebherr LG1550/550t lattice boom crane.

From October 2025 through to June 2026, Kaiwera Downs Stage 2 became home to a truly international workforce. Smith Crane and Construction was proud to have multiple nationalities working together on site, with up to 75 people reporting to work each day and bringing a wealth of international expertise and knowledge to the project. As an accredited employer, Smith Crane and Construction ran an international recruitment campaign bringing together people who had worked on wind farms all around the world, including Canada, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, South Africa, the UK, and India - to name a few.

This project has been a huge undertaking for our Gore-based team, from the very first lift through to this final milestone. The dedication, teamwork, and commitment shown across every stage ensured the project was delivered safely, efficiently, and to an exceptionally high standard - something we are incredibly proud of.

A special acknowledgement goes to Rusty Rhodes, Site Manager for Kaiwera Downs Stage 2. Thank you for your leadership, direction, and unwavering focus in driving the project forward and seeing it through to such an outstanding completion.

A huge thank you to Mercury for their ongoing support throughout Kaiwera Downs Stage 2, and to Vestas, a global leader in sustainable energy solutions, for the opportunity to work alongside them in delivering this impressive wind farm development. We are proud that Smith Crane and Construction could contribute to bringing this significant project to life.

Address

484 Johns Road
Christchurch
8051

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7am - 5:30pm
Friday 7am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+6433597759

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Smith Crane & Construction Ltd posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Smith Crane & Construction Ltd:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category