It only takes a quick chat with Civil Trades certified machine operator Dan Lane to realise he’s a man who loves his work.

“I’m third generation tied up in machinery,” he says proudly.

“I’ve been riding around in machines and trucks ever since I was out of a booster seat, and I could drive loaders and load hoppers at the concrete plant where dad worked by the time I was 12. Machine operating is in my blood and I was never going to do anything else.”

Now in his mid-30s and working in forestry earthworks for Taylors Contracting, it was Dan’s love of the job and belief in going as far as he can in the civil construction industry that led to his decision to become Civil Trades certified in 2022.

He was speaking to a trainer at Taylors Contracting about his desire to keep upskilling and Civil Trades was suggested as a logical next step, he recalls.

He already had his Level 3 and Level 4 in Forestry Earthworks, and his Level 4 in Site Supervision, but he didn’t have anything to demonstrate his hundreds of hours of civil construction experience. That was despite a varied 21-year career that has taken him all over New Zealand and as far afield as the mines of Western Australia.

“I spoke to the trainer about the next step and Civil Trades just seemed like a really good way for the industry to recognise your skills.”

Gaining the certification required him to demonstrate 8,000 hours of practical experience, proven via a work history, and be assessed over the phone by a Civil Trades evaluator, who also checked in with Dan’s references to validate his mastery of his craft.

The result for Dan was successful achievement of Civil Trades certification in Road Construction and Maintenance, with endorsements in Forestry Earthworks, Road Construction, and Earthworks.

“It’s another notch in the belt,” Dan says, and it sets him up well for whatever the future holds, although he admits he is happy in his current role doing earthworks in forestry blocks around Nelson.

“I just really enjoy the satisfaction of hearing a customers’ problem and then finding a solution, especially in forestry. You can be building skid sites on really steep terrain and people wonder if it’s even possible, but you get on with it and make it happen.”

An added benefit of his current role and supportive employer is that it has allowed him to indulge his passion for photography.

Some of his photos, often showing heavy machinery operating in spectacular outdoor settings, have won competitions and even featured on calendars produced by global machinery suppliers, including the likes of Komatsu.

“My grandfather once told me one of his biggest regrets was that he worked [in civil construction] in all these wonderful places but he never took photos or told the stories, so that’s one reason I take so many pictures.”

He is also an advocate for the industry and has spoken to children at Nelson area schools about the benefits of forestry and the role wood plays in Kiwis’ daily lives as part of the ‘Wood is Good’ programme.

“Seeing kids realise how often we use forestry products every day, like our Weet-Bix boxes, was the best thing. Often the wood industry is unheard of and never seen, yet we are out here pumping millions of dollars into the economy every year,” he told Top South Media in an interview last month.

About Civil Trades certification

Civil Trades certification provides professional recognition of a civil tradesperson’s competence and helps them take the next step in their career. It provides evidence of a person’s expertise and demonstrates to managers – and the world – that they have a high degree of practical experience.

Developed by industry, Civil Trades certification is open to anybody who has completed a Civil Infrastructure Level 4 qualification and has 8,000 hours (around four years) of practical experience.

Certification and job-specific endorsement can be gained in any of the following areas:

• Road Construction and Maintenance
• Pipeline Construction and Maintenance
• Road Surfacing
• Piling

More information about the application process can be found on our ‘Civil Trades Certification Applications’ page.

Civil Trades certified Machine operator Dan Lane.

Dan Lane assisting firefighters following the Pigeon Valley fire in Tasman District in 2019. The fire was recorded as New Zealand’s largest wildfire at the time.

Dan Lane on the job near Nelson.