Surveying Te Ahu a Turanga

When surveyor Mitch Blyde joined the Te Ahu a Turanga project, the massive new highway link between Ashhurst and Woodville was already three years deep. But that didn’t slow him down.

Days started early, with a 7am coffee from the on-site barista and a pre-start meeting with the survey crew. “We’d run through the plan, talk gear, workloads, risks—then head out,” Mitch says. From 7:30am, it was straight into it.

“Every day looked a bit different,” Mitch says. “You’re never loyal to one thing. Nothing can happen without survey, and nothing can finish without survey.”

For the first six months, he was embedded with the pavement crew—flat-stick most days, sometimes working through to nightfall. From drainage to earthworks, it was all hands on deck depending on what the site called for.

One major challenge? Stepping into a tight-knit team mid-project and learning construction survey on the fly. “It was daunting at first, but that made it more exciting,” Mitch says.

What stood out, though, was the culture. “People genuinely cared. It was collaborative, respectful, and open. Everyone had time to understand what others were doing—and that created a pretty special environment.”

Even more special was the connection to the whenua. Four local iwi were actively involved on site, giving the project a deeper purpose and presence. “It reminded us that nature played a huge role in what we were doing.”

From a tech perspective, Mitch was thrown in the deep end—in the best way. He learned to set up for machine-controlled excavation, graders, and pavers. Operated a paver. Used high-spec 360-degree scanners to model bridges and piers. And watched as a robot spray-painted markings directly onto the ground. “Pretty handy bit of tech,” he says. “But at the end of the day, survey fundamentals never really change.”

The real milestones? Driving across the completed bridges for the first time. And completing the massive new roundabout connecting the project to existing roads—solo surveying long days across multiple crews. “Seeing that open to traffic was definitely a highlight.”

From start to finish, Mitch’s work at Te Ahu a Turanga reflects what great surveyors bring: calm under pressure, technical depth, adaptability—and a quiet pride in getting the job done right.

Big thank you to all our partners - Mark Daglish, HEB Construction, Fulton Hogan and Te Ahu a Turanga Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance.