Mexteds is very excited to be involved in building a rink for the first ever outdoor ice hockey game to be held in the South Pacific, when the Westpac Stadium is transformed for one night to host the clash between mighty rivals USA and Canada on 23rd June.

Mexteds and the Stadium team will have just 72 hours to build, freeze, unfreeze and dismantle the rink to ensure the turf is not adversely affected. A plywood floor and geotextile layer will go down to protect the turf, and we'll then place around 300 metres of base material before refrigeration is rolled out and the whole area flooded and frozen.

Mexteds are busy with a sports turf renovation at Ngatitoa Domain, a beautiful location next to the sea at Mana, Porirua.

In the photo, left, we're planing off the surface, prior to laser grading. We're also building a new artificial cricket wicket in the middle of the area, which is being reconfigured so that it can be used as two full-sized playing fields.

Watch this video clip of our laser grader in action.

​Mexteds' new sweeper unit is proving its worth with Spring renovations now in full swing. 

The tumble corer at the front punches holes to aerate the soil. At the back is a combination verticutting / dethatching / sweeper unit and bin. 

Mexteds will be carrying out this aeration work on all the sand fields in Wellington, before they are spread with fresh sand.

The sweeper unit was built in our workshops over the winter by our team leader and mechanic, Paul Dockery.

We've begun a major upgrade of Newtown #1 Park on behalf of Wellington City Council. 
Here’s a video of our team starting work, planing the surface to remove the old turf.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be installing drainage and putting down a new sand surface to create a top class playing facility, which will be welcomed by Wellington United AFC, who are based at the park. 

We've been working in the Manawatu recently, after Palmerston North City Council decided to upgrade a section of Manawaroa Park. The upgraded area sits between four cricket blocks, doubling as hockey fields in winter.

Last year the area was affected by poor  surface drainage caused by bumps and hollows, as this photo by Brendan Hannan of the NZ Sports Turf Institute shows. 

We surveyed the area using our Total Station, and designed a cut to fill plan, planing off the top 20mm, importing 260 cu metres of topsoil to bring the levels up, and regrading. We then drilled, dimple seeded and fertilized the fields.
 

At this time of year we are vertidraining and decompacting many parks in the greater Wellington area. 
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Take a look at this video where Paul Dockery, one of our operations team leaders, is vertidraining at Porirua park. You'll see the tines lift as he avoids an irrigation head.

​Vertidraining allows oxygen into the root system to promote turf health, and helps water percolate into the subsoil drains.

Autumn renovations are upon us, and we are in full swing decompacting 35 sports fields for Wellington City Council, which we will follow up with undersowing.

​We offer both vertidraining and rotary decompaction, as is being carried out by the Tremor  in this photo, taken at Kilbirnie Park, home of Poneke Football Club.

Rotary decompaction is very effective at shattering a hard pan, allowing water to move through the soil and encouraging better root depth.

It gives an even ‘heave’ and the lack of soil disturbance ensures rocks and stones are not brought to the surface.

Rotary decompaction is Mexteds’ first choice for pre-season decompaction of high performance and natural sports playing surfaces, as well as golf courses and race courses.

With the cricket season over, we've been at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, verticutting, sweeping the wicket and top dressing.
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​Come Spring it'll be ready to mow and away they go ....

Over the last week, Mexteds’ Operations Manager, Chris Parkinson, has been shifting a sports field at Jim Cooke park, home of the Waikanae Association Football Club.

Wellington Regional Council is enlarging the adjacent stop bank to increase flood protection for nearby low-lying houses and residents, which meant the soccer pitches needed to be moved over.

Our work involved re-grading, shaping and then re-levelling the area, using topsoil from elsewhere on site.

WRC’s engineering officer, Fraser Miller, says Mexteds have done a really good job. “It looks good.”
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Now irrigation will be installed before Mexteds returns to sow the grass seed at the end of February.