Transforming Ferrymead Park, one stitch at a time!

It's early morning starts for Mexteds' hybrid turf team who  are on site at Ferrymead Park, Christchurch for the next few weeks with our electric SISGrass stitching machine. We are creating a hybrid surface - 95% natural turf and 5% monofilament fibres. This technology, used on pitches, playing fields and golf courses around the world, improves turf durability and water penetration, speeding up turf recovery and improving playing conditions, as well as giving savings in maintenance costs.

Christchurch City Council's senior project manager, Richard Gibbs, says "Hybrid stitching is being implemented as part of our recently approved Sports Field Network Plan. This Plan includes an objective to use hybrid turf technology to maximise the use, resilience and longevity of new and existing natural turf sports fields to allow sport development and performance at a higher community level."

Mexteds supports the Sky Stadium Turf Team during  code changeovers, using two Fendt tractors and some precision driving to pull the  portable wicket drop in tray into the Stadium and line it up.

This tray swap was required for the White Ferns and Black Caps mid-week T20 games, before we removed the tray  again ahead of the weekend's Hurricanes v Warratahs super rugby clash.

​Game On!

Great results from our team of Chris Parkinson and Dale Sabbagh who were in Hawke's Bay recently renovating the clay surface at the Rodney Green Foundation Indoor Cricket Training Facility in Hastings.

Using our tractor-mounted groover and sweeper, Chris removed the organic matter and created a new seed bed before spreading and compacting a new layer of Patumahoe clay.  Dale was on the Graden scarifier, dealing with hard-to-reach spots and used our Campey pedestrian Aeraseeder to seed the topsoil run-up areas in between the two clay bays that we'd stitched last year with our SISGrass stitching machine.
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After a 10-12 week grow-in, the wickets will be all set for the upcoming winter training schedule for Central Districts Cricket Association's men's and women's teams.

Mexteds' construction crew have spent weeks at Richard Prouse Park, home of Wainuiomata Football Club, installing primary drainage in testing conditions.

>>> In this video, Construction Supervisor, Todd Treweek, explains the challenges of trenching through boulders and rocks that lurk just below the surface, as the park is built over an old riverbed.  Our workshop team have been daily visitors to site, welding and replacing pics on the trenching wheel. 

​By mid February the end is thankfully in sight!

Groundsman Wade Kernachan and our maintenance crew pulled out all the stops preparing William Jones Park for a sellout Hurricanes v Blues pre-season match in Wainuiomata.

>>> Watch this video to hear more about the great work that went into getting the sand-based field into top condition for the match.   

Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club said "Big ups to Wade Kernachan and the Mexted Sports Turf crew, our sacred William Jones Park looks incredible."

Maidstone Makeover! The Mexteds' team removed crumb rubber and sand out of the artificial surface at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt,  before the old synthetic turf was rolled up and replaced by Polytan.

At around 14 years the turf had reached the end of its life and needed to be renewed.

We used our SMG RotoTine unit to bring the crumb and sand to the surface before brushing it up and elevating it on to a truck with a GKB Combinator.

​Job done!

Our construction crew are putting the finishing touches to a drainage job at sunny Seatoun Park for Wellington City Council.
The team installed a 160mm perimeter collector drain and 1,900 metres of lateral drains at 5 metres spacings across the park over the last couple of weeks.
Once the drain lines are sown and fertilised this week and goal mouths finished using a pedestrian seeder it'll be 'job done' and the locals can look forward to better drainage after wet weather.

Our 50th Anniversary Celebrations continue! Mexteds has proudly worked for Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, Wellington City Council, Kāpiti Coast District Council and Upper Hutt City Council over the decades, so it was great to be able to mark the 50th milestone with the local Mayors (l to r) Mayor Campbell Barry, Mayor Janet Holborow, Anita Baker - Mayor of Porirua City, and Mayor Tory Whanau.
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Campbell Barry said "Over the past 50 years, Mexted has consistently gone above and beyond in supporting our local sports community. They always go the extra mile, and it is a privilege to partner with them. As a Living Wage employer committed to youth employment, they exemplify what it means to be a good employer. We’re proud to have them here in the Hutt.”

Our turf renovations team recently spent a few days in Taranaki, using our Koro Topmaker to renovate the hybrid turf at Yarrow Stadium.

New Plymouth District Council's head groundsman, Craig Hitchcock, was pleased with the results, saying "A top job, done by your team."

Check out this short video of our team in action:  https://youtu.be/WbbdfzxJvHI


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