PORTFOLIO

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Project: Heads Up Access secured a critical access route for a major energy infrastructure provider in Southland. The single-carriageway road, originally built in the 1960s to service transmission lines, had become prone to dangerous rockfalls and erosion.

The Solution: Our team installed a Geobrugg rockfall drape system on a steep 60° cut face. Working efficiently within a 40m x 30m zone, we utilised high-tensile steel mesh secured with grouted ground anchors.

The Result: Despite the challenging alpine environment, Heads Up Access delivered a durable, cost-effective solution that ensures safe access to critical assets for years to come.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Partnership: Since 2018, Heads Up Access has held an ongoing service contract with the world’s largest dairy exporter. We provide comprehensive rope access support across major processing sites in the South Island, ensuring critical assets remain operational and compliant.

Scope of Works: All access work is executed during scheduled plant shutdowns under strict food hygiene protocols. Our specialist services include:

Inspection & NDT: Visual condition reports and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) on raw milk silos and dryer chambers.

Maintenance & Repair: Industrial cleaning of ducting/chambers, certified welding, and equipment replacement.

Asset Strategy: Assisting with risk assessments and providing solutions to extend the design life of assets and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Challenge: The road between Te Anau and Milford Sound is an iconic tourist route located in a volatile high-alpine environment. The steep terrain poses constant risks to road users from loose rock and slope instability.

Our Role: Heads Up Access provides specialist rope and helicopter access solutions to manage these hazards. Our scope involves:

Active Mitigation: Identifying and removing loose rock features (scaling) that pose immediate risks to the carriageway.

Technical Expertise: We supply a Rope Access Engineering Geologist to work directly within the MRA geotechnical team, bridging the gap between engineering requirements and vertical access reality.

Monitoring & Safety: We manage the installation and maintenance of slope monitoring sensors and flat mesh systems to provide real-time stability data.

The Outcome: By managing all working-at-height safety procedures and anchor testing, we help the Alliance deliver a safe, efficient, and technically robust service for one of New Zealand’s most critical tourism arteries.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Heads Up Access was tasked with the full upgrade and restoration of a heritage-listed lighting tower. The goal was to extend the structure's life and ensure safety compliance without compromising its historic character.

Scope of Works: Using specialised rope access techniques to minimise impact on the structure, our team delivered a comprehensive restoration package:

• Structural Repairs: Removal and replacement of platform deck boards (spaced for improved drainage) and security wire.

• Surface Treatment: Pressure washing, wire brushing, and the application of a complete marine-grade coating system (rust treatment, primer, and Haze Grey topcoats).

• Heritage Preservation: Collaborative lifting operations with a crane team to precisely reinstall four historic clocks.

• Safety Upgrades: Installation of modern fall protection systems and isolation of old electrical cabling.

The Outcome: We delivered a visually renewed tower that meets strict modern safety standards while honoring its heritage listing.

WORK SCOPE

Heads Up Access were engaged by Downer NZ to clean hydrocarbon residue off the distinctive “Gateway Arches” on the intersection of Russley Rd and Memorial Avenue in Christchurch. The arches were constructed as part of the Government funded Roads of National Significance-State Highway 1/Russley Rd upgrades and marked the completion of earthquake recovery roading works in Christchurch. 

Regular maintenance cleaning is required to maintain the warranty on the architecturally designed archway fairings.

The works were completed by Heads up Access at night to minimise disruption to the State Highway network, using traffic management and an EWP.

WORK SCOPE

Heads Up Access were engaged by Downer NZ to remove several large detached rock slabs resting on the surface of an active landslide above the Skippers Canyon Road, a low volume but significant road for local tourist operators, the QLDC and residents.

Access to the top of and onto the slip face was considered difficult. 

Heads Up Access provided UAV data capture services to perform an initial site hazard assessment, in collaboration with the site geotechnical consultant, to ascertain which blocks to remove and how operators would safely perform the works. 

The work area was accessed on foot and by using rope access techniques, two experienced operators were able to successfully and safely remove the blocks using airbags over the course of 5 days. 

Once at road level, the blocks were broken up and removed by the roading contractor and the road was reopened.

WORK SCOPE

An intense rainfall event in November 2018 triggered a shallow landslide, impacting the Main South Line, a critical freight and passenger rail link, north of Dunedin. 

The landslide contained a lobe of material which had slid and then stopped above the rail, a slope hazard considered to be at imminent risk of failure.

Heads Up Access were engaged by GeoSolve to assist with initial geotechnical site investigations and provide contractor input into the final permanent remediation design. 

Rope Access Investigations estimated the mass of hung-up material, depth to bedrock and identified slope drainage points to create a cross sectional profile of the area that needed to be stabilised.

Heads Up Access completed the soil nailing / MacMatt-R installation project in the winter of 2019, on time and within budget, despite a scope increase part way through, with minimal disturbance to standard rail operations.

WORK SCOPE

Heads Up Access were engaged by Downer NZ / the Milford Road Alliance (MRA) to install the above ground components for a 2000 kJ Maccaferri RMC200A rockfall barrier. 

The Works were completed over the course of 10 days, using rope access techniques assisted by a hiab crane truck.

Immediately after completion, the fence was impacted by fallen trees of 400-500mm trunk diameter. The fallen trees were successfully stopped by the fence. 

Heads Up Access inspected the fence for damage and removed the fallen debris. Low impact energies resulted in marginal activation of the energy dissipator. No replacement of fence components was required.

WORK SCOPE

Following the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake, State Highway 7 experienced traffic volumes 4x greater than normal, due to closures of State Highway 1 on the Kaikoura coast.

Heads Up Access was engaged by Downer to inspect the bridge over Cow Stream near Hanmer Springs, to ascertain its condition after the earthquake and ensure the ongoing integrity of this important transport link between Christchurch, Picton and the West Coast. 

The works scope included performing close visual inspections, documenting the current condition of the bridge (including the retrofitted bracing for seismic strengthening), pressure washing and measuring corrosion protection thickness, retrofitting steel under the deck and making any other necessary repairs identified during the course of the works.  

On completion of the project, Heads Up rigged fall arrest systems and provided fall from height rescue cover for the Consultant Engineer to access the bridge for final inspection and sign off. 

All the works were completed under Traffic Management with a single lane road closure to minimise disruption to the travelling public and the freight transport network.

WORK SCOPE

Heads Up Access were engaged to carry out rock face stabilisation works at a private residence on Frankton Rd. Queenstown, following a site inspection and recommendations for remediation by GeoSolve in July 2018.

Heads Up drilled and installed all anchors and constructed a site specific draped reinforced rockfall mesh system designed by GeoSolve. 

The project was completed successfully, on time and within budget, with minimal disturbance to local residents.  

WORK SCOPE

The Christchurch Hospital Redevelopment Project is the largest Government Project in Canterbury during recovery from the Christchurch earthquakes. 

In 2018, CPB Contractors engaged Heads Up Access to complete an initial post-construction clean of the curtain wall to maintain glass warranty on the $500 million Acute Services Hospital Building in central Christchurch. 

The building maintenance project was completed on time and within budget with zero incidents.

In March 2020 Heads Up Access were engaged to clean the curtain wall again, prior to a fast tracked opening of the hospital wing by the Government. 

This was considered essential works, completed during Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown whilst adhering to robust Covid-19 Contractor health and safety procedures, developed in urgency by Heads Up Access and approved by  the Ministry of Health.

WORK SCOPE

Heads Up were engaged by GeoSolve following a rockfall event adjacent to the Parera Station on the Taieri Gorge Scenic railway, West of Dunedin.

The objective was to reduce the imminent risk of further rockfalls onto the railway tracks below.

Scaling and de-vegetation of the slope was conducted for 6 days at the site, using rope access techniques and hand tools.

Rail Protection was provided by a representative from Dunedin Railways.

On completion, a rope access inspection of the site was conducted by an Engineering Geologist (GeoSolve), with assistance from Heads Up Access, to provide recommendations for more long term rockfall risk management and mitigation options.

WORK SCOPE

The 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake resulted in multiple landslides impacting the critical road and rail network linking Picton to Christchurch. 

Heads Up Access were engaged by the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) and SRG Global to assist with construction of a hybrid shallow landslide barrier / attenuator system for a complex site above State Highway One, south of Kaikoura. 

SRG provided the plant and equipment and Heads Up the Rope Access labour, site safety supervisors and rope access PPE. 

The project was completed successfully, without serious incident.