About us

History of Macdonald Excavating

Macdonald Excavating was established in 1965 by Jack Macdonald and wife Audrey. The Department of Lands and Survey, now known as Landcorp, approached Jack to see if he would work on their land around the Mossburn and Te Anau area, undertaking all their drainage projects.

With vast amounts of virgin land around in the 1960s and 1970s and much of the land being tussock and swamp, as it was developed, drainage ditches needed to be cut into the land. With a reach of up to 13 metres, the dragline was the perfect machine to do this. When working, the dragline sits on hardwood timber mats which distribute the weight evenly over a larger area of ground. This allows the machine to sit on ground that may be unstable, without sinking. The dragline is able to throw the disused material far away which allows the land to dry quickly. 

Jack started with only a leased dragline before travelling to Christchurch to purchase his first machine, a 10RB, from John Burns. The 10RB had a new look cab with air controls and was purchased for £5049.

The 10RB was retired in 1979 and a hydraulic excavator was purchased. 

In 1986, Jack retired and son Alister leased the business for 2 - 3 years before purchasing it. Prior to this, Alister worked for Harris Log Loading in Eastern Southland operating an NCK 305B rope crane for loading logs.