Taggart is, and always
will be, a local business.
We started in the early 1950s and have worked hard to earn our reputation as a leader in demolition, drainage, landscaping and major civil works.
Who we are.
Taggart Earthmoving was the brainchild of Cantabrian Ron Taggart, who founded the company way back in 1953.
Ron’s vision evolved steadily as the business grew from humble beginnings into a genuine powerhouse in the local construction industry. Before long, Taggart had become synonymous with major civil works, demolition and 3 waters.
Over the years we’ve been privileged to play a role in some of our region’s most significant projects and initiatives, including the Christchurch Town Hall, University of Canterbury, Christchurch Public Hospital, and Wilding Park. We’ve also contributed to multiple residential and commercial subdivisions, sports complexes and street reconstruction projects, as well as a host of important private developments.
Today, we remain a family-owned business and employ more than 130 people, own over 100 machines and run nearly 40 trucks across three Christchurch depots.
Our Values and Purpose.
Our team is united by a shared passion for our region; an ongoing commitment to provide the services, solutions and expertise needed to help Christchurch and the wider Canterbury area evolve and prosper.
This drive is embodied by the concept of ‘Groundwork for the Future’. For us, the projects we take on are much more than short-term assignments – they’re the base upon which our city’s future will be built.
Every day, every action we take is guided by our core values:
Our People, Our Responsibility
Pride in our Work
Specialists in our Field
Working Together
Accept the Challenge!
Over the decades…
1950s
With his trusty flat deck truck (which he had to manually shovel material on and off) Ron Taggart established his own business in 1953. As momentum grew he quickly upgraded his equipment, purchasing a tip truck and a tractor (which he built a loader for).
1960s
In response to growing demand for ownership flats, Ron Taggart Contracting enters the commercial construction market, demolishing older houses to make way for new builds and subdivisions.
We also invested in new technology, gaining a competitive advantage as one of the first Christchurch-based companies to own a hydraulic excavator.
1970s
Ron Taggart Construction is renamed Taggart Earthmoving Limited. At the same time, we relocated from the family home in Preston’s Road to a bigger yard at 30 Belfast Road, complete with a state-of-the-art workshop.
Throughout the decade we worked on a host of significant projects, including Canterbury University’s new campus, the Christchurch Hospital, and the development of QEII stadium for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. We continued to invest in modern plant, becoming the first company in the South Island to own a Caterpillar 225 Excavator and a 613 Motor Scraper – two pieces of ‘next gen’ equipment that added significant value to the services we delivered.
1980s
Paul Taggart started his Diesel Mechanics apprenticeship. Around the same time, Mark Taggart began operating a scraper on the Amuri Irrigation Scheme in Culverden, a project we were involved in from 1977 until its completion in 1986.
That particular job saw us construct over 50km of canals and lateral races, along with border dyking hundreds of hectares of land to be irrigated – a large undertaking in anyone’s books!
The 1980s also saw the opening of our Rangiora branch, allowing us to expand into gravel supplies and processing.
1990s
The business increased dramatically during the 1990s, with our team growing from 20 to 50. Paul hung up his mechanic’s overalls and became a Project Manager, while Mark moved on from truck driving to a role as Site Foreman at the Riccarton Mall development. Ron gave up contracting altogether and went farming!
During this time we also won our first $1m contract – the redevelopment of the CTP board plant at Ashley.
2000s
As we celebrated our 50th birthday our staff numbers surged passed the 100 mark.
We spent 10 months in East Otago, building a lift on the tailing dam at Oceana McCrea’s Gold Mine. We also began the first stage of the Northwood Subdivision – a project which involved the development of 360 sections.
Around this time, we also joined a contractor alliance to construct the Kate Valley Landfill, a complex and challenging project which was completed on time, and on budget!
2010s
The earthquakes which struck the South Island in 2010 and 2011 provided the impetus for another dramatic increase in our skills and services.
The Christchurch rebuild resulted in unprecedented volumes of work across subdivisions and commercial developments. We acquired a drainage business, and a water and services company, expanding our in-house capacity and capabilities to ensure we could deliver a full suite of civil construction services.
As everything from our fleet to our management team grew we embarked on a rebrand, developing a new identity to more accurately reflect the world-class, industry-leading business we had become.
2020s
Property development and demolition projects continue to increase following the COVID-19 lockdowns, and the company continues to go from strength to strength.
Major projects include the Ravenswood subdivision, which consists of a large commercial centre and the development of 1,900 lots as well as the Lancaster Park Redevelopment for the Christchurch City Council.