December Wired

WIRED

Issue 24 December 2011

Publication theFencing FencingContractors Contractors Association of New Zealand Publication ofofthe Association of New Zealand

Issue December 2012 Issue 2328ďż˝ September 2011

IN THIS ISSUE: Field Days Review PSA Risk Management Protocol System Stays Profile on McLenaghan Contracting Good v's Bad Northland Basalt

THIS ISSUE...

Trailers Terms of Trade Quad Helmets Fences on Boundaries Plus much more ...

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PAGE 1 Subscription $35 per annum (4 issues) - Free to FCANZ members www.fencingcontractors.co.nz

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FCANZ, PO Box 19 389, Hamilton, 3244 Ph 0508 4 FCANZ (0508 4 32269)

PRESIDENT’S REPORT Hi All, Welcome to the summer edition of the Wired. Although it certainly doesn’t feel like summer at the moment! This spring / summer I have a new found respect for any form of shelter, trees, hedges, etc.

The winds this season have been horrendous.

FCANZ would like to acknowledge the significant financial contribution that WIREMARK makes towards meeting the costs associated with the publication and distribution of WIRED.

Sincere thanks to our contributors:

PAGE 2

Mike Billinghurst Nigel Broadbridge Paul Fitzsimmons Simon Fuller Lance Hare Mark Lambert Nick Liefting John Noakes Mike Samuel Craig Shortall Tim Stafford Debbie White

Things at FCANZ are moving along steadily. The boundary fence template and Fence-It, Price Calculator have been put into action by our members and good reports are coming back. It is great to see these tools being utilised to make your jobs easier. If anyone requires assistance with them, please be sure to let us know by contacting Suzy email; operations@ fencingcontactors.co.nz.

December 12th will see all our board members travel to Auckland for a meeting to review our marketing plan and calendar, this focuses the direction of FCANZ for the forthcoming year. I see it like a road map. We agree on where we need to go and plot a course on how we are going to arrive there, both strategically and financially. If we get lost we can always refer back to our map!

Our membership has increased during the past 12 months, it is great to have so many new and returning members on board. Your input and ideas are always welcome, so please be sure to contact us anytime.

Remember we have a prize up for grabs each issue of the Wired for

those that contribute (the board are not included in this draw) so please be sure to send us your story, photos and captions.

Partnerships are growing and strengthening and we would like to welcome Gallagher up to Gold level.

Many others have re-signed at their current level and we are grateful for their continued support. We see this as a positive benefit of being involved with us. Partnerships are a two way street and we hope we can give them something back. As always we ask you to consider our partners when you are making your purchasing decisions.

Included in this issue of the Wired is an FCANZ member survey we ask you to complete at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ FCANZ1 or by completing the survey enclosed and posting to back to us, market research is something we can do to support our partners, they value you, their customers feedback.

FCANZ would like to wish all our members, partners, associates, staff and families a wonderful festive season. Hope you all get to enjoy a few days break and a quiet drink or two!

See you back in 2013.

Cheers Nige

Disclaimer: WIRED takes all due care in the preparation of this magazine but is not responsible or liable for any mistakes or omissions. Articles that appear in WIRED do not necessarily reflect the opinions of FCANZ. WIRED welcomes contributions but reserves the right to edit. Material sent in will not be returned unless requested and we are sent a self- addressed stamped enveolope to help with processing.

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FIELD DAYS 2011

TERMS OF TRADE

by Mike Samuel As many of you are now aware FCANZ have worked on a new tool for you in the form of a boundary fencing template and terms of trade.

We hope you find these handy and I would like to touch on a few experiences in my time when dealing with clients and money collection.

I have to point out that I am not a financial advisor nor do I represent FCANZ on my experiences. This is just a few devices I have employed to safeguard myself over time through trial and error.

Money Owed In our earlier days when we went for any job possible our contracts were vague, really only describing the scope of work and materials used.

We put faith on all clients paying on the 20th of the following month.

In this case we were owed 5k for labour and materials, this client (a developer) went bust and we were left out of pocket. We sought advice from the police and because our terms were nonexistent the possibility of at least recovering the materials was dashed after being informed that we could be served with trespass and theft. Aren’t our laws amazing they stole from me and I’m in the wrong to get what’s mine?

The police agreed but told us to tread carefully.

PAGE 4

I never recovered the money but I learnt that when I deal with developers or corporates that I definitely require money down for materials – at least I limit my risk. I also sound out a fortnightly payment scheme. If they baulk its reason for me to wonder if I want this job.

Our new terms of trade cover these issues, it’s a long winded document and I urge you to only use it once you have read and understood the entire piece. It’s fairly important you know what your terms are.

Conversions The most dangerous situation I have been in that causes loss of sleep and stress for me has been dealing with corporates that have massive projects with bulk work.

Imagine you start with 3 men and a machine at month start, you clock up say 30k by month end and you write an account. You then have to wait 20 days (that’s my terms payment 20th of the month following).

While you are waiting you do another 20 days work say clocking up 20k and then on payment day NO MONEY. This to me is a disgusting act I have heard it all, “we never got an invoice” or “the money had to be drawn down and there was a glitch in the office” or my favorite “what did the money not go through, I’ll get right on that”.

The danger here is I find you need to play nice, if you get fired up. It does not help getting paid easy. Ideally you want to leave until you get paid but you may not get it. It’s a vicious cycle because you’re so far in you tend to carry on the promise it will be there.

To be fair I have always been paid but always at an arm’s length and at their pace. This for me now has become unacceptable and to be honest I would almost rather not take this

sort of project, for the trouble it causes.

My resolve was new terms with jobs being over 20k and to require a deposit of one month’s work up front.

However the next new client said what guarantee did he have that I would not go bust or walk away with their money. Fair enough we were at a stalemate.

We finally compromised by saying at the start of every month we would discuss what work should be accomplished and put a figure on it.

For example, if there was approximately 30k worth of work over the month, I write an invoice at the start of the month and he agreed to pay the full amount on the 15th of the same month. Therefore I put faith in him and limit my risk over 15 days rather than 50. I then have money up front for the remainder 15 days of the month and he has to trust us.

At month end we have a square up and write a new invoice again.

Now I hear some of you my say my clients can’t do that because they need to have invoices by a certain date to be paid, or that their terms dictate differently.

I find it unfair that many are prepared to let you run a massive account on their terms. I’m sure the local garage won’t let you run up tens of thousands so why should you? If a corporate or developer is reluctant

to pay on your terms it’s probably a risk. I guess it comes down to how bad you want the job and I have definitely been there.

I can assure you it was not worth the hassle and in hindsight would not have taken it on. If I had to fight in court and wait for that sort of money we would be out of business and none of us deserve that.

Wire made tough to keep them in.

At the end of the day you are the one doing the job and collecting so do it on your terms not someone else’s. Learn to recognize a good client from a bad one. If I receive a late payment from smaller clients twice with no phone call or explanation then they get dropped, or to quote a past board member they become a gold client – they get charged gold for me to come back.

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FCANZ GOOD BUGGER

by Nick Liefting

I would like to bring to the attention of everyone that we have a good bugger amongst our ranks to congratulate and celebrate.

Many of you are familiar with the Golden Pilers event that is run every year at New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays. For those of you that aren’t it is Singles Fencing Competition that is held annually.

The Silver Spades is the doubles.

This years prize giving was once again held at the village green in front of the fieldays headquarters.

All eight finalists were on stage and had been given their respective prizes, with Paul van Beers winning the coveted Golden Pliers trophy.

PAGE 6

Paul, on producing his acceptance

speech and thanking all, including National Fieldays, offered to only accept $3,500 of his $5,000 winning prize money. The balance to be awarded to the Golden Pliers finalists whom did not receive a cash prize.

I would like to hereby, on behalf of my fellow Golden Pliers finalists, publicly thank Paul for his extremely kind and thoughtful gesture. To not only think of, and carry out this action but have his fellow competitors at heart.

Mere words cannot describe the appreciativeness of his gesture.

Paul, many of your current and past fellow competitors, and peers from within the industry, are ‘blown away’ by your kindness. Here are only a few names (due to limited

2012 Golden Pliers Finalists

space), who endorse and share my gratitude. There are many more not named on this list: • • • • •

•

•

• • •

Shane Bouskill - Finalist Tim Stafford - Finalist Gordon Hansen - Finalist Nick Liefting - Finalist Owen Petersen - Past Golden Pliers winner Jeff Joines - Fellow

competitor Richard Broughton - Chief Judge Robert Best - Previous Judge Tony White - White Fencing Jim Fairbrother - Kinghitter Post Drivers

Good on you Paul - you truly are a good bugger!

Wire that’s made tough to keep them in.

Paul van Beers in action at NZ National Agricultural Fieldays

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Trailers

By Nigel Broadbridge Over the past few years I have been trying to perfect our trailers, so they are both durable and functional for the on and off road operations that this line of work calls for. Here are a few ideas that worked for us along with some that didn’t.

Lighting and Wiring When we purchased a new trailer it came with combination (stop, tail, indicators) lights that had bulbs.

This proved to be very troublesome.

Every time you went up a gravel road the bulbs rattled loose and it was a lottery which, if any, lights were going. This was particularly bad because a lot of our travelling is done in the dark.

The solution was to go to a combination L.E.D light that even lights up the number plate if installed correctly. These lights have stood the test of time. The only thing that has wrecked them, is stray rocks that have hit them when loading the trailers up with rocks to weigh down rabbit netting!! See photo #1 for the solution, i.e. the mesh welded in front of them for protection.

With that problem solved we still kept having issues with lights not going, we found the problem to be in the oblong plastic plugs between the ute and trailer. They would not handle the constant hooking and unhooking, so we changed to the more durable round plugs which proved to fix this problem.

However, we kept the oblong plug on the tow vehicles and simply added the round plug, when we borrow/ hire other trailers etc we have both options on the tow vehicle. Enter the next problem!!

We then found with everything else bulletproof, the lead between the trailer and tow vehicle was very vulnerable. We tried to protect it by putting it inside a compressor hose but this proved even worse as it made the cord very rigid. The weak point was at each end, where it simply broke.

The solution was to fit an oblong plug on the drawbar protected above a skid plate (see photo #2), have a short lead between the trailer and ute that has a round male, and oblong male plug at respective ends.This works really well because if you are doing lots of off-road work where the trailers is being towed with a motorbike or tractor etc you simply remove the cord.

We keep a spare cord in each ute so if one gets damaged you simply plug another one in and go. The holder

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Photo 1

for the round plug (see photo #2) is also a good addition, it protects the plug and cord from damage when unhooking and putting drawbar on the ground, saving the plugs getting crushed by the drawbar.

Photo 2

Certification See photo #1 for the red display panel for the registration and W.O.F stickers. These are great as you only need to undo two wing nuts each time you get a new warrant or registration. The fines for failing to display these are hefty, especially if you are a T.S.L holder.

Decks All of our trailers have a steel deck but we line them with 17mm ply to act as a protector, it also acts as a bit of a non slip medium if you are carting steel implements or warratahs etc around.

Spare Tyres Finding a good spot for spare tyres is a bit of a struggle. We have experimented with putting it on the drawbar and found it to be in the way. Particularly when carting deer

posts or lengths of timber, as well as when jack-knifing to enable you to unload the rear of the ute without unhooking. We also experimented with putting it on the underside of the trailer behind the back axel.

This proved to be a failure as it is very vulnerable when going through steep fords etc. We even bent the rim on one when it was stored in this position. The solution was to mount it forward of the front axel on the underside of the trailer. This has proved to be harder to access but much better protected from enemies such as rocks and stray branches etc. (see photo #3).

Photo 3 Note the correct sized wheel nut spanner is also stored here. This is also very handy when trailer is being towed by multiple vehicles, I bet when you get a flat tyre on the trailer your tow vehicle’s wheel brace will be a different size. I can also safely bet that it will be dark and most probably raining.

So there’s a few tips on how we tackled some problems we encountered with our trailer.

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Quad Helmets Helmets and Quad riding in general.

by Lance Hare

I know this is not the sexiest subject to discuss and to some people the issue around PPE (personal protective equipment) and the wearing of helmets just raises a lot of potential headaches!

However Suzy asked me to look at the subject as the question was raised by a contractor about the wearing of a chainsaw helmet on a quad ‘is it acceptable’?

Before we get into the debate of if, when and what helmet to wear lets answer that question directly.

“Can you use a chainsaw helmet as protection for when riding a motorbike or quad?” – simple answer is NO! Reasons:

1) Chainsaw helmets are designed to collapse from a blow directly from above the head (majority of head injuries suffered from quad accidents are sustained from a side or lateral blow) 2) Chainsaw helmets are impact rated very low, certainly not rated for any impact that would occur at speeds of 30-40 km/ph. Also the chainsaw helmet is reliant on the internal harness to take the majority of the impact as opposed to blocking a direct blow.

PAGE 10

3) Chainsaw helmets have very minimal means of being able to be restrained on the head – chinstraps are not rated for impact blows.

Right the question is out of the way – let’s look at the debate of helmet

use and its greater implications to the rural sector.

It is common for workplaces to experience disputes or discussions over PPE. These discussions are necessary to ensure that the best, suitable PPE is used to control a hazard.

I.e. sometimes safety eyewear can be heat-resistant sunglasses, sometimes they should be goggles.

Sometimes head protection comes from a hard hat, sometimes from a bump cap. PPE should never generate new hazards when trying to control another.

This also leads onto the current debate concerning the rash of fatalities on quads and the continued call for helmet use as though this will solve all the problems associated with quad riding!

The fact remains the helmet can only be regarded as the last line of defence and it has a limited effect.

The helmet protects the head but nothing else. It may be worth identifying the most frequent types of injuries incurred by quad riders to see if other hazard control options should be considered.

This is supported by the stats “quad bikes are responsible for almost a third of farm fatalities with 40% of them from head injuries. Therefore there are 60% of quad bike fatalities that are caused by injuries other than head trauma (how are these fatalities being prevented or reduced?)

Am I against helmet wearing of course NOT; however I agree with the thought that any PPE is not a substitute for good work practices…

it simply enhances or increases the chance of yourself or workers finishing the day safely!

Looking at the greater issue of quad riding lets dispels some myths:

Accidents only happen at speed?

The average weight of farm quads on sale in New Zealand is approximately 270 Kilos – when a load that heavy lands on you, you have very little chance of escape – regardless of how fast you are travelling.

The high centre of gravity on a quad bike means that accidents can happen even when travelling at walking pace. Accidents relating to speed are generally caused by inattention or by the rider doing another task.

• Get into the habit of assessing the terrain before choosing to ride over it; • If you’re not confident riding go another way, or turn around and use a more appropriate means to complete the task; • Set appropriate speed limits on different terrain or areas of the worksite, as they relate to different weather and conditions; • Don’t create time and task conflicts for your staff which will force them to take short cuts.

Accidents only happen on hills?

Many of the accidents are happening on flat terrain – sometimes riders may perceive the ground to be flat, but hazards such as rough ground, stop banks

and drains can be enough to cause a roll-over.

Note: When a rider rolls on a hill they often have the advantage of gravity and are able to move away from the quad more easily than those who roll the bikes on the flat where the bike is more likely to land directly onto the rider.

I know how to ride a quad properly; I’ve been riding for years!

Just because i’ve been buying lotto tickets for years doesn’t mean i’m going to win this Saturday (would be nice though)!

While experience can be an advantage, it can also breed complacency. If bad habits are ingrained through years of riding quads in an unsafe manner, then

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the rider no matter how experienced is at high risk.

We can’t wrap our kids up in cotton wool… rural kids should be out playing and enjoying the farms; that’s how they learn!

Fact: Between 2006 and 2012 there were 30 people killed on quads in New Zealand 8 of them children under 16!

Fact: 60 children injured (requiring hospitalisation) each year with 77% of them the driver!

Fact: Generally (note; there will always be an exception) children don’t have the strength, body weight and mental ability to master active riding techniques needed to safely control 270 kilos of powered machinery!

Fact: Rural kids grow up learning different skills from city kids… but that doesn’t mean their bodies or minds are grown up enough to handle adult quad bikes Fact: Going out on a farm unsupervised and driving all over different/difficult terrain is not a learning environment, it is simply a raffle ticket that the child gets lucky with! Supervision is the only way children can learn what is right, what the parameters are to their quad and its capabilities!

Fact: The powers to be don’t want children to be excluded off quads and farm bikes in general…. just simply riding the appropriate sized vechicle for their stature and capabilities!

PAGE 12

All this PC safety is nonsense….

What happen before quads; we had horses and they were just as big a problem but kids still rode them!

Fact: Quads and three wheelers have been in New Zealand since 1978 (with the exception to earlier imported ones).

Fact: The population in New Zealand in 1978 was 3,165,200 with a Rural % of 58% = 1,835,816 people living rurally. The population in 2012 was 4,445,063 and the rural sector had decline to a 13.2% share which means only 586,748 (1/2 of 1978) people live rurally! We can assume that living rurally the vast majority of that population is exposed to rural lifestyle and work.

Fact: We have 3 x the amount of accidents on farm quads today than we did in 1978 with only ½ the potential risk population!

What is the point!!

• The fact is the rural sector has increased in productivity but managing it with less people!

• We use more powerful tools i.e. for the first 10 years that quads

were introduced they only had a 250 cc rating - now the average is 500cc.

• Whether you are fencing or farming the majority of businesses are doing more work with fewer employees.

• The same amount of ground has to be covered but there is still only 24 hours in a day.

• We expect ourselves and our employees to go harder and faster for longer! A reaction has to occur and worksite safety is generally the first to suffer.

And where does the old statement of horse’s vs quads come into this?

Horses on farms have declined from over 475,000 at its height in 1911 to under 65,000 in 2012.

The farm hack was no different to today’s tools…. You used the horse suited to the task. Ponies don’t pull ploughs very well but kids can ride them; Draft horses don’t suit for

long riding but pull implements very well.

Yes people fell off them but as a rule most horses were used for their intended application!

Back to the helmet!

The legal position on wearing helmets in the workplace: Section 10 [2] [b] of the Act specifically requires employers to provide suitable safety equipment for their employees and make sure it is worn whenever a workplace hazard can be minimised. When a quad bike is used for work the hazard of losing control of the bike can only be minimised. No amount of knowledge or training can completely eliminate an incident from occurring.

Head injuries to the rider will be deemed as a foreseeable harm situation. A helmet is a known means of reducing the severity of a head injur, so under that section of the Act a quad bike helmet is a legal requirement!

What type of helmet can I wear?

Be cautious on this one … all OSH advice will be centred on what the manufacturer recommends – but the manufacturer generally has a vested ($$$) interest in the sale of “recommended” helmets.

They state that you a motorbike helmet impact rating. The off road is based on average.

must wear due to the rating for 80 km/hrs.

Note you can purchase downhill racing mountain bike helmets [these are the top of the line] with an impact rating of 120kms/hrs.

The bike manufactures will say the mountain bike helmet is not suitable as the push bike is not motorised!

Ahhhh hello #^*%* surely the point is the speed of impact not the format getting to that speed!!

I have taken this question to the head OSH inspector and discussed the different helmets on the market. The agreement was there are two prime factors to why people currently don’t wear them: • It’s not cool and or no one else wears them… the more people wear them the more they will become accepted; • The current (manufacturers recommended) helmets are too uncomfortable, too heavy and way too hot in summer.

If we can have usable practicable light weight and – dare I say it – good looking hats (cool looking) that can be worn with a beanie or cap under it we will start getting some acceptance.

The conclusion to my discussion with the head OSH inspector is as long as the employer is making all reasonable steps to comply and is supplying their staff with approved impact and restraint rated helmets i.e.

the mountain bike helmet, OSH is being covered.

Conclusion:

In summary yes it is a legal requirement for the employer to supply helmets when riding quads but it is also a legal requirement for the employee to actually wear them. You cannot watch them every moment and they need to take responsibility for their actions!

As I said at the beginning this is not the sexiest of subjects but an important one all the same!

Cheers….Lance Hare

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Time off the line

by Mike Billinghurst

There is no great time to take time off for a holiday, especially when you are a one man band – no work – no pay. But when Andrea said that she was booking a week in Aussie for my birthday, who was I to complain. The only problem was that it was two months away. Talk about take forever.

The time eventually arrived, so I headed to the sports massage clinic to get a few areas ironed out.

Apparently getting your muscles tortured is relaxing!

We had booked 7 days in Port Douglas, at the top of Tropical North Queensland, 40 minutes above Cairns (Can’s to our Aussie neighbours).

PAGE 14

Andrea and I are not ones to sit on the beach soaking up the sun, so we hired a car for five days to get out and explore the area. There is plenty to see and do around the Cairns/ Port Douglas area, Karanda Gorge scenic rail way, winding its way up to the village of Karanda, and back

down via a gondola going over the top of the rain forest canopy.

The Mossman Gorge is a nice area to walk through the rainforest and some massive boulders in the Mossman creek.

We headed north over several days visiting areas like Daintree village, where you can board a river boat and go for a cruise and see salt water

crocodiles, tree snakes, and water dragons, in their natural habitat.

The tour guides are not allowed to feed the crocs, unlike at the Heartlys Croc Farm where it is all for show, feeding them with chickens so they actually chase the boat to get a feed.

In the Daintree river we saw a 4 metre male and 2 females about 2.5 m long. Later that day we got the car ferry and headed toward Cape Tribulation, where the sealed road ends and turns to a dirt track toward Cooktown. I don’t think the rental companies like their cars going up there on that route. We stopped at a board walk area with a tower with several levels showing the different species of animals and birds which habitat different areas.

Queensland is a sugar cane growing region, something I had never seen, so it was interesting to see it harvested. On the lowland there is very little livestock farmed, it’s

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all sugar cane. We traveled up the Atherton Tablelands, on the tops there is still some sugar cane, but it’s all irrigated.

The livestock we saw were all Brahman based beef cattle. The fencing was all 4 wire Barb with generally box stay assemblies.

Sometimes the posts had been drilled for the wires to go through them. I can assume this would be a bugger of a job, with barbs especially, but generally the posts had been chainsaw cut for a wire groove, with a soft wire twitch around the post.

Post and rail, split gum logs.

Toward the end of the Holiday we went snorkeling for the day at the Lowe Isles, and both got quite sunburnt, not the wisest move.

Back home feeling refreshed and probably several kg heavier due to good food and plenty of beers. The crutching season is fast approaching, and with plenty of fencing booked things are all good.

PAGE 16

There is always going to be some work to do, but as the saying goes: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Have a good Christmas and New Near break, I hope you enjoy your time off the line.

Electrics

Quality, not!

Irrigator fencing I have recently completed some irrigator fencing for Waitatapia Station which farms approx 2500ha.

Run by brothers Roger and Hew Darylmple located in the coastal area from Bulls.

The property consists of cattle and sheep finishing, cropping and forestry. A total 20 pivot irrigators spread across 3 properties, with some of the bigger pivots having over 90ha of land underneath them.

The sand country is well known for drying out but can also get wet in the winter, so a lot of drainage

by Mark Lambert

work has taken place. These drains provided split areas in the paddocks and being open v drains provided a good place for stock to camp. Being the nature of sand it was easily eroded and can become high maintance The drains had culverts installed where the irrigator wheels would cross. Some had more depending on the angle the wheel would cross on, then filled up to paddock height which removed any previous stress that was occurred when they went down and through.

Now with many kms of drains a low cost and effective fence was thought up by Rodger Using 2.1m strainers, posts either side of the irrigator crossings, kiwi tech arrow posts in between ,strainrite sure flex spring systems ,strainrite ladder wheel crossings with 2mm wire and beattie insulators All drains where dug with gps guidance and with the farm running gps auto steer in there tractors it was vital the fencers where dead straight and some being up to 800m long.

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Once the first fence was ready to set up Hugh Morrison from strainrite came out (with smoko included) with the springs and went through installation of them and how the ladder system worked.

The overall height of the fence was 900mm with even 200mm spacings from the top consisting of four 2mm wires. Using 2mm wire as it didn’t require as much strain on the fence and stayed tighter. Beattie no 18 insulators where used for posts and angles, these where threaded on the wire with the 15mm pipe for the crossings. I ran all four wires off the quad jenny with everything threaded and tied on at one end.

Then strained all wires off with dummy strops and the opposite end which made sliding the insulators and pipe along a lot easier.

foot and will not rust in the coastal conditions, The whole idea is so the fence will lay over rather than push the wires out and this will not short out as insulated by the pipe.

Now after a couple of months being erected they are proving to be very effective with stock and irrigators.

As far as further subdividing of

Pictured right: Strainrite ladder system

The arrow posts where used as low cost and effective alterantive to roundwood for permanent electric fences and were fast to install. They are fully insulated and wire spacings are set with the use of stainless clips.

Pictured left: Strainrite sureflex springs

They are driven into the ground and then lifted back up to activate the barb wings which makes them reluctant to shift and lift out of the ground. With this design they can be bent right over and made to touch the ground and they will not pull out off the ground.

PAGE 18

The irrigator crossings were 15mm polypipe which had holes drilled approximately 50mm from each end. Poly wire was threaded up and back down on itself being fixed into place with 50mm crimps to maintain wire spacing’s. We choose to use the arrow posts as an anchoring system as they act as a

the pivots this is being done with a temporary 3 wire electric fence still using the springs and 2mm wire but replacing the arrow post with tread ins that are supplied by kiwitech, which means easy removal when the cropping programme takes control of the land.

Pictured right: Arrow post as installed and what it looks like

Cantilever Sliding Security Gate In September 2012, we at KC Fence Systems were asked by Murray Croft of Croft Construction in Kurow to quote for the supply of a cantilevered sliding gate to go in the security fence at the Genesis Energy Tekapo powerstation.

For the uninitiated, a cantileverered gate basically “hangs out” over the opening – there are no wheels under the opening part of the gate. Not having constructed a cantilevered gate before, we of course said “No problem!” and submitted our quote, which was duly accepted.

Our next thought was “how the hell do we build this thing?” and we

Ph: 027 469 4301

By Paul Fitzsimmons

set to work on a design, which was based on our standard conventional sliding gate frame, with additional cross bracing, welded on top of Italian made Rolling Center cantilever gate channel. This channel is specifically manufactured for cantilevered sliding gates, and whilst expensive, is of the highest quality.

advantage of a cantilever is that there is no requirement to dig up the driveway to install a gate beam.

Cantilever gates must be approximately 30% longer than the opening, and the rolling center information specifies an 8.8m gate for a 6m opening, so that’s what we made it at. Although more expensive than a conventional tracked sliding gate, the big

The reason for this amount of concrete is basically to counterbalance the weight of the gate. When the gate is in the closed position, there is great downward force on the carriage adjacent to the opening, (in this case around 1000kg) and an upward force on the

The cantilever trolleys are bolted down to a concrete pad adjacent to the opening, and in this case the concrete pad had to measure a minimum of 3.2m x 0.6m x 0.5m, or just under 1 cubic metre.

Sole NZ Agent: NZF Products Limited, 201 Maces Road, Bromley, Christchurch

sales@nzfproducts.co.nz www.nzfproducts.co.nz

other carriage (of around 300kg) Of course these forces are dynamic. As the gate opens, they change, until the gate is fully open, and the forces on the carriages are reversed.

PAGE 20

The base rail on top of the cantilever channel is 100 x 100 RHS, as are the end poles, and the top rail is 100 x 50 RHS. We welded in 32mm N.B. pipe to lace the netting to, and 12mm turnbuckles with 20 x 5 flat bar for diagonal bracing. This meant that we could effectively use the turnbuckles to take any sag out of the gate. The chain link fitted was 50mm x 3.15mm, in keeping with the rest of the fence.

The top guide is our standard sliding gate guide, which we get laser cut from RHS, and uses FAC nylon guide wheels, once again Italian made. Total construction time was approximately 2 days, and the complete gate weighs around 400kg.

Once completed, we freighted the gate to site on Opzeeland Transport.

As this was our first cantilever, we decided it would be a good idea if we assisted with the installation, and Neil Winchester and myself travelled down to Tekapo and met Murray Croft on site. The installation was comparatively simple – bolt down

the two carriages, slide the gate on to them (with the help of a forklift and a lot of muscle), weld the guide and stoppers on – job done.

Cantilever gates have a reputation of running extremely freely, and this one is no exception. Other than the usual site related issues, this was how it happened. The gate has since been automated using a CAME BK1800 sliding gate motor.

Our client is very happy with the result, and so are we.

ONE REASON WHY NOT TO BUILD ON SILT Since the Canterbury earthquakes, the local councils have become a lot more aware of the possible outcomes of “liquefaction”, in some areas, mainly areas prone to silt flats.

For example here was a new 300sq mtr house that required some pretty major foundation work before the framing and building could even start. Some ninety five 3 metre H5 150-175mmSED poles were driven in to a depth of around 1.8mtrs around the perimeter of the house plus internal poles.

PAGE 22

As well as the possible chances of liquefaction, this site was also

classed as a flood prone area; therefore the height of the floor finished was approximately 1300mm high from the existing ground level.

The foundation consisted of hard fill 500mm compacted (very slow and painful process so I heard from the builders), then polystyrene 475mm, a heap of reinforcing rod and mesh then finally a 125mm slab on top.

Approximate cost for the total floor foundation $50,000!! Moral of this is DON’T build on a silt plain prone to liquefaction and flooding.

By Craig Shortall

After speaking with the company owner undertaking this project, he said to me that: “this is just the start, with the aftermath of Christchurch and the liquefaction damage caused, local councils will be enforcing some pretty strict requirements regarding the building on silt prone areas that may cause liquefaction, in the future”.

So if you’re thinking of building, choose your site carefully because it could cost you a lot.

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Fencing Contractors Feedback on REVOLUTION...

Darrel Robb Contractors Kerikeri

Telescopic 180 with Rock Spike/Auger “8,000 hours & still going strong. We can do anything with this rammer, you name it we do it”

Paul & Jason Van Beers

Porangahau

Telescopic RM with Auto Auger/Rock Spike kit “We use the telescopic mast everyday to our advantage, we wouldn’t be without it”.

Mark Little Taradale

Telescopic SS with Auto Auger kit “Had this rammer 6 years and absolutely can’t fault it, it makes life so easy. We auger every hole post hole & with this auger there is nothing we can’t do”.

Greg Oliver Palmerston

Telescopic 180 with Auto Auger/Spike Kit “We are stoked with this driver, goes more places in steep country than a rearmount, the reach is fantastic, can drive strainers/posts in across ditches, guts” Andrew Cave

Contract Fencing & Earthworks Pahiatua

“I’ve owned three Revolutions to cater for the changing needs of my business and consider that they are the one to have”.

Pat Morris

PM Contracting Morrinsville

Telescopic 180 with Auto Rock Spike “Had my 180 since June, there’s a lot I can do with it and I’m still learning its capabilities.

Makes corners easy & we reach across drains on this peat country easily. On a retaining wall we did the corner post, moved the tractor and drove 4 posts without moving the tractor. I already rate this machine 9 ½ /10. “ Mike Billinghurst

Glen Tui Farm Services Fielding

Telescopic 180 with Auto Rock Spike/Auger Combo “One out of the box, totally revolutionary-fits into more places than anything else on the market”.

www.revolutionpostdrivers.co.nz

Ian Murphy

IG Murphy Fencing New Plymouth

Telescopic SS “I’ve owned the SS for over 4 years & it’s exceeded my expectations. It is far superior to any post driver I have ever owned or used. It’s extremely user friendly and robust.

Bruce Lambeth Kereru District

Telescopic SS with Auto Auger Kit “Had this Telescopic SS for a few months and I’m already very impressed with it – so are the farmers I fence for. It’s ideal and just makes it so easy” Grant Harris

West Otago Fencing

Telescopic 180 with Auto Auger/Spike Kit “You name it you can do it, handles steep country, has great stability, great versatility with driving into corners and impossible places. Our country is bloody tough- driving into rock, drives them well”.

0800 957 868

FCANZ Accredited Fencers Barakat Contractors Ltd (Te Kauwhata)

Central Fencing (Canterbury)

CPC Contracting (Kerikeri)

Craig Sergeant Fencing (Waipukurau)

C: Dale & Raewyn Barakat P: 07 826 4461 M: 027 473 5513 E: dale@barakatcontractors.co.nz www.barakatcontractors.co.nz

C: Phil Cornelius P: 09 407 1160 M: 027 274 4188 E: cpccontracting@xtra.co.nz

Glentui Farm Services (Feilding) C: Mike Billinghurst P: 06 328 8118 M: 027 695 662 E: billinghurst@farmside.co.nz

C: Nigel Broadbridge P: 03 325 7779 M: 021 433 623 E: central.fencing@xnet.co.nz

P: 06 858 9759 M:027-243 7334 E: sargey@xtra.co.nz

Grant Macdonald Fencing Service (Tauranga)

P: 07 5433486 M: 027 494 2251 E: grantmacdonald@mclarenfalls.co.nz

Greg Burton Fencing (Cambridge)

Gregg Holmes Contracting (Papakura)

Ground Up Solutions (New Plymouth )

High Country Fencing (Darfield)

P: 07 827 8765 M: 027 427 8765 E: mazgreg@xtra.co.nz

C: Clayton & Sue Horton P: 06 758 2217 M: 021 710 712 E: clayton@groundupsolutions.co.nz www.groundupsolutions.co.nz

Higgins Fencing Contractors (Wakefield) C:Philip Higgins

PAGE 24

P: 03 541 9292 M: 021 222 5033 E: info@farmfencing.co.nz www.farmfencing.co.nz

P: 09 296 9984 M: 027 440 4247 E: oakend@xtra.co.nz

C:Geoff Rogers

P: 03 317 8028 M: 021 640 748 E: info@highcountryfencing.co.nz www.highcountryfencing.co.nz

Jeff Joines Fencing Contractor Ltd (Raumati South) P:04 905 1013 M: 027 484 4481 E: jeffjoines@paradise.net.nz

Contract Fencing Ltd (Manawatu)

C: Andrew Cave P: 06 376 5992 M: 027 296 3504 E: andrew@contractfencing.co.nz www.contractfencing.co.nz

Ewing Fencing Contractors (Oamaru) C: Mark Ewing P: 03 431 3864 M:027 498 4049 E: mark@ewingfencing.co.nz

Grant Scott Fencing Ltd (Te Awamutu) P: 07 870 6541 E: k.tautari@xtra.co.nz

Ground Up Services (Katikati) C: Darryn Astill P: 07 552 0238 M: 027 586 9227 E: darryn@groundupservices.co.nz

Hadley Fencing (Whakatane) C: Peter Hadley P: 07 312 9069

John Baldock Fencing Ltd (Katikati) P: 07 552 0763 M: 021 176 4719 E: john@johnbaldockfencing.co.nz www.johnbaldockfencing.co.nz

Accredited Fencers continued...

Renner Contracting Ltd (Seddon)

Lake Contracting (Omakau)

Phillips Contracting (Edgecombe)

C: Ken Lake P: 03 447 4031 M: 027 224 0302

C: Joshua Phillips P: 07 322 2993 M:027 587 3551 E: phillipscontracting@xtra.co.nz

Neil & Raymond Roberston (Fensin) (Waitetuna)

Samuel Fencing Ltd (Alexandra)

Steve Williamson Fencing (Timaru)

Taihape Contract Fencing (Mangaweka)

Todd Sherburd Fencing (Morrinsville)

White Fencing Ltd (Papakura)

Wilson Fencing (Havelock North)

C: Mike Samuel P: 03 448 6949 M: 0275 245 4090 E: mikesamuel@clear.net.nz

C: Neil Robertson P: 07 825 5747 M: 027 474 6335 E: robertson.nd@xtra.co.nz

P: 03 686 4779 E: shwilliamson@actrix.co.nz

C: Alan Rennie P: 06 382 5555 E: taihapefencing@hotmail.com

West Otago Fencing 2001(Tapanui) C: Grant & Wendy Harris P: 03 204 8285 M:027 286 6576 E: harris@esi.co.nz

C: Tony White P: 09 292 8064 M:027 495 7868 E: admin@whitefencing.co.nz www.whitefencing.co.nz

C: Terry & Karen Renner P: 03 575 7080 M: 027 226 7238 E: rennerfencing@hotmail.com

Steve Locke Fencing Ltd (Blenheim)

P: 03 5781927 M: 021 37 1971 E: steve@stevelockefencing.co.nz www.stevelockefencing.co.nz

P:07 887 5549 E: todd@fsw.co.nz

C: Brendon Wilson P: 06 877 9844 M: 027 657 4588 E: b.m.wilson@xtra.co.nz

Want to see your NAME here?

Then enquire about becoming ACCREDITED

Noksee’s travels!

Hi all fellow FCANZ Members from the top of the south.

Another year has all but gone and it seems in super fast time. As I write there was a dusting of snow on the tops above Motueka this morning again, sure has been a different year.

Managed to go goose shooting on St James station over labour weekend, which is next door to Molesworth station. Remnants of old fencing from days gone by, there were some hardy fences back then. What an awesome place to go to but very challenging to get in there.

Weather wise – snow every where going in, in white out conditions but up over Maling Pass the weather improved going down into St James.

and southerly front started coming in with snow, so we decided to head out a day early, leaving late in the day.

The Waiau had started to rise again which we had to cross twice. First 4x4 across OK next 4x4 misjudged the crossing and managed to stall in a bit of a hole with H2O coming through the windows ‘OH Sh*t’.

A bit of panic for the driver but we managed to tow him out backwards, trailer and all. By a stroke of luck we managed to get them mobile again.

Looked hard case when they got the doors open the water just flowed out from halfway up the seats. Needless to say they had a bit of a wet arse going home and a bit gun shy at the next crossing but I managed to drive

By John Noakes

it through for them no problems. It was a great weekend but hopefully the weather will be better next time.

Well worth a trip if you are into a bit of adventure.

On another note: There is a Conference AGM Survey going on at the moment to see what the FCANZ members would like in the future. I am looking forward to the results. At this stage the Conference AGM for 2013 is going to be held in Cromwell 26 – 28 July. Central Otago an awesome part of the country, well worth a trip and holiday. It’s easy to fly into Queenstown or drive, so start saving now because we want to see you all there. More details later.

Cheers Noksee

We managed to cross the Waiau river and get tents set up before the snow hit again.

8PAGE 26

Saturday dawned clear and sunny again. We hunted Lake Guyon and The Stanley Block. Managing to shoot a few birds after plenty of kms biking and walking.

Sunday dawned OK but the weather started to change again. High winds which shredded a couple of tents

Water crossing Waiau river

s

Fences on St James station

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at the South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) Lincoln Canterbury March 20-22nd 2013

Plans are shaping up well for the All about Fencing (AAF) event within the South Island Agricultural Field Days- dates March 20- 22nd 2013.

installation process. We all know what difference that makes not only to the speed of the installation process but also the end result.

This event represents an unparalleled opportunity for fencing contractors to attend this specialised fencing event and be surrounded by like minded people, who all have a vested interest in the industry.

Each of the fence demonstration areas reflect the South Island market with netting and electric being obvious choices given their wide application is the traditional farming systems, including high country fencing and the dairy industry.

All About Fencing is an interesting event formula which is designed to profile the end result in installation, using products from New Zealand’s leading manufacturers. The basis of the event is fencing industry exhibitors taking a display site within the area which they set up with their product, branding and promotional material. The product lines are then taken out into the demonstration areas and used by the demonstrators in the construction of the various fence line types.

The significance is the product is shown in its application, so you can see for yourself how it might fit into your job requirements.

8PAGE 28

Whether you or your client supplies materials, you’re the one who has to work with the materials during the

The inclusion of rail work falls under every day workings – whether it is gate ends or stockyards, and the likes of tree boxes and equine fencing. Like a well known fencer commented in a previous WIRED article “it’s the eye for detail” that makes the difference and sets your workmanship at a high standard.

Interestingly post, wire and batten is one of the chosen fence line types which may well raise a few eyebrows for a South Island event. However this fence type is becoming more evident than say 10 years ago. On contacting Precision Trailblazer regarding an exhibitor site their first response was uncertainty about attending AAF, but a check with their sales manager reinforced sales of the Trailblazer compressor in the

by Debbie White

South Island are firing.

Trutest will this year be in the post, wire and batten demonstration area with their well known brands of electrics, plus their iconic South Island originated Hayes tool range.

Product categories to date include electrics, round wood, wire, gates & hardware, battening guns, compressors, post drivers and drilling equipment.

Part of the essence of the AAF event formula is also the opportunity to talk one on one as equals with the demonstrators, discuss the pros and cons of different insulation techniques and gain reassurance as to what’s industry best practice and what might be compromising the construction.

Spending time with the calibre of the demonstrators – Owen Petersen, Paul Van Beers, Trevor Bell and Tony White who are all specialists in different aspects of fencing - they all have something valuable to impart which is beneficial to your business.

It’s not often that this type of opportunity presents itself to network in what for many is quite a isolated industry with low networking opportunities. This

is one of the reasons FCANZ are setting up a site at AAF and responding to this valuable opportunity to communicate not only with their members but also promote the associations role to the farming sector and the likes of municipal organisations who are being invited to attend.

Come and watch someone else do all the hard work for a change!

It is planned the new Fence-it price calculator will be available to go through one on one to demonstrate its usage and also the value of the costing it supplies to your business.

Please check the website over the coming months for updates on exhibitors (it will be placed under exhibitor information) and please take this opportunity to attend this fencing event which has been designed for you as contractors – it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

Mark & Logan Ewing Last event the South Islanders came north – this time it’s the North Islanders turn to go south!

www.allaboutfencing.co.nz

We’ve cranked up our rural network Better mobile. Better broadband.

Better talk to Vodafone.

Call 0800 021 241

AAF is all about products and installation

VOD0728

WIRE AND BATTEN SPACINGS

Courtesy of Simon Fuller reproduced from NZ Farmer, April 27, 1978

Sheep induced by the NZAEI to demonstrate what constituted a sheep-proof fence showed that batten and wire spacings were more important than tensions in wires.

In trails, made as testing as possible, 30 Border-Romney wethers, known to have a liking for getting through fences, were given every incentive to do so, said Keith Humphries of the institute.

Hay and other feedstuffs were placed behind fences of 2.5mm high tensile wire, in which post or batten and wire spacings were adjusted. The sheep were on a grazed-out paddock.

Initially, no incentive was needed to get the sheep to penetrate the test fence with the posts widely spaced.

Changing the wire tension and/or post and wire spacing combinations made penetration more difficult and many would not try unless there were incentives.

Two or three sheep seemed to delight in trying to penetrate the fence, regardless of difficulties or incentives involved.

The results of the summarised below:

tests

are

The wire tensions, lower than recommended elsewhere in this

booklet, were used after tests on fence wire tensions on a Lincoln College farm showed surprisingly low figures. A final series of penetration tests were all carried out with wire tensioned at 666 newtons (68kg).

In an earlier test on the same site, sheep had to jump wires to leave the grazed-out area. The line wires were added progressively from the bottom up.

At a height of 0.5m about half the 30 sheep tried to jump the wires, while at 0.75m only four jumped the fence. At 0.9m only one animal was capable of clearing the wire.

Can sheep get through a fence? Yes or No

PAGE 30

Post or Batten Spacing metres

ft ins

2.5 2.2 2.0 1.68

8’ 3” 7’ 3” 6’ 6” 5’ 6”

Wire Spacing 101.6mm 127mm or 152.4mm or 4ins 5ins or 6ins YES NO YES NO YES NO

This particular animal finally cleared 1m, attempted 1.07m, struck the top wire rather hard, and being somewhat shaken retired.

“It was interesting to observe its actions following this. Trotting towards, then backing off from the gap, it seemed to be gauging the height of the top wire, and its ability to clear it. After a bout two minutes of indecision, discretion prevailed over valour and it moved away.”

Said Keith.

It seems, then, that while sheep can probably jump more than 1m it is very unlikely they would clear a fence with the top wire 1.1m off the ground. These trials were on flat ground, and the heights a sheep can clear will be affected by slope.

Following the jumping penetration tests, it was interesting to make some observations of cattle on a college farm, said Keith.

The animals were being held in a well-grazed paddock by a plain wire fence with tyawire battens spaced

2m apart. With some difficulty, the cattle were able to push their heads through the fence to get at good grazing on the other side.

Pictured left: A Border-Rombey wether in high-jump tests.

Fitting additional tie-wire droppers to reduce the gap to 1m prevented this. A reasonable approach to batten spacings arising from these trials would be to have droppers 2m apart if only sheep are to be carried.

This could then be halved if cattle are introduced later.

The greatest wire spacing tested was 150mm, as it was thought anything greater would not give control of lambs.

Generally, the wire spacings commonly used in commercially drilled or gauged battens, posts and standards have stood the test of time.

Pictured right: A sheep penetrating a fence without inducement in the simulated tests.

Fences on boundaries?

Mick Strack School of Surveying University of Otago

Reprinted from Survey Quarterly, with their permission, and that of the author.

Natural boundaries are real and observable topographical lines marking the limit of geographical space, they may also coincide with property boundaries. All other boundary lines are the artificially, legally defined and surveyed extent of a property or jurisdictional area. To make these boundary lines clear and obvious to all, and especially to neighbours, we are encouraged to mark our boundaries with survey marks and then fences.

T

here is no common law obligation to fence a boundary, although there is a requirement to ensure that no nuisance is caused to adjoining neighbours by anything on, or escaping from, that property. But we do have a statutory expectation that if any owner or occupier on either side of a boundary wants a fence, then it must be agreed to and funded by both affected owners.

Fences can take a variety of forms, but the Fencing Act 1978 lists some standard adequate fences for both rural and urban situations. Anything more elaborate than an adequate fence is at the discretion of and cost to the proponent.

PAGE 32

Where to build a fence

So where is a fence to be built and how will that relate to the legal boundary? The Fencing Act 1978 (s22) states that ‘the middle of the fence shall be upon the boundary line: provided that, where a fence is supported by or formed about posts, the posts shall be placed on the boundary line or as near thereto as practicable.’

Further to that, the Act states, seemingly categorically (s8) no person is entitled to erect a fence that encroaches to any degree whatever upon any land of which he is not the occupier.’ But then continues in less absolute terms, that the Court can order the removal of any encroaching fence unless it is satisfied ‘(a) that the degree of encroachment is minimal; and (b) that the encroachment in no way adversely affects the use and enjoyment of his land by the applicant.’

In spite of the clear statement of legislative intent, Watkins (1987) records ‘the practice to place the face of the posts on the line of the boundary so that the wires or rails are on the boundary.’

Clearly there can, in this case, be a significant difference between the line of the wires and the centreline of the posts, in the location of the fence in relation to the boundary. But it is nonsense to suggest that the fence is in a different position just because the wires are on one side of the posts rather than the other.

When building a rural fence it is probably common practice to drive corner posts such that they abut the boundary survey pegs, remembering that it is an offence to interfere with or remove a survey peg, so the posts are unlikely to actually be on the boundary. The wires may then be strung on the posts on either side without regard to whether either more closely coincides with

the boundary line. So on top of the structural departure from the boundary, we must surely accept a reasonably wide measurement tolerance more or less for a fence position.

Survey definition of fence position

When fences are being fixed by survey it is therefore vitally important to make it quite clear what particular part of the fence is being measured to, as well as the details about which side of the posts the wires or rails are on. Rural post and wire fences may very commonly be constructed on 200 mm diameter posts, and it is even common for old corner posts to be split logs up to 400 mm in diameter. The wires may be on each side of these posts so a determination of the fence/boundary relationship could easily vary by 200mm. Hedges as boundary features may easily be two metres thick and some hedges may be so dense that an alignment of trunks may be difficult to fix with any accuracy better than plus-or-minus 200 mm.

Although hedge and ditch fences are less common in New Zealand, various interpretations of the boundary may easily vary by two metres. The dilemma about how that may relate to a boundary is well illustrated by the English case Wibberley v Insley. Case precedent suggests that if a boundary exists before a hedge and ditch structure is built, it is assumed that an owner, in creating this type of fence will ‘cut [the ditch] to the very extremity of his own land: he is of course bound to throw the soil which he digs out, upon his own land; and often, if he likes it, he plants a hedge on top of it.’ In this case the boundary is the far side edge of the ditch.

However, if the boundary is created after the hedge and ditch is built, for example, the hedge and ditch may have been an internal field division, then the boundary is assumed to be the physical barrier — the centre line of the hedge. The hedge is the topographical feature actually shown on an ordinance survey plan, and where general boundaries apply, the ground feature is the boundary. A very costly dispute on this very matter, going all the way to the House of Lords, was played out in 1999 — see Survey Quarterly June 2000. In New Zealand a ditch and bank fence was described in the Fencing Act 1908 (s23) which made it clear that the ditch would be on one side of the boundary and the bank on the other.

Fences as the boundary

The common law places very high importance on the fence representing the actual boundary. In the absence of any original survey marks, a long standing occupation, a fence, ‘is evidence of a convincing nature, that the land so occupied is that which the deed conveys’ (Equitable Building v Ross). Similarly ‘in the absence of any suggestion of fraud a continuous line of ancient fence is, in the absence of definite landmarks, more satisfactory evidence of the exact boundary of a section of land than are mere paper surveys’ (S. G. v Wyllie). In other words, where there are no survey pegs, the fence is the best evidence of boundary position.

Pegs as the boundary “more or less”

Pegs in the ground are the best evidence of the position of a boundary, but even these are accepted as ‘a little more or less,’ and the Surveyor General’s guidelines accept a tolerance of plusor-minus 60mm (Class II surveys).

McRae (1985) made pertinent comment when he suggested that many young surveyors ‘resent that having taken great care to ensure accuracy they then have some lesser mortal display the audacity to tag the dimensions shown “... as a little more or less”’ in the title documentation. He continues to note that that term is a legal term, not a survey term.

While there may be survey tolerances that accept a little more or less, legal tolerances may be much more liberal and flexible.

That is, a little more or less is not about the allowances of the survey guidelines, but about a much more extensive, and hopefully more pragmatic, tolerance. In the case Moore v Denrice, Stout CJ states, in reference to a dispute over 4.35 inches: ‘l do not think this would be an unreasonable margin to allow in a measurement described as “more or less”.’

The bra fence

So how do all these facts and interpretations play out in real life?

One of the additional attractions of the Cardrona Valley was the well publicised bra fence. In the long running dispute about its legality, which included the opinion that it is now a sign and therefore a building, rather than a fence, a statement was thrown up that in fact the fence was encroaching on the road by 80 mm.

Whether there are any existing survey pegs defining the boundary or not, a statement that a fence is not on the boundary by that amount is clearly a nonsense. The position of the boundary itself is not defined better than 60 mm, the position of the posts having a width of at least 200 mm must have a tolerance of at least that much. It would be a difficult argument to suggest that any

encroachment either side of that boundary is more than minimal or that there are any adverse effects of such an encroachment.

However the Queenstown Lakes District Council has adopted the idea that the fence is encroaching on the road reserve and have made statements such as ‘The council’s property subcommittee decided in April the fence could stay, but the bras had to go. Alternatively, Mr Lee could move the fence on to his own property and apply for resource consent. The fence illegally encroaches on a road reserve by 8 cm.

I contend that such a statement of legal encroachment is clearly nonsensical. ‘The surveyor must beware of creating, on a purely theoretical basis, adverse occupation and encroachment in respect of occupation lines that have been accepted as the title boundary for years’ (Kearns, Kerr & Smith 1997;58 and Surveyor and the Law’ 1993 5-41).

In September the bras were finally removed - a loss of a quirky attraction that had received global notoriety, and a victory for conservative and boring planning rules.

Boundary and fence disputes are apparently reasonably common in New Zealand but few proceed to court. It would seem that as surveyors, we could apply some common sense to fence measurement and ensure that neighbourly disputes are not aggravated by authoritative statements of position that disregard ‘a little more or less.’

References

Dyer C. 1998. The £250,000 border skirmish. In Survey Quarterly.

22 June 2000.

Kearns, EJ., N.T. Kerr, M. C. Smith. 1997. Boundaries and Boundary Definition. Dunedin, Department of Surveying and the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors.

McRae J.A. 1985. The “Guarantee of Parcels” and “A Little More or Less”. New Zealand Surveyor. No.266.

Otago Daily Times. 2006. Online: http://archive.odt.co.nz Surveyor and the Law’. 1993. New Zealand Institute of Surveyors.

Surveyor General. 1999. Cadastral Survey Guidelines. s10;10. Land Information New Zealand. Wellington.

Watkins M 1987. Land Title Surveys: Training Notes. NZIS. Wellington.

Fencing Act 1908.

Fencing Act 1978.

Case Law: Moore v Dentice (1901) 20 NZLR 128 Equitable Building and Investment Co. v Ross (1886) 5 NZLR. 229 Alan Wibberley Building Ltd. v Insley 1998.

Solicitor General v Wyllie, (1903) 6 GLR 76

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