FCANZ_WIRED_Issue_75_Dec_2024-Issuu

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT THIS YEAR, WE TRUST YOU WILL HAVE A RELAXING HOLIDAY.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN 2025.

President's Report

Welcome to the latest edition of WIRED magazine.

The latter part of 2024 seems to have flown by; the festive season is upon us already. We have been busy with the Best Practice days in the South Island, which were well attended.

Well done to those who organised the BPDs, and thanks to our members for getting in and attending them. The North Island ones were postponed due to the weather, but keep an eye out for new dates coming soon.

Donna and I had a flying trip to the Fall Fence Forum in Worthington, Indiana, at the beginning of October. We were invited and hosted by Luke Gibson, along with Shane and Joelene Bouskill and Hugh Morrison. Shane competed in the three fencing comps, winning all three. Donna and I caught up with the Canadian, American and UK Fencing Association delegates as well as other forum delegates, discussing all things fencing. It was a great but busy few days. You can read more about this later in the edition.

Fencing training at NorthTec is down on numbers. There are courses available to run in the Fielding area, Northland

and Christchurch. To make courses viable, there needs to be a minimum of 10 students. If there is no uptake, these courses will be pulled and are unlikely to be run again. Level 4 has a new intake that has just started, and one is being set for February 2025. If you are in regions elsewhere and want training, please let us know. We have a register available to record interest, so we can create courses in areas with concentrated numbers.

Given the unpredictability of the weather in certain regions recently and the economy on a slow turnaround, hopefully you all have a relatively steady build-up of work, and the summer will be kind. Make sure you take some time out through the festive season and spend some quality time with your family and friends.

I’d like to thank our members and partners for their continued support. We are seeing excellent feedback from new and long-standing Partners, and

good honest feedback is what helps us do what we do better. With all that info, as always, if you want to have a yarn, don’t hesitate to give me or any of the Board a call.

Cheers, Phil

Phil Cornelius President

The Board blog

Sept / Oct / Nov

In usual post-conference style, planning is well underway for the Taupō conference 2025. We have had two subsequent Board meetings in Auckland and are ticking off several compliance matters. Over the past few years, the Board has created an array of policies and operating procedures, so anyone coming onto the Board (or into the Operations team) has a robust overview of the daily goings on. This is imperative as the Association evolves and becomes more professional.

Certified / Accredited

The Board is working through the finishing touches on the audit system for the Accredited endorsement whereby the overall business is endorsed. This is still in progress and will be continually evolving to streamline for many different business scenarios. We are in the process of signing off the Auditor guidelines and documentation.

Jeremy McCorkindale

Conference 2025

Jaime Bigwood has locked in a fair portion of the Conference activities and investigated many more possibilities. Registrations have already started coming in, with those individuals taking advantage of the Super Earlybird pricing, an absolute bargain at only $360+GST per person, only until 31 January 2025. You can book your spot at fcanz.org.nz.

Jeremy ‘Jerry’ McCorkindale, of McCorkindale Contracting, died tragically as a result of a car accident on 25 September 2024, aged 44. Jeremy was the cherished husband and best mate of Lauretta; super proud and loved Dad of Isaac, Benson, and Tyler; loved son of John and Christine; son-in-law of Anne and the late Neil; and a much-loved brother, brother-in-law, cousin, nephew and uncle.

Jeremy is remembered as a great community man. He was a member of the Hororata fire brigade from 2017 until 2023 when he left to devote more time to his family. Jeremy was a past player, committee member, club president and coach of the Selwyn Rugby Club, and was also involved in cricket in South Malvern. Many of you will have known Jeremy as a strong, funny, and dependable member of the fencing community. FCANZ wishes to extend our sincere condolences to Lauretta, Isaac, Benson and Tyler and their extended family.

New Silver Partner

We are delighted to welcome Horowhenuabased company Mitchpine as a new FCANZ Silver Partner. Mitchpine provide treated pine wood products for all your outdoor needs, from rural fencing to decks, house piles to retaining walls, H4 timber, timber posts, timber poles, wooden gates, fencing, and wood battens. Mitchpine has been in operation since 1975 and has seen three generations of the Mitchell family run the business. Each generation has been passionate about providing quality products, working with the local community, and growing and evolving the business so it meets the demands of the market. www.mitchpine.co.nz

Partner meetings

The Board enjoys attending Partner feedback meetings when the opportunity arises. Both entities benefit from the twoway feedback, and we encourage any Partners that would like to connect more and work on ways to progress benefits for both members and themselves to reach out. You get out of the partnership what you put in, and constructive feedback is welcome at all times.

Member Benefits

We are always working on member benefits by way of BPDs, partner and industry offers. Members, if you would like to see something you haven’t seen before or have ideas on something that might be of benefit that we are not doing, please, by all means, reach out. We are all here for the betterment of the industry and gladly welcome new ideas.

Written by Donna Upton

Move to Gold

You may have met Andy and the team from Point Lumber at any one of our South Island events this year. They are passionate about the fencing industry and want to be as involved as possible, so therefore have decided that being Gold FCANZ Partners is the right move. We appreciate Andy’s enthusiasm and look forward to seeing him and the team and future events. Get in touch with them at www.pointlumber.co.nz or sales@pointlumber.co.nz

Repair & Replace your fences

Find everything you need for new fencing projects or maintenance at your nearest store. From posts and wire to fencing tools and accessories, we’ve got you covered.

Find your nearest store to stock up and take advantage of

Executive Director update

Would you like onions with that?

I’ve never prescribed to the “it’s not my job” ethos and have always preferred to be fully immersed in whatever organisation I am working with. Despite my fancy title, I love pitching in – and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed “manning” the barbeques at our South Island Best Practice Days in October. Being there meant that I could connect with our Partners and be available for feedback from them and our members on everything from the structure of the Best Practice Days to endorsements and member benefits.

The extra set of hands also takes the pressure off our volunteers so that they can focus on delivering a great event. We rely heavily on our members to volunteer their time to help deliver many of our in-the-field events, and we thoroughly appreciate the work that they put in. (If you are keen to help with any of our events next year let us know!)

I’d also like to thank our fantastic Association Partners who attended the Best Practice Days. Each and every one of them was there to share their knowledge and tips – not only for their own products, but for the industry generally. We’re in good hands with them, so please continue to support their businesses where you can. As I am sure you know, every little bit helps.

Strategic Plan Review

Our October Board meeting was a meaty one with a VERY full agenda. High on the priority list was the review of the annual workflow/delivery plan for our 5-year strategic plan. The Strategic Plan determines what we will focus on in each 12-month period (from October to September each year) and prescribes the actions and activities we will undertake. The plan is a “living document”, meaning it can be tweaked and adjusted as organisational needs dictate – which is so very important in our current economic climate. Ultimately, we are still guided by our mission to “support and advance industry best practice” which is a multi-faceted goal, and any tweaks to the strategic plan reflect this.

The Board’s primary role is Governance, and being heavily involved in the development and revision of the strategic plan is a key part of that process. While there were a couple of key projects that were delayed and not delivered in year one of the strategic plan, huge leaps forward have been made in other areas of the plan, particularly around organisational best practice.

Year two of the plan is very much about the “Fencing is a recognised trade” message, and I look forward to working with regional and district Councils around the country to start this messaging with the decision-makers of these large organisations. We’ll be talking about the quality assurance aspect of choosing Accredited Fencing Contractors and Certified Fencers, and what to look for as best-practice. Ensuring that the seed is planted for our industry is essential – even if it might take time for some of those seeds to grow into new contracts.

2025 Event Calendar

By the time this edition of WIRED lands in your letterbox, we will have undertaken considerable work on our 2025 event calendar. We’re looking at tweaking how our Best Practice Days run and locking in dates for the whole year. Conference25 planning is well underway with almost all of the schedule locked in and tickets already on sale (with super-earlybird pricing). We’re also going to continue with our Business Staples webinars and may look to revisit some of the more important topics.

Member Benefits

Being a member of FCANZ has a number of benefits, and we’re always working with Partners to see if we can deliver new or different benefits that answer the “what’s in it for me” question. Occasionally, something extra pops up, such as the Bunnings Trade corporate box tickets at an Auckland Football match that were made available last minute to Aucklandbased members. Make sure you open your emails from us to ensure you don’t miss out on any of these opportunities (even if you just skim-read it – we won’t know any different!)

Is there a benefit you’d love to see? Do you have an idea for a webinar topic that would be particularly useful to your business? Would you love an article in WIRED about something specific? Let me know! We’re always open to suggestions.

In the meantime, have a great Christmas and don’t forget the onions for your BBQ!

Jaime Bigwood Executive Director

021 284 8223 | exec@fcanz.org.nz

Clash of the Colleges: South Island edition

At the inaugural Otago Southland Clash of the Colleges held in September, the talented students of Otago Boys’ High School and Blue Mountain College took home the senior and junior awards, a testament to their hard work and dedication.

The Agri Futures Clash of the Colleges was designed to inspire the next generation into Food and Fibre careers. Established by the New Zealand Rural Games Trust, the event aims to provide hands-on experience and foster future leaders in agriculture – four Clash of the Colleges are held across the country every year.

The competition is a fast-paced, amazing race-style event. It challenges students to work in teams of four to complete 16 hands-on modules in just one and a half hours. The modules cover a range of rural skills and are led by experts in the field and supported by Otago University Agriculture and Telford students.

FCANZ Board member Craig Sinclair ran the fencing tie-off module, which offered students valuable insights and practical fencing skills. Blue Mountain College’s Addie McHutchon won a special award for her skill and speed at the tie-off.

Schools that participated included Aurora College, Blue Mountain, Otago Boys’, Southland Boys’ and Girls’, Māruawai, Mt

Aspiring, St Peters, Taieri, Tokomairiro, and Central Southland. Unfortunately, the snow kept two schools from attending. However, the day was a success, with students rating the event highly and teachers realising the potential for more students to participate next year.

Written by Daniel O’Regan

South Island Best Practice Days

FCANZ Board members and Best Practice Day organisers Nick Terry and Craig Sinclair were thrilled with the spectacular weather for both events held in Southland in October. Running from 9.30am—3pm each day, both morning tea and lunch were provided, and this, combined with the learning and networking, made for a really valuable day out.

Best Practice Days provide attendees with an unrivalled opportunity to learn new skills, see the latest fencing gear, meet industry suppliers and connect with like-minded fencing contractors in their area. Delivered across the country, FCANZ Best Practice Days are attended by fencing contractors, fencer generals, horticulture workers, farmers and those interested in a career in this fast-growing industry.

“Our mission is to raise the profile of fencing as a recognised trade that embraces best practice, adherence to quality standards and ongoing professional development. Best Practice Days go a long way towards achieving this – not just for our members, but for anyone who builds fences,” says FCANZ President Phil Cornelius.

The stunning weather was a treat not only for attendees but also for the Association Partners who attended, sharing their knowledge with attendees, and in many cases providing material or gear for the demonstrations. Attendees heard from FCANZ Partners Waratah, Gallagher, Beattie Insulators, Strainrite, Farmlands, Bunnings, Bayonet, Summit, Point Lumber and Milwaukee about how their products are used for the best quality rural fencing.

MC for the two events, Nelson-based FCANZ member John “Noksee” Noakes added, “I love the social side of FCANZ events, catching up with like-minded people, having a yarn, running ideas past people, getting opinions, not to mention making new friends who you can ring for advice when needed.” He continued,

“It’s such a great industry to work in. To be able to step back at the end of the day and see what you’ve physically accomplished is so rewarding.”

“ I love the social side of FCANZ events, catching up with like-minded people, having a yarn, running ideas past people, getting opinions, not to mention making new friends who you can ring for advice when needed

Te Anau - Tuesday, 15 October

The Te Anau event focused on rural fencing, particularly the installation of netting on slopes, with netting and wire supplied by Bayonet. Electric top wire was run as a lead-out from the unit, and some good lessons were learned about the importance of using good-quality wire to feed the rest of the fencing around the farm. Using quality underground cable and pipe to connect is a must, with clamps or crimps for joins.

Thanks to the Custom Fencing crew for the pre-event post-ramming and helping with the hard yakka on the day, and Donald Cornwall for giving us his paddock to work in. Big thanks also to the Great Southern Group team for assisting with the barbeque – there were a lot of sausages!

Invercargill - Thursday, 17 October

The Invercargill event was held at the Invercargill Rodeo Grounds and resulted in the installation of some permanent fences for the group. Demonstrations included installation/construction techniques for equine, paling and electric fencing. There was also a session on riparian fencing using Waratah Jio posts, specifically for the coastal conditions we were working in. Thanks to Waratah for the Jio posts, Beattie for insulators and Point Lumber for posts.

After lunch, Brendon Crequer from Waratah demonstrated the installation of their Flex Rail equestrian fencing with the construction of some permanent holding pens for horses. This was

followed by Nick Terry demonstrating the construction of a paling fence to provide shelter for the rodeo ground bar area, with materials thanks to Bunnings Trade Invercargill.

Thanks to Foster Price for assisting with the organisation of the event and Craig Sinclair and Nick Terry for their hard work on the day.

Keep an eye out for our 2025 best practice day dates and locations in your inbox and at www.fcanz.org.nz and www. facebook.com/fencingcontractorsnz.

Written by Jaime Bigwood

FCANZ Executive Director Jaime Bigwood preparing a hearty lunch

We asked Matt Green from Farmlands to take a photo for us...

Our New ST315i EVO stapler.

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Wiggy’s World Walking away from the negative

There are many things - situations, events and people - that have an effect on our lives. A lot of these are positive, but there are plenty which are negative, that don’t complement our wellbeing.

We often get involved in things (causes, clubs, community) for the right reasonit’s at the right time at that moment in our life - but find after a while, these things start to develop a more negative path - draining us of the original passion or desire to be involved.

Sometimes, the fight it takes within us to stay involved is accelerated by confrontation that is taking place outside of our control, by someone or something that is really working against us. This creates a negative spiral, and can lead to bad decisions and confrontation, or worse still - an overwhelming, allconsuming thought process that puts us in a state of anxiety and stress.

It’s at this point we need to take a step back, breathe and give ourselves space to process how we are feeling, analyse what is driving the feelings we have, categorise the influence that’s causing the anxiety and then make a decision to improve the situation.

Once you step back, it can become clear as to what needs to happen. Firstly, ask and write down the answers to some simple questions:

• Is this issue within my control or outside my control?

• Is what I am involved in - that is causing an issue - going to compliment me and grow me? Or hold me back?

• How important is the time I give this issue in comparison to my needs, and those who need my time, such as family and friends?

• What are the pros and cons of staying in this space vs moving away?

The answers, if honest, will normally present the solution!

Recently, I was faced with this exact same scenario, and I think it’s important I ‘walk the talk’ when writing or speaking to others on their mental health, so to own and talk about my journey hopefully

shows an honesty and connection to those who may need it.

Since I was 12 years old, I’ve been involved in a sport/industry as a club member, competitor, administrator, board member, coach and team manager, commentator, and public defender, and have faced many social media and personal attacks because of the roles I’ve been involved in. This involvement has led to many great opportunities for me personally, and had I been a bit more selfish, it would not have mattered when the people within the sport disrespected the efforts I took to grow it, foster the youth development and give many hours of what should have been family time to it. But I was wrapped up in it. To say it was my life was an understatement; it was who I was. Or was it what I do, not who I am?

This year I decided that the last part of my connection to this sport had become toxic; out of my control, was no longer a complement to my life - taking my time away from my family, and consuming my mind with negativity that was impacting my life.

How did I come to that decision? I asked the questions above, and the answer became clear! Move away and foster the positive, don’t enable the negative. Start devoting time to where my life seems to be heading or where the need for my work is taking me.

The result has been a weight off my shoulders, more family time, and not having to appease the agendas of others but instead foster my own agenda: to help develop and grow the Lean on a Gate campaign.

This has been a realisation of that simple fact: what we do is often not who we are. When the world throws rocks at us, it may be time to change path, as the world has a better or different plan for us that we may not know while stuck in a void of negativity.

The problem with my changes is that they are often public, due to the nature of my work, such as the roles with the Young Farmers competition, NZ Rodeo, The Farmers Weekly and other commentary work. However, I think we can care too much about public perception rather than the reason for change.

I read of a preacher who had been with a lot of people as they took their last breath. Never once had anyone asked for their trophies, awards and accolades, or their money and assets at the end of their life. They want only one thing; to be surrounded by the people that they love, the people that have supported them or they have supported, the positive influences they have had in their life or invested in.

Feed what’s positive and starve what’s not!

Fall Fence Forum 2024

At the beginning of October, Phil Cornelius, President of FCANZ was invited to attend the Fall Fence Forum in Worthington, Indiana. Luke and Leslie Gibson, who own and run Farm Fence Solutions, hold this event, and hosted Phil and I for the time we were there.

The Fall Fence Forum is specifically aimed at contractors and the betterment of their businesses and the fencing industry in its entirety. There were 126 registered attendees, although due to Hurricane Milton about a dozen couldn’t attend – including three competitors -

as the contractors stayed back to help the stricken areas they lived in. Shane and Joelene Bouskill also attended, and Shane competed in the three fencing comps that are run throughout the event. Strainrite’s Hugh Morrison was the main judge, along with Phil and a few of the American guys.

We left on the 1st of October and arrived in Worthington on the same day (bearing in mind you’re flying back in time to a degree). We stayed onsite where the event was held, at the Farm Fence Solutions headquarters. Day one of the event kicked off with the Joe Nickerson Memorial Doubles fencing competition with five teams, they had a great mix of competitors. One team, consisting of Ryan Gray and Logan Corbett (Logan had never fenced, ever), competed. Logan

is a personal trainer and strength coach to many fencers and thought he’d give it a whirl. He took away so much from that event – you don’t know what you don’t know, and if you want to get better at something – do it more.

Levels out

Halloween welcome

Matt Warner’s high energy toolbox talk

Day two was a best practice type day similar to what we do in New Zealand. Matt Warner from Empire Fence kicked the day off with a very high energy toolbox (Monday morning) talk even though it was Thursday. Matt spoke to the forum delegates and got everyone invigorated for the day. Shane Bouskill then talked everyone through stay assemblies and how we do them to best practice in NZ. This was very informative and had everyone enthralled. Shane demonstrated the manual install as they do on a competition line, then did a mechanised version of the same assembly.

In the afternoon, Tony Thornton, the Executive Director of the Canadian Fencing Association (CFA) and also the Chairman of the American Fence Associations Education Committee (AFAEC), spoke to delegates on his Seven Strategies. Tony has a wealth of knowledge, his presenting skills are second to none, and his knowledge and passion for the fencing industry is admirable. I think to get this man to New Zealand to give Kiwis a taste of his knowledge would be worth every cent. Even though he brings a similar businessminded skill set to what we have seen and know, his presentation skills in bringing this information to contractors at a grassroots level is excellent and so absorbable you just want to sponge it up. Like everything in this vein, you either are doing it well or not. For those who are doing it well already, Tony gives you confidence that you are. Those who have something to learn gain motivation to do it better.

In the afternoon, Dan Wheeler, who specialises in chain-link installation, completed a demonstration on installing chain-link on an incline and cutting on the bias. He also has a podcast called ‘The Fence Industry Podcast with Dan Wheeler’. He and others compiled several podcasts throughout the event, and they are available to listen to on Spotify. It’s really quite easy listening.

Day three, Friday, saw the Single Action Showdown fencing competition, with the similar specifications to the Doubles, and seven competitors. This was really interesting to watch. Shane clearly won, with Luke following in second, however, the other competitors did so well. One guy had never competed before, let alone fenced to anything like the spec,

he threw his hat in the ring the night before. Although he didn’t finish, his effort was admirable and the support and encouragement he received was unlike anything I have seen.

Saturday was the Shootout Machinery competition with 5 team lines in a doubles format; netting fence with an incline, single wire top and bottom. Dan Wheeler did his podcast throughout, talking to several well-known guys in their industry, including Ryan Gray (successful bronc rider), Seth Pottorff and Justin Nary. They spoke through the specifications of the competition and included Hugh Morrison – the main judge - and me in a discussion on the difference in Associations between NZ and USA. They also spoke to Peter Clark, CEO of the UK’s Association of Fencing Industries (AFI). All really interesting conversations, which was great, given the competition went for 5.5 hours.

One line didn’t finish, but this was due to them a) having never used the machine they were using, and b) having never used wood materials. So, they were purely having a crack and getting in the mix. They did an outstanding job given their experience.

“ You don’t know what you don’t know, and if you want to get better at something –do it more

Fencing demonstrations included a manual, and mechanised stay assembly

Single Action Showdown competitors

Guns, tunes and spoons

Saturday evening, we had the conference awards ceremony; you’ll see pictures of the trophy guns. Shane Bouskill cleaned up.

An unsuspecting Hugh was honoured with Fence Man of the Year. And then Harvey Nix, a gentleman who was at the conference researching the industry, working out if he wanted to buy a particular business in his area, wrote and produced a song for the New Zealanders called ‘The Fence Builders Anthem’ by Harvey Nix. This was so unexpected and showed the appreciation the attendees had for the effort made by the New Zealand contingency during the conference and how much they valued having us there. Shane also treated us to a session on the spoons, that experience in itself was memorable.

Multi-national attendees

This brings me to the attendees; people came from everywhere. Charlie, Wayne and Peter from the UK; Pedro from Puerto Rico; a couple from Mexico; people drove for miles and miles to attend. There were guys looking at getting into fencing as a career or wanting career changes. When speaking to them, they loved the community that is being created not only in their own country but around the world, they loved the inclusiveness and the willingness to share.

Analogies from the likes of Ryan Gray, a World Class bronc rider with incredible contacts and connection in that sport (which he is still involved in to a degree) said the connection and lifelong friends made in the fencing industry is worth more than anything. You can call anyone, and they will help you out regardless of what the situation is. It was really humbling.

Meeting fencing’s next-gen

On the following Monday morning, Kate, Lukes’s daughter, was presenting international fencing at a school event where she is part of the local Future Farmers of America (FFA), and we all spoke about fencing around the world, to ag-kids coming through the different activities on the day. It would be fair to say she had the best presentation and keynote speakers. Later that afternoon, we went and shot the trophy guns and had a great evening at Luke and Leslie’s on the lake.

A refreshing change

The overall event run by Luke, Leslie and their team was like a well-oiled machine, the event is run for the sole purpose of upskilling the contractorsencouraging them to be the best they can be. Partners/Sponsors are showcased,

Shoot Out Trophy guns

Hugh Morrison presents trophy guns to competition winners

Donna Upton looking pro in the pistol shoot

Shane Bouskill playing the spoons

thanked and given speaking time, but it’s not a sales forum. The sponsors accept this and are happy to just be involved. Each of the days brought a new level of gratefulness, the speakers were empowering – giving attendees the confidence that what they’re doing is right and to keep doing it better – and each brought something unique to the conference which was 100% relevant to each component of the event. The other presenters, Matt Warner and Logan Corbett, were souplifting and passionate about building culture, being better and looking out for one another. It was great to see everyone celebrating successes, whether big or small, with no negativity or judgement. It was overwhelming to see, because it’s the absolute opposite of what we are used to, but need to replicate.

While the competition side is still in its infancy (some of the competitors were green as grass, with a few signing up the night before, just to learn), they want to be better and want to learn as much information on the fundamentals of fencing as we can offer, for the style of fencing they do.

Aligning with the US

There aren’t enough people in NZ to contemplate fencing the entirety of America. However, if we can align ourselves to aid the upskilling, that’s got to be a good thing. They are years behind in skills standards, but years

ahead in attitude, positivity and overall thankfulness. Exchange programs and scholarships are being discussed and what we can do collectively for the people in our industry internationally.

New connections

FCANZ connections have been made with the UK’s AFI and Canada’s CFA, who both face similar challenges to FCANZ with member engagement and setting the correct standards. Knowing these people and having robust conversations with them on how they deal with similar issues will be invaluable. Peter Clark has grown the UK membership by 50%, and Tony Thornton has doubled the AFAEC

membership in the time they have been on the committees, so they have valuable experience we will look to extract.

Final thoughts

Attending the Fall Fence Forum has really highlighted to me that New Zealanders can and should try to do better with our attitudes; supporting our peers, uplifting one another, and perhaps practicing a bit of gratitude and appreciation. Hats off to Luke and Leslie and their formidable team. They are doing a fantastic job in their country.

Written by Donna Upton

Phil Cornelius assisting with the competition judging

US Ag-kids learning about fencing

PermaPine now offers MCA timber preservative

PermaPine, a leading supplier of treated timber in New Zealand, has expanded its offerings to include Micronised Copper Azole (MCA) treatment. Unlike traditional CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate), MCA provides environmental advantages and better end-of-life options. MCA treatment will solve the problem customers – most notably vineyards and orchards – face with disposal of CCA treated posts.

As New Zealand’s leading supplier of CCAtreated posts, poles, and piles, PermaPine has long been committed to providing quality outdoor products for the New Zealand and Pacific Island markets.

PermaPine has recently commissioned a second treatment plant, which provides additional capacity and extends the capacity to “fixate” the timber preservative into treated product following treatment. Customers and end users benefit by receiving drier products.

Along with CCA treatment, PermaPine can now offer an alternative timber preservative called MCA. Micronised Copper Azole treatment will be offered to the market as an alternative to CCA treatment.

What is MCA?

MCA is a wood preservative with two active ingredients: Micronised Copper and Azole. Micronised copper is simply copper carbonate ground down to a fine size. The copper used is almost always from recycled copper metal. Copper is a common fungicide. Azoles are a family of synthetic fungicides originally developed for the human health and crop protection

market. The azole used in MCA is also a finely ground particle.

History and use

The first commercial use of MCA was in the USA around 2007. MCA was accepted into the NZ Wood Treatment Standard (NZS3640) in 2012. MCA is commonly used to treat pine species in the US, and is also used in Australia. MCA provides protection for H3, H4 and H5 applications.

Why MCA?

MCA has some advantages compared to CCA.

• MCA has various environmental certifications, including being certified by Global Green tag and National Green Building standard.

• Recyclable at the end of life. Some industrial energy users now have consent to burn MCA treated wood in their boilers.

• PermaPine MCA treated product is backed by a 50-year warranty against insect and fungal attack when used and installed according to industry guidelines.

But why still use CCA as a treatment?

• CCA remains well-recognised and established as a preservative.

• Its long history of use globally and widespread availability make it a reliable choice

• CCA tends to be a more cost effective treatment compared to others.

Why choose WOOD?

As trees grow they sequest carbon. Trees are like mother earths liver, they filter out all of the Co2 in the atmosphere that is created through the production of products such as steel, plastic and concrete. When wood is preserved, this stored carbon is locked into the wood. Each wooden post sequesters approximately 30kg of CO2, while the production of a steel post emits approximately 7.1kg of CO2 .

Supplied by:

RETAIL GOLD PARTNERS

Strainrite’s game-changing Durashield

Strainrite Fencing Systems has just launched its innovative Durashield, a new snap-on insulator designed to offer exceptional on-farm performance at an affordable price.

One of the key advantages of the Durashield is its ultimate electrical retention in wet conditions. Through extensive testing and refinement, the Durashield has been designed to ensure outstanding operation in New Zealand’s unpredictable and challenging weather. Early prototypes tested on-site confirmed the impressive results seen in the test lab.

The Durashield is compatible with Strainrite’s Cliplock and XT1 wire strainers and can be purchased pre-fitted with Strainrite’s Cliplock permanent wire strainers or separately for use with new or existing wire strainers. This means you don’t need to replace your current wire strainers – instead, you can just snap on the Durashield and you’re ready to go.

In line with Strainrite’s commitment to sustainability, the Durashield is made

from 60% post-consumer materials.

This Ecoblend ASA ensures the insulator is strong, durable and UV-stabilised, providing long-lasting performance. Because the Durashield is retrofittable to existing wire strainers, if an insulator is damaged you can easily replace it with another rather than replace the whole wire strainer, helping to reduce future waste. The Durashield is 100% New Zealand designed and manufactured, ensuring premium craftsmanship in every insulator.

With a focus on product development, innovation and market feedback, Strainrite Fencing Systems is renowned for high-

Innovation Awards

ULTIMATE ELECTRICAL RETENTION IN WET CONDITIONS

DESIGNED TO OUTPERFORM ON FARM AT A COST-EFFECTIVE PRICE

quality fencing products that withstand the tough and demanding farming elements. Strainrite’s Durashield offers a cost-effective, user-friendly option that enhances on-farm performance while supporting sustainability.

To learn more about Strainrite’s Durashield, visit their website: www.strainrite.co.nz

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Introducing Ngaru Mesh: The ultimate solution for security and aesthetics

In response to the growing demand for a fencing solution that outperforms standard chainlink in both security and appearance, Edgesmith is excited to introduce Ngaru Mesh to the New Zealand market.

Designed with the needs of property owners in mind, Ngaru Mesh addresses common concerns about the vulnerabilities and unattractive nature of traditional chainlink fencing, offering a superior alternative that is both cost-effective and easy to install.

Why Ngaru Mesh?

Traditional chainlink fencing, though widely used, has significant drawbacks. It is easily cut, compromising security, and its utilitarian appearance often detracts from the visual appeal of the properties it surrounds. Recognising these issues, we developed Ngaru Mesh to offer a higher level of security while enhancing the overall aesthetic of the space.

Enhanced security and visibility

The standout feature of Ngaru Mesh is its superior security. The corrugated design of the panels eliminates the need for horizontal rails, making it more challenging for intruders to breach the fence. This design not only reduces costs by eliminating the need for additional materials but also enhances the panels’ overall strength and durability.

Ngaru Mesh’s anti-climb properties further enhance security. The tight corrugations prevent would-be intruders from gaining a foothold, deterring attempts to scale the fence. Additionally, the panels offer

excellent visibility, a critical feature for areas monitored by CCTV cameras. The mesh’s design ensures that security cameras have a clear, unobstructed view, making it easier to monitor and protect your property.

Aesthetic appeal meets practicality

In addition to its security benefits, Ngaru Mesh is an attractive option for properties where appearance matters. The panels are hot-dip galvanised and powder-coated black, ensuring they not only look great but also stand up to the elements over time. The sleek black finish complements a wide range of architectural styles, making Ngaru Mesh an ideal choice for commercial properties where both security and aesthetics are important.

The absence of horizontal rails gives Ngaru Mesh a clean, modern look that stands in stark contrast to the industrial appearance of standard chainlink fencing. This makes it an excellent choice for applications where the appearance of the fence is just as important as its function.

Cost-effective and easy to install

One of the most appealing aspects of Ngaru Mesh is its cost-effectiveness. The elimination of horizontal rails not only enhances security but also lowers overall costs, making Ngaru Mesh a more affordable option than many other high-

security fencing solutions. Additionally, the panels are designed for simple installation, whether face-fixed or side-fixed to posts. This ease of installation reduces labour costs and ensures that the fence can be quickly erected with minimal disruption.

The product’s popularity is already spreading beyond New Zealand, with schools in New South Wales, Australia, choosing Ngaru Mesh for its combination of security, aesthetics, and affordability.

The feedback from the FCANZ National Fencing Field Day in Rangiora, where Ngaru Mesh was showcased, was overwhelmingly positive. Those in the fencing industry and other visitors alike praised the panel for its versatility and suitability for a wide range of applications.

Ngaru Mesh is more than just a fencing product; it’s a response to the evolving needs of New Zealand’s property owners. By combining high security, aesthetic appeal, affordability, and ease of installation, Ngaru Mesh sets a new standard in fencing solutions. Whether you’re securing a commercial property, a school, or a private residence, Ngaru Mesh provides the peace of mind and visual appeal that today’s market demands.

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Why Waratah Flex Rail?

The traditional timber rail fence has been a mainstay of the equine industry for many years. The black rail look is one any rural traveller or worker would know well, but they also likely see the problems that timber rails show over time.

Like any piece of timber, a wooden rail fence degrades with time. It succumbs to rot, loses its colour and gets damaged by horses. This results in a weaker fence that requires continuous upkeep, putting a strain on your bottom line over many years. Waratah Fencing is here to tell you that there is a great solution for your equine fencing, and it is available to you right now.

Waratah Fencing Flex Rail Electric is the modern solution for your equine fencing needs, without the downsides of a timber rail system. It is made from 100% recycled plastic, is strong, easy to install and looks incredible. There is no better way to upgrade your equine fencing and save money in the process than with Flex Rail Electric.

Safety was of paramount concern when designing Flex Rail Electric. It doesn’t splinter and was even designed to be able to absorb impact, reducing the risk of serious injury to your horses.

“They can’t scratch or cut themselves on it, it is very safe for our horses compared to our old timber system”, said Chloe from NSW. If your horse does decide to test the fence, the small electric shock will be enough to ensure it is less likely to happen again.

Whilst safety is always a big concern, another benefit of Flex Rail is the reduction in maintenance costs. Gone are the days where long spells of wet weather will cause rot and weaken your fence. Flex Rail Electric only requires minimal upkeep and will not need repainting from sun damage and rain over time. This means that you don’t have to worry about weak spots in your fence building up over time, giving you peace of mind.

When it comes to installation, you will get a lot of your day back with Flex Rail Electric. No heavy machinery is required, and Waratah provides the whole system of accessories needed to attach, join, and

tension your rail quickly and easily to your intermediate and strainer posts. This makes your installation not only much faster, but much safer for everyone involved.

Flex Rail Electric is already gaining a lot of interest in New Zealand, and you can find out more today by giving Brendon a call on 0508 927 2824. Take your equine fencing to the next level today.

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RETAIL GOLD PARTNERS

New Repost machine ripping 50 x 50mm battens

Recycling hundreds of thousands of broken vineyard posts every year, Repost has created a low-cost fence post market at a commercial scale, and now intermediate battens have been added to Repost’s product list for the everyday farmer.

Repost has a newly-built innovative multi-rip saw that takes in half round posts at one end; the posts are then sawed into multiple 50 x 50mm battens in one pass. These battens are perfectly fit for purpose as drop battens. Feedback from farmers and contractors indicates the battens are dry, straight and hold the staples tight. The bundles hold 144 battens. While the products are not brand new from the sawmill, customers who have installed the battens to date state that the repurposed posts and battens provide value for money and get the job done!

The intermediate battens also get an environmental stamp of approval in the fight for the diversion of useful resources away from landfill, as previously shorter lengths of 1.5m and under were still destined for landfill.

Repost Founder Greg Coppell says, “This rip saw is still in its early days, but there is clear demand as farmers can buy multiple products from us now. The machine can also be adapted to make other useful products such as palings and pegs.”

The H4 treated battens are in lengths of 900mm and 1200mm, 50 x 50mm, starting at $0.99 plus GST. At a time when every dollar counts, this has been a helpful resource to allow for larger volumes of pastoral development.

“This year’s Country Calendar really helped inform those still on the fence about Repost, as they got to see how the business works, the volume of product we repurpose and the quality control we undertake”, says Greg.

Repost is proud to be helping the farmers nationwide fence more of their farms, repair cyclone damaged land, add in green belts or fence off wetland and waterways, with a product which is lighter on the wallet.

Many of you or your customers will shop around and have contracts or accounts with rural merchants nationwide. However, think of Repost next time you have a customer or friend who would benefit from low cost, sustainable products. Battens start at $0.99, and posts start at $3.25 (excl GST).

The Repost website has a nifty calculator tool for a rough price comparison on Repost fence posts vs brand new (based on average RRP).

To order, contact us directly on 022 525 0130, or email us at customerservice@repost.co.nz and check out our website: www.repost.co.nz

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Building stronger relationships

After 25 years in the agricultural industry and more than a decade in sales, Matt Green knows a thing or two about what contractors need to succeed.

As Channel Lead – Contractors at Farmlands, Matt’s new role was purposely created with one mission in mind: to better support rural contractors, especially those in fencing, by ensuring they have what they need, when they need it, wrapped up in the best deals possible.

That mission comes with two core approaches: relationship building and leveraging technology.

“It’s about building relationships for the long haul,” says Matt. “By getting to know you and your business, we can have a real conversation about what you need, and I can go in to bat for you with the powersthat-be to tailor a smarter solution or better deal.”

The second is built on innovative technology and the swift uptake

Experience the making of WIREMARK® fencing coils

We’re thrilled to invite you to see our WIREMARK® fencing coils being made right here in New Zealand.

As the country’s only local manufacturer of galvanised wire, our Aucklandbased factory produces thousands of WIREMARK® coils each year, designed to withstand New Zealand’s rugged conditions. Many of these coils are used by local fencing contractors who, like us, take great pride in their craftsmanship.

FCANZ members are now invited to tour our Wire Mill and witness the WIREMARK® production line in action. If you’re interested in joining a tour, please

of Farmlands’ new digital tool, FarmlandsPRO, which is helping contractors and farmers/growers remove some of the day-to-day pain points by streamlining the way they interact with Farmlands.

“If you’re not a Farmlands shareholder yet, or you haven’t downloaded FarmlandsPRO, you’re missing out,” says Matt. “Real-time access to your pricing and order management from wherever the work is happening - not just your base of operations - is a game changer. That baked-in flexibility around order management saves a lot of time.”

But Matt’s support goes beyond product and price. With his extensive experience as a Sales Manager, he is more than willing to talk about how to help contractors grow their business. “Whether it’s setting goals, building customer relationships, or developing new strategies, I’m here to help contractors at every stage.” Matt’s message is simple, “Get in touch with me. Let’s have a conversation. When you succeed, we all succeed; that is what drives us at Farmlands.”

matthew.green@farmlands.co.nz

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contact our friendly sales team at sales@pacificsteel.co.nz, and we’ll be happy to arrange a tour date that works for you.

We look forward to showcasing our process and sharing our dedication to quality with you!

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RETAIL GOLD PARTNERS

The harder the rock, the faster it drills

Fencequip had a few of our customers in the United States get in touch, saying their ground is so hard and un-fractured that our Rock Monster Augers were drilling the hole but taking roughly 45 minutes per hole, which was getting painfully slow.

To solve this problem, our only option was to look towards the quarry/mining sector for an answer. The cost-effective solution was to add a ‘Down-the-Hole Hammer’ (DTH Hammer) to our Rock Spike/Auger Units.

This has been done before by fencing contractors, but it has come at a high cost and with a range of headaches. Fencequip has developed a setup that simply and quickly attaches to any of our existing Post Drivers. The DTH Hammer attaches where our Auger Extension is, allowing the user to change from Auger to DTH Hammer easily in a matter of minutes.

RETAIL GOLD PARTNERS

The DTH Hammer requires a 185-250CFM Air Compressor that can be towed by the Tow Hitch on our Side Mounts. This provides the air that operates the DTH Hammer and removes the rock chips. There is a gate that spring latches to the mast, allowing the user to control the bottom of the Hammer when starting the hole.

The DTH Hammer had its soft launch at the New Zealand National Fieldays in June 2024, displayed on site. Then in August, it was onto the USA launch at the ‘East Coast Fence Rivalry’ held in Virginia and hosted by Derrick Cox. This was a great location with plenty of rock around for demonstrations and customers to see it in action.

Since the launch of the DTH Hammer we have had very positive feedback from our customers, including comments such as “the harder the rock, the faster it drills”. In good conditions, customers can now drill a hole 1 metre deep in around two minutes.

Our standard DTH Hammer setup can drill a hole 90mm - 150mm in diameter with a range of sizes in between.

The type of rock the DTH Hammer suits includes Quartz, Granite and anything that is exceptionally hard and challenging, where our ‘Rock Monster’ Augers start to drill slow.

We are excited for this next phase of Post Driver development. For more information on the Down-the-Hole Hammer, contact Troy Knudsen on 0800 362 747.

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MEDIUM

POLYETHELENE

Beattie Insulators – a household name

A farmer’s innovative solution for electric fence insulators more than 65 years ago went on to create a family legacy that remains strong today.

It was in 1958 at ‘The Haldons’ high country station in Seddon, Marlborough, that Doug Beattie embarked on his lifelong innovation journey. The 3000-acre hill country farm he managed required extensive development, and Doug was up for the task.

A key component of hill country development is good fencing. Doug had ordered 1.5 miles of Barrier chain electric fencing that used a porcelain insulator top and bottom on a steel Waratah post, with a chain running between them. But there was a seven-month delivery time.

“This set Doug’s mind going – ‘There has to be a better way’,” Ivan Beattie, Doug’s son, told WIRED magazine.

With the dry Haldon Range hills, there had to be an earth return in the fence, which couldn’t be achieved effectively with the Barrier chain system.

After a number of prototype models, the resulting invention was a plastic insulator with two lugs that bolted onto a steel ‘Y’ post.

“Doug coined this the ‘alternate earth/ electric fence system’, ” Ivan said, where

livestock made contact with both an electric wire and earth wire creating a completed circuit.

With three young children and on a farm manager’s salary, Doug turned to the bank to fund the product, and after much badgering, managed to secure funding. A plastic injection mould was commissioned, and the patented Insulators were custom-manufactured in Christchurch.

The budget was to sell 100,000 units to pay off the die – however, in the first year 250,000 units were sold. This gave Doug

High country fencing featuring Beattie insulators

the confidence to go on and produce a greater range of insulators, Ivan said.

He soon went on to patent the Pinlock Insulators that fitted both ‘Y’ and wooden posts, later lamenting when the patents ran out, that he hadn’t copyrighted the name Pinlock. Over his lifetime Doug took out over 35 patents.

The permanent and temporary insulators were the first Beattie insulators, and the permanent insulator was originally made from high-density plastic.

Doug had noticed in those early years the material in the permanent insulator was losing its black colour and becoming brittle, while the temporary insulator made from low-density polyethylene remained completely unchanged.

Temporary insulators have been on fences for over 65 years without any signs of deterioration. The permanent insulator has now been manufactured in low-density polyethylene for 55 years.

While Doug continued to manage The Haldons, fitting in a nationwide sales trip each year with his wife Dawn, the insulators were packed and distributed by Dawn’s parents from Christchurch.

In 1964, Doug and Dawn purchased a farm in Kaikoura, moving the packing and distribution part of the business to their new home.

Upon leaving school, their sons Ivan and Roger joined the business, helping with the odd sales trip and working on the farm. They were later joined by their sister Linda, helping Dawn in the office and packing.

With Beattie Insulators being run in conjunction with the farm, the development of any new products was thoroughly tested before being presented to the market.

“ Doug had noticed in those early years the material in the permanent insulator was losing its black colour and becoming brittle, while the temporary insulator made from low-density polyethylene remained completely unchanged

“Doug’s catchphrase was ‘designed by farmers for farmers’,” Ivan said.

As Doug and Dawn became less handson in the business, Linda took over the management role and was later joined by her son Matthew in a sales and marketing position. Doug remained actively involved in developing new products.

After Doug’s death in 2014, brothers Ivan and Roger bought out Linda’s share in Beattie Insulators. With the efficiencies of manufacturing and distribution in the same location, the business was moved to a dedicated manufacturing and distribution site in Christchurch in 2017. Today, over 90 percent of Beattie roducts are manufactured in-house. All Beattie products are manufactured in New Zealand.

“As Beattie Insulators have total control over the complete manufacturing process, we have the confidence of placing a 50year guarantee on a permanent range of Insulators.”

Ivan is involved in the day-to-day running of the business and manufacturing, and Roger, along with farming and other business interests, is involved in strategy. With two farms on the Banks Peninsula, this makes it the ideal ground for testing new products.

“Actively running a farm helps Beattie Insulators ensure we have products that work in practice and last, proof of which time has shown,” Ivan said.

Roger’s son Andrew, an economist, has been assisting in the financial direction of the business, and Ivan’s son Hamish, a mechanical engineer, has helped at times in product design. Both Ivan and Roger’s daughters have also helped in the business while at university.

Ivan and Roger work closely together on the division of labour, supplying staff on contract to Beattie Insulators.

A big swing to automation in the manufacturing process and an efficient distribution process has meant that staffing numbers have been reduced, Ivan said.

“We now mainly employ part-time staff.”

Today, the company’s wide range of electric fence Insulators and electric fence products is impressive and includes unbreakable gate handles and other gate accessories, fence reels with unbreakable bobbins, underground cable, pigtail and wire outriggers, a large range of HotTape, HotWire and electric bungi, the original Sprong electric fence gateway for centre pivots and motorbikes. It also supplies the KG prill applicator for applying prills or granules in weed control.

Under ‘Beattie Plastics’, Ivan has acquired new state of the art equipment to manufacture the Beattie products.

Ivan and Roger aim to grow the business and develop new products, along with continuing the strong relationships they have built with farmers and fencing contractors over the years.

Written by Rosa Watson

Ivan Beattie

Roger Beattie

Doug Beattie

Fencing in the family since 1975

Mitchpine has been supplying quality fencing products since 1975.

FCANZ’s newest Silver Partner, Mitchpine started when Keith Mitchell swapped a batten sawmill with the Oxnam family from Foxton in exchange for 230,000 fence battens. He then put his three sons to task and got them to complete the order.

“We were all keen to earn some extra money, so when Dad got the sawmill batten, he put us to work” said Grant Mitchell (Butch), Keith’s son and former owner of Mitchpine.

“He made a strong point to note that we were not to neglect any of our farm jobs.” Butch said.

Nearly 50 years later, Mitchpine has had three generations of Mitchell’s leading the business and has grown from Keith and his three sons to Lee Mitchell (the grandson) and a team of over 75.

One thing that has remained the same is the drive to offer the best products.

“I believe we have set the standard for quality products, over the years we have been driven to offer the best. To do this, we have made a huge investment in technology and equipment,” said Lee Mitchell, current Managing Director.

“We have imported equipment from all around the world to stay up to date with the latest technology. By investing in technology, not only do we get better products and the ability to use the right part of the tree for the right product, but we are also reducing waste and creating a safer workplace.

“ We want to keep changing to meet demands, our team is currently working on a new roundwood mill,

which we are excited to open next year to coincide with our 50th year in operation

Things have changed a lot in the industry since 1975, and Mitchpine continues to evolve.

“We want to keep changing to meet demands, our team is currently working on a new roundwood mill, which we are excited to open next year to coincide with our 50th year in operation.” said Lee.

“We are proud to be a part of the fencing industry, an industry that plays an important part in New Zealand’s landscape.” says Lee.

by:

Grant (Butch) Mitchell cutting logs in the forest, c1975

Lee and Grant installing new treatment tube (with Angus)

Supplied

RETAIL GOLD PARTNERS

Communication key to successful family business

In the heart of the Hawke’s Bay, NDP Fencing and Earthworks stands as a testament to hard work and family dedication.

Nigel Parkinson had been working in orchards since the young age of 16 and progressed throughout the years to working for corporates in managerial positions. “As I worked for corporate entities, I understood that when it comes to contracting, scale is key if you want to make a serious go of it,” he said. He began his contracting business in 2002 and refocussed the business towards fencing in 2013.

Over time, he has expanded the enterprise, adding machinery and staff to keep pace with rising demand. The business now offers both earthmoving and fencing services, with a full-time staff

of 14 and two fixed-term employees. They also subcontract staff for the wire crew season. It is a genuine family business with Nigel at the helm, his wife Deidre in the office, their 22-year-old son Angus a crew foreman and Deidre’s father Jim driving the transporter. The couple’s younger son James (19) is completing an engineering apprenticeship in Napier and may join the business at a later stage.

With the team’s age ranging from 16 to 77, the business tackles everything from conventional and commercial fencing to earthworks, including cutting out driveways and creating drainage systems. “It keeps things pretty interesting,” Nigel said. They service the Hawkes Bay area and travel as far as Gisborne for orchard development projects.

Deidre’s background as a legal executive and trust accountant brought a valuable skillset to the administrative side of the

business when she joined her husband in 2021. “When I came into the business, Nigel had been doing that side of things for nearly 10 years, so I didn’t want to come in, take over and change everything,” she said. “As I learnt his processes, I just made small tweaks here and there and created new templates to streamline things a bit more.”

Deidre looks after vehicle servicing and registrations, marketing, invoicing, payroll and health and safety from their home office. “I also do material and fuel deliveries to the teams when required, and I hold our Transport Service Licence,” she said. “Nigel is out on the road a lot, and we come together two or three times a week to finalise invoicing and complete pricing and the like.”

A professional brand was also important to Deidre, and she facilitated a rebrand of the business to better reflect everything

Deidre and Nigel Parkinson

“ When the day is over, we tend not to talk about work... It becomes all-consuming otherwise and very hard to switch off

the company offered. “I like a clean, modern design. We pride ourselves on being a professional company to deal with, and I felt our brand needed to reflect that better,” she said.

The couple’s eldest son Angus has been fencing since he was 16, initially working during the school holidays, he has worked his way up and is now a crew foreman. When time and workload allow, Nigel will ask Angus to join him and learn some other facets of the business. “He’s been learning how to estimate jobs and organise teams, but I am very aware he is still bloody young, so I’m mindful not to overwhelm him,” Nigel said.

During a significant knee surgery, when both Nigel and Deidre were away, Angus took control, ensuring operations carried on without a hitch. “He organised the teams and transporter and the business continued running, which we were extremely grateful for, it took a lot of the pressure off Nigel,” Deidre said.

As the director, Nigel’s role is demanding. “I’m the guy that makes it all happen,” he laughed, Managing it all from client phone calls, quoting jobs, ordering gear and materials, dealing with staff, handling the odd breakdown and planning forward work for all five fencing crews, Nigel agrees it’s relentless but he admits he thrives on the challenge, “my phone is going all day, and I am all talked out come six o’clock, I am happy to sit down, watch the news and just say nothing for a good while”, he said.

The family enterprise is complemented by Deidre’s father, Jim Henderson, whose 77 years of wisdom makes him a valuable team member. “Some weeks Jim will do 10 hours, other weeks 30, it just depends on what’s going on. Being flexible to the workload is a huge asset to us,” Nigel said. Jim particularly enjoys working alongside his grandson Angus. “Dad is a bit of a gruff farmer type, he doesn’t show too much emotion, but you can tell when he works alongside him that he is super proud and enjoys every minute,” Deidre said.

Family dynamics do come with their own unique set of challenges, and with Angus and his partner living under the same roof as his parents, the family were mindful of keeping a balance between personal and work life. “When the day is over, we tend not to talk about work,” Deidre said. “It becomes all-consuming otherwise and very hard to switch off,” Nigel adds.

The key to working and living together is to have your own hobbies. Deidre’s is horse riding, and Nigel’s is his beloved modified XF Falcon. Deidre explains just how far back the couple go: “We grew up together and started going out at the age of 15. I know exactly what Nigel is thinking just by the look on his face,” she said, laughing.

With his father-in-law on the payroll, Nigel concedes there was a short settling-in period for Jim. “He was his own boss for a very long time and came from that oldschool mindset where everyone should be tools in hand and on the job by 7am, so he found our morning toolbox meetings and health and safety briefings frustrating to begin with,” Nigel said. “He is coming around to it all now though, and these days when he’s being a bit of a grumpy old bugger, the crew will humour him and have a bit of banter,” Nigel laughed.

The couple’s advice for those entering a family business: “Make each member’s role clear, Deidre said. “Try not to overstep each other’s mark. Be open

and talk about where the business is going and where you see it heading in the future, it’s important to listen to everyone’s ideas,” she said.

“In this day and age, it is extremely important for any business to be diverse in what they do – we have found diversification across a lot of industries has enabled our business to keep afloat in hard times, hence the range of services we offer, which means we are always busy in a number of sectors,” Nigel said.

Written by Alice Scott

Crew foreman Angus Parkinson Jim Henderson, Deidre’s father

Scan this QR Code to watch EZ Fencing & Contracting’s Testimonial on YouTube

Scan this QR Code to watch EZ Fencing & Contracting’s Testimonial on YouTube

Scan this QR Code to watch the Ultra G4 Product overview on YouTube

Scan this QR Code to watch the Ultra G4 Product overview on YouTube

The Barnes family in machinery manufacturing

The Barnes family’s history of manufacturing farming and fencing equipment began in 1969 when Steve Barnes launched the ‘UFO Single’ Mower.

Due to its simplicity and durability, the UFO range of mowers became one of the most popular farm mowers in New Zealand history. In 1989, the Maxam mower range was born and led to the Barnes family selling two of their Manawatū farms to focus on manufacturing farm equipment.

The Barnes’s entered the Fencing industry when FencePro was purchased in 2009. At that time, FencePro was a small business, but one with innovative products and a desire to supply the New Zealand fencing industry with the best equipment. The attitude of innovation is what FencePro was founded on and has been continued by the Barnes family. Products like the RB800 180° Rotational base have enabled NZ farmers and fencing contractors to take their efficiency and capability to a new level.

Throughout the 2010s, the Barnes family continued to develop and manufacture the FencePro post driver range, leading to it becoming New Zealand’s No.1 post driver brand. These days, FencePro customers are looked after by Grant Barnes and long-time family friend, Tobi Currie.

In 2015, the family business changed names from Maxam Machinery to Farmgear Ltd with the vision to add more brands under the one ‘parent company’. This vision was realised in 2019 when Kinghitter and Hooper were added to the family of brands. Kinghitter was the first brand to introduce hydraulics into the post driver industry, which redefined post drivers as we know them today.

Whilst working on the family farm, Nick Barnes still clearly remembers; “The day Dad (Steve Barnes) came to the farm with

a hydraulic top link to use on the banger – the farm manager and I thought we were made!” This would have been the case for many people when this new method was developed.

For over 45 years, Kinghitter has been known globally for its ‘tried and trusted post driver designs’ and continues to be a major player in the global post driver market. These days Kinghitter’s range of next-gen post drivers are exported all

“ The day Dad (Steve Barnes) came to the farm with a hydraulic top link to use on the banger – the farm manager and I thought we were made!

Nathan Barnes collaborating with other team members on a New Design Project – keep an eye out, this one is going to be big

over the globe as farmers and fencing contractors seek to purchase quality NZmade equipment.

The Barnes family business currently operates out of two Manufacturing facilities in Palmerston North and Feilding (Manawatū). The recent acquisition of Aitchison Seed drills and the continued manufacturing of Maxam, have enabled the business to be spread across multiple industries. This resilient business model is especially important in economically challenging times as it allows product development to continue and a high level of customer service to be achieved, even when other businesses are going to ground.

Steve Barnes’s three sons (Nick, Nathan & Grant) are still well involved in the running of the business. Nick in Operations, Nathan in Product Development and Grant in Sales. The third generation has been involved in the business for over 7 years, with Archie in Production, Jack in Sales, and Dallas in Marketing. The attitude of innovation and customer care which founded the business is still well engrained, with the company’s No.1 value being to “Put our customers front and centre”.

Working in a family business can have its challenges. One of these is maintaining

a strong family relationship, especially when there are some tough decisions to be made. Being able to put aside disagreements and still be able to get together as a family is above all else. However, working together in a family business certainly has its benefits. Knowing each other so well enables us to have some robust conversations and draw on different people’s strengths to achieve outcomes that are best for our customers and the business.

As for the future, we will continue to innovate new products and improve our existing range, while providing the best customer service. These two principles are what the business was founded on, and have worked for the last 55 years. We don’t see that changing anytime soon. There are some very exciting projects in the pipeline, so keep an eye out!

Written by Dallas Barnes

Kinghitter Representative Jack Barnes talking to an Australian Fencing Contractor in Gippsland, Victoria

From left to right: Jack Barnes, Archie Barnes, Nick Barnes, Grant Barnes, Nathan Barnes, Dallas Barnes

- NZ Made for over 45 Years

- 350 Grade Mast for Unmatched Durability

- Custom Built Italian Valves

- Optional ‘Active Safety System’

- Local Service & Support

- 24-month Warranty

- Tried & Trusted Designs

Family fun on the fence line

The expression “You will never work a day in your life” rings true for David Swansson and his son Jordan. Combining farming with family fun on the fence line creates a typical successful Kiwi business model for the Swanssons.

David and his wife Janine, well supported by their parents, had been dairy farming for 30 years but decided it was time for a change in their business as grandchildren were on the horizon for their eldest daughter Sara and fiancé Josh. At just 15, Jordan, who found school unfulfilling, worked alongside David on their dairy farm. One wet rainy day, they realised they were more interested in fixing fences than milking cows. This sparked the decision to sell the dairy farm and launch Bang It Fencing. Since 2020, David and Jordan

have been the driving forces behind this venture while also managing their drystock farm in the Tararua District.

David’s passion for fencing dates back to his youth when he left his cabinet-making job to spend 18 months on the fence line before committing to a successful dairy farming career. These early experiences instilled valuable skills and a long-held dream of owning a flash post rammer.

The duo forms a perfect team on the fence line, with attention to detail and

efficiency being key aspects of their workmanship, along with a shared sense of fun and a lot of playful banter, creating a positive working environment. David takes pride in their strong relationship, which has naturally extended to include other family members. David’s daughter Anna and Jordan’s fiancée Emma have also contributed to the business, while Janine manages administrative tasks.

Fencing offers a fantastic opportunity for young people to start their own business. Despite rumours of a humorous rift, the timing is right for Jordan to forge his own path. David believes in empowering his son to create his own business rather than waiting to ‘have’ to take over an

existing one. As David continues with Bang It Fencing, Jordan has this month launched Ridgetop Fencing with Emma, just as they prepare to welcome their first baby in December. Fencing provides the perfect versatile business for Jordan and Emma, with farming connections in both Tararua and Hunterville, where Emma’s family farms.

David and Jordan are very grateful to their local customers, who are central to their success. The fencing industry also fosters a strong sense of community, which Janine and David enjoy and embrace through their involvement with FCANZ and NZ Fencing Competitions. David is particularly proud to compete alongside Jordan at local fencing competitions, learning and growing their skills from the experience. Competing alongside other true fencing legends is a great privilege.

In May, David and Janine hosted 88 attendees at an FCANZ Best Practice Day on their property, featuring fencing legends Paul Van Beers and Tim Stafford. This event provided an invaluable opportunity for local fencers to come together, share knowledge, and learn new techniques. The day was humorously MC’d by John Noakes (Noksee), a local reminiscing about his youth in the area, now part of the land David and Janine

purchased from Janine’s parents. Fencers and local farmers left with new insights and skills, further enriched by the support of sponsors and partners who enhance the fencing community.

In 2023, David and Jordan completed their Level 3 Certificate in Fencing. They gained essential fencing skills and knowledge, including important business aspects such as health and safety in their trade, while connecting with like-minded individuals.

Looking to the future, the family business model works well for David, especially as Anna prepares to head to university and will join him on the fence line. Meanwhile, Emma will support Jordan. Although David and Jordan will operate independently, the nature of fencing allows them to collaborate on projects as needed, maintaining their strong family ties and shared passion for their work.

David and Jordan’s relationship reflects a healthy dynamic between both men, important in any business, emphasising growth, learning, and family values while navigating their respective journeys in fencing and farming. When not having fun working on the fence line, David and Jordan enjoy the outdoors, hunting, fishing and diving.

Advice from David to Jordan (Dad to Son) as Jordan starts his own business.

Embrace independence: “Take the opportunity to build your own brand with Ridgetop Fencing. It’s important to carve out your own identity in the business world.”

Focus on learning: “Always be open to learning from every experience, whether it’s on the job or through competitions. The more you know, the better you’ll be, there’s always room for new knowledge and growth.”

Maintain relationships: “Value the connections you make in the community. They are your support network and can lead to future opportunities.”

Balance work and life: “As you step into this new role, remember to prioritise family and personal time, especially with the baby on the way.”

Written by Janine Swansson

David and Jordan compete as a team in the NZFC fencing competitions

Jordan with fiancé Emma

Fencing running through their veins

“ You just can’t beat a good post and batten fence from the top of a hill, overlooking the hills towards the sea

Fencing has been running through the veins of the Collins family for at least three generations. Steve started fencing alongside his father John, as a young boy trying to avoid doing his schoolwork. John still fences today with Steve’s sister.

Steve worked with his father fencing for many years before deciding to take a break, where he went spray truck driving for two years. During this time, he met me, his wife, Sarah. Just before our wedding in 2011, we needed some extra money to help pay for our wedding. A good friend of my sister needed some fencing, so I spoke to Steve, and before you know it, we had our first client. Steve then mentioned to a few others he might go back fencing, and before the end of the week we had about two months’ worth of work ahead of us.

I decided I had better come up with a business name. S & S Fencing Contractors Ltd was officially brought to life here in Reporoa. We now have 2-3 teams and cover the Taupō/Hawke’s Bay region. We focus on all styles of rural fencing, as well as doing the odd town pailing fence. You just can’t beat a good post and batten fence from the top of a hill, overlooking the hills towards the sea.

At that time, I was trying to run a homebased childcare business, as well as doing our office work. I remember the first time I offered to try to help on the fence line; Steve gave me a hammer and some insulators and post staples. I’m pretty sure I left in tears, as it took me quite some time to get a staple in, and even then, it still did not look right. Clearly, somewhere in the last six years, my skills have improved.

We had been in business for about two years when my younger brother Hamish asked for a job. Hamish became our first staff member. He worked for us for about 18 months before completing a Bee apprenticeship and was fencing every opportunity he got. Before we knew it, Hamish had started his own fencing business in Te Awamutu.

Having a brother who can fence has added bonuses, especially if you’re on a big job and need an extra set of hands. Having

someone who knows your standard of work and how you operate means you can get job site flow straight away. It also means you can run different ideas past each other, and give feedback – the good and the bad. It helps to keep a high standard. Having family you can call at the drop of a hat to share how you came up with a way of making a job more efficient, or poaching that new tool to test it out before you decide to buy one, definitely has its plus sides.

While my dad has done the odd bit of fencing on the farm growing up, he took on a career as an accountant which is also a great advantage, as he is able to help with all the niggly tax obligations, as well as providing advice at the drop of a hat. I should also mention the support that both our mums have given, from endless encouragement to us to get started, babysitting so we can work away, or just being able to turn up and dinner is made. All these things make a big difference to our lives.

The downside is, you live and breathe fencing. There is always some job on the go that you’re talking about, or discussing who needs to organise what in the evenings, or how we can grow or adapt to the market.

I feel privileged to have the family that I have around us to support us with all the highs and lows of fencing.

Written by Sarah Collins

Progression of Certificate in Fencing Level 3 and 4 at NorthTec

Industry training is not always as easy as it sounds. One of the things we must constantly do as trainers is learn from our experience and strive for improvement.

The ongoing restructure of the training organisation that is happening behind the scenes at present, and Te Pūkenga reverting back to the individual entities post-elections last year is making it all the more difficult to navigate.

Certificate in Fencing Level 3

One of the inherent problems I have found whilst coordinating the courses is the lack of self-help. Learners struggle to ask for help if they don’t know how to upload photos or videos of their evidence for both Level 3 and Level 4 courses. The tutors are there to aid with this, and I, as the coordinator, can also help with this. The sooner information is loaded into the system, the quicker we can result the courses.

Enrolments into this course have been slow. In order to maintain these courses so they are not lost, we need to have at least one in the North Island and one in the South Island annually. The minimum numbers to make a viable course sits around 10, however, we like to have 12 enrolled as inevitably a couple always withdraw.

Engagement and participation

Trainees need to keep engaged in their own learning and development. We now have more time allocated for trainers to run short online sessions once a week in the evenings to help trainees keep up with their program and form stronger trainer/trainee relationships. The block courses have been altered from 5 twoday practical sessions, to 3 three-day practical sessions, these can be less if the students are up to speed.

The overall enrolment for the courses has grown from 11 in the 2018 pilot to over 50 in the courses run towards the end of 2022 and into 2023. These numbers are dwindling. Across the three courses in Northland, Hawke’s Bay (which will likely be run in the Fielding area) and Christchurch – we have 20 enrolled, but I am struggling to get returned communication from the applicants and align a site or date to start the courses. In the Hawke’s Bay/Gisborne area, we have had people asking for a course there for four years, I just don’t have the uptake to roll one out viably.

Certificate in Fencing Level 4

Level 4 is very consistent in numbers, and we have had two courses run per year in 2023 and 2024, the next cohort is set up to start in February 2025. NorthTec is taking enrolments for this course now, so get your applications in.

The sessions are run online once a week in the evening with the tutor. The course is based on live examples of what you are working on within your, or your employer’s business.

The Level 4 assessment structure is being reviewed at present, and we are trying to tweak a couple of things to open it up to all sectors within the fencing industry, i.e. security and residential. Therefore, the outcomes will be the same but via different business scenarios. Watch this space.

Maintaining momentum

Having the support from the industry, and two-way communication between trainers, trainees and coordinators, will keep the momentum going. If people want courses in specific areas, we can arrange for that to happen, as long as we have at least 10 students to make the courses viable.

Apprenticeships

I am asked often about an Apprenticeship. The biggest issues in allowing fencing to be aligned to an apprenticeship are:

• Both courses have to be completely rebuilt to be Unit Standards rather than Achievement based – this is a 12-month process, minimum.

• Unit standards are a pass or fail. They do not reflect excellence at all.

• What often happens with apprenticeships is the student does the bare minimum to pass, therefore we lose the best practice standards we are aiming to achieve for the industry.

• It is very difficult to reflect a portfolio and evidence-based work for a unit standards based assessment.

• The skills standards framework is being done and will be the next big change – there is uncertainty as to what it will look like, other than it being an amalgamation of unit standards and achievement based assessment.

• The course would be ‘unified’ – giving all other Te Pūkenga institutes the ability to grab it and run with it –the industry then has lost control! Unification is a core principle of Te Pūkenga.

• ITOs would, at that point, want the course in their portfolio, and it would be run as profitably as possible.

Ongoing course delivery:

• Improving course delivery will just happen, as long as tutors and students are sharing ideas and issues. If you have ideas, please share them.

• Many people don’t understand the work behind the scenes in compliance that needs to be done to run a course. Yes, much of this is what we consider ‘superfluous bullshit’. But it has to be done. The more times the course is run in the same locations, the easier it should become.

• It needs to be remembered that the course can always be ‘overtaught’ – if students/tutors feel something should be added to the course, it will be considered at the next formal review.

• We are unable to take any subject/ assessment away from the course until a formal review is undertaken.

As the course stands now and going forward

Courses need more students. NorthTec is collating some ‘good news stories’ to highlight the benefits for employers to get their people trained. If the industry

Student Profile

Name: Ben Fisher

Course: Certificate in Fencing (Level 4)

“I enrolled in the Level 3 fencing course and then went on and completed the Level 4,” says Ben Fisher, NorthTec graduate. “I’d been fencing for a while before that, but I still found it really interesting and informative.”

“I decided to do the course to begin with to support the idea, then continued on to do Level 4 because it’s a really valuable qualification to have. It’s helpful to be accredited for many reasons. It shows you know what you’re doing and can provide clients with peace of mind.”

Ben was already self-employed, running his own fencing business, when he enrolled in the courses, but that didn’t mean there weren’t

“The tutors were great. They had valuable insights into the industry and a lot of experience to pass on. It was also great to meet others that are in the same industry to connect and network.”

“The Level 4 course is mostly online, that made it easy to fit in around my work and family. I’m not really a computer person, but I managed to figure it out, so I think it would be pretty accessible to most people. It was a good course, I’d recommend it.”

and course providers keep pushing and highlighting the advantages of the qualification through advertising, it’ll happen.

Certified Fencers and Accredited Fencing Contractors will be advertised more and more, and as regulation in certain entities (particularly local government) becomes more prevalent, the more purpose these courses and processes will have.

Written by Donna Upton National Course Coordinator

Gain your NZ Certificate in Fencing Level 3 with online study and 3 block courses, meaning you can spend more time on the fence line rather than in the classroom.

Want to become a Certified Fencer? The NZ Certificate in Fencing Level 4 assists you to become a fencing supervisor or a self-employed fencer.

Both Qualifications are available nationwide.

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Te Pūkenga New Zealand Institute

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FCANZ offers a range of benefits and services to members in the fencing industry, whether you are looking for individual membership or a place for your company to prosper and grow. Becoming a member means you are supporting the industry and helping lift the profile of fencing

OF BEING A MEMBER INCLUDE:

• belong to an group that understands the industry

• use FCANZ branding to differentiate yourself

• have your business promoted on the “Find a Fencing Contractor” directory

• create industry-wide connections with unrivaled networking opportunities

• subsidised entry to industry events including Best Practice Days, National Fencing Field Day and Conference

• free Federated Farmers membership worth $499+GST

• four editions of WIRED each year worth more than $100

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• Refer a new member and receive a Bunnings voucher And much more!

NZFC Hawke’s Bay Competition Results | Friday 25 Oct

2023 Silver SpadesTM champs take on Tornado

As winners of the 2023 Fieldays Silver SpadesTM Doubles Championship, the prizes awarded to Mark Lambert and Jeff Joines included entry to the Tornado fencing competition, held in July in the UK. Mark Lambert shares his experience with WIRED.

The day after arriving at Heathrow Airport, having caught up on some sleep and adjusted to the time change, we met up with our first contractor, JC Countryside Fencing, run by James Corbett and his brother Tom.

With JC Countryside Fencing At Jeremy Clarkson’s famous Diddly Squat Farmshop

We met at his yard, looked at some machinery and talked all things fencing. After a lunch meeting with James, his wife Ruth, and son Archie, we headed out to see some of James’s current projects and more of his machinery. We ‘helped’ with (i.e. watching) installing a strain of netting with James’ Protech 220b with Bushpig netter. Later, we were joined by another contractor for dinner at a local pub.

James kindly hosted us for the night, and the following day, we went for a drive, visiting the famous Diddly Squat Farm Shop, which unfortunately wasn’t open, but it was clearly a massive tourist attraction. We then visited a couple of suppliers with James and Tom, the first being Batsford Timber Ltd, where they had organised a tour of their yard and lunch.

Batsford Timber supplies all things fencing, from timber and posts through to tools and wire netting. We even saw some well-known Strainrite NZ tools in their showroom. The next stop was to Stoag. This would be best described as a Farmlands crossed with a hardware store – it stocked everything agricultural and more. It was great to see more NZ made products on shelves.

Leaving James, we made our way to meet Mark Evans at ProTech Machinery for an organised tour. There are some impressive tracked post drivers being made there, which are now seen across NZ. That night, we stayed with Mark, met his wife Clair and children Emily and William, and enjoyed a BBQ dinner with Nic Quan, his wife, and a couple more contractors.

The following day, we followed Mark Evans into Wales to attend the Royal Welsh Show. I would compare this to a big Fieldays/A&P Show, but with 80,000 people through the gates a day – it was

an eye-opener. Everything agricultural; shearing comps, timber sports, stock showing, Young Farmers rugby games – it has it all and doesn’t slow down at night, being a big 4-day party.

At the show, we caught up with McVeigh Parker Farm and Fencing Suppliers, who are the Strainrite importers into the UK. Jeff did some wire tying demos and chatted with some locals.

From here, we travelled up the island, where we arrived at Millom, the home of Tornado Wire. We enjoyed a presentation of Tornado’s history, followed by a factory tour. Tornado supplies all things fencing and manufactures various nettings, barb wire and staples on site. The netting machines were from NZ, which showed just how big New Zealand is in the worldwide fencing industry. They distribute across the UK, Europe and into America.

One big thing we noted here was the factory’s location, being out on the West Coast. Anyone who has been to the UK will know once you’re off the motorways, some roads can be quite narrow, and either have hedgerows on each side, or stone walls, so there’s no room for error.

We travelled back to Cumbria, where we had dinner with Rob Bell from Rob Bell Fencing and his workers that evening. The next day saw us out on the job with Rob, helping with (observing) a couple hundred meters of netting fence getting built. This was put up quickly and finished around lunch. Rob runs a SoloTrak post driver, which is transported behind a tractor and low-loader transporter. Once he moved the machine for his boys to carry on, we drove further up into the Lakes District, where we walked up into the hills to see a job he was about to start. The materials had been helicoptered into the fence lines as access was limited. The job would involve a lot of handwork and walking. Using bulldozers to level lines and make access better seems to be frowned upon over there.

We spent another night in Cumbria, then headed back to Mark Evans, where we would spend the next two nights. Mark had planned a couple of activities for us, including a morning spent at Giffin-Lloyd shooting ground where we shot clay birds with his son Will, through a series of traps set out across a farm. You pre-buy the number of clays onto a card, then drive

Jeff Joines demonstrating wire tying at the Royal Welsh Show

around and stop at various stations, where you insert the card and shoot as many as you want from different traps. As a full sporting-type shoot, it was an awesome facility, hosting major UK shoots.

This was followed by a well-earned roast lunch at The New Inn, a black and white pub dating back to the 16th century, in a local village. We were joined by Mark’s wife Claire, daughter Emily, and a fellow contractor Jono Bradley, from J.A. Bradley Services.

Later that afternoon, we looked around Mark’s yard and equipment. We were joined by Nic and started going over gear and the competition fence; this led into the next day, where we proceeded to get on the tools and have a practice in the paddock. It was definitely no Mystery Creek – digging, and the use of a borer was very limited; the ground was a combination of dirt with good size stones. We then raided Mark and Nic’s tools and marked out a few key measurements on the levels.

That evening we travelled to Tewkesbury, and while checking into our hotel we met with a fellow competitor (who could spot a couple of Kiwis), and then joined Lewis Knox and Graham Turner from Scotland for dinner. Graham also is involved, and represents the UK, in timber sports.

The next day we left the hotel, bound for the Tornado Wire Fencing Competition at Three Counties Showgrounds in Malvern. This was the 40th year of competition, and we were lucky enough to be given a line and represent New Zealand as the winners of the 2023 Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Competition.

It was great to arrive and have a pit crew made up of the MJ Evans fencing team lay all our gear out for us. We don’t get that in NZ! We arranged it a bit ourselves and talked through a bit of a plan, having seen the site. The strainer holes had been pre-drilled and then back filled. Looking at the stone in them and with the foreign tools we had been lent, it would be a bit different for us.

A quick briefing was held, we met a few of the other teams, and then the work began. The fence was approximately 50m long, had one angle about two thirds of the way along, and consisted of two diagonal stayed strainer assemblies with a tee foot, one plain wire at the bottom, an 8-wire Tornado netting, and two high tensile barbs above.

Even though the strainer holes had been pre-dug, it still took a lot of work to remove the fill. A good long-handle shovel couldn’t seem to be found in our shed-raiding of tools, but we got told “Use these” – a set of ‘spoons’ as they are known. They took Jeff a bit of getting used to.

Once the strainers and angles were set, we had the posts to put in. These were machined rounds, approximately 5.5 feet long, with points on them. We needed to drill a 50mm hole (some competitors bared their holes with a crowbar), followed by a drum of water to fill the hole, and then leave it to soak for a while as stays were done. We then used a sleeve hammer to install.

There was a bit of a misunderstanding of the fence specifications, and we managed to put in 12 posts instead of 9, which we only realised once we had finished the fence. The advice was to not worry about time and just work on quality, as time points aren’t worth much. Competing on

a 33-degree day with dry, rocky ground conditions and foreign tools – we were not the first off the line by a long shot. Judging then took place, made up of fencers and industry people from the UK and New Zealand’s Nick Liefting. Competitors were treated to a few refreshments and pig-on-the-spit for lunch, while rubbing shoulders with fencers from across the UK. While enjoying the rest of the show and looking at the fencing equipment, we caught up with expat Kiwi Simon Dale and his wife, who lives and builds the SoloTrak post driver.

Prizegiving then took place, announcing only the top three. We were lucky enough to secure the top step, with some very close scores. Second place went to John Morgan and Si Gibbs, and third was Duncan and Rory Samson. John and Si will travel out and compete next year at the 2025 Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles competition at Mystery Creek. After the competition, we moved to a paddock

Mark and Jeff with their winning fenceline

The Tornado competition podium winners

where we had a BBQ dinner and ‘chewed the fat’ with the guys that had stayed on. With only a few days left, we started heading South, and decided to go and catch up with Marc Preston. Marc is a fencer and engineer who owns and manufactures the Bushpig brand of fencing tools and runs Somerset Fencing. We had a tour of his workshop and went for a drive to look at a big job he was on. These ground conditions were extremely hard, and the job was being done with all steel. He runs a big tractor and Fencequip post driver. We were treated to another pub lunch and then had a look at a big cider factory before departing ways.

We carried on further South and met James Hill down in Blandford, where we also met up with Nick and Ngaire Liefting. We had a sunset dinner at a hut up the back of the farm, overlooking

the countryside, joined by another contractor, Nick Green and his family.

James has been a fencer for many years and has always had NZ made post drivers. He has now moved his focus to the retail market and owns a business called Wire and Wood. He sells everything fencing and has developed his own gauge of netting, which is slightly higher than usual and results in less barbed wire required. We spent two nights with James, visiting fencing contractor NJ Green’s set-up. We were treated to breakfast, put on by Nick’s wife. Then, onto a roundwood producer, where they recycle old creosote power poles into strainer posts. They also supply chestnut posts and rails - these are a sustainable tree and give character to the fence, due to the posts being split with a wedge and maul not sawn.

The success of this type of business in the UK is due to the type of timber treatment they are allowed to use. The UK still use imported pine posts, but they seldom last more than 15 years, according to several contractors we met. One of the most common posts used in the UK are creosote posts – they seem to last the best, but are a real safety hazard for the fencer installing them, causing burns on their skin while handling or cutting them.

We enjoyed another gathering at a local pub with everyone we had met that day and were treated to a nice meal.

Our last stop was in Hensfield, Sussex, with Tim Bennett. We met Tim at a roundwood producer and looked at their systems for producing chestnut posts. It was quite similar to the last yard but on a smaller scale. They make charcoal on-site with some of the offcuts. We drove up into the hills to seethe forest where the chestnut posts are harvested. There is a set season for this, and generally done in the winter months. We stopped and had a look at a chestnut pale style fence and an interlock rail fence also made from chestnut. This site also happened to be where the TV show The Repair Shop is filmed.

Tim put us up for the night, and we were joined for a BBQ dinner by family and fellow fencers.

On our last day in the UK, we looked at a couple of Tim’s jobs and his machinery. Tim runs tracked post drivers and one fitted with a Revolution 180, plus another three Revolution Post Drivers that he owns. After a coffee with Tim at a local café, we departed for Gatwick Airport, to get into our 40-odd hours of travel home.

We would like to thank all the people who supplied accommodation and meals, and took the time out of their days to keep us entertained. We met a lot of new people, and hopefully we will see some of them make their way to New Zealand so we can return the favour.

Lastly, we would like to thank the sponsors that made this trip possible: New Zealand Fencing Competitions, Revolution Post Drivers, Strainrite, Stihl, Stockade, Fieldays, and FCANZ.

Written by Mark Lambert

Estimating how many hours the job will take: why 83% get it wrong

How often have you quoted a job but ended up losing on it because the hours blew out? It happens to everyone once in a while… but get this wrong too often, and you won’t be very profitable.

Even the big players in our industry get this wrong more than they’d like to admit… Fletcher’s got in trouble last year with overruns on a number of their major projects. It cost them millions.

Did you know: the Sydney Opera House was completed a massive 10 years behind schedule?!

Clearly, when you want to make money on your jobs, it’s very important to accurately estimate how much time they will take. If you’ve ever wondered why your quotes don’t work out, this is a good starting point.

Research shows only 17% of the population can accurately estimate how

much time a job or task will take. Basically, we’re all optimists. We tend to believe the future will be better than the past.

If only 17% can estimate time correctly, that means 83% are getting it wrong. Mistakes include:

• Failing to consider how long it’s taken us to complete similar tasks in the past (science calls this the planning fallacy)

• Assuming that we won’t run into any complications that will cause delays (science calls this an optimism bias)

There are a lot of moving parts in a business, and if you often underestimate hours on jobs, or don’t allow for unexpected curveballs, you won’t make the margin you need to.

“ The secret is to be dealing with concrete numbers. They make things very black and white, allowing for smarter decisionmaking. That’s the kind of strategic thinking required for both quick wins and long-term success

Achieving target margins consistently on every job is key when it comes to being profitable. Let’s not forget: when costs exceed what you quoted, that cold hard cash comes directly out of your pocket.

In very real terms, that means less income for you, and stressful cashflow. And that is all kinds of bad, especially for a family business. Plus, cashflow headaches are the #1 reason for going broke.

So how can the average tradie business owner override their planning fallacy and optimism bias?

The secret is to be dealing with concrete numbers. They make things very black and white, allowing for smarter decisionmaking. That’s the kind of strategic thinking required for both quick wins and long-term success.

I’ve worked with hundreds of tradie businesses, and I can tell you: it’s amazing the insights you can get from a simple deep dive into the numbers – when you know what to look for (most don’t).

“ Be sure to use a pricing formula, so you have certainty that your price is fair. Not too low that you won’t make money. Not too high that you’ll be priced out (or if you are, you can walk away confident, knowing the margin was not enough – you don’t work for free)

Yes, one important part of this is backcosting (checking all costs – including time/labour – on previous jobs to see how your quote stacked up against what actually happened).

To do this, you first need to be working with the right project management software, time-tracking app or system for your specific business. Then, the main thing is, use a structure – so back-costing is easy and doesn’t take all day! It is especially important if you run multiple jobs and have a large team.

Revisit regularly and make sure you are charging enough. The trick is to then actually deploy this historical data and turn it into increased accuracy on your next job.

When I assist clients in the business coaching process to really look at their previous jobs, they can see exactly where they’re losing money on under-quoting. From then on, everything becomes much easier.

Be sure to use a pricing formula, so you have certainty that your price is fair. Not too low that you won’t make money. Not too high that you’ll be priced out (or if you are, you can walk away confident, knowing the margin was not enough – you don’t work for free).

Using a formula also means you price consistently regardless of whether you’re feeling optimistic, tired, are desperate for work for your team, or have too much on already.

Include your ‘fudge ratio’ calculation and buffer percentage to build in extra hours for delivery delays, staff absences, weather, etc.

Finally, you need a strong gross profit margin

A ‘good’ margin to add on top varies for each company, depending on your overheads and industry. So it’s

important to know what is a good margin percentage to be aiming at in your market.

Although, if it’s not at least 20%, I’d encourage you to make some adjustments right away. Anything under this, and you won’t be able to cover overheads and still make the profits you need to maintain a successful business.

Studies also show that while we are generally bad at estimating how long it takes us to do the job, we’re quite good at estimating how much time the job will take when others are doing the work. So, harnessing the talents and objectivity of someone outside your immediate team (like a QS) could be a smart move.

Ultimately, accurate predictions and back-costing effectively ensures you will achieve the target margins you need, become more profitable, and grow safely, even with the variables and any bias you may have.

Tweaks like this in profitability and productivity typically get my clients return-on-investment far exceeding costs inside 3-6 months.

Book a time with me here to find out how I might be able to help you:

https://nextleveltradie.co.nz/nextstep/

Daniel Fitzpatrick

The right to disconnect

Does New Zealand Law protect unreasonable after hours contact?

The combination of technology and flexible working arrangements is enabling connection 24/7, leading to questions about the reasonableness of employer contact outside of an employee’s ordinary working hours. Australia has introduced new legislation enabling employees to refuse employer contact outside working hours. This has sparked a discussion about whether a similar law is necessary in New Zealand, or, whether sufficient protections are already in place to manage working hours from a health and safety, and employment law perspective.

Australia’s law – the ‘right to disconnect’

Last month, Australia passed legislation enabling eligible employees the right to refuse employer or third party contact outside of working hours, unless that refusal is unreasonable. [1] This includes an employee’s ability to ignore after hours calls, emails and/or text messages. Further, it restricts retributory conduct by an employer when an employee has refused unreasonable contact.

Any disputes over contact outside working hours requires discussion at the workplace level, then if unresolved, a dispute can be taken to the Fair Work Commission. Successful claims against employer’s continued contact outside working hours could result in fines of up to $18,000.

How will a reasonable right to refuse contact be determined?

In Australia, the following factors (which are not an exclusive list) may be taken into account in considering whether it will be reasonable for an employee to refuse contact:

• The reason for the contact. For example, an emergency with direct consequences for the employee will likely be reasonable;

• The method of contact and the disruption it causes. For example, a late night phone call may be more disruption than an email close to the end of the working day and therefore less reasonable;

• Whether the employee is provided additional compensation for being available or on call;

• The nature of the employee’s role and level of responsibility, i.e. a senior employee with managerial responsibilities may be more reasonably contacted;

• The employee’s personal circumstances including family or caring responsibilities.

Is the right to disconnect available in other parts of the world?

Australia’s new law is not unique. Many other countries have similar regulations or legislation around the right to disconnect. These include France, Belgium, Italy,

Argentina, Chile, Luxembourg, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Ontario, and Ireland.

What are the implications for New Zealand employers on the international laws around the right to refuse employer contact?

New Zealand is not unique in reports of increased worker stress, burnout and wellbeing concerns, particularly post the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in New Zealand, there is no explicit law providing employees (or workers generally) with a right to disconnect.

The international trend towards explicit legislative or regulatory protection raises the question of whether New Zealand

is appropriately addressing concerns around an increase in remote / flexible working arrangements, and the creep in employee working hours through mobile technology use.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association has opposed legislation addressing the ‘right to disconnect’ from being introduced in New Zealand, on the basis that existing laws already appropriately address the risks and employees may simply ask employers to not be contacted after a designated time. The EMA also notes that persistent unreasonable contact can be addressed as workplace bullying or harassment.

When introducing new laws, an assessment of any impact on the design and structure of work will be undertaken, and any unintended consequences. This would likely include whether legislation would detrimentally impact the ~20% of the New Zealand workforce which report that they work after their usual hours of work.[2] Employers have raised concerns around productivity and collaboration in response to these law changes. This is particularly the case for those in fastpaced or client-facing environments, those dealing in international jurisdictions, and those who provide services which are often irregular in nature, such as trades and real estate.

Alongside protecting an employee’s wellbeing through the ability to disconnect from work and their availability to work, laws around the right to disconnect are designed to prevent employees from performing work which is unpaid.

There are broader implications that come from the creep of work into private lives of workers. New Zealand law does little to protect workers from privacy invasions and employer demands. For example, New Zealand has only generic privacy principles, and these allow employers the right to collect personal information about employees where this is necessary for a lawful purpose connected with the worker’s functions or activities, i.e. an employee may not know or explicitly consent to their data being collected, why, or who may receive it. There is not an explicit ban in New Zealand of collecting data on employees while they are not working. Accordingly, an employer may have access to technology that enables not only contact with an employee outside work, but also to track and record what they do in their time off.

Do New Zealand laws protect employees from unreasonable employer contact outside or working hours?

In New Zealand, the Health and Safety at Work Act places an obligation on employers to protect workers’ wellbeing and to take all reasonably practicable steps to eliminate or minimise health and safety risks. Accordingly, while not explicitly referencing a ‘right to disconnect’ which is now provided for in Australian law, New Zealand employers have an obligation to consider the health and safety impacts on employees of being connected to work outside their ordinary working hours, and to manage those risks.

Employer contact outside of work that is frequent, demanding and/or disruptive may be a psychological hazard, which may pose a risk to mental and psychological well-being and therefore employers have a duty to eliminate or minimise this.

Employers should be taking steps to structure work and contact expectations to minimise these risks. Practical tools are available to employers, for example, utilising restrictions for systems access or emails being sent/received during certain hours.

Alongside health and safety obligations, the Employment Relations Act requires that employers pay employees if they require availability outside their contracted hours. Further, if they require work outside their agreed hours, employees must be paid at least the minimum wage for any work performed.

While an employee may be compensated for availability by explicit inclusion within an employee’s salary, this must be paid on top of a wage.

New Zealand courts have previously considered the situation of care workers undertaking sleepover shifts at care facilities, and held that during these times where an employee is expected to be available to the employer, this may constitute work, requiring payment of at least the minimum wage.

Accordingly, when structuring work and considering whether an employee may be required to remain connected outside their ordinary working hours, employers need to be ensuring that they meet their statutory obligations for worker health and safety, and to pay reasonable compensation.

What should employers do?

Regardless of whether New Zealand introduces a new law addressing employer contact with employees out of working hours, employers should be proactively managing risks arising from ‘work creep’. This includes:

• Considering what outside of work contact is needed/expected.

• Considering how to minimise health and safety risks associated with connection outside working hours.

• Where required, ensuring employment agreements have legally valid availability clauses, which clearly provide reasonable compensation.

• Providing clear guidance around employer/employee expectations through employment agreements and/ or workplace policies. For example –guidelines around after-hours work including limiting after hours emails, text messages and phone calls.

• Fostering a workplace culture which sets healthy boundaries including respecting employee personal time.

• Regularly reviewing employee working hours and work related contact that may be occurring outside of working hours together with the effectiveness of systems to manage the health and safety risks arising.

• Regular review of annual leave to ensure employees are having reasonable opportunities to rest, recharge, pursue interests and time with friends and family.

• Ensuring all working hours are reasonably compensated.

For further advice on managing employee wellbeing, health and safety, availability and fair pay, DTI Lawyers specialist employment lawyers are available by phone on 07 282 0174 or email andrea@dtilawyers.co.nz

Health and Safety News

Launch of the new Health and Safety Governance Guide

The Institute of Directors is launching with WorkSafe, and in association with the Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum and the General Manager Safety Forum, a new Health and Safety Governance Guide.

New guidelines for Directors of companies and business groups for health and safety have been released –it’s worth a read through team. WorkSafe and the Institute of Directors have been looking at the requirements of the business owner and Directors to ensure that robust compliance is in place for the management of Health and Safety following the 2019 Whakaari incident.

DOWNLOAD THESE PDF RESOURCES

Health and Safety Governance Quick Guide 2024.pdf

Health and Safety Governance 2024 A Good Practice Guide

Health and Safety Governance 2024 Self Assessment

The Guidance states that Directors should be asking:

• What can I do to support my organisation to deliver safer outcomes and protect our people?

• Are we doing enough to keep our people safe?

• Do we have a clear enough idea of what success looks like in health and safety?

• What are the critical risks for my organisation?

Directors should focus on the organisation’s purpose, developing a vision of success, a plan to achieve it safely, and how to measure its performance.

What else should Directors be doing?

They need to lead and develop a strong purpose and health and safety culture, but they also need to be aware of their business.

• The board needs to exhibit ‘tone from the top’ – and actively encourage near-miss reporting. It should act on this information, reflecting on improvements that could be made, but also what worked to prevent a fatality or catastrophic event.

The final tip from each panellist for leading better governance of health and safety, included:

• Understand your business risks, how the business is managing them, and ensure you’re comfortable with the process in place. If not, do something

about it! Be brave, be courageous

• Directors must remain curious and sceptical and not accept things at face value, and keep asking deep, penetrating questions

• Consider the ethics and common sense you can apply to your organisation.

www.ruralsafe.co.nz

Thriving through the summer

A Guide to Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Work

As the summer months approach, it’s essential to focus on our wellbeing, especially when working longer hours. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy, safe, and energised during this busy season.

1. Sun Protection and Hydration

Working outdoors or even commuting in the summer heat can take a toll on your body. Here are some key tips to protect yourself from the sun and stay hydrated:

• Wear sunscreen: Apply a broadspectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30. Reapply every two hours, especially if you’re sweating.

• Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for at least 8 glasses and more if you’re working in the heat.

• Wear protective clothing: Light, long-sleeved shirts, hats, and sunglasses can help shield your skin from harmful UV rays.

• Take breaks in the shade: Whenever possible, take your breaks in shaded or cool areas to give your body a chance to cool down.

2. Wellbeing in the run-up to Christmas

The period leading up to Christmas can be hectic, but it’s important to maintain your wellbeing:

• Manage stress: Plan your tasks and set realistic goals to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Take time for relaxation and hobbies.

• Healthy eating: With holiday treats everywhere, try to balance indulgences with healthy meals. Incorporate plenty of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet.

• Stay active: Regular physical activity can boost your mood and energy levels. (Fencers are pretty active really.) Even a game of cricket or other sport with family in the breaks can make a difference.

3. Mental wellbeing tips

Maintaining mental wellbeing is crucial, especially during busy periods. Here are some tips to help you stay mentally healthy:

• Mindfulness and meditation: Practice mindfulness or meditation to reduce stress and improve focus. Even a few minutes a day can make a big difference. (Thinking of fabulous fence lines is always good!)

“ Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for at least 8 glasses and more if you’re working in the heat

• Connect with others: Spend time with friends, family, or colleagues. Social connections can provide support and improve your mood.

• Set boundaries: Ensure you have a good work-life balance. Set boundaries to avoid burnout and make time for activities you enjoy.

• Seek support: If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional or a trusted person in your life:

- Helplines 1737

- Lean On a Gate, Talk to a Mate

- Surfing for Farmers (if you are near the coast)

- Rural Support networks

- Or phone that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.

4. Physical fitness and safety post-Christmas

After a well-deserved break, getting back to work can be challenging. Here are some tips to ease the transition:

• Gradual return to activity: If you’ve taken a break from physical work, ease back into it gradually to avoid injuries. Start with lighter tasks and build up your strength.

• Stretch and warm-up: Before starting your workday, take a few minutes to stretch and warm up your muscles. This can help prevent strains and sprains.

• Safety first: Ensure that all safety protocols are followed, and use the proper equipment for your tasks. If you’re unsure about something, don’t hesitate to ask for guidance.

5. Tips for returning after the break

Getting back into work mode after a holiday can be tough. Here are some strategies to help you transition smoothly:

• Plan ahead: Before your break ends, make a list of tasks to tackle when you return. This can help you hit the ground running.

• Ease into your routine: Start with less demanding tasks to gradually get back into the swing of things. This can help you rebuild your momentum.

• Stay organised: Keep a planner or digital calendar to manage your time effectively. Prioritise tasks and set realistic deadlines.

• Take care of yourself: Ensure you’re getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking breaks throughout the day. Self-care is crucial for maintaining productivity.

6. Ergonomic practices for outdoor labour

Maintaining good ergonomics is essential for preventing injuries and ensuring comfort while working outdoors. Here are some tips:

• Lift properly: Use your legs, not your back, when lifting heavy objects. Keep the load close to your body and avoid twisting while lifting.

• Use the right tools: Ensure that tools and equipment are the correct size and weight for the task. Use ergonomic tools designed to reduce strain.

• Take regular breaks: Frequent breaks can help prevent fatigue and reduce the risk of injury. Use these breaks to stretch and hydrate.

• Maintain good posture: Whether you’re standing, bending, or kneeling, try to maintain a neutral spine position. Avoid awkward postures and repetitive motions.

• Wear supportive footwear: Choose boots with good arch support and cushioning to reduce strain on your feet and legs.

7. Preventing heat-related illnesses

Heat-related illnesses can be serious, but they are preventable. Here are some tips to stay safe in the heat:

• Recognise the signs: Be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, such as dizziness, headache, nausea, and confusion. If you or a coworker experience these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

• Stay cool: Use fans, cooling towels, or misting devices to help lower your body temperature. Take breaks in air-conditioned or shaded areas whenever possible.

“ If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional or a trusted person in your life

• Hydrate regularly: Drink water frequently, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, as they can dehydrate you. Watch that V drinktoo much sugar.

• Acclimate to the heat: Gradually increase your exposure to hot conditions over a week or two to help your body adjust.

• Wear light clothing: Choose lightweight, breathable fabrics that allow sweat to evaporate and cool your body.

Wishing you a wonderful festive season

By focusing on these aspects of wellbeing, you can enjoy a productive and healthy summer season. Remember, taking care of yourself is the first step to taking care of your work.

As we approach the festive season, we want to wish all our teams a wonderful Christmas and a joyful break. Whether you’re catching up with family and friends or simply recharging for the summer, we hope you have a fantastic time. Thank you for all your hard work this year, and we look forward to seeing you next year. Tight lines and happy holidays!

Stay safe, stay hydrated, and have a wonderful summer!

Deb and the team at Rural Safe

www.ruralsafe.co.nz

A Wife’s Tale

Normally when Shaun gets home from a hunting trip he is satisfied, smelly and tired. This time, when he arrived home, he was satisfied, smelly but enlivened.

He had something to tell me.

“Guess what?” he asked.

“You shot a deer”, I stated.

“Yes, but guess what else?”

“You shot two deer,” I teased him.

“Yes, but also,” he was so keen to get his story out, “I met someone interesting.”

Now, this could be a good story. He was on a hunting trip with a mate and his mate’s mates he hadn’t met before.

“So, there was one guy there and we hit it off, he kinda felt, like, really familiar. He asked me what I did, and when I said I was a fencer, he asked me if I knew his uncle who was a fencer.”

Huh? I was momentarily confused with the story until Shaun finished with: “And I said ‘F*ck off he’s my uncle’, and he said, ‘Nah f*ck off, he’s MY uncle!’”

And this is how Shaun found out he had a cousin, who also works on farms and does fencing.

This same guy has a brother (another cousin for Shaun) who also works in a similar industry, clearing fence lines in diggers. So, when Shaun was under the pump at work one time, he rang this longlost cousin’s brother he’d never met and asked him to come and work for us for a week. Which he did. And they got on like a house on fire.

It seems to run in families, fencing.

Shaun has another fencing cousin, who has a husband and a son who all fence too. They are long-time in the game and were the ones who introduced fencing to Shaun as a teenager in his school holidays.

He remembers having to re-do whole fence lines (in his own time, unpaid) because it wasn’t up to standard. He learnt the importance of quality and a good work ethic, which put him in a good place when he set up his own fencing business 20-odd years later. He remembers being a few months into the new business and needing a tractor for a job, he bought their hand-me-down Massey Fergusson. It was Shaun’s absolute pride and joy. He would often park it in the driveway when I wasn’t home, banishing my Mitsubishi out to the roadside.

These cousins have been an incredible source of support for us. Shaun rings them often for advice on quoting, on how-to knowledge, to share wins and also the dark days.

“ As a wife, I really value Shaun’s fencing relatives. Not only are they a great support, but they also provide that wonderful sense of belonging that we humans need

Shaun reconnected with another cousin a few years ago. And he’s a fencer too. And there’s another uncle too. Fieldays is like a family reunion.

It was no surprise then, when our son left school not knowing what he wanted to do and decided to work for Dad till he figured it out. Six years later he had his Level 3 Fencing Certificate and was a nominee for FCANZ Emerging Talent – Youth award

in 2023. Working together every day could have gone either way, but luckily for us it turned out good, and Dad and son have a very close relationship now.

As a wife, I really value Shaun’s fencing relatives. Not only are they a great support, but they also provide that wonderful sense of belonging that we humans need. Having a sense of belonging – to a family, a group, an organisation – is a primal instinct that we developed as cavemen, it told us that if there was danger, or famine, then we would have a better chance of survival if we were in a group. So, feeling like we belong gives us a sense of safety and closeness. It’s also what many human development experts tell us is needed for our mental health. If you belong to something, then you won’t fall for anything.

Written by Angelena Davies

Angelena Davies is a wife and mum who happens to have a Masters degree in Social Sciences. Alongside running Davies Fencing she is also a coach, facilitator and author helping children and adults to access “flow” so their lives are easier and more fun.

FCANZ Certified Fencers

A1FenceworX

Wellsford

t. 09 423 7585

e. admin@a1fenceworx.co.nz

Shane Beets

m. 027 625 5383

Bozcut Ltd

Northland

e. jamie@bozcut.co.nz

James Rogers

m. 027 526 9288

Central Fencing

Canterbury

e. nigel@centralfencing.co.nz

w. centralfencing.co.nz

Nigel Broadbridge m. 021 433 623

CPC Fencing Ltd

Northland

t. 09 4332644

e. cpc.fencing@yahoo.co.nz

Phil Cornelius (owner) m. 027 274 4188

Glen Hobbs

Custom Fencing Ltd

Waikouaiti

t. 03 465 7212

e. nick@customfencing.net.nz

Nick Terry m. 021 614 100

Marcus McKean

Galen Monks

Ewing Fencing Contractors

Oamaru

t. 03 431 3864

e. mark@ewingfencing.co.nz

Mark Ewing

m. 027 498 4049

Fensin Ltd

Taupō t. 07 825 5747

e. robertson.nd@xtra.co.nz

Neil Robertson m. 027 474 6335

Greg Burton Fencing

Cambridge

e. GregBurtonFencing@gmail.com

Greg Burton m. 027 427 8765

Jeff Joines Fencing Contractor Ltd

Kāpiti t. 06 364 2510

e. jeffjoinesfencing@gmail.com

Jeff Joines m. 027 484 4481

Jones Agri Fencing

Tokoroa

e. office@jonesagri.co.nz

Cory Jones m. 027 805 6571

J W Fencing Ltd

Canterbury

e. josh@jwfencing.co.nz

Josh Weaver m. 027 317 7753

White Fencing Ltd

Papakura t. 09 292 8064

e. admin@whitefencing.co.nz w. whitefencing.co.nz

Tony White m. 027 495 7868

FCANZ Board

PHIL CORNELIUS

PRESIDENT

m. 027 274 4188

e. phil@fcanz.org.nz

BEN FISHER

m. 027 337 7442

e. ben@fcanz.org.nz

JANINE SWANSSON VICE-PRESIDENT

m. 027 381 2025

e. janine@fcanz.org.nz

DONNA UPTON TREASURER

m. 021 761 022

e. donna@fcanz.org.nz

CRAIG SINCLAIR

m. 027 418 7693 e. craig@fcanz.org.nz

NICK TERRY

m. 021 614 100 e. nick@fcanz.org.nz

DEBBIE WHITE

m. 027 495 7033

e. debbie@fcanz.org.nz

FCANZ Operations Team

JAIME BIGWOOD

Executive Director

m. 021 2848 223

e: exec@fcanz.org.nz

Patron

CRAIG WIGGINS

m. 027 457 6694 e. wiggyswhatever@gmail.com

JEANETTE MILLER

Administration Manager

t. 0508 432 269

m. 027 432 2033

e: admin@fcanz.org.nz

HEATHER KAWAN

WIRED Editor

m: 022 630 8533

e: wired@fcanz.org.nz

Fencing Contractors Association NZ (FCANZ) is the industry body supporting and advancing the fencing industry of New Zealand.

Established in 2006, FCANZ aims to raise the profile and standards of the fencing industry, growing the market for fencing contractors and others associated with the industry, and ensuring Fencing Contractors Association NZ is the first port of call for those seeking a fencing contractor.

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FCANZ’s affiliation with Federated Farmers gives all members a complimentary Federated Farmers membership – worth $499, including access to free legal and employment advice, group purchasing opportunities and much, much more.

Quarterly WIRED Magazine

WIRED is the official quarterly publication of FCANZ, and is New Zealand’s only fencing industry magazine. Each issue contains a host of informative news, business and industry insights, human interest articles plus information and advice specific to the fencing industry.

FCANZ members also benefit from:

• Exclusive discounts and offers from Association Partners

• Regional fencing Best Practice Days

• Free business best practice webinars

• Use of the FCANZ logo to differentiate your business from your competitors

• Creating industry-wide connections through networking opportunities with members and Association partners

• 10% discount on Site Safe membership

• Free job, tool and equipment listings on the FCANZ classifieds web page

• Certified Fencer and Accredited Fencing Contractor industry endorsements