WIRED - September 2023

WIRED

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President's Report

Welcome to the latest edition of WIRED magazine.

Nevertheless, life isn’t about waiting for the storms to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain, and this is evident in the resilience our members are showing around the country, with what our weather events have thrown at us in the last couple of years. Keep positive and keep going.

The 2023 AGM and Conference in New Plymouth was testament to that; we had the most new faces at a conference in many years. The feedback was brilliant, even though the National Fencing Field Day threw four seasons at us in one day. Other than horizontal hail and mud making for better work stories, the demonstrations and partner input were well received by those who attended. The Ladies Who Lunched had far superior comfort ,and by all accounts, enjoyed their afternoon out of the weather.

The AGM saw Max Walton stand down from the Board and Craig Sinclair step in from the South Island. Thanks Max, for your contribution over the last couple of years. We look forward to working with Craig and having additional representation on the Board from the South.

The Board was delighted to launch the inaugural FCANZ industry awards which were held on Friday evening of Conference. We kicked off the awards this year by showcasing youth and training in the industry. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners. You can find more information about the awards on page 20. Paul Van Beers was inducted into the Legacy/Lifetime Membership Hall of Fame, in recognition of his many years of promoting the fencing industry, through best practice standards and competition fencing.

Donna got grilled in the Member Feedback Forum with regards to training – there is still much going on in this area with the second intake of the Level 4 Certificate in Fencing course having started the week following Conference. There are around 25 learners going through this course. Level 3 Northland is forging ahead despite the weather, and there are courses loaded around the country. If you want to make something happen in your area, reach out to Donna.

A full write up of the Conference and additional activities can be found from page 12. If you missed out this year, make sure you book some time off to join us in Christchurch in 2024.

Our Mission

We have another cyclone-response working bee coming up on the East Coast in Spring, as well as Best Practice days and a 4WD tour locked in for the South Island in November. Check out the details on pages 7 and 9.

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. The next 6 months are going to be tough for some contractors and even tougher for others – reach out and communicate with us.

Phil

Phil Cornelius President

To increase the profile of fencing as a recognised profession and encourage a high level of workmanship through knowledge and standards.

The last few months have seen the usual unfavourable weather continue and it’s becoming quite tedious for most.

The Board blog

There’s a lot of planning that goes into Conference, which is rewarded by the enjoyment of the people who attend, and the partners who make the time to come along and get to know our members and Board team. Jaime, Jeanette, Debbie and Donna (when she has time out from the training side) meet for weekly Conference and National Fencing Field Day meetings throughout the year, along with other event organising.

We thank those members who attended Conference23 and ask those who haven’t already done so to please fill out online survey, as it’s through this feedback that we make Conference better. The link to the survey has been included in the last two emails we have sent to Members. While we did breathe a quick sigh of relief that it was over, the Board have already moved on to gathering thoughts and putting into motion planning for next year’s conference in Christchurch.

Member’s Feedback

During the Member’s Feedback Forum at Conference, it was interesting to see and hear the amount of interest in training. It’s useful to have two-way discussions with Members who are engaged in the industry’s future.

Best Practice Days

Given we like to shake things up, our two-day 4 wheel drive event in November is designed to let members see country they might not normally get access to and engage in the concept of high country fencing, which also applies to remote areas of fence locations in other parts of the country. See page 7 for more details and how to register.

Member Benefits

FCANZ is running an ongoing “Find a Fencing Contractor” advertising campaign, directing customers to the Member directory on our website, through printed rural media, Facebook and an ongoing Google ads campaign.

Membership Growth

Member growth has been identified as an issue that requires a focused promotional campaign. We are focusing on retaining existing members and new member growth, with increased sector representation to include residential, horticultural, viticulture, and civil fencing. While we gain new members each month, we also seem to have a steady attrition rate. Our target is 10% net growth for this financial year.

Sector subcommittees

The Sector subcommittees are coming to fruition with some knowledgeable fencing contractors joining them. Their first task will be to work on regional rural standards for workmanship and materials and industry standards for residential, horticultural structures, viticulture and then moving into security.

Ongoing Cyclone assistance

The Board has been looking at how we can assist our affected members in Cyclone affected areas and how to best offer ongoing resources. We also recognise not only the devastation but the effects on production that the weather cycle since January has brought to many of our members. With a shrinking economy and rural commodity prices that are taking a hit, the impact of this on our Members and Partners is an ongoing consideration for the Board.

UDC – Silver Partner

FCANZ is delighted to welcome UDC Finance to the FCANZ partner family as a Silver partner. For over 85 years, UDC Finance has helped New Zealand businesses to grow and entrepreneurs to see their ideas become reality. UDC are one of the largest finance companies operating in the New Zealand market. They remain focused on their core business and take great pride in helping New Zealanders grow by providing them with the funds they need for vehicles, plant, equipment and machinery.

New Board member

The Board welcomed Craig Sinclair (Craig Sinclair Fencing) to the team at the Annual General Meeting, after Max Walton stepped down from the Board. We welcome the additional South Island representation on the Board and look forward to Craig’s input over the next year.

‘The Great Adventure’ Off-Road High Country Tour & Best Practice Day

We at FCANZ like to shake things up, and the Board works hard at member benefits, recognising that the Association provides valuable networking opportunities, for both fellow members and partners.

Appreciating the incredible landscapes and interesting areas our members work in, Debbie White – whose husband Tony is a winch challenge competitor and has undertaken a number of 4-wheel drive trips – got together with Scott Heasley of Heasley Fencing, Waipara North Canterbury to discuss holding a 4-wheel drive tour of one of the stations he works on, MacDonald Downs, which covers 70,000 acres. Wanting to make a two-dayer of it, Mike Renner of Renner Fencing, Seddon has also been involved in the planning.

So if you like grand landscapes, interesting areas, good fencing and equipment and a bit of fun then this two day ‘Best Practice’ trip is for you and your partner, or crew.

Exhibitor Opportunity

MacDonald Downs Station Contact admin@fcanz.org.nz for a registration form

Criteria

• Limited to 30 vehicles

• FCANZ members, employee members and their partners only

• Minimum age – 16 years

• Suitable for participants with their own 4WD vehicle

Through Awatere Valley, Molesworth to Hamner Springs

• 8.30am: Meet at Mike Renner’s property, Awatere Valley.

• 1st stop: Upcot Station, with host Bill Stevenson. Look over some high country work, old set of saleyards, travel up to Upcot Saddle for spectacular views (if weather permits).

• 2nd stop: Molesworth Station, with host Jim Ward. Short talk on the biggest farm in NZ. Visit Molesworth Cob Cottage.

• 3rd stop (overnight): Hamner Springs. Group dinner. Accommodation will be booked by FCANZ for participants.

Cost

• $75.00 pp (excl GST)

Through MacDonald Downs, Lees Valley, to Darfield

• 8.00am: Breakfast at Hurunui Historic pub. Enter MacDonald Downs Station.

• 1st stop: Look over some high country fencing and off-road tracks.

• 2nd stop: Meet with Bill Paterson, learn the station’s history. Lunch at the Woolshed, with high country fencing and off-road exhibitors.

• Rest of Day: Travel through Lees Valley out onto road in Oxford.

3rd stop (overnight): Darfield Motel / Hotel or head home. Dinner: Darfield Hotel.

• Cost includes lunches both days, and breakfast on day 2

• Motels / hotels, dinners and fuel at participant’s own cost

• Accommodation in Darfield to be booked by participant (FCANZ group) To register, contact admin@fcanz.org.nz

you

Thank

to Scott Heasley, Mike Renner, Tony and Debbie White and John Noakes for organising this trip and Debbie Robertson from Rural Safe for overseeing Health and Safety.

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Webinar Series 2023

FCANZ Business Staples

webinars are back with a 3-part series helping you to navigate the challenges associated with growing your team.

Presenter Jaime Rose-Peacock has more than twenty years’ experience working across a wide variety of industries and is a member of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ), the Employment Law Institute of New Zealand (ELINZ), and The Association for Workplace Investigators (AAWI).

Available exclusively to FCANZ members, these 45-minute sessions are followed by an interactive 15 minute Q&A session. If you’ve got a curly question that you want to ask anonymously, submit it to exec@ fcanz.org.nz before the webinar and we’ll make sure it is addressed.

Book your spot now!

Session Theme Content

Recruitment & Selection (Part 1)

Thursday 28 September 7:30pm

Best practice activities

• Advertising

• Screening

• Application Form

• Interviewing

Legal Employment Structures

• Types of Employment Agreements (Casual, Fixed Term, Permanent) vs. Contractors

• Employment Agreements/Policies

Recruitment & Selection (Part 2)

Tuesday 17 October 7.30pm

• Different types of leave requests

• Dealing with Staff Issues/Employment

Relationship Problems

• Formal Processes (e.g., Investigations, Disciplinaries, Conduct/Performance and the legal processes required)

• Reward & Recognition

Recruitment & Selection (Part 3)

Tuesday 21 November 7.30pm

SOUTH ISLAND

Increasing

• 90 Day Trials

• Resignation

• Termination by Dismissal

• What to do if someone raises a grievance

Best Practice Day

MARLBOROUGH

Tuesday 21 November 2023

Viticulture and Residential Fencing

Enjoy a day out with Fencing Contractors Association NZ and see best practice fencing techniques showcased in practical demonstrations throughout the day.

WHO YOU WILL MEET

Industry Partners, FCANZ Board members, Health & Safety advisors; Tertiary Education providers and Fencing Contractors from across the region.

*Subject to availability

WHO SHOULD ATTEND Fencing Contractors, Fencer Generals, Horticulture workers, Farmers and those starting or interested in a career in a fast-growing industry.

COST (includes catered lunch)

Non-Members: $40 FCANZ Members: $20 FCANZ Employee Members: $10

PRESENTER

Jaime Rose-Peacock

Quality low-cost recycled fence posts gaining a following in the rural sector

Hi FCANZ community, Greg Coppell here, founder of Repost. Some of you may have seen me at Fieldays this year, some of you may have never heard of us! To break it down, Repost is essentially a recycling company of broken vineyard posts.

The viticulture industry breaks H4 #1 vineyard wooden posts every harvest at ground level. Estimates are around 1 million posts are broken each year in New Zealand. Previously, posts were stockpiled on vineyards, went to landfill, were wrongfully burnt or small amounts were sold for cash in the hand, as is.

Today Repost works alongside vineyards nationwide to give their waste a second life cycle on farm fence lines. The rural sector has really got behind our small family run business. Feedback generally is our low-cost fence posts starting at $3.25 allow for larger volumes of pastoral development. At a time when every dollar counts, this is vital.

Giving a backstory (bear with me): during Covid lockdown, on a shoestring budget I filled up my 8-wheeler multiple times with these posts and began using them to fence 30km of my sheep and beef farm at St. Arnaud in Nelson. My wife Danielle and I bought a rough 500 hectares farm in eight large blocks, and we needed to split them into smaller, productive blocks. I found the clips/nails in the posts often got in the way, so I was pulling them out with a hammer or grinding them off to allow for flush wire installation. On our farm we use both wire and netting.

After a battle with yet another nail, a second grinder buggered and the fact it was too time consuming, I brainstormed with my father Allan over a pot of tea. We mocked up a portable hydraulic nail puller that could, with a little luck, pull the 14 clips/nails off the post. After a lot of trial and error it worked, and soon neighbouring farms and friends wanted the posts too.

Word spread and we realised we could supply a consistent product on a commercial scale. I teamed up with Stu Dudley, a viticulturist in Marlborough, who was well aware and knowledgeable about the waste issue. We found vineyards were keen to part with their waste and, more importantly, be part of a sustainable practice allowing their waste to have a second life cycle in the rural sector as fence posts.

These recycled posts are seasoned, which makes them dry, light, and stable, and we grade them to meet the level you and I need them to be: fit for purpose. Many customers have used them in all terrain, all applications and all installation forms.

We sell H4 treated 1.6m or 1.8m length grade 1 posts. Being ex-vineyard posts ¼ rounds are diameter 90-115mm and ½ rounds 140-175mm. You can have them pointed, but we mainly sell them docked. We then bundle them up (1/4 rounds in 60s or ½ rounds in 50s) and sell them to farmers direct nationwide.

Our posts meet H4 industry standards (Hills Laboratory) and have been tried and tested nationwide. We have recently added batten droppers. Feedback has been super positive and we see this as a win-win situation for both farmers and vineyards.

A helping hand

With this year’s cyclone events, we have wanted to roll our sleeves up and help. After working alongside Rural Support Trust and Federated Farmers, to successfully transport unit-loads of our posts to many areas, Hastings Regional Council made contact with us to see if we could be part of the clean-up.

We are glad we can assist the community in Hawke’s Bay by recycling waste and creating a valuable product for the rural sector. It has also made getting our posts in the North Island more cost effective. Any cyclone damaged farms get an automatic 5% discount on our products.

On talking to sheep and beef farmers in Pongaroa, Rebecca and Richard Greaves say “We are facing a daunting amount of repair and replacement fencing following Cyclone Gabrielle, at huge cost. Every dollar counts, so the opportunity to save money by using a perfectly good quality product, at a fraction of the price, seems like a no-brainer to us. We also like the idea of supporting a small, family-owned business that has been incredibly generous to farmers in the aftermath of the Cyclone.”

We realise we haven’t reinvented the wheel; we have only created a means for two industries to work together for a

Greg Coppell and Stu Dudley

better outcome in reducing landfill waste and helping the back pocket of farmers nationwide fence more of their farms, repair cyclone damaged land, add in green belts or fence off wetland and waterways. Many of you or your customers will shop around and have contracts or accounts with rural merchants nationwide. However, think of us next time you have a customer or friend who would benefit from our low cost, sustainable products. Battens start at $1.50, and Posts start at $3.25 (excl GST).

You can contact us direct on 022 525 0130, email us at customerservice@repost.co.nz and check out our website www.repost.co.nz

Q&A with Mike Nicholls Contracting Fencing, top of the South Island

How did you hear about Repost originally?

Through word of mouth, heard they were good value and a good product. I wasn’t disappointed and have used them on many jobs since and will continue to do so!

What post product of ours have you worked with/do you prefer?

Mainly ½ rounds 1.8s ($3.85) used for lifestyle fencing, stay blocks and general intermediate posts.

How did you find installing our recycled posts?

I’ve mainly used a post driver, they’re as good as installing new ones.

What would you say to other fencing contractors on the fence about the recycled posts?

Give them a go, you won’t be disappointed. They’re graded, nice on the budget for your customers and a perfectly good product.

“ Our posts meet H4 industry standards (Hills Laboratory) and have been tried and tested nationwide. We have recently added batten droppers. Feedback has been super positive and we see this as a winwin situation for both farmers and vineyards

A day for the brave and the hardy

The FCANZ National Fencing Field Day (NFFD) looked good on paper. Being held around the country in conjunction with the FCANZ conference, it can be challenging to organise an event at a one-off location that changes every year.

But the Stratford A & P folks were great to deal with, the facilities looked good, 25 exhibitors had signed up – both FCANZ partners and other agricultural suppliers – adverts and editorial had been put in the local papers (thanks Sue Rawson for the list), and we had a top demonstrator organised in Paul Van Beers, who had contract fenced in Taranaki for over 20 years.

The weather forecast was looking dodgy, but we were hoping our luck would hold out like it did at Mosgiel last year and Waimate North the year before that. The day started with a Future Post demonstration, driven in by Fencequip post drivers. Then, just as Stihl was doing a chainsaw maintenance presentation with a nice group collected to listen, a ‘prolonged squall’ (polite words) came across again, and that was pretty much the start of not just wet, but also very cold conditions.

Then Paul Van Beers – having farming blood and being suitably dressed from head to toe in wet weather gear – started demonstrating the importance of the underground work; stays, stay blocks,

breast blocks and foots. Assisted by Tony White (who purely has fencing blood and dressed in heavy duty raincoat and shorts and a good pair of work boots) they slithered in the growing pools of

water and mud. They managed to get a foot on the strainer, but the breast block hole became a duck pond. Paul then went on to wire work with a plan that electrics connections would follow. Despite the

FCANZ Admin Manager Jeanette Miller happily took shelter from the elements

The lads from Delfast leaning into their marquee to keep it from blowing away

Paul Van Beers and Tony White braving the conditions for the underground work demonstration

Paul Van Beers in demonstration mode

Conference23 Wrap-up

weather, a group gamely stood by, being provided with some invaluable tips for even the most experienced of fencers.

Greg Burton had brought down his pride and joy, a Trailmaker vehicle that he had built himself, along with an interesting array of vintage fencing tools and old totara posts that had been erected with some intentionally questionable wirework that was intended to start a discussion.

To be admired were two South Islanders who should have known better. Lindsay Hayman who wore white leather sneakers and kept them remarkedly clean. George Williams wore brown leather dress shoes, having the excuse “I didn’t pack anything else not thinking I would need them”. One hazards to guess how and where the shoes were cleaned up in order to carry George through the rest of the conference.

Board and our Operations team, Greg Burton, John Noakes, Paul Van Beers, Tony White, Jason Millar and to Angelina Beets who “manned” the gate all day.

Oh and as we left, it started sleeting with snow in Stratford within the hour.

Article written by Debbie White

Thanks to all exhibitors

• Beattie Insulators

Greg was also the judge of the FCANZ Ute toolbox competition, with Greg having the best laid out contractor’s toolbox in his Ute that you will ever come across. Therefore, Greg was banned from entering to allow others a chance. But Greg was very impressed with the winning entry of David Swansson from Bang-it Fencing. The toolbox being, in Greg’s humble words, “nearly as good as mine, except he doesn’t have a generator in it.”

By around noon the hardy exhibitors were standing in pools of mud inside their tents and showing signs of hypothermia. Hugh from Strainrite was one of the first to break down, and as organisers we soon caved as the day had turned into a wash out.

Normally, we have to pack down and remove all the demonstration lines and fill in post holes etc. Thankfully, Martin from Gallagher knew a local farmer who was happy to pull down the driven posts and the Stratford A & P Showgrounds came to the rescue in the tidy up. As the bus full of conference goers headed off and exhibitors bolted Paul was in his own zone putting on the cut-out switch on the demo fence. With “the job not finished” we had to convince Paul it was over and to head home.

Thank you to all the exhibitors who supported the event and got washed away (see list), Shane Beets and Nick Terry for marking out the sites on the Monday prior to the event, the FCANZ

• Bunnings

• Carr Family Foundation Rural Heath and Wellness Van

• Carters

• Delfast

• Exclusive Tyres

• Farmlands

• FencePro

• Fencequip

• FMG

• Future Post

• Gallagher

• Kinghitter

• Kyne Equipment

• Permapine

• Power Farming

• RD Petroleum

• Revolution Postdrivers

• Steel & Tube

• Stihl

• Stockade

• Stoney Creek

• Strainrite

• Waratah

A bit of water (and hail) never did anyone any harm...

Greg Burton’s hand built Trailmaker

David Swansson’s winning Ute toolbox

Questionable footwear selection by Lindsay Hayman

Hex Wire Netting 38mm Centre Strand

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Our Bayonet Maxline 38mm Hex Netting Centre Strand features 38mm aperture hexagons and 4 times horizontal centre strand wires.

Grab yours at your local rural retailer today 0800

The ladies who lunched

Coming to a conference to get to know a large new group of people, especially when you work by yourself most of the time, can be a little intimidating, to say the least.

My partner, Jase, just started his fencing company in November, and has gotten a huge amount of value from his FCANZ membership, so we were excited to come and meet everyone at Conference23, but also a bit overwhelmed.

That’s why I was glad to have the opportunity to get to know a few people one-on-one before joining the larger group, and the Ladies Who Lunch outing was the perfect chance to do that.

The decision to go was confirmed a good one throughout the day as the rain pounded down and icy winds ploughed through New Plymouth. We all felt sorry for our partners and all the folks at the National Fencing Field Day but I was very glad to be dry and sipping gin, to be honest.

First, we went to Bianca Lorenne, a fine linen company based in New Plymouth that has national distribution and is growing quickly. We were welcomed with some free gifts, and then the salespeople talked to us about the process that the company goes through to create beautiful and cohesive linen collections. We browsed through the shop, with lots of ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ah’s’ and then hurried through the rain back out to the van.

Next, we headed to the Kina Art Gallery in the downtown area. We loved looking at all the beautiful glass objects and paintings that were done in the Magic Eye style. We also checked out a few other shops in the area. There was a lot of velvet and fake fur involved, which I was happy about (how could I not be?!?!)

Giles Chocolatier was our next stop and proved to be a very popular one. The owner and chocolatier, Gavin Giles, gave us a very informative talk about the chocolate-making process and how important it is to grind the chocolate thoroughly and temper it at exactly the

right temperature to make a smooth, shiny, and delicious final product. Suddenly, Carol announced that we only had 4 minutes left for our stop there – we were so interested in the talk that the time flew by. How could we possibly buy all the chocolate that we seriously NEEDED at that point? Luckily, our van driver was patient and everyone was able to get their fix.

Locals’ Cafe is a popular local lunch spot, so we all got a ‘tasty tucker’ and got to know each other better, which was really fun.

Finally, a tasting at Juno Gin finished off our tour on a high note. I don’t really drink much, but I was very excited to learn

about the science behind distilling, how different botanicals help make unique gin profiles, and the ins and outs of how spirits are judged at the Spirits Competition. The delicious samples Jo James shared with us highlighted several gold- medal winning gins that were outstanding.

So, all in all, the lunch, while good, was just one small part of an overall wonderful day filled with interesting and fun activities.

We genuinely enjoyed ourselves and I want to thank Debbie Robertson of Rural Safe for sponsoring this fun day, Debbie White for doing such a great job of organising it, as well as Carol Noakes for being the point of contact and keeping us all on schedule!

Article written by Cassa Grant

Giles Chocolatier

Investigating the distillery

The ladies who lunched

Conference23 highlights

The FCANZ Annual Conference, held on August 2-4 2023 in Taranaki, was once again a great success. Made up of the National Fencing Field Day on the Wednesday; AGM, Feedback Forum and Workshops on the Thursday; and an activities day on the Friday, the event provided something for everyone.

Almost 100 delegates registered for Conference23, and it was a wonderful mix of new and previous attendees, providing unrivalled industry networking opportunities.

A huge thanks to Association partners and sponsors who supported the Conference and exhibited at the NFFD, and to the members who attended and made the Conference the success it was. We look forward to hosting again next year.

Wednesday

The third annual FCANZ National Fencing Field Day was held at the delightful Stratford A&P Showgrounds and featured the largest number of exhibitors yet. Unfortunately, Stratford didn’t put on the greatest weather for the event, with wind, rain and sideways hail making challenging conditions for exhibitors and attendees alike. Fencers and industry suppliers are a hardy lot, however, and we still had great numbers turn out to the event. Between squalls, the day offered plenty of opportunity for attendees to exercise their competitive sides through the hammer

throw, guess the strainer weight, stride competitions, wire tying and battening competitions. The demonstrations put on by Tony White and fencing competitions legend Paul Van Beers were, as usual, well attended and incredibly useful.

Linens, Giles Chocolatier, Kina Art Gallery and Locals Café, finishing at Juno Gin Distillery for a tasting session. Keep an eye out for Conference24 info, as the next Ladies Who Lunch event is likely to sell out fast!

Once again, the Carr Family Foundation’s Rural Health & Wellness caravan attended with mental health advocate Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins. Offering free health and wellness checks, nurse Sarah Tatham saw 25 National Fencing Field Day attendees, of which 48% were referred to see a doctor. Hopefully, those referred have since followed up with their healthcare provider.

While most were battling the weather, eleven lucky ladies opted to attend the Ladies Who Lunch event, which was sponsored by Debbie Robertson from Rural Safe – who potentially regretted her decision to stay at Stratford! A delightful day was spent visiting Bianca Lorenne

The ladies in Bianca Lorenne

National Fencing Field Day attendees brave the rough conditions

Stunning Mount Taranaki photo competition entry from Tracy Tobin

Conference23 Wrap-up

with one lucky newbie winning an FCANZ branded Swazi buffalo cape worth $379. The Board update then provided attendees with an overview of what had been worked on since the last Conference and provided information on areas that would be discussed later in the day during the Feedback Forum. This was closely followed by the Association’s Annual General Meeting.

With no Board election required, the Association said farewell to Board member Max Walton, confirmed Nick Terry, re-elected Phil Cornelius, and welcomed Craig Sinclair.

Executive Committee

Your Fencing Contractors Association NZ Executive Committee for 2023/2024 is:

• Phil Cornelius (President)

• Debbie White (Vice President)

• Shane Beets (Treasurer)

• Donna Upton

• Nick Terry

• Janine Swansson

• Craig Sinclair

Wednesday evening saw the quirky Mike’s Brewery & Bistro buzzing with old friends catching up and new acquaintances being made during our famous Mix & Mingle dinner. Fantastic food, a huge beer selection and great people made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Thursday

Thursday was a full day – the longest in the Conference programme. Recently appointed Executive Director Jaime Bigwood was MC for the day and delivered the welcome to first-time attendees and the first prize giveaway,

Following the AGM, the Member Feedback Forum once again provided a valuable opportunity for members to discuss areas of concern with the Board. As usual, many topics were addressed, including qualifications, managed apprenticeship schemes, how best to

engage with current members, and how to grow the membership. We appreciate the input and comments received from those at the meeting and will be working hard to respond to the items discussed. The theme for Conference23 was Building Better Business, and keynote speaker Stephen Caunter took two interactive workshops looking at Having a Great Team and Creating a Bulletproof Business. As always, Stephen provided some excellent insights and takeaways including “100% of business won’t pay an invoice they haven’t received”. The slides for these workshops, and the FMG Liability Insurance presentation are available in the Members Area of the website.

After a bit of downtime, delegates were welcomed to the Bayonet Happy Hour before heading into dinner, after which followed the annual FCANZ Quiz. Once again, the quiz title was hotly contested –and made more competitive this year with attendees being randomly allocated to each team.

Mix ’n’ Mingle at Mike’s Brewery & Bistro

Rural Health & Wellness caravan

“ The organising team were all blown away when (like last year) an impromptu auction began to raise funds for the Whatever with Wiggy Charitable Trust

Stephen Caunter

Conference23 Wrap-up

The organising team were all blown away when (like last year) an impromptu auction began to raise funds for the Whatever with Wiggy Charitable Trust. After last year’s unexpected auction event, quizmaster supremo Stephen had come along prepared with a gavel and wore the shirt he auctioned last year. It was incredible to see the 2022 fundraising amount smashed, with a massive $16,800 raised this year. Thank you to all those who donated items for auction and those who placed bids.

Friday

After a long day on Thursday delegates were grateful to get out and about around Taranaki. Thankfully the weather was spectacular, and therefore the planned activities were able to proceed unhampered – no freezing hail today! The first group headed off to Actionaki, where the charming Paddy took them through three hours of archery and clay bird shooting activities.

Meanwhile, the other group were doing a tiki-tour of fascinating collections. The first stop was the Hillsborough Holden Museum and luge – complete with a cute train for transport. Next up, they visited Taranaki Aviation Transport and Technology Museum (TATATM) with its huge collection of hands-on exhibits, many of which are still in full working order.

Quiz Night, always a laugh

Actionaki Claybird shooting

Wiggy demonstrating the importance of community in helping someone fight whatever has hold of them

Lining up for the Hillsborough Museum Luge

Conference23 Wrap-up

The crew then headed to the delightful Maketawa Museum. Created by dairy farmer Barry Bishop, the Maketawa John Deere Museum is full of vintage classic John Deere Machinery and collectables. Coming back together for lunch, in the historic Inglewood Hall, delegates enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch from Smok’n Comrades. Craig and the team

delivered more than enough food for our hungry crew and collected up all leftovers to be delivered to those in need by the local charity “On The House”. A short drive up the road took us all to Trundles Automotive’s HUGE workshop, where delegates learned about pimping a 4WD, before heading back to the hotel for some well-deserved downtime.

Friday Happy Hour this year was FCANZ hosted and led nicely into the gala dinner and the inaugural FCANZ Awards night. The intent is that every Friday will be a semi-formal gala dinner and awards night, so make sure you pack your glad rags next year!

A history of chainsaws at TATATM

Maketawa Museum

Fencing Industry Excellence Recognised

Conference23 saw the launch of the inaugural FCANZ Awards, with a very high calibre of nominees for each category. Finalists were selected pre-Conference and winners were determined by a panel of independent assessors, and announced at the Conference Gala Dinner on Friday 4 August.

Emerging Talent

Taylor Barr, from Tawai Fencing in Kimbolton, won the Emerging Talent –Youth Award for under-25-year-olds in the industry, who have shown a commitment to fencing as a career and demonstrated growth and excellence in their workplace.

JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Nominated by their employers, the finalists and winners were determined by a panel of independent assessors based on visual evidence provided and through interviews with finalists.

“ The three finalists are all sterling young candidates who have obviously earned the respect of their employers. We’d all happily employ any one of them. Taylor clearly understands client needs, using the right materials and working within the client budget. He helped in Wairoa post-cyclone and is passionate about what he does both during his workday and in his personal time

Emerging Talent – Youth Award Finalists

Taylor Barr, winner Emerging Talent – Youth Award, with his family

Taylor Barr Custom Fencing, Otago

Sunny Davies Davies Fencing, Bay of Plenty

Murray Graham White Fencing, Auckland

Industry Awards 2023

Conference23 Wrap-up

Trainee of the Year

The Trainee of the Year award recognises a worker who was enrolled in an NZQA National Certificate in Fencing Level 3 course during 2022 and has demonstrated to the tutor that they have

JUDGES’ COMMENTS

excellent knowledge and skills in fence line installation. There were 4 finalists for this award, with Michael Conijn from Custom Fencing in Dunedin taking out the honours.

“ Michael demonstrates exceptional workmanship, shows natural leadership within teams and has no hesitation in sharing his knowledge to help upskill others. His assessments were completed to a high standard, he works well in the team environment, is dedicated and focused, and health & safety minded

Trainee of the Year Finalists

Legacy Award

Long-time fencer, and fencing competitions legend Paul Van Beers was presented with the Legacy Award for his contribution to the fencing industry.

Paul has won the Golden Pliers 13 times (plus another win the year the competition went to Central Districts) and the Fieldays Silver Spades 14 times, including a win alongside his son Jason in 2015. Paul has also won the World Power Fencing Competition in Germany twice. He has fenced in New Zealand, the US and China, demonstrated in New Zealand, the US and Australia, and been a demonstrator at All About Fencing events and FCANZ Best Practice Days.

He is held in very high regard by fencing competitors, has long been seen as the "one to beat", and is an industry example of a high level of workmanship. The farming community are also fans, with farmers heading to the Fieldays specifically to watch "Paul Van Beers".

Paul and his wife Wendy are capable and hard workers, with Wendy working alongside Paul on the fence line. They both contract fenced in Taranaki together, using the industry to create an income and get ahead in buying a station over in Porangahau, Hawke’s Bay, running it themselves and raising a family. Despite being a nonstop hard worker alongside Wendy running their station, Paul has given back to the fencing industry. Paul was instrumental in the formation of New Zealand Fencing Competitions, being a Past Chairperson and currently on the Judges subcommittee. Paul developed the Judges standards booklets, which are used throughout the national, regional, local fencing competitions. He organises the Hawke’s Bay regional competition alongside Shane Bouskill. Paul judges

at a number of regionals and has also helped with the Waipukurau cadet fencing competition.

Paul has mentored younger fencers, including competing with young fencers in regional competitions. Paul demonstrated at the FCANZ National Fencing Field Day and has agreed to be on the FCANZ Rural Fencing subcommittee.

Debbie White, FCANZ Vice President, said in her address, “What makes this Award special is that Paul amplifies the true value of the fencing industry as a profession. FCANZ are honoured to be able to award the Legacy award to Paul.”

Michael Conijn Trainee of the Year with employer Nick Terry

Andrew McCracken Big Dog Fencing

Michael Conijn Custom Fencing

Willy Jenkins White Fencing

Cory Jones Jones Agri

FCANZ President Phil Cornelius presenting the Legacy Award to Paul Van Beers Paul and Wendy Van Beers

Second Hawke’s Bay re-fencing event planned

Following on from the highly successful Hawke’s Bay re-fencing days in May, FCANZ are once again assembling an army of skilled volunteers to help re-fence cyclone-damaged parts of the Hawke’s Bay this spring.

We will look to replicate the May re-fencing days, during which a crew of more than 30 fencers reinstated an impressive five kilometres of essential fencing across six flood-hit farms.

Delivered as part of the Association’s “Help a Mate, Buy a Gate” campaign, the willingness of FCANZ members to assist was obvious, with volunteers for the May event coming from as far away as Geraldine, Motueka and the Far North. FCANZ partners also got behind the event with Power Farming Hastings and Fencepro providing a tractor equipped with a post rammer. Gallagher, Strainrite, Stockade and Waratah Fencing all had staff on-site constructing fences, while Farmlands Hastings provided a cooked breakfast before work began each day.

Phil Cornelius, FCANZ President, said that “Being able to erect this much high-quality rural fencing in only two days definitely relieved some of the stress felt by local landowners. Focusing on essential fencing, such as boundary and roadside fences, allowed us to help make these properties secure, which meant they could be used again for stock. Our partners and members are the ones that have made this happen.”

The Association is continuing to fundraise and will be back in the Hawke’s Bay in spring with a number of skilled volunteers. “The reality is that the scale of damage in the area means it will be some time before permanent fencing work can be started in many areas.” says Phil. “It makes sense that we come back in spring and assist with the reinstatement of essential fencing then.” Those who wish to volunteer on one or both days should email admin@fcanz.org.nz and further information will be circulated once it has been finalised.

The Association is also asking cyclone-affected landowners to supply information about their fencing needs in an online survey. “The survey allows us to understand just how much fencing was damaged in the area. We can then communicate that to industry suppliers to help ensure a robust supply chain” says Phil. To complete the survey or learn more about FCANZ Fencing Days and the “Help a Mate, Buy a Gate” fundraising campaign visit www. fcanz.org.nz

Article written by Jaime Bigwood

In association with the Whatever With Wiggy Charitable Trust

A Cyclone Gabrielle Response

“ It makes sense that we come back in spring and assist with the reinstatement of essential fencing then

Breakfast, coffee and a catch up before starting the day

Geraldine High School students were a key part of the volunteer group

“We will be years getting all the fences together”

Nick and Dan Dinneen farm a 1,600 hectare block near Puketitiri in the Hawke’s Bay. Their block ranges from steep hill country down to some rolling river flats.

When Cyclone Gabrielle rolled through in February 2023, it had devastating effects on their block, and caused damage that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take many years to fix.

The FencePro team caught up with Nick and his two sons (Ralph & Sam) in July 2023 to see how they were getting on.

“We were hit hard in the cyclone. We've lost about 20 kilometers of fencing. A lot of boundary fences just completely wiped out. Track access has been the big problem – getting around the farm, but we've slowly cleared slips with diggers and bulldozers and have made the farm accessible again. Then there's been the patch up with fencing. It's been a lot of fencing too, just to get back to where we were: keeping stock on the farm and internal fencing. We are virtually in one paddock.“

With the ground already being so wet and slippery, once the cyclone started, it was not possible to get out and move stock. Nick explains: “We had just had another wet weekend and then Monday was wet with the cyclone – very heavy rain. So I just went to bed, another normal night and woke up the next morning and everything was flooded and slips everywhere.”

In the aftermath of the cyclone, helicopters were used to deliver groceries, check areas of the farm that were inaccessible and even drop Sam to boarding school.

“ Everything was flooded and slips everywhere

800mm of rain in 8 hours and 20 kilometers of fencing gone

Nick, Ralph & Sam Dinneen on their property near Puketitiri in the Hawke’s Bay

A drone photo shows just how much of the farmland has been effected by slips

Silt and mud everywhere – a very common sight in the Hawke’s Bay throughout 2023

“We were cut off down Potter Road. So, we were isolated for about three weeks.”

In terms of the support that they have received: “We've had an initial $10,000 grant which came very quick, which was a good help. That's certainly helped to open up tracks and get our access back. And then help from the Rural Support Trust and their insurances. We’ve kindly been lent a FencePro rammer to speed the job up and it certainly helped a lot. Thanks to Ben Munford at Power Farming and FencePro. It's been a great, great, generous help.”

“We had the Fijian Army come and help us one Saturday. They spent the day clearing and cleaning up our bridge. It was all covered in silt and sticks and logs. We had the tractor going, grabbing silt and mud and branches – cleaning up all that rubbish off the bridge and so that was a great help. Then we had lambs stuck in bogs and in the silt everywhere. It was a lot of work pulling it all out. And getting out the back, (of the farm) we couldn't get across any tracks. So yeah, it was, it was hard work.”

As of mid-July 2023, Nick and his family are continuing to work away at rebuilding

their property: “We’ve got our access back and we've got, you know, a bit of structure back in our fencing, but we've still got a lot, we will be years getting the all the fences together. It's just a huge cost; materials and labor, so we're trying to do a lot ourselves. But then you’ve still got to run your farm and look after animals as well.”

The FencePro team also caught up with farmer and Fencing Contractor, Sean Kingston. Being based near Otane (Hawke’s Bay) meant Sean was involved in a lot of the cyclone cleanup and repair. He shares this very inspiring story.

“So just after cyclone, it must be about a week or so after. I rung a mate up, up Hastings/Fernhill way and just wanted to see how he’s getting on. Didn’t quite realize how bad his damage was. He thought, oh, yeah, could do with a hand… When I turned up, the guys hadn’t started because they sort of didn’t know where to start. And two weeks on, and they were still sort of walking around. They couldn’t get their mind around the whole job. But as soon as people actually got in and started helping, we sort of came up with a bit of a plan and said: ‘Right, what’s your priority? What do you need to get fixed first? Then we started on those jobs.”

“After that you could see the whole morale change and they get motivated about getting things up and running again. And yeah, they went from doing nothing to putting in bloody big days of fencing and getting it all back up and running again.”

As of July 2023, Sean continues to balance farm work with fencing contracting due to the amount of fencing that needs to be done in the area.

The third and final customer who FencePro caught up with to hear some cyclone stories was Ruaumoko Whakatu. Rua is the owner of X-Man Fencing, and is based in Waimarama (Hawke’s Bay). For 3 months, Rua and the X-Man Fencing crew made the most of one of the loan

FencePro post drivers as they were unable to access their own machines.

“The G2 rammer, FencePro kindly loaned out for three months. I came across that on Facebook through a friend, so as you do – straight on the phone and give them (FencePro) a call. Also, Duncan from Stephenson & Taylor provided us with a trusty old John Deere – probably one of the oldest ones I've seen around for a while. But lucky and fortunate enough for FencePro to provide us with that – it gave a lot of relief to a lot of people around the Hawke's Bay.”

“We live in Waimarama, me and my partner and kids. That very next day, (after the cyclone) of course, we had no power from the night before, so we didn't know what to expect. We just thought, ah, it's going to be bad, didn’t know how bad. But as you do, you just jump in the ute, and went for a look. As we kept getting up the road, it just kept getting worse and worse. We got to the TukiTuki bridge and crossed over that, but we got right around the corner and there was a big river across the road. We’d see cars go past us and come back and you have a yarn to them and they’d say: “nah you ain't getting through there…” but the truste ole Nav (Navara) got us though. I think, for myself, just getting to town to be able to get those supplies and what you need for that time, because we didn't know how long we weren't going to have power.”

Rua and the X-Man Fencing crew continue to work on replacing/rebuilding the hundreds of kilometres of fencing that were destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“ We will be years getting all the fences together

Nick looks out over his block – in the background, more slips and damaged tracks

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Scan QR Code to watch Nick Dinneen’s Video

Sean Kingston works on a fenceline at the FCANZ Hawke’s Bay ‘Working Bee’ in May 2023

Ruaumoko Whakatu with his Ute and one of his Tractor/ Rammer setups

Part of New Zealand’s landscape since 1932, Hurricane is a brand ingrained with quality and innovation. Joining Steel & Tube in 2003, the supply of fencing, farm gates, nails, staples and reinforcing mesh runs through a nationwide distribution network.

Photo: Mark Lambert by Roz Anderson Photography

Fencing support for East Coast in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle

Cyclone Gabrielle hit the East Coast of the North Island in early February 2023. The heavy rain and high winds combined to cause large scale devastation.

The results of this event can be seen from Ruatoria at the northern end of the coast right down the East Coast as far as the Wairarapa.

The region hit the hardest was Hawke’s Bay, with many orchards and rural properties losing everything including houses, farm buildings, livestock, fences and in some cases, people lost their lives. This has been a very difficult time for the rural communities along the East Coast and many people have come together to support each other.

In the weeks and months after the cyclone a lot of communities were cut off with roads closed.

In order to deliver fencing materials to the Hawke’s Bay, PermaPine had to send loaded trucks from Reporoa south through Palmerston North and back

up to the Hawke’s Bay. Funding this additional freight was the least we could do to support the community and our customers. One of PermaPine’s own trucks collected a load of wool from Wairoa and took it up around through the Bay of Plenty and down around the center of the island and up to the Napier wool store. A trip that would typically take 1.5 hours took 17 hours!

The Rapid Relief Team is a charity organisation which has been coordinating donations.

The Rapid Relief Team organised a Farmers Community Connect event in the Hawke’s Bay on Friday 21st July at the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds. Almost 100km of free fencing materials were given away on the day. Close to 300 farmers preregistered for the event. On the day the farmers drove in in utes or with a trailer and they were loaded with one bundle of posts, battens, wire, staples, wire strainers and enough material to do about 300-400 metres of fencing. There was a long line of vehicles running out from the showgrounds but with the help of local

police and business there was minimal disruption to the local community.

As well as receiving fencing materials, farmers could enjoy a sausage sizzle and there were other services available like veterinary services, financial services and mental health services to provide support. This was a really rewarding experience for everyone involved. We all recognize that this has been a tough time for rural people in the region and it was an opportunity to get people away from the farm and just share some time with one another.

The great news is, similar events are planned for Gisborne on Friday 1st September, Wairoa on Wednesday 4th October and then a fourth event in Waipukurau on Friday 6th October.

“

In order to deliver fencing materials to the Hawke’s Bay, PermaPine had to send loaded trucks from Reporoa south through Palmerston North and back up to the Hawke’s Bay.

20,000 posts being delivered for distribution at the Rapid Relief Teams Site, Hawke’s Bay

Any affected farmers can apply on-line and pre-register for the events on the Rapid Relief website www.rrtglobal.org/nz/

PermaPine supplied 20,000 posts towards the Community Connect event in the Hawke’s Bay. Twelve truck and trailer loads were sent down in convoy the day before the event to deliver the posts. PermaPine will also be supplying the posts for the Gisborne and Waipukurau events.

PermaPine are proud to be able to help out the community and wish them all the best on the journey to reinstating their farms, orchards and lives.

Article supplied by:

Rapid Relief Team truck convoy

PermaPine Cyclone Relief Fund delivery

Cyclone Gabrielle rescue response

FCANZ Member and urban fencer Rob Bigwood is the Regional Coordinator for the Manawatu/ Tararua Surf Lifesaving Search & Rescue squad. The team assists with swift water (river) rescues and recoveries as well as supporting in-shore search and rescue activities. This is his story about how Rob and his team were involved in the Cyclone Gabrielle response.

“On the morning of Friday 10th of February this year, Central Region Lifesaving manager Justine Flemming contacted me to advise that the incoming weather event was going to be big, and it was likely that the team would be needed in the coming week.

The team went on standby and by the Sunday the whole country knew that the Cyclone was going to hit hard. By Monday afternoon, following updates from the National Surf SAR Coordinator, the team had moved two boats inland from Himatangi Beach to Palmerston North and were ready to be dispatched wherever needed whether Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Tararua or Manawatu areas.

On Tuesday, the 14th we all awoke to the news of the devastation that had hit the East Coast. At 8am the SAR Squad were put on alert for dispatch to the Hawke's Bay and at 10am the squad received the instruction to deploy – a trip that takes 3 hours in “normal” conditions. By now, the Saddle Road had closed and only the Pahiatua Track was available, a challenge with trailers at the best of times.

11 Senior Lifeguards were in the team dispatched, including five specialist Swiftwater technicians, two Flood Rescue Boat Instructors and an EMT. The convoy of four vehicles and five IRBs assembled in Waipawa, where the first team had completed their initial taskings of a medical and a welfare check. The team then quickly made haste to the Hawke's Bay, aware of the added challenge of no comms with Hawke's Bay surf.

Arriving in Hastings the team were immediately redirected to Pakowhai with a local on-board to give directions through police cordons and around closed roads. We arrived at the Ngaruroro River bridge at about 1730hrs and immediately launched the boat. The conditions on the water were nothing like I had experienced in 29 years of Lifeguarding or Land Search and Rescue. Only 300 metres from the launching point a Kenworth truck was completely covered with water with only the tops of its exhaust showing. We were having to duck under the power lines. Most single-story buildings had only the top ridge of the roof showing.

For the next two or so hours, with nightfall approaching, our SAR Squad worked in challenging conditions to rescue approximately 50 people, many of whom were RSC workers trapped on the rooftops of buildings. We were told to look for hovering helicopters as they would hover over any people they would find. In one hour approximately 190 people were rescued by Surf Lifesaving crews, the Airforce, rescue helicopters and two jet boats.

On the morning after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the Hawke’s Bay, this Kenworth was completely submerged, with only the exhaust stack visible.

The final rescue of the day for the squad was a challenging stretcher recovery through a window to allow a spinal patient to be winched to safety, so when the squad were able to call it a night, having rescued all patients in the area, they were all very grateful for the food and accommodation provided.

With the immediate dangers to life now (mostly over) we spent the following two

days assisting Police and USAR (Urban Search & Rescue) to get to houses so they could check on occupants. This was an exhausting and sad time, and incredibly hard work. We performed a few animal rescues and thankfully we were able to help USAR clear a lot of buildings.

Surf SAR and Flood rescue events are likely to become more frequent and as such the Manawatu/Tararua SAR Squad

would like to acknowledge the families and fellow clubbies who offer never-ending support while deployed. It is this support that allows the squad to do what they do. To the people of Hawke’s Bay we send all the aroha we can muster to you while you rebuild your lives and homes.”

We know you can all do a quality job of tying wire; However, some jobs are suited to a helping hand from a joiner product.

BAYONET FASTLINK FENCING SOLUTIONS

Article written by Jaime Bigwood

Rooftop rescue Avoiding road signs and power lines

Apples forced under the tarseal by the force of the floodwater

Smart fencing from Gallagher halves the time to fix flood damaged infrastructure

As fencing contractors face a huge workload following climatic events across New Zealand, a staple in many fencing tool kits is helping rural communities rebuild and repair fencing infrastructure fast.

Fencing Contractors Association New Zealand President Phil Cornelius says fencing contractors across New Zealand continue to have a huge workload in front of them following the devastation of recent climatic events that have decimated hundreds of kilometres of fencing.

“Following Cyclone Gabrielle and the numerous flooding events this year, farmers are having to reinstate an extensive amount of fencing infrastructure and many of it is in hard to access locations,” says Phil.

“Animal welfare and safety is on the line, so speed is of utmost importance. Many contractors I’ve spoken to could find Gallagher’s insulated line posts to be a solution,” says Phil.

“Some of these sites are helicopter access only. You can carry these posts into hard to access sites where you would never be able to carry a wooden or metal post. They could be very useful in Hawke’s Bay, in particular,” says Phil.

Gallagher Animal Management General Manager New Zealand, Darrell Jones says Gallagher’s Insulated Line Posts don’t require tractors or machinery to install them. Farmers or fencing contractors just need a hand rammer, and the job is done, says Darrell.

“The posts are installed in half the time it would take to fix a wooden or metal post and they can be used on steep and slip prone country to create exclusion zones or reinstate broken fences fast,” says Darrell. “The exact sort of terrain that has been affected most by these storms is the environment we designed them for,” says Darrell.

The Insulated Line Posts have a flexible fibre core making them very strong but allowing them to withstand being hit by further debris caused by floods and slips,

a situation which would see metal posts bend or wooden posts snap.

The Insulated Line Posts also come with a warranty of 10 years, which meant they were more durable than a basic short-term solution to broken fences, says Darrell.

“Whether farmers are wanting to create an exclusion zone around a slip on a deer farm, reinstate fencing for cattle or build additional equine fencing, the insulated line posts can be used to contain animals or create exclusion zones,” says Darrell.

He says Gallagher invented the insulated line posts to become a staple tool in the toolbox of most farmers around New Zealand, but they had recently found a new purpose in helping people rebuild after the storms.

“It’s heartening to see how a simple product is making a big difference to devastated rural communities,” says Darrell.

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The cost of insurance quotes

Like many trades, doing insurance quotes is part of our business, and I can’t for the life of me understand how so many cars fall off the road in the places that they do.

Things have ramped up considerably over recent months, and I’m sure many fencers have been inundated with requests to prepare quotes for insurance companies after each weather bomb that has slammed through, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

I have given up counting how many we have done, be assured, there has been a lot and still they keep coming in.

Going to see the client, measuring up and preparing a quote, and quite often a report for the insurance, comes at a cost.

If you are a fencer that has done a lot of insurance quotes, I challenge you to work out the actual cost of running your vehicle to the site and your whole time spent on working on that quote at your hourly rate. You might be shocked.

Out of all the recent weather-related quotes we have done, our success rate is only around ten percent. And there are a few reasons for such a dismal success rate.

Obviously, it may be that we are too expensive. Insurance companies are looking for the best price, given what they are facing. To counter that, we add a report detailing what we are going to do and why.

We had one that was a paling fence where all the posts had snapped at ground level. The fence itself was ok and not that old. The two other fencers had proposed to cut the fence into panels and screw on to new posts. I said it would be a full replacement and explained my methodology to the insurance company and sent them my significantly more expensive quote through. We won that job.

There was a lot where the fence was already stuffed, and it was quite obvious that the person just wanted a free fence. Insurance assessors are not stupid, so most of those jobs we walked away from, or sent a report through saying that more investigation was required and that we wouldn’t quote it. A total waste of money and time for us.

Then there were the ones that thought they had insurance, got me out there, then delightfully informed me that they may not be insured. I am open to suggestions on what to do with those people.

The next lot were the devious ones. They were the ones that pocketed the cash or rebuilt the fence themselves. They just needed a quote from a fencer to get the money. Not a care in the world about how much it cost us and the wasted time, and no intention to pay for the quote. As insurance companies generally want two or three quotes, that means two or three fencers are out of pocket for nothing. Then we had some that were downright bizarre.

“ Out of all the recent weatherrelated quotes we have done, our success rate is only around ten percent

One that we visited, was a boundary between two farms, an older fence, still in good condition, what was left of it. A 300-metre row of trees had been blown over the fence from one side.

A quote was sent to clean up the trees and reinstate the fence. You would think that would be straight forward, but no. The insurance company of the guy with the trees, came back and wanted the poor neighbour who was not responsible, to pay for half the fence as it is a boundary fence. We sent an email back to the insurance company pointing out that there is no fault from the farmer that didn’t have the trees, so why do they want him to pay half? Last I heard, was the farmer with the trees was still fighting with his insurance company over it. We also had a few requests from insurance companies to pull apart our fixed price quotes. We refused of course. The insurance company is just a client, why would you give away commercially sensitive item pricing so they could knock the next guy down in price?

I understand that we are likely to see more weather destruction, in the future. My advice is to treat insurance as another client. Talk to the assessor.

You are more likely to get the job if you explain what you are proposing in simple language. Some of these repair jobs can be complicated and you will most likely have to try and match up with what was there before. They also want you to tell them how you will future proof the fence from being destroyed again, if you can. We found assessors more than happy to pay a little more for a stronger fence if it

would withstand more extreme weather conditions.

And if the client seems a bit dodgy, ask them if they will pay for the quote and you can credit it back when you do the job. Oh, and if you were wondering, our car verses fence quote success rate is 100%.

Article written by Shane Beets, A1 Fenceworx

Part# BSG401

Responding to the floods

New Zealand has faced its fair share of heavy downpours of rain over extended periods this year. This has led to overflowing rivers and streams, landslips and silt being deposited in many locations.

In particular the North Island’s East Coast through Gisborne & Hawke’s Bay, as well as Northland and most recently South Canterbury have been severely affected. In other parts the ground has remained so wet that many have not been able to reach parts of their farm for several months.

On the North Island’s East Coast, the floodwaters inundated residential areas, farms, businesses, and critical infrastructure, causing extensive destruction and displacing residents. As many towns and cities experienced power outages, road closures, and transportation disruptions, emergency services were stretched to their limits, carrying out rescue operations and providing assistance to individuals and communities.

These floods have had a devastating impact on many in the agricultural sector, damaging infrastructure, houses, and displacing livestock. Crops have been washed away. Farmers and food producers in general have suffered significant losses.

With fences down, Summit Steel & Wire quickly swung into action. In addition to making product donations for those who needed it most, Summit chartered dedicated trucks to transport wire goods and Y Post standards into the regions as quickly and safely as possible. As stock levels quickly diminished, Summit focused its production from its Christchurch factory where it was needed most, by refocusing and increasing its domestic production.

Summit Steel & Wire General Manager Andrew Ross states: “In an effort to provide for the sharp increase in demand, we turned our focus away from our export markets to concentrate on domestic production. This allowed us to maintain a steady flow of product and provide an array of options to support farmers as they attempted to maintain their livelihoods”. One of the immediate issues identified was that there was little that could be done to

repair many fences due to access roads being washed away and farmland being too boggy for all-terrain vehicles. So Summit developed and produced a lightweight 50m long roll of X™Fence® sheep netting, weighing in at only 17kg. This allowed farmers a product which could be carried where accessibility to heavily affected areas was restricted to access by foot.

“I am incredibly proud of the way our team and our freight partners came together for the country. This really was people thinking about people, and we pride ourselves on our people” says Andrew.

Summit had team members manning BBQs in the affected regions to help provide food and a place to chat, production teams putting in extra hours to meet chartered trucks, and dispatch teams working hard to ensure goods were being moved effectively.

Soil erosion continues to be a problem, resulting in slips and fallen trees, leaving land with existing fence lines unusable and occasionally disappearing altogether. The unpredictable changes in terrain means that many farmers are relying on temporary fencing solutions to allow them to adapt and respond as they can.

Understanding this, Summit Steel & Wire invested in additional Y Posts sources from overseas. This has provided assurance for farmers across the country that these are available as needed to replace broken fence posts, build new fence lines, and alongside the flood relief netting build temporary barriers which are lightweight and easy to install.

The floods have highlighted the vulnerability of the country to extreme weather events and the importance of effective disaster preparedness and response. Whilst community groups collaborated to initiate recovery and reconstruction efforts, it also gave Summit the opportunity to contribute and have strategies in place to allocate resources to affected areas in the future. Summit Steel & Wire are a proud NZ manufacturer who are here for the people and the farming community.

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Helping those hit hardest

When Waitoki-based fencer

Colin Hawken saw an email pop up asking for fencers to assist with cyclone repair fencing in the Hawke’s Bay, he didn’t think twice about putting his hand up.

“I just wanted to help out the farmers down there”, Colin says. Colin had travelled to Canterbury after the 2021 floods to help with fencing, so knew how much it meant to farmers to have help arrive when facing the aftermath of a disaster. Colin rang the organiser (Gerard Hickey) immediately, saying “we’re here to help, [I’ll] give you a week – let us know what you want.”

Knowing that there was a huge amount of fencing to be done, Colin put the feelers out in his local fencing community for additional fencers to join the trip. Campbell Caldwell responded, and, regardless of the fact that neither had worked together before, they set off on Easter Monday for five days of fencing in Ōtāne.

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With just their hand tools in the Ute (a tractor and postdriver was provided), the men approached the Taupō-Napier road (SH5) with some apprehension about what they would find. What they found was a large gap. “The road’s just gone”.

Carrying through to the Esk Valley, the pair were stunned. “It was horrendous; silt up to the top of the eves of houses, cars parked on top of fences, crops covered in silt.” At first glance Ōtāne didn’t seem that bad, but on talking to the locals, Colin and Cam discovered that the flats had been under 4-6 metres of water, after the Waipawa river had breached its banks.

Colin and Cam initially worked on the property of Hugh Ritchie, whose Drumpeel Farm in Ōtāne grows sweetcorn, squash, beans and maize and is the largest supplier of carrots for McCains frozen vegetables. It’s estimated that Ritchie lost 150ha – around half – of his summer crop. The farm lost approximately 10km of fencing in the flooding. Repairs and replacements were required urgently to secure stock before approximately 8,000 lambs arrived in spring.

The toll on farmer’s mental and physical health was visible on their arrival.

“Hugh Ritchie was pretty stressed. You could tell by just looking at him, he’d been doing some massive hours,” said Colin. “He was pretty wound up, it was a big relief for us to go in there.”

The men erected 400m of new post and 8 wire fencing and a heap of repairs to the Ritchie property. “They cleared everything in front of us, we just pushed in the posts and strainers and put in the wires for him.”

Colin and Cam also assisted Michael Oliver, who lived an hour from the Ritchie property, in the hills. Michael Oliver was very thankful for the offer of help, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of doing the fencing on his own. Oliver had allowed two days for the job, which ended up only taking Colin and Cam a day, which Oliver was ‘absolutely stoked with’.

Work on Michael Oliver’s property required sheep fence repairs ‘on rock faces’. Initial thoughts from the fencers included “how the hell am I going to stand up on this?” but they managed to get the job done.

Volunteering his time and energy is clearly second nature to Colin. “It felt great to go down and help them”, said Colin. On his return home, Colin has rallied his local fencing community, organising 150 donated silage bales to be delivered to Hawke’s Bay farmers in need. With the bales donated by Colin’s clients and Waitoki locals (Colin himself donating 28 bales) and with loading costs free, Colin has secured sponsorship for the freight costs for two loads of silage, and is in the process of securing a final load.

Article written by Heather Kawan

Drumpeel Farm underwater following Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo credit: Stuff

Colin in the hills

Hugh Ritchie checks out the depth of the silt left behind by the flooding.

Photo credit: Stuff

UK fencing team set historic first

This year history has been made. For the first time in the 55 years that Fieldays® has been running, an overseas team competed in the prestigious Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship.

Mark Evans and Nic Quan, who won the Tornado (similar to our Cyclone) Fencing Competition in July last year, came to New Zealand as part of their prize package, to compete at our National Fieldays® competition. Mark also brought his 13-year-old son, Will, with him.

The lads arrived at Auckland Airport on the Monday of King’s Birthday weekend and duly made their way to the home of their hosts, Nick and Ngaire Liefting, at Bombay. Having never ventured so far, upon arrival they made the comment, “What a long way”, particularly the second flight of 15 hours from Dubai.

Ngaire made them feel welcome, filling them with copious amounts of English Tea (and in Nic’s case, coffee) and some good old Kiwi tucka. Once they had settled in, Nick explained the programme that lay ahead of them.

On Tuesday Mark and Nic went to the NZ Fencing Competitions (NZFC) Fieldays training camp, where Campbell Bryce (Golden Pliers finalist and Nick Liefting’s Silver Spades™ partner) had two of his employees Shay Robinson and Cameron Hamerton practising hard. Shay, this year once again, was a Golden Pliers® finalist and Cameron ended up winning the Best First Year competitor in the Bill Schuler competition.

As far as NZFC was concerned, the big question was tools for these boys. Nick contacted Strainrite and asked for an inventory of tools, which they duly delivered. A massive thank you to Stuart Tyler for orchestrating that. All was returned to the

final.

Of course, they never had the full complement of tools, so a big thanks also to Wayne Newdick for supplying the post hole borer and auger, and Judge Colin Browne

Strainrite site at Fieldays® upon completion of the Silver Spades™

Mark at NZFC’s training camp

Mark Evans and Nic Quan

for supplying the remainder of the tools.

The NZFC training camp sees competitors install only the heats fence and then dismantle it to do again. On the Tuesday, Campbell had arranged for a number of local farmers and contractors to be present, whereby, he introduced Nick Liefting as being one of the Judges and asked Nick to explain how the judging process works.

The practice run is close to the real thing, even incorporating the briefing. Mark and Nic did extremely well and the biggest attribute they had was that they were teachable. The group had a BBQ at Campbell’s place later that day, supplied by, and with much gratitude to, Carters Drury.

That weekend Mark, Will and Nic stayed with Tony and Debbie White in Clevedon. A big thank you to Tony and Debbie for their hospitality.

Monday it was off to Hamilton for the real thing, competing in the Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship. Mark and Nic received automatic entry into the final, which catered for the extra team by introducing seven lines instead of six. While Nick was not able to watch them compete as he was judging the Golden Pliers® heats, he spent as much time as possible with them prior to starting the competition, going through the various aspects of the final, knowing that he couldn’t say a word to them whilst competing.

At prizegiving, Mark and Nic humbly received 7th place, although, had they not blown all their strainer tension points, they could well have picked up a place or two. But that is sport. Whilst on stage they gave a well-received speech.

Mark Evans wrote to Nick after he returned to the UK with the following comments:

Joeline, his wife, and stayed at the local Tikokino pub. He took us round to see their local college, Smedley, which looked like a fantastic hands-on learning facility – the likes of which I don’t think we have over with us (very impressed with this one!) It was raining quite hard at this point and we were heading to Hawke’s Bay, but the roads were closed so we called in on Paul Van Beers and his wife, Wendy. He took us out and gave us a good look around his farm and even managed to do a few small fence repairs along the way after the flooding.

We then called in on Wayne Newdick who showed us his amazing machine with so many modifications it was hard to keep track of them all, that guy obviously has a real passion for engineering and seems to be a massive fountain of knowledge for anything mechanical or made from any type of steel! We also came away from Wayne’s with a purchase of a MATE auger gearbox and hopefully armed with enough knowledge and notes to build a racing borer back home with us, so will keep you posted on this one!

Mark and Nic had two more days of practicing doing two runs each day and were finally operating like a ‘well-oiled machine’.

Nick’s well-planned itinerary gave them a ‘lay day’ in between wherein he arranged for them to visit Future Post in Waiuku; Gallagher Gate and Hardware manufacturing, plus galvanising in Pukekohe; Beams Direct in Tuakau; and Marphona Farms in Mangatawhiri – a 5,000-acre organic dairy farm which produces Green Valley Milk. They were thoroughly impressed by what they saw.

The week after the comp we had quite a tour round, we first went to Rotorua, travelled down and did a factory tour around Strainrite and stayed overnight with Hugh Morrison, who was really hospitable. We then headed down to stay with Jeff and Jeana Joines who were fantastic hosts. Jeff took us to see several jobs, including some massively steep stuff that him and Mark Lambert had done, we had a general tour round of some really gorgeous countryside and even managed to fit in a little deer shooting.

Somewhere between that, we swung in on Mack Rennie and looked around a deer fencing job he’d recently finished. we then made it down to Shane Bouskill and

As for the “experiences” of the trip, it’s very hard to sum it up in just a few words! But we were totally blown away by the

The Silver Spades™ competitor line-up

Mark getting right into it

Nic hard at it

breath-taking beauty of your country! We were lucky enough to get right out into the thick of it with Jeff and really fell in love with the entire way of life. I think on a whole, you guys seem to manage the work life balance a whole lot better than we do back home, and had I made this trip 20 years ago I don’t think I would of got on the plane home. Having grown up in Wales, it was a real taste of home but on steroids! The hospitality we received while we were there, really was second to none – we were made so welcome everywhere we went, from fellow fencers to local storeholders and a few machinery agents that we dropped in on – we are totally besotted with your country.

As for the fencing competition itself, it was everything we were expecting; some really fit guys who are masters of their craft, with

the consistency to produce that level of work across the board. We were hoping for a better result ourselves, but unfortunately made a few small errors which cost us dearly on points, in a field where the competitors don’t seem to make mistakes. The whole competition experience was awe inspiring from start to finish and something we hope to try to implement a little more in some of our comps over here. Just the level of judging was a massive eye opener and the machine testing with pressure is so simple but so instantly telling. If we could take one thing back with us from our comps I think it would be that level of judging which can only help improve our industry as a whole. We would love another opportunity to compete over with you guys having had a small taste of it. Having gone through the process and actually done it, we now feel we’ve learnt a lot about competing at that level, and with a little more time and effort would love to have a more mid-pack finish!

On a personal note, Nick, I would really like to say thank you to both you and your lovely wife Ngaire, for not only for the hospitality that you showed to us when we were with you, but for all the time, effort and energy you put into the industry that I think we all love and thrive on. It doesn’t go un-noticed!

Many thanks, Mark | MJ Evans Fencing Ltd

Gisborne

Hawke’s Bay

Southern Fieldays – Waimumu Friday 16 February 2024

King Country Saturday 10 February 2024

Rural Games Saturday 9 March 2024

Central Districts Friday 15 March 2024

Cambridge Saturday 13 April 2024

National Fieldays 10-14 June 2024

COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2023/24

PRESIDENT: Nigel Higgins

VICE-PRESIDENT: Owen Petersen

SECRETARY/TREASURER: Leanne Stanger

CHIEF JUDGE: Owen Petersen

COMMITTEE

Debbie White, Shane Bouskill, Joelene Bouskill, Wayne Newdick, Paul Van Beers, Nick Liefting, Matt Jones, Mark Lambert, Tim Stafford, Tim

Mike Billinghurst, Cory Twigley

For further details and competition entry forms please ensure your email is on our database by contacting NZFC Admin, Leanne Stanger – office@nzfencingcompetitions.co.nz or 0272009630

Article written by Nick Liefting Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship photos republished with permission from NZ Fencing Competitions.

Photo credit: Roz Anderson Photography

Mark Hunting with Jeff Joines

Marc, son Will, and Nic taking in the scenery

Mystery Creek | Hamilton

Fencing Report

The 2023 Fieldays seemed to roll around a lot quicker than before. No, it is not that I am getting older, maybe it is because we had the last Fieldays less than a month before Christmas. But, hey, wasn’t it good to have everything back to normal, if one can call it that.

NZ Fencing Competitions (NZFC) had our usual Taupō meeting on 15 April, which was a two-fold meeting. One was a Fieldays 2022 debrief, and two, also a Fieldays prelim. So yes, a lot on the agenda and guess what, still had time for lunch!

The relevant entry forms were engineered and sent out on 9 May.

Our full contingent of Sponsors was now also back on board (phew) with a new addition and I would certainly like to thank Tony and Debbie White for their generosity in this area. I am expecting a motion under general business at our meeting about them supplying a Revolution 180 as a prize, LOL.

Sponsor thanks

On behalf of Competitors, Judges, Fieldays and the greater fencing fraternity, we would like to show our ultimate gratitude to these sponsors:

• Wiremark

• Goldpine

• Stockade

• Strainrite

• Stihl

• FCANZ

• Cyclone

• Steel and Tube/Hurricane

• Revolution Post Drivers

Judging team

Our Judging team was also back in full force, albeit with a few minor changes. Our recently-retired Chief Judge Colin Browne was cruising through sunny Europe, although he stated he will be back for the next comps. You’d better be Colin; we need you mate. However, we had a new Judge hailing from the sunny Hawke’s Bay, Shane Tilson. And by all accounts he did a fantastic job. Thank you Shane and we hope to see you here for the long haul.

For the record, our Judging Team is as follows:

• Owen Peterson – Chief Judge (Boss)

• Leanne Stanger – Head Secretary

• Paul Van Beers

• Nigel Higgins

• Craig Shortall

• Nick Liefting

• Warren Herlihy

• Richard Broughton

• Wayne Newdick

• Shane Tilson

Tension Judges:

• Craig Graham

• Campbell Clarke

NZFC Judges

Time Keepers:

• Kim Petersen

• Vanessa Stafford

Hospitality Personnel:

• Joelene Bouskill

• Johnella Condon Orr

• Vanessa Stafford

Entries

Entries started to dribble in but as the 25th May closing date loomed closer, the entries certainly came flying in the door with 25 in the singles and 11 teams in the doubles. Certainly, a far cry from when we used to see 50 entries year after year. Would have been a Judging nightmare don’t you think Owen, although by all accounts, I am sure you would have been at school then.

The set-up

Friday before Fieldays is always the day the marking out and laying out of materials is meticulously carried out by a bunch of volunteers, under Owen’s direction, and I would like to thank them for their willing help. Unfortunately, this year I was unable to be involved as I was taking our English competitors through their training regime.

Us Judges were all called to attention for our Judges Meeting at Fieldays Headquarters (coffee was great, certainly made it worthwhile). On the Sunday afternoon, when our new Judge was introduced, we were all allocated our individual disciplines to judge. It is actually of great benefit to be at this meeting. This year, one of the judges absent got allocated battens, which, for those of you who aren’t familiar with judging, believe me, is the penance of judging. But Paul Van Beers being the man he is, faced it like I knew he would.

Competitors arrival

Monday morning at 7.00am, fencers started arriving from various geographical positions around the North Island (the South Island winning team opted to stay home, possibly waiting for a new engine for the Ferry). Line draw was predetermined, which was seeded on their previous year’s times. We had five first year entrants, which were all lumped together at the far end – sounds a bit discarding doesn’t it!? But believe me guys, you are as important as the rest. We have all been there.

The singles heats were very much uneventful, with the times taken between 1 hr 49 min and 3 hr 25 mins. Wow, I remember a finals time less than that.

The competitors all had time for a lengthy lunch and discussing all the ifs and buts, before getting their gear set for the double’s competition, with Owen firing the starter gun at precisely 1.00pm, followed by the deafening sound of 24 fossil fuelled machines cutting lumber and hauling out earth. You barely had time to say “Cut the Wire” when line numbers were being shouted out. With the times ranging from 1 hour 5 minutes, to 1 hour 24 minutes, to complete two strainer stay assemblies, 9 posts (1 footed) and two wires. Certainly, a credit to these fine athletes.

Tuesday, the heats lines were dismantled and holes filled in, as this was to be car park the next day. On behalf of NZFC, I would like to thank all those involved.

Competition commences

Wednesday morning loomed very cold with a welcoming, minus one degree frost, with the gates opening at precisely 8.00am and the first of 105,000 people arriving for four days of hunting out deals, kicking tyres, and basically being gob smacked at the largest Agricultural

Show in the Southern Hemisphere, with in excess of 1,000 exhibitors.

This day was a lay day for Monday’s top qualifiers, and what was in action today was the Bill Schuler consolation event. This event is open to the next six qualifiers who have never made the Golden Pliers® final. It is named after the late Bill Schuler who a lot would recognise as the “Father of Fencing”, with much of what he implemented being visible today.

Competitors were required to construct 40m of three wire electrics, complete with a bungy gate. A new champion emerged out of the woodwork, with Bernard Condon being the man. Bernard is Tony Bouskill’s brother-in-law, so no doubt has had some very valuable tuition.

Silver Staples

Whilst this event was under way, we also had the Silver Staples event fire into action. This event is eligible only for those who are enrolled in a training institute and must be under 21 years of age. It is a two-person event, with seven teams, and we had two competitors of the fairer gender enter (great to see). Competitors must construct 40m of three wire electric and a bungy gate, all without the use of fossil fuelled equipment. Certainly, nice and quiet. One team was from Geraldine High School in the heart of the mainland, who came with a van full of supporters, including their Mum/teacher. Anything for a week off school! I gave these boys a bit of coaching at Hawke’s Bay, doing flood repairs, which paid off, as they came in fourth – full marks to them. The event was won by Pukemiro, with Smedley not even three points behind.

Endurance athletes

Thursday morning comes quick enough for eight carbo-loaded, muscle flexing, good looking (oops, did I say that out loud) rural athletes ready to face five + hours of physical and mental torture. At break of dawn, you see them meticulously laying out their gear, every item has its place. Just by looking at their gear, you can see that they deserved to be where they were. Augers and spades oiled, chisels that sharp you could shave with them, chainsaw chains sparkling. Due to this being an endurance event, competitors are responsible for their own hydration, etc. It is amusing what these boys bring with them. I swear some must have robbed the corner dairy.

Jeff Joines, second place Golden Pliers®

Shane Bouskill, second place Silver Spades™, (with son Tony)

Jared Nicholson

Owen fired the starters pistol at 8.30am and away they went, eager to warm up and settle into their individual systems, which I must add, is always interesting to observe. Wire running/dispensing is interesting, as most run two from one dispenser, around a pulley.

Now, I’ll let you all in on a secret. Shane B, yes you know, Tony’s dad, he had two dispensers and was running four wires at once! You might think, hey, that’s clever, and he probably thinks that too, but the real reason? He is the only Grandpa in the field and wants to reduce the walks, you know it gets a bit harder with a 5 in front.

Craig Wiggins (Wiggy), in conjunction with Craig Graham, kept the spectators fully informed on whose who and what they were doing. Good entertainment.

Tony Bouskill hit the chequered flag and received the “Nick Liefting First off the Line” trophy with spending money. Tim Stafford trailed by only 2.5 minutes. With a 6.5-hour time limit, only one competitor was disqualified, finishing three minutes over time. Tony Bouskill took out the coveted Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles Championship trophy for the fifth consecutive year.

They all enjoyed a hearty meal at the WIREMARK® hospitality marquee which is manned, or should I say, womaned by Joelene and Johnella, with Vanessa also helping out. A big thank you to you ladies.

Silver Spades

Friday is the last day of competitions, with the Silver Spades™ doubles event. The event requires teams to install 40m of netting fence, complete with angle, outrigger wire and steel gate. Half the competitors competed the day before, so there were some weary lads.

Jared Nicholson and Bernard Condon surprised everyone, to call time at just a minute over three hours, with the rest of the pack dribbling in within the next

30 minutes. The event was won by Jeff Joines and Mark Lambert, who, as part of their prize package, head to England next July to compete at the Tornado Competition. This global competition relationship has been a few years in ‘the melting pot’, and it was satisfying to see it all has finally come to fruition.

All in all, another successful Fieldays, with excellent weather. A huge thank you to all those involved.

Article written by Nick Liefting Fieldays® Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles Championship and Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship photos republished with permission from NZ Fencing Competitions.

Photo credit: Roz Anderson Photography

Jeff Joines, second place Golden Pliers

Tony Bouskill, winner Golden Pliers®

Jeff Joines and Mark Lambert, winners Silver Spades™

Mark Lambert

Bernard Condon, Bill Schuler champion

Quinn Steel & Renee Garrett of Pukemiro Station, Silver Staples winners 2023

Troy Brooky, second place Bill Schuler

Shay Robertson

How to: Sliding Gates

What type of wheels should I use?

The two main considerations when choosing a gate wheel are clearance and capacity. Larger diameter wheels roll better across a bumpy track and double bearings give them a higher load capacity.

• Undergate Wheels are easy to fit but often have too much clearance. And if the bolts fall out the wheels will fall off. ALWAYS use loctite on the bolts.

• Rebate wheels are far more secure as they sit inside the gate frame and the weight of the gate keeps them in place.

• Low Profile Rebate Wheels look great on an architecturally styled residential gate. But more than 20mm of camber in the driveway will leave your gate scraping on the ground.

• High Clearance Rebate Wheels allow for up to 50mm of driveway camber and are an excellent option for commercial or residential gates being

more secure than undergate wheels while still having plenty of clearance.

• Four wheels on a gate doesn’t double their capacity. Unless the driveway is dead level then only two wheels will be carrying the load while the other two are slightly off the ground at all times.

• High Clearance Double Rebate Wheels feature a pivoting rocker plate that distributes the load evenly across both wheels. They have high capacity, are very secure and have good clearance. We recommend them for all long industrial gates.

Guide Systems

Choice of guide system depends on whether the gate has a flat top, if it is raked, the speed of the automation and whether the pickets protrude from the front of the frame. All guide systems should be designed so that the gate can never fall over – even if the rollers come loose.

• Bearing Rollers should be used for high-speed automated gates. Standard rollers tend to have too much friction and end up dragging and marking the gate. O-Ring Rollers grip the gate and reduce rub marks. A must have if you are concerned with the paint job!

• Angle Guides welded to the back of the gate allow it to be guided from one side. It the gate has a curved top or pickets that protrude from the front then an angle guide will be needed.

• Truglide Blocks are a very tidy way to guide a residential aluminium gate –especially on sloping ground. They need an angle guide on the back of the gate and move up and down a channel guide. Do not use them with galvanised gates – they will be torn up very quickly.

• Rub Strips are a super simple way to guide a small residential gate.

Safety

The safety aspect of gate installs is crucial when it comes to installing gate wheels and gate rollers correctly, maintaining gate stability, smooth operation, and enhanced user safety. Choosing the correct gate wheels and rollers that match the gate’s weight and dimensions is crucial to ensure optimal performance and prevention of accidents. Incorrect installation or using the wrong products can compromise gate functionality, leading to potential hazards or even serious injuries. By prioritising proper installation and utilising appropriate gate wheels and rollers, you can significantly enhance gate safety and enjoy long-lasting, trouble-free operation.

If you need more advice on what wheels and guide system to use for your sliding gate setup then give Edgesmith a call on 09 427 4290 or refer to edgesmith.co.nz

Article supplied by:

Lynx Bearing_Roller with O-Ring

High Clearance Rebate Wheel

Guide Bracket with Rollers

Double Rebate Wheel

NorthTec | Te Pūkenga Student Profile

Andrew McCracken has been fencing since he was young and currently runs his own fencing company in Wellington, Big Dog Fencing. But that didn’t stop him from enrolling not only himself but also the two men working for him on the NZ Certificate in Fencing (Level 3) at NorthTec | Te Pūkenga.

“My main aim for doing the course was to get certified,” Andrew explains. “There’s a lot of government work available in Wellington and to put in a tender for it you need to be certified. I started fencing when I left school and I know how to do it all, but I never got the qualification.”

Despite already knowing how to fence, Andrew and his workers all got something out of the course.

“It was definitely a worthwhile thing to do. It’s like any industry, there’s always change. There might be a better way to do something for one reason or another, because products change or technology changes. So, I think it’s important to keep up with that and stay relevant. It was a great course in that aspect.”

“The two guys working for me are young and, like a lot of labourers their age, they

never finished school or got NCEA. They did find some of the written aspects of the course hard, but they got through it and are really proud of themselves. It’s something no one can take away from them, they will always have that qualification to fall back on and prove they can do the job whether they are working for me or not.”

Andrew has since enrolled in the Certificate in Fencing (Level 4), a course specifically designed for those running their own business or wanting to start their own business.

“It’s a much more technical course and will go into the yard design and business management side. It’s all online or in-work study, so it will be much easier to fit into my life as well. I’m looking forward to it.”

https://www.northtec.ac.nz/ programmes/new-zealand-certificatein-fencing-level-3

“ It was definitely a worthwhile thing to do. It’s like any industry, there’s always change

Name Andrew McCracken

Name Andrew McCracken

A COMBO FOR YOUR COMBO!

Purchase a staple combo kit alongside your

RURAL CORDLESS COMBO

Includes:

1x Cordless 3.15mm Fence Batten Stapler

1x Cordless 4.00mm Post Stapler

REORDER CODE: NAC-RCP

RURAL STAPLE COMBO KIT

Includes:

2x 33x3.15mm Ribbed Fence Batten Staples 1500 + Fuel Packs

1x 50x4.00mm Ribbed Post Staples 800 + Fuel Packs

REORDER CODE: FS-RSCK

How to: Gravity Retaining Walls

In our sixth instalment of our retaining walls feature, Nick Liefting continues to take us through the complexities of Gravity Walls.

Gabion Wall

The word Gabion, is derived from the Italian word gabbione, meaning big cage, also Italian gabbia and Latin cavea, meaning cage. It is precisely that, a basket or container filled with earth, stones, or other material and used for the purpose of holding back earth of different levels.

The Gabion wall is the oldest retaining system known to man, as they were used to protect the banks of the Nile River in ancient Egypt over 7000 years ago, and they’re still used today by Civil Engineers all around the world as an incredibly effective and efficient retaining wall. In the Middle Ages, gabions were used as military forts. In earlier history, Civil Engineers have extensively used gabions for stabilisation of banks, coasts, highways and erosion control of slopes.

Early gabions were round cages with open tops and bottoms, made from wickerwork and filled with earth. Obviously, gabion walls were a popular form of construction prior to the advent of the machinery we have today. i.e., excavators, drilling and piling rigs. The only resource available then, was manpower.

Today gabions are constructed using either woven wire or welded mesh baskets.

Application

Gabions are generally used:

• Where there is difficulty drilling or driving piles

• For coastal protection

• Where height is required, i.e. beyond what a cantilever wall can do

Types of baskets

There are two main types of baskets:

1 The first is a hexagonal woven mesh which comes either galvanised or galmac, which is galvanised and PVC

coated. They come in sizes; 2.0 x 1.0 x 1.0 and 1.0 x 1.0 x 1.0.

2. The other is a galvanised welded mesh with a 75mm aperture

Foundation

Because there is a high loading on the ground, particularly when the wall is increased in height, a secure foundation must be installed.

The two types are:

1. 150mm thick compacted hard-fill or

2. 150mm thick concrete with two layers of reinforcing mesh

A 1.0m high wall exerts 1.60 Tonne per square metre onto the foundation.

The foundation is excavated to a depth so that the base of the basket will be approximately 100mm below finished ground level.

The width of the foundation is two-thirds of the wall height, e.g. if the wall is 3.0m high, the base basket is 2.0m wide; 6.0m high,

4.0m wide. Also, allow 200mm at the front and back of the basket – this helps when aligning the baskets and provides a place for the drain-coil to sit.

Gabion walls can and are often used where the ground conditions are soft, where drilled holes either collapse or fill up with water, and with driven poles the ground is not strong enough to cater for the horizontal forces applied. To give the gabion foundation extra founding

Gabion Wall in Morocco

3m wall diagram

strength, piles can be driven and the concrete foundation constructed on top. It is advisable to have this designed by an Engineer.

Wall construction

The baskets come as a ‘flat pack’ and need to be opened up and corners tied together. Gabion tie wire is supplied, however, when doing large amounts, the supplier can hire to you a pneumatic clipping gun which applies a 40mm type ‘hog ring’, and it is certainly a lot faster. The welded mesh baskets come with a wire spiral, which are turned onto each corner, a simple and effective system. When placing the baskets on the foundation, and the height is also obviously predetermined, therefore the base basket width is known.

If wider than 1.0m, place the base baskets crossways, which is necessary for the integral construction strength. Also, when baskets are placed, apply ties to tie them together.

Rocks

The infill rocks are classed at quarries as gabion rock, which are generally 100mm to 150mm, and most quarries stock this product. It is important not to have too many small rocks among the product.

The baskets each have 1.0m x 1.0m cells and prior to rocks being loaded in each cell, cross wires are attached with four in each cell, two at a third of the way up and two at two thirds up. These are to stop the baskets from bulging.

When the rock is loaded into the baskets, care must be taken not to drop from too high, and must only be trickled in a bit at a time. Once a small amount is in the basket, it is all then hand placed with larger rocks to the face and smaller rocks filling cavities. Too many people think you just fill the basket up using an excavator. It is a very mundane and labour-intensive job.

Once the basket is full, the lid is tied on and the top of the baskets tied together, with the next layer of baskets tied on and the process repeated again.

It is important to keep the baskets face as square and flat as possible, even though it is a basket full of rocks and it will never be an oil painting; we need to make it presentable. There have been other ways of giving a better presentation, by using smooth river stones, or behind the front mesh of the basket, placing paving slabs. With back filling, drainage metal is very seldom used as the baskets themselves are free draining, however, it is common to place filter cloth behind to stop silt infiltration into and through the baskets.

Segmental Wall

Segmental retaining walls are modular block retaining walls used for vertical change applications.

The two most common products used for this type of wall are:

1. Keystone Block and

2. Allan Block

The only major difference between these two blocks is their individual locking system.

The keystone block connects with two fibreglass pins in each block, whereas, the Allan block is placed up against a vertical lip on the front of the lower block. Both blocks have a slightly different face width. Allan block at 435mm and Keystone at 455mm, and have a similar height of 200mm. They also both have corner blocks and capping blocks with the latter being 100mm high plus a huge range of face textures and colours.

Construction

Footings are an integral and very important aspect of the construction of a segmental wall. I say this because:

• Footings need to be exact in level and to have a smooth surface without any undulations.

• Steps to be exact to 200mm.

• Any unevenness will be evident in each course of blocks laid, therefore, the time spent on the footing finish is paramount.

• Believe you me, the extra time spent on this certainly speeds up the placing of blocks

Welded Gabion Basket

“ It is important to keep the baskets face as square and flat as possible, even though it is a basket full of rocks and it will never be an oil painting; we need to make it presentable

“ With back filling, drainage metal is very seldom used as the baskets themselves are free draining

The depth of the top of the footing needs to be approximately 100mm below finished ground level at the front of the wall at the lowest point.

There are two main types of footing:

1. Compacted hard fill

2. Concrete

I prefer the latter. Footing depth is 150mm with compacted Gap 40 or Gap 20 and finishing off with a Gap 7 levelling course. The width is generally 600mm. It is best to use boxing on each side of the footing and lasering it to the exact level using plenty of pegs. If there is any soft or unsuitable areas, these must be removed and filled with well compacted hardfill. Being a mass gravity wall, there is in excess of 400kg per lineal metre of wall for every 1.0m in height. I prefer a concrete footing and this is achieved by 100mm compacted hard fill with a 50mm layer of concrete on top.

Placing blocks

The principles for laying both types of blocks are much the same, be it quite a physical and you could call it, ‘back breaking’ work with blocks weighing around 34kg each and it doesn’t really work with two people lifting a block.

With the bottom course, it needs to be positioned so that it is where it should be in relation to boundary pegs, etc. There is room for movement with a 600mm wide footing. The best place for a string line is across the back of the blocks, as the face is often textured and not straight.

Once each course is placed, the voids need to be filled with a drainage aggregate. If up against an excavated face, drain-coil is placed at the base of the wall and drainage aggregate brought up behind the blocks as the wall increases in height. At the top, a capping block is glued down, but for the glue to work, the blocks must be dry.

With curves, which do look very appealing, blocks need to be carefully cut with a diamond blade saw to create smooth joins.

Tie backs

Segmental walls can only be constructed to a height of 900mm standing on their own. Beyond that height, a tie back system is required, by means of Tensar Geogrid placed between the blocks running horizontally behind the wall. Depending on wall height, these can be placed on every second course and

increased in spacing further up the wall, and can be up to 10m behind the wall. The benefit with a segmental wall, you could say the ‘sky is the limit’. We have done one at 10.0m high.

The backfill material is either compacted clay, or what is more popular, is hard fill.

In the case with geogrids, a vertical drainage blanket is placed behind the grids with the base drain-coil having connecting lines to the base drain-coil directly behind the wall.

Walls of this complexity are always best to be designed by an Engineer, as they also require a building consent.

I will say here, you can never over drainage a retaining wall! The cost is a very small percentage of the total wall cost.

Article provided by: Nick Liefting Nick Liefting Contractors Ltd nlcontractors.co.nz

Keystone block

Incident & injury reporting and investigation

How awesome was the FCANZ Conference? A winter blast followed by several fine days of discussion and other activities, organised by a great team of people looking to grow and understand its place in the fencing industry.

Well done to the people at the sharp end of organising this event, ensuring we all have the opportunity to make new connections and learn and grow – not just our business, but ourselves. Remember all to bring one extra person next year to grow the membership base – how amazing would that be, team?

How prepared are you for a serious harm notification?

On the safety front, Rural Safe have had a few months of investigations into serious harm injuries that have taken time and a toll on the business entities involved. We have been successful in supporting the injured employees of several very serious incidents, and the business owners in the WorkSafe investigations that have followed.

The responsibility the business owners have shown through active health and safety recording, training, and assurance in care of their people has been of great assistance in the process. It doesn’t lessen the impact of the life changing injury for the employee, but the investigation to ensure that the business had done what was reasonably practicable to ensure safety within the business is important in this type of situation.

The incidents have highlighted a need for people to understand what injuries needs notification and how business owners would manage the following investigation that occurs.

Not only does a serious incident or accident in your business change how you look at the business operation, it

should also make you question how you would evidence to the regulator that you have the best health and safety management in place.

Looking at your process for investigation is the first plan. Ensuring you follow a process makes sure that you and your team can be assured of gathering the information required.

Snapped Grinder Blade injury

NEAR MISS

Complete the Incident Form

Action to prevent further incident

Inform staff

INJURY OR ACCIDENT

Ensure the safety of others and provide first aid as required

Complete the Incident/Injury Form

Investigate to find cause

SERIOUS HARM

Ensure the safety of others and provide first aid as required

Call emergency services as required

FATALITY

If there has been a death, call WorkSafe NZ immediately. Call 0800 030 040 (24/7)

Ensure the safety of others and provide first aid as required

Monitor and review

What guidelines do you follow?

Guidelines for reporting and notification of events, injury, illness, incidents and follow-up investigations:

• All injuries, incidents and near misses will be notified to the manager or supervisor as soon as possible.

Take action to prevent future occurences

Update Risk Register

Train / advise staff regarding improved or new control

Monitor and review

Do not disturb the injury site

Notify WorkSafe NZ immediately

Complete Serious Harm Form and send to WorkSafe NZ within 48 hours

Complete Injury/Incident Form

Complete Investigation Form and send to WorkSafe NZ

• All injuries/incidents are to be recorded in the Injury/Incident Register

• All near misses must be reported. These near-miss reports will help to identify any trends that may be developing. If needed, new procedures can be developed to avoid reoccurrence.

• All serious accidents that result in death, injury, or illness or and serious incident to any person working on our property will be reported directly to WorkSafe NZ as soon as possible. Ensure the scene of the accident is not disturbed unless to save persons from further harm. The scene will remain frozen until all clear is given by WorkSafe NZ.

• A “Notice or Record of Injury/Serious Harm” form is to be forwarded to the nearest WorkSafe NZ office within 48 hours, if requested by them. A complete investigation will be also required to be undertaken to find the underlying causes of the accident.

• Inform all employees/contractors of the outcomes of the injury/incident investigation i.e., new hazards and their controls.

• All contractors working within the business will report all injuries/incidents to management as soon as possible so we can ensure further harm is avoided.

An accident: an event which causes any person to be harmed or might have caused a person to be harmed.

Harm: means illness, injury, or both; and includes physical or mental harm caused by work-related stress.

Hazard/Risk: means an activity, arrangement, circumstance, event, occurrence, phenomenon, process, situation, or substance (whether arising or caused within or outside a place of work) that is an actual or potential cause or source of harm and includes:

• A situation where a person’s behaviour may be the actual or potential cause or source of harm to the person or another person; and

• Without limitation, a situation described in sub-paragraph (1) resulting from physical or mental fatigue, drugs, alcohol, traumatic shock, or another temporary condition that affects a person’s behaviour.

If it has the potential to cause harm to someone then it is a hazard/risk.

Near Hit / Near Miss: referred to as an Incident under the HSWA 2015. Any event that is close enough to give you a scare and could have caused serious injury if circumstances had been slightly different. Notifiable events: where a person has received a serious harm / notifiable event

Call emergency services as required

The work set-up should not be changed

Any plant, substances or other things involved in the event should stay where they are

Work that could interfere with the scene of the event should stop

No alterations should be made to the plant, vehicles, or structures involved.

Complete Investigation with WorkSafe NZ

injury, or a serious incident has occurred where there is a high potential to have caused serious harm / notifiable event.

Notifiable events are categorized as Injuries, Illness and Incidents (serious near misses). These events are listed below:

Notifiable injury or illness

Means

a) Any injury requires the person to have immediate treatment.

- As an inpatient; or

- For any of the following reasons:

• Any amputation of any part of the body, or

• A serious head injury, or

• A serious eye injury, or

• A serious burn, or

• The separation of the skin from an underlying tissue (such as degloving or scalping), or

• Spinal injury, or

• The loss of a bodily function, or serious laceration,

b) An injury or illness that requires the person to be admitted to hospital for immediate treatment.

c) An injury or illness requiring the person to have medical treatment within 48 hours of the exposure to a substance.

d) Any infection to which the carrying out of work is a significant factor, including any infection that is attributable to carrying out work:

• With micro-organisms, or

• Involves providing treatment or care to a person, or

• Involves contact with human blood or bodily substances, or

• Involves handling or contact with animals, animal hides, skins, wool or hair carcasses or animal waste products, or

• Involves the handling or contact with fish or marine mammals.

e) The following zoonosis conditions involved with contact or handling of animal’s hides, skins, wool or hair, carcasses, or animal waste:

• Leptospirosis

• Anthrax

• Brucellosis

• Psittacosis (from parrots)

• Seasonal Influenza of animal or avian flu

f) Or any other injury or illness as prescribed by regulations.

Notifiable incident

Means an incident in relation to a workplace that exposes the worker or any other person to a serious risk to that person’s health or safety arising from immediate or imminent exposure to:

• An uncontrolled escape, spillage, or leakage of a substance,

• An uncontrolled escape of gas or steam,

• An uncontrolled escape of pressurised substance,

• An uncontrolled implosion, explosion, or fire,

• An electric shock,

• A fall or release from height of any plant, substance, or thing,

• The collapse, overturn, failure, or malfunction of, or damage to and plant that is required to be authorised by regulations,

• The collapse or failure of an excavation or any support shoring of an excavation,

• The collapse or partial collapse of a structure,

• The interruption of the main system of ventilation in an underground excavation or tunnel,

• The inrush of water, mud, or gas, in workings in an underground excavation or tunnel,

• A collision between two vessels, a vessel capsizes, or inrush of water into a vessel.

Includes any other incident declared by regulations to be notifiable incident for the purposes of this section; but does not include an incident declared by regulations not to be an incident, or not to be notifiable.

Documentation you will need to supply to the regulator

Key to any investigation is the documentation that supports you have undertaken steps to ensure a healthy and safe business to operate in.

• A commitment from the business owner to Health and Safety in the workplace

• Evidence to show engagement, duty of care and due diligence in the business for health, safety and wellbeing.

• Training in the operation and equipment that will be used for the job. Ongoing competency to operate.

• Management of the known risks and hazard identification with good controls in place reviewed regularly.

• Prestart and toolbox discussions about what’s happening today, how we can be safe.

• Management of hazardous substances and how to use these safely.

• Emergency planning – how do we get help, where are we, first aid, fire be prepared who is the first aider?

• Accident and incident management and reporting of the event, review of the process and what can change to make it safer.

• Plant and machinery maintenance register

• Management of visitors, contractors, to your worksite

• Reviews of the operation and changes made if required.

Ensuring you have support along the way is valuable and as a team you need to talk and listen to what each person in your business has to say about safety.

A STOP. THINK. DO. MOMENT is all it takes to change the outcome of a life in some situations. Speaking up about unsafe actions or situations should be welcomed and working together is the best solution to change the safety culture of your business. The conversation with a family who has lost or had an injured loved one from an incident at your workplace is not a place you want to be.

Check into WorkSafe for guidelines or call your consultant for information to help you understand your responsibilities as a business in every changing Health and Safety world.

She’ll be right is not always right.

‘The standard you walk past in safety, is the standard you set.’ Take care out there team.

Deb and RuralSafe team

www.ruralsafe.co.nz

The aftermath of a chainsaw accident

When is enough, enough?

How do you handle that difficult team member that isn’t performing? At what point do you say enough is enough?

The employee who gives pushback every time you correct them, the complaints about that person not pulling their weight, mistakes combined with that “I don’t really care” attitude. It can feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall. They take a lot of time and energy to manage. When their name is mentioned, it triggers you into reaction mode, bracing for the next problem that could be coming your way.

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll likely have had someone like this at some point. Pareto’s Law would say that if you had 10 employees, there is at least one who is exceptional and one that is difficult to manage. I’ve seen this many times with the thousands of business owners I’ve coached.

Some of the strategies that have worked best with my clients that could also work for you. But keep in mind I am coming from a business coach perspective. So

make sure that you check with your HR specialist about the legal aspects which aren’t covered here.

The Litmus test

Remember in science class, you learned how to use litmus paper to tell if a liquid is acid, neutral or alkaline? When litmus paper is dipped into the liquid it changes colour, then you check the colour against the chart to determine if its acid, neutral or alkaline. Red is acidic, green is neutral and purple is alkaline.

Let’s apply the litmus test to your team member to see what effect they’re having.

1. The Team

How is the behaviour of this person affecting the rest of the team? Is the team getting frustrated and discouraged, are they feeling demotivated, or is there any bullying involved? Is the overall performance of the team being affected?

2. The Business

Is this person’s performance affecting how long jobs are taking, or causing too many mistakes at extra cost? Is their

“ Have you set the right structure in place including written checklists, best practices and training so your team members have the opportunity to succeed?

behaviour spilling over and affecting your clients or your professionalism as a business?

3. You

Are you constantly putting out fires caused by this team member, or every time you hear their name it triggers you into anxiety around what could go wrong next?

I worked with a husband/wife couple in an engineering business with a team of around ten, who had an employee who was their most knowledgeable team member. But his attitude was terrible, it was so bad that the wife admitted to me one day that she didn’t even like going into the office in case she might see him.

But they both felt powerless, worried about losing him with all the work they had on, and they didn’t think they could replace him at that higher skill level. This guy knew it which made things even worse.

After a few weeks of us working together I encouraged them to take control back. So they started calling the shots again. He was given the opportunity to change his attitude or move on. He decided to move on.

It only took a couple of months to find a good replacement, while the rest of the team stepped up to another gear. They had their business back and enjoyed coming to work again, also the rest of the team was much happier.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

If you have a problem team member it’s important to take a look in the mirror. Good coaches know that the business is a reflection of the business owner. Your strengths, weaknesses, success and mistakes reflect in your business. The more you work on yourself, the better your business will perform.

1. Did things go wrong at the hiring stage or has this developed over time?

Only by looking back can we see what really happened. It’s important to learn from any mistakes you might have made so you don’t have to repeat them.

2. Do you have a good hiring process in place that takes into account attitude not just skills?

Have you set the right structure in place including written checklists, best practices and training so your team members have the opportunity to succeed? Notice I said opportunity – they still have to do their part.

3. Are you giving each team member regular feedback, do they know if they are winning or losing?

When we help clients put these systems in place the culture improves and the team takes on more responsibility as the standards are much clearer.

4. Do you know everyone on your team well, like the names of their partner/ children and what’s most important to them outside work?

Business owners and managers who show their team that they really care, have better team culture with employees who are more likely to step up when needed. Also, their best employees usually stay longer.

What’s changed?

When you first employed that team member there must have been some traits and skills you liked. If they were a good performer initially then what changed? Did you recognise the early red flags?

Maybe something major is happening at home, their marriage might be in trouble, or a family member is dealing with a health crisis. They could be clashing with another team member or if could simply be the wrong job for them.

It’s important to find out early what your team members can and can’t do. Don’t assume, especially in the 90-day trial period.

My drainage client recently discovered some large mistakes on jobs from his foreman that cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. When questioning him and his team this confirmed suspicions that he was not leading the team well and they were getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of direction. After some further training it became clear that this guy was not foreman material, he was in the wrong role. They are now looking at other options for him. If this was done earlier it would have saved a lot of frustration, time and money.

I know I need to do something, but where to start?

One tool we use with clients that works well is our review process. It’s a great way to talk about the elephant in the room without the awkwardness.

By the end of this process it’s really clear to both of you if they are meeting the standard and a track of what to do next.

My building client had a foreman who wasn’t leading the team well and pushing back at any constructive feedback. My client didn’t like confrontation so he let these things slide a bit too long.

Once we implemented the review process, the line was very clear on what was not acceptable anymore. The foreman stayed for a short couple of months then left. They discovered some significant mistakes which cost them a few weeks to fix, but at least they could get back on track.

It’s your move

If you have a difficult team member, they will be costing you a lot more than their salary. Moving forward there are basically two choices, carry on as you are and hope things get better (which is unlikely), or you can start being proactive and dealing with the issues.

If you challenge them now, they have a chance to become better. Alternatively, if they are in the wrong place, you are not doing them or you any favours by leaving them there.

Whatever happens next is up to you but being proactive always gives you better options.

Need

Daniel Fitzpatrick

“ It’s important to find out early what your team members can and can’t do. Don’t assume, especially in the 90-day trial period

“ Business owners and managers who show their team that they really care, have better team culture with employees who are more likely to step up when needed

You’re not always fencing to keep stock in

It’s great to have had fencing in the news again recently, as construction has started on the $1.4m wallaby exclusion fence that will become the latest tool in the war on wallabies in South Canterbury.

The 48km fence will follow the western border of Canterbury’s wallaby containment area, along the Tekapo River system from Lake Benmore through to Lake Tekapo.

“Over the past 10 years, wallabies have been spreading out of the containment zone and into the Mackenzie Basin and we can’t afford to let them spread and establish further,” Canterbury Regional Council wallaby programme leader Brent Glentworth said.

He went on to say “We’ve seen a significant increase in wallaby reports and numbers destroyed in the area. Alongside other control methods, the fence will be crucial for securing containment and reducing further spread”.

The wallaby exclusion fence will be constructed using the Waratah JiO® post system, including steel stays and strainers. With a finished height of 1.3m the fence incorporates purpose-built Waratah wallaby netting with an apron and uses a mixture of JiO MaxY® and JiO Star® line posts. The fence is also layered with Longlife Blue® rabbit netting. This fence design has been developed and extensively used in Australia for the control of Bennett’s Wallaby.

The Changing Landscape of Fencing

For anyone that’s driven through the Mackenzie Basin recently, you would have noticed the emergence of a new type of fencing that is made from 100% steel products.

While traditional fencing will always have its place on the New Zealand landscape, it’s important as an industry we keep one eye on the future.

Our customers are under immense pressure with rising input costs, constraints on labour and increased government regulations. They are always looking for improved, cost-effective ways of doing things differently and fencing is no different.

As an industry we need to ensure we continually adapt with this type of innovation, in line with customer expectations.

Some of the key benefits in using steel for this project include:

• Lower construction costs

• Less maintenance

• Reduced freight costs

It’s interesting to note when the tender documents for the wallaby exclusion fence job came out, contractors had the option of quoting steel or wooden end assemblies. However, when the costs were

considered the steel options proved more cost effective than the timber options.

Cleaver’s Earthworks and Fencing

Fence construction will take place in stages over a few years, starting with a 15km section from Grays River north towards Lake Tekapo. Oamaru based contractor Jack Cleaver from Cleaver’s Earthworks & Fencing is one of the successful tenders for stage one.

Cleaver’s Earthworks & Fencing offers a range of services and specialises in all types of fencing, farm development, stock water schemes, irrigation, dairy conversions, and rural fencing.

Their fencing side of the business starts with early engagement with clients to determine the exact project requirements. “I like to get involved early to ensure the right products for the job are purchased. There is a huge difference in product quality throughout New Zealand and if I’m doing the job, I like to have strong say in what products I work with. Otherwise, it will just cost me money dealing with problems”, says Jack.

example compared to timber, it more than halved the trips and costs required.”

Jack says “The Cleaver’s team aims to promote a strong work ethic, reliability, organisation and produce high quality work. We try to help the local community through providing equal opportunity and employing staff based on their skillset, experience, and character. We offer employment for young people willing to learn and train them to become experienced in either fencing, labouring, or operating.”

NATIONAL RETAIL PARTNER

The wallaby project offered something a little different where the fence line construction was 100% steel. “We had worked with Waratah on a couple of projects recently and have always found them great to deal with. I think it’s important in any business to have those connections with suppliers, where they are not just selling you products, but they genuinely want to get involved”, says Jack.

“One of the challenges with the wallaby job was the location. We had a long haul from the dump site to the fence line with river crossings and rough terrain. One of the advantages of using steel that I had never really considered was how easy it was to transport. If you think of how many steel strainers you can get on a trailer for

“The ground conditions around Tekapo are extremely hard river stone rock. I would hate to be using anything but Waratah product in this ground”, says Jack. “My team find the Waratah Maxy and Star posts awesome to use and handle the rocky Tekapo conditions well. At least with Waratah products they can twist and work their way through the rock nice and easy, and able to straighten easily after being driven if required. I think any contractor would confirm this is not always the case with other brands of y-posts. I would also recommend the Longlife Blue® wire, it’s just different, easy to work with, consistent quality and the best part of having blue wire, is that you can trust where it’s come from.”

Article supplied by:

“ One of the challenges with the wallaby job was the location. We had a long haul from the dump site to the fence line with river crossings and rough terrain

Age no barrier to begin carving out a career

Lachaidh Shannon puts in a few kilometres of fencing every year. Agricultural and predator exclusion fences stretch across some of New Zealand’s most spectacular coastline. Banks Peninsula is mountains, hilly country, harbour, cliffs, sea, and bush as far as the eye can see.

Most often the high school student from Akaroa Area School is working his weekends and holidays alongside local fencing contractor Tom Evans of TD Evans Contracting.

“I love the places you get to go and the machinery you get to use, the evolution of what’s going on, the travel and the work ethic” he says.

Lachaidh might be only 14 years old, but he says his fascination with fencing started a long time ago — way back as a youngster “playing around with standards and string on the lawn”. It wasn’t until Tom did some internal electric fencing around wetlands on the family’s beef and dairy farm a couple of years ago that he reckons he “got right into fencing”.

Tom was impressed with Lachaidh too. “Lachaidh asked a lot of questions and was genuinely interested in how everything worked from all the functions of a post driver through to the general basics of a fence.”

Soon after, Lachaidh began working with Tom every school holidays. Then work ramped up. Two summers ago, just before Christmas, floods ripped through in the Eastern Bays of Banks Peninsula. It was devastating. In some areas fences were completely destroyed from slips and flooding. Tom’s crew had to get a lot done as quickly as possible.

“Lachaidh really stepped up and worked hard helping us get people’s farms back in some sort of working order,” says Tom.

Since then, the young fencer is regularly up and on the line by 9:30 on the weekends, finishing 4pm or 5pm.

Tom has been reinforcing the important basics of fence work with him.

“Like doing things safely, tie downs and efficient systems and ways of doing things that save time, from laying gear out to wiring up and battening. The latest thing he has learned is how to do is a box stay assembly that is mortised both ends which is pretty impressive for his age.”

“He has also grown a healthy obsession for spending his earnings on top quality fencing tools and now has a very impressive collection. Which is great. Good tools help to make fencing enjoyable.”

Lachaidh recalls the big five-week job repairing the flood damage.

“I spent five days doing battens with Tom with one of his ST315i stapler battening tools and really enjoyed it. So, I bought my own. It’s not very heavy and you can get through a good amount of battening in good time without getting tired, or sore arms. I just love it. When I first started using it, I was surprised there was no kick back. It was straight in, no multiple hits. One hit and you are done.

“Amazing machines. The post gun is really nice for netting and the batten gun is good quality.”

Tom has seen Lachaidh develop in skill and confidence over the last two years.

“Lachaidh’s passion for fencing and eagerness to learn as much as he can, sets him apart. To be a good fencer long term you really have to love it. The good and the bad. Everything else can be

learned if you have that. We desperately need more young people keen to make a career of fencing.”

In the next few years, Lachaidh hopes to be fencing full time, digger driving and doing agricultural and cropping work around New Zealand. He’s already branching out to build his own fencing client base.

Article supplied by:

RETAIL GOLD PARTNER

NATIONAL RETAIL PARTNER

“ I spent five days doing battens with Tom with one of his ST315i stapler battening tools and really enjoyed it. So, I bought my own

Shane on the Wire

Our winter holiday

For a Board member and his wife, the lead up to the conference and National Fencing Field Day can be hectic and stressful.

Trying to get fencing work finished and setting the staff up with easy stuff so they won’t need to ring you at an inconvenient time, like at happy hour! Making sure they have everything they need. Trying to keep the wife believing that you are really organised. Replying to the almost continuous flood of emails, flying back and forth between the FCANZ Board and admin team. Throwing clothes in some bags and stuffing gear in the back of the Ute, on the Sunday that you were driving down to New Plymouth, and not the day before like was planned. As I tell myself, and Angelina, just trying to get another fence finished. Not to mention the pesky little email from Heather, reminding us that we were supposed to get our Wired articles in before the Conference and not afterwards. Sorry Heather, but here it is.

To the stray delegate attending Fencing’s pinnacle event of the year, you probably think the Board is cruising around with not much to do and the admin team are as cool as cucumbers. We are pro’s at hiding how busy we are, and you have your head in the clouds. And, yes, for those that didn’t grace us with their presence, I can’t do much about the weather that happened on the Wednesday, but it is winter, and the rest of it was really good, but I’m not telling you anymore. You should have been there.

Its really not much fun for the poor wife been abandoned by her Board member husband every time something needed to be done. I really have to congratulate her. We hardly argued at all, and she even got an hour or so shopping time. Thank you Dear for being such a good wife.

As we headed off on the Saturday morning after breakfast, packing and lots of goodbyes, we made the crazy decision to head south. Yes, we were stuffed, yes it would add another 3 hours to an already 6-hour drive, but we sometimes do outthere things.

I’m going to call it a mental health drive, and we have done it before. The plan was fairly casual. Head south to Whanganui, then follow the road to Raetihi, shoot across the pass to Ohakune, lunch at Waiouru, then home via Taupō.

Raetihi is an interesting place. It reminded me of Moerewa, so we didn’t stop. Lunch at Waiouru was fantastic, but the drive over the Desert Road was a little disappointing. You would think, crossing it in winter, there would be some snow around. But on this occasion, it was just blobs of ice and a few random “Ice men”, and even they looked sad.

Angelina snoozed most of the road to Taupō and I just sat back and enjoyed the drive with a little Genesis and Crowded House, and other easy listening playing on Spotify. As my grown kids say, “old person music”.

Other than the hustle and bustle of Auckland traffic, we made it back home with no trouble at all, but that is to be expected when you drive a Holden. People often ask us why we drive to Conference. It’s not the drive there that counts, it’s the drive home.

have your head in the cloud

The drive from Whanganui to Raetihi was the best part, lots of winding corners, steep ridgelines that meet the sky way up, with fencing in crazy places. I think I prefer fencing in Northland. You really get a good look at the back country, almost a snapshot into what life might have been like many years ago. And glimpses of the Mangawhero river, with its cascading waterfalls, lazily cutting its way through the valley below the road as it headed out to the mighty Tasman sea.

We had the typical blight that seems to be getting more common, like the occasional set of traffic lights and cones, forcing traffic into one lane, where the rest of the road has vanished into the gully below, and the funny looking fella with a sleazy grin on a pink sign, strategically placed in so many locations. He really must like himself to want to be everywhere.

Article written by Shane Beets Shane Co-owns A1FenceworX, and builds fences in Northland

“ To the stray delegate attending Fencing’s pinnacle event of the year, you probably think the Board is cruising around with not much to do and the admin team are as cool as cucumbers. We are pro’s at hiding how busy we are, and you

A Wife’s Tale

When I pulled into New Plymouth for the 2023 FCANZ Conference I wasn’t expecting to feel this sense of... hmmm... I’m not actually sure what it was.

I mean, it’s probably not usual to see the Novotel carpark filled with huge dirty 4WD Utes squeezed into tiny city-car spaces. As I drove past them I recognised the sign-writing of each (oooo they’re here!) Maybe what I felt was a sense of “This is us” – a sense of belonging. This really surprised me because I’ve always felt like fencing is Shaun’s thing and I’m just in the background making things flow (and tidying up the mess.) But this is my third Conference now and I know that when everyone gets here there’s this overwhelming vibe of “We Are All Fencers Together” but in a very quiet, understated way. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Like, walking into the AGM and swimming through the sea of checkered shirts, jeans and dirty work boots. – In. The. Novotel! This is a bunch of people who say “We will wear whatever we want!” or if you’re Shaun, “We will wear what we wore yesterday!” There’s no prestige here.

This became blatantly obvious when half way through the AGM I saw Noksee take off his shirt to reveal….a black bush singlet! In. The. Novatel! I almost laughed out loud at the bold audacity. Except, there is nothing bold about it. It is just what we do around here. This is refreshing, as a woman, to know that whatever I want to wear to conference is ok. Jeans – tick. Trackies – tick. Designer dress – tick. Black singlet – double tick (I should probably test this statement next year.) There’s no dress code. You’re welcomed as you are.

This is what I love about FCANZ Conferences. The people are just downto-earth-real and all joined in the desire to enhance the fencing industry. Even board members don’t put themselves on a pedestal. They just show up and say their bit, humbly and humorously, despite the enormous amount of effort they’ve put in over the year. They don’t do it for

an accolade. They simply want to see the fencing industry grow in value. Which means they want to see us be more valued. Ka pai guys.

The FCANZ partners contribute to this as well. They’re not sales-reppy, but just ‘one of the gang’ and voice their ideas for industry growth as passionately as we do. However, once quiz night starts, it’s very much dog eat dog. I had a very vocal, hilarious and memorable partner at my table who would competitively fist pump and seat-jump each time we got a question right.

The speaker, Stephen Caunter, who hilariously kept the room enthralled for two hours, talked about the benefits of helping staff to feel connected, that they are ‘a part of something’. And Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins, creator of Lean on a Gate, Talk to a Mate – a charity to raise awareness of mental health and prevention of suicide – talked about connection too.

A sense of belonging is when you feel unity and connection. We are hard wired this way because when we were cavemen it was awfully unsafe to be isolated or outcast and not have the protection of our clan. When we feel like we belong we feel safe and can relax. In this way, it can also be a protective factor, helping us manage stress, creating resilience, increasing happiness and mental health. Research shows that when we feel like we lack a sense of belonging we lose purpose and meaning to our lives, often leading to depression.

So, when our son turned up on the last day to be present for his nomination for the Emerging Talent – Youth Award, I was not surprised to hear him say the next day “This is cool mum. Everyone here is so friendly and interested in my work and keen to yarn about fencing.” It was his first time at Conference and yet he found it so easy to belong.

And that’s the extra special thing about belonging to FCANZ and coming to Conference, is that not only do you ‘fit in’ regardless of what kind of fencing you do, how new you are, how old or young you are, or what you’re wearing, but you ‘belong’ from the moment you drive your big dirty Ute into the carpark.

Come to Conference next year. I’d love to see you there. You’ll find me. I might be in a black bush singlet. Hopefully you don’t confuse me for Noksee.

Article written by Angelena Davies

also a coach, facilitator and author helping children and adults to access “flow” so their lives are easier and more fun.

Angelena Davies is a wife and mum who happens to have a Masters degree in Social Sciences. Alongside running Davies Fencing she is

“ This is what I love about FCANZ conferences. The people are just down-toearth-real and all joined in the desire to enhance the fencing industry. Even board members don’t put themselves on a pedestal

FCANZ Certified Fencers

A1FenceworX (Wellsford)

Shane Beets

t. 09 423 7585

m. 027 625 5383

e. admin@a1fenceworx.co.nz

Barakat Contractors Ltd (Te Kauwhata)

Dale & Carl Barakat

t. 07 826 4461

m. 027 473 5513

e. dale@barakatcontractors.co.nz

w. barakatcontractors.co.nz

Ben Haugh Fencing (Geraldine)

Ben Haugh

t. 03 693 8088

m. 021 523 291

e. info@bhfencing.nz

Central Fencing (Canterbury)

Nigel Broadbridge

t. 021 433 623

e. nigel@centralfencing.co.nz

w. centralfencing.co.nz

CPC Fencing Ltd (Northland)

Phil Cornelius

t. 09 4332644

m. 027 274 4188

e. cpc.fencing@yahoo.co.nz

Custom Fencing Ltd (Waikouaiti)

Nick Terry

t. 03 465 7212

m. 021 614 100

e. nickterryfencing@xtra.co.nz

Ewing Fencing Contractors (Oamaru)

Mark Ewing

t. 03 431 3864

m. 027 498 4049

e. mark@ewingfencing.co.nz

Fencing Solutions Waikato (Morrinsville)

Todd Sherburd

t. 07 887 5549

m. 0274 927 337

e. todd@fsw.co.nz

w. fsw.co.nz

Fencetec 2015 Ltd (Te Anau / Northern Southland)

Steve Daley

m. 027 2497852

e. stephendaley03@gmail.com

Fensin Neil & Raymond Roberston (Taupō)

Neil & Raymond Robertson

t. 07 825 5747

m. 027 474 6335

e. robertson.nd@xtra.co.nz

Golden Bay Fencing (Takaka)

David Jacobson

m. 027 266 7335

e. fourjake1@gmail.com

Grant Macdonald Fencing Service (Tauranga)

Grant Macdonald

t. 07 543 3486

m. 027 494 2251

e. grantmacdonald@mclarenfalls.co.nz

Grant Scott Fencing Ltd (Te Awamutu)

Grant Scott

t. 07 870 6541

e. g.scottfencing@gmail.com

Greg Burton Fencing (Cambridge)

Greg Burton

t. 07 827 8765

m. 027 427 8765

e. mazgreg@xtra.co.nz

Ground Up Services Ltd (Tauranga)

Darryn Astill

m. 027 586 9227

e. darryn@groundupservices.co.nz

Ground Up Solutions (New Plymouth)

Clayton & Sue Horton

t. 06 758 2217

m. 021 710 712

e. info@groundupsolutions.co.nz

w. groundupsolutions.co.nz

Higgins Fencing Contractors (Wakefield)

Philip Higgins

t. 03 541 9292

m. 021 222 5033

e. info@higginsfencing.co.nz

w. higginsfencing.co.nz

High Country Fencing Ltd (Darfield)

Geoff Rogers

t. 03 317 8028

m. 021 640 748

e. info@highcountryfencing.co.nz

w. highcountryfencing.co.nz

Jeff Joines Fencing Contractor Ltd (Kāpiti)

Jeff Joines

t. 06 364 2510

m. 027 484 4481

w. jeffjoinesfencing@gmail.com

John Baldock Fencing Ltd (Katikati)

John Baldock

t. 07 552 0763

m. 021 176 4719

e. john@johnbaldockfencing.co.nz

w. johnbaldockfencing.co.nz

Landwork Solutions (Ōtaki)

Brad Joines

m. 0274955693

e. office@landworksolutions.co.nz

Noksee Fencing (Motueka)

John Noakes

t. 03 5286388

m. 027 446 4413

e. noakesjc@gmail.com

Phillips Contracting 2016 Ltd (Edgecumbe)

Josh Phillips

t. 07 304 8443

m. 027 587 3551

e. phillipscontracting@xtra.co.nz

Renner Contracting Ltd (Seddon)

Mike & Brad Renner

t. 03 577 6615

m. 021 416 798

e. rennerfencing@hotmail.com

w. rennerfencing.co.nz

Steve Locke Fencing Ltd (Blenheim)

Steve Locke

t. 03 578 1927

m. 021 37 1971

e. steve@stevelockefencing.co.nz

w. stevelockefencing.co.nz

Steve Williamson Fencing (Timaru)

Steve Williamson

t. 03 686 4779

m. 027 455 3385

e. shwilliamson@actrix.co.nz

Tight Wire Fencing Ltd (Taupō)

Rex Graham

t. 07 378 5572

m. 027 318 8665

e. tightwirefencing@xtra.co.nz

West Otago Fencing Ltd (Tapanui)

Grant & Wendy Harris

t. 03 204 8285

m. 0272 866 576

e. harris29@xtra.co.nz

White Fencing Ltd (Papakura)

Tony White

t. 09 292 8064

m. 027 495 7868

e. admin@whitefencing.co.nz

w. whitefencing.co.nz

Wilson Fencing (Havelock North)

Brendon Wilson

t. 06 877 9844

m. 027 657 4588

e. b.m.wilson@xtra.co.nz

Affiliates, Trusts and Training Institutes

FCANZ Membership

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

BENEFITS OF BEING A MEMBER INCLUDE:

• Your company name on the Find a Fencing Contractor section on the website

• Four free issues of WIRED per year

• Members receive Group Membership with New Zealand Federated Farmers

• Opportunity to network and communicate with like-minded people in the industry

• Access to NZQA qualifications National Certificate in Fencing

• Regional Best Practice Days

• Access to online professional development webinars

• Support from industry providers

• Heavily subsidised Annual Conference

• Trade Association of Site Safe giving a 10% discount

Join online at fcanz.org.nz/join-fcanz

MEMBERSHIP PRICING:

General Member $325.00 +GST (for the period to 31 March 2024)

Employee Member $63.75 +GST (to 31 March 2024)

WIRED Only (NZ Residents) $85.00 +GST (for 12 months)

0508 4 32269 | admin@fcanz.org.nz fcanz.org.nz

PHIL CORNELIUS (PRESIDENT)

m. 027 274 4188

e. phil@fcanz.org.nz

FCANZ Board

CRAIG SINCLAIR

m. 027 418 7693

e. craig@fcanz.org.nz

DEBBIE WHITE (VICE-PRESIDENT)

m. 027 495 7033

e. debbie@fcanz.org.nz

SHANE BEETS (TREASURER)

m. 027 625 5383

e. shane@fcanz.org.nz

NICK TERRY

m. 021 614 100

e. nick@fcanz.org.nz

FCANZ Operations Team

JANINE SWANSSON

e. janine@fcanz.org.nz

DONNA UPTON

m. 021 761 022

e. donna@fcanz.org.nz

JAIME BIGWOOD

Executive Director

m. 022 317 7118

e: communications@fcanz.org.nz

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

Terms & Conditions: Terms and Conditions apply, available for a limited time only. Offer is only available at Farmlands Stores while stocks last.

Terms & Conditions: Terms and Conditions apply, available for a limited time only. Offer is only available at Farmlands Stores while stocks last.