ON THE COVER

The BOIPG team. A professional image is important to the business, with all staff wearing the company uniform and the technicians driving clean, well-maintained signwritten vans.

STAR OF THE NORTH

Set up just four years ago, Bay of Islands Plumbing and Gas has been on a rollercoaster of covid lockdowns, but under Zane Britton’s management the business has thrived and expanded to meet the needs of the Northland community. NZ Plumber talked to Zane and partner Rachel Watson about their secret to success.

When we spoke to Zane Britton and Rachel Watson in mid-July, the winter rain had been coming down in torrents in Northland (and just about everywhere in New Zealand), causing rural drainage projects to get bogged down and emergency jobs to flood in. Their whole BOI Plumbing and Gas team and two young children had gone down like nine pins with seasonal flu and Covid just as two big commercial projects were about to start... and yet, nothing could wipe the smiles off the couple’s faces.

Why? Because one month earlier, they’d been at the New Zealand Plumbing Awards in Rotorua to discover their Kerikeri-based business had been selected as the 2022 New Zealand Master Plumber of the Year. Not bad when you consider it’s only been in operation for four years.

In this short time, Zane has built BOI Plumbing and Gas (or BOIPG as it’s known) to a crew of nine, with five technicians, a skilled general labourer and two office staff—Rachel

AUTHOR: BEVERLY SELLERS

being one of them. “We also have Masterlink apprentice Ruben and are about to take on another in the next few weeks,” says Rachel. “We really want to train apprentices for the future of the PGD industry.”

Focus on business growth

Zane and Rachel have big ideas for further business growth and they’re going about it the right way. “Last year saw a huge investment in the company, with staff numbers increasing,” says Rachel. “The fleet has also expanded from two work vehicles to five and the purchase of a large tip truck and excavator, hydro jetter unit and camera. These were all necessary to enable us to offer more services to the community and fulfil contracts without the need to rely on hire companies for equipment.”

A long list of repeat customers is testament to their efforts and, with his Ngāti Hine Māori heritage, Zane is particularly proud of having had the opportunity to work on several local marae projects in the past year—upgrading, modernising and bringing their infrastructure up to standard.

The business is also big on health and safety, putting a rigorous policy in place and establishing a health and safety programme to offer ongoing training to all staff. This resulted in the company achieving SiteWise Green Status in May 2021, with their overall investment in the business also earning them the HALO Trade Advantage Business Growth Award for 2021.

Every week without fail all staff also get together for toolbox meetings. “These serve several purposes,” says Rachel. “Staff know what is happening within the company, everyone has a chance to express any concerns, we focus on a particular topic and how to do it right, plus jobs are discussed in detail, so everyone is on the same page. This has become even more important since the apprentices came on board as they learn how things are run.”

Project management expertise

Zane got off to a high-flying start with his career, awarded as Unitec’s top first year plumbing and gasfitting student in 2002. New Zealand-born and bred, he completed his apprenticeship in Kerikeri before heading over to Western Australia to work as a site manager on large commercial projects in Port Hedland. He met Rachel, who’s Australian, while on holiday in Bali, and together they relocated to Karratha, where Zane managed the plumbing work for the Wheatstone LNG gas plant project—a huge venture for this mining city, with up to 100 plumbers coming on and off site during the build.

By now their first child had been born— son Ariki, now seven, since joined by sister Aria, two—and it was time for Zane to fulfil his dream of returning to his roots and setting up in business for himself. It was a big decision, as the Bay of Islands area was well served by others in the trade, but in those four years he has contributed to the industry in the region, offering employment to local technicians, working with other contractors, and always happy to share his project management knowledge to ensure jobs are carried out on time and to the highest standards.

Zane is a firm believer in open and honest communication—taking the time to talk with his clients, listen to what they want and advise them of what solutions are viable. He is also a master in pre-job planning, which is especially important in the Bay of Islands as the area covered is large and thinly serviced by trade suppliers.

It wasn’t the smoothest start for the business, given that Covid-19 arrived on the scene shortly after BOIPG opened its doors. But that didn’t dampen the couple’s drive and determination. With the Northland region cut off during lockdowns, Zane rented four containers at the yard, which were stocked on consignment from a local supplier.

Rachel Watson and Zane Britton with their son Ariki, seven, and daughter Aria two, who are growing up speaking both Te Reo Māori and English at home. Rachel worked as a beauty therapist in Australia before their children were born and now works full time with Zane on the business.