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BRINGING YOU THIS EDITION’S UPDATES FROM MASTER PLUMBERS, INCLUDING A 2021 CALENDAR OF BRANCH & ASSOCIATION EVENTS.
Lobbying for safe drinking water
As investigations were underway into the source of lead contamination of drinking water in the Otago towns of Karitane and Waikouaiti, Master Plumbers CEO Greg Wallace spoke on TV’s Newshub and radio’s Newstalk ZB, urging the government to prioritise safe drinking water for all New Zealanders.
The potential for the contamination to have been caused by ageing lead infrastructure pipework is particularly concerning, he said, as it would point to a lack of preventative maintenance by the local authority.
The World Health Organization deems that no level of lead exposure is safe and young children are particularly vulnerable to its toxic effects, which can lead to permanent adverse health outcomes.
Master Plumbers has been lobbying for several years now for a mandatory third-party verification scheme like Australia’s WaterMark to make sure that tapware and pipes coming into New Zealand do not leach unacceptable levels of lead into drinking water.
In New Zealand, this threshold is 10 μg/L, compared with 5 μg/L in countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Canada—and just 0.25 μg/L in the United States.
“We want the New Zealand drinking water product standard AS/NZS 4020 to be made mandatory and brought in line with the rest of the world,” says Greg Wallace, noting that Master Plumbers is currently engaging with the Ministry of Health and MBIE on this issue. We’ll bring more on this topic in the next edition.
IPLEX: DELIVERING PIPELINES TO NEW ZEALAND
You may not have heard of Iplex Pipelines but, if you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’re sure to have come across Iplex products.
One of New Zealand’s best unknown brands, much of what Iplex manufactures and supplies gets covered up either below ground or behind walls. But, thanks to over 80 years of plastics innovation, industry service and technical experience, Iplex is regarded as a leading manufacturer of plastic pipeline systems.
What Iplex does
This Master Plumbers Gold Business Partner develops plastic pipeline solutions for the plumbing and gas, civil, rural, energy and communications sectors at production facilities in Palmerston North, Christchurch and Ashburton. These centres are the manufacturing and distribution hubs for a wide range of PE and PVC systems for pressure and non-pressure pipelines.
Commitment to the plumbing and gas sector
From reticulation of potable and non-potable water to sanitary plumbing, wastewater drainage and gas, Iplex pipes and fitting systems are used to carry vital services throughout the places we work and live.
Not only do they have a nationwide team of experienced salespeople to support merchants and their customers, but they also have friendly engineers on hand to help with those more complex technical enquiries.
Find out more at iplex.co.nz
Mark your calendar now for some exciting social activities planned by nationwide Master Plumbers Branches and Associations in 2021.
Want more info about these events? Go to masterplumbers.org.nz/events
MARCH
Auckland:
America’s Cup Event Nelson: Lawn Bowls Tournament
APRIL
South Canterbury:
Claybird Shoot Manawatu: Go-Karting Volcanic Plateau: Golf Day
MAY
Nelson: Quiz Night
South Canterbury:
DB Brewery Tour Southland: Race Day Taranaki: Grand Masters Tri-Challenge
JUNE JULY
Waikato: Race Night
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
Southland: Hydrology Study Taranaki: Family Fun Day Waikato: Awards Dinner
OCTOBER
Volcanic Plateau:
Awards Dinner Waikato: Mental Health Evening
Want to promote your regional Master Plumbers event? Contact marketing@masterplumbers.org.nz
NOVEMBER
Auckland:
Melbourne Cup Event
Hawkes Bay:
Christmas Function
Meet the team...
Get to know the Master Plumbers team with our quick Q&As.
NAME: Alton
Anamani
ROLE: Professional
Development
Advisor
1. What does your day-to-day role entail? A bit of everything—onboarding new members, NZ Plumber advertising and setting up training courses.
2. What’s your work background? I held a variety of roles at ANZ bank.
3. Can you tell us a bit about you? I was born and raised in Porirua. I’m half Samoan (Dad) and half Kiwi (Mum). I have one sister and 17 first cousins on my Samoan side. We were all raised together and call each other siblings. I also have an amazing 2-year-old son.
4. What music do you like? It depends on the mood and varies between country, R&B/hip hop, gospel, a lot of old school and the occasional podcast.
5. Do you have a favourite book or movie? The audiobook Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and the movie The Pianist. 6. Where’s your favourite holiday spot? Samoa.
7. What’s your favourite food? I have too many, but if there’s one food I could eat for any meal of the day it is oka, which is raw fish in coconut milk with diced cucumbers and tomatoes and a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
8. Who particularly inspires you? David Goggins, Muhammad Ali and Jesus.
9. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time and why? I enjoy filling my cup by spending time with my family, boxing/gym, cooking and going for walks, but my favourite of all (other than being with my son) is diving and spearfishing. Being under the water is very therapeutic for me. It’s the only place in the world where time stops and there’s no worries whatsoever.
FIRE COLLAR TESTING IN ACTION
Master Plumbers CEO Greg Wallace was invited by Allproof Industries to a recent floor waste and plumbing stack passive fire testing setup in Wellington. These photographs show the rigorous testing process to ensure Allproof’s passive fire protection products do the job of restricting the spread of fire and smoke within a building in the event of a fire.
Adam Jackson of Allproof Industries shows Greg Wallace scenarios with passive fire products on the underside (exposed side) of the slab and thermal sensor pads on the unexposed side to record thermal insulation.
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Floor waste gullies and pipes with Allproof low profile Fire Collars and Cast-in Fire Collars installed around the penetrations on the underside of the floor slab test setup.
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Adam explains the amount of pipe required on the exposed and unexposed sides of the wall during the test. The wall test setup and furnace are in the background.
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Reviewing the thermocouple schedule for the install scenario.
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5 6
BEST IN BRAND WINNER
Congrats to the Plumb 1 team in Wellington for winning the latest $200 Best in Brand PrezzyCard prize! We love the way you’ve incorporated the Master Plumbers logo on your van.
Send us your photos!
For your chance to win, just send us a photo of how you’re using the Master Plumbers brand in your business. Email it to Cat Marshall by 19 March 2021: cmarshall@
masterplumbers.org.nz
A recent aquatherm PPR project for the Novotel Christchurch Airport.
SILVER PARTNERSHIP FOR AQUATHERM
NZ owned and operated for over 20 years, aquatherm New Zealand supply and support the NZ market across the plumbing, HVAC and mechanical industries, using their local industry knowledge and a can-do approach. With aquatherm Green PPR for plumbing and Blue PPR for HVAC, Mayer stainless steel press and Cofix pipe clamps, aquatherm offer to the market a unique solution for most applications from large bore pipework down to the wingback fit out. aquatherm’s experienced technical team supports nationally comprehensive on-site installation support, installer training and registration. With a young and experienced team mix, the company strives towards excellence in quality and service, ensuring the right product for the right application. Now, as a Master Plumbers Silver Partner, aquatherm look forward to supporting all members in 2021, offering advice and imparting knowledge when needed.
Find out more at www.aquatherm.co.nz
DEBTORINFO MEMBER SAVINGS
As a member of Master Plumbers, you get unlimited access to the Debtorinfo website access for $20 a month, including GST—representing a saving of over 50% on the full price.
A Master Plumbers Silver Business Partner, Debtorinfo provides a wide range of services help your business get your cashflow and compliance sorted. Services include documentation to help with getting paid on time, debt collection, terms of trade, credit ratings, Privacy Act compliance, and health and safety.
Let’s say you need a new set of credit application forms because cheques are no longer going to be accepted. With Debtorinfo, you can get all the forms you need, personalised in your company name, specific to your trade, available 24/7.
For a free trial, get in touch with Debtorinfo at www.debtorinfo.com/#/contact
WANT TO JOIN?
Master Plumbers is here to support all businesses in the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying industry. Members are Quality Assured and backed by the Master Plumbers Guarantee. We offer a wide range of business resources, HR & technical support, plus training and member discounts—and we advocate for our members as a collective industry voice. Get in touch to discuss our two-year membership deal!
