NZ Plumber June-July 2016

Taking on an apprentice? Read tips from 2016 Training Leader of the Year—p68

JUNE/JULY 2016

OVER THE RAINBOW Pumping snow to the skifield

PLUMBERS NEEDED! What solutions to the skill shortage?

BORN TO TEACH Long service in Canterbury

WINTER WARMER Hydronic central heating

JUGGLING ACT Balancing business growth demands

PGDB/MICO CPD ROAD SHOW 2016 By attending a training session you will be meeting the CPD requirements towards renewing your practising licence on 1 April 2017.

WIN, EAT, LEARN, NETWORK • Attend the interactive training session

• Have a catch up with other industry members

• Your chance to ask the questions you need answering

• We’ll shout you breakfast for the morning sessions

• Get the latest product updates at the trade stands

• Have a bite and a drink on us at the Happy Hour

• Get access to exclusive trade stand deals

• BE IN TO WIN! Lucky door prizes & trade stand competitions on offer

TO REGISTER, VISIT WWW.SKILLS.ORG.NZ/PGDB

0800 101 999 | www.mico.co.nz

EDITORIAL

Volume 68, Number 3 MAGAZINE TEAM CEO Greg Wallace EDITOR Beverly Sellers 03 543 2008 beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz DESIGN Sally Travis Design www.sallytravisdesign.co.nz PRINT Service Printers 258 Taranaki Street Wellington 6141 SUBSCRIPTIONS NZ Plumber is published six times a year by Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ. MPGD members receive all six editions.

Non-members can subscribe online at www.masterplumbers.org.nz MAILING LIST For enquiries, or to update your details: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz Non-Master Plumbers’ members with contact detail changes should notify the PGD Board, giving their registration number licensing@pgdb.co.nz TO ADVERTISE Contact Catherine Schuster 027 839 8398 cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz

NZ Plumber is the official magazine of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ Inc. Contact details for the MPGD Board, Society staff and Regional Associations are available at www.masterplumbers.org.nz ©NZ Plumber 2013. Registered as a Newspaper, GPO, Wellington, ISSN 0111-4379. NZ Plumber is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise.

All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labelled ‘Not for Publication’. Views expressed in articles in NZ Plumber magazine are not necessarily those of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ Inc, or of the Editor. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this publication, the publisher and the Editor take no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance on this information. Publication of advertising material implies no endorsement of either a product or service.

Welcome to winter It’s always a busy time for plumbers and gasfitters—especially when numbers are short…

AS I WRITE this, the sun is still shining and there’s no sign of snow on the Arthur Range that I can see from my office window. But by the time this edition of NZ Plumber goes to print, we’ll be in mid-winter and consumers will be wanting all their home heating needs sorted.

There are many options available to them, one of which is warm water central heating. Though still an emerging industry in New Zealand, this form of heating is standard in many countries around the world. Join us on a tour of the Central Heating New Zealand premises in Christchurch on p22. We talked to Director Lyall Smith about the options available and how plumbers are getting involved.

Still on the winter theme, turn to p18 for a trip to the Rainbow Ski Area in the Nelson Lakes, where manmade snow is pumped up the mountain for the benefit of skiers. Just for fun, we also take a look inside an Auckland ice bar on p71, to see how they manage all that frozen water.

Our feature article this edition is about the current construction boom, particularly affecting Auckland and Christchurch but spreading to other regions too. Finding enough plumbers to do the work is proving a problem, with some companies saying they’re getting no response at all to recruitment adverts for qualified staff.

Training more apprentices is the only way forward, according to Master Plumbers. And that means more government support is needed for the employers taking them on. Turn to p13 to read the article.

If you’re thinking of training an apprentice in your business, see p68 for our Q&A with 2016 Training Leader of the Year Mike Gooch at EG Glennies in Wellington. Mike has some great advice!

Stay warm.

Beverly Sellers Editor, NZ Plumber, beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

OVER TO YOU The best email, letter or tip published on this page wins a $30 Hunting & Fishing voucher! Do you have a picture, story or news to share? Or feedback on any of the articles you’ve read in NZ Plumber?

Email the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz. Or give me a call on 03 543 2008.

Women in the workforce Reading the April-May NZ Plumber magazine there are two articles regarding female apprentices. I personally think it’s great that females are getting involved in the trade and encourage it.

What I don’t agree with is the comments regarding home owners feel safer using a female plumber. This to me creates inequality by suggesting male plumbers are a threat to home owners or sexual predators. Home owners don’t call asking for female plumbers as they would assume they are male.

Splitting the workforce into male and female plumbing teams further divides the equality

women seek by creating disharmony in the workforce if women are seen to be given preference or better jobs than male apprentices purely because of their sex.

Rowan Campbell, Campbell Plumbing and Gasfitting Ltd Thanks for your feedback Rowan—a Hunting & Fishing voucher on its way to you. We asked Colleen Upton at Hutt Gas and Plumbing for her response to the article you mention about her female apprentice. These are her (abridged) > comments.

June/July 2016

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EDITORIAL

We have now had two female tradespeople work for us over the last 10 years. Our first mostly did domestic gasfitting, installing and some maintenance plumbing. It was extremely successful— and we got a lot of feedback about customers feeling safer (their words not ours), and liking the option of having a female do the work at their home. We tracked the feedback and it was noticeable that women at home on their own (young and old) were the ones feeding these comments back. Programmes like Target have, unfortunately, created a false impression of some tradespeople and what they do in your home (and as the majority featured were male they have made homeowners uneasy). Our second female employee is currently undertaking an apprenticeship and works with a tradesman all the time, but we are already getting positive feedback about the work she does on the job.

We know that male plumbers/gasfitters and drainlayers aren’t a threat to the public, but some people like to have a choice. Likewise we have found there is a market out there where customers are choosing ONLY to have female tradies work on their premises. While this is only a very tiny percent of the market, it does exist and we are happy to meet it. Homeowners DO call asking for a female plumber if they know you have one— and it can be because of safety, because they are really good at their job, or because they have built up a rapport with their customer.

Our female plumbers and gasfitters are expected to do the same work as the men, they aren’t treated any differently, but we did

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June/July 2016

our female plumbers and gasfitters are expected to do the same work as the men, they aren’t treated any differently market the fact that we had a female practitioner as it was a point of difference, just like we market that we have a gas servicing specialist.

I see nothing wrong with having a female plumbing/gasfitting team. If the market demand is there, why not meet it? Why not encourage more females into these trades? We also employ a number of male apprentices and don’t employ based on the gender of the person. However that means we also don’t shy away from interviewing and employing females in the trade— something many of my male counterparts do.

The comment made to me more than any other by my male colleagues from other companies is that, “My wife wouldn’t put up with me working with a female apprentice on my own.” I am puzzled by this attitude. Why wouldn’t they? You are there to work and do the job. Wouldn’t you want your wife, your sister, your daughter to be given the same opportunities as your sons and brothers?

A bit of nostalgia…

I was going through some stuff today and found some old licence examples. Thought it might be nostalgic for the magazine for relicensing and the way it used to be...

Dan Pollard

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PAGE TAG

68

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64

Inside this issue

JUNE/JULY 2016

WHAT’S ON 8 Auckland Build Expo; CONZTRUCT and PGDB & Mico CPD training; and NZ Gas Industry Forum

MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS 9 CEO Greg Wallace on apprentice training; DebtorInfo and CertOnline member services; get your updated health and safety manuals

IN FOCUS 13 Plumbers needed!

And it’s not just in Auckland or Canterbury…

NUTS & BOLTS 22 Whole-house heating

INDUSTRY TALK 34 Sam’s spot

Why warm water central heating is a growth market

26 The Hydrocarbons: Mrs Man’s big day…

Propane and Butane are put to the test 29 Tech points

Foil insulation, discharge drains and steel mesh 30 Gas ring

2015 gas accident summary

SUPPLY LINES 31 BNZ business edge

Dealing with the health and safety paperwork

34 Sound of silence

Acoustic pipework job for halls of residence 35 Making eco choices

Growing numbers buying energyefficient appliances 35 PGDB register changes

Listing people under supervision 36 Reticulating stock water

Study for hill country farms

16 Safety on site

Applying the new legislation to a residential building site

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 18 Over the rainbow

50 CPD on the road

Meeting your 2017 CPD requirements

36 Stiebel Eltron expanding in NZ

Auckland base for newly formed company

REAL LIVES 32 Born to teach

36 People

New industry appointments

Making snow for the Rainbow Ski Area

59 Retiring in comfort

Hot water for a retirement village

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June/July 2016

Give your small business the edge with BNZ

Plumbing tutoring is in Phil Mitchell’s blood

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER Taking on an apprentice? Read tips from 2016 Training Leader of the Year—p68

JUNE/JULY 2016

18

OVER THE RAINBOW Pumping snow to the skifield

13

32

13

TECH SAVVY 39 Is your business online?

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES 51 Affordable eco

If not, you could be missing half your market!

INNOVATION 40 Ready, set go

New prefab factory for Christchurch

SMART BUSINESS

Queenstown homes for low to mid income families

WINTER WARMER Hydronic central heating

44

JUGGLING ACT Balancing business growth demands

22 Cover photograph: Making manmade snow for the Rainbow Ski Area.

NEXT GENERATION 62 Determined to succeed

James Douglas Medallion winner’s commitment to constant improvement

WORLD VIEW 54 Project Pacific

68 Trainer top tips

Award-winning trainer’s apprenticeship insights

45 Making tax easier

Proposals for provisional tax

SAFETY FIRST 58 Swiss cheese effect

48 Biz Brief

Business updates in brief

BORN TO TEACH Long service in Canterbury

64 Bridging the gap

How WorkChoice is giving school students a taste of the industry

48 Performance management

Performance management vs disciplinary issue

What solutions to the skill shortage?

52 Make it snappier!

RMA proposals aim to speed up resource consents

44 Juggling act

Managing the challenges of business growth

46 Better each day

Peter Jackson Plumbing’s winning approach

PLUMBERS NEEDED!

Habitat for Humanity’s Pacific support extends to Tonga

How accidents happen

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 70 Four of the latest and best AND FINALLY 71 Beers in the fridge

TIMES PAST

60 Tools of the trade

A century of change for plumbing tools and materials

72 Offcuts

Jokes and media oddities

The bar that’s a big fridge

74 Dodgy plumbing

Two full pages of you know what…

June/July 2016

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EVENTS

What’s on

Find out what’s coming up on the industry calendar.

If you have an event you would like to promote in a future edition of NZ Plumber, please email the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

2016 CONZTRUCT Trade Show

PGDB and Mico CPD Training

Dates: 26 July-17 November

Dates: Now-16 September

Venue: Travelling trade show

Venue: Nationwide

Cost: Free

Save the date for your local CPD session. By attending, you will meet your CPD requirements towards renewing your practising licence on 1 April 2017.

Morning sessions start at 7am with breakfast and trade stands at selected venues, with CPD content delivered from 8:30am12:30pm. At venues not hosting a trade show, morning tea (instead of breakfast) will be served during the CPD session.

Afternoon sessions start at 1pm where a trade show is being hosted, with the CPD content delivered from 2:30-6:30pm (including afternoon tea), followed by happy hour and nibbles. At venues not hosting a trade show, the event will start at 2:30pm with the CPD training.

Cost: $30 inc GST

Discover the latest products and solutions across the plumbing, building and electrical trades at the trade-only CONZTRUCT Trade Show, supported by Plumbing World.

Workshops are available at selected events: • implementing the changes to health and safety legislation • understanding medium and high density construction complexities Plus, be in to win some great prizes, including trips to the Bledisloe Cup, the Bathurst 1000 and the NRL Grand Final!

The July round will travel to Wellington, Palmerston North and New Plymouth; August to Hamilton, Auckland South and Auckland West; September to Christchurch, the West Coast and Nelson; and November to Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown.

All 4-7pm.

Register online at www.skills.org.nz/pgdb

Register online at www.conztruct.co.nz

NZ Gas Industry Forum Date: 2-4 November Venue: Queenstown The 2016 NZ Gas Industry Forum will be held at the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown. The forum programme is likely to remain similar to previous years—details and pricing to be announced once finalised. In the meantime, save the date!

To book your accommodation at forum room rates now, call Freephone 0508 707707, noting you will be attending as part of the Gas Industry Forum.

Photograph courtesy of Tourism New Zealand.

For status updates, visit www.lpga.org.nz

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June/July 2016

Auckland Build 2016 Expo Date: 16-17 November Venue: Auckland Cost: Free New Zealand is currently experiencing a major construction boom. An unprecedented level of construction growth is expected over the next decade, with Auckland set to be at the forefront. Come and discover more about construction developments, strategies and opportunities at the Auckland Build Expo 2016.

With 150+ exhibitors, 50+ speakers, training workshops and meet the buyer VIP sessions, this event caters to a broad range of construction sectors, including commercial, healthcare, education, environmental, retail, light commercial and institutional.

Register for your visitor pass at www.aucklandbuildexpo.com

MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS

Time to engage More businesses in the plumbing sector need to engage in training apprentices.

THERE HAS BEEN a reasonable amount of media attention in the past month about the availability of plumbers. The government likes to talk up the numbers but the reality is, with a construction boom forecast for the foreseeable future, we just don’t have enough licensed tradespeople to meet the burgeoning demand.

As much as we can criticise multiple parties, we also need to look at ourselves.

The number of employers taking on trainees is reported to be as low as 40 percent. This means that roughly 60 percent of our sector isn’t engaging in training to bring plumbers through for the next generation, without which we are not going to fix the issue.

The new Master Plumbers brand has now been registered as a trade mark, giving it the highest level of protection.

NEW MEMBERS A warm welcome to new Master Plumbers member businesses: • • • • • • • • •

Capital Gas Services Ltd in Wellington CH Plumbing Ltd in Hamilton CM Plumbing Ltd in Christchurch NCD Plumbing in Christchurch RNR Plumbing Ltd in Christchurch Simon Walker Plumbing in Te Awamutu TAP Plumbing Ltd, T/A MV Plumbing in Greymouth Tricklebanks Plumbing 2016 Ltd in Feilding Waikato Plumbing and Gas Ltd in Cambridge

We’re very pleased with the feedback received to date on the brand and would like to see wider use of the new logo among members. We now also have vehicle decal options for Master Gasfitters and Master Drainlayers. If you would like some for your business, please email Vanessa Price: vprice@masterplumbers.org.nz All versions of the logo are available to download from the new Master Plumbers website, which is operating well and easy to use.

As part of our constant drive to provide members with practical business resources, we have now made the updated Master Plumbers Health and Safety Manual available in digital format.

This is a great, user-friendly tool for all members, helping you reduce paperwork in your business. Check out the quick video on how to use the new Health and Safety app, available to view on the Master Plumbers website.

Also available on the site is a new

Master Plumbers Guarantee template document, which we strongly recommend that you attach to all your consumer quotes, using your own business branding. This gives the customer the peace of mind that the work you do is guaranteed.

Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback on our post-conference survey.

We had a fantastic response. The results indicate that we have the format right, though we’re always looking to make minor improvements along the way. We will bring you details of the 2017 event as soon as we can find a location with a venue large enough to hold the growing number of attendees.

Greg Wallace, CEO Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ

Gas certification made easy

Enjoy special rates on the CertOnline service!

Master Plumbers has partnered with CertOnline to offer concessionary rates to members using the CertOnline service to meet their gas certification requirements under the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2012.

This website-based application allows you to complete your Certificates of Compliance and Gas Safety Certificates online, email them to clients and file them for future reference.

CertOnline was established in 2013 for the sole purpose of providing solutions for the self-certifying gasfitting and electrical trades, and is the only online solution for gas certification

with gasfitters at the forefront. The documentation available on the site is compliant, user-friendly, professionally presented and compatible with mobile and tablet devices.

To take advantage of this great new partnership, go to www.certsonline. co.nz and use the Master Plumbers area to access the site. New users will need to complete the registration process.

Existing users can email info@certsonline.co.nz to secure the member discount.

For more information about Cert Online, email info@certsonline.co.nz

Want to join Master Plumbers?

Discover the business benefits of becoming a member of Master Plumbers!

Contact Catherine Schuster on 027 839 8398 or email cschuster@ masterplumbers.org.nz SPECIAL TWO-YEAR MEMBERSHIP DEAL AVAILABLE!

June/July 2016

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MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS

NZ Plumber digital

It’s guaranteed

A new template to use with your customer quotes.

We’ve developed a Master Plumbers Guarantee template document that you can attach to all your residential quotes. It gives customers an at-a-glance understanding of what’s covered by the Master Plumbers Guarantee—peace of mind that only a business belonging to

Master Plumbers can provide.

We’ve also updated the Master Plumbers Guarantee logo, which you are free to use on your website or other business communications.

Download the template and logo at www.masterplumbers.org.nz

First Aid by app

Complete your First Aid training via M-learning and reduce time spent at workshops.

Members can now complete NZQAaccredited New Zealand Red Cross First Aid courses through a mobile learning (m-learning) approach. You use the First Aid app to complete your pre-course learning, then follow this up with a face-toface practical skills workshop with a Red Cross Instructor.

Simply use the app to complete tests and unlock badges along the way to record your achievements. All the badges must

Want to read your June-July edition on your desktop, smartphone or tablet device? It’s easy!

With NZ Plumber also available to Master Plumbers members in digital format since late last year, your digital magazine library is growing! You can view the magazine online on your desktop or you can download the app to view it on your mobile devices.

To view online, simply go to www.pocketmags.com and enter your user name and password to log-in.

To download the app, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play and install the Pocketmags app. Then log-in as above.

Forgotten your user name or password?

Email beverly@masterplumbers.org.nz

be unlocked before attending the skills workshop.

Red Cross courses available at special rates to members are:

Course

Duration

Unit Standards

Comprehensive First Aid

12 hours face-to-face

6402, 6401, 6400

App Workplace First Aid

8 hours skills workshop

6402, 6401, 6400

Essential First Aid

8 hours face-to-face

6402, 6401

App Practical First Aid

4 hours skills workshop

6402, 6401

First Aid Revalidation

6 hours face-to-face

News Flash!

Our standard and apprentice employment agreements have been updated! Find them at www.masterplumbers.org.nz

App Workplace Revalidation 4 hours skills workshop Find out more and download the NZ Red Cross First Aid app at https://www.redcross.org.nz/first-aid/first-aid-app/

Debt management & terms of trade

Debtorinfo now interacts with Xero accounting software.

Debtorinfo NZ has great discounts for members on its debt management and collection system. Members pay just $25 plus GST a month (no contract) to access valuable documentation critical to running a business. Debtorinfo also have a new quoting tool that enables plumbers to get their Terms of Trade accepted without the customer having to sign a form.

Plus, Debtorinfo now interacts with Xero and other accounting software. Here’s how it works: when debts get to one month overdue on these programmes,

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June/July 2016

they are automatically loaded into Debtorinfo. The subscriber is notified, at which point they can decide to send a reminder letter or collection letter either by email or post—all at the click of the mouse. Or they may choose to take no action at all. When reminder or collection letters are emailed, they are addressed as coming from Debtorinfo.

When the account is paid on the software, the debt is automatically shown as paid on Debtorinfo. This new feature will save Debtorinfo subscribers from having to load debts onto Debtorinfo and clear them

when paid. It also saves on postal costs.

If you are a subscriber and would like to add this feature, please contact info@ debtorinfo.co.nz or call 0800 734 335. Your monthly subscription fee won’t change.

To take advantage of the Debtorinfo system, call 0800 734 335 or email info@debtorinfo.co.nz

Silver partner

Platinum Partners Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ thanks the following Platinum Partners for their support:

Gold Partners Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ thanks the following Gold Partners for their support:

Silver Partners Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ thanks the following Silver Partners for their support:

June/July 2016

11

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IN FOCUS

Plumbers needed!

With construction growth in many regions, there’s a shortage of qualified plumbers to meet demand. So, what’s the solution?

OVER THE NEXT five years, there is estimated to be a 58 percent shortfall in the number of plumbers needed in Auckland alone.

Recruiting qualified staff has become virtually impossible in the region, as in others where building activity is ramping up.

These include the Bay of Plenty, Hamilton, Rotorua, Taranaki, Palmerston North, Wanganui and Queenstown.

As one New Plymouth plumber reported on TV3’s Story programme in May, he hadn’t had one phone call after placing a $500 advert in the local newspaper.

Yet, despite this, only 40 percent of New Zealand’s plumbing employers have apprentices in their businesses, says Master Plumbers CEO Greg Wallace.

That spells trouble for the construction industry, as demand heats up for plumbers on new builds, with growing numbers of people migrating or returning home to New Zealand.

only 40 percent of plumbing employers have apprentices in their businesses

It’s also bad news for consumers, who can expect to wait longer for a plumber and pay more for their services.

Building activity going gangbusters

Building consent data released at the end of April showed consents had been issued for $13.6 billion of residential and commercial work for the year to 31 March—the largest investment of this type ever for New Zealand. Of those, residential consents made up $9.3 billion.

In Auckland, where housing issues are most acute, 9,566 homes were built in the year to 31 March 2016, compared to 7,940 in the previous year. Nationwide, there were 27,789 new homes during this period, the highest in over a decade.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce believes it’s possible to achieve the 600 extra plumbers needed in Auckland within two years. He says there are currently around 2,500 people doing plumbing apprenticeships or apprenticeship-type training in this field around New Zealand.

Greg Wallace, however, doesn’t believe this figure truly represents the numbers of apprentices working with limited certificate authorisation in New Zealand. The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board issued 1,534 plumbing trainee > June/July 2016

13

IN FOCUS

limited certificates in the 2015-16 licensing year. “This leaves around 1,000 people unaccounted for," he says. “Some will be limited certificate holders who have not yet relicensed. However, the majority will be people doing plumbing pre-trades—and the information we have currently is that very low levels of those transfer to a full apprenticeship.

“Response from the Tertiary Education Commission to our recent official information request shows the numbers with a plumbing pre-trade qualification entering an apprenticeship through The Skills Organisation was just eight in 2015 and four

by May 2016.”

Employer support needed

In Budget 2016, released in May, an extra $9.6 million is to be provided over four years for more Māori and Pasifika Trades Training, and $14.4 million over the same period to support another 5,500 New Zealand apprentices by 2020. At the time of going to print, NZ Plumber was unable to establish exactly how this apprentice funding would be used.

Greg Wallace would like to see a return to the employer reboot subsidy. Cost is a major barrier for businesses thinking of taking on an apprentice in the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying trades, he says, particularly during the first year of the apprenticeship.

He would also like to see the government transferring its funding from polytech pre-trade courses to the employers providing on-job apprentice training. “Trainees are the only way we’re going to get the industry shortfall sorted,” he says.

Eight training providers around New Zealand currently offer pre-trade courses of varying duration, with the providers setting their own entry criteria. Greg’s concern is that young people enrolling on these courses can end up with a student debt rather than a career in the trades.

“We have no real issue with the shorter pre-trade courses.

But some run for as many as 32 and 36 weeks, which essentially makes it a seven year apprenticeship— longer than it takes to get qualified as a doctor.”

Some young people don’t know what they want to do at the end of the course, he adds. “They enrol on the courses for various reasons but don’t end up entering a trade.”

Dale Lovell of Heron Plumbing in Auckland told TV3’s Story programme that pre-trade courses were missing the mark, as they provided participants with a lot of theory but not the hands-on experience they get with a plumber.

He believes employers could be making good, practical use of these students during the time they spend in a classroom setting.

“I prefer to take on someone who knows nothing about the trade and teach them the way it’s done. In my view, Gateway is a better way to go. They still get one day’s work experience a week.”

Colleen Upton of Hutt Gas and Plumbing has hired a number of pre-traders from Weltec that did the former threemonth course and says this ‘taster’ model was good, usually incorporating one day’s work experience a week. “It gave us a chance to do see how someone performed for 12 weeks—if they 14

June/July 2016

turned up on time, and could be a part of the team—and it also gave them a good chance to see if they liked the trades.”

She doesn’t, however, agree with the newer 12-month courses as they are too expensive and none of the cost comes off the actual apprenticeship. “We have employed one pre-trader off this course and, although excellent, they now have a student loan of $6,000.

“They attended their first block course and got sent back to us after the first week as they had all the unit standards that were being taught in the second week. The discount off their apprenticeship for this: zero. It simply isn’t fair on them.

“I’d much rather see the money the government are pouring into pre-trade courses be used as a subsidy to those of us with proven track records of training apprentices. Make it a subsidy over the four years of the apprenticeship to keep the employers honest so they don’t just hire them for a year—not that I believe many would.”

The Skills Organisation says that, at present, each pre-trade provider delivers their own courses, which results in different outcomes and different unit standards awarded.

As part of the new qualification development, facilitated

by The Skills Organisation, a combined Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying Level 3 qualification has been created to help ‘staircase’ learners into Level 4 apprenticeships, says Stephen Bocock, Industry Manager Specialist Trades and Business at Skills. “This means that there will be better alignment and sequencing with the new Level 4 apprenticeship programme, and we will be able to implement a clear and consistent entry point.”

Skills believes there is a place for pre-trade courses as a legitimate pathway for learners to enter the industry. “Some learners might not have gained an apprenticeship without it,” says Stephen.

One tutor’s comment is that, though they are a plumbing course, they don’t see themselves as producing plumbers. “We’re producing work-ready employees for the industry. Having pride in what you do, punctuality, succeeding at something—it changes their whole outlook.”

Quality candidates needed

The other challenge facing the industry is attracting sufficient numbers of good quality apprentices. With more young people staying at school longer, and opting for tertiary education over a trade, it’s growing increasingly difficult for employers to find a good supply of quality applicants.

Although plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers can earn good money, with school leavers having the potential to be running their own business within seven to eight years, it’s not considered a sexy industry and not always promoted by careers advisors.

High-quality apprentice candidates are soon hired, says Greg.

“At MasterLink, we employ 160 apprentices, who do their on-job training with a plumbing firm. Those with practical experience or work experience, good discipline, the ability to complete block courses and good customer service get snapped up.” ■

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IN FOCUS

Safety on site

WorkSafe’s Marcus Nalter explains how the new Health and Safety at Work Act might apply to a typical residential building site.

Making the site safe Just about the first job on any new building site is to put up a safety fence, do the foundation work and lay the slab. You’ve got to get that right before anything else can go up.

Once the slab is ready it can get pretty hectic on site—with any number of tradies from any number of companies on site at any one time. From the outside, and to an untrained eye, it can look chaotic. But it needs to be organised chaos. All the various parts need to work together to pull the project together.

It’s the same with health and safety. You need strong foundations and everyone needs to work together.

Take a typical new house build. There are lots of players involved: the client, maybe an architect, a lead contractor and all the subbies. Under the new Health and Safety at Work Act, they all have a role to play in keeping not just their own workers safe on site, but others too.

Overlapping duties It’s called ‘overlapping duties’, but in practice what it means is that the person or business best placed to manage a risk that affects more than just their own workers has primary responsibility to do so—but everyone has to play their part.

So, on our house build, the company that’s contracted to dig the drains has a duty to ensure the excavator is operated safely, with proper measures in place to keep workers on foot away from the digger and the like.

But if the lead builder (let’s call them ABC Construction) has workers in the area too, they have a duty to ensure their people are kept safe as well. So there needs to be discussion and agreement between ABC and the drainlayer about how the risks associated with the digger are being managed.

Onsite cooperation

the law is designed to encourage cooperation on site Starting the day Many building sites already start the day with a tailgate or toolbox talk. Having open lines of communication between workers, supervisors and managers has always been a good idea.

The new Act specifically encourages that sort of approach by introducing a duty to engage with workers that applies to all workplaces. It doesn’t set down in stone what form that engagement should take, but a quick daily chat about safety and hazards on site each day is a good place to start.

The law is designed to encourage cooperation on site. For example, all workers will need access to first aid gear. ABC Construction is going to be there for the duration of the project, so it’s likely they will provide first aid facilities. The tiler that’s working on the bathroom for a couple of days needs to ensure he or she has access to first aid as well. But they don’t necessarily have to bring their own; they could do that by confirming they can use ABC’s gear if needed.

Whenever a new subbie turns up, there should be an induction process that includes discussion about current site hazards as well as any new hazards they might introduce. In fact, health and safety should be a feature of the tender process for work, and there should be an exchange of any relevant information before subbies even arrive on site.

Above: Construction sites can be hectic. More than one business can have health and safety duties. Communication is vital.

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IN FOCUS

not all risks can be eliminated— risk is part of life

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Obvious risks Some risks are obvious. The new house is going to need a roof and that means working at height. We all know a fall can cause death or a life-changing injury. The new law requires you to manage the risks of working at height (just as the 1992 law does).

So if you are using good fall from height safety measures today (such as scaffolding, edge protection, nets, harnesses or soft landing systems), they will still be appropriate under the new law.

If you aren’t—it’s time to sort yourself out.

The introduction of the new law is a great opportunity to review your current approach to health and safety. Think of it as a core part of your business and any project. It’s not something you do once and file away on a shelf. Make sure it is part of your daily routine.

There are other changes in the Health and Safety at Work Act that businesses need to come to grips with too, including new legal requirements for company directors and top management. ■

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To learn more, head to www.business.govt.nz/worksafe/hswa

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Reasonably practicable The key is doing what is ‘reasonably practicable’ to control and minimise risks. So identify on-site risks, the likelihood of an incident and the consequences of them. Your control measures should reflect the seriousness of the risk.

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There are some new worker engagement rules for larger workplaces (with more than 20 workers) and those in high-risk industries, such as construction. Those businesses are required to hold an election for a Health and Safety Representative (HSR) if requested by a worker. And they must consider forming a Health and Safety Committee (HSC) if an HSR or five workers request one. You can read more about the role of HSRs and HSCs at the WorkSafe website www.worksafe.govt.nz Health and safety doesn’t have to be difficult and doesn’t have to mean a lot of paperwork. The basics of good health and safety management didn’t change on 4 April. They start with identifying risks, talking about them with anyone on site that might be affected, and finding appropriate ways to manage them. Of STAR course, not all risks can be eliminated—risk is part of life and5will always be part of construction work.

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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Over the Rainbow Manmade snow at the Rainbow Ski Area helps deliver a high-quality skiing or snowboarding experience. By Matthew Lowe PUMPING WATER TO the top of a mountain to help create snow is, literally, an uphill challenge but it can lead to plenty of extra downhill fun.

Resorts and club fields worldwide are increasingly turning to snowmaking machines to help maintain a suitable base layer of snow, so skiers and snowboarders can enjoy the white stuff more often.

Among them is Rainbow Ski Area, situated in the South 18

June/July 2016

Island’s Nelson Lakes region, which has about 1.2km of pipes buried beneath the mountain’s main runs.

Jono Hay, acting mountain manager for Rainbow Sports Club, says the club field just outside St Arnaud first turned to snowmaking nearly 20 years ago.

Today, it has nine fan guns that can connect to any of the 20 1.5-inch hydrants dotted around the main piste that are served by underground steel reticulation pipes.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

All photographs courtesy of the Rainbow Sports Club.

Progressive upgrades

served by underground steel reticulation pipes

Above: Fan guns help top up the natural snow ahead of the 2015 season.

The facilities are the result of what Jono describes as a “significant investment” and a lot of “hard yakka” from Rainbow club members and mountain staff over the years.

Last season nearly an extra 500m of pipeline was installed to make the winter of 2015 the first where snowmaking could be performed from the base of the ski area to almost the top of the T-bar lift, which sits at an altitude of about 1,760 metres.

“Rainbow was one of the first mountains in NZ to invest in snowmaking back around 1998ish,” Jono says.

“The system was consolidated in 2004 and has gone through progressive upgrades and extensions over the last 12 years. Most notable in the last three years has been a new horizontal, multistage pump, KSB MOVI, with 15L/sec to 290m head.”

Stretching from the powerful pump in the base area are a network of pipes that range in diameter from 50mm to 150mm and have had to be buried below the ground frost level, which at Rainbow is about 800mm, to protect them from damage.

Jono says the biggest challenges in running the equipment are changing climatic conditions such as temperature, humidity and winds. Those in turn mean frequent monitoring adjustments to ensure the best snow coverage when the fan guns are in operation.

To be able to use the snowmaking machines the wet bulb temperature (the lowest temperature that can be obtained by evaporating water into the air at constant pressure) must be below -2.5C, but Jono says a wet bulb temperature of -5C is more suitable.

Fan guns in operation

The fan guns work by shooting compressed air and water out through a variety of nozzles and the wind from the fan blows this into a mist in the air to achieve a long hang time. The chilly air then transforms the water into snow.

In the 2015 season, Rainbow turned between 18 and 22 million litres of water, enough to fill more than seven Olympicsize swimming pools, into more than 50,000m3 of snow.

“We can pump up to 22L/sec to the base area at full flow seeing pressures of about 28bar at each gun,” Jono says.

“We still require natural snow but we can make extra snow on most of our groomed trails to assist Mother Nature and therefore are able to deliver a top-quality winter experience for more of the season. “[How much we make] comes down to a tipping point of cost and making enough while you can and when temperatures are > low to get through to the other end of the season.”

June/July 2016

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Above: Making snow near the base area.

Beating the elements

Jono says the manmade snow can help deliver a better skiing or snowboarding experience for the public as well as allowing the field to open for more days during winter and early spring.

“In many ways it is better in all aspects than natural snow.

Worked properly it is easier to move, build trails with, is much more durable because of its tighter snow crystals and can be better than natural hardpack snow.”

A number of companies have been involved in updating the

snowmaking facilities in the past few years—Steel and Tube (supply), Findlater Construction (excavating), TechnoAlpin (an Italian company where the pump equipment and snow guns were bought from), and Russet Engineering and Garry Gray Engineering (these firms combined with club members for the belt drive gearing from the diesel engine to the pump)—with club members and mountain staff responsible for most of the installation.

Left: Pipes are laid in the ground before being covered so they sit below the ground frost level.

Above: Findlater Construction staff move pipes for snowmaking up the mountain.

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June/July 2016

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Left: Looking up the mountain as the snowmakers add some extra coverage.

Rainbow Sports Club committee member, Hamish Neill, says the developments have given the ski field the edge on many of its rivals, which remain at the mercy of the elements.

“The foresight of the ski area committee and staff, and years of

we can pump up to 22L/sec to the base area at full flow

investment in developing this snowmaking infrastructure, means that Rainbow can now offer the most reliable snow cover of all club fields in the country,” he says.

“Secondly, our snow grooming capacity and snow farming, combined with this significant snow making capacity allows us to maintain high quality snow conditions on piste (main runs).

This is something most club fields are unable to do as they rely on the weather to provide the solution when snow cover declines or the piste ices up.” ■

CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE. CUT. PUSH. DONE

WHEN EVERY SECOND COUNTS LOOK FOR THE SHARK

June/July 2016

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NUTS & BOLTS

Whole-house heating NZ Plumber took a tour of Central Heating New Zealand’s Christchurch base to learn more about this home heating technology.

WITH TODAY’S KIWI homeowners seeking ever-increasing levels of comfort, warm water central heating has plenty of room for growth.

Though it’s commonplace in much of Europe, Asia and North America, here in New Zealand, a mere one percent of Kiwi homes currently use this form of heating.

It’s not through lack of availability but rather awareness, says Central Heating New Zealand Director Lyall Smith. Lyall is passionate about growing the industry in New Zealand by educating consumers and tradespeople about its benefits.

In the showroom at this nationwide distributor’s Christchurch HQ, visitors can view radiator, underfloor and towel rail products, along with cross-section models of the different underfloor heating methods and the heat-generating appliances.

Above: Learning about underfloor heating installation.

Above: Lyall Smith by the 80kW geothermal heat pump that heats and cools the building.

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June/July 2016

NUTS & BOLTS

Hydronic options Compared with radiators, underfloor heating makes up 65 percent of the company’s sales and of those about 95 percent are in-slab pipework.

In the rest of the world, the screed method is more common. Pipework is laid in a secondary topping screed, with a layer of insulation between the screed and the concrete slab acting as a thermal break.

VarioComp microscreed is another option for an even faster reaction time, with 10mm pipes laid in a thin gypsumbased screed, which lies directly beneath the floor surface—making it particularly suitable for retrofits.

Cost is naturally a factor (in-slab being the cheapest), but this should be weighed against overall construction costs and desired comfort levels in a new build, says Lyall. A few square metres shaved off the house plan could allow for central heating throughout. “Think of it as 8m2 x $2,000 per m2 = central heating! It’s a priority shift.”

Radiators are particularly suited to New Zealand weather patterns, as they are easier to control than underfloor heating’s large mass. For optimum running costs, underfloor heating needs to stay on a constant low temperature throughout the colder months. Radiators, however, heat up faster and can be timed to provide warmth as and where needed.

Training available To get the most from any hydronic central heating system, good design and installation is critical. “We run introductory information courses for the trade and specifiers at our training facility each month,” says Lyall. These cover the theory behind residential heating and heat loss, the components of a hydronic central heating system and pipe design.

We also have a working products room and install area for the more advanced technical courses.”

He would like to see more plumbers getting involved in system installations.

“The market is huge, with the biggest growth in the North Island, and it’s a profitable industry. Training courses are >

Above: An infrared camera shows heat emanating from pipework and radiators.

Above: Running cost in cents per kWh for central heating boilers and heat pumps.

Above: Balance between capital cost in thousands and running cost in cents per kWh.

June/July 2016

23

NUTS & BOLTS

In the boiler room

Above: Nicola Barry, Technical Team Leader, and James Gibbons, Service Engineer, at the Firebird diesel boiler test rig.

a good starting point and we have an after-sales technical team to answer any questions installers may have.”

The company also donates equipment to polytechnics around the country to help grow the industry—though a halfday course is all that’s currently available to students.

One room at Central Heating New Zealand provides a dedicated display of heat generation options. Along with the more traditional gas and diesel boilers, there are high-efficiency biomass boilers, air to water and geothermal heat pumps.

Globally, says Lyall Smith, 80 percent of homes with central heating are heated with natural gas, 15 percent with light oil (ie, kerosene or diesel) and just five percent with renewables. Around 200 million gas boilers are sold each year in Europe.

“Here, diesel boilers are our biggest selling appliance,” says Lyall. “They are more expensive to purchase and install, but diesel is transportable, safe and economic to run at 10c per kWh currently. They are particularly well suited for radiator central heating in the South Island and outlying parts of the North Island, where there’s no reticulated gas.”

With natural gas also currently costing around 10c per kWh, gas boilers make good sense in regions where reticulated gas is available, particularly if the connection charge covers other uses in the home, such as water heating and cooking. “For a 200sq m house with reticulated natural gas, running costs should be around $70$80 a week for full radiator central heating throughout,” says Lyall.

Air-to-water heat pumps are becoming very popular with underfloor heating systems, and there is a demand also for radiator systems driven by these units.

Ground source geothermal heat pumps, meanwhile, are an innovative part of the heating industry around the world—and even a requirement in new schools in some parts of America—but they’ve yet to gain traction in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. “The capital cost is higher than air-to-water but they have low visual and noise impact,” he says.

From plans to reality In the company’s upstairs office space, a team of six engineers take clients’ plans as the basis for detailed, room-by-room heat load calculations and schematics of all heating components, including the number, length and spacing of pipework loops for underfloor systems.

The entire building is, in fact, a working model of a commercial central heating and air conditioning system, with a geothermal heat pump capturing heat via two pipes in a well beneath the car park. ■

Above: Gas boiler training in the Central Heating New Zealand working products room.

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NUTS & BOLTS

The Hydrocarbons: Mrs Man’s big day…

Mrs Man puts brothers Propane and Butane to the test in the third episode of Nick Foster’s tale of the Hydrocarbons.

THE LPG BOYS had been hard at it. Well… they had been easily keeping up with Gas Heater’s needs. Even Butane was feeling a lot better. As the sun came up and warmed the cylinder, he was able to shake off his chills and was happily shouldering his share of the day’s workload.

Regulator was quiet, finding he was more than comfortable, even when Hob One called in for another bit of help. It was just another day in the office. Back in the cylinder, the reserves were playing poker and finding they didn’t have to put up with so much ribbing from the Propane side as there didn’t seem to be so much of them any more.

Heavy on the hot water The last of Mrs Man’s coffee group had just left. Boy, what a drama that was. Her best friend had found out that her husband had been seen at the movies with their neighbour’s wife and now Mrs Man was running later than she wanted. She loaded the dishwasher and set it for a hot rinse, threw the tablecloth and napkins in the washing machine, then ran upstairs for a shower to do her hair….

Water Heater got the messages from Dishy in the kitchen, and the other chick Washy in the laundry. He really didn’t like the way either on them ran hot and cold in almost unpredictable cycles, but they were GORGEOUS so he tolerated their demands.

Then Shower called in again…

Water Heater ramped up and started sucking on his gas pipe, sending Regulator a hurry-up. He in turn began stirring the LPG boys along, and it wasn’t long before Butane began getting up to his old tricks.

“If Propane wants all the glory, let him have it!” he thought as he began to sulk, letting his brother take on more of the load. He decided he really did feel he had a cold, and made up his mind that he wasn’t going to move until summer. That was when the unfortunate happened.

Both the kitchen and laundry girls made simultaneous demands on Water Heater, who was putting serious effort into 26

June/July 2016

she loaded the dishwasher and set it for a hot rinse chatting up Shower. Full of himself he just tried to keep all the girls happy at the same time, but that was a recipe for disaster.

Exhausting the reserves Unable to keep up pressure on Burner without Butane’s help, Propane faltered. His energy reserves were almost depleted and he couldn’t keep up the work. For his part, Butane now felt really bad, and reacted to the chill he was feeling from Propane by just pulling his head further in.

Regulator did what he could, but no amount of encouragement was going to get Butane out of the cylinder now.

So Water Heater did what he had to do.

He dialled back his charm offensive and started to actively hold back on the treats he was sending to all the girls. Neither Dishy nor Washy gave a damn. They would just wait their turn patiently, but Shower was more of a prima donna.

NUTS & BOLTS

Feeling a bit shunned, she gave a cold shoulder to Mrs Man, who yelped a bit, but being only on the first of three rinses, she decided to cut back on the cold and make more of the lukewarm advances from Water Heater.

Propane staggered under the load but managed to get to the line in the end. However, doing so completely exhausted his reserves. There was now only a fraction of his former self to stand up with the now recalcitrant Butane.

Mrs Man had now gone out. Gas Heater was taking a nap as the sun had taken over his job. Dishy and Washy had finished their day’s work, and there were no more demands on Water Heater.

Calling in the specialists Regulator was taking a break on his seat and reviewing the morning’s operations. In retrospect it seemed the team in cylinder two had just not been up to the job. That was the issue he had had with the cylinder one team the other day. Come to think of it, he had been cycling the workload across these two teams for weeks now. Each time he gave one team a chance they went great at first, and then just ran out of steam.

Regulator decided enough was enough and signalled for a new team to be brought in to replace team one. Perhaps that would fix things and show the guys in team two that they needed to buck up their ideas….

What Regulator didn’t understand was the dynamic between the brothers. They were both equally capable of doing the work—especially if they could do it together—but Butane’s fragile personality meant that he couldn’t cope living in Propane’s shadow.

If Butane thought Propane was chasing the glory, he would start putting in less effort until he became really miffed, misguidedly feeling he was being frozen out by Propane. In his opinion he would rather save his energy and chill out downstairs in the cylinder than sweat it out at the coalface with his brother.

Later that day a couple of Man’s mates called round. The first brought the replacement team for cylinder one but took them away again, muttering that the cylinder was still half full. He had given a tweak to Regulator, who responded that on second thoughts perhaps both teams were back at full strength after all.

The second visitor was Doctor Gasfitter, who gave Water Heater a thorough health check. Finding him in perfect health he then looked to Regulator to see if there were any upstream issues that may have affected Water Heater.

By then Regulator, who was feeling a bit embarrassed, thinking he had wasted his last visitor’s time, indicated there were no issues. The Doctor even checked out the LPG boys resting at home in their two-team cylinders.

He noted that each appeared to have plenty of reserves left to cope with the demands of life, so after leaving an expensive bill for Man, he too left. Doctor Gasfitter was a practical man, and not trained as a therapeutic analyst to identify the issues going on between Propane and Butane and how they felt about each other. ■

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Next time, things go from bad to worse…

June/July 2016

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Tech points WORKING SAFELY WITH FOIL INSULATION A new Electrical Code of Practice for managing electrical risks when installing or working around electrically conductive foil thermal insulation will be available from 1 July.

Developed by Energy Safety, the new Code of Practice is designed to complement MBIE’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, which would require residential tenancies to be insulated and have smoke alarms.

Also by 1 July, MBIE expects to have in place a ban preventing people from retrofitting residential buildings with foil insulation.

During its consultation on proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, it received strong feedback on the need to eliminate risks posed by these products—such as accidentally stapling into wiring when retrofitting foil insulation.

To date, there have been five reported deaths in NZ caused by electrocution associated with foil insulation in a residential building.

MBIE is also working on a proposed change to Building Code Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 to remove the ability to use foil insulation as an Acceptable Solution. The change will be consulted on soon and is expected to be in place by the end of the year.

The new Residential Tenancies Act regulations will require landlords to install insulation in accordance with NZS 4246 Energy Efficiency – Installing insulation in residential buildings.

Standards New Zealand is currently revising this standard.

HWC DISCHARGE DRAINS In its latest InfoBrief (Edition 4), the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGD Board) notes recent issues around excessive water temperatures being discharged into under-slab or subfloor drainage pipes. “PVC drainage pipe material is an Acceptable Solution under AS/NZS 3500.2: 2015, providing the temperature does not exceed the manufacturer’s specifications for the pipe,” it says. “In saying this, it all works perfectly well until the temperature/pressure relief valve discharges high temperature hot water into an internal tundish drain.”

Building Consent Authorities are now requesting that all hot water cylinder discharge drains with an uncontrolled heat source (ie, solar or wet back systems) are of copper pipe, discharging to an appropriate place that doesn’t cause damage to the building.

“If the drain line discharges over a tundish into the plumbing system, the system must be constructed of a material that will take high temperature discharge from relief valves.”

For more information, contact your local Council’s plumbing and drainlaying inspector.

NUTS & BOLTS

Foil insulation, discharge drains and steel mesh are this issue’s hot topics.

STEEL MESH UPDATE In April, the Commerce Commission said it was continuing to make progress on its enquiries into steel mesh sold in NZ, which must comply with joint Standard AS/NZ 4671:2001. It had signed court enforceable undertakings with Steel & Tube, under which the company will only sell its SE62 500E grade steel mesh that passes specific independent testing. These undertakings are similar to those entered into with Euro Corporation, also in April, to enable them to start reselling their 500E grade steel mesh.

The testing requirements are in line with an expected clarification to the Standard that MBIE is currently developing, it said. “The clarification will be designed to ensure a uniform approach to testing steel mesh under the Standard and remove any confusion over the appropriate testing methodology.”

Once MBIE has clarified or amended the Standard, the Commission will reassess the need for court enforceable undertakings.

It has also purchased and tested samples of mesh from United Steel and Fletcher Building, and these samples met the requirements of the Standard.

NEW BUILDING.GOVT.NZ WEBSITE Check out the revamped building performance website from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). This is where you go to find Building Code compliance documents, plus information about your rights and obligations, building consents and building contracts (the latter is under the Resolving Problems tab). Find it all at www.building.govt.nz

DODGY PRODUCT SAGA CONTINUES In late May, the NZ Herald ran a feature on investigations into dodgy building products. In a video on the NZ Herald website, Auckland Council Building Control Manager Ian McCormick confirmed that from time to time the council comes across products that don't comply with the Building Code. These have included asphalt roof tiles, electrical cabling and 'toughened' glass shower doors. One in three work sites in Auckland were failing council inspections because of shoddy workmanship, he said. According to the article, Auckland Council was working with MBIE and trade bodies to investigate issues and verify products. MBIE Determinations and Assurance Manager John Gardiner told the newspaper complaints had recently got louder and MBIE is working to determine scale of issue.

If you come across 'dodgy' products, email MBIE at products@mbie.govt.nz

June/July 2016

29

NUTS & BOLTS

Gas Ring Updates this edition include information about gas accidents in 2015.

Certificates of compliance

During audits of gasfitting work, Energy Safety has identified that some gasfitters are not completing their gas certificates accurately. To help with compliant certification, it has produced a new template that combines the Certificate of Compliance and the Gas Safety Certificate.

Energy Safety encourages gasfitters to use this new combined template, as in some cases inaccuracies invalidate certificates, which is in breach of the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010.

This can incur an infringement penalty.

Find the new template at www.energysafety.govt.nz/forms/ certification/gas

Gas appliance standards transition

The transition period for a number of older Australian, European and North Amercian gas appliance standards cited in Schedule 2A of the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations ends on 30 June 2016. Suppliers should ensure that Supplier Declarations refer to up-to-date standards and certificates for gas appliances manufactured or imported into NZ.

Installation standard updates

Amendments have been published for Parts 1 and 2 of gas installation Standard AS/NZS 5601:2013. The amendments affect a number of clauses, tables, figures and appendices in these Standards.

Codes of Practice review

Energy Safety is reviewing cited and non-cited Gas Codes of Practice to ensure the content is still valid and to determine whether they should be revoked, revised or reconfirmed. This work will make sure Gas Codes of Practice meet user needs and are relevant to the NZ environment.

The most common causes of notifiable accidents over the last 23 years have been incorrect work (24%), lack of maintenance (14%), not following appropriate procedure (10%), appliances too close to combustible products (10%) and work practices and third-party damage (9%).

Non-notifiable accidents are down over the last five years, with a noticeable downward trend over the last seven years.

LPG Deliberate LPG inhalation accidents are not included in Energy Safety’s LPG accident analysis.

Of the nine 2015 notifiable LPG accidents, six injured six people.

Four were injured by cabinet heater accidents, one by a cooking appliance and one by a water heater.

Over the last 23 years there have been 396 notifiable accidents, 142 of which were caused by poor assembly, connection and installation of, or alteration to, an appliance. Many of these accidents may have had more than one cause.

There were two fatal LPG accidents in 2015, which is higher than the average over the last 23 years (1.8 per year).

There is no clear long-term trend to indicate any change in the number of fatal accidents over the last 23 years. However, there appears to have been a spike in the number of fatal cabinet heater accidents between 2007 and 2012.

Cabinet heaters were involved in five of the 2015 non-notifiable LPG accidents, and cookers in four. There is a clear downward trend in non-notifiable accidents over the last 14 years.

Read the full executive summary at www.energysafety.govt.nz under About/Publications.

Gas accident summary

Energy Safety has released its 2015 summary of notifable and non-notifiable gas accidents affecting members of the public.

2015

Natural gas

LPG

Notifiable accident

1

9

Non-notifiable accident

3

13

Outcomes

No fatalities, injury to one person

Two fatalities, injuries to six people

Natural gas The single notifiable natural gas accident in 2015 involved a water heater and resulted in fire, explosion or both. The last fatal accident occurred in 2007.

30

June/July 2016

Above: Notifiable LPG accidents.

Above: Notifiable natural gas accidents.

SUPPLY LINES

BNZ business edge Give your small business the edge with BNZ—a new Master Plumbers’ Platinum Partner.

WHETHER YOU’RE JUST starting out as a plumber, or you’re running an established plumbing business, BNZ has award-winning products and services designed to get you ahead of the game.

For small businesses they’ve got easy payment solutions, toolkits, and a range of business banking products and insurances to keep your business healthy, and your cash flowing.

BNZ has been awarded Canstar Best Small Business Bank, which recognises their commitment to helping local businesses grow, through their offering

of quality deposit products, business transaction accounts and credit cards tailored to your needs. Having received this award for five years running, you can be confident you’ve got yourself a great banking partner with BNZ. BNZ also offer a range of free services beyond banking, including a monthly nationwide speaker series designed specially to cover topics that matter most to small business owners. This, along with BNZ’s Community blog and the Business Wire newsletter ensure you’ll stay connected and equipped with the tools

you need to grow your business.

BNZ’s Small Business Specialists are available 7 days a week. From 7am-7pm Monday to Friday and 8am-2pm on weekends, so call today on 0800 269 763 or visit bnz.co.nz to find out how they can support and help grow your business.

Platinum partner

Speeding up cash flow In the first of a new financial advice series for NZ Plumber, BNZ shows how you can speed up your cash flow with technology.

TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING the way we do business; however it can be easy for many small businesses to dismiss new tech as not being relevant to their line of business or simply see it as too complicated and expensive.

The great thing about using technology is it can help your business run more smoothly and improve important functions like cash flow. It might take a little bit of time to learn how to use, but once you are up and running you won’t look back.

Once a job is done, leaving the invoicing for days—or even weeks later— means a slowdown in your cash flow.

From the date the customer receives the invoice, they often have 30 days to pay, so you could be waiting for well over a month to see the funds in your account.

This is where a mobile payment solution

Above: The BNZ PayClip mobile payment solution.

like BNZ PayClip can really speed things up. It connects to your smartphone and accepts EFTPOS and credit card payments on the spot, meaning that your customers can pay you where you do the work.

The beauty of such technology is that the transaction is completed minutes after the job is finished, and by the next working day the cash is sitting happily in your bank account earning you interest or ready to be put to good use.

If you’d like to know more about PayClip or other ways BNZ can help you speed up your cash flow, call BNZ today on 0800 269 273 or visit bnz.co.nz ■ Subject to credit criteria and merchant service terms. Data connection needed.

Eftpos, Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards only. Terms and fees apply. Compatible with iPhone™ and smartphones with Android™, subject to minimum operating system requirements.

June/July 2016

31

REAL LIVES

Born to teach

First becoming a plumbing tutor in the mid 1970s, Phil Mitchell still loves his job today.

FEW PEOPLE HAVE done more for the plumbing industry in Canterbury than Phil Mitchell. This April, Phil’s contribution was recognised at the 2016 New Zealand Plumbing Awards, when he was presented him with the Graeme Victor Smith Contribution to the Industry Award, sponsored by Dux. “I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to train so many plumbers,” says Phil, who seems reluctant to accept that his work is worthy of the honour he has received.

Phil began his own apprenticeship back in 1959 and, 15 years later, was asked to work as a tutor at Christchurch Technical College (later CPIT, and now Ara Institute of Canterbury). It was a position he held for the next five years until he left in 1979 to pursue his own plumbing business.

Support in the South However, tutoring was always in his blood and he took up teaching again in 1986, continuing to tutor until plumbing training was closed down in the South Island by the Industry Training Organisation in 1996. “Plumbing is very dependent on building, and there just wasn’t the demand,” he recalls.

As a result, Canterbury-based apprentices had to take courses by correspondence and do their apprenticeships in the North Island—and the lack of training facilities in the South Island was felt.

Above: Phil Mitchell receiving the award from Graeme Smith.

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June/July 2016

Above: Phil in the workshop.

“In 1999, Canterbury Master Plumbers approached me to see if I could run some classes to support the guys training,” says Phil, who confesses that he accepted mainly for the fun of running the courses.

“I did it for kicks. The guys came round to my house and we worked through their problems in the garage. I was just the facilitator, really. Most of the time they helped each other out.”

Re-establishing the programme The guerrilla course in backyard plumbing continued for five years until Rob Lingard, who was then head of the CPIT trades programmes, proposed that the institute re-establish the plumbing programme. He invited Phil, now approaching retirement age, to be the one to establish it.

“I told him, ‘I’m too old for it,” remembers Phil. “He said, ‘No you’re not, get in and do it!’ So I did. It was pretty hard work for the first five years. We just had four walls and that was it. We had to write all the delivery material and develop the facility. For the first couple of years we were all working 50 hour weeks.

It was just like starting a business, but it was fun.”

Although he was the driving force behind the programme, he received the

full support of other staff members, in particular Rob Lingard and Wayne York.

“Rob was amazing. I’d say I needed something and he’d go off and it would magically appear. I don’t know how he did it.”

The programme also received generous support from Dux, which provided about $8,000 of plumbing equipment. “When I look at what we have done, I’m just amazed. I can’t believe it’s real. We went from three tutors and an empty barn to eight tutors with two barns full of tools and training facilities. We now teach over 400 people a year at different levels.”

Still going strong Phil says one of the most rewarding experiences is getting calls from former students who now want to send their own apprentices to train with him.

“It tells you that you are doing something right. As they say, the best business is repeat business.”

And it is a business that he clearly loves.

“I treat it more as a hobby now, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t love it.”

The National Certificate in Plumbing is taught concurrently with the National Certificate in Gasfitting—giving trainees two qualifications and the opportunity to become fully qualified gasfitters as well as plumbers. ■

PGDB/MICO CPD ROAD SHOW 2016 DATES & LOCATIONS SESSION DATE

LOCATION & TIME

Tuesday 7 June

Invercargill afternoon session

Wednesday 8 June

Queenstown afternoon session

Thursday 9 June

Queenstown morning session

Friday 10 June

Dunedin morning session

Monday 13 June

Christchurch morning session & afternoon session

Tuesday 14 June

Greymouth afternoon session

Wednesday 15 June

Nelson afternoon session

Thursday 16 June

Blenheim afternoon session

Tuesday 21 June

Palmerston North morning session

Wednesday 22 June

Wanganui morning session & afternoon session

Thursday 23 June

New Plymouth afternoon session

Monday 4 July

Auckland West morning session & afternoon session

Tuesday 5 July

Auckland North Shore morning session

Wednesday 6 July

Waikato (Waihi) morning session

Thursday 28 July

Hamilton morning session & afternoon session

Tuesday 9 August

Kerikeri afternoon session

Wednesday 10 August

Whangarei afternoon session

Thursday 11 August

Warkworth afternoon session

Tuesday 16 August

Taupo afternoon session

Wednesday 17 August

Hastings afternoon session

Thursday 18 August

Hastings morning session

Friday 19 August

Gisborne morning session

Tuesday 23 August

Tauranga afternoon session

Wednesday 24 August

Tauranga morning session & afternoon session

Thursday 25 August

Rotorua afternoon session

Tuesday 30 August

Auckland South afternoon session

Wednesday 31 August

Auckland South morning session & afternoon session

Thursday 1 September

Auckland South morning session & afternoon session

Tuesday 6 September

Wellington (Petone) afternoon session

Wednesday 7 September

Wellington (Petone) morning session & afternoon session

Thursday 8 September

Wellington (Masterton) afternoon session

Monday 12 September

Christchurch afternoon session

Tuesday 13 September

Christchurch morning session & afternoon session

Wednesday 14 September

Oamaru afternoon session

Thursday 15 September

Timaru afternoon session

Friday 16 September

Ashburton afternoon session

Location addresses to be confirmed. Watch this space!

SESSIONS MORNING SESSION 7:00am – 8:30am (Breakfast + browse trade stands) 8:30am – 12:30pm (CPD session)

AFTERNOON SESSION 1:00pm – 2:30pm (Afternoon tea + browse trade stands) 2:30pm – 6:30pm (CPD session) 6:30pm – 8:00pm (Happy Hour)

SAVE THE DATE FOR YOUR LOCAL CPD SESSION. REGISTER AT WWW.SKILLS.ORG.NZ/PGDB 0800 101 999 | www.mico.co.nz

INDUSTRY TALK

Sam’s spot

It takes the right person to deal with health and safety…

For us Health and Safety has pretty much been a reactive process, especially when it came to the paperwork. This saw me sitting in my office on a Saturday afternoon reacting to a request for our health and safety documents and processes from one of our commercial customers, the fifth one in a row I might add.

It seems since the new Health and Safety at Work Act has come into play commercial businesses have been making doubly sure their butts are covered with their subcontractors by requesting oodles of documentation from them. I was feeling sorry for myself having to do all this paperwork on a Saturday afternoon, thought bugger it, and jumped onto TradeMe to advertise for a part-time health and safety person.

Surprisingly I received 12 highly qualified applications, plus the odd person who thought it would be a good career move from working at McDonald’s. At present in Taranaki there is a wind down of the oil and gas industry, which has meant there is an abundance of expert health and safety people looking for work—lucky for us, but not so lucky for them.

I decided to interview eight of the 12 candidates and as they trailed through my office I received lots of feedback from the team on how each candidate looked, what they said, but mainly, “If they think they’re coming in here, telling me how to do my job, that isn’t going to happen!”

I whittled it down to two people who I thought would work well alongside our guys, be able to stand up for themselves without causing a mutiny, would take a proactive approach to

Sam Tyson.

health and safety in our workplace, and most importantly loves paperwork!

Going with the fact that the new Act requires worker engagement, participation and representation, I gathered a panel of four of our team to interview the final two candidates. To me this was the best part of the whole process. I got buy-in from the guys that this was the way forward and belief that our chosen person was not there to disrupt their workflow, but to look out for them.

I am now looking forward to growing our health and safety culture at Climate in a proactive way and most of all enjoying free time on Saturdays!

Sound of silence

Acoustic pipework was among the noise-reduction moves made at these Wellington halls of residence.

Student halls aren’t known for being quiet places—and things get even worse if you add gurgling pipes to the mix.

Victoria House in Wellington was built in 1907, and the Wallis Wing added to the campus in the 1970s to house 185 Victoria University students. When Fletcher Construction was tasked with a major renovation to the wing in 2014, the work scope included a broad range of noise-reduction improvements.

These included double glazing, insulated walls and silenced air-conditioning. With multiple bathrooms and kitchens over several floors, a plumbing system that reduced water-flow noise was also needed.

Wellington-based Aquaheat Plumbers installed the Marley dBlue acoustic plumbing system throughout. Made from triple layer polypropylene, with rubber-lined acoustic brackets, this system reduces wastewater noise without the need for acoustic lagging.

This made the job quicker for Aquaheat, who completed the project in four weeks. Without the need for lagging, the system can also be inspected and maintained easily in future.

34

June/July 2016

Above: Revamp for the Wallis Wing.

Making eco choices Changes to PGDB Growing numbers of consumers are public register making energy-efficient product and appliance choices.

New data on product and appliance sales shows people are choosing to buy more efficient models, says Mike Underhill, Chief Executive of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

The amount of electricity saved in the last financial year was equivalent to the amount used by Invercargill—more than 209 gigawatt-hours, he told The Dominion Post. “This translates to $50 million in savings to consumers and, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, roughly the amount of CO2 produced by 10,000 New Zealand cars over a year.”

According to Mike Underhill, more than seven million appliances and products subject to energy efficiency labelling and regulation were sold during the 2014/15 financial year. These included heat pumps, whiteware, TVs, computers and light bulbs.

EECA’s Energy Rating Label and Energystar labels help shoppers with energy efficiency decisions when buying new appliances. Its minimum energy performance standards, meanwhile, keep inefficient appliances out of NZ. A recent study of energy use in New Zealand 2000-2030 found that energy use in the average Kiwi home has fallen by 10 percent since 2000, even though we use increasing numbers of gadgets and appliances. Energy efficiency is a major contributor to this.

The study, commissioned by the trans-Tasman Equipment Energy Efficiency Programme, predicts that the average energy use per dwelling will continue to decline to 2030.

“Our homes are responsible for about 11 percent of NZ’s total energy use and seven percent of energy-related emissions,” he says. “It’s a small slice of the pie compared to industry or transport, but one that’s seen notable progress.”

People under supervision are now listed on the public register.

Until this May, limited certificate trainees and exemption under supervision authorisations did not appear on The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB)’s public register. This has now changed. The public register now lists the full name of all licensed, trainees and exempt people on their supervisor’s page, along with the supervisor’s authorisation number. To see how it works, go to the Public Register at www.pgdb.co.nz, type in your surname and click search. Then click on your details to view your page.

If you have any privacy concerns around these changes, please email comms@pgdb.co.nz

Haven’t relicensed yet?

Time’s up, says the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers (PGDB)! In their view it should have been possible for all practitioners to be relicensed by May 2016. If you haven't, they intend to take a hard line. Get it done! Go to www.pgdb.co.nz to relicence online or email licensing@pgdb.co.nz

Solitaire

NZ designed tapware

Contact info@foreno.co.nz for more information 0508 FORENO // foreno.co.nz June/July 2016

35

INDUSTRY TALK

People New EGCC commissioner

Reticulating stock water

A new study is looking at the value of stock water reticulation for hill country farms.

Access to good stock water can limit the use of pasture on hill country farms. This is a particular problem in times of drought, when dams and smaller streams and creeks dry up.

As a result, the government is investing $80,000 in a joint study with Beef + Lamb New Zealand to look at the benefits of providing reticulated water supplies for stock on hill country farms. It will be based on case studies from farmers who have installed such systems in recent times.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said the funding was a flow-on from the Manawatu Whanganui Regional Growth Study, launched last year. “This is now the number one region in the country for sheep and beef so improving the productivity of farms, particularly hill country farms, is a priority,” he said at the launch of the project.

Eleven farms will be included in the study: four from the Manawatu-Whanganui, two from Northland, one in the Bay of Plenty, two in the East Coast, one in Marlborough and one in Canterbury.

Stiebel Eltron expanding in New Zealand

Newly formed company Stiebel Eltron NZ Ltd is to operate out of Auckland.

With water heating, water filter, heat pump and room heating products available in over 120 countries around the world, German manufacturer Stiebel Eltron is expanding its reach in the Asia Pacific region. Until 1 May this year, Parex Industries had represented Stiebel Eltron in New Zealand for 15 years.

Jason Kerr, General Manager of the newly formed Stiebel Eltron NZ Ltd, returns to his New Zealand homeland for the role after many years as a Sales Director of Stiebel Eltron Sydney. “We are confident the transition from Parex to Stiebel Eltron will be a smooth one for all of our customers,” he says. “It was a logical step forward for Stiebel Eltron to commence operations in New Zealand, especially after great foundations and representation of the brand by Parex. We look forward to a bright future for the company.”

The new office and showroom is located in Takapuna, Auckland.

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June/July 2016

Nanette Moreau succeeds Judi Jones as Commissioner of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme (EGCC). EGCC’s Deputy Commissioner for 14 years, Nanette Moreau has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, change management and the law. “The Scheme is currently being reviewed, as the Scheme document dictates, and Nanette was the obvious choice to guide the EGCC through this process,” said Board Chair Hon Heather Roy on her appointment to the role.

New MD for Marley and Aliaxis NZ Aliaxis are pleased to announce the appointment of Mike MacDonald as NZ Managing Director with oversight of the New Zealand businesses for Aliaxis and Managing Director of Marley.

Prior to this Mike had an extensive career with Fletcher Building and for his last five years there was General Manager of Humes Group, including Pipelines, CSP Pacific, Oasis Clearwater & Trenchshoring NZ. Most recently Mike has been General Manager of BNT (Brake & Transmission NZ Ltd) a key business within the Automotive Group of Hellaby Holdings Ltd. Over the past two and a half years, BNT have been successful in improving customer value and enhancing staff engagement and Mike leaves BNT in great shape.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and Post Graduate Diploma from Auckland University and is a member of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is married and has two teenage children. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to lead a company that has great people, strong brands and is part of a leading global group,” says Mike.

Obituary: Lorraine Mills

Our condolences to the family of Lorraine Mills, who died suddenly in April. Lorraine was a New Zealand Life Member of the Roofing Association (RANZ) and its Chief Executive Officer. “Lorraine has been a tireless CEO whose passion for the industry is unmatched,” said RANZ President Graham Moor. “Her sudden passing leaves a huge gap but to her credit she leaves a much bigger legacy.”

Distributing quality products.

Brands you can trust.

www.hydroflow.co.nz

TECH SAVVY

Is your business online?

If your business doesn’t have a digital presence, you could be missing half your market, says Ben Ross of Putti.

TIMES THEY ARE A-changing. Today’s tradespeople are gradually moving away from paperwork to paperless alternatives and beginning to understand the importance of being online.

Software is available to streamline the whole job management process.

Customers can sign quotes and invoices on screen with mobile apps. And websites can be used to view safety data sheets or compliance documents.

When not actually on tools, plumbers are pretty attached to their smartphones. Even while out on a job, mobile devices are useful for showing customers products or for referencing manufacturer’s instructions and the like.

Despite this, New Zealand small businesses have been relatively slow to recognise the importance of having their own digital presence.

In its 2015 Business Monitor, software business MYOB noted that almost half (46%) of New Zealand operators had no online presence (business or social media site)—and that figure rose to 55% for construction and trades businesses.

However, interest in IT systems is on the rise. According to the report, IT systems and processes placed joint second

in the top five areas where businesses planned to increase investment.

Ben Ross of software company Putti was among the speakers at the recent 2016 New Zealand Plumbing Conference.

His key advice to participants was to keep it simple.

“Your website is your business card.

It doesn’t need to show everything to everyone. Keep it relevant and think about what you want it to do. It might be relevant to show videos, or to allow people to make purchases or book quotes.

There’s no point utilising technology for technology’s sake.”

A ‘mobile responsive’ website is the way to go, he advised. This ensures that the website will display easily and clearly on whatever device it’s being viewed— desktop computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

Those who don’t have a responsive website may notice their Google ranking drop, as this search engine gives preference to websites that suit the device they are being searched from.

So, if Mrs Brown is looking for a local plumber via her mobile phone, your website will be one of the first to appear if you have a mobile responsive site.

Building a website doesn’t have to be an expensive, time-consuming exercise.

With Putti small businesses can quickly create a simple website using a template format. Putti also provides a design service if you have no time for DIY. “The Putti platform allows people to create and manage a mobile-responsive website step-by-step in a matter of minutes,” says Ben. “More advanced features can be added at any time.”

“With 56 percent of adult shoppers making purchasing decisions online— such as finding services or ordering products—you really don’t want to miss out on half the market,” continues Ben, referring to a 2014 Nielsen Online Retail Report.

This figure is only likely to increase with the shifting demographics. In today’s world, teenagers learn coding at high school and toddlers watch YouTube.

“We’re becoming more and more reliant on technology and it’s now a big part of our lives,” he says. ■ If you are interested in getting your business online or want to know more, visit the Putti website at www.puttiapps.com

Above: Building your own website doesn't need to be difficult.

June/July 2016

39

INNOVATION

Ready, set, go THE CONCISION FACTORY currently produces 10 houses a week through multiple shifts and, in April, had enough orders at current capacity to keep the factory full until the end of August.

Business Development Manager Andrew Searle says, “In ideal conditions we can manufacture a house in the factory in nine hours. We turn up to the site in the morning and we have a watertight shell by 3pm that afternoon.”

The house is completed, including landscaping, in about eight to 10 weeks.

By comparison, a house built using standard methods takes around 22 weeks.

40

June/July 2016

Concision’s prefabricated panels are insulated as required, clad and pre-fitted with windows, electrical and plumbing services that are ready for connection to on-site services. The factory produces walls, floors and roofing that are completely as-per-plan, and ready for transportation and on-site assembly.

Plumbing fit off is all done on-site, says Andrew. “We leave the bottom sheet of gib temporarily fixed on one side of the wall in areas where there is major plumbing to be done.”

At this stage, the system takes no work away from local plumbers. Depending

Concision’s new prefab factory in Christchurch is helping speed up the rebuild.

plumbing services that are ready for connection to onsite services

Above: Fitting the panels onto the frame.

INNOVATION

Above: Window being fitted into a prefabricated panel.

Below: The Concision factory in Christchurch.

on volume and pipe system used, Concision may look to employ full-time plumbers in the factory to fit pipes in the walls before they go to site. “Any certified plumber can do the work and connect on site at this stage. It is very similar to a standard build in that respect.

“Currently the plumbers pre-make bulk amounts of crimped wing backs and we screw them in to pre-determined locations.” Plumbers’ pre-pipe takes fractionally longer on-site than a standard house, says Andrew. >

there is a fair bit of pressure on the plumbers to get it right!

June/July 2016

41

STOP THAT LEAKY

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Above: Preparing for an external tap to be placed in a wall.

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One of the challenges for plumbers is that most of the gib is on the walls when the panels get on-site. “The ceiling panel (25mm thick, 2.4/1.2m timber panel) is on top of the walls. They need to drill through this and waterproof every hole, as the panel is a waterproof system. There is a fair bit of pressure on the plumbers to get it right!”

Since April last year, Concision has produced 120 houses, and one large commercial project. “The factory has enough forward work through Mike Greer Homes and Versatile residential sales to keep it at current capacity, says Andrew.

“We have multiple commercial projects coming through in the near future as we need to have the ability to do these to adapt to market changes in the future.” ■

we have multiple commercial projects coming through in the near future as we need to have the ability to do these to adapt to market changes

up to

* **

Australian Gas Association Certified Star Rating

.

1 5 9 e v l o v E i a n in The R Designed by yo u.

Introducing Evolve 951

See it in your place

Offering the same level of flexibility as the Rinnai Evolve 950, the Rinnai Evolve 951 now features a slimmer design. The outer frame of the Evolve 951 fire has been reduced by 25mm on both the top and sides and by 15mm on the base.

Now you can try before you buy - atfrom the touch a Google Play, To download our virtual fire app iTunesofor magic button.

Download the app by searching ‘Rinnai just search "Rinnai" or pick up a life-size poster in store.

Magic’ in the App Store or Google Play. Use the cover of the Heating Catalogue to activate the app, available at rinnai.co.nz/brochure or from your local Rinnai Stockist.

* Running on LPG using extended flue and 2 bends ** Running on NG using extended flue and 2 bends

SMART BUSINESS

Juggling act Are you struggling to juggle the demands of a fast-growing business?

Liz Wotherspoon of The Icehouse has some advice on how to make it easier.

IF YOUR COMPANY is growing fast, it can be a struggle to set up career paths for your teams while also trying to put in controls and metrics to run everything profitably.

It’s important to realise that establishing staff roles is a shared responsibility between you and them—so don’t carry this task on your shoulders alone. Remember, too, that the roles in your business are not all created equal.

Some are more critical than others, particularly when it comes to successfully achieving your purpose and objectives.

Which people in your business would be difficult to replace if they left? Who would leave a big gap that would be hard to fill? Asking these questions will allow you to prioritise your efforts if you need to. If it is important to keep people in critical roles, and you have limited time to invest in this activity, you may need to focus on these people.

MANAGING THE FLOW I’m unsure who said it, but there’s a wonderful adage that goes: “Where people in your business are concerned, no matter how hard you try, you can’t build a dam, you can only manage the flow.”

People will come and go from your business for many reasons, including career development. Your challenge is to be aware of where people are at (particularly the people in key roles), so there are no nasty surprises.

To make it easier, build career development discussions and planning into your performance setting and review processes. When you are agreeing goals and objectives for the year (and the measures that will allow you and your team to know if they are achieving these), it’s a logical time to have a conversation about their development needs and their career ambitions.

The focus should be on what is necessary in order for them to be successful in their current role while also having the potential to address future career paths and aspirations. Joining these discussions addresses in one 44

June/July 2016

process what you are trying to juggle, and aligns it too.

• •

PERFORMANCE REVIEWS

• •

If your performance review and development process involves quarterly catch-ups, your team need to prepare ahead of time and provide you with an assessment of how they are going.

This is based on what has been agreed on and what else they may need in order to achieve what is expected of them. You should have this far in advance of your meeting with them to give you adequate time to prepare your own assessment and thoughts.

In these meetings, you need to be focussed on them. How are they going? Do they have the things they need to deliver on their accountabilities? Do they need any more or different support from you?

CAREER DEVELOPMENT Career and professional development can include a number of things including: • •

recommended reading online learning

•

on-the-job learning opportunities buddying with someone else in the business involvement in special projects one-on-one coaching or mentoring formal training and development.

The debate continues about who’s responsible for career development: employee or employer. Providing career paths within businesses is increasingly challenging as organisation structures become flatter and less hierarchical.

However, at the end of the day, it is the employee’s career, and they must take ultimate responsibility. By all means support them to determine their action plan for professional growth and development. This will help ensure you are getting the most from them for however long they remain in your business. ■ About the author: Liz Wotherspoon is Director of Growth at The Icehouse. Her focus is on improving the capabilities to grow established SMEs. Contact Liz on 09 308 6207; email l.wotherspoon@theicehouse.co.nz

SMART BUSINESS

Making tax simpler Small business owners will have a ‘pay-as-you-go’ option for provisional tax under new proposals.

NEW PROPOSALS WILL give small business owners a pay-as-you-go option for provisional tax—income tax by another name. This is one initiative in a package of proposed tax changes aimed at reducing the stress of tax compliance for businesses.

Here’s what the changes mean for your business:

time and pay less than $60,000 a year in tax. Inland Revenue refers to these as uplift instalments.

If you pay more than $60,000 in tax a year—and continue with the three uplift instalments—use-of-money interest will only apply to the third and last yearly instalment of your provisional tax.

Pay-as-you-go

If you choose the pay-as-you-go option, you can set up your accounting software to calculate your taxable income every two months and tell you when to pay.

You can also pay your taxes through your accounting system. Using software systems will help cut the time you spend manually calculating and paying your tax.

Read more about the full range of business tax proposals aimed at making tax as easy as possible, many of which take effect from April 2017, at www.makingtaxsimpler.ird.govt.nz Information courtesy of business.govt.nz

Inland Revenue calls this the accounting income method (AIM). It’s proposed that if your business has a turnover of less than $5 million a year, you can choose to pay tax every two months on income earned. In the past, you had to pay provisional tax in three instalments, based on an estimate of your likely tax bill for the coming year. However, you can still choose to pay in three instalments.

The new pay-as-you-go option for provisional tax takes effect from April 2018.

CLASSIFIED ADS Qualified plumber required: Wakatipu Basin Qualified licensed plumber required for immediate start to work on high-end construction projects in Wakatipu Basin.

Great rates, great team and excellent career opportunities.

Must be qualified with recognised industry training and be able to provide references.

You will be required to have: • Minimum 3+ years’ on the job experience • Clean driving record • Physically fit • Excellent attention to detail • Permission to work in NZ with relevant visa.

Applicants ideally require the following: • New Zealand on the job experience on new build projects • Preference may be given to applicants with experience of solar and central heating systems.

Please call 03 441 4787 or email admin@peakplumbing.co.nz to complete an employment application.

Accounting software

Use-of-money interest

Under the old rules, if you didn’t pay enough tax, you incurred a use-of-money interest charge until you cleared your account. Under the new rules, use-ofmoney interest no longer applies to: • pay-as-you-go taxpayers who pay their taxes on time • taxpayers who continue with three standard instalments, who pay on

The cost to advertise is $60+GST for MPGD members; $100+GST for non-members.

Just send your text (up to 100 words) to advertising@masterplumbers.org.nz

Qualified plumber required: Wanaka Qualified licensed plumber required for immediate start to work on high-end construction projects in Wanaka.

Great rates, great team and excellent career opportunities.

Must be qualified with recognised industry training and be able to provide references.

You will be required to have: • Minimum 3+ years’ on the job experience • Clean driving record • Physically fit • Excellent attention to detail • Permission to work in NZ with relevant visa.

Applicants ideally require the following: • New Zealand on the job experience on new build projects • Preference may be given to applicants with experience of solar and central heating systems.

Please call 03 443 5718 or email admin@optum.co.nz to complete an employment application.

Plumber – New Plymouth We have a vacancy in New Plymouth for a Maintenance Plumber.

If you are thinking of a change and need a new focus then perhaps this could be for you. There are plenty of challenges and loads of work available in this permanent appointment. Please provide CV to spencer.shaw@onestaff.co.nz or if you prefer we are happy to offer further information upon initial phone contact to Spencer 06 968 4510.

June/July 2016

45

SMART BUSINESS

Better each day

What makes a plumbing business successful? We talked to 2016 Master Plumber of the Year Peter Jackson Plumbing about their winning approach.

AT PETER JACKSON Plumbing, every day is treated as a learning opportunity.

“We pride ourselves on being better today than we were yesterday, and we’re always on the lookout for what will make us even better tomorrow,” say Directors Peter and Sonya Jackson.

Peter started out as a one-man operation in Wellington in 1998, and the business has since grown to employing a team of 10—three in the office and seven tradespeople.

Nearly 20 years ago, Peter and Sonya decided they wanted to live and work on the Kapiti Coast. They’ve since become a well-respected name in the local community, winning a local small business of the year award in 2012. They are equally committed to giving back through community fundraising and

Five of the best

The Master Plumber of the Year Award is judged on five key criteria. We asked Peter and Sonya Jackson about each.

1

Customer service

Our office is open to customers from 7am-5pm during weekdays, and we’re on call 24 hours a day. Our on-call roster means that, no matter what time of day or night, we are equipped to attend to an emergency. This includes public holidays, as burst pipes and blocked drains don’t always follow normal working hours.

The emphasis in the office and for our plumbers is to keep the customer front of mind, and to offer professionalism and excellence. All our plumbers are trained the Peter Jackson Plumbing way, with a detailed Best Procedures Manual that outlines our very high expectations. Our office staff are also trained by external consultants to provide the highest levels of customer service.

To keep our customers informed and to provide efficient follow up service, we have an online job system. We can instantly upload photos and specifications for each job, such as council drainage plans, CCTV

46

June/July 2016

Above: Peter and Sonya Jackson at the 2016 New Zealand Plumbing Awards with Master Plumbers National President Martin de Gouw (right).

footage and appliance makes, models and serial numbers for gasfitting or servicing.

2

Marketing

We advertise our business in a range of ways from Google Adwords and Facebook to local newspapers, local radio stations, flyers and pamphlets, sponsorship and signage at local sports clubs, such as bowling greens, netball courts and the Paraparaumu Golf Club handbook.

New clients get sent a magnet with their invoice and all quotes and estimates are accompanied by one of our brochures.

We are always keen to be involved with local community initiatives by donating time and money. To date, these have included Kapiti Run for Youth, Mitre 10 Mega Charity Build, Habitat for Humanity, Youth Quest, Zeal and Kapiti Youth Support.

We advertise in the Grey Power booklet, offering Grey Power members a 10% Grey Power Discount applied to their invoice, if applicable.

3

Image

The Peter Jackson Plumbing premises are clearly signed on the main Kapiti Road.

All our field staff drive late model vehicles,

which are immaculate inside and out. The vehicles are signwritten on all four sides. We are in the process of upgrading all our vans with the same fittings and health and safety equipment.

We supply all our plumbers with the uniform shirt, sweatshirt, shorts and steel cap boots.

They also have signwritten winter beanies and summer caps.

Our image is consistent throughout all our print and digital media, from business cards and brochures to quotes and email correspondence. We also regularly update our website with feedback and testimonials, and we’re in the process of a website redesign.

4

Business performance

We have utilised the service of business mentors, coaches and HR professionals to help us develop strong business performance—and we’re always open to innovative methods and practices.

We regularly invest time in business planning and development to keep up our skills and knowledge of both plumbing and best business practice. We recently hired an extra member of staff for a fixed term to produce a health and safety manual

SMART BUSINESS

sponsorship, and look locally when hiring employees and apprentices.

Winning the 2016 Master Plumber of the Year Award was a “massive privilege”, says Peter. “It is also a responsibility for us to represent Master Plumbers and the industry through this award.”

Peter and Sonya always try to give their best to their customers, setting high standards as a business in the community. “Our core values are safety, service, respect, communication and commitment,” explains Sonya. “By following these core values, we show our clients that we care.”

Their current premises, with an office and five-van garage on the Kapiti Road, have served them well over the years, but it’s time for further development. “We have plans in with the Council to replace the frontage with a purpose-built work office to allow for more growth and the highest level of professionalism,” says Sonya. ■ Above: Last year, the company offered it services to help build the Mitre 10 Mega Charity House build, with funds raised going to the Kapiti Youth Achievement Trust.

containing best practice and procedures, as well as Peter Jackson Plumbing health and safety processes, core values, code of conduct and fortnightly toolbox meeting minutes.

5

Personnel

We take the further education of our plumbers and apprentices seriously, and all our staff have had Master Plumbers and HazardCo health and safety training. We encourage and pay for training, putting staff through courses such as working with heights and health and safety inductions.

We hold regular one-on-ones with our staff to check where they’re at and if there’s anything specific they think they need more training or assistance with. At our fortnightly staff meetings, they are encouraged to ‘WIFFLE’ (what I feel like expressing) and to give feedback on what’s going well and what could be improved on.

We are members of two local BNI network groups and we’ve introduced all our staff to BNI, enabling them to meet the range of different businesses we work with. This means we can assist customers on site by suggesting another tradesperson for aspects of a job we don’t do ourselves.

Above: The team celebrating their win.

our core values are safety, service, respect, communication and commitment—by following these, we show our clients that we care June/July 2016

47

SMART BUSINESS

Performance management THERE ARE TWO distinct processes – one for managing poor performance and one for dealing with bad behaviour – and it is important to start off down the right path.

When deciding which path to follow, ask yourself, “Is the issue to do with how the employee performs their work, or is it about how they behave in the workplace?”

Performance management is generally a path that needs to be followed to improve an employee’s effectiveness. It is a process where both the employer/ manager and employee work together to implement a plan to meet the expected requirements of one’s role. Performance management can be a lengthy process and one that needs to be managed well.

When setting goals for an employee you need to ensure the individual has

all necessary tools to achieve this, and that these requirements meet both the job description and the businesses goals.

Once a suitable plan and achievable timeframe have been put in place, ensure this is documented and agreed to by both parties.

An employer may need to commence a disciplinary process with one of their employees. This is standard when an employee commits serious misconduct resulting in a breach of the company’s ‘rules,’ normally set out in a company handbook or Code of Conduct.

When dealing with an employee’s misconduct an employer is required to follow a fair process, and as each situation is different this won’t always be the same process. The employee has the right to be told what the concerns are and have an opportunity to explain their side of

Biz Brief Brighter banknotes The new $20, $50 and $100 arrived in May, joining the vibrant new $5 and $10 notes that are already in circulation. New security elements make it easier for you to tell real from fake. These include a colour-changing bar on the native bird icon; a puzzle number that lines up when the note is held up to the light; a larger window with a more detailed metallic element; and raised ink on the large denomination number. The Reserve Bank estimates it could take up to 18 months for the current banknotes to go out of circulation. In the meantime, both sets remain legal tender.

Know the new employment rules A reminder that if you employ staff you need to understand a number of employment law changes affecting shift cancellations, minimum wage, parental leave and record-keeping. Zero-hour 48

June/July 2016

The difference between performance management vs disciplinary issues. events. The employer must ensure all evidence including witness statements are considered before any decisions are made. In some cases this process could lead to an employee being dismissed. It’s a good idea to seek HR advice to ensure you’re doing the right thing and to avoid the employee raising a personal grievance down the track. ■ About the author: HR Consultant Lisa Duston is here to support your business, ensuring you and your team have the tools to get it right. Lisa can assist with your recruitment needs, from placing ads through to supplying you with a shortlist of potential well-screened applicants ready for interviewing. Master Plumbers’ members can access HR support from Lisa Duston at specially reduced rates. Call Lisa on 03 388 4066 or 021 245 1704 during normal business hours. Or email lisa.duston@masterlink.co.nz

Our regular business updates in brief.

contracts have also been banned under the changes. All employment agreements must now clearly set out any hours you and your employee have agreed on. Find more information and case studies at www.business.govt.nz/news/got-staffyou-need-to-know-the-new-rules

Filing GST with Xero and MYOB If you use Xero or MYOB accounting systems, you can now file GST directly to Inland Revenue. This service has been trialled by some businesses since last year and was rolled out during April and May. According to the Inland Revenue, 83% of those who have used the new service find it easier than the old process. Customer feedback has also led to some system improvements, including the ability to file a combined GST and provisional tax return. Filing your tax returns through software can save time, pre-populate your GST return data, and remove manual

entry and the possibility for errors. Filing tax through Xero and MYOB is one alternative, but you can still also file GST through myIR.

Employment agreement builder A written emloyment agreement is a legal requirement. The new Employment Agreement Builder (EAB) launched by business.govt.nz helps you create written agreements easily. Using EAB, you can see which clauses are musthaves and get advice on what different industries might need to include. The tool will be constantly updated in line with employment law changes.

Find it at https://eab.business.govt. nz/employmentagreementbuilder/ startscreen/. Remember, too, that Master Plumbers provides template employment agreements for members’ use. Find them at www.masterplumbers.org.nz

EXCLUSIVE

NZ PLUMBER NOW AVAILABLE DIGITALLY TO MASTER PLUMBER MEMBERS! Reporting back from the 2016 NZ Plumbing Conference – See page 37

CONTENTS

21

ON THE COVER Book your place now at the 2016 New Zealand Plumbing Conference! – See page 7 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015

Art and Craft

17

Sheetmetal mastery at the Len Lye Centre

12

DODGY PRODUCT

Commercial leasing

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

What you need to know

APRIL/MAY 2016

8-page MasterLink pull-out

Be in to win!

Get an apprentices FREE for 2 month

24

28

Inside this issue

37

Mud, glorious mud Tradies join the Tough Guy & Gal Challenge

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 37

How big is the issue?

WHAT’S ON

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

7

17

Registrations are open for the NZ Plumbing Conference 2016

MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS 8

CEO Greg Wallace talks marketing and membership; Master Plumbers gets the big tick from ACC; National President on tour; awards entries; new members; and two Gold Partner updates

12

Commercial leases One of your most important business contracts…

REAL LIVES 14

Out West Why West Coast plumbing takes planning

28 To the rescue This plumber’s a fire truck driving dynamo!

4

Mirror, mirror Sheetmetal mastery at the new Len Lye Centre

INDUSTRY TALK 30 Bathed in glory Bathroom Excellence winner 31

Occupational regulation review MBIE plans to simplify

Preventing Legionnaire’s Keeping water systems safe

31

Innovation for Green Star Rating tool gets an update

Best practice: rainwater Top tips from Marley

31

24 Backflow know-how Questions installers should ask themselves

Involving the industry PGD Board establishes a liaison group and proposes a new CPD model

32

Sam’s Spot A plumber’s tools are sacred, says Sam!

NUTS & BOLTS 21

22

IN FOCUS

HOLIDAY PAY

43

60

25

27

The gas ring This issue’s updates for gasfitters Tech points Some online projects afoot for the industry

32

People NZPM Board; vale Nigel Mason

34 Recent convictions Licence checks are proving effective 35

Raising the roof Winners at the RANZ Roofing Awards

Fees in focus New regular column for PGD Board CEO Martin Sawyers

SMART BUSINESS 39 Eyes on insurance Covering your tools… and keeping your insurance current 43 Growing your business Business development advice from The Icehouse 44 Biz brief Employment law changes and more…

46 Understanding GST The IR has the low-down 47 Recruit to suit Kicking off our new HR series with recruitment

TIMES PAST 48 Wartime apprentice A gust of wind leads to hair-raising results for Ernie MacManus

BACKFLOW KNOW-HOW Installer basics

OUTWARD BOUND Tomorrow’s leaders

NEXT GENERATION 66 Why hire an apprentice?

MasterLink videos have the answers!

AROUND ASSOCIATIONS 53

Active in Auckland Q&A session with Auckland Master Plumbers President Regan Frost

WORLD VIEW 54 Water for future Plumber Trevor Gatland volunteers in Timor Leste 62 On the world stage Kiwi plumber at the World Skills Internationals

HEALTH MATTERS 58 Asbestos alert Ignore the risks of asbestos on worksites at your peril!

TECH SAVVY 60 Accounting add-ons You need them but be selective

58

ASBESTOS ALERT Worksite risks

70 Cover photograph by Patrick Reynolds: Len Lye Centre facade

SAFETY FIRST 50 H&S reform: one step closer The Health & Safety Reform Bill has passed

69 Got a Trade The first-ever Got a Trade Week 70 To the limit Ten apprentices test their mettle with Outward Bound 72

MasterLink winners Success down South

72

Following the code An apprenticeship code of practice

73

Making 2015 a success Skills looks at credit completion

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 75

What’s new to the marketplace

AND FINALLY 76 Offcuts This issue’s media snippets 78 Dodgy plumbing Will they ever learn?

October/November 2015

5

October/November 2015

Get ready for the 2016 NZ Plumbing Conference in Rotorua – See page 7 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015

Get it right!

Learning the trade

Touring two training centres

HAPPY CAMPERS Holiday park wastewater project

WE HAVE A WINNER! PLUMBING VS 2016 Master Plumber DRAINLAYING Where´s the divide? Perfect or defect? of the Year

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

12-month defect repair guidance

CELEBRATING INNOVATION How new products evolve

HR ADVICE LINE New service for Master Plumbers

PLUMBERS WITHOUT BORDERS Lending a hand where it’s needed

Available via www.pocketmags.com

Just log-in to enjoy on your iPad, iPhone, Android device, Mac, PC or Amazon Kindle Fire

www.masterplumbers.org.nz

SUPPLY LINES

CPD on the road

Register today for improved CPD training for plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers.

A NEWLY DEVELOPED continuing professional development (CPD) model is being implemented by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) as of 1 April 2016. It requires all registered plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers to complete a compulsory half day of learning, delivered by the PGDB. Mico Plumbing and Bathrooms has signed on as an exclusive partner to the PGDB for these events in 2016, which will help support all tradespeople with continuous learning to ensure they stay up to date with changes within the industry around legislation and products.

To renew licences in the Licensed and Certifying classes for any of the three trades, tradespeople need to attend a CPD training session, part of the 2016 PGDB & Mico Training Roadshow or complete the online course, which will be available in October.

Forty-five sessions will be run around the country during June, July, August and September 2016. Larger cities will have more than one session. By attending a training session you will be meeting the CPD requirements towards renewing your practising licence on 1 April 2017.

50

June/July 2016

Why you should attend the roadshow: • Interactive training session • Your chance to ask the questions you need answering • Get the latest product updates at the trade stands* • Get access to exclusive trade stand deals* • Have a catch up with other industry members

knowledge for their everyday tasks,” says Mico General Manager Bryn Harrison.

“Mico is proud to be able to support industry training in 2016 as well as provide a valuable opportunity for trade professionals to come together in a social sense.” ■

* not available at all venues

“The new CPD training scheme will provide tradespeople with up-to-date and high quality industry training and

Platinum partner

Event information Morning sessions: Start at 7am with a breakfast and trade stand visits*, with the CPD content being delivered from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Afternoon sessions: Start at 1pm with trade stand visits*, with the CPD content being delivered from 2:30pm to 6:30pm, followed by a happy hour and nibbles. *Sessions without trade stands start one and a half hours later.

Visit www.mico.co.nz/pgdb-mico-training-roadshow for details.

Please complete the online form at www.skills.org.nz/pgdb to book a spot in the PGDB & Mico CPD Training Roadshow 2016 or register by phone on 0508 754 557.

Note that the cost of the course is $30 (including GST) and only credit/debit card payments are accepted.

REGISTER TODAY!

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

Affordable eco Low to moderate income earners will soon have energy-efficient housing options in Queenstown.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND Queenstown are seldom used in the same sentence. But Rilean Homes and the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust have put together a package that allows for 105-111sqm homes targetting low to moderate incomes.

Land for the homes in the Shotover Country development was given to the Trust by developers as part of a community housing deal, negotiated during a plan change process where rural land was rezoned for residential development.

The three-bedroom properties will include Evolution’s proven features to ensure high performance, energy-efficient housing, but won’t compromise on standards in a bid to make them ‘affordable’.

Local architect Mark Gray designed three different property styles for the project to suit some challenging section shapes of 300 to 400sqm.

Temperature control is paramount in the area with its winter snows and blazing summers, and the design incorporates increased insulation, an airtight membrane, and thermally-broken joinery and subfloor, allowing owners to live in a healthy environment while saving on annual energy bills.

Mark Gray says making the designs work is a team effort, including those on site actually building it. “These homes require

Above: How one of the property styles will look.

carpentry and installation skills of the highest order. They are built on the principle of layered construction, working from the inside to the outside with an airtight membrane.

“Airtightness is the key to the buildings and the owners being consistent in how they ‘operate’ the homes. They are designed to a minimum Homestar 6, but will probably be better than that by completion.”

Energy-efficient plumbing fittings in each house will include 3 Star WELS rated laundry tubs and basin mixers and Caroma close-coupled toilet suites with SmartFlush® technology, saving each home up to 35,000L of water per year. ■

40mm Double Bowl Vented Back To Wall Trap DV40BTW

ou y g n i h Everyt ox b e n o need in Fully adjustable height and length Creates space under the sink / basin

It’s what’s underneath that counts.

100% NZ made 4 optional overflow inlets Comes with ‘tight p’ option

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Proposed changes to the Resource Management Act aim to speed up resource consents, as Sarah Watson of Duncan Cotterill Lawyers explains.

THE CHANGES INTRODUCED by the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill centre around the Resource Management Act, and include changes aimed to speed up the resource consent process.

The Bill introduces changes to reduce delays, including: • • •

new types of applications consistency between plans throughout the country new processes to create plans.

Boundary applications

A new tool called a boundary application is proposed in circumstances where a building or structure requires consent simply because it is too close to a boundary. In these circumstances, the effects are limited and easily understood.

If approval is obtained from the affected neighbour, a consent will not be required and the activity can proceed as a permitted activity.

Fast-track applications

Fast-track applications have also been introduced. A fast-track application is one prescribed by regulation, or an activity specified as being a controlled activity by the plan. Regulations can be made to specify fast-track applications where the scale and complexity of the activity means the application can be processed in a reduced timeframe.

A decision on whether to notify a fasttrack application will be required in 10 working days. An application will cease to be fast-tracked where it is notified.

Subdivision consents

A particular area of disappointment for applicants relates to subdivision consents. The Bill proposes to reverse the assumption against subdivision.

Currently under the RMA, land may not be subdivided unless a rule in a plan allows for it.

The Bill flips that presumption, meaning that subdivision will be allowed, unless a rule restricts it. The hope is that this will make more land available for 52

June/July 2016

development and reduce the pressure facing the New Zealand housing market.

Regulations may also be made to require fixed fees for specific consents, which would help eliminate the delay and expense many experience for small or simple proposals.

Nationwide consistency

Proposed national planning templates will help provide greater consistency between plans throughout the country. This will be particularly beneficial for businesses and individuals that use various plans, as certain aspects of resource management will be uniform across the country.

One such example is reducing the number of ways the same activity is defined, as currently the country plans contain more than 50 definitions of a ‘commercial area’.

Quicker plan changes

The drawn out nature of plan changes is another area the Bill intends to improve.

The current process does not enable an agile response to local circumstances. The newly proposed streamlined process will allow councils to ask the Minister for a

process that addresses specific local issues and conditions.

This has largely been brought in as a result of the Christchurch and Auckland plan changes, both of which required special legislation to be passed by government to establish how the process would run.

Public engagement

Finally, the option for a more collaborative planning process aims to encourage greater public engagement to produce plans more reflective of that community.

This approach hopes to create a plan the public will be more likely to buy into and minimise the risk of litigation. ■ Disclaimer: the content of these articles is general in nature and not intended as a substitute for specific professional advice on any matter and should not be relied upon for that purpose.

About the author: Sarah Watson is a Partner at Duncan Cotterill Lawyers in Christchurch. For more information contact Sarah on 03 372 6517; 021 905 199; email sarah.watson@duncancotterill.com

172 116 116

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WORLD VIEW

Project Pacific Habitat for Humanity’s support in the Pacific has now extended to Tonga. Sue Miller reports.

ALMOST EVERY YEAR, a cyclone, tsunami or major tropical storm causes major damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure somewhere in the Pacific.

The disruption to the lives of the local residents and the economy has been horrendous and, this year, some places have been hit twice.

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is an international charity with affiliated organisations in many countries, including independent affiliates in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

From those three permanent bases, the New Zealand organisation works closely with many other Pacific nations to meet various shelter needs, including disaster response work.

For example, Tropical Cyclone Evan caused widespread devastation in Samoa in 2012, and HFH New Zealand has been working in communities there since. Late last year, it launched a build project that will see $1.49 million invested in financial 54

June/July 2016

Top: Habitat Fiji staff member John helps distribute temporary shelter materials in Nabotulu.

Above: This photo was taken two week’s after Tropical Cyclone Winston hit Fiji.

WORLD VIEW

Left: Putting together temporary shelter kit materials, including buckets, tarpaulins, rope and tools.

literacy training, basic housing improvements, maintenance and new homes.

Claire Szabo, Chief Executive for Habitat for Humanity in New Zealand, said her organisation is now working alongside the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga. In April she travelled to Tonga to sign a memorandum of understanding.

“Like all Pacific island nations, Tonga is susceptible to extreme weather events,” she says. Tropical Cyclone Winston, which devastated Fiji earlier this year, was at one point on course for Tonga.

“Habitat believes everyone deserves a decent place to live, and we’re pleased that the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga recently showed they truly share that vision with us.”

The organisation is in the early stages of planning the direction for its assistance in Tonga, creating plans, working with its Tongan partners, and getting the first project off the ground.

“However, this agreement isn’t limited to a ‘bottom of the cliff ’ response,” says Claire. “We’re also very much looking forward to progressing work with families in Tonga whose shelter may not be adequate to withstand future disasters, and this is a desire we’re pleased to share with the government of Tonga.”

New Zealand is also working alongside Habitat for Humanity Fiji in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winston.

Claire visited Fiji in April and says it was a privilege to work alongside the team at HFH in Fiji. She had been able to experience first-hand the need that still exists in villages and informal settlements, following the devastation wrought by the cyclone.

“We’re still working really hard to distribute temporary shelter > materials, so people can continue to shore up their homes.

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Above: Children of Nabotulu on a 1m high platform that provided shelter from the winds and rain when the cyclone hit.

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June/July 2016

55

WORLD VIEW

Above: German packpacker Tristan Hillmann had plans to holiday with friends in Fiji—and came anyway to volunteer his help.

Above: Volunteers and staff at the HFH Fiji HQ counting and compiling community tool kits.

“Fijian people are just so pragmatic and positive about what the future will bring for themselves and their families. But the reality is that the Pacific is a high-risk zone for adverse weather events. It could be only a matter of time until the next severe cyclone affects our friends there.

“So we desperately need to build back better in Fiji—and that means permanent, cyclone-resistant housing. Of the 900plus homes that Habitat has already built in Fiji, none were damaged during the

cyclone in February. This is a very strong indication that our methods are good and well-tested.”

She said the typical house built there costs only NZD$5,000. “When you consider the cost of responding in times of disaster with emergency shelter, and all the social and economic implications of people who have been displaced, it’s not much to consider.”

She really encourages plumbing professionals from all around New

Post-cyclone support for Fiji Before Tropical Cyclone Winston struck in February, Habitat for Humanity Fiji had installed an 180 metre suspended water supply in the rural community of Rokovuaka Village in Ra Province, through funding provided by the Embassy of Japan (FJD$60,000). The village previously had no ready access to potable water and was one of the areas directly hit by the cyclone.

The village has a population of 320 people with 72 houses. Ten houses were destroyed completely and 54 partially. The water pipe survived the cyclone, however, which led to praise from village head man Apisalome Kalou for the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) team in Fiji, and the quality of the installation.

In March, Habitat NZ visited Fiji to work together with Habitat Fiji. The pictures on these pages show the support work for the informal settlement of Nabotulu in the Ra Division of Fiji’s mainland Vitu Levu. Of the 20 homes in the settlement, only two survived the force of the cyclone. Volunteers and staff at the Habitat Fiji headquarters in Suva put together temporary shelter materials and community tool kits that are still being distributed to affected families.

See more about the work they’re doing at www.facebook.com/HFHFiji

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June/July 2016

Zealand to give what they can to help support Habitat’s work in Fiji, and to keep an ear to the ground about volunteering opportunities. These come up periodically on the Habitat for Humanity website (www.habitat.org.nz).

Over the years, people from all walks of life become volunteers with HFH in the Pacific, and this has included plumbers from New Zealand. Typically, these builds are up to 10 days.

“However, one of the advantages of our Global Village building experiences is that you don’t need any specific skills. It’s a great way for people of all ages to travel, learn some new skills and meet families from another culture.”

In disaster response situations— and in response to people’s needs in developing nations, in general—one of the cornerstones of assessment that relates strongly to ‘shelter’ is people’s access to WASH, which stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

In the Pacific, Habitat is one of a cluster of charities or aid agencies that coordinates to assess and provide or assist with shelter and WASH. From time to time, jobs do become available, such as a WASH Engineer, responsible for monitoring and supporting various agencies to identify suitable water sources, designing and implementing sanitation systems and so on. ■

SAFETY FIRST

Swiss cheese effect A slice of cheese can teach us a lot about health and safety, as Richard Tattersfield explains.

AS A WORKSAFE Inspector, I was often told that health and safety is just common sense and employers shouldn’t be held responsible for other people doing stupid things that may injure them in the workplace.

On the face of it this seems a fair statement, until you start to break down the basic requirements under our current health and safety legislation.

If we accept that people make mistakes, and we all do, then what extra steps do we need to take to ensure that they do not hurt themselves, or anyone else, when they make these mistakes?

STOP THE HOLES Accidents happen when a series of events all line up at the same time—this is typically known as the ‘Swiss cheese effect’. The more barriers we can put up, the harder it is for all the holes to align, thus reducing the likelihood of an accident occurring.

In this case, some of the barriers we are talking about include welltrained employees, appropriate hazard identification and controls, the right tools for the job, well planned work (removing excessive time pressure), supervision or monitoring, worker participation, well defined policies and procedures for undertaking specific higher risk jobs, and 58

June/July 2016

a process for review.

Compare this to what is actually happening on some worksites. Employees being shown how to operate a piece of plant or equipment with only brief instructions and then told to ‘be careful’ and get on with the job. Often there is little monitoring or supervision to ensure that they are using the equipment correctly and safely.

If employees are qualified tradespeople, the approach seems to be even worse, as there is a misconception that once someone is qualified they should know how to do the job safely. If we go back to the ‘it’s just common sense’ statement, we are all aware that everyone has a different perception or approach to a job and what is common sense to one person is not necessarily common sense to another.

that they are trained and know what they are doing, but it is only with several years of experience that you could say that they might be competent drivers.

Would you allow an employee to jump into an expensive work vehicle or machine without being confident in their driving ability?

Health and safety at work should be the same. Your employee or contractor will need supervision until you are confident with their competency and skills. They will need health and safety policies and procedures in place to provide clear direction during the supervision period.

These are your ‘Swiss cheese’ barriers and will help ensure you have a safer workplace and that you meet your obligations under the health and safety legislation. ■

LIFE EXPERIENCE COUNTS

Disclaimer: This article should not be used as a substitute for legal or professional advice for specific situations. Please seek guidance from your health and safety consultant for any questions specific to your workplace.

For me, common sense is a combination of training, competency and life skills. A piece of paper does not mean that you are good at your job; it just means that you should know how to do it.

A good example of this is driving.

How many times do we see someone doing something stupid or dangerous while driving, yet these drivers have gone through the same driving test as everyone else. They have the piece of paper to say

About the author: Richard Tattersfield is Senior Health and Safety Consultant at Progressive Consulting. You can email Richard at richard.tattersfield@wearehr. co.nz or call him on 03 218 185.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Retiring in comfort Gas condensing boilers will supply all the hot water needs for this new retirement village in Auckland.

HERON PLUMBING IS in the midst of a plumbing project for the waterfront Summerset at Monterey Park retirement village in Hobsonville, Auckland. To date, they have installed two highefficiency Baxi gas condensing boilers in the plant room, generating domestic hot water for 21 premium apartments in the village. Three more boilers will be added in phase two as the village expands to include a care centre with rest home and hospital-level care.

The boilers were installed by Tom Poole, who joined Heron Plumbing as a third year MasterLink apprentice and is now a Licensed Gasfitter and Certifying Plumber at the firm. With Heron Plumbing owner Dale Lovell’s help, Tom completed the installation by working off the drawings and reading the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

“As soon as the project started, I always looked forward to getting into the plant room, as it is not every day we

Above: The Summerset at Monterey Park retirement village.

the plant room configuration is first class

Clockwise from top left: The plant room entrance; flow and return of the storage cylinder circuit; Kempress copper for the hot water system; pipework involved in the circuits and to the apartments.

get to install such a technical system,” says Tom. “I found the room to be a great challenge and I enjoyed the whole process, from figuring out where everything had to go to make it all fit, to the commissioning of the boilers at the end.”

Central Heating New Zealand, who supplied the boilers and commissioned the system, was full of praise for his work. “The plant room configuration and the installation is first class. It is neat, accurate and finished,” said Director Lyall Smith, who took time to teach Tom what was involved in commissioning the boilers while he was on site.

MM Kembla Pressfit copper pipework has been chosen for the hot water system, as it is well able to withstand high temperatures, is quick to install and does not require a heat permit. “We’re due to go back and install a four-port tempering valve to safeguard the PPR pipe used elsewhere in the building,” says Dale. “Tempering valves in each apartment deliver the water at 55°C and this will be 42°C for the care centre, which is our next project.”

Once finished, Summerset at Monterey Park will have more than 250 residents in a mix of homes, townhouses and apartments, and will include a café, theatre, hair salon, library and bar. ■ June/July 2016

59

®

Tools of the trade

One hundred years since Master Plumbers was established, plumbers have seen a number of changes to the tools and materials of their trade.

FASTER. EASIER. FLAME FREE. QUALITY.

THANKS TO AUTHORS Eric Shaw and John Simpson, over the next few editions NZ Plumber will be taking a look back over the past century, since Master Plumbers was in its infancy.

In their commemorative book Eric and John recorded the first 100 years of the Otago Master Plumbers Association, yet their activities are still relevant to today’s tradespeople nationwide.

As the authors say in the foreword: “In researching a century of Association activity, one finds that history does repeat itself, that old problems are often modern problems, that old challenges are, strangely, new challenges but most importantly, there have always been members who are ready, willing and able to turn those problems into challenges and to carry on from where prior members left off.”

This edition’s extracts look at how product innovations have affected the industry.

THE ARRIVAL OF PVC

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“In July 1960, Association members witnessed the most significant demonstration of a new product in the history of the trade. Mr Ian Kellas of L.M. Wright and Co attended a General Meeting to demonstrate how PVC (poly vinyl chloride) could be used in numerous plumbing installations, offering savings in costs in both labour and material charges.

“It is doubtful if those present fully realised the significance of what they were witnessing. The way plumbers went about their work would never again require the same skills that had for so long dominated their activities. That members and their staff were interested is testified in the number recorded present; well over 60!

“What is doubtful however, is whether the plumbers and apprentices in attendance accepted that this new product would in fact replace the metals that had traditionally been associated with the trade. Why, even their name, ‘Plumber’, had been derived from the Latin word for lead: ‘Plumbum’!

“Would plumbers still work with lead in the years ahead?

History now confirms that PVC and indeed many other forms of synthetics, have largely replaced the materials of old in all manner of plumbing applications.”

it is doubtful if those present fully realised the significance of what they were witnessing

TIMES PAST

METAL SPOUTING PROFILES A problem that existed within the trade for far too many years, say the authors, was the subject of considerable discussion at a meeting in 1948. This concerned the multiplicity of metal spouting profiles used by the trade.

“In early times many plumbing workshops had machinery for the manufacture of eight foot (2.4m) lengths of spouting. This was manufactured in both the ‘OG’ and ‘quad’ patterns with some imported varieties being ‘half round’. Add to this the variation in widths which usually ranged in half inch (12.5mm) multiples from four (100mm) to six inches (150mm) and with each shop producing a slightly different shape, one will come to understand the magnitude of the problem.

“To replace corroded spouting one had to first take a pattern of the supporting brackets and then decide what was the size and who was the manufacturer. To start from scratch and fit new brackets as well as the new spouting was seen as being much too expensive. It was estimated that as many as one hundred different spouting profiles were available by the middle period of the century.

“The problem significantly manifested itself following the Second World War. At this time, due to the shortages of sheet metal from which to fabricate spouting for repairs and replacement, it became particularly difficult to obtain the required patterns.

“As is often the case, industry has a way of unwittingly sorting out its own problems. About this same time, the first of the ‘long run’ or ‘continuous’ machines were becoming available and with the advent of these long lengths of spouting came the disappearance of the multitude of spouting profiles. A problem for almost fifty years was to become resolved in a very short space of time!”

mechanical rivets, the rapid demise of solder and wiping metal and the associated skills necessary for their use.

“Lead head nails, once a very necessary item in every plumber’s armoury, are all but replaced. Another example is the factory formed incisions and bends that are now used in copper tube reticulation systems.

Then there are all of the labour saving tools; chassis punches, cordless drills, crimpers, percussion drills, cutters for ceramic and cast iron pipes.

“What has happened to the bossing sticks and bobbins, the mandrels, the blow lamps and the ladles, the wiping cloths or even the acetylene producers?

Not all the changes mentioned had applications in sanitary plumbing, but they do remind us that change is always with us and that we have to be able to adapt to embrace it.”

At an Otago Association meeting in 1972, a discussion was recorded on a document that laid down the minimum list of tools necessary to perform the craft skills. “It was suggested that the requirement for a ladle and one set of caulking tools be deleted from the schedule and that there should be added one crosscut saw, one set of half inch and one set of three quarter inch tube benders, one half inch Crox tool and one three quarter inch Crox tool. Times were changing, albeit belatedly!” ■

CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES As the authors note, plumbers are always looking for ways of performing their tasks more expeditiously. “This is often an area of changing technology, usually flowing through from foreign countries, for it is only when one looks back that we see many labour saving changes that are now standard practice in the way some facets of the trade are performed.

“The best example, of course, is the transition from the use of metals to the many faceted uses we have found for plastics.

There have been many changes in the way we do things. An example of this is the riveting of sheet metals, with the use of

Above and right: Some of the plumbing memorabilia that was on display at the Master Plumbers Annual Conference in 2012.

June/July 2016

61

NEXT GENERATION

Determined to succeed Ashley Walker’s leadership skills and commitment to constant selfimprovement have earned him this year’s James Douglas Medallion.

A BROKEN LEG from playing rugby temporarily stopped Ashley Walker’s plumbing and gas apprenticeship in its tracks. It also gave him time to reflect on his training to date, which had got off to a bumpy start.

Despite winning an award on his Wintec pre-trade course, his first experience of on-job training hadn’t worked out. Ashley’s MasterLink Regional Manager at the time approached Colin Fagg at Hamilton Plumbing, who agreed to give him a second chance.

Switch to 2016 and Ashley, who’s now 24, was up on stage at the New Zealand Plumbing Awards to collect the prized James Douglas Medallion—awarded to a top apprentice who has completed their qualifications in the previous year.

During his recovery time, Ashley had decided to give a career in plumbing his all. Competitive by nature—he’s also a keen boxer—he set his sights on being the best he possibly could.

“Good quality people are a struggle to find in the plumbing industry,” says Colin, who manages a large team of tradesman and apprentices. “I want apprentices who put plumbing as their first choice for a career—not someone who was thinking of going to university and can’t decide what other career to take on.”

Good role models

Colin has great admiration for his management team and

supervisors, who are mentors and skilled role models with many years’ experience. Trainees respect and appreciate the diversity from which they can learn.

Over the last year, Contract Manager Baden Coleman and Site Supervisor Brendon Hamilton have been mentoring Ashley and fellow MasterLink apprentice Nathan Brown on a large construction site. “They have a most positive influence on Ashley and Nathan’s progress and professional maturity,” he says.

Colin is committed to keeping new blood coming through.

Each year, he provides work experience three days a week to a couple of pre-trade students, many of them becoming his apprentices. He doesn’t wait for the boom times, preferring to ride the highs and lows with a steady flow of people entering on the first rung.

Leadership skills

Having worked part time as a Wintec tutor, Colin has a real understanding for what makes a good apprentice. He is himself is a past winner of the James Douglas Medallion, as is Danny Robinson, another manager at the firm.

good quality people are always a struggle to find

Above, from left: Colin Fagg with Baden Coleman, Ashley Walker, Nathan Brown and Brendon Hamilton.

62

June/July 2016

Ashley has what it takes, he says. “He earned good marks in his exams and he’s determined to succeed with excellence in any challenge he’s given or that he sets himself. He is now managing jobs and shows leadership on and off site. He also takes health and safety seriously, and was recently complimented by a commercial client for safe operating procedures.”

Ashley has been able to get the best from everyone in the firm, adds Colin, noting that he’s also quick to give of himself. “He is very good at supervising apprentices and quickly gains their respect by actions rather than words. He has an ability to work with on-site consultants, managers, supervisors, foremen and other subcontractors. This unselfish quality is invaluable.”

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Above: Ashley (centre) and his partner Patsy Goodwin celebrating his award win with Colin Fagg (left) and MasterLink Central North Island Regional Manager Dave McGall.

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There are three James Douglas Medallion finalists: one each in plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying. Ashley was the gasfitting finalist, and Colin says there are plenty of people with top-level gasfitting skills at the firm, working on everything from small domestic jobs to large-scale contracts. “Ashley isn’t afraid to ask questions and he has some good brains to pick.”

It’s clear that Ashley has grabbed all the opportunities at Hamilton Plumbing with both hands. “He likes challenges and constantly raises his own bar,” says Colin. “You can be sure he won’t be resting on his laurels.”

Ashley has his Licensed and Certifiying Plumbing and Licensed Gasfitter registration exams under his belt, and was due to sit his Certifying Gasfitting exam in June as NZ Plumber went to print. ■

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NEXT GENERATION

Bridging the gap

64

June/July 2016

WorkChoice bridges the gap between the classroom and the workplace by offering young people a taste of the industry. Maintaining a steady pipeline of informed, educated individuals ready for the workplace is essential for a number of trades.

However, this remains a challenge in a school environment, where practical, realworld experience is still not encouraged enough.

GLOBAL STUDIES HAVE consistently pointed to a positive link between early student exposure to the workplace and lowered youth unemployment rates. This is exactly why initiatives such as Workchoice exist—to give students a valuable taste of the industry they can’t obtain elsewhere.

Workchoice is one of New Zealand’s leading youth employment brands, and has been bringing together hundreds of thousands of students and employers around the country for more than two decades.

The aim is to maximise the value of young trainees to their employers, through increasing both the quality and quantity of youth training programmes in New Zealand.

With The Skills Organisation recently having acquired Workchoice, these two youth employment advocates now have the shared power and drive to further close the gap between school and industry.

One of the benefits of this collaboration is the vast network of students and employers it has created, providing more

opportunities for both parties to find mutually beneficial training arrangements.

Workchoice runs a diverse number of initiatives every year to help match employers with the right students, each promoting the relationship in its own unique way.

GATEWAY What is it? A programme that combines on-the-job and offthe-job learning.

Gateway provides students with a seamless transition from school to the workplace, while maintaining a pipeline of skilled workers in a number of industries.

The work experience component of the programme consists of eight to 10 days in total, spread out over a 10-week period. >

Opposite: Sparking an interest in an electrical apprenticeship.

Get ahead of the competition Can your business meet the growing demand for qualified plumbers, gasfitters and drainers in New Zealand?

Take on an apprentice today.

To find out more call 0508 SKILLS (0508 754 557) or visit skills.org.nz/TRADES

NEXT GENERATION

Gateway gives students a chance to experience working in the industry while they are still at school, so when they leave, they have the skills and know-how to hit the ground running for their new employer.

The Profile & Trends 2014: New Zealand’s Workplace-based Learners report found that 95 percent of Gateway students remained in education or gained employment within two months of finishing the programme.

Here’s what a past plumbing student had to say about Gateway: “We worked alongside other tradespeople like electricians and builders and I learnt from them as well. Everyone really helped each other.

“There were parts I found demanding—I’m not great at heights, but I soon got used to it. The most challenging job I was involved in was putting a 50mm copper pipe in from a water main to a factory.

“Time is money, and there is no slacking on the job. It’s full on but I liked it. If anything, the work has made me like the experience more.

“I recommend doing Gateway. I think it gets your name out there, shows you’re keen to work, gives you a foot in the door, and gives you the opportunity to learn what sort of things you’d do on the job.

“Plumbing is the trade for me—my next step is getting into a company looking for a keen apprentice.”

EARN & LEARN What is it? A half-day programme held in major cities around New Zealand, particularly suited to businesses in industries that face future skills shortages.

Earn & Learn gives businesses the chance to address skill shortages and promote their industry to students—who may be in their workforce tomorrow.

Businesses get the opportunity to put their brand in the spotlight, strengthen ties with local schools, and connect with a wider talent pool for their apprenticeships, internships, and entrylevel jobs.

Students benefit from the relationship too, gaining professional skills they can apply once they leave school, and exposure to vocational pathways they may not have considered.

GOT A TRADE BIG BUS TOURS What is it? Students board a bus and are taken to a number of workplaces in their field, getting the chance to see the industry in action.

The aim of the Big Bus Tours is to give students a taste of a career in their chosen field. By having a hands-on experience in the workplace, they get a better feel for what it’s like to work in trades.

Again, the goal is to provide companies with the chance to showcase themselves and the industry to both students and teachers. Employers can help students in making educated career choices while giving back to the wider industry.

If you believe in practical, hands-on teaching and your business has an inspiring atmosphere and staff who can really sell their 66

June/July 2016

Above: Young people tried out different trades during last year’s Got A Trade Week.

passion for their job, Big Bus Tours are a great way to put your name out there.

In 2016, Big Bus Tours will take place from 4 to 8 July in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

SKILLS TASTER What is it? A school holiday programme that allows plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying employers to host courses in these trades, giving students practical experience.

Some students will already have a clear idea of where they want to head in the future, and Skills Taster is designed for these students.

Businesses take eager students under their wing, giving them career advice and arranging on-site visits. If you have apprenticeships or other work opportunities for these students, it’s a chance to foster relationships with them and reach a wider talent pool.

Skills Taster is run every year during the school holidays. Check the Workchoice website for the latest information. ■ If you would like more information about any of these events, visit www.workchoice.co.nz

Helping your business and your industry Workchoice wants to hear from employers who are keen to get involved, whether you are available to answer questions on their Earn & Learn panel, can commit to taking on a Gateway student, or you are keen to get involved in one of their Skills Taster courses.

Even just a day or two of work experience can give students a real eye-opener to your industry and educate them about the benefits of working in your trade.

With your help, WorkChoice can increase the talent pool of plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying apprentices entering the industry.

To become a part of any of the WorkChoice programmes, please email shaun@workchoice.co.nz or call Shaun Gear on 09 583 1706.

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June/July 2016

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NEXT GENERATION

Trainer top tips We asked Mike Gooch, 2016 Training Leader of the Year, about his experience of training apprentices.

Q: Why do you train apprentices?

A: If you’re in it for the long haul, you don’t have much option but to keep putting new apprentices in the pipeline.

Someone gave me the chance to be an apprentice and I’m grateful for that.

I like that fact that an apprentice can come into a company at entry level and get a unique opportunity to learn on the job. That way, they also learn your values and how you like to do things.

As we are answerable to our trainees, we have to keep up to date with the latest changes and technologies in the industry.

You can’t afford to get complacent with apprentices around. We’re trying to move away from paper and the guys are all over our new cloud-based job management system!

Q: What is the optimum ratio of trainees to qualified staff?

A: Our current ratio is 2:6, and we usually take on an apprentice every 18 months.

As long as you have enough variety of work and people with different skill sets, the ratio could even be 3:5.

You’ve got to be able to move the apprentices around so they experience different ways of doing things and don’t get stale. We do plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying, roofing, sheetmetal and maintenance work, so they learn a wide range of skills. We also have people with specific trade strengths, such as sheetmetal work and gas hot water

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Above: Mike supervising Simon Barratt during his MasterLink apprenticeship. Simon is now a qualified plumber and gasfitter, and about to sit his Certifying exams..

testing—and, of course, some tradesmen are better teachers than others, so it’s always a ‘horses for courses’ approach.

Q: What training systems do you have in place?

A: Nothing hard and fast, but we try to create a culture that facilitates learning.

We’re conscientious about putting our staff on upskilling courses. Our apprentices use the workshop for their study sessions and [business partner] Gordon and I help them out by going through past exam papers.

Through MasterLink, we know what assessments are coming up at the next

block course, so we give them relevant jobs to tie in with what they’re learning.

It’s the apprentice’s responsibility as much as ours to say what assessments they have coming up at polytech. If they need more experience in a certain area, the MasterLink Regional Manager or course tutor will let us know.

Q: How useful can an apprentice be in their first year?

A: They’re not labourers, so we don’t just get them to carry roofing iron or do trenching. If we are running gas and plumbing pipework, they can help with getting it true to line. If an apprentice is

NEXT GENERATION

giving the qualified tradesperson the help they need on a two-man job, we can charge the customer the full apprentice rate.

Q: Why do you use MasterLink?

A: We can leave all the apprentice admin to the MasterLink team. I can tell them my apprentice needs new boots or wet weather gear, and they get it sorted. Sometimes it can feel like you’re the apprentice’s bank manager and social worker, and MasterLink takes some of that from you.

It’s also good having a Regional Manager giving feedback to the apprentice as a third party.

Q: How has the new health and safety legislation affected apprentices?

A: We’re all first-year apprentices in health and safety terms—it’s a steep learning curve. As a contractor for BP for the past 18 months, we’ve had to show on-going evidence of our health and safety policies and processes. This came at a very good

time for us with the arrival of the new legislation.

Our apprentices and staff know they can now be liable and we encourage them to have their say, as they’re the ones doing the hands-on work, and sometimes an apprentice’s fresh new perspective can lead to improvements in our processes. There’s a lot of bravado on building sites but, as I say to them, you don’t want to be the president of the deaf carpenters’ society.

Q: What are the challenges for businesses that train apprentices?

A: Cost is a factor, but I see it as a game of two halves. For the first one to two years, they’re being paid and they’re not particularly productive but by the second half of the apprenticeship they should start to make you money because they can be as productive as a qualified tradesperson.

Some firms get annoyed if the apprentice leaves at the end of the apprenticeship and think they should

Above: Mike and business partner Gordon Diggle at the New Zealand Plumbing Awards with Ryan McQuade (right), one of their MasterLink apprentices and a Plumbing World Scholarship winner.

somehow be tied in to the job. I feel it is better to have motivated and ambitious apprentices, who are likely to leave after finishing their time, than not to have their motivation and enthusiasm in our workplace. A lot of the people we’ve trained are now running their own businesses. If you have a good apprentice, there’s every chance they’ll become your competitor and/or collaborator.

Another challenge is having the right variety of work to give them the full range of skills. It’s quite a big undertaking and we’re able to call on MasterLink if we need them to share the load.

Q: And what are the rewards?

A: There are heaps. The main one for me is seeing young people succeed and become well-rounded adults and tradespeople. It’s great when you see them start to help the newer guys, often without them realising.

In the workshop, we have a secondhand pool table, rescued from the City Mission, which we let the guys use after work as long as they keep the area tidy. During the day it’s covered with a plywood top and used as a workbench but it becomes a bit of a social hub on a Friday evening. It’s great to see the camaraderie develop between the guys. They spend more time with their workmates than they do with their girlfriends and families, so we think it’s important to have a level of enjoyment in your work.

We also have a social club. Everyone puts in $5 a week and we do something like quad biking or fishing at the weekend every two months or so. The next one will be a trip to see the All Blacks vs Wales. ■

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New from aquatherm aquatherm green product launch for domestic hot water. aquatherm New Zealand Ltd has launched their SDR 9 PP-RP MF pipe, an aquatherm green product for domestic hot water systems.

SDR 9 PP-RP MF has a 14% larger internal bore than aquatherm’s standard SDR 7.4 MF pipes, and is 16% lighter in weight.

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June/July 2016

Surface attraction Introducing Methven’s latest tapware range.

Methven continue their pursuit in creating amazing water experiences that don’t cost the earth, with the launch of their latest tapware range—Surface. The Surface tapware range combines clean lines with elegant floating planes, creating a refined contemporary architectural aesthetic. Designed and engineered in New Zealand, Surface tapware features Echo Brass, a revolutionary high quality, high strength, corrosion resistant material that is lead and heavy metal free, thus preserving water quality for both consumption and bathing.

The entire range consists of a Basin Mixer, Mini Basin Mixer, Shower Mixer, Shower Mixer with diverters, Bath Spout and Bath Spout with Mixer.

Visit your local plumbing merchant to view the range.

Beers in the fridge

AND FINALLY

This Auckland bar is a year-round hotspot for visitors—but its toughest task is staying cold, says Matthew Lowe.

All photographs courtesy of Freddy’s Ice House.

FREDDY’S ICE HOUSE in the central city offers people the chance to enjoy a drink and admire fittings and sculptures carved out of ice in sub-zero temperatures.

Bar manager Pauline Dovergne says the venue, which can hold up to 30 people, is effectively a large freezer so has no fittings that would be at risk of being damaged in the cold.

“The room works as a giant freezer, a

pretty freezer. It is -7.5C all the time in order to keep the ice from melting,” she says.

“We don’t have water in the ice bar and we buy all the ice blocks and ice glasses from an Auckland company. Anything else like tap water, cola, lemonade or other sodas that require water are provided by the bar next door.”

The ice carvings, which last between about six months and a year depending how much people touch them, are redone at regular intervals.

Staff wrapped up in jackets and gloves work shifts of about 25 minutes inside the bar, but this can extend to more than two hours: “When one is cold they swap with the person on reception and warm up again.”

Along with coping with the cold, Pauline says the biggest challenge in running the venue is the electricity costs.

“We have a small room between

Above: Do you want ice with that?

reception and the ice bar and if too many people open the door on a regular basis, which can happen on a busy night, the heat from reception comes in and the temperature can rise from -7.5C to -4.5C in 10 minutes... but we try to avoid that happening.”

About 25,000 people visit Freddy’s Ice House each year for what Pauline describes as a “one of a kind” experience.

The venue is one of three ice bars in New Zealand, with the other two in Queenstown.

Above: Wearing onesies to stay warm!

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AND FINALLY

Offcuts

This edition’s media snippets and funny stuff.

Freedom funding

Government funding for ‘small infrastructure projects’ means there’ll be more toilets for the growing number of freedom campers in New Zealand. The Otago Daily Times reports that $12 million will go towards toilets, signage and parking and would require councils to pretty much match the sum. Freedom campers have caused plenty of controversy in the South Island, reported the paper, cramming into spaces with few hygiene facilities.

The money will be provided over four years. The tourism industry has seen a 31% increase in tourism spending and a 10.4% increase in visitor numbers in the past year, it said.

Post-quake artefacts on display

A treasure trove of hidden artefacts has been uncovered in central Christchurch as earthquake damaged buildings have been demolished over the last five years. Underground Overground Archaeology, together with TV show Heritage Rescue, have put together an exhbition of some of the items, which will be on display at The Commons until the end of June. Archaeologist Katherine Watson told Radio New Zealand in May that the display includes two replica long drops, as they were often filled with ‘rubbish’ when they became full or people switched to indoor toilets. Items on display include a ‘Frozen Charlotte’ morality doll, warning children against the perils of heading out without warm clothing.

Bathroom bandit

Plumbing fittings have been disappearing from stores, hospitals and restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, reports newser.com.

Apparently a man enters these establishments, visits the men’s room and disconnects the plumbing, leaving with the stolen parts in his backpack. Dubbed the Bathroom Bandit, the thief has struck a Kmart store, several restaurants and hospital on the west side of the city. The police were on the lookout.

Catching the stool bus….

He’s at it again…

UK plumber and Youtuber Colin Furze just can’t stop inventing stuff. His latest creation is a homemade hoverbike that flys using two Parajet Zenith paramotors, more usually used for powered paragliding. Engineering.com reports that Colin tested his paramotors by mounting one face-down to a jig frame, then adding plastic containers filled with water to test its lift capacity. The hoverbike is a machine with no wheels, no steering, no brakes and no seat—just two accelerators. “What a plumber can do in a shed, eh?” says Colin.

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June/July 2016

Best septic truck ever? Let us know if you have a better example! Email the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

AND FINALLY

DODGY Plumbing Keep them coming! Send your Dodgy Plumbing examples to the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

A veritable winter wonderland of dodgy plumbing.

Too close for comfort

A dodgy install, says Chris Downey of Tuffnell Plumbing. “LPG cylinders within 1m of gully drain, which is also below the bottles.”

Straight to it

Thanks to Adrian Holmes for sending this in. “The ol’ ‘screw the tempering valve straight into the cylinder’ trick,” he says.

You’re having me on

“To be honest, when my plumber showed me this photo for the bath “I took this photo at a builder’s and shower, I thought he was having house,” says Chris Downey of me on and that it was done for Tuffnell Plumbing. “When I asked the Dodgy Plumbing page of the him who had installed the trap magazine,” says Dale Lovell of Heron upside down, he said he had.

Plumbing. “However, apparently it was Since the air admittance valve was done by a builder while doing up the upside down and underwater, it bathroom. I would hate to know what constantly leaked—hence why he the pressure and flow is going to be Basket case has bogged it up with sealant. Also like. The owner didn’t want us to fix “Brought a smile to my face when a staff member showed me the photo,” says Robert Christenhusz of the dishwasher connection was the leak and was going to get back upside down.” this “earthquake proof” 9kg LPG bottle installation. the builder who had done the work.”

Rough as guts!

June/July 2016

73

AND FINALLY

Caught in a trap

Kerry Robertson of Apex Plumbers sent in this photo of a shower trap connected to another trap. “The top was cut off and left open above the tee,” says Kerry. “The owner wondered why every thing was so damp… Possibly a home handyman install?”

Airing the washing Three of a kind

A trio of horrors sent in by Callum at Riverton Plumbing. “One photo of a plastic gas hose which almost melted through from below the oven—could have been nasty. The other two photos of PRV screwed into the hot water cylinder (good luck changing its washer) and feed with washing machine hoses on inlet and outlet. Enjoy.”

Please send the biggest size photos you have.

The bigger the file, the bigger we can show it on the page!

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June/July 2016

“Not the best way to plumb up a washing machine,” says Craig Hamilton, who sent in these photos. “Must also get pretty cold in the middle of winter.”

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