FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
NZ Plumber turns 70 Be in to win our mega prize
Free for members
Our birthday gift for you!
Final reminder! 2018 NZ Plumbing Conference in March
Technical theme
Plumbing systems in the spotlight
GIVE YOUR PLUMBING BUSINESS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE Become a Master Plumber Get training, business resources and savings for your plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying company. We have supported and protected the industry for 100 years, advocating for excellence and helping you provide customers with quality assurance.
masterplumbers.org.nz
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EDITORIAL
Volume 70, Number 1 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. Members and Certifying tradespeople receive all six editions. If you wish to opt out, please email beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz. To order an annual subscription, go to www.masterplumbers.org.nz
Through the decades Happy Birthday to the old lady (NZ Plumber that is!)
We thought we’d celebrate NZ Plumber (as it’s called now) turning 70. It’s not every magazine that enjoys such a long life or loyal readership. I spent an enjoyable hour at the Master Plumbers Wellington office, searching out covers from each decade to see how much it had altered over the years—turn to p14 to see for yourselves. It’s not just the design that differs. The name, too, has changed from The New Zealand Plumber’s Journal in 1948 to its current NZ Plumber masthead in 2013, with variations in between. To celebrate, we have a free gift on the front cover for all Master Plumbers’ members—a handy branded snap phone wallet that doubles as a business or credit card holder and smartphone stand. No reader in 1948 would have a clue what a smartphone was, let alone a snap phone wallet. To find out just how much the industry has changed over the years, we asked three plumbers with long years’ experience about the key developments they have seen (see p34). A common theme was business operation, with today’s software for estimating, quoting, scheduling, invoicing and accounting making it far easier for plumbers to run an efficient company. On p54 we have a couple of case studies that prove the point. There’s much talk in the media of robots replacing people in a number of work roles, but plumbing seems to be one that will be largely spared. Who knows what the industry will look like in 70 years’ time? Let’s just hope NZ Plumber will still be going strong!
Mailing List For enquiries, or to update your details: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz Non-Master Plumbers’ members with address detail changes should notify the PGD Board direct, 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, branches and 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.
Beverly Sellers Editor, NZ Plumber, beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz PS: Make sure you enter the awesome NZ Plumber birthday prize competition. Details on p15. Start by spotting the mini wrenches dotted throughout the pages (here's the first one!).
OVER TO YOU The best email, letter, tip or photo sent in by readers that we publish on this page wins a $30 prize voucher! Do you have a picture, story or news to share? Or feedback on any of the articles you’ve read in NZ Plumber? We’d love to hear from you. Email the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz or give me a call on 03 543 2008. Legionnaire’s disease media Parex sent in the following statement in response to a RNZ National Morning Report news item, in which plumber Chris Dick warned people they risk catching the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease if they rely solely on heat pumps to heat their hot water, as heat pumps or solar heating alone couldn’t get water up to the necessary 60°C. “Legionnaire’s disease is not a concern for EcoSpring hot water heat pumps as long as the temperature is set at 60°C. Our units also have a disinfect mode/feature, where the temperature in the tank is raised to 65°C once a week to eliminate this issue.” Prison trainees’ work These pictures were sent in by WelTec Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying Tutor Derek Staines of projects by trainees at Rimutaka Prison. Thanks Derek—prize voucher on its way!
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70 ANNIVERSARY EDITION
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Inside this issue
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
1948 COVER 3
TECHNICAL THEME: PLUMBING SYSTEMS 19 Safe showering temperatures
The way the magazine looked when it launched
WHAT’S ON 8
NZ Plumbing Conference and Master Plumbers training courses
20 Floor wastes, traps and vents Brush up your knowledge with BRANZ
MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS 10 CEO Greg Wallace on ministerial meetings; new consumer campaign; training timetable; new roles; Best in Brand prize; and a new Gold Partner.
24 Sizing up holes & notches Careful location in timber framing
IN FOCUS 14 Happy 70th
26 Steel yourself! Growth in stainless steel plumbing and piping applications
Looking back over 70 years of the magazine—plus a fabulous birthday prize competition!
REAL LIVES 16 “I feel very privileged”
Long-time director of NZ Plumbers’ Journal Ltd, Graeme Mander reflects on 60 years in the industry
34 Now & then Three plumbers of many years’ standing compare the industry today and yesterday 6
February/March 2018
Single-lever thermostatic shower mixers
28 Manufacturing technology What goes into making a reputable plumbing system?
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 30 Feelgood factor
A Nelson plumbing firm’s community involvement
NUTS & BOLTS
38 On-site electrical safety New Energy Safety guidance
40 Food waste disposer myths What you can and can’t put down a disposal unit 41 Get with the programme Is New Zealand on the back foot with backflow?
INDUSTRY TALK 42 Office talk First in a new column from Andrea Lovell 42 Best in business Hawkes Bay plumbing & electrical business wins big 43 Waikato wastewater An improvement programme uses innovative technology 43 Building CodeHub launches A one-stop shop for finding construction guidance 44 Young at heart Plumbing World awarded for championing youth 45 Recruiting from overseas Moves are afoot to attract overseas workers
CONTENTS
ON THE COVER FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
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NZ PLUMBER TURNS 70
15
FREE FOR MEMBERS
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TECHNICAL THEME
18
ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Be in to win our mega prize Our birthday gift for you!
FINAL REMINDER! 2018 NZ Plumbing Conference in March
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46 Temuka asbestos scare Asbestos discovery in water supply
53 90-day changes proposed Employment law changes proposed
46 Global drive for Fergus The next step for this job management software company
54 Clout in the cloud Job management and accounting software case studies
47 Industry stats Seven-year snapshot from the PGDB
55 Beyond email There’s more to marketing than email
47 SA-2017 released Updating the subcontract agreement
56 Tips for year-end tax Be well prepared for the July deadline
48 New LPGA President Graham Hardie steps into the role
58 Avoiding the tax sandwich Are you squashed between terminal and provisional payments?
48 Understanding competition law New guidelines, fact sheets and videos 49 Master Plumbers Recommends Promoting the use of reputable products by consumers
INNOVATION 50 Remarkable replicas
A UK company making arty and antique-style loos
SMART BUSINESS 52 Do I know you? Don’t rely on trust to get paid
59 Timely timesheets How to have them in on time!
SUPPLY LINES 61 Mico Service Promise Mico steps up its Service Promise
AROUND ASSOCIATIONS 62 Ask the inspectors Wellington Master Plumbers event
SAFETY FIRST 64 Asbestos—ready for April? 4 April is a key date for compliance
Plumbing systems in the spotlight
8 Cover photograph: A floral Royal Doulton basin from times past from Masterlink South Island Manager Roger Herd's plumbing memorabilia collection. Photograph by Kelk Photography.
66 Protecting the public Fine for company following passerby injury 66 Electricity or water main? How to tell the difference 66 Digital risk cards ACC’s construction industry risk cards go online 67 Health & safety toolkit New SafePlus resource from Worksafe, MBIE and ACC
NEXT GENERATION 68 Masterlink messageboard Apprentice dyslexia support 70 Triathlete to tradesman A new training regime for apprentice Josh Kenyon
PRODUCTS & SERVICES 72 What’s new to the market
AND FINALLY 74 Offcuts
Media snippets of a plumbing nature
73 Dodgy Plumbing Another bumper spread! February/March 2018
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NEW ZEALAND
PLUMBING CONFERENCE 2018 21-23 MARCH, HAMILTON
CLAUDELANDS EVENTS CENTRE, HAMILTON
Last chance to register! Technical sessions
With the 2018 NZ Plumbing Conference just around the corner, make sure you’ve booked to attend.
Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying technical sessions will be held during the conference. The plumbing session will cover pipe sizing, among other topics, and will be presented by Nik McIntosh, National Hydraulic Team Leader at Beca. The gasfitting session will be an open forum to discuss issues relating to gas, and will be facilitated by Hamiltonbased Certifying Gasfitter David Whitfield. The drainlaying session will be facilitated by Dave Strong of Morrinsville Plumbing & Gas Services
Date: 21-23 March Venue: Claudelands Events Centre, Hamilton Cost: $895 (ex GST) Master Plumbers member full registration Book: www.nzplumbingconference.org.nz The 2018 event takes place at the Claudelands Events Centre in the heart of Hamilton—a contemporary, spacious venue that enables all the main action to take place under one roof.
Each session will be held twice to enable attendees to visit one or more sessions.
Finalised programme details include: Wednesday 21 March • Optional PGDB & Mico half day CPD session (payment through PGDB)
Friday 23 March • Ministerial address by Building and Construction Minister, Hon Jenny Salesa
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Master Plumbers Kick Start Happy Hour
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Keynote speaker Jamie Fitzgerald
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Mico Welcome Night Dinner at the Vilagrad Winery
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Morning tea, afternoon tea and lunch in the trade exhibition hall
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Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying technical sessions
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Optional Mobil Leisure Afternoon activities (CamJet Experience and Classic Car Museum Tour or Pistol Shooting Extravaganza)
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Optional Master Plumbers member-only business sessions —speakers include BNZ small business expert Harry Ferreira and Darrel Hadley, Director of Hamilton's Good George Brewing Black-tie New Zealand Plumbing Awards Dinner, sponsored by Plumbing World.
Thursday 22 March • Keynote speakers Eric Murray and Lester Levy •
BNZ Chief Economist Tony Alexander
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WorkSafe presentation
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Master Plumbers, PGDB and Skills presentations
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Breakfast, morning tea, afternoon tea and lunch in the trade exhibition hall
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Partner Activity Programme—a day of indulgence and self realisation
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Hobbit-themed Marley Fun Night Dinner at Hobbiton
Accommodation is available at discounted rates at nearby hotels (filling up fast) to suit all price points.
Below Left: The Hobbiton movie set is the venue for the Marley Fun Night Dinner. Below right: Champion rower Eric Murray is among the keynote speakers—always a conference highlight.
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February/March 2018
If you only attend one industry event this year, make it this one!
EVENTS
AIVC Workshop Date: 19 & 20 March
Top Quality Customer Service—All the Time
Venue: Wellington
Dates: 10 April-28 August
Cost: Free
Venues: Nationwide
The objective of this two-day workshop is to discuss and identify ways to improve the quality of homes with respect to airtightness and ventilation.
Cost: $90 ex GST (Master Plumbers member price); free entry for Masterlink apprentices
Specific topics: •
Indoor air quality in schools and residential buildings
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Ventilation and its impact on energy and health outcomes for occupants
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Airtightness of New Zealand buildings—trends and requirements.
The workshop discussions will be based on detailed presentations from international and national researchers. Interaction between participants will allow exchange of ideas and experiences. The workshop is organised by INIVE EEIG on behalf of AIVC in cooperation with ASHRAE and BRANZ. Register at branz.arlo.co/upcoming-courses
On-Site Wastewater Systems—Design & Servicing
Do you always give good customer service? How do you know? Do you get any customer complaints and, if so, what do you do about them? This Master Plumbers training course, presented by Lynn Harris, is targeted at plumbers, apprentices and office staff who come in contact with customers. Topics include: •
Introduction to customer service: what is it and why we need to pay attention
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How to discover and meet customers expectations
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Challenging the old adage that ‘the customer is always right’
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Building customer loyalty through customer service
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Complaints: how to manage them, how to prevent them
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Scenarios: Best practice, mediocre practice, poor practice
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Securing future potential business by following basic customer service rules.
Book and pay at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/training
Dates: 6, 7 & 8 March
What’s New in Law—2018
Venues: Dunedin, Queenstown & Christchurch
Dates: 18 April-18 June
Cost: $90 ex GST (Master Plumbers member price)
Venues: Nationwide
This Master Plumbers training course, presented by wastewater specialist Dave Strong, discusses the design and servicing of different generic types of on-site wastewater systems. It covers a range of topics including:
Cost: $90 ex GST (Master Plumbers member price); free entry for Masterlink apprentices Master Plumbers’ popular What’s New in Law training course is back by popular demand—updated for 2018. Presented by construction law specialist Dr Gigi Fenster, the workshop provides an overview of important legal developments in the past year, and laws that have ongoing impact on the industry.
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The regulatory system
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Obtaining a site plan and developing a site evaluation report
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Design parameters of a system
At this interactive workshop, attendees will receive:
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Preparing a plan for a system
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Health and safety aspects
Introduction to the Construction Contracts Act and how it has changed our law on retention money
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Servicing requirements
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System trouble shooting
An understanding of liquidated damages and how our courts interpret these
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Servicing records.
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An understanding of ‘fitness for purpose’ and how it has been considered in recent court cases
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An overview of the CTV collapse, the Royal Commission report, and why charges were not laid
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An introduction to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, with a particular focus on who holds duties under the Act
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Copies of forms and pro-forma documents.
This course is designed to run over 3 hours and is geared towards those with some existing experience of working with wastewater systems. Book and pay at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/training
Book and pay at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/training February/March 2018
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MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS
Meeting the ministers We’re looking forward to 2018 shaping up with continued positivity and confidence for the construction sector. We have provided Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford and Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa with detailed briefing documents on topics relevant to our trades, and have already met with Jenny Salesa. We will be interested to learn more of their approach to the key issues that we believe need addressing. We also note the media coverage regarding the government’s KiwiBuild concept for tackling the housing crisis. Whilst it all sounds exciting, it is hard for us to understand how the sheer volume of new house builds suggested can be achieved, given the current skills shortage in our sector. We will continue to strive for more action to be taken in addressing skills shortages, and in the quality of training for our young, talented apprentices. We look forward to seeing the independent
We’re interested to know how 100,000 houses can be built over the next 10 years, given the current skills shortage.
report commissioned by The Skills Organisation late last year to review and compare the performance of New Zealand polytechnics delivering training in our sector—and finding out whether or not changes are required to keep up with today’s industry. You’ll notice on p49 that we are promoting our revamped and revitalised Master Plumbers Recommends initiative. We believe this initiative has benefits for both members and consumers, and provides opportunities for our Business Partners to leverage their products through an additional platform. Master Plumbers Recommends gives proper recognition to reputable products that comply with New Zealand Standards and was launched to help consumers find products they can trust in the market. In this country, we continue to allow the importation of products that don’t meet Standards, whilst in Australia, the WaterMark scheme is currently being strengthened to ensure all merchants and suppliers prove WaterMark product compliance at point of sale. Finally, it is with great pleasure that we celebrate the 70th anniversary of NZ
Plumber magazine. This publication has gone from strength to strength and is a credit to our team, our Business Partners and all the contributors over the years. Members, Business Partners and others consistently comment to me on the quality of the magazine and its wide reach. I believe we’re not only the best plumbing magazine in Australasia, but also one of the best trade magazines across all sectors. We’ve included a small gift for members as a way of celebrating the milestone, and we have a great prize competition for all readers, too. I’d like to thank all Master Plumbers staff for their wonderful contribution to the magazine in so many different ways. NZ Plumber lives and breathes thanks to our Business Partners and advertisers, and I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for their 70 years of support.
Greg Wallace, CEO Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ
Good Call!
Look out for our 2018 consumer campaign in print and digital media.
New members A warm welcome to new Master Plumbers’ member business: • Drain Works Ltd, Auckland
An exciting new promotional campaign for Master Plumbers launched in February. Featuring everyday Kiwis around the home, the Good Call campaign lets people know they’ve made the right choice when using a Master Plumber for all their plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying needs. The campaign will appear across a wide variety of print and digital media, including home magazines, online advertising and social media channels.
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February/March 2018
Want to join?
Call 0800 502 102 or email membership@masterplumbers.org.nz SPECIAL TWO-YEAR MEMBERSHIP DEAL AVAILABLE! Above: This Good Call advertisement appeared in NZ House & Garden in February.
MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS
Growing the team
Training timetable
We’re very pleased to announce several new staff members for Master Plumbers and Masterlink. Sam Timlin, a plumber with six years’ industry experience and a great sales and recruitment background, joined Master Plumbers and Masterlink in early February in the new role of Business Development Manager for the South Island. Sam is very passionate about the trade and excited to be able to use his sales skills and experience. He is based in our new Christchurch office with HR Manager Lisa Duston and Recruitment Coordinator Kate Williams. Also in a new role, Colin Kilpatrick joined Masterlink in January as Auckland Regional Manager. Colin is working alongside Auckland & Far North Regional
Manager Tania Forsyth to support the needs of Masterlink hosts and apprentices in this dynamic region. In the Wellington office, Sarah Rowe has taken over from Vanessa Price as PA to CEO Greg Wallace.
2018 Master Plumbers courses kick off in March.
On-Site Wastewater Systems—Design and Servicing is available in three South Island locations in March. Also coming up on the training timetable for the first half of the year: •
Getting Payment
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Top Quality Customer Service—All the Time
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Running a Small Business: Legal and Accounting
Sam Timlin stimlin@masterplumbers.org.nz 022 120 9752
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Dealing with Consumers: Your Rights and Obligations
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What’s New in Law—2018
Sarah Rowe srowe@masterplumbers.org.nz 04 801 2016
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Pipe Sizing
We welcome all to their new roles and provide their contact details below:
Colin Kilpatrick colin.kilpatrick@masterlink.co.nz 021 773 296
Best in Brand prize
These courses have been developed in direct response to feedback from our training survey, which asked what topics you would like covered. Go to www.masterplumbers.org.nz/ training to book.
Another winner—and time for your entries.
“Some pics of our new van and jetting unit proudly displaying the MP logo,” said Dave Morgan on sending in a Best in Brand entry from CF Reese in Hamilton. Great use of the logo on both the van and trailer—this edition’s prize on its way, Dave! Your chance to win Send us a photo of how you’re using the Master Plumbers branding on your vehicles, premises or workwear to be in to win a $200 Prezzy Card voucher. Just email Sarah Rowe by 16 March 2018: srowe@masterplumbers.org.nz
Service & Connect with simPRO Step up your plumbing business, large or small, with simPRO in 2018! •
Powerful job management, from start to finish
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Quoting, scheduling, tracking, invoicing & reporting — all in one system
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Live tracking of field staff, jobs & materials and much more
Your first simPRO Service + Connect licence FREE Take care of your service quotes, jobs, scheduling, invoices and more with simPRO Service and mobile field app simPRO Connect. simpro.co.nz/mp-service simPRO Enterprise: Save 20% on initial implementation simPRO Enterprise has all the features of simPRO Service, plus powerful features to manage your projects, retentions, recurring jobs & invoices and much more. simpro.co.nz/mp-members
Call 0800 100 854 to find out more or request a demonstration.
February/March 2018
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MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS
New Gold Partnership
Stiebel Eltron is pleased to announce their Gold partnership with Master Plumbers New Zealand. Stiebel Eltron New Zealand became a subsidiary of Stiebel Eltron Germany in 2016 after many years of representation by a local agency. With more than 90 years in manufacturing innovative home appliances, Stiebel Eltron has become synonymous with high quality space heating, water heating and renewable energy products. General Manager Jason Kerr sees this as a positive move to further connect with the plumbing industry. “One of the fundamental parts of our business is the plumbing industry and being in touch with the installers. By being a partner of
Master Plumbers, Stiebel Eltron is excited to be able to help educate the industry on new and innovative products from our current range and upcoming new products,” he says. Within New Zealand, Stiebel Eltron has been providing home comfort solutions including instantaneous electric hot water systems, hot water heat pumps, airsource and geothermal hydronic heating, and more recently ventilation systems with heat recovery. For more information, contact 09 486 2221; info@stiebel.co.nz. www.stiebel.co.nz
Want to try TimeFiler?
Several members have enquired about the new system we’re using at Masterlink. In 2017, we rolled out the new paperless TimeFiler system to support Masterlink apprentice payroll. TimeFiler is a timesheet and attendance software system with leave calendar functionality, which can be used as an add-on to existing payroll systems. All Masterlink host companies were given assistance in using the system,
Advocacy update
Master Plumbers has recently made submissions on a number of issues. Registration pathways Master Plumbers was among the organisations providing feedback on the PGDB’s recent consultation on proposed changes to the registration pathways, which include recognition of the new New Zealand Certificate in Plumbing, Gasfitting or Drainlying (replacing the current National Certificates) and changes to overseas trained practitioner requirements.
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February/March 2018
Gold Partner
Relicensed yet?
It’s that time of year again… We remind our members to ensure you and your team have renewed your authorisations by 1 April for the 2018/19 licensing year. This can be done online in the Trade Login at www.pgdb.co.nz and the feedback has been very positive. Some hosts wanted to start using the system in their own businesses, and we’re pleased to report that TimeFiler has agreed to offer great rates for Masterlink hosts and Master Plumbers members.
In order to relicense, you must have completed your CPD requirement. If you did not attend a PGDB & Mico CPD training session in 2017, you will need to complete the online course.
If you’re interested to know more, contact them on 0800 846 334; email info@timefiler.com. Or visit www.timefiler.com
If you have apprentices in your business, remember that you will need to have renewed your own licence before you can approve their authorisation—so allow plenty of time.
The PGDB has decided to proceed with changes and is now seeking ministerial approval, with the aim of publishing the new Gazette notices.
matters most”. “BSP’s new management team continue to see standards and their review as an important priority,” says the building and construction regulator.
Standards review We also made a submission on the Ministry of Building, Innovation & Employment (MBIE)’s Building Performance Standards review programme, which is looking at the long-term funding and projection for the programme.
Apprentice training We are pleased to see the Government supporting apprentice training by paying eligible apprentices’ training fees for the first two years as part of its Fees Free scheme. However, we want to see equal support being provided to the people who supply the on-job training to those apprentices. With the desperate shortage of skilled tradespeople, we are lobbying the Government for financial assistance for employers to incentivise them to take on more apprentices.
MBIE’s Building System Performance branch (BSP) has undergone a review, with a new structure from October 2017, and is focusing its resources on “what
PAGE TAG
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:
February/March 2018
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IN FOCUS
FEBRUA
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70 ANNIVE RS EDITIONARY
2018
NZ PLU M Be in to BER TURN win ou S 70 rm ega pri ze FREE F O Our bir R MEMBE thd RS ay gift
Happy 70th!
for you
!
FINAL REMIN D
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2018 N ZP Confere lumbing nce in M arch
TECHN
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With the first edition appearing in February 1948, NZ Plumber (as it’s now called) marks 70 years in publication in 2018. We look back over its history and celebrate with a special birthday prize competition for readers.
“Perhaps the most important event since the registration of plumbers happened in February of 1948. At this time the history of the New Zealand Master Plumbers took a quantum leap forward with the publication of the first national magazine.” So said authors Eric Shaw and John Simpson in their book commemorating 100 years for the Otago Master Plumbers Association, which we serialised in NZ Plumber during 2016 and 2017. The first inklings of the need for a publication dedicated to New Zealand’s plumbers were expressed in the 1900s. “Today we take very much for granted the tremendous contribution made to the trade by the NZ Plumbers Journal,” 14
February/March 2018
wrote the book’s authors. “It is difficult to imagine the industry not having available to it a method of disseminating and distributing the wealth of information necessary for all to be well informed. “But there was a time when such a service did not exist. In March 1903, Mr Burt, who had considerable experience working as a plumber overseas, reported to the [Otago] Association that he had written to several Journals in a desire to have them send papers to the Association.” The next record of a demand for industry information was at its 1935 AGM, when the Otago Association decided to subscribe to the Journal of The Royal Sanitary Institute of London—but it didn’t prove sufficiently
relevant to Kiwi plumbers. “Mr AG Foley received the copies as they came to hand and endeavoured to disseminate items of interest. After 12 months’ trial, the Association discontinued this subscription as it was felt that there was little to be obtained that was of interest to the members.” According to the book, the first mention of a national plumbing magazine was recorded in the Otago Association minutes of 15 March 1948, when the Chairman made reference to the introduction of The New Zealand Plumber’s Journal, the first issue of which Above: Covers of the February edition of the magazine from each decade show how much it has evolved over the years.
IN FOCUS was distributed free of cost to every member of the Association in February (and presumably to all other Associations at the time)—exactly 70 years ago. The Chairman urged members to subscribe the annual fee of ten shillings and six pence “in order that all should receive the regular editions”. In May 1948, the meeting unanimously resolved that all Association members would receive the ‘Journal’ and that a levy would be added to members’ subscriptions to cover the cost of the issues. New Zealand Plumbers Journal Ltd was incorporated on 3 June 1954 and as of 27 June 2016 became a Registered NZ Limited Company. Since then it has seen a number of different editors, including comedian Michele A’Court, Army News Editor Judith Martin, Faith Barber, Ali Spencer and Bill O’Byrne, now a Fairfax Media Supplements Reporter. Over the years, the magazine has evolved its look—and its name—several times. It also went from monthly to bimonthly in February 1990. A radical change came in the October/ November 2013 edition, with a complete redesign and the change of name to NZ
Plumber. Until 2009, NZ Plumbers’ Journal Ltd had its own board of directors. At this point, Master Plumbers, Gasfitters To mark the magazine’s 70th birthday, & Drainlayers NZ we have a gift for Master Plumbers Inc became the full members on the front shareholder with the cover of this edition. ability to appoint the The snap phone board. wallet serves Graeme Mander was double duty. Pop a director for many it on the back of years until 2009 and your mobile phone to keep your we profile Graeme on business or credit p17. Other directors card handy—or have included Eric use it as a Shaw, author of the phone stand. Otago commemorative book. It’s testament to its long-standing success that the magazine members (see above), as well as a continues to thrive today—thanks to a fabulous prize competition for all readers. dedicated team, specialist contributors and We will also be holding an event in writers, loyal advertisers and, of course, its Auckland later in 2018 to thank Master many readers. Plumbers Business Partners for their To celebrate, we have a free gift on the advertising support over the years. ■ cover of this edition for Master Plumbers
Enjoy your gift
Mega birthday prize Be in to win an awesome 3-Night Deluxe Air New Zealand Mystery Break! To celebrate NZ Plumber’s 70th birthday, we’re giving readers the chance to win a 3 Night Air New Zealand Deluxe Mystery Break for Two. The lucky winners will fly Air New Zealand to a popular destination on the Air New Zealand domestic network (revealed the day prior to travel), pick up your transfer or rental car, then check in to your accommodation. Then it’s up to you. Go exploring, or just kick back and relax! The prize package includes:
Find out where you’re going the day before you fly!
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Return air travel on Air New Zealand on the dates you choose*
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Rental car* with unlimited km waiting for you at the airport
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Deluxe 4-5 star twin/double accommodation for 3 nights.
To enter, spot the wrenches dotted throughout the magazine and send the total number to the Ed: beverlysellers@ xtra.co.nz by 12 March 2018. Remember to include your full name, company name and phone number! The first correct answer to be opened after 12 March 2018 will be the winner. *Mystery Breaks terms & conditions apply. The holiday must be taken by 18 December 2018. Competition open to all recipients of NZ Plumber, excluding staff of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ.
February/March 2018
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REAL LIVES
“I feel very privileged” After 60 years in the industry, retirement is beckoning for Graeme Mander. We talk to Graeme about his career and his long involvement with NZ Plumber. By Matthew Lowe. “I never intended to be a plumber,” says Graeme Mander. “When I started off, my ambition was to be in the farming sector, working as a stock agent.” On leaving school, Graeme began working at meat company WR Fletcher (Vesteys), but says the chances of making progress with the firm appeared limited. “After about six months and chatting with other staff [at the meat company], it came through that a lot of people had gone into the organisation with the same aspirations as I had, but 25 years later they were still desk-bound. “People were saying, ‘You’re silly staying here; go work for your father’... and in a short space of time I was.” Graeme started his plumbing apprenticeship in 1957 at HE Mander & Co, which his father Howard had founded in Johnsonville 11 years previously. “At that time my father only did highrise commercial buildings, and I spent my whole apprenticeship on one site on The Terrace in Wellington.”
Buying the business Eight years later, Graeme took over management of the firm and purchased it after his father decided to build and run a motel in Paraparaumu. The plumbing business, which became Mander Plumbing, has remained in the same building since it began—and Graeme, 77, will end his time with the firm when he retires next year. In the past six decades he has also held numerous industry roles, including more than 25 years on the national council of the NZ Society of Master Plumbers and Gasfitters, a spell as President of the Society in the mid-1980s, and New Zealand's representative on the World Plumbing Council from 1996-2005. “I feel very privileged to have been in an industry like this and to do the things
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Above: Though Graeme is retiring next year, he has no plans to sit around doing nothing.
that I have been able to do,” Graeme says. “I took over the company from Dad... and it led into the other things I did, and through those roles and activities other opportunities arose. They were a chance to see other aspects of the industry and it gave you a wider experience of the industry as a whole. “The benefits from those roles you can’t put a monetary value on. One highlight was when I went to South Africa with the World Plumbing Council. The South African representative invited some of us to stay in a private game reserve and that was unbelievable. We had a week there seeing lions, white rhinos and cheetahs all around.” Graeme has seen plenty of changes in plumbing over the years, with the variety of materials being one of the main ones. “When I started, we had a lot of wrought iron pipes, and that became copper and cast iron and then evolved into plastics. “The number of different products has been another big change. When I started, a house was built and there was a bath
I spent my whole apprenticeship on one site and if you were lucky there was a shower over that and there was a washbasin and a sink. There was no such thing then as an en suite—and now people have two bathrooms, showers, bidets and separate toilets.”
Plumbers’ Journal stalwart Graeme’s career also involved 30 years as director of the Plumbers’ Journal (now NZ Plumber) from 1979 and he still maintains a keen interest in the publication. “Working on the Plumbers’ Journal was interesting and it is being taken to another level by the people currently involved and that is fantastic. It’s a way >
REAL LIVES
the benefits from those roles you canʼt put a monetary value on
Above: Playing the piano is one of Graeme’s hobbies—along with horse racing.
the industry can get information across to its members. “My role was to give the Journal some direction. We had different editors over those 30 years and we tried to improve the product as time went on. We were trying to get a journal accepted in the industry that was beneficial to the industry, gave members technical knowledge they may not otherwise get and kept them up to date with what was going on in the industry.” Away from plumbing, Graeme has a keen interest in horse racing, which started in the early 1990s. He has been a part owner of more than 50 horses since—including champion galloper and New Zealand’s Horse of the Year in 1996, Our Maizcay. “It’s an interesting activity. I’ve had quite a bit of success over the years but also a number of failures in that time, too. Have I made more money than I lost? The answer is definitely no.”
Retirement plans Graeme will hand over control of Mander Plumbing to Gavin Chambers, a long-term partner at the firm, next year. He says he is uncertain what he will do in retirement but it won’t involve being idle. “Different challenges have kept me in the industry. It’s been an enjoyable ride and given me an insight into not only the industry but how to best work with people,” he says. “I am someone that likes to do something, and sitting at home doesn’t really appeal to me—so whatever I do when I retire, I won't be just sitting on my bottom.” ■
30 years as director of the Plumbers’ Journal
Graeme Manderʼs industry involvement 1957: Started apprenticeship with HE Mander & Co 1961: Qualified trade certificate registration 1965: Initially managed and later purchased HE Mander & Co 1975-2013: Attended all Master Plumbers’ annual conferences 1976-2004: Member of national council of NZ Society of Master Plumbers and Gasfitters 1979-2009: Director of NZ Plumbers’ Journal Ltd; Chairman 1999-2009 1985-1986: President of NZ Society of Master Plumbers and Gasfitters 1991-2011: Director NZ Plumbers’ Merchants group of companies 1993-2000: Elected Master Plumbers’ representative on autonomous Industry Training Council; Chairman 1996-2005: NZ representative on World Plumbing Council 1999-2004: Elected Director of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers NZ 2001: Elected Life Member of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers NZ 2008-2011: Elected Chairman of NZ Plumbers’ Merchants Graeme has been married to Christina for 52 years, and they have three daughters and eight grandchildren.
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Plumbing systems
As every good plumber knows, a successful plumbing installation is about knowing the requirements and using the latest materials and technologies. In this section
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Safe showering temperatures Floor wastes, traps and vents Sizing holes and notches Steel yourself! Manufacturing technology
February/March 2018
PLUMBINGPAGE SYSTEMS TAG
Safe showering temperatures The introduction of single lever thermostatic shower mixers is a step forward in safe water temperature control, as Methven explains. Water has the power to cleanse, calm, refresh and invigorate. It also can be extremely dangerous and hazardous. In New Zealand, household hot water cylinders must be maintained at a minimum of 60°C to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. However, water at this temperature will result in third degree burns within seconds of contact if not mixed properly. Simply flushing a toilet or turning on a tap while someone is showering will reduce cold water pressure, resulting in a hot water temperature spike. Burns as a result of this, referred to as scalding, are among the most common causes of serious burns, with 80 per cent affecting young children, elderly and the physically or mentally impaired. Methven’s newly developed Safeflow™ is a temperature and flow regulator that is operated by a single lever. It delivers a stable showering temperature, even with erratic hot and cold pressure. Methven Safeflow™ shower mixers use the combination of a single lever cartridge and a thermostatic mixing valve to deliver a stable, safe and consistent showering temperature. The inbuilt thermostatic mixer maintains a maximum hot water temperature of 45°C (a safe maximum showering temperature for children) and the single lever ceramic disc allows the user to incrementally add cold water to the flow as they choose, resulting in an accurate and stable temperature. As a result of these safety features, Safeflow has recently been added to the list of Lifemark approved products.
Shower mixer Hot water Cold water
Top: Methven's Aio range is among those available with its SafeFlow technology. Above: Safeflow technology delivers a stable showering temperature, even with erratic hot and cold pressure.
Figure 1: The mixer aligns with the vertical stud for ease of installation.
Safeflow shower mixer installation Installing Safeflow shower mixers differs slightly to other shower mixers in two main ways, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. ■
Figure 2: Cavity mounting depth requires a 70mm minimum wall cavity.
Above: Exploded view demonstrates that the major mixer components are identical to a standard Methven shower mixer. February/March 2018
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PLUMBING REAL LIVESSYSTEMS
Floor wastes, traps and vents Brush up on your knowledge of the technical terms for sanitary plumbing and how the various elements function and are installed. By Alide Elkink. Figure 1: Principles of a water-filled trap.
Water traps, floor wastes, floor waste gullies, vent pipes, drain vents, discharge stack vents—these are some of the terms used in reference to sanitary plumbing. A recent BRANZ Build magazine readers’ survey indicated that there is some confusion with the terminology but, once explained, it is really quite straightforward.
Sanitary plumbing explained Sanitary plumbing refers to the system of pipework that connects sanitary fixtures, such as toilets, sinks, hand basins, baths, showers and laundry tubs, to the sewerage system. Under New Zealand Building Code clause G13 Foul water, sanitary plumbing is required to safeguard people from: • illness due to infection or contamination from personal hygiene activities • loss of amenity due to unpleasant odours or offensive matter from sewage disposal. These objectives can be achieved by installing water traps and vents into sanitary plumbing systems in accordance with Acceptable Solutions G13/AS1, G13/AS2 and G13/AS3 or with AS/NZS 3500.2:2015 Plumbing and drainage – Part 2: Sanitary plumbing and drainage. Using solutions from the Acceptable Solutions and AS/NZS 3500.2:2015 together is not an Acceptable Solution. If solutions from both systems are used in conjunction with one another, it becomes an alternative method.
Water traps and vent pipes Water-filled traps in discharge pipes prevent foul air and gases in the sanitary plumbing system from entering the building interior (see Figure 1). However, such traps may also create some design issues. As water flows through a pipe, air is pushed ahead of it. This increases the pressure ahead of the water flow while creating a negative pressure behind the water. If enough negative pressure is created, the water can be drawn out of the trap, thereby providing a route into the building for foul air and gases. By installing a vent pipe on the discharge pipe that is open to the outside, air can enter into the system and prevent pressure variations causing water loss from the trap (see Figure 2). 20
February/March 2018
Figure 2: Vented discharge pipe with P trap.
Although a simple solution, it increases the amount of pipework required and in some situations, such as multi-unit dwellings or where there are internal bathrooms, may be more difficult to install. Alternative systems to reduce the number of vent pipes have been developed but cannot always be used as they have restrictions affecting aspects of the system such as: • pipe gradients • pipe lengths • the number of bends permitted • the number of floors served • the total height of the system • connection points between pipes • the loading on the system.
PLUMBING REAL IN SYSTEMS FOCUS LIVES
Figure 3: Air admittance valve— closed (left) and open (right)
Air admittance valve An alternative to an open-air vent pipe is an air admittance valve (AAV). This admits air into the system when water flow reduces the internal pressure and closes when the internal pressure of the system is equal or greater than the external pressure (see Figures 3 and 4). AAVs have limitations in that they cannot equalise an increase in pressure within the system. Also, as the air movement is one way only, they cannot be used where air movement in and out of a system is required, such as in a discharge stack vent or a drain vent.
Figure 4: AAV fitted to a single discharge pipe to prevent siphonage
Discharge stack vent A discharge stack vent is a vent pipe to a discharge stack, that is, a discharge pipe with one or more discharge pipe connections to the outside, allowing air movement in and out of the system. Instead of maintaining pressure equilibrium, their primary function is to remove foul air and gases.
Drain vent pipe Drain vent pipes remove foul air and gases from sewer drains also by allowing air movement in and out of the system. Every property must have a drain vent pipe that is open to outside and, as sewer gases are lighter than air, be located at the high end of the drain or soil stack.
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Floor wastes A floor waste is an outlet located at the low point of a graded floor and is designed to provide drainage for accidental water spillage. A floor waste may be: • dry • trapped • a floor waste gully. Dry and trapped floor wastes
A dry floor waste consists of a flush floor grating with a pipe that discharges either directly to the outside or over a gully trap (see Figure 5). Floor wastes are installed to provide drainage for accidental water spillage, and a dry floor waste does not have a water trap. Without a trap, it must not be connected directly to a foul drainage system. A trapped floor waste is similar to a dry floor waste but has a water trap to prevent smells. >
Stainless Steel Pulldown Sink Mixer with black accent spout
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February/March 2018
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PLUMBING SYSTEMS NUTS & BOLTS
Figure 5: Floor drain
Floor waste gullies
A floor waste gully (FWG) is a floor drain that can receive the discharge from a number of fixtures, but connections are limited by the number of discharge pipes and distance (see Figure 6). They may also be used as shower outlets so they are space saving, reduce the length of pipework and reduce the number of connections required to the drain.
Installing floor waste and discharge pipes There are some limitations to the installation of both FWG and discharge wastepipes in suspended timber floors. When installing a FWG, the floor space must be deep enough to accommodate the unit. The typical depth for an FWG is approximately 290 mm, but this will vary depending on the manufacturer. For suspended floors, discharge pipes from floor wastes and FWGs that run within the depth of the floor are best run parallel to the floor joists. Proprietary products (joist brackets) or floor systems are available where pipes passing through the floor joist cannot be avoided. There must also be sufficient depth in the floor space to accommodate the pipe gradient. FWGs installed under a concrete slab-on-ground floor are supported in compacted granular fill and should be set on a concrete base (see Figure 7). Where the riser pipe passes through the concrete, it must be sleeved or wrapped in a durable, flexible material. Pipes under the concrete must have clearance between the top of the pipe and the underside of the slab by: • 50mm under Acceptable Solution G13/AS2 • 25mm under AS/NZS 3500. Disadvantages of FWGs are that they may be noisy, and as with all water traps, the fixtures that discharge into them must be used regularly to ensure they remain filled with water. ■ © BRANZ Build 163, December 2017 22
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Figure 6: Typical floor waste gully trap
Figure 7: Floor waste gully installed under a concrete slab on ground
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Sizing up holes and notches
Holes or notches are sometimes required in timber framing, but they must be carefully located so they do not undermine structural integrity. By Alide Elkink.
NZS 3604:2011Timber-framed buildings specifically identifies locations for holes and notches in joists, studs and plates but does not include rafters and ceiling joists. BRANZ suggests that the locations and restrictions for floor joists are also used for these members.
Figure 1: Holes and notches in joists
Joists and rafters NZS 3604:2011 sets out restrictions for holes and notches in joists: • The maximum allowable diameter of holes is one-fifth of the joist or rafter depth or 32mm, whichever is the lesser (see Figure 1). • The maximum allowable depth of notches is one fifth of the joist or rafter depth or 32mm, whichever is less. • Holes may only be located within a length measured from the face of a support that is no more than three times the depth of the joist or rafter. • Holes and notches may not be closer to one another than the depth of the joist or rafter. • Holes should be located in the middle third of the joist or rafter depth only (see Figure 2). • Notches in joists and rafters may be located no more than 450mm from the face of a support, unless the notch does not reduce the net depth of the joist to below that required by the span tables in NZS 3604:2011 (see Figure 3).
Cantilevered joists Holes or notches may be cut into cantilevered joists provided: • the notch does not reduce the net depth of the joist to below that required by the span tables (see Figure 4), and • holes are located in the outside third of the length of the cantilever measured from the face of the support.
Figure 2: Locate holes in the centre third of joists and rafters
Figure 3: Distance of notches from joist or rafter support
Studs Studs may have holes or notches cut into them with the following limitations: • In 70mm deep studs, holes and notches should be no more than 19mm in diameter or depth. The exception is that the depth of notches may be increased to 22mm to fit diagonal metal bracing (see Figure 5). • In 90mm deep studs, holes and notches should be no more than 25mm in diameter or depth, except that the dimension may be increased to 35mm where no more than three consecutive studs are drilled or notched (see Figure 6). • For 70mm and 90mm deep studs, notches may be no more than 200mm deep and should be vertically separated by at least 600mm regardless of which side of the stud is notched. • Holes and notches must be separated from one another by at least 100mm. 24
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Figure 4: Hole and notches in cantilevered joists
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Holes in studs supporting brick veneer must be no closer than 50mm from the outside face of the stud to allow sufficient depth for fixing brick ties. Trimming studs may not have any holes, notches, checks or cuts made in the middle third of the stud length regardless of stud dimension.
Top and bottom plates
Figure 5: Holes and notches in 70mm stud
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Figure 6: Holes and
Top and bottom plates sometimes notches in 90mm stud require holes or notches. They generally have similar restrictions as for studs: • In 70mm deep top plates, holes may be no more than 19mm in diameter, and notches may be no more than 19mm deep and 200mm long. • In 90mm deep top plates, holes may be no more than 25mm in diameter, and notches may be no more than 25mm deep and 200mm long. If the hole or notch required is larger than these dimensions, the top plate must be strengthened with extra timber and/or steel angle (see Figure 7). Figure 7: Holes or notches in top plates
Figure 8: Holes or notches in bottom plates
Designed and developed in NZ for our varying water conditions to improve performance of water flow to your shower.
Suitable for ALL PRESSURES 10KPa | Unequal 20KPa | Equal A hole or notch that is more than half of the width of the bottom plate must have additional 100 × 3.75mm nail fixings on each side of the hole or notch (see Figure 8). ■ © BRANZ Build 163, December 2017 February/March 2018
www.greenstapware.com
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PLUMBING SYSTEMS
Steel yourself! Be prepared for growth in the specification of stainless steel for plumbing and piping applications. Stainless steel is one of the most widely used materials in the modern world. First recognised for its corrosion-resistance properties in 1821, it has become a literal and figurative pillar of civilisation— and today is increasingly being specified as an alternative to traditional materials in plumbing and piping applications. “All the properties of stainless steel lend themselves to potable water piping applications: it is inert, corrosion-resistant, incredibly tough and, as part of a piping system, easily fitted and practically maintenance free,” says Andrew Sommerville, General Manager of aquatherm New Zealand, national representatives of Mayer press-fit stainless steel pipe systems. Over the years, lead, galvanised iron, copper and PVC piping systems have all been used in New Zealand homes. “Most piping systems involve a trade-off between various characteristics: durability, safety, workability, cost, inertness, weight,” says Andrew. “Ideally, you want a material which is tough, adaptable and durable. “Specifiers, contractors and building owners are looking for something durable, cost effective to install with improved health and safety features. Stainless steel is that material, which is why it is gaining popularity internationally.” In New Zealand, the use of stainless steel plumbing systems is in its relative infancy. Part of the reason for that, says Andrew, is it is a premium option and does come with the associated price implications. In Mayer, aquatherm have found a product system that delivers quality standards at a price point comparable with other material choices, he says. “With this product range, you can specify stainless steel press fit for roughly the same price as welded copper.” Manufactured by Mayer Corp part of the Mayer Steel Pipe Co Taiwan established in the 1950s – from whence emerge some of the world’s best quality steels and stainless products – the Mayer product range is a complete system of pipe and fittings, available in diameters from 15mm to 108mm. Every Mayer pipe and fitting made at the Mayer Steel Pipe Co Taiwan must pass hydraulic pressure and airproof testing processes before leaving the factory. “Independent standards are essential and Mayer products meet or exceed all of them,” he confirms. Pipes and fittings are manufactured to BS EN 10088 and are compliant with AS 5200.053 and AS 3688.
Fitting on site Top of mind for anyone working with piping systems will be how to fit stainless steel on site, given the fact that malleability is not among its properties. Stainless steel piping is press-fitted with an O-ring system. A wide range of fittings is available to handle the junctions, corners
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Above: Some of the Mayer product range, which comes in diameters from 15mm to 108mm. Stainless steel is durable, capable of handling high temperatures, and entirely inert.
and curves inevitable on every job site. “Fitting Mayer stainless steel is a bit like working with Meccano, except a lot easier,” says Andrew. The tools used are the same as for press copper systems, but with different jaw adaptors and slings. Joints can be completed in less than 10 seconds with a simple press tool and no hot work permits required. “aquatherm NZ sees stainless as a complementary system to our green, blue and lilac PPR systems, giving aquatherm customers a total solution in commercial applications, such as plant rooms and areas characterised by high temperatures,” says Andrew. “It is also obviously ideal for any potable water implementation where solutions can be combined under one local warranty. Given the advantages stainless steel offers, we see Mayer stainless being a popular addition to the standard material for the future in multiple piping applications.” ■ Mayer provides upskilling and site support, and will run a certified installer programme for installers. Contact aquatherm NZ for details.
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ARE YOU NZ’S NEXT YOUNG PLUMBER OF THE YEAR? Young Plumber of the Year is the chance for the future of our industry to test their skills. We want to ensure a better plumbed New Zealand, so we’re putting the spotlight on our industry to find the best young plumbers in our country!
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February/March 2018
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PLUMBING SYSTEMS
Manufacturing technology What does it take to produce a reputable plumbing system? Buteline explains the role of technology and in-house expertise.
Buteline is a New Zealand owned and operated company established in 1980 by founding engineer David John Picton. Sadly, David passed away in February this year. His intention was to provide the New Zealand plumbing industry with a secure and reliable plumbing system. He created Buteline from scratch out of his shed in Weymouth, South Auckland. David appreciated the belief plumbers have in his product and enjoyed dealing with everyone over his lifetime. His son Llewellyn Picton, now Managing Director, will ensure his legacy is remembered and looks forward to growing the company and systems range. The Buteline plumbing system is designed in New Zealand for New Zealand conditions. One of the main reasons why it has been, and still is, successfully installed in projects here and overseas is due to its reputable quality and time-proven design.
Above: An in-house CNC machine enables Buteline to cut the dies for making its fittings.
Quality control and testing Quality control is an essential part of the Buteline production process. All components are checked and rigorously tested, manually and electronically, to ensure they meet and exceed NZ and international standards and approvals, such as AS/NZS 4642, AS/NZS 4130 and WaterMark. Extensive testing is conducted at Buteline’s facilities in Auckland. Their array of test equipment, test rigs, calibrated gauges and so forth enables them to verify and test their plumbing systems against all the various national and international standards applicable to current and future markets. This also enables Buteline to submit their systems with confidence for independent testing, in order to obtain approval certifications required for any overseas market. During manufacture, in line with international standards requirements, samples of pipe are taken, which are then dimensionally checked, using equipment calibrated against the relevant standards. These are then subjected to in process pressure testing. This testing requires the pipe to be subjected to 1500kPa internal pressure at a temperature of 95°C for a period of 24 hours without failure. Testing samples are also subjected to up to 4500kPa at 20°C. Although the standards only require this test regime to be applied to the pipe, there is obviously a need to connect the pipes to the test rig. Buteline uses a rotating schedule of fittings to connect the pipes to the test rig, which ensures all the fittings in its range are also tested to the regime. The records of these tests and the samples are maintained for a minimum of seven years, along with all the relevant manufacturing data from the pipe extrusion line, all of which gives the company full traceability on its manufactured products. 28
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Above: Quality testing is an essential part of the production process.
In-house tool manufacture The CNC machine, also housed within Buteline, offers further technical capabilities for the team to produce tools in-house, cutting the dies required for making each fitting. Great skill and precision is needed to set up the cutters and tools, and to programme the CNC machine to follow the CAD drawings precisely, with a detailed die potentially taking up to three days to machine. The CNC machine cuts the dies for each Buteline fitting (tees, elbows, couplings etc), which are inserted into the injectionmoulding machine to physically make the fitting. Tooling for the pipe extruder, is also made internally using the CNC machine. Other machinery such as the custom-built Pipewinder, the aluminium tube handling and processing equipment are also custom designed, built and maintained in-house. The Pipewinder has dual function: cutting pipe to 5m lengths and winding pipe into coils. Samples are automatically cut every 15 minutes for quality assurance and kept for several years to meet ISO 9001 manufacturing standards. Aluminium tube for Buteline clamp rings is cut and
PLUMBING IN SYSTEMS FOCUS
Above: Pipe samples are dimensionally checked, using equipment calibrated against relevant standards.
Technical FAQs Some common questions are:
Q: Where am I best to position the clamp tool when clamping fittings? A: Position the Buteline clamp tool 2mm from the end of the
processed before annealing takes place. Both processes are greatly improved by the use of technology, not only in terms of efficiency but also in terms of more consistency and greater precision of end products. Research and development is another key part of the business. Regular new product development and strategy meetings are held, and all new fittings are tested extensively before going to market. All Buteline pipe and polymer fittings are made locally at its manufacturing facility in Auckland. Some brass fittings and components are sourced from qualified and accredited international suppliers, and these products are thoroughly tested to meet the same standard as the locally made product. Buteline is NZ owned and operated, and the company’s technical capabilities come not only from the machinery and testing, but also from the expertise of their in-house engineers and on-site technical support personnel—technical staff members have over 85 years’ combined experience and knowledge. ■
Q: What is the tightest radius that can be made with Buteline pipe? A: 10 times the outside diameter (OD) of the pipe. For example, 15mm (Type 18, PN16) pipe of OD 16mm can be bent with a radius of 160mm.
fitting’s metal sleeve (closest to the pipe) because that is where the fitting’s sealing ribs are—see diagram below.
Q: Can I install the Buteline Plumbing System in the ground? A: Yes—wrap the metallic surface (brass/aluminium) of the
Below: The correct clamp tool clamping position.
fittings, and sleeve the pipe if going through concrete to allow free movement for expansion and contraction. Check there are no sharp objects that may damage or penetrate the pipe.
Below: Making a correctly clamped joint.
Q: Can I use Buteline pipe for a solar hot water system? A: Yes, but only after an approved solar tempering valve. Q: Can you install the Buteline Plumbing System when there is polystyrene in the walls? A: Yes, Buteline is OK. Q: Do I need to do anything if my installation of Buteline Plumbing System will be exposed to direct sunlight? A: Yes, it must be painted using water-based paint or sleeved. Q: Do I need to use silicon in holes when feeding Buteline pipe through a timber nog or stud? A: No, silicon is not required but if you do wish to use it, please use a neutral silicon (NOT an acid cure silicon).
Q: Can Buteline be used for compressed air lines? A: Yes, provided the air pressure does not exceed 140 PSI.
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Feelgood factor
Tasman Bay Plumbing is committed to helping out in the community, despite experiencing huge workload demands. The team at Tasman Bay Plumbing in Nelson are always keen to do their bit for the local community. Last year was no exception, and saw them join with a group of other tradespeople to volunteer their time and services for the Mitre 10 Helicopter House project. The three-bedroom, 149sq m home was to be built in just three months as a fundraiser for the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust, with Certified Builders Nelson and Summit partnering with Mitre 10 to have the house ready for auction by December. For Tasman Bay Plumbing, work on the house started early last September—just as Chris was heading to the US. Office Manager Andree Schultz quickly stepped into the breach, scheduling the plumbers, liaising with suppliers and sharing information with Garry Nott from Certified Builders and Mitre 10 Mega Marketing Coordinator Murray Leaning. “We had our guys Antony and Mark doing the pre-pipe for two days in September, then Grant and Brodie spending three days on the fit-out in October,” recalls Andree. “They installed showers, vanities and toilets for the two bathrooms, plus kitchen and laundry fittings and a hot water cylinder.”
Above: The completed kitchen. 30
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The firm used some of their own stock for the project, and suppliers also came to party with donated products, including Plumbing World for the Rinnai hot water cylinder, Buteline plumbing system and Dux toilets. With the tight timeframe, there were always lots of trades on site at the same time, which posed an extra challenge for all involved. But spirits were high, and it was great to have apprentices from the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology helping out with the build, gaining valuable experience along the way. The house, which comprises a master bedroom and ensuite, two double bedrooms, study and open plan kitchen, living and dining area, was constructed in the Mitre 10 Mega car park, where passing traffic could easily see progress. Built in two parts to allow for easy transportation once sold, it had to be top spec, so it would be a match for local conditions, no matter where it ended up. As it turned out, this was to be just down the road in Stoke— the house going under the hammer in December for $276,000 to the owners of McCashin’s Brewery and their three young children. As if to demonstrate the importance of the cause, the
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Above: One of the two bathrooms.
the three-bedroom, 149sq m home was to be built in just three months rescue helicopter, which was on site during the auction, had to fly off unexpectedly. This wasn’t the first community project for Tasman Bay Plumbing, who last year also helped out on a bathroom upgrade for a chronically ill Nelson teenager—another of Mitre 10 Mega Nelson’s Helping Hands initiatives. Like any plumbing project, plans for the house evolved as work went along, so the team had to be pretty flexible. “That’s the nature of plumbing,” Chris says. “Things always come up that you’re not expecting.”
Above: Andree and Chris in their office.
He should know. Around 60 percent of the firm’s work is new builds—not surprisingly, given the rate of construction growth in the Nelson region. Chris became sole Director of Tasman Bay Plumbing in 2014, moving the business to a new, more visible site in May 2015 and growing the staff from eight to 20. He remains on a constant look out for qualified plumbers and drainlayers, in addition to the firm’s steady stream of apprentices. With the company’s expansion, the office space has required a full rework to cater for an additional admin person, and they’re >
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT now looking to extend the premises. Trades staff are crammed like sardines into the smoko room and they’re running out of parking space for all the company vehicles. “The Teletrac Navman fleet management system has been worth its weight in gold,” says Andree, who is now also set to replace job cards and paper timesheets with simPRO job management software at the workplace. “We might have 16 to 20 jobs booked for the day, but we are reworking the schedule all the time—often fitting in five more jobs over the course of the day—so we’d be lost without Navman to get the nearest guy to the next job,” she says. Given the huge volume of work on their books, you would think the firm might balk at taking on another volunteer project—but not so. “We’d like to do something each year if we can… within reason,” says Chris. “It’s a real feelgood factor. ” ■ Above: Plumbers Antony and Mark working on the pre-pipe. Below: Work began last September and it was sold by December.
we’d like to do something each year if we can Above: Chris and Andree outside the finished house in January, shortly before its relocation.
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February/March 2018
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February/March 2018
33
REAL LIVES
Now & then As part of our NZ Plumber 70th year celebrations, Shelley Burt talked to three plumbers about the biggest changes they have seen in the industry over their long careers Marty Marriot Home turf: Feilding Years working in the industry: 50 Career highlights: Sitting and passing my exams, and seeing apprentices I worked with succeed and go on to bigger things. The assortment of work, including working on a dairy farm for 18 months where my plumbing knowledge came in very handy.
THEN Materials & products
The working day
Rules & regulations
34
February/March 2018
NOW
Galvanised and copper piping. Threading and brazing fittings
Clamp-on fittings and push fittings, making the job easier and quicker.
Basic cisterns
A huge advancement in sanitary fittings. Cistern and S-trap pans to wall-hung pans, in-wall cisterns and back-to-wall pans
Basic sink taps – hot and cold
New tapware in the form of ceramic lever mixers
Manual systems and accounts
Computerised job and accounting systems, making admin faster and life easier
A cup of tea or coffee on the job
Some old customers still do this but many are less social, and prefer you to work outside normal hours
8 to 5, with an hour for lunch
Longer hours to fit in with customers
Few rules—you just used your common sense!
Health & Safety regulations have increased enormously over the years
Little paperwork relating to rules and regulations
A lot of regulatory paperwork
Plumbing products were not readily available to customers
Anyone can buy plumbing supplies from retail outlets
REAL LIVES
Gerald O’Connell Home turf: Dunedin Years working in the industry: 40 (retired in 2016) Career highlights: I’ve enjoyed myself, made good friends. Yes, we were operating in a very competitive market, but within the plumbing group I felt they were very obliging to everyone, and to me as a oneman-band.
Above: Gerald O’Connell (right) being congratulated by Brian Foley (centre) and Roger Herd (left) on being awarded Life Membership of the Otago Master Plumbers.
THEN Materials & products
The working day
Rules & regulations
NOW
Large size diameter piping to get volume
Smaller diameter pipes to get more pressure and deliver hot water within seconds
You could make copper tees yourself, although it was quite expensive to buy the equipment
People just buy tees or elbows off the shelf
The product was the most expensive thing— your time was the cheapest
Your time is the most expensive thing and the product becoming the cheapest
You got the job done as fast as you could, but you could spend time getting things exactly right
It’s about getting in and getting out, as quick as you can
You could have lunch with the client
You’ve got to have lunch on the run
The work days were long and there was quite a bit of bookwork involved
I changed to a computerised system in the 1990s, which made the bookwork a lot easier
Everything was manual—job details, accounts, inventory etc
Computerisation has made the job process a lot easier—cell phones in particular
You were only available to clients in the evenings. That was the only time of day they could get hold of you
In the minds of your clients, you’re available 24/7. When you consider that you may have 20 or so clients on the go at any one time, that keeps you very busy! You’re under a lot more pressure
Your vehicle had to be ‘middle of the road’; otherwise you looked like you were making too much money!
Flash vehicles covered in eye-catching signwriting so you can compete for the jobs
Health & Safety regulations have introduced procedures to try and mitigate workplace accidents. Perhaps today’s time pressures may increase the risk of workplace injuries
Those issues are still the same, except nowadays people see the ‘latest thing’ on TV or something they love overseas, and want it, without realising the implications on service and waste systems and the associated costs of having those things at pressure
We were regulated by common sense
Water coming in; water going out
February/March 2018
35
REAL LIVES
Ian Malcolm Home turf: Tauranga Years working in the industry: 49 (recently retired) Career highlights: Working in American Samoa on the American Samoa Bank: putting the roof on, spouting and downpipes and learning a bit of Samoan to get me through. Changeover and upgrade from the Napier Hospital to the Hastings Hospital. We did the Emergency Department, operating theatres and new kitchen. It was stressful but interesting work. Hawke’s Bay Prison (formerly Maungaroa). We did the 60-cell units, the laundry and kitchen.
THEN Materials & products
The working day
Rules & regulations
36
February/March 2018
NOW
Apprenticeship included plumbing, spouting, drainage, roofing, gas, spouting, downpipes
Now you have specialisation—eg, roofing companies, spouting and downpipe companies. All the different trades have been broken up
Galvanised pipe for cold water and copper pipe for hot water
White plastic pressure pipe for cold water—you could just glue it together. Then along came polybutylene pipe and other specialised products
For hand basins, you had to bend up 15mm chrome copper pipe and connect the basin to the wingback with chrome copper pipe
You go and buy a flexihose from a local merchant
Glazed earthenware pipes, doing compo joints
Somebody invented rubber rings that went into the collars, and then came sleeve joints
We were replacing concrete sink benches with stainless steel ones. We had copper traps going down into lead wastepipes
PVC pipes were invented, so wastepipes became plastic and plastic traps followed. We called these ‘hand tight traps’ because they were easy to fit
Back in the ‘70s/80s, you could put all your waste and soil pipes in and hot and cold water before the floors went down (timber floors with concrete piles), so they were ready to go for the carpenters to put the joinery in the wet areas
You have mainly concrete slab foundations and all the pipes have to be cast into the floor
At one time, we used to have to clock in and out from one job to another and we had RTs instead of cell phones. Everybody carried a pencil, a ruler and diary around and you wrote all the stuff you’d used on a job in your diary and went back to the workshop and filled your job cards in from there
The company that I’ve just left have simPRO and Mobility, and the guys can do it on their cell phones as they start and finish the job. All materials and labour are automatically charged against the job, which used to be a real hassle under the manual system
We worked an eight-hour day—it was that simple. Everybody went to the workshop to get their job assignments and left from there
Workers are having to work maybe 50 hours a week, and then put in a bit of time on weekends as well, just to get through the jobs
Health & Safety regulations have changed enormously, especially following the Pike River Mine disaster. It’s hard for businesses to keep up and many have had to employ additional staff just to keep on top of it. This becomes an additional cost to new homeowners. Nowadays, you’ve got to have your safety boots on and your personal protection.
You did a job and walked away from it… not any more
You’ve got to be more responsible and ensure you comply. Businesses have to be more professional towards customers and staff
Products were standard – both in choice and quality
There are problems with some imported products and some NZ companies that import these products but don’t stand by them
I’ll carry a bit of shrapnel around in my leg for the rest of my life after an accident. I wear a hearing aid now because we used to use jackhammers without hearing protection. We never had eye protection. We didn’t wear hardhats. The only time we ever wore overalls was when we were crawling under a grubby house. We used to go to work in singlets, shorts and jandals!
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February/March 2018
37
NUTS & BOLTS
On-site electrical safety
Energy Safety has produced new guidance on electrical installation and equipment safety for small construction sites.
New Zealand’s Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 (ESR) set requirements for electrical safety. General obligations in regulations 13, 14 and 15 are supported by more specific regulations that set out how safety may be achieved and demonstrated in particular circumstances.
Which Standard?
•
AS/NZS 3760 specifies the competence required for persons involved in testing
The ESR identify the use of standards as means to achieve and demonstrate electrical safety for a range of situations which include, specifically:
•
AS/NZS 3760 specifies the tests to be undertaken
•
AS/NZS 3012 specifies the test intervals for portable equipment (ie, appliances, flexible cords, cord extension sets, portable socket outlet assemblies (PSOA) suitable for construction sites, generators, inverters) used in construction at three months
•
AS/NZS 3760 specifies the test intervals for other equipment— ranging from six months to five years—depending on where and how the equipment is used.
•
electrical installations on construction sites and
•
electrical equipment and appliances used on construction sites.
Electrical installation safety Regulation 25 deems a range of electrical installations, fittings and appliances to be safe when they comply with a relevant standard specified in that regulation. It deems construction sites to be electrically safe when they comply with and are used in accordance with AS/ NZS 3012: 2010: Electrical installations— Construction and demolition sites. This sets a recognised benchmark for electrical installations at construction sites; however it is not mandatory and alternatives will be appropriate depending on the circumstances.
Electrical equipment safety Regulation 26 sets out how electrical safety can be demonstrated ‘in use’ in a number of specific circumstances to meet the safety obligations of regulations 13 to 15. Regulation 26 recognises the ‘test and tag’ methodology of AS/NZS 3760 as a means of demonstrating safety in certain circumstances. AS/NZS 3760:2010: In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment sets out a ‘test and tag’ appliance testing and labelling regime
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February/March 2018
When AS/NZS 3012 and AS/NZS 3760 are applied to electrical equipment at construction sites in NZ:
Above: Energy Safety hopes construction businesses will adopt consistent practice for electrical safety management by following the practical advice in its new guidance.
which provides a deemed-to-be-safe methodology for verifying the safety of electrical appliances in service. Because the ESR recognise AS/NZS 3760 as a deemed-to-comply standard, it does not preclude the use of other means to achieve those safety outcomes. Alternative practices, such as the use of RCDs (which have been mandated for new homes for several years) are in most cases capable of delivering an acceptable safety level. A similar level of safety, including actual minimisation of electric shock, would be provided if: •
electrical equipment is connected to an RCD-protected supply, and
•
equipment users look for signs of damage and check the functioning of equipment guards and interlocks at least daily when the equipment is in use.
Electrical wiring safety Regulation 75 mandates AS/NZS 3012 for the periodic assessment of the permanent wiring and switchboards installed on a building under construction. It doesn’t apply to the tools connected by plug and socket. Periodic assessment of permanent wiring is the only circumstance in which AS/NZS 3012 is mandatory for New Zealand.
There are variations between NZ and Australia. For example, NZ provisions in AS/NZS 3012 allow the use of assemblies for construction sites (ACS), which are not recognised in Australia. ■ Energy Safety’s Electrical Safety on Small Construction Sites guidance sets out practical expectations consistent with the Health and Safety at Work Act and electrical safety regime. Find it at worksafe.govt.nz/topic-andindustry/electricity/electrical-safety-onconstruction-sites
RCDs are in most cases capable of delivering an acceptable safety level
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NUTS & BOLTS
D E T S U B
Food waste disposer myths American environmental engineer Michael Keleman provided food for thought at a recent InSinkErator event. In his role as Environmental Engineering Manager for InSinkErator (USA) Michael Keleman oversees research projects to help understand and communicate the impacts of food waste disposers on wastewater treatment infrastructure. Michael was in NZ late last year to speak at the WasteMINZ annual conference. While here, he also spoke at an event organised by Parex—NZ distributor of InSinkErator products. Organic waste is the single largest component of municipal solid waste sent to landfills in New Zealand, he said, with 700,000 tonnes of organic waste trucked off each year, according to Ministry of the Environment information. Once there, it decomposes and produces methane, which is at least 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfills are considered the third largest sources of methane in the world. “Food waste disposers offer one alternative to composting, but only 36 percent of New Zealand homes have an installed disposer,” said Michael. Compare this with California in the US, where 94 percent of homes use a disposer. Disposers have the potential to reduce food waste in the solid waste stream by 30 percent. As food waste is 70-90 percent water, there is an opportunity to divert more of it through the sewer to wastewater treatment plants. There, sewage is converted into clean water and fertiliser and, in some cases, renewable energy. Advanced facilities now harness anaerobic digesters to generate methane, which can be used to make energy. Auckland’s Mangere facility and the Palmerston North Totara Road plant are two such examples.
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February/March 2018
Myths debunked MYTH: Food waste disposers will clog sewerage pipes
FACT: Modern disposers grind food waste into very fine particles. Also, food waste is essentially the same density as water, so properly used disposers allow plumbing to efficiently transport particles to the wastewater treatment plant. FOG (Fats, Oils & Grease) can create ‘fatbergs’ in sewers, so people should never pour grease or fat into a disposer, sink, drain or toilet.
MYTH: You need a double sink bowl to have a food waste disposer installed
FACT: A single or double bowl sink will
MYTH: Food waste disposers overload
work—it’s down to personal preference (check sink and disposer dimensions). A good quality sink can eliminate vibration and noise.
the sewerage system
MYTH: Food waste disposers can’t be
FACT: Textbook references indicate a
used on a septic tank
20-30% increase in the strength of the wastewater. Modern design standards account for the modest increase, yet even in places with a very high penetration of disposers, the actual impacts are negligible.
FACT: InSinkErator disposers are
MYTH: Food waste disposers use a lot of water and electricity
FACT: Disposers use only about 1% or less of a household’s total water consumption (about as much water a day as one toilet flush) and cost on average less than 50c a year in electric usage.
compatible with properly sized and maintained septic systems. For example, a system sized for a dishwasher or clothes washer can handle a disposer.
MYTH: Certain food waste items can’t go down a disposer
FACT: Most food can go down a disposer. High performance models can handle virtually any waste, including bones and fibrous materials, such as celery. As long as consumers follow best practices, they should have nothing to fear. ■
NUTS & BOLTS
Get with the programme Is New Zealand on the back foot when it comes to backflow prevention? Peter McLennan shares his views in this opinion piece. We are fortunate in New Zealand to have high quality living standards and arguably some of the most sophisticated infrastructure in telecommunications, energy and water supply in the world. We also have access to clean drinking water at the tap. The protection of the drinking water supply is paramount to human health, and the treatment is covered by World Health Organisation guidelines. So, why then is the management of local backflow prevention programmes under-resourced and almost hidden away? Many water suppliers and territorial authorities take a head in the sand approach, when they should be addressing the issue with the high priority it deserves. Plumbing systems are not fixed in eternity, but open to modification so that additional services and fixtures can be added as required. However, this brings with it an increase in the likelihood of a cross connection being created. Most people in water supply understand what backflow is and how it happens. The use of backflow preventers has increased year after year as local water suppliers and councils manage their connections by boundary protection containment backflow programmes. This is a good thing, I hear you say— protecting the water in the supply mains from cross connections that may exist or be made by untrained or unsuspecting
why is the management of local backflow prevention programmes underresourced and almost hidden away?
people doing plumbing work within the property. It is a good thing, as long as the authority has a programme for recording and managing the devices installed, so the annual maintenance and testing is carried out in accordance with the relevant Codes and Standards. In a society where governance is king, and we all have a duty of care to ensure our actions and obligations are fulfilled, who is responsible when an unmanaged boundary protection containment device fails and allows a backflow incident to pollute the mains water supply? Where does the buck stop when people who consume water from polluted mains supply get sick or, worse still, die from poisoning? Legal opinion would probably suggest the water provider and maybe even its CEO. In the case of a death, a coronial investigation would explore how and where the issue occurred and if the water provider had an effective backflow database and management plan as part of their Water Safety Management Plan, which managed the yearly testing and maintenance of each device within their region. The CEO is responsible for ensuring it operates in compliance with the various legislation and best practices. In respect to backflow prevention, AS/NZS 3500.1:2015 Plumbing and Drainage — Water services states on page 22, Clause 4.4.6, that testable backflow prevention devices shall only be used where there is a maintenance programme for device registration and test certification. Where there is no such programme,
many water suppliers and territorial authorities take a head in the sand approach these devices shall not be fitted and the standard air gap requirements shall apply. One may conclude that water suppliers that don’t have a management programme in place for the backflow devices installed within their supply network are not in compliance with the plumbing standards. Millions and millions of dollars are spent annually to treat water to drinking standard, so why do we penny pinch when it comes to managing the programme to ensure the water remains safe to drink? ■
About the author: Peter McLennan is Regional Manager for Apollo Flow Controls. Peter has been involved with Backflow Prevention in Australia since the late 1980s. He is President of the Backflow Prevention Association of Australia (BPAA) and Secretary of the BPAA Queensland Chapter. Visit www.bpaa.org.au to find more about how BPAA can help you understand cross connection control and backflow prevention.
February/March 2018
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INDUSTRY TALK
In the office In the first of a new series in 2018, Andrea Lovell discusses office admin matters and explains why she decided to write a regular column for NZ Plumber. My name is Andrea Lovell and with my husband Dale Lovell we have owned Heron Plumbing in Henderson, Auckland, since 2011. Dale is passionate about the industry and had already been working in it for over 30 years when the opportunity arose to buy the company, which he had been part of since he was 15 years old. He jumped at the chance and I followed. Owning a plumbing company was a major change for me. At the time, I had three primary school aged children and was used to organising events and working in the travel industry. What did I know about plumbing? We already had full-time and part-time office ladies so I wasn’t really needed—but I was able to see that changes could be made. They were excited that Dale was taking over the company, as they had both been working with him for years, but they didn’t seem so excited about having his wife as part of the package. When buying a company you don’t want to make any changes too quickly— your need time to observe and see how things run.
This was my new role. I started coming in a few hours a day, watching and taking notes. The first thing I did was bring our paper-based company into the 21st century. It took time to find the right software system to suit all of our needs, as we worked on big contracts as well as maintenance. Eventually, we decided on simPRO. Moving from writing everything down and then typing it up was the biggest and also the best change we have made to date within the company. I have found that people seem to go one of two ways with change. They either thrive on it, as they see it as exciting and a challenge, or they find it all too hard and leave. Unfortunately, both our office ladies did the latter, which resulted in a few more changes in finding the right fit. Seven years later, I was asked if I would be interested in writing this column in NZ Plumber magazine. I was unsure to start with, but then I thought about the challenges I face in this industry and felt sure there are other women (and men) who may have similar experiences and who would be interested in what I have to say… and maybe have a laugh along the way.
Best in business Congratulations to Hawkes Bay Business of Year, Laser Plumbing and Electrical Napier.
Above: Paul Manaena (right), Reihana Mananena (centre) and Plumbing Manager Darrin Lee (left).
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February/March 2018
This time last year, NZ Plumber featured Master Plumbers’ member company Laser Plumbing and Electrical Napier. Paul Manaena and son Reihana had recently combined their Laser Electrical Napier business with Laser Plumbing Napier— and had gone through a major process of improvement and transformation, earning them the Medium Business Award category at the Westpac Hawkes Bay Chamber of Commerce Awards. Now, Paul and Reihana and the team have taken it one step further, receiving the Pan Pac Business of the Year award at the 2017 Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Business Awards at the end of last year. Paul, Reihana and team members were among the 270 guests at the awards event in Hastings to receive the supreme award. Earlier in the night, the two also went up on stage to collect the NZME Medium to Large Business Award, accompanied by a rousing haka from staff and whanau—which Paul and Reihana returned in kind. As the supreme winner, Laser Plumbing & Electrical Napier receive a full day of mentoring with the Air New Zealand Senior Management Team.
INDUSTRY TALK
Waikato wastewater Waikato District Council reports that it is using innovative technology on its wastewater network. As part of Waikato District Council’s ‘Wastewater Continual Improvement Programme’—started early last year—a further 40km of the council’s wastewater network will be cleaned and inspected in 2018. As the appointed contractor, Hydrotech will be using new camera technology to do the work. “When the guys are cleaning the pipe they’ve got a tool that they’ll put on the end of the hose to put a camera in the pipe, which will check that the pipe is clean before the main, larger CCTV unit comes in,” says HydroTech Managing Director Alan Hopkins. The aim of the improvement programme is to prevent overflows, says Waikato District Council Service Delivery General Manager Tim Harty. In 2018, Hydrotech will check and clean pipe networks in seven areas. They will also complete smoke testing in high-priority locations throughout the district. The company also provides sucker trucks on an as-required basis to assist with the network operation, particularly emergency response.
Building CodeHub launches There’s a brand-new building system search engine for the industry. Building CodeHub has been launched by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to help people find the latest building rules and guidance. Five commonly used building Standards and a handbook on timber-framed buildings are also now free to download from the Standards New Zealand website, with MIBE promising to look at ways to improve access to more construction standards. The five Standards are: • NZS 4121:2001 Design for access and mobility – Buildings and associated facilities • NZS 3902:2004 Housing, alterations and small buildings contract • NZS 4218:2009 Thermal insulation – Housing and small buildings • NZS 4514:2009 Interconnected smoke alarms for houses • NZS 8500:2006 Safety barriers and fences around swimming pools, spas and hot tubs.
simpro.co.nz/ready-plumbing
Find the new portal at www.codehub.building.govt.nz Find the five free Standards at www.standards.govt.nz under ‘Sponsored Standards’. February/March 2018
43
INDUSTRY TALK
Young at Heart Congrats to Plumbing World for championing youth! Following on from the success of its very first Young Plumber of the Year Competition in 2017, Plumbing World was announced a finalist in two categories at the prestigious Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Young at Heart Awards, held towards the end of last year. The team were delighted to win the Judges Leadership Award and to be highly commended for the Industry Leadership Award for their Young Plumbers Club and Young Plumber of the Year initiatives. “We were very humbled to take out an award, especially as we were among some pretty big companies on the night, such as McDonalds, Xero, Vodafone, The Warehouse and Fletcher Building, so this is a superb result and testament to these fantastic initiatives we embraced as a company in 2017,” says Marketing Manager Sarah Vining. “A big thank you and congratulations to everyone in the industry and within the business who supported us, and an especially big thank you to the branch network who make it happen for our customers and young plumbers—this is fantastic!”
Above: At last year's Young Plumber of the Year competition.
2018 event entries Entries for Plumbing World’s 2018 Young Plumber of the Year competition are open until 31 March. The event is free to enter for any apprentice, Tradesman or Certifying Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer aged 31 and under. There are over $20,000 worth of prizes on offer, including a trip for the winner and their employer to the Toto manufacturing facility in Indonesia. Master Plumbers is once again sponsoring the event, gifting a free year’s subscription to NZ Plumber magazine to each of the 10 finalists. Enter the 2018 Young Plumber of the Year competition at youngplumbersclub.co.nz or talk to your local Plumbing World Branch Manager.
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February/March 2018
Recruiting from overseas
INDUSTRY TALK
A number of moves are afoot to attract overseas construction workers to New Zealand. With demand for construction labour forecast to increase by 11 percent, or 56,000 people over the next five years, seven building-related jobs were added to the government’s Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL) this February. Employers whose occupations are on the ISSL and Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) don’t need to go through the labour market process and don’t need to prove they can’t find a New Zealander for the job. “I also want to signal that New Zealanders will be given every opportunity to get work and better opportunities to train and learn through our Fees Free initiative, so future reviews of the skill shortage lists will be carried out with a view to reducing the number of occupations listed,” said Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway in December.
Targeting the UK NZ private and public construction sectors have got together to target UK tradespeople in New Zealand’s largest ever recruitment push for qualified builders and construction workers for infrastructure and housing projects. LookSee Build NZ has been formed to help entice talent in a number of construction-related fields. UK employers can go to the LookSee Build website to create an account and submit their profile. This February, shortlisted employers were able to fly to New Zealand for interviews, an “amazing Kiwi experience” and a meeting with Immigration NZ during LookSee Build NZ Week. The outlook is good, according to NZ company GB Pensions. In the weeks following 2016’s Brexit vote, Immigration NZ received over 10,600 registrations of interest from British residents, it says—more than double the figure for the same period in 2015. “Whilst not all of these registrations have actually eventuated, the stream of skilled British immigrants moving to New Zealand remains strong and steady. In 2017, net migration to NZ hit an all time high of 72,000, and Brits accounted for nearly 10 percent of this.”
Supporting Filipino workers Not-for-profit membership organisation Site Safe is also doing its bit to attract overseas labour by partnering with Filipino recruitment organisations to help ensure workers hit the ground running when they arrive here. Site Safe has joined forces with Working In Resourcing, an NZ-based immigration company and its counter-part
Above: Site Safe is helping ensure Filipino workers hit the ground running when they arrive.
private and public construction sectors have got together to target UK tradespeople Philippines-based recruitment agency, YWA Human Resource Corporation, to deliver entry-level health and safety training for workers preparing to start work in New Zealand. “Teaming up with great recruitment agencies in the Philippines means workers will already have the right health and safety training to get them out on to site faster,” says Site Safe Chief Executive Alison Molloy. “This will help minimise delays for the New Zealand businesses who employ Filipino workers and provide a smoother transition process for the workers on arrival. “We recognise that access to workers is a significant hurdle facing the construction industry and believe that this partnership will help improve turnaround timeframes for both our members and the wider industry.” Site Safe Foundation Passport training will be delivered by experienced trainers as part of the wider induction process for incoming workers. ■ February/March 2018
45
INDUSTRY TALK
Global drive for Fergus
NZ job management company Fergus has raised AU$3.5 million to drive global expansion. Fergus, a Master Plumbers’ Business Partner, was founded in 2011 by Dan Pollard. Dan’s experience includes over 20 years working in the plumbing industry, including founding and managing a plumbing maintenance business. “The time I spent running my own trades business made me very aware of the challenges faced by the industry,” says Dan. “Fergus was originally built because I needed a software solution to help manage my own business.” The resulting cloud-based platform enables trades businesses to manage their entire operation on the go. Its core features include real-time workflow and staff communication as well as tools for quoting, scheduling, time sheets, invoicing, GPS workforce tracking, and resource planning. With the software in place in his own plumbing business, Dan saw significant growth in a short time, going from a fourvan business to a 15-van business in the space of four years— something that had been difficult to achieve previously due to the administrative workload associated with trying to grow a trades business. “I realised I had tapped into something special,” says Dan. “I had also freed up so much of my time from the day-to-
Above: Dan Pollard (left) with Howard Leibman of Microequities Venture Capital Fund.
day running of my trade business that putting my time into developing Fergus felt like the right step.” In 2013, he launched Fergus into the New Zealand market, where there has been steady uptake ever since. Now the company has taken the next step, announcing a AU$3.5 million investment, led by Microequities Venture Capital Fund, to drive growth in Australia and beyond. Following the investment, Howard Leibman of Microequities Venture Capital Fund will join the Fergus board.
Temuka asbestos scare
Plumbers in the South Canterbury town of Temuka were flat out in December following the discovery of asbestos in the water supply. When some Temuka residents spotted a grey fibrous substance clogging their water filters in December, they turned to Timaru District Council for answers. Testing showed the material to be asbestos—not uncommon in water distribution systems, as asbestos cement pipes were often used in the past. The council sought medical advice and was quick to reassure locals that asbestos is common in drinking water and considered safe. It also briefed the town’s plumbers about the situation. Householders with clogged water filters in their garden hoses, taps and washing machines were advised by Timaru District Council to contact the council or a plumber instead of attempting to remove any material themselves. Those who had already done this were told to keep the material wet, double bag it whilst wearing gloves and drop it at the Temuka transfer station for safe disposal. Despite its assurances that the water was safe to drink and use normally, the council provided residents with tanker water while it worked to clear the water supplies and install a temporary filtration plant by Christmas. “This option will remove most of the materials from the water in the short term to enable us to work on a long-term solution to the issue,” said a council spokesperson. “However, a filter of this 46
February/March 2018
type does have an impact on water flow rates, so we need the community to support us by stopping all outdoor water usage.” As was the case in Havelock North, by the end of December, the council was warning residents of people going door to door wanting to “talk to people about their water”. “These people are not TDC contractors, nor acting in any way connected to the council. Our assumption is that they are people selling water filter systems,” it said. This January, The Timaru Herald reported that the cost of a permanent fix might be in the millions and could involve replacing the entire length of a 7km asbestos pipe running from the reservoir to a junction outside Temuka. A decision was due to be made in February, when the next council meeting took place.
INDUSTRY TALK
The Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Board has released a seven-year industry snapshot.
Read the full report at www.pgdb.co.nz/publications/infobrief
SA-2017 released An update of Subcontract Agreement SA-2009 is now available.
Subcontract Agreement SA-2009 was developed by representatives from the Registered Master Builders Federation and the New Zealand Specialist Trade Contractors Federation. Its aim was to be the commercial subcontract agreement used by the industry at large, no matter what head contract is in place, so all parties can clearly understand their obligations, rights and risks before tendering for or entering into a contract. An updated version, SA-2017, was released this January, driven by changes to the Construction Contracts Act and NZS3910. Master Plumbers members can access a template document and explanatory information in the member log-in at www.masterplumbers.org.nz under Business Resources.
SYSTEMS
TILE KITS
BOSS
The document provides data and statistics about those working in the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying trades during 2010-2017. Key points of interest include: • Total authorisations issue by the PGDB, across the three trades, dropped between 2010 and 2013 by 9%, but 30% growth since 2013 has resulted in a record number of authorisations (18,542) as at November 2017. • The number of Certifying Plumbers and Gasfitters has increased, but the number of Certifying Drainlayers has decreased. • The biggest increases in authorisations between 2010 and 2017 were: ǞǞ Tradesman licence holders (36% increase) ǞǞ Trainee Limited Certificate holders (55% increase). • The various types of authorisation are held by 11,151 individuals, of which 40% are based in Auckland. • The average age of those working in the industry is 40, which compares to an average age of 43 for the total NZ workforce in 2015. The average age of Certifiers is 50. • Almost three quarters (74%) of apprentices registered with The Skills Organisation are NZ European/Pakeha, and only 1% are women. • Based on projections by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, there is a shortfall of skilled workers. Current apprenticeship completions and migration of skilled workers won’t be sufficient to meet this shortfall. The PGDB sought the industry's views by 28 February on what might be done to address the shortfall. They will share the information gained with the industry and relevant ministers and government agencies.
FLOOR WASTE
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Industry stats
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INDUSTRY TALK
New LPGA President Graham Hardie is the new President of the LPG Association. Director of Rivercity Gas Ltd and the New Zealand Gas Group Ltd, Graham Hardie has become the new President of the New Zealand LPG Association. Graham says he is very keen to create consumer awareness of the “benefits and beauty of gas as an informed option for New Zealanders’ everyday needs”. He has been involved in the gas industry for 36 years, in a number of areas including appliance servicing, installations and retail sales. Based in Wanganui, Graham is a Certifying Gasfitter and Drainlayer and Tradesman Plumber.
Movers and shakers Belron, Belgium-based multinational behind auto glass repair company Smith&Smith, is to buy Laser Group Australasia's largest plumbing and electrical services franchise. Jannine Mountford has been appointed as Group CFO and Company Secretary of Methven Ltd.
Understanding competition law The Commerce Commission has new guidelines, fact sheets and videos. Plumbers’ vans feature on the front cover of the Commerce Commission’s in-depth new guidelines on competitor collaboration, published this January. The guidelines outline the Commission’s approach to enforcing the new law introduced by the Commerce (Cartels and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2017, including: • The new cartel prohibition (with exceptions for collaborative activities, vertical supply contracts and joint buying agreements) • The clearance regime for businesses proposing to enter into collaborative activities that risk breaching the law. Individual fact sheets and videos on competition law are also available on the Commission’s website. Video topics include: • Why competition is good for business • Price-fixing • How you can help fight cartels • Dividing up and sharing markets • Bid-rigging and discussing tenders. Find it all at www.commercecommission.govt.nz under Business Competition/Guidelines
INDUSTRIAL VIDEO PIPE INSPECTION CAMERA A wide range of speciality tools and equipment for plumbing, drainage and civil construction Our wide range of cameras include: • Pan and tilt and underwater units for inspection down the hole, pile casings • Telescopic pole cameras • Cameras for inspection of milk lines • Location and leak detection equipment • Dual Grade and pipe lasers
Contact Barry today! Email: info@civilsolutionz.com Phone: 03 443 7923 Cell: 027 430 2081 48
February/March 2018
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INDUSTRY TALK
Master Plumbers Recommends This consumer initiative is aimed at promoting the use of reputable products. A number of Master Plumbers Business Partners have already signed up to Master Plumbers Recommends, which promotes high quality, reputable products to consumers. A panel of Master Plumbers assesses selected products under several criteria, including product durability, easily accessible replacement parts, suitability for New Zealand conditions, manufacturer’s warranties, plus style, performance and functionality. Products are displayed on the Master Plumbers consumer website (www.dontriskit.co.nz) under various categories, such as Bathroom and Plumbing Systems, with imagery and a description of each product. Master Plumbers Recommends advertising has featured in several publications, including Abode, the Sunday Star Times and Habitat by Resene, with more in the pipeline. Consumers can also look out for products packaged with the Master Plumbers Recommends branding in-store. Business Partner Buteline has this to say of signing up to the initiative: “Buteline are pleased to have our products and plumbing system recognised as time-proven, reputable products of quality, and thereby recommended by Master Plumbers. “The New Zealand plumbing industry has no real mandatory check for product quality and thus no real protection from substandard items being imported into the country and installed throughout—with this issue having become more prominent in recent times. “To have a highly regarded industry organisation provide some initiative addressing this issue by identifying and supporting quality, durable products which are proven in New Zealand conditions can only be beneficial to plumbers and installers.” ■
Above: Consumers can go to www.dontriskit.co.nz to find a gallery of Master Plumbers Recommends products.
TIME TO CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
LEASE THE NEW HIACE ZL FROM
$489/MONTH
*PLUS GST
36 MONTH / 45,000 KILOMETRE NON MAINTAINED OPERATING LEASE.
Above: Astro and Astro Noir FloBOOST shower mixers—two of the Greens Tapware products in the Master Plumbers Recommends scheme.
*Offer available to GST registered business customers only. Operating Lease offer applies to new Toyota Hiace Diesel Van (KDMW) leased from an Authorised Toyota Dealer between 1 January 2018 and 31 March 2018, and is subject to stock availability. Offer is not available with the Q1 $3000 Free Accessory offer. Offer is based on a 36 month / 45,000 kilometre Non Maintained Operating Lease. Monthly lease amount excludes accessories. Offer includes on road costs and initial registration. An initial rental is payable in advance. Lease offer is not transferrable or redeemable for cash, and is not available in conjunction with any other offer. Lease offer is subject to Toyota Financial Services normal lending criteria. For full Terms and Conditions ask your Toyota dealer or visit our website, www.toyota.co.nz.
February/March 2018
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All photographs courtesy of The Remarkable Toilet Company.
Remarkable replicas Mark Guest and partner Kelly Allnutt have been collecting antique toilets for 15 years. “We have a significant collection of Victorian and Edwardian toilets, particularly decorated and sculptural ones,” says Mark. Four years ago, the pair decided to design and make their own range of antique-style toilets, along with modern, brightly coloured and metallic designs. “There’s a place for diversity and bespoke products at off the peg prices—and that is what we have tried to do,” he says. They formed The Remarkable Toilet Company in Norfolk, England, in March 2014 and spent two years developing their first product—the Victorian porcelain floral pan. Since then, they have gone on to become a global business, selling a wide range of pans, basins, cisterns, flush pulls and other lavatorial accessories. “A lot of our designs are based on originals, from Victorian, Edwardian or Art Deco eras. Most are in our own collection but we have enhanced them further for the business,” explains Mark. One of the biggest challenges in recreating old-fashioned 50
February/March 2018
After amassing a personal collection of antique lavatories, this English couple decided it was time to replicate designs for 21st century customers. By Matthew Lowe.
lavatories was making them compatible with modern plumbing and able to withstand 21st-century cleaning products. “The toilet pan shapes were different in Victorian and Edwardian times and had different fittings. There was huge variety in S or P traps; water inlet sizes were also different then; and they had a strong syphonic flush and three inlets or outlets. “That was all designed to develop a vacuum to get a good flush but we don’t need that with today’s water pressure. So we had to adjust and redesign some of the shapes, but make sure that we still retained the authenticity we were after.” Mark says if a designer or potential customer has been frustrated at not being able to realise an idea for a toilet they can come to the Remarkable Toilet Company. “Designers can come to us and we aim to have the creativity to try to find a way that their ideas can be made real. Among our customers we have had someone living in a riverboat, people in cottages, and lords and ladies.” The firm’s products have found favour with customers around the world, including some in New Zealand. Other buyers have
INNOVATION come from Australia, Canada, the US, Europe and Iceland. Most recently, they have created a range of urinals featuring gargoyles and fierce monkey heads for a prestigious London club. Last December, a new blue and white floral pan and handmade Victorian sculptural pan were added to the company’s collection, which also includes a military-style mahogany ‘thunderbox’ and Gothic-style wooden throne. “Of all our toilets, for its wackiness, I love the throne because it is something very different,” Mark says. “But my personal favourite, because of the effort that went into it, is still the Victorian floral pan that took the longest to develop of all our products.” ■ See more of the company’s products at beautifultoilets.com
Opposite page: The Victorian floral pan, one of the firm’s top sellers, with a range of cisterns and toilet seats. Above left: Mark Guest loves the Gothic-style throne for its “wackiness”. Above right: Mark Guest examines one of the firm’s many toilet pulls. Right: This floral blue and white pan is one of the company’s latest creations. Below: Some of the antique loos in Mark and Kelly’s personal collection.
February/March 2018
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SMART BUSINESS
Do I know you? When dealing with first-time customers, don’t rely on trust to get paid, advises George Owen. I often ask people in business why they buy Lotto tickets and the response is always: new car, new boat, overseas travel, education for the kids and something for Mum. If I ask where that money is coming from if they don’t win Lotto, I seldom get the obvious answer, which is: The Business.
Q: What is a successful business? A successful business is one where the profit is retained in the form of sufficient cash to pay the businesses bills on time. I know from experience that not every business can pay their accounts on time, which means there are a lot of unsuccessful businesses out there. Debtorinfo are in the business of making sure you get paid. However, there are lots of other people out there who can determine if your revenue exceeds your expenses, and I guess that is the first step if it’s really needed.
Q: Why is it that many businesses struggle with cashflow? There are many different circumstances and many reasons, and I will address these over coming months. Here we look at the obvious one: plumbing repairs and maintenance. If you’re a plumber doing repairs and maintenance you need to understand that the work you are doing was probably not budgeted for and, even worse, the customer has nothing more today than they had yesterday as far as services go. On top of that, the account may be higher than they can believe. The result is a game of hold out as long as they can… which affects your cashflow.
Q: What do you do? If they are not an existing customer who you know will pay promptly, your first question should always be, “How are you going to pay for it?” No ifs, no buts, no exceptions. “Send me an invoice” is not the customer’s correct answer—get credit card details and put through what you estimate the job will cost 52
February/March 2018
before you start, or ask that money be credited into your account before the job starts (remember this is just for people you do not know). The second action is to get confirmation of what is required. The third is to email that estimate outlining the work to be done which, when accepted, locks in your Terms of Trade, which should state that, unless credit has been arranged, payment is due on completion. If the stance you are taking upsets them, take it as confirmation that they were not going to pay anyway. The alternative is being flat out working while at the same time going slowly broke.
Personal guarantees In the last edition, I wrote about the danger of relying on a director’s personal guarantee to ensure you get paid, and gave some reasons why. Now I pose the question: what happens if you get a court judgement for the amount owing against the director, you get paid, and then the director goes bankrupt? Can the official assignee claw back the money even though the money was paid in accordance with a judgement or order of a court? The simple answer is yes, in some situations, a payment made by a guarantor—either as a result of a court judgment or otherwise—could be clawed back by the official assignee in the bankruptcy of that guarantor, if the payment was made within two years prior to the bankruptcy. The relevant legislation is sections 194 to 195 of the Insolvency Act 2006. However if you do find yourself in this position, give us a call before you pay the money back. ■
About the author: Geroge Owen is Managing Director of Debtorinfo NZ Ltd, a Master Plumbers Business Partner. If you have a question, call George on 0800 734 335.
SMART BUSINESS
Employment relations changes A new Bill proposes to amend the Employment Relations Act 2000, as Lisa Duston explains. The Labour-led Government says it has introduced the Employment Relations Amendment Bill to provide greater protections to workers, especially vulnerable workers, and strengthen the role of collective bargaining in the workplace to ensure fair wages and conditions. Key amendments proposed by the Bill include: • Limiting 90 day trials to employers with fewer than 20 employees (the probationary period would still be available to larger employers but, unlike the 90-day trial period, under probationary period rules, employees would be able to raise claims for unjustified dismissal). • Restoring statutory rest and meal breaks. Currently, employers and employees are encouraged to bargain in good faith for the timing and length of rest and meal breaks. A very limited number of employers in essential services will be exempt from the requirements. • Restoring reinstatement as the primary remedy to unfair dismissal. To avoid reinstatement, an employer would need to be able to show why reinstatement was unreasonable and impracticable on the facts of the case.
•
Increasing protections for vulnerable workers such as cleaners and caterers, when a business is transferred or restructured. Under existing laws, employers with 19 or fewer employees are exempt from providing the protections afforded to specific groups of employees (considered to be at greater risk of losing their job due to restructuring). Under the proposed changes, small employers would no longer be exempt and employees would have more time to consider whether to transfer to a new employer. • Strengthening collective bargaining and union rights in the workplace. The Bill was announced in January and is working its way through Parliament. It was expected to be out for public comment in early February 2018, as NZ Plumber went to print. ■ About the author: Lisa Duston is HR Manager at Master Plumbers. Lisa offers HR advice to Master Plumbers’ members at competitive rates (first 30 minutes free). Contact Lisa on 021 245 1704 or email lduston@masterplumbers.org.nz
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SMART BUSINESS
Clout in the cloud As these two plumbing business case studies show, using cloud systems can make office admin a whole lot easier—and increase turnover. Paperless job management When Dale Lovell and wife Andrea bought Auckland business Heron Plumbing seven years ago, they saw an opportunity to refine the workflow by removing the paper-laden processes in place. It’s easy to forget that many trade businesses are still handing out job cards to their field staff on paper each morning. Meanwhile, in the office, even quotes are being handwritten, then given to reception to ‘put into the system’ and print. This was also the case at Heron Plumbing, but not any more. Nowadays, staff in the field use mobile devices to enter the travel time, materials and labour, which is then fed back to the office in real time, meaning the jobs are processed and invoiced in record time. When Andrea originally joined the business, her intention was to have minimal involvement. That quickly changed as she saw the drastic improvements that could be made by removing the lengthy paper trail with a powerful, cloud-based job management solution like simPRO. Fast forward to now, Andrea's determination to make things more efficient and take paper out of the equation has paid off. “Sometimes I wonder if I need to be here!” she says. The first year Andrea and Dale took over wasn’t a profitable year as they put new processes in place and bought new equipment. But now… “We’ve doubled the number of staff and turnover has tripled, while we’ve kept the same number of admin staff,” says Andrea. “Without simPRO, we could not have grown the business to what it is today.” The couple are now both able to slowly pull back from the business and do more of what they want to do. Dale is giving back to the industry by becoming more involved through various bodies, including being President of the Auckland Master Plumbers, and is continuing to coach their son’s rugby team, while Andrea turns her attention to what she’d like to sink her teeth into next. A seven-week break from the business to take the family on holiday is something they could only have dreamed of in the old days. But everything back at the office ran as it should as they travelled Italy and Croatia. “It was the first time we weren’t going, ‘Oh my god, is the company OK?!” says Andrea.
Real-time accounting The Mainzeal collapse was a big wake-up call for Hutt Gas & Plumbing. When Mainzeal was put into liquidation in 2013, this Lower Hutt plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying business had five jobs lined up with them. They ended up losing $300,000 and their workers were banned from entering the site to pick up their tools. General Manager Colleen Upton says at that moment, all the owners put in all they had to try and save the company. They hired someone to come in and take a look at their business and
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Above: Dale and Andrea Lovell of Heron Plumbing use simPRO to help triple their business turnover.
discovered they could hardly answer any of the questions he fired at them. They got some new accountants, who recommended they switch to Xero. After two weeks of hard work migrating information from another accounting programme, they were immediately able to reap the benefits of a cloud-based, real-time, multiple-user accounting software. “We knew where we were spending money, we knew where our profit and loss was. The way we could put information into Xero and get reports out right away meant we were seeing as we were going if a job was going well,” Colleen says. With Xero, Colleen is able to access any of the financial information she needs about the business, regardless of whether she is in the office or at home. She also loves being able to turn job quotes into invoices at the click of a button, and then being able to email the invoices. Plus, she doesn’t have to worry too much about things being inaccurate. But her favourite feature? The profit and loss statement, which she says she enjoys checking up on simply because the company is currently making a profit. Colleen says she is able to make decisions with so much more certainty because of the information she gets from Xero. She believes all of the management team feels like that. “You can’t argue with what’s in black and white.” ■ RIght: Hutt Gas & Plumbing's Operations Manager Darren Smith scrubbed up well for a recent Xero advertisement in The Dominion Post.
SMART BUSINESS
Beyond email
How do you acquire and communicate with customers?
Despite major advances in digital marketing tools, NZ small and medium enterprises (SMEs) lean heavily on word of mouth to acquire customers, and emails to communicate with them. This, according to research from internet domain name provider Dot Kiwi. “For more than 80% of SMEs, word of mouth is the main way they get new business leads, but then how do you convert these leads? The answer for more than four out of five SMEs is email,” says Dot Kiwi Managing Director Angus Richardson.
Most email communication remains conversational, with only 19 percent of SMEs investing in automated digital marketing tools to help send bulk emails, like promotional emails and newsletters. The survey found around half of SMEs spend less than $1,000 annually on marketing, which means bigger ticket items, like apps and online videos, are out of the question. For SMEs with relatively small marketing budgets, figure out how to optimise your existing digital presence— having a social media presence linked to
CLASSIFIED ADS
The cost to advertise is $60+GST for Master Plumbers' members; $100+GST for nonmembers. Just send your text (up to 100 words) to advertising@masterplumbers.org.nz
Current vacancies at Foleys – South Island ABOVE & BEYOND
Our ongoing success here at FoleysEVERY TIME means we require staff throughout our eight South Island branches. We are a well-established plumbing, drainage, gasfitting, electrical, and mechanical business with a fantastic team of over 180 staff across our eight South Island locations. We are proud to have a staff who love working for us, as shown by outstanding results in our employee survey.
As a Foleys employee you will be part of a solid and successful company. You’ll be paid well, trusted, and looked after like family. Contact our GM Bruce Muldrew on 021 999 855 for information on our current vacancies.
Gasfitter/Plumber – Relocate to Stratford You’ll love what Taranaki has to offer. Penniall Jordan are looking for a NZ registered gasfitter/plumber with current practising licence (minimum qual Tradesman) to join our friendly team carrying out a variety of work for our wide client base living all around Mt Taranaki.
your website, say, or using search engine optimisation (SEO). Most importantly, businesses should develop a secure strategy to protect the domain name they use for their emails or website—particularly considering the prevalence of phishing scams, which can take the form of fake websites, or more commonly fake emails. “On the whole SMEs are too relaxed about making sure similar domain names aren’t snapped up by other people,” says Angus Richardson. ■
Qualified Plumber Required – Akaroa
Plumber Wanted – Te Awamutu •
Generous relocation payment
ON Plumbing Ltd is small company with a loyal and expanding client base. We are after an experienced plumber to join the team.
•
Good remuneration
•
Scrap for cash bonus
•
Van/Boots/Uniform/Phone provided
•
All courses and registration paid for.
Based in Akaroa (1 hour from Christchurch) we can guarantee job variety with a mix of projects including new builds, alterations, maintenance and servicing. Immediate start. Great pay based on experience and benefits. A successful applicant will be someone who has a strong work ethic, who is not just tidy but also honest and reliable. Send a CV to onplumbing@outlook.com or call Oskar to find out more 03 304 5155.
We can adapt a role to suit your needs. This could include Plumbing full time or having a shared quoting role. The shared role would include learning our quoting process and developing your quotes during your days in the office. This is an exciting position with many added bonuses. Phone or email us if you think this might suit your needs. admin@shpl.co.nz or 07 871 7099
Plant & equipment for sale You need a can-do attitude, clean current driver’s licence, able to work unsupervised and as part of our team, communicate effectively and clearly with customers and staff, and have a good sense of humour. Check out website for further details and email your application letter with CV to karen.monk@pennialljordan.co.nz
Long time Porirua Paremata based Master Plumber & Drainlayer retiring. All plant and equipment for sale. For a full list please email: barryguyplumbing@hotmail.com
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SMART BUSINESS
Tips for yearend tax BNZ has six tips to make your financial year-end less taxing. For many business owners, the financial year-end is synonymous with a last-minute rush to sort through unruly piles of paid and unpaid invoices and wads of half-faded and unrecorded receipts. And that's before contemplating getting apportioned usage costs and depreciation right, and beating crowds of other businesses to your accountant or tax adviser’s door. It is possible to get through your tax filing without too much stress or burning of the midnight oil. To help you achieve this, we’ve compiled some handy tips that will see you meet impending and future tax-filing deadlines with a minimum of fuss.
Short-term tips
1.
Start now
With the July deadline looming large, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding based on the sheer volume of work involved or a dislike of crunching numbers and balancing books. It’s natural to want to put off unpleasant tasks until later, but procrastination is not going to get the job done and will only increase your stress levels later… so start working on your tax now. The sooner you start, the sooner it will be done, leaving you with more time to focus on managing and growing your business.
2.
Break your tax filing chore down
Longer-term tips
4.
Don't redline that filing deadline
Don’t leave things to the last minute and have your accounts team (even if your accounts team is a team of one—you) racing full throttle up to the deadline. Rushing your accounts can introduce errors and is not the best environment for making sound business decisions. Don’t plan to file by the deadline—give yourself some wiggle room and the headspace to make the right decisions.
5.
Use technology to your advantage
Computerised accounting packages can save small business owners a lot of time and effort. They are easy to use and make it far simpler to keep your financial records up to date. Packages that store your accounts information in the cloud give you even greater flexibility and control, allowing you to send an invoice or enter a purchase remotely when you are out the office. Computerised spreadsheets, online banking and e-filing are other technologies you can use to make your tax filing simpler and easier.
6.
Treat your tax filing as a project
Make it easier to start by breaking your tax filing tasks into smaller chunks. You could decide to invest an hour or two each day, or to tackle one month’s worth of paperwork backlog daily until the work is done. Breaking tasks down not only makes it easier to start, there’s also that feeling of satisfaction in ticking items off that list of things to do—and once you’re making headway on a project, it’s much easier to keep going.
Treat your tax filing like a project within your business. Create a list of all the tasks you’ll need to complete, work out a deadline (allowing for some inevitable contingencies) and make somebody responsible for each task. Monitor your progress and refine your list as you go along, and you’ll be well on your way to stress-free tax filing, with the added bonus of having up-to-date financial information at your fingertips. ■
Use a reward system
For more tips and tools to stay on top of your business basics visit www.begoodwithmoney.co.nz
3.
Use rewards to stay motivated and get through the work you need to get done. Plan some personal rewards and treats—whether it’s catching up with social media posts, a pint at the pub, a chocolate indulgence or an overdue visit to the gym—and reward yourself when you reach predetermined tax filing goals.
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Platinum Partner
EXCLUSIVE
SMART BUSINESS
NZ PLUMBER NOW AVAILABLE DIGITALLY
TO MASTER PLUMBER MEMBERS! HOW BINDING IS A QUOTE? AND CAN IT BE WITHDRAWN?—See p62 CONTENTS
24
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
ON THE COVER HOW BINDING IS A QUOTE? AND CAN IT BE WITHDRAWN?—See p62
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
RESIDENTIAL CONTRACTS Your rights and obligations
12
60
45
Inside this issue
RESIDENTIAL CONTRACTS Your rights and obligations
62
30
DODGY PRODUCT
HOW ORGANISED ARE YOU? Work smart tips
15
NEW!
Better policing needed
TECHNICAL THEME
TOMORROW’S GASFITTERS Learning support
20
HOT WATER
Water chemistry, home heating and more
70 Cover photograph: A new consumer campaign from MBIE.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
WHAT’S ON 7
Check out our industry calendar
MASTER PLUMBERS NEWS 8
CEO Greg Wallace on apprentice training; new Comms & Marketing Advisor; product advocacy and Best in Brand prize
50 Staying strong Outstanding Services to Industry Award winner Dave Strong
TECHNICAL THEME: HOT WATER TECHNOLOGY 21
IN FOCUS 12
15
Policing products Why better controls are needed around imported product
24 Warm water—warm home Combining household hot water with the central heating system
Customer contracts A new campaign reminds contractors of their obligations
26 Legionella control Legionella in potable water systems
REAL LIVES 18
Driven to succeed Plumber Jacob Smith sets himself a high bar
42 Walking into retirement Why this 76-year-old ex-tutor is tramping the length of New Zealand
4
Water pH impact Why water pH matters when choosing hot water products
August/September 2017
29 HPWH technology How they work plus installation tips
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 30 Preservation plumbing Heritage house plumbing work
NUTS & BOLTS 35
Taken in isolation
48 Steel mesh charges
36 What plumbers need to know about
39 Device types to use? 40 Tech points Technical updates in brief
INDUSTRY TALK 44 Asbestos removal training Training requirements for an asbestos removal licence 45 Heating up Emirates Team New Zealand Rinnai’s hot water solution for the Bermuda crew
48 Cylinder restraint study Could be time for a new approach 49 Homestar rating tool updated Homestar v4 makes the assessment process easier
HEALTH MATTERS 52
SUSTAINABLE FUTURES 54 Water recharge Two new managed aquifer recharge projects
60 How organised are you? Top tips to working smarter—plus two case studies
73
Taking on the world Young Kiwi plumber prepares for Worldskills Internationals
77
Apprenticeship designed by you A new website from Skills to have your say
INNOVATION
Process for change What to know when altering an employee’s agreement
apprentices
64 Pricing & payments
66 Drain brain
57
NEXT GENERATION
62 Quote, unquote How binding is a quote?
SMART BUSINESS surveillance
WORLD VIEW 69 Hospital on hold Lead contamination in water at new Perth Children’s Hospital
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56 We’re watching you 45 Watercare changes in Auckland Changes to compliance statements and connections 46 Sam’s speak What’s the answer to the plumber shortage?
P aware The risks of working in meth houses
58 KiwiSaver—10 years on It’s a no-brainer for young working people to join, says the IR 59 Contract Works cover When your subcontract agreement includes Contract Works excess
SUPPLY LINES 67 Urgency needed on skill shortages BNZ on why business and government need to work together
PRODUCTS & SERVICES 79 What’s new in the marketplace
AND FINALLY 81 Bits and pieces of the unusual kind 82 Dodgy plumbing The best of the worst August/September 2017
5
SMART BUSINESS TIPS FROM THE 2017 MASTER PLUMBER OF THE YEAR—See p50
DODGY PRODUCT Better policing needed
HOW ORGANISED ARE YOU? Work smart tips
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www.masterplumbers.org.nz February/March 2018
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SMART BUSINESS
Avoiding the tax sandwich Do you have terminal tax due in April and provisional tax in May? Chris Cunniffe has some advice if you find yourself in this predicament. Owing the taxman terminal tax on 7 April means you did not pay enough provisional tax for the 2017 tax year. It’s the downside of having a financial year where you performed better than anticipated. That happens from time to time, but such were the old provisional tax rules—which unfairly assumed crystal ball-gazing was your favourite pastime and you could correctly predict what you needed to pay in income tax ahead of time. The IR may also hit you with harsh interest of 8.22 percent on the underpaid amount. As if paying terminal tax weren’t bad enough, many plumbers will also pay their final instalment of provisional tax for the 2018 tax year on 7 May. Granted, tax should always be accounted for when working out business expenses. Still, this double whammy of payments can cause a few restless nights due to the potential pressure they place on cashflow. What might keep you awake a little longer are the consequences of not paying when IR expects you to, as it charges interest and late payment penalties. Fortunately, these income tax payments need not affect your cashflow or cause any undue stress. With that in mind, what should you do? Pay the terminal tax first—it has the longest exposure to IR interest, so needs to be sorted right away. A way to reduce this interest cost is by using an IR-approved tax pooling intermediary. This also eliminates late payment penalties, and gives you an additional 75 days past your terminal tax date to pay. The intermediary will apply excess tax paid to IR on the date it was originally due against your liability when you pay what you owe through it. IR treats this as if your provisional tax was paid on time, clearing any interest and late payment penalties. There are a couple of things you can also do to ease the burden
pay the terminal tax first —it has the longest exposure to IR interest 58
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on your cashflow if you have provisional tax due on 7 May, too. Begin by reviewing your financial year. This instalment is due after the 2018 tax year has ended, meaning you will have some idea if you have paid too much or not enough provisional tax. Adjust your payment accordingly depending on how things have gone. You could try to work out a payment plan with IR if paying provisional tax so soon after settling terminal tax is going to break your bank account. Be warned, though: there are various hoops you need to jump through in terms of supplying relevant financial information, and timeframes around how and when you plan to pay what you owe. If approved, IR interest will still be charged during the arrangement.
you have options available to ensure your cashflow remains intact What is much simpler is to use tax pooling to defer this payment to a time in the future that better suits. An intermediary will pay IR for you and you have up to 12 months to repay the intermediary. The upfront finance fee is much cheaper than most other traditional forms of finance. Approval is guaranteed, and the fee tax deductible. A tax pooling intermediary also gives you the option of paying provisional tax in instalments. Whatever you decide to do, know that you have options available to ensure your cashflow remains intact during the taxing April and May months. ■
About the author: Chris Cunniffe is the Chief Executive of New Zealand’s largest tax pooling provider, Tax Management NZ, and former head of the BNZ and Air New Zealand tax teams.
SMART BUSINESS
Timely timesheets Dan Pollard of Fergus has some suggestions for how to get your team to complete timesheets correctly and hand them in on time.
Plumbers and timesheets. If you’re like me, you’ve probably already learnt the two don’t always gel. No matter how many times you ask nicely, there are usually glaring gaps when it comes time to organise pay day or figure out how many labour hours to include in an invoice. There are two ways of dealing with it. You can come down on your team like a ton of bricks and threaten to not pay anyone who doesn’t get their timesheets in on time. Or, you can set up an easy-to-follow yet flexible system, where everyone knows what’s expected and what to do if they can’t get their timesheet in on time. I found the latter approach worked best when I was growing my plumbing business. After all, no one ignores timesheets on purpose. If you’re out on a messy job, working all day in a ditch laying drains, it’s understandable timesheets won’t be top of mind. Here are some simple suggestions to get your team completing timesheets correctly and on time.
Set up a system An easy-to-follow system will remove confusion and stamp out bad practices. Work out what works for you and your team, then create a simple step-by-step process for completing and submitting timesheets. It should include: • The cut-off date and time for timesheet submission • What each team member needs to fill in on every job (eg, labour hours and travel time) • Any job-specific information that needs to be filled in (eg, type of job completed, and health & safety checks) • Who to contact if they’re having trouble submitting a timesheet or won’t be able to get it in on time. Next, take everyone through the process at the next team meeting. Make sure it’s kept somewhere accessible to everyone. Pin a one-page cheat sheet up in the garage, keep a copy in every work van, and make sure it’s saved to a shared drive. Encourage everyone to give you feedback and keep refining the process until it’s working for all.
Take time to explain Spend time getting apprentices new starters up to date with how the timesheet system works. If they know what’s expected from day one, they’re more likely to start off on the right foot. Let’s face it, no one likes filling in paperwork. Your team will let timesheets fall by the wayside if they don’t grasp why they’re necessary. Take some time to explain exactly how timesheets are a key part of the billing cycle and keeping up with a healthy cash flow.
Keep it simple If it’s taking your plumbers more than 10 minutes to fill in their timesheet, it’s time to rethink the form. Do away with complicated Excel documents and multiplepage forms. Instead opt for a simple, user friendly form that includes what’s necessary and nothing extra. You can find plenty of examples online. Even better, get on to a job management software, such as Fergus, that lets tradies log time spent on the job straight from the mobile app.
Say no to rewards and penalties An advertising agency in Brazil got so frustrated with employees not filling in their timesheets that they programmed the company’s beer fridge to not open on a Friday afternoon until everyone had filled in their time for the week. Before buying a beer fridge for your team, consider whether offering a reward for completing a timesheet is the right move. Shouldn’t rewards be for employees that do great work or go beyond the call of duty? Likewise, think hard before introducing any penalties for late timesheets such as delaying staff pay. It could create hostility between you and the rest of your team. ■ Fergus smart job management software gives you the tools your team need to track their time. Find out more at gofergus.com
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SMART BUSINESS
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500+ core products always in stock or we’ll credit you $50 (incl GST) and lunch is on us*
Access to over 200,000 products. If you need it, we can get it* Delivery within 30 minutes of your agreed time or we’ll credit you $50 ( incl GST)
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SUPPLY LINES
Mico Service Promise Mico brings news of its revamped Service Promise. At Mico, our number one priority is providing best-in-class service to our customers throughout our 65 locations. This is backed up every day by our Mico Service Promise, which we’ve stepped up again to improve our service to you! We promise to have 500+ core products always in stock or we’ll give you a voucher for lunch* AND credit you $50 (inc GST). Our core product lists are available in store, packed full of the dayto-day products every plumber needs. And with access to over 200,000 total products… if you need it, we can get it. Accuracy is important to us and you, so we guarantee you’ll pay what we quote or we’ll fix the difference and give you a $50 (inc GST) credit on top. With more customer-facing staff than any other plumbing merchant in the country, we’re sure to give you the best service possible. Our Branch Managers
have an average of 19 years’ experience in the industry, so we really know our stuff. As well as trained and knowledgable staff, we can guarantee the quality of our products, which have industry leading warranties. We’re also looking to make running your business even easier with our free 30-minute click and collect service. We’ll save you time in store by having everything you need sorted and ready to collect. If you can’t make it into the branch, we have a solution to that too! Our standard delivery is within 30 minutes of your agreed time, so you can rely on us to get it to you on time. And for any emergencies or last-minute jobs, we offer an express 1-hour delivery in some branches. Ask in store for more details. We’ve recently launched our revamped Service Promise nationwide with
Above: Take advantage of Mico’s free 30-minute click and collect service.
a variety of events, including BBQ breakfasts and in-store lunches. For more information, please come in store and talk to one of our team. *Terms and conditions apply; ask in store for more details.
Mico and Make a Wish Last year, Mico became a fundraising partner of Make-A-Wish New Zealand, and on 11 August, we had the opportunity to help grant our first wish! Oliver, a gentle, clever seven-year-old boy lives with his mum, dad, two brothers and baby sister in Wellington. He has been fighting cancer for three and a half years, and he wished to have a playhouse of his own—somewhere he could retreat to with his friends or by himself.
“Willie and his crew were amazing and thoughtful. Not only did they build the playhouse but they replaced some rotten weatherboards on Oliver’s family home, blocked some old cat flaps that were creating drafts and built a raised vege garden,” he says. The Mico team assisting on the day worked tirelessly, cleaning out the gutters on the family home and painting the playhouse in Oliver’s favourite colours.
Thanks to the generosity of Mico customers, suppliers and team members, who raised $4,469 from the Mico Region 3 Charity Golf Day in March, we got the ball rolling on helping to grant Oliver’s wish.
Make-A-Wish surprised Oliver with some special furniture for his playhouse, and a local PlaceMakers team member drove Oliver, his dad and a friend to the big reveal in his Ford Mustang—an added surprise.
Matt Scrimgeour, Mico Regional Sales Manager, says being able to facilitate this wish for Oliver was an extraordinary team effort. PlaceMakers Hutt City in Seaview donated a stack of extra timber, paint and slides, and found a willing builder and crew in Willie Davis.
“I’m truly humbled by the amazing efforts everyone went to for Oliver and his family and cannot thank everyone enough. Having met with Oliver and his mum I know they are overwhelmed by what everyone has done,” says Matt.
Above: Oliver in his new playhouse.
Special thanks also need to go to: Bin Hire Ltd Wellington for all the rubbish removal, and Aroha at United Steel for providing lunch for the crew.
Platinum Partner
February/March 2018
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AROUND ASSOCIATIONS
Ask the inspectors The Wellington Master Plumbers recently invited Wellington City Council inspectors to an evening of lively discussion. We take a look at some of the questions posed and the answers kindly supplied by Wellington City Council representatives Peter Burnet (Principal Technical Lead) and Rolf Westerhuis (Senior Technical Plumbing Officer). “Peter was very informative and there was some good, open, robust discussion,” says Wellington Master Plumbers’ President Mike Gooch of the evening event. “On the odd occasion, he couldn't come up with an answer, either Rolf had an answer or he promised to get back to us—which he did.”
Q1: When do cold water pipes have to be insulated, and do cold water pipes clipped directly under timber floors in houses have to be insulated? A: Where there is a likelihood of freezing, hot and cold water
supplies need to be protected. The Acceptable Solution G12/AS1 7.2.1 a) requires piping outside the thermal envelope to be insulated. Therefore, if the pipes are clipped directly to the floor joists beneath the underfloor insulation, they would need to be insulated if the building was in an area that was likely to be subjected to frosts.
Q2: Can HWC safe-tray wastes be drained to a waste pipe or fixture in the event of not being able to access an outside wall? A: Safe tray wastes can be drained to a common discharge pipe provided that the connection complies with the Building Code or AS/NZS 3500. It would require a water trap.
Q3: What is acceptable for a TPR/CWE drain line? The Code calls for copper pipe, but can this copper pipe be connected to the supplementary inlet of a polypropylene trap which has a PVC waste, such as the HWC tray waste? A: TPR/CWE drain lines do need to be in copper. The drain line can discharge to a UPVC tundish and UPVC drain, but only when the cylinder water is not being heated by an uncontrolled heat source.
Q4: When installing a mains pressure cylinder in an existing building with no access to an outside wall, what would an Acceptable Solution for a safe tray waste look like? For example, is it acceptable to terminate the TPR/CWE above a sanitary fixture such as a cleaner’s sink? 62
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A: While there is no standard design, consideration as to the
type of fixture that the drain line was discharging to would need to be taken into account. They would need to be in a position that was visible and to a fixture that was not intended to be used for personal hygiene, due to the risk of scalding. A cleaner’s sink may be suitable but would also need to be installed in such a way as to avoid scalding.
Q5: How can we work around the delays currently being experienced getting an inspection? Is there any provision or consideration for producer statements for low risk work in lieu of an inspection? A: As producer statements have no legal standing under the
Building Act, but are used in some instances to form reasonable grounds, they are accepted on a case by case basis. At this point we are accepting PS3 for pressure test of water supply systems that state the hot and cold system has been tested to a pressure of 1500 kPa for a not less than 15 minutes.
Q6: What do you think are the main mistakes plumbers make when assuming a project falls under Schedule 1, as opposed to requiring a building consent? A: Not checking or having an understanding of part two of
Schedule 1, which identifies sanitary plumbing and drainlaying that can be undertaken by a person authorised under the PGD Act 2006.
Q7: What are the main reasons that inspections fail, and what do you think plumbers and drainlayers need to work on the most to improve? A: Confusion over the demarcation points between plumbing
and drainlaying. Poorly installed collars for penetrations through passive fire protection products. Holes in structural framing that are greater than allowed. A lack of understanding by residential plumbers working on high rise buildings of the differences between the two.
Q8: Could you give a brief outline of WCC’s Minor Works or Quick Consent process? A: Minor works have a different fee structure from other
building consent applications and include plumbing and drainage work that doesn’t affect the structure of the building— such as digging new drains, installing a tiled shower, or
AROUND ASSOCIATIONS installing any new shower or toilet in an existing bathroom or laundry where a shower or toilet wasn’t there before. The maximum value of work allowed is $5,000. Applications for residential minor works consents cannot be accepted for any work to commercial or industrial buildings or any multi-residential buildings containing more than two household units. The fee quoted for residential minor plumbing or drainage works covers a maximum of 1.75 hours of inspection time. Any additional hours will be charged before the Code Compliance Certificate is issued. Find more guidance at www.wellington. govt.nz by searching under Minor Works. ■ Please note: These answers are relevant to Wellington City Council requirements. Always check your own council’s requirements to ensure compliance.
Above: Plumbers who attended said they got benefit from the evening.
Online consenting When the Wellington Master Plumbers meeting took place towards the end of last year, high demand was causing frustrating delays in getting an inspection—a sign of the times for the construction industry.
In October 2017, Wellington City Council joined the other six councils in greater Wellington in utilising GoShift—an online consenting initiative that enables users to track consent progress from start to finish.
A number of councils have, or are in the process of developing, online building consent systems to cut down on paperwork and to simplify and speed up the process.
GoShift involves more than 20 councils around New Zealand and provides standardised processing checklists. Inspection checklists are also in the pipeline.
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SAFETY FIRST
Asbestos—ready for April? 4 April is a key date for asbestos safety compliance. We revisit key information from WorkSafe to help you ensure you’re prepared. The Health and Safety (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 regulate work that can be done with asbestos, materials that contain asbestos (ACM), and asbestos-contaminated dust or debris (ACD). Working with asbestos is prohibited by the Regulations, except for: • Asbestos-related work • Asbestos removal.
Asbestos-related work Exposure
The PCBU that manages or controls a workplace must ensure: • Exposure to airborne asbestos is removed or, if this is not practical, minimised as much as possible • The airborne contamination standard for asbestos is not exceeded. Apart from minimising exposure, the above doesn’t apply to an enclosed asbestos removal area where negative pressure is used.
Managing risks
If the PCBU knows, or suspects, there is a risk of exposure, they must make sure, as far as possible, that all asbestos or ACM is identified. This doesn’t apply: • If they have reasonable grounds to believe asbestos or ACM is either present or not present • In relation to soil at the workplace, unless they have reason to suspect asbestos-contaminated soil is present. If the PCBU believes material at the workplace (or in a part of the workplace inaccessible to workers) is asbestos or ACM, they must assume it is. The PCBU may identify asbestos or ACM by arranging for a sample to be analysed at an IANZ accredited lab. The location of identified asbestos or ACM must be clearly indicated in the workplace. From 4 April 2018, a PCBU managing or controlling a workplace with identified asbestos must ensure an asbestos management plan is prepared and kept up to date. It must include information about: • The identification of asbestos or ACM • Risk management decisions (and reasons for the decisions) • Procedures for detailing incidents or emergencies • The workers carrying out the work involving asbestos, including: 64
February/March 2018
ǞǞ What information and training has or will be provided ǞǞ The workers’ roles and responsibilities ǞǞ Any health monitoring that has or will be done. The PCBU must ensure a copy of the plan is available to: • A worker (or their rep) who is carrying out, or intending to carry out, work at the workplace. • A PCBU that has required, or may require, work to be carried out at the workplace. There are also duties around reviewing the plan.
Health monitoring, training & use of equipment
The PCBU must provide health monitoring to workers at risk of exposure to asbestos when doing licensed or other asbestos removal work, or asbestos-related work. Health monitoring must begin within four weeks of the work starting if it’s for licensed asbestos removal work. Health monitoring is not necessary for a worker doing Class B (ie, non-friable) asbestos removal under a Class B licence for no more than four weeks in any 12-month period. If the PCBU believes workers may be involved in asbestosrelated work or unlicensed asbestos removal work, they must ensure the workers receive training in identification, safe handling and suitable control measures, which can be delivered through in-house training or instruction. (This doesn’t apply to an asbestos removal worker engaged to work under an asbestos removal licence—see training information below.) While the work is going on, and for five years after it’s finished, a record must be kept of the training undertaken. The PCBU must not use or direct/allow a worker to use a high-pressure water spray or compressed air on asbestos or ACM. However a high-pressure water spray may be used for firefighting or prevention purposes, or to clear or prevent blockages in wastewater or water pipe networks. In specific instances, a high-pressure water spray may be used in a relevant approved method for managing risk associated with asbestos.
SAFETY FIRST
Asbestos removal PCBUs with asbestos in the workplace have specific duties should they wish to get construction work done. These depend on whether the work is maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, or removal. Worksafe provides information on each on its website. If identified asbestos needs to be removed because it’s in a poor state or renovations are planned, a licensed asbestos removal company is likely to be required. The only exception is if the removal is: • 10m2 or less of non-friable asbestos or asbestos contaminated dust (ACD) associated with the removal of the non-friable asbestos over the whole course of the removal project; or • ACD that is not associated with the removal of friable or non-friable asbestos and is only a minor contamination. In this case, the contractor must be sufficiently qualified to carry out the asbestos removal work. A survey must be conducted before the PCBU employs a removalist, to ascertain the nature of the asbestos. Removal work is broken into Class A and Class B work. • A Class A licenced removalist can do friable and nonfriable removal • A Class B licenced removalist can only remove non-friable asbestos. The removalist must prepare a removal control plan for the PCBU, which should be shared with all interested parties. If the removal work is Class A, there is a duty to have air monitoring undertaken by an independent licensed asbestos assessor. A clearance certificate from an independent third party must also be provided before returning to the site—from 4 April 2018, this must be from a licensed assessor. In order to hold one of the Class A or Class B licences from 4 April 2018, workers, supervisors and assessors in each class will need to receive specified training, now being offered by providers under the NZQA framework. ■ Detailed information for removalists can be found in the Approved Code of Practice: Management and Removal of Asbestos.
Friable or non friable?
April deadline Some key actions to be taken by and from 4 April 2018. By 4 April 2018: Current Certificate of Competence holders – These people can operate as an asbestos removal licence holder until 4 April 2018 or their certificate expires—whichever comes first. At this point, they need to apply for a new asbestos licence to continue doing licensed asbestos removal work. (Alternatively, they can work for an existing licensed asbestos removal holder.) Removal training – Workers and supervisors doing licensed asbestos removal must undertake Class A or Class B removal training through a training provider: Unit Standard 29766 for Class A work and Unit Standard 29765 for Class B work. The regulations allow workers to undertake up to four weeks' Class B asbestos removal work in any given year without the need to hold unit standard 29765. Therefore, if you are unable to undertake further training before 4 April, you can legitimately keep working until you have completed four weeks' work. Supervisor training – Supervisors should hold the relevant Unit Standard/s (see bullet point above) for the work they are overseeing, as well as the supervisor Unit Standard 29767. Certified safety management systems – Class A asbestos removal licence holders must supply WorkSafe with evidence that they have a certified safety management system in place. From 4 April 2018: Asbestos management plans – PCBUs managing or controlling a workplace with identified asbestos must ensure an asbestos management plan is prepared and kept up to date. Assessor licences – An assessor’s licence is required to carry out air monitoring and issue clearance certificates for all Class A (friable) asbestos removal sites. Class B sites can have a clearance certificate granted by an ‘independent competent person’ (see WorkSafe website for a definition).
Asbestos falls into two categories, friable and non-friable. Friable: Asbestos that’s in a powder form or able to be crumbled, pulverised, or reduced to a powder by hand pressure when dry. While all asbestos has the potential to become airborne, friable is more likely to become airborne. Non-friable: Asbestos that’s not in a powder or cannot be crumbled, pulverised, or reduced to a powder by hand pressure when dry. It is usually in a bonded form, such as asbestos cement sheet in good condition.
This article is based on asbestos information at worksafe.govt.nz. Go to the website for comprehensive guidance, information and resources.
Useful resources Head to worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/asbestos for: •
Information on asbestos-related work and removal, PPE and RPE, asbestos surveys, asbestos management plans, training and licensing
•
Approved Code of Practice: Management and Removal of Asbestos
•
Approved Asbestos Laboratory Register
•
Application form for Asbestos Removal Licence
•
Asbestos Licence Holder Register
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SAFETY FIRST
Protecting the public Safety gear is no good sitting in your vehicle, warns WorkSafe. Tree service company Stumpmaster Ltd was convicted and fined $90,000 in January after a woman walked into the path of a falling tree and sustained injuries that put her in hospital for six days. The WorkSafe investigation found that the company had failed to provide an effective exclusion zone around a palm tree they were cutting down from a property. It had placed three cones in the area, but they were not placed two tree lengths from the tree and there was no attempt to cordon off the area to restrict access, or to notify the public of the work. The company had suitable signage at its office and extendable barriers and tape in its vehicle at the site. “You are responsible for ensuring that other people are not put at risk by the work of your business,” said Simon Humphries, WorkSafe Deputy General Manager, Investigations and Specialist Services. “This includes members of the public who could be affected by a work activity.” Along with the fine, Stumpmaster was ordered to pay $18,500 reparation to the victim.
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Electricity or water main? Make sure your apprentices know how to tell electricity and water pipes apart. Mistaking an incoming power main for a water main could cause serious burns, or even prove fatal, for anyone attempting to cut through the pipe. To tell the difference between the two pipes, always use a voltage tester—and check the tester regularly. Other ways of telling electricity and water pipes apart include: • Trying to squash the pipe under multi-grip pliers. You will be able to squash a water main, but not a power main • Opening a hose tap, putting a screwdriver on the pipe and putting your ear against the screwdriver. This will amplify the sound of any water running. Do not rely on cable identification tape, as it may have moved and not be over the correct cable or pipe. Electricity kills—so take no chances (including when working near overhead power cables).
Digital risk cards
Put safety first with ACC’s risk cards for the construction industry—now available digitally. ACC’s digital risk cards help you recognise and manage health and safety risks by providing relevant information on the risks specific to your trade or sector. Supported by WorkSafe, this tool helps you work safely by providing best practice and practical examples of how to keep everyone safe on site. The digital risk cards are based on the popular hard-copy cards, which have been widely circulated and regularly used for Toolbox and Pre-start meetings across the industry. Users have told ACC that the cards provide “a great go-to resource that helps workers discuss risks and become more aware of site conditions and hazards”. Digitising the cards makes this important safety information even more accessible, and gives you the ability to customise the information to your trade. You can search for the right risk information and share that quickly and easily with your workmates from your device. The digital risk cards are a one-stop source of construction risk and safety information to help have effective safety meetings and discussions with your team. Get the tool now at riskcards.acc.nz to ensure you know the risks, lead the way and save lives.
SAFETY FIRST
Health & safety toolkit SafePlus is a new government toolkit designed to help businesses improve performance.
theBackFlowA FINALLY …. an efficient, faster way to schedule & report Backflow, Thermostatic Mixing Valve & Eye Wash Tests
SafePlus currently consists of three products: • Resources and Guidance • Onsite Assessment and Advisory Service • Online Self-Assessment. “SafePlus digs deep into a business to assess workers’ practices, behaviours, attitudes and culture towards health and safety,” says Malcolm MacMillan, SafePlus Programme Manager. “This behavioural approach helps them identify opportunities and strive for excellence.” The SafePlus Register of Independent Accredited Assessors lets businesses engage directly with assessors for the Onsite Assessment and Advisory Service. These assessors have all been trained to deliver SafePlus. “Accredited Assessors use an approach that focuses on the people and their practices rather than written policies and procedures,” says Malcolm. “They engage at all levels of a business, from senior leaders to front line workers, then use these insights to measure a business’s health and safety performance, and provide advice and guidance.” SafePlus is voluntary and sits above minimum legal compliance. It is a joint harm prevention initiative developed by WorkSafe, ACC and MBIE. The first Resources and Guidance are freely available for businesses to download at www.safeplus.nz. The Online SelfAssessment tool will be available in mid 2018. Find the public register of Accredited Assessors at www.safeplus.nz
engage directly with assessors for the Onsite Assessment and Advisory Service
Save Time & Stay Organised Conveniently record, save and email test results from your smart phone or tablet on site without returning to the office. Stay in Control Manage test results from users across your business. Never Miss a Test Schedule your work with automated test reminders. Keep Your Gauges up to Date Set automatic reminders for test gauge recalibration. Eliminate Incorrect Site Tests Get it right during your first site visit with instant alerts for low pressure results and procedural prompts for occasional testers. Look Professional Apply your business logo to personalise test templates... available for all compliant devices.
Try it today and never look back. Free to download - pay only for test sheets. thebackflowapp.com
The Apple logo, iPhone, iPod touch, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks2018 of Google February/March 67 Inc.
MASTERLINK MESSAGEBOARD IN FOCUS
Dyslexia support Wellington-based dyslexia practitioner Mike Styles has been working with Masterlink to assist the team in becoming a dyslexia friendly organisation. Putting people first Masterlink has recently resolved to become a dyslexia friendly employer. This is an industry first for the plumbing sector, and quite possibly for the wider trades sector. Masterlink has long recognised that its most important resource is its people: the apprentices, the host plumbers and its own staff. Encouraging people to achieve their potential is at the core of what Masterlink aspires to do. It is important to nurture and support all of its people. So, it is a logical next step to cater for the many people who think and learn differently. At least 10 percent
it is a logical next step to cater for the many people who think and learn differently 68
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(and possibly many more) people have dyslexia and related conditions. We know that people with dyslexia think differently and process information differently but are capable, talented people who have the potential to achieve at the highest level.
So, what is dyslexia? Dyslexia is a learning difference where people process information in a different way. It is a genetic condition that lasts a lifetime. The obvious challenges for people with dyslexia are difficulties handling text, time management and short-term memory. Along with the challenges come many advantages, including creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial skills.
What does a dyslexia friendly organisation look like? The changes that Masterlink is making are long term, significant and often subtle, but will make a big difference to trainees and employers.
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Staff are being trained how to pick up dyslexia and to support those trainees who have it Recruitment and induction processes will change to be more accommodating for applicants with dyslexia The PR and advertising material will reflect that Masterlink welcomes applications from people with dyslexia Resource material will be easier for dyslexic learners to engage with Host employers will be given information on how best to engage with staff who are dyslexic. In this way, employers will be able to get better performance from staff who are dyslexic Apprentices will be given information about the technology available to support adults with dyslexia The changes that benefit dyslexic learners will benefit regular learners as well Subtle changes will be made to the way assessments are conducted
MASTERLINK MESSAGEBOARD
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Masterlink will work with The Skills Organisation to ensure learners with dyslexia are given every chance to succeed. Dyslexia support is not a silver bullet, but it will make a significant difference to many Masterlink apprentices. It will take a while for the full effect to show. Many people with dyslexia will not know they have it. Others will take a while to pluck up the courage to reveal that they are dyslexic. Many
have suffered a lifetime of ridicule as a result of the wider community’s general ignorance about dyslexia.
At the forefront of industry training In supporting learners with dyslexia, Masterlink is celebrating diversity and empowering a group of learners who have been severely disadvantaged in their lives to date. The school sector may have short changed them significantly over
many years. Masterlink’s actions in actively supporting them sets a benchmark for other employers and training organisations to follow. The ultimate beneficiary is NZ Inc, which will have some more productive people in its workforce. ■ For more information about Masterlink’s dyslexia-friendly initiatives, call the team on 0800 502 102 or email admin@masterlink.co.nz
Case study: Luke Nilsson Luke Nilsson is a Masterlink apprentice currently working for Mana Plumbing in Porirua, Wellington. He has completed the first year of his apprenticeship. Luke had his dyslexia diagnosed when he was at school.
well. He has well above practical handson skills and is known as an alternative thinker, coming up with different solutions to problems. Luke will make a very good tradesperson once he finishes his training.
Many people with dyslexia are not aware of it and struggle to hide the fact that they have difficulties with reading, writing and spelling. Luke is upfront about his dyslexia. He knows that he has some well-developed skills that compensate for his difficulties in managing text. Luke is very empathetic and reads people very
As part of the dyslexia support, Masterlink provided Luke with a mentor, Russell Jenkins. Russell and Luke work together to complete Luke’s paperwork. Although Russell knows little about plumbing, he is able to help Luke to manage the paperwork part of his apprenticeship training.
Fees-free industry training Under the new Fees-Free scheme, from 1 January 2018 the Government will pay the first two years of industry training for eligible learners enrolling in eligible programmes—which include plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying apprenticeships. Learners can find out if they are eligible and how it works at www.feesfree.govt.nz Fees-free covers training and assessment fees, but not professional registration costs, the occupational licensing fee, tools and equipment or any other charges paid by eligible learners and/or their employer.
Anyone considering a new apprenticeship through Masterlink can give the team a call at any time to discuss how the Government’s fees-free scheme works in with the Masterlink apprentice training process. Call Masterlink on 0800 502 102; or email admin@masterlink.co.nz
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NEXT GENERATION
Triathlete to tradesman
A former international triathlete, plumbing and gasfitting apprentice Josh Kenyon says his training is a little less strenuous these days. By Ross Miller. Once Josh Kenyon had made the mental leap from the daily demands of an athlete to a regular job, he decided on a trade, as he likes hands-on work. His initial idea was to be an electrician— always a demand for them, he thought. “But once I got the opportunity to see what plumbing and gas was like, I thought it sounded like a good choice for me. I really liked the variety of work.” After talking with Dave McGall at Masterlink, Josh felt this was the best way to go for his apprenticeship—and he is now in his second year of training with Rotorua-based Bay Of Plenty Plumbing and Gas. There are definite benefits of going the Masterlink route, says Josh. “I think going through a host company works well for both parties, as Masterlink looks after me with block courses and the paperwork side of my apprenticeship, making sure I stay up to date and pass my papers throughout my time. “As for the employer, in my view it works well for them also, as they can focus more on teaching me the day-today skills I need in the trade and not have to worry about the paperwork side as much.” The days of hard physical training haven’t been wasted. “You need complete focus to get through the training, let alone the actual competing. I find I’ve
you need complete focus to get through the training, let alone the actual competing
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been able to bring that focus to learning and study.” Josh has thrown himself into the trade wholeheartedly, volunteering to be the apprentice health and safety rep for Masterlink. “Whether we like it or not, health and safety is becoming a massive part of the day-to-day work in our industry. I look at everything extra I can be part of as helpful for my future, and the more qualifications, the better. “The H&S is pretty new for me, and it has involved training courses and learning what it will involve for me to do. We have a Masterlink app, which apprentices can use to report any issues or questions they have about their work or workplace. And it’s my job to give advice and answer these questions, or take any issues further if we need to.” Josh derives a lot of satisfaction in leaving a job with a nice-looking product. “I probably favour gas work the most, and finding faults on gas appliances.” He also enjoys the problemsolving side of the work. Working in Rotorua does pose some extra challenges in his work. “Obviously, with the sulphur, products don’t last as long—more so with appliances, as the electrical systems don't like the sulphur much. The biggest challenge at times is working on very old copper or galv pipework. It’s very weak and brittle, and the hardest part with this can be not creating more work for yourself by damaging more pipework.” Josh still puts in a few hours a week on the roads, the pool and the bike. “These days I race more for fun and enjoy the normal Kiwi bloke activities like fishing, hunting and anything outdoors.” Having grown up on a farm, some day
Above: Masterlink apprentice Josh Kenyon.
I think going through a host company works well for both parties he’d love to have a small lifestyle block just out of town, where he can have his own open space to enjoy, he says. ■
Above: Josh particularly enjoys the gas work.
When you want something done properly‌ Training a Masterlink apprentice
l Ensures they’re trained the way you like it l Builds quality and loyal employees
l Ensures your apprentice is motivated to do a good job
l You’ll also be training yourself, ensuring you stay up to date with industry developments and technology
0800 502 102 admin@masterlink.co.nz www.masterlink.co.nz
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Pods help prop up water supplies A new system to collect rainwater off roofs. Aquacomb is an import from Australia, where it has helped with water detention, retention, and even to provide drinking water. Andrew Olsen, a New Zealand green building solutions provider, was attracted by its cost and space saving features. The days of having big above ground detention tanks on smaller residential sections or for townhouses and apartment blocks are gone, he says. Aquacomb is a system of interconnecting, high-density plastic water tanks (pods), usually put inside the space in foundation slabs, or under carparks and driveways, or retrofitted under decks and pole homes. Andrew says Aquacomb complies with the NZ Building Code, and recently successfully completed a BRANZ assessment. “Kiwi residential builders like Classic, Universal, Landmark and Signature Homes are already taking advantage of being able to plumb the water back in to supply toilet tanks, washing
machines and for outdoor use like watering the garden or washing cars or boats,” he says. “With efficient pumps and filtration systems, reusing the water that comes off roofs becomes quite efficient.”
Generating global interest
New additions to Kohler’s KD Series of industrial generators. When the KD Series large diesel industrial generators were unveiled in October 2016, Kohler and Kohler-SDMO also announced the planned expansion for the new line, which would eventually grow to encompass generators as large as 4200kVA (50Hz) and 4000kW (60Hz). Today, based on strong worldwide response to the initiallylaunched models— which utilise Kohler’s own diesel engines ranging from 800kVA/800kW to 2800kVA/2500kW—Kohler and Kohler-SDMO are expanding the KD Series with the rollout of several new generators ranging up to 3500kVA/3250kW. “It’s always rewarding to expand a product line in conjunction with strong market response,” said Tom Cromwell, group president-power for Kohler. “Our first wave of KD Series generators really resonated with key influencers in the data
centre, healthcare, telecommunications and water-treatment segments around the world. “And, we’re looking forward to providing these users—and many others—with additional KOHLER-powered options that will deliver a similar mix of durability, fuel efficiency, and the many other benefits that have helped the KD Series to stand out in this competitive global category.” The newest KD Series diesel industrial generators are powered by two new compact and powerful KOHLER V16 engine models.
Hot & cold on tap Discover the benefits of the InSinkErator HC900 nearboiling and cold filtered water tap. The InSinkErator HC900 Instant Hot Water Tap dispenses near boiling filtered hot water from an easily installed under-sink hot water tank, as well as filtered drinking water. The unit produces the perfect temperature for making hot drinks, speeding up the preparation of pasta or vegetables, cleaning dishes and a host of other kitchen tasks. RRP $995. For more information visit www.insinkerator.co.nz
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Ben has been using Fergus for three years. In that time, he has grown his business by 300%.
“Fergus has been a big part of our success. The overview it offers gave us the confidence to grow.” Ben Thompson Cable Systems Electrical
Cloud-Based Job Management Software
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Security and Prosperity in 2018
Protect yourself this New Year from the unforeseen costs of illness or injury to yourself or a family member and make sure your bills will get paid no matter what. Special deals and prices for Master Plumbers Members and insurance plans specifically designed for your unique circumstances. Full claims management and support that you won’t find elsewhere: with our personal service you’ll always get the best. New, low cost Accident and Illness Insurance as a more costeffective alternative for an Income Protection Plan.
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AND FINALLY
Offcuts
Want to know what’s under Buckingham Palace floorboards or how sharing your name with a celebrity can boost business? Read on… Stand up the real Peter Jackson
There seems to be no-one in New Zealand called Donald Trump or Kim Kardashian, but there are Kiwis who do share the same name as globally famous people, reported Stuff in January. Examples include Lower Hutt 88-yearold retired optometrist Bill Gates (who says he’s “bloody hopeless” with computers), Wellington’s Pippa Middleton and Paraparaumu plumber Peter Jackson. Apparently it’s been good for business, with people pointing and waving at Peter’s signwritten vans since the Lord of the Rings movies came out. He’s even had calls from wannabe actors wanting to be cast in his films, and girls in love with Orlando Bloom asking if he could put them in touch.
Water tank to swimming pool
When former Napier resident Tom O’Carroll discovered a 5m x 2.7m concrete water tank hidden under what looked like an old concrete foundation in his garden, he decided to turn it into the family swimming pool, reports Stuff. Three months later, his plumber neighbour had to admit Tom wasn’t crazy, and both families enjoyed hours of fun bombing into the 2.1m pool.
Plumbing in -71°C
The coldest inhabited place on earth is the village of Oymyakon in Siberia, reported Stuff in January. Apparently, Oymyakon translates into “unfrozen patch of water” and residents can expect just three hours of daylight in winter. According to the article, cars must be left running at all times, and indoor toilets are few and far between as the plumbing freezes—meaning a cold dash to the outhouse. A new tourist sign displaying the temperature recently broke after hitting -62°C (-88°F), but the lowest recorded temperature in the village was -71°C in 2013.
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Yoga for the trades
According to Newstalk ZB, a new weekly yoga class tailored for tradespeple in Christchurch has been a big success. In her other role as a physio, yoga teacher Michele Laing told the programme she sees a lot of clients needing both the relaxation and flexibility that yoga offers. “A lot of people I see are men. A lot of them have been very hard workers, they’ve really pushed themselves until they collapse, mentally as often as physically,” she told ZB.
Buckingham Palace discovery
Electricians working on a major revamp at Buckingham Palace have found a ‘time capsule’ of vintage cigarette packets and Victorian newspaper cuttings beneath the floorboards, reported The NZ Herald in January. Apparently, the Palace was being rewired due to safety concerns around the 1940s Vulcanised Indian Rubber (VIR) cabling. By January, 2km of VIR had been replaced.
‘Timaru girl’ wins national UK award
Anne Timpany, co-founder of London plumbing company On Tap Plumbers, has just won the supreme award at the NatWest Everywoman Awards, reports The Timaru Herald. Originally from Timaru, She left NZ for a Kiwi ‘stopover’ in 2003, only to meet and marry her Albanian plumber husband Raff. Together they set up their company, which flourished after they decided to focus on commercial plumbing. According to the article, Anne couldn’t believe “a girl like me from Timaru” had won the award, which was an acknowledgement of a great team, including seven Kiwis.
AND FINALLY
Dodgy Plumbing Keep them coming! Send your Dodgy Plumbing examples to the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz
Back in 2018 by popular request… our regular shonky showcase! Hidden horror
“A few pictures of a job in Ellerslie,” says Tom Berkley of Auckland Plumbers Group. “I was onsite installing an Infinity and found this recent bathroom renovation while under the house.”
Three of a kind
Mark of Manawatu Plumbing & Maintenance sent in these three dodgy examples encountered on different jobs. “The wall hung vanity was done by a licensed plumber (not from our company). The lady was new to town and pretty upset at the visible pipework. I also recently came across the shower piped out with flexi hoses and this brilliant rangehood ducting connection.”
Value add…?
“Just thought we would share this ‘aftermarket’ supplementary trap,” says Chris Downey of Tuffnell Plumbing & Drainage in Nelson. “Looks like another home handyman botchup!”
Waste in haste
“How do you like the flash finish on this floor waste?” asks Dale Lovell of Heron Plumbing in Auckland. “I think it was a bit of an afterthought.”
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AND FINALLY
Dodgy Plumbing
UED
CONTIN
A poultry job
“We were sent these images of a gas meter install at a chicken farm in Canterbury,” said Marshall Weenink of Gas Engineering Services Ltd in Christchurch of these two photos. “The client wanted us to carry out some more work on the installation but we suspected this section needed to be completely replaced. Offset unions but the worst pipe threading and taping I have ever seen. The work was performed by an apprentice under the supervision of a Section 85 exemption holder.”
West Coast wonders
No name or comment attached to these photos, just the West Coast email subject line—but we couldn’t resist showing them anyway!
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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SAFETY FIRST
185
168
120
Ø Ø 80 80
3-RC1/2” 3-RC1/2”
4-RC1/2” 4-RC1/2” Ø48Ø48
Ø48Ø48
G1/2” 85.5
G1/2”
57 57
141
Ø
80
86.5 3-RC1/2”
Ø1
101 Ø50
2 Ø1 5 25
35~60 35~60
168 107107
185 45~65 45~65
4-RC1/2” Ø48
119119
185.5
338
338
183.5 183.5
120
Ø48
235.5 235.5
37 Max
G1/2” 85.5
G1/2”
Ø50
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37 Max37 Max
Ø1 2
107
Ø50
45~65
119
185.5
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SAFETY FIRST
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428 428 333 333
140
159
650 159
276 360 276 360
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Front of Bowl Front of Bowl
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For S-trap Installation For S-trap Installation
C L of Outlet C L of Outlet
90-140 90-140
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