Ryman construction workers down tools to help residents

Construction apprentice Lanson Teura has been learning the ropes of carpentry while helping to build Ryman’s Devonport retirement village so never expected to be working in a village.

However, when New Zealand went into Level 4 alert it meant all six Kiwi construction sites had to close down and the construction team were urgently redeployed into the villages.

Lanson, 23, jumped at the chance to help out at Evelyn Page in Orewa.

“I worked in the kitchen two days and then the other days I delivered groceries and parcels to all the residents and their Happy Hour bags once a week.”

He got a buzz out of being able to help the residents, who weren’t able to leave the village to get their own supplies like they usually would, and loved the fact that the time just flew by.

It was also a huge relief to have job security in such unsettling times.

“Before I was at Ryman I was a sub-contractor so I didn’t get holiday pay or anything. It made me really thankful to be with Ryman and still have work.”

Ryman’s NZ Construction Manager, Paul Blackler was

thrilled with the response from the team.

“I was really humbled by their willingness to serve,” he said.

“What’s come through strongly is Ryman’s sense of community – that we’re all one team, albeit with different functions.”

Regional Operations Manager Lynn Charlton said the help from construction had been ‘invaluable’ at a potentially overwhelming time.

Pictured: Construction staff including Alister Safaei, left, and Gerhard van Zyl made deliveries to Evelyn Page village.