Business North August Issue

August 2014

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19

Economic growth set to continue Hugh de Lacy The New Zealand economy will weather the concurrent falls in the kiwi dollar and in its most significant export, milk products, without a threat to its overall strong growth, according to Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander.

The dollar may have eased back from its mid-June US88c high but it’s still at high levels by historical standards, Alexander says.

“It’s only three cents off the peak so really it’s not a significant decline at all,” he says.

“I think the kiwi is going to remain high for the next year and a half on the back of rising New Zealand interest rates, strong economic growth and continuing difficulties in overseas economies, plus

the probability of some recovery in dairy prices.”

Around $4 billion will be knocked out of the dairy industry’s export income following the steady decline in global milk prices in the first half of this year that has seen the country’s biggest dairy company, Fonterra, slash its forecast payout to farmers from a record $8.40 per kilogram of milk solids last year, plus a 10c value-added share dividend, to just $6 this year, albeit with a projected 20-25c share dividend.

Dairy exports brought in $13b last season but that will fall to around $9.7b in the current season, reflecting a nearly 30% drop in global dairy prices over the first half of this year.

That’s expected to put a 1.9% dent in the country’s gross domestic product, while the falling dollar will increase the cost of imports.

But Alexander believes only minimal pain will arise from, for example, fuel price increases.

“The fall in the kiwi dollar so far is nothing very consequential at all,” he says.

“It’s not significant enough to cause a 20c, 30c or 40c movement in petrol prices, and I think any movement there would be rather lost in the wash.”

He says that falling dairy prices were only one factor putting downward pressure on the kiwi dollar, “and if it was really going to be the driving force then we would have seen the kiwi weakening ever since dairy prices peaked.”

It was always hard to know what was driving currency variations but “you would cite other data for the pace of growth of New Zealand’s economy slowing down a bit – the easing off of business sentiment, for instance”.

Other factors weighing on the kiwi would be declining retail sales figures and “some of the economic data generally pulling back.

“Secondly, you’ve also had some fairly aggressive warnings about currency over-valuation from the likes of the Reserve Bank Governor and the finance minister.

“Also, probably, people are just taking profit: the kiwi dollar’s been strong enough over a long period of time, so that’s a thing I would work into the decline as well.”

Even so, the overall strength of the economy will ensure that the kiwi dollar continues to remain over-valued by most economic measures, and also that lower global milk prices and the reduced dairy payout will be absorbed “without too much pain”, Alexander says.

SOE listings distort IPOs Hugh de Lacy Take out the distortion created by the Government’s sale of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and New Zealand initial public offerings (IPOs) on the sharemarket over the past year have performed pretty well as badly as they do anywhere.

That’s the conclusion of sharemarket commentator Brent Sheather of Whakatane-based firm Private Asset Management, who says overall IPOs issued in the last 12 months “have done quite well because of the Government ones”.

There have been nine new listings on the New Zealand Stock Exchange in the past year, more than double the average of four a year between 2005 and 2012.

Globally, IPOs are regarded as near-certain losers in the short term because they are vigorously promoted to create the expectation that the float price will rise following listing.

However, Sheather says New Zealand’s IPOs have bucked that perception, because of the Government’s floating of 49% of its energy assets such as Mighty River Power and Genesis, where “underlying politics” demands a float price low enough to virtually ensure sustainability and growth. “Obviously this is a short-term thing: once they’ve sold all the SOEs, that’s it, and we’ll be back to the standard IPO performance.”

Sheather says the technology IPOs’ performance in particular has been “terrible”.

These include Gentrack, down 11% from its listing price, Serko down 15%, Geop down 16% and SLI Systems down 28%, he said.

INSIDE

Doing their bit for recycling ....

An innovative programme promoting waste minimisation is proving to be a hit with New Zealand schools, and is also helping New Zealand communities. Under the Paper4trees programme schools recycle paper and cardboard they collect and are rewarded for their efforts with native trees to plant on their sites or elsewhere in the community. Run by the Tauranga-based Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust, a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity, the scheme has been joined by a massive 88% of schools and 47% of preschools. The Trust relies on funding to operate and implement the scheme, and is hoping to attract new businesses to become long-term sponsors. See story page 5

Cross Slot gains momentum - PAGE 2

Major ski area investment - PAGE 3

Helping businesses to go green - PAGE 4

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AGRICULTURE » Cross Slot

Business North

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Cross Slot is now used in 16 countries by arable, sheep and beef and dairy farmers.

No tillage system gaining momentum Karen Phelps A project started by a PHD student in 1967 is now gaining momentum worldwide as more farmers start to use the innovative Cross Slot system to improve their yield and productivity, says Dr. John Baker from Cross Slot.

The beginnings of Cross Slot were initiated by Baker when he began researching how to sow seeds into soil that hadn’t been ploughed while at Massey University.

He was joined by other scientists and engineers who invented the technology over a 30-year period. Although tillage – where soil is ploughed first to break up the ground so seeds can be sown - has been the accepted method in the past to sow seeds Baker says tillage can also damage soils.

“Soil contains organic matter (leftover plant material) and it’s full of carbon. The organisms (micro and macro) that are responsible for the health of the soil live on this carbon. But when excessive air is introduced into the soil, such as by tillage implements, some of the carbon is oxidized into carbon dioxide that is discharged into the atmosphere. Up to 20% of all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results from tilling the soil.

“As tilling depletes the carbon levels in the soil the micro organisms die and soil nutrient levels are depleted so more fertilisers need to be applied which can leach into waterways.

“As there is nothing left to hold the soil together the result is greater levels of erosion,” he explains.

Baker says Cross Slot provides a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative.

The Cross Slot machine utilises unique technology to create horizontal seed slots (most other machines make vertical slots) to sow seeds into soil with no need for tilling.

“Cross Slot technology self-covers the slots trapping soil humidity in the slot creating the perfect environment for seed germination,” explains Baker.

Cross Slot also incorporates electronic seed depth control technology for consistent seeding depth. Baker says the machine has been designed to operate equally well in all soil types, including stony and rough ground at speeds up to 16 kilometres per hour.

Other benefits of Cross Slot include conserving 50-100mm of soil moisture per year, low soil disturbance creating a positive environment for

micro organisms to thrive and preserving carbon levels in the soil resulting in more sustainable production.

Dr Baker says results have proven that Cross Slot gives the best crop yields in any form of cropping.

“The Foundation for Arable Research sowed crops with Cross Slot openers in Geraldine that yielded almost 17 tonnes per hectare of wheat and we’re seeing these kinds of results all over the world,” he says.

Dr. Baker says Cross Slot could have a big impact in addressing the world’s burgeoning food shortage crisis due to population growth.

“Ninety per cent of the food we eat is grown from annual crops, which have to be re-sown each year. The way Cross Slot puts this horizontal slot in the ground for seeds to germinate means that it

may now be a possibility to grow crops on ground that has traditionally been too dry. This opens up whole new areas for growing food.”

Cross Slot is now used in 16 countries by arable, sheep and beef and dairy farmers.

Dr. Baker says using the technology is allowing farmers to crop the same soil continuously without the need for a break. He is presently seeking a joint venture with a large farming machine manufacturer to supply Cross Slot more readily worldwide.

“We’re currently a small company doing this from a small base but Cross Slot has already had a big impact on the market.

“When we first entered the market 4% of seeds were sown by no tillage in New Zealand; now that figure is 25% and about quarter of this is using our technology. If we did that on a worldwide basis the potential is enormous.”

“Ninety per cent of the food we eat is grown from annual crops, which have to be re-sown each year.”

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LEISURE » The Remarkables Ski Area

Business North

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Remarkables - ‘bigger, better, funner’!

Queenstown’s Remarkables ski area is celebrating the opening of its new Curvey Basin chairlift.

The 1.2km high-speed lift - a multi-million dollar investment - will open up new terrain on the mountain and has the capacity to carry 2400 passengers per hour.

NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said the developments at The Remarkables were part of NZSki’s commitment to continually improving the snowsports experience it offers its customers.

“We’re focused on continued improvements and innovation.

“NZSki takes seriously its responsibility as a core part of the winter attraction market and knows how important that is to the wider tourism industry.”

A new base building is also planned to be built at the mountain next year.

The new chairlift was installed by internationally renowned cable transport company Leitner Poma and has the capacity to carry 2400 passengers per hour. The six-seater detachable lift starts at the bottom of the learner’s area at 1600m and rises to a top terminal at 1900m above sea level – just below the mountain’s ridgeline.

It’s exciting news for keen skiers and boarders who now have an additional 20% of new terrain to play on, including the wide new Curvey trail, and countless off-piste opportunities waiting to be explored.

For advanced skiers and snowboarders, it’s now an easy hike or traverse in either direction to access the fantastic chutes and black-diamond runs that the high-alpine landscape of The Remarkables is known for.

NZSki says as well as opening up a wealth of new terrain, the top terminal has a spectacular view of the entire ski area extending down the valley to the Wakatipu Basin and across to Coronet Peak.

The Remarkables Ice Bar located on the Curvey trail, is the perfect pit-stop to take in the view, rest the legs and quench the thirst.

It offers hot food, cool drinks and comfortable bean bags to sit back, relax and re-charge the batteries for another run.

Fifty new snow guns powered by an impressive new pump house are keeping the new runs topped up perfectly.

Mixed with the natural snow for which The Remarkables is renowned, the snowguns are sure to keep Curvey, Sugar and Shadow basins looking fabulous all season long.

The Curvey Basin top terminal has a spectacular view of the ski area extending down the valley to the Wakatipu Basin and across to Coronet Peak.

Catering for increased numbers of skiers and boarders on the mountain, there are plenty of other exciting developments to improve accessibility and the guest experience.

The bottom 4 kilometres of the access road has been sealed to help improve comfort and safety for guests, with the remainder due to be sealed over the next few years.

The final section of the access road has been realigned with the last few sharp bends taken out completely and car parking areas have been expanded and improved.

“The 1.2km high-speed, six-seater detachable lift starts at the bottom of the learner’s area at 1600m and rises to a top terminal at 1900m above sea level – just below the mountain’s ridgeline.”

The learner’s area has been expanded to provide extra space for novice visitors ensuring the learning process is as easy as possible.

The new chairlift is already proving a major

drawcard for everyone from loyal locals to international visitors, and next year the Curvey lift will be joined by a brand new, state-of-the-art base building.

The new Curvey Basin lift was installed by internationally renowned cable transport company Leitner Poma and has the capacity to carry 2400 passengers per hour.

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS » Sustainable Business Directory

Business North

The Sustainable Business Directory is a business-to-business tool for sourcing green products.

Helping to “green” NZ business Jo Bailey

you could print your postage at home?

Let’s just say you’re sending a lot of parcels. It occurred to us you could save yourself a lot of time by paying for and printing your postage on your computer at home, or work. That’s how we came up with print and post.

Now, you can sort your postage when it suits you and drop it off at a PostShop or post box for sending. Better still, we’ve thought about other ways we can help you.

A new Sustainable Business Directory is making it easy for companies to source sustainable products and services for their operations.

The directory was launched in May by the Sustainable Business Network (SBN), a social enterprise with a diverse membership base made up of almost 500 businesses, governmental agencies and organisations throughout New Zealand. All are profiled in the new directory.

Fiona Stephenson, SBN’s national communications manager, says the directory is a great tool for businesses looking to “green” their supply chain and source products and services from businesses with a similar ethos.

“It’s the go-to place to source smart solutions from a wide range of businesses. Our members represent a cross section of New Zealand businesses from small entities to large corporates, covering everything from waste consultants to wineries, IT to insurance providers, and even suppliers of coffee or cleaning products.”

Users of the directory can search for products and services by keyword, geographical region or by category. Each profile in the directory features a brief description of the company or organisation and its products and services. They also highlight the members’ contribution to a more sustainable New Zealand; list any certifications or sustainability programmes they have achieved; along with any sustainability awards won.

Ms Stephenson says SBN directory members are at various stages of their sustainability journey, so users are encouraged to engage with the listed companies and organisations, and ask questions about their various sustainability initiatives.

“We are initially pitching this as a business-tobusiness directory, but think it will go beyond that, with consumers and businesses wanting to start their own sustainable journey finding it useful as well.”

The Sustainable Business Network was founded

by CEO Rachel Brown in 2002 with the vision to

make New Zealand the model sustainable nation for the world. It has numerous sponsors including NZI, a foundation partner since 2006.

NZI’s executive manager Karl Armstrong said in a recent press release the Sustainable Business Directory is a “fantastic initiative”, with SBN a “trusted advisor and collaborator” to many New Zealand businesses and organisations.

“We see they actually make a practical difference and I think all businesses should capitalise on that.”

Fiona Stephenson says it is the longest standing organisation for sustainable business in New Zealand.

Last year, SBN restructured its delivery of services, identifying four key transformation areas where it can help provide members with practical support, collaboration and education along their journey towards a sustainable operation.

These areas are renewables; building thriving communities; mega-efficiency (maximising the use of all resources); and restorative (enhancing New Zealand’s natural capital).

“The identification of these critical areas is taking our service delivery to a whole new level.

Rather than keeping things general, our members can see how they fit into the bigger picture and focus their activities going forward.”

SBN regularly carries out activities and projects around New Zealand and online which are aligned to these four areas.

“We also hold a lot of events, which provide both learning and networking opportunities for our members. It’s great for small businesses in particular to feel part of the bigger whole.”

The organisation’s next initiative is putting together a “starter guide” for businesses at the beginning of their sustainable journey, she says.

“We hope to have this accessible and easy-tounderstand resource up on our website in the next couple of months.

“It will be aimed at businesses who want to do the right thing when it comes to sustainability but are not sure what to do beyond recycling and switching their lights off.”

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Business North

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS » Paper4trees

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Paper recycling scheme a winner Sue Russell A programme promoting waste minimisation has more than 4000 participating preschools and schools.

Paper4trees is run by Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust, a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity.

Hope Lawsen, programme manager of Paper4trees, says the results speak for themselves.

“There are over 47,000 classroom recycling bins, one in every room of every school and preschool in the programme,” says Lawsen.

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“Every day, enormous amounts of paper and cardboard are being collected and diverted from landfills all over the country,” she says.

Currently 88% of schools and 47% of preschools have joined the Paper4trees scheme, recycling the paper and cardboard they collect and being rewarded for their efforts with native trees to plant on their sites or elsewhere in the community.

Not bad for a programme that was first introduced in 2001.

The Trust, based in Tauranga, relies on funding to operate and implement the scheme, something Lawsen says requires constant attention on her part.

“We have a lot of wonderful funders and corporate sponsors. Just to name a few, Shell Todd Oil Services Ltd in Taranaki have been sponsoring the cost of their whole region for several years, Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd came on board in 2012, and many local councils have supported the programme for a number of years.

“We wouldn’t be able to achieve what we have without commitments like these.”

She is also keen to see more preschools take on the Paper4trees programme.

“We are trying to get more media exposure for Paper4trees to attract new businesses to become long-term sponsors, as this gives us more certainty to plan for the future.”

In 2013, there were 22,789 trees given out for the 45,578 cubic metres of paper and cardboard recycled during the previous year. Schools and preschools are rewarded with one tree for every two cubic metres recycled.

Supplying the native flora are 40 nurseries who sell at reduced cost and sometimes donate trees, shrubs, grasses, ground-covers and flaxes to the schools and preschools in their areas.

The trees earned are not only planted at the school or preschool that has collected the paper and cardboard. Some, like Tawhiti School in Hawera, request that all donated trees plus those they earned be planted at a local community project such as

Turuturu Mokai, a pa site currently undergoing beautification.

“That’s one of the really neat things about this programme. The trees are being planted in reserves and public spaces as well,” she says.

Future plans, beyond securing more funding to expand the programme, include looking at introducing it into the business sector.

“We are very interested in moving in this direction as well.

“Imagine how much paper and cardboard is generated through normal daily business activity.”

While EERST governs the scheme, it is not directly involved in recycling collection services.

That is left up to each school or kindergarten to connect with a local recycler.

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Looking back on the 13 years since Paper4trees started, 124,780 trees have been earned and 249,560 cubic metres of landfill space saved in the process.

The benefits are not only seen on the ground.

By the end of 2012 more than 168,450 tonnes of carbon dioxide was prevented from being produced.

Lawsen enjoys visiting schools in her Bay of Plenty area. She says it is so rewarding to see how excited the children are when the trees arrive.

“The programme is used extensively in schools as a way for schools and preschools to improve recycling rates and plant trees in their communities.

“Both have a positive impact on the environment and it’s great to see students so engaged in a programme that so benefits the environment.”

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS » EncoreNZ

Business North

Bringing passion to recruitment Sue Russell “There has been a lot of heart that has gone into our company.”

This is how Teisha Pihama describes her Mt Maunganui-based recruitment company, EncoreNZ, while relatively new on the scene is flourishing.

The former Cantabrian is not new to working in the world of recruitment. In Christchurch for many years she managed an industrial portfolio within the recruitment industry and internally within events, hospitality and services industries, but having made the decision to step out and steer her own ship she is enjoying every moment.

“Recruitment is my calling. It’s an industry you have to really feel passionate about in order to deliver the standard of service we expect of ourselves to our clients,” she says.

Pihama is a busy lady, not only handling all the accounting and the bulk of the administration work in her expanding company but also attending to marketing, job interviews and workplace drug testing.

“I enjoy the people. It’s a great privilege to support someone toward realising their own personal goals in life. Creating opportunities for people gives me a lot of energy.”

Satisfying too when the right person has been matched to the right business says Pihama.

“When this happens it’s a win-win for both the business and the employee. The business is going to grow because their employees are performing at optimum.”

Finding the right person for the job is all about gaining trust while maintaining integrity.

Pihama says the essential key to being offered a job is the attitude an applicant walks into the interview room with.

“It’s more important than qualifications and when you have worked in this industry for as long as I have you grow very strong instinctive bones.”

She calls it ‘Career Artistry’; building a picture of the person you are going to display to the market.

Her company’s culture is lived by everyone of her team.

Respect, she says, is the most significant component of that culture and it’s the reason why her business is growing.

“I remember I had a guy out of work for two years who played out as a real wild card. He got the job because we believed in him and that made him believe in himself.”

Pihama would like to see more education for employees about the trial period option in employment agreements used widely by employers.

While acknowledging the concept is not out of place she is concerned at the lack of education available about employee rights.

“One of the reasons company’s look at using us for their recruitment is that we remain responsible, working with the client and the recruit during the temporary employment assignment. Our success rate is very high from temp to permanent.”

During the temporary employment period Pihama says she likes to be quite involved in their working reality, making sure they are at work on time and checking in on how their day is going.

EncoreNZ specialises in recruiting for the building construction, engineering and industrial sectors in the Bay of Plenty. Most recently the company has made inroads in the broader arena – Auckland and Christchurch - something Pihama says she is enjoying.

“I like the special skill sets that goes with working successfully in industries we work with.”

Pihama moved away from Christchurch following the earthquakes but has a team working in the city servicing the recruitment needs of the industrial sector.

She says her periodic visits to the city always involve the element of surprise as she sees new development arise.

“There is more of a community sense down there now. Hands on each other’s shoulders, and it is a lot more positive now than it has been in the past. I’ve never been a materialistic person but I think the devastation and what everyone went through has made the town more engaging and welcoming.”

What keeps Pihama motivated to always do her best in the competitive recruitment industry is the buzz she gets from helping people.

“You should be passionate with everything you do and I like to see people’s lives change.”

With Pihama at the helm EncoreNZ is doing its bit to help make that happen.

“It’s a great privilege to support someone toward realising their own personal goals in life. Creating opportunities for people gives me a lot of energy.”

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS » CSA Architect

Business North

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CSA Architect - making sure buildings give back to their environment.

Holistic approach the key to design Karen Phelps CSA Architect approaches design a little differently taking a holistic approach to the process. For company director Charissa Snijders, design is not a purely analytical process but must also be approached from the heart.

“I create ‘conscious architecture’ that celebrates the creative expression of people in relationship with each other and in response to the land they inhabit,” she explains. “I call this creating a ‘sense of place’.”

Snijders completes work in four main areas: residential, community, public place (creative land art) and therapeutic centres.

Her approach has been popular with those seeking an architect willing to take the time and listen to clients.

Snijders says clients often have layered expectations - “from the spoken to the unspoken”and it is her job to unravel the desires of their hearts and come up with the right design.

She says her preferred approach is collaborative where the client is an integral partner in the team.

“It is therefore important to me that the client and I share similar values and an aligned vision to be able to deliver the results,” she says.

“I focus on what I call slow design, where I take the time to really get to know the client so their true personalities and what nourishes them as people can come through in the design.”

Snijders’ unique approach to design has been recognised by her peers.

CSA Architect was a finalist in the NZ Timber Resene Design Awards 2014 for two projects: The Gatekeeper, received Highly Commended in the Residential and a finalist in the Interior Innovation sections. Treehouse was a finalist in the Residential section.

Snijders started her architectural practice in 1999 and CSA Architect is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and Snijders is a Registered architect.

The company is a community partner of the International Living Building Institute and a member of the Sustainable Business Network.

“The Living Building Institute has created the Living Building Challenge, a model that is based on regenerative design and processes where we can play a positive role in the environment.

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“It goes beyond typical Green Star tools.

The Living Building Challenge doesn’t harm the environment in the creation of the building.

“It’s a very holistic approach. It’s about creating a building that gives back to the environment, community and the people. It’s a natural extension of my own design philosophy,” she says.

Snijders focuses on healthy people, healthy homes and healthy land. Her model combines social, spiritual, environmental and economic values. Part of her design process involves walking the land on which the project will be constructed so she can ‘listen’ to the land and its needs and combine that with the needs of the clients.

“It’s intuitive,” she explains. “You can’t ignore any one of these elements; they all must work together.

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8|

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS » Holistic Vets

Business North

A new approach to animal welfare Sue Russell With a history of a Dad passionate about rehabilitating wildlife in her native South Africa it is little wonder Tauranga vet Dr Liza Schneider has dedicated her professional life to caring for creatures, great and small.

“He had a lot to do with caring for wildlife and I grew up in a family where this was normal.

A deep respect of and love for all animals was instilled in us,” Schneider says.

Schneider has also overlaid her mainstream veterinary skills by studying the art and science of homeopathics, herbal and natural medicines, acupuncture and introduced a suite of special treatment resources including a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, she says works wonders for many of her patients, at her Tauranga practice.

“A lot of clients come to us because they haven’t had long term success with the drugs prescribed to their pets and they like to have the options we provide to improve the health and well-being of their animal,” she says.

“We look at the animal holistically and come up with a tailor-made healthcare plan.”

Schneider says that often something as common-place as an abscess with a cat can present with underlying questions.

“Why is this cat getting abscesses so often?’ Why do they fester rather than heal themselves?”

Schneider and her team will look at issues like nutrition and stress, factors that can easily impact on the immune system, before suggesting a course of treatment.

With vets under a lot of pressure these days to restrict the use of antibiotics there is a trend to look at other ways to bring about healing and Dr Schneider welcomes this.

“The wonderful thing about the therapies we have is that they are complementary by nature.

“They go together hand in hand when mainstream drugs are used.

“We get some fabulous results just by simply

Dr Lisa Schneider and patient: “We look at the animal holistically and come up with a tailor-made healthcare plan.”

changing an animal’s diet to include more wholesome, natural food and adding optimal amounts of various nutrients provided by some wonderful products.”

Acknowledging that these days a lot of younger vets are keen to embrace the sorts of treatments she offers, Schneider says there is still some resistance to change.

She is President of the Complementary Veterinary Medicine branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association.

The branch has 45 members and with interest steadily increasing from the veterinary fraternity she believes more vets will join in time.

“We must remember that vets are here to heal their patients.

“There’s been an underpinning fear of scientists that ‘have to understand and be able

to rationalise’ how a treatment works, while some of therapies we offer can’t fit into the scientific paradigm.

“The only way forward is for vets to respect the diversity of options increasingly sought.”

From having literally plied her treatments out of the boot of her car in 2003, Schneider has grown her practice steadily to the point where she now employs two vets and four support staff.

To cope with increasing demand a unique telephone and online service is offered. It works by connecting patient’s owner/guardian, their vet and Dr Schneider..

“The local vet will provide mainstream treatments while we assist with the complementary therapies. There are many vets we work with in this model and it really produces very positive outcomes.”

Schneider is also founder and current Chairperson of Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC) Wildlife Trust which aims to improve the well-being of New Zealand’s wildlife, animals and natural environment.

“I remember Al the Albatross who was brought in from the sea by a fishing crew. We put him in the oxygen chamber to aid recovery of his sore wing.

“He was with us for a few weeks then sent to Auckland Zoo before being released back into the wild.”

While having her feet planted firmly on the ground, the busy vet says that she also has big dreams to one day see a purpose-built “Eco Village” - eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable - to house ARRC’s operations, an Education Facility and other like-minded businesses and organisations.

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Business North

SUSTAINABILITY » Mela

WINE INDUSTRY » Ash Ridge Wines

|9

Juice company going from strength to strength Karen Phelps New branding has resulted in a 30-40% boost in profits for Mela apple juice company with no additional marketing, says company general manager Brian Belluomini.

“The new brand stands out on supermarket shelves and suits the modern sophisticated market we are aiming our products at,” he says.

The company was formed by orchardists Andrew and Sue Wright in 2004.

The Wrights had been growing pip and stone fruit since 1987 and although their fruit growing was geared to the export market a vast quantity of fruit was unable to be sold due to small imperfections.

“The only option at that time was to sell this imperfect fruit to ENZA Processors for four cents kilo, then freight it to Hawke’s Bay where it was processed into a low value apple juice concentrate and traded on the world’s commodity market.

“This was not sound business practice as the cost of freighting virtually wiped out any profit,” explains Belluomini.

The Wrights were convinced that there would be a strong market for high quality apple juice utilising their fruit and started production of apple juice and cider vinegar on a small, ancient juice plant from a disused packing shed.

Three years later they made the decision to stop being orchardists altogether when Mela took off.

Belluomini says it wasn’t a difficult transition.

“We took over a few accounts from the guy we bought the original juice press off which gave us an immediate market to build on. Then it was just a matter of doing the footwork to get more customers,” he says.

Mela has since expanded its juice product profile to include mixed juice products, with apple as the base, to meet the demands of the market place. All product is pressed from 100% New Zealand apples.

Boutique vineyard finds a niche Sue Russell

Mela juice - snappy new branding.

The company’s main point of difference is the fact that it presses single-origin apple juices separately.

Belluomini says that the decision is good sense as the current trend among the food conscious and interested consumers is to know where and what they are consuming.

Varieties offered are granny smith, pacific rose, braeburn and royal gala. The new branding design has placed emphasis on these fruits and each label is designed with a graphic of the individual apple as well as a story about the origin of each variety.

The company sells its own branded product to wholesales and retailers including Foodstuffs and New World as well as smaller retailers such as Nosh, Farro Fresh and Moore Wilson.

It also presses small and large amounts of apples for individual customers for customerbranded products.

Based in the Wairarapa, Belluomini says that Mela has been established as a business that cares about what it produces.

“It would be lot more cost efficient to press all the apples we receive and make a blend but we like the different flavours of our juice and treat our raw materials in a responsible way.

“All our by-product (apple pulp) is taken away by local farmers and added to their farm feed program,” he says.

“Our cider vinegar is naturally fermented on site from 100% apples, no additions of any sort.

“We have also been finishing off quantities of our vinegar in oak barrels. This has completely changed the nature of these small batches of vinegar. It has taken on a beautiful deep red/brown colour and has mellowed in punch, but increased in acid strength. Observing other cider vinegars on the market, we have found none to compare with this new addition.”

He says that by maintaining a small staff the company is able to deal directly with clients and build strong, long lasting relationships. This year Mela plans to develop more whole fruit juice flavours as well as investigate export markets.

Aspiring to produce very special wine reflecting the area from which it originates has led Chris and Sonya Wilcock to establish Ash Ridge Wines, their boutique vineyard and winery nestled on Hawke’s Bay’s Heretaunga Plains.

After many years spent working overseas, they established Ash Ridge Wines in 2005 by planting the vineyard.

Chris Wilcock says all the hard work put in to nurture the vines on the red-metal soil, laid down over thousands of years, has been rewarded already with excellent Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc vintages.

“We have the ideal combination of a little bit of top-soil, free draining sub-soil, and very warm weather. It’s difficult to describe the quality of our Syrah, which we have become noted for. It’s a sense of place more than anything – elegant, floral and rich,” he says.

With the oldest vines only nine years old.

Chris says the vineyard is just waking up to its full potential. “Australia has vines that are 150 years old. It comes down to vine health and ever since our vines were planted, we have taken very special care of them.”

The Ash Ridge wines are fermented and then matured in oak barrels, unlike the more conventional large-scale wine production methods using stainless steel tanks.

This is all in keeping with the traditional, handson wine-making philosophy the Wilcock’s and their team have remained loyal to.

Winter months are busy pruning the vines and preparing the wine for bottling; part of the great rhythm and flow of life centred around the annual wine-making cycle the Wilcock’s so enjoy.

“I enjoy the whole process from soil to the bottle; there isn’t really a break.”

For those with the time to take a more sedate route around the vineyards in the district, the Wilcocks operate ‘On Yer Bike Winery Tours’, an existing business they bought just over two years ago. The idea of biking, visiting vineyards and tasting wines on offer has proven popular.

“We took over the business which was already well-patronised from a couple who wanted to retire. We’ve put our own little angle on things, and, especially over summer, business is busy.”

Chris sees far more opportunities than threats presenting for wine-makers in the Hawke’s Bay and throughout New Zealand. China in particular presents as a country with huge potential to increase imports of New Zealand reds.

“In China the bulk of all wine consumed is red.

Given Hawke’s Bay produces premium Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, we are well positioned to supply this rapidly growing market.”

Hawke’s Bay WineGrowers, of which Chris is a board member, is intent on developing Hawke’s Bay as a premium wine producing brand, something Chris says offers an excellent opportunity in China.

Ash Ridge Wines opened a new boutique winery in January this year. A visit to the tasting room at the ‘Cellar Door’ - located in three acres of olives - is not only an opportunity to taste the wines on offer, but also to enjoy the stunning scenery.

The couple have also recently partnered with distributors MacVine International, who have a premium sales team extending all over New Zealand.

“We’re very keen to have our wines available throughout the country. We’re very proud of what we produce and the exceptional quality from our relatively young vines.”

Rob Matheson Fabricators congratulations to Chris and the team at Ash Ridge Wines We specialize in the manufacture of stainless steel wine and beer tanks and fermentors up to 20,000 ltrs, sharp prices on tank lots, (more than 2) attention to detail and client requirements, High standard of workmanship, We can arrange delivery anywhere in NZ.

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10 |

ENGINEERING » Buckley Systems

Business North

Kiwi company leading the world Sue Russell It’s not too long into the phone conversation with engineer, entrepreneur and avid speedway ‘junkie’ Bill Buckley that you sense the energy behind the self-made man; he’s far less a talker than he is a doer.

Founder of Buckley Systems Ltd a Mt Wellington based world-leading New Zealand company, which, put simply, ‘makes cool stuff’ is working just as hard now in his early 70’s than when he first formed the company in 1986. He regularly puts in 50-hour weeks at the factory and doesn’t have any plans to slow down in the near future.

As a school leaver Buckley headed straight into engineering, cutting his teeth and gaining his apprenticeship in the shipbuilding industry.

Decades later, he’s just as enamoured by and at home among the smart machines his company builds on the workshop floor.

Buckley Systems Ltd isn’t likely to be a household name here, but there is every chance that in almost every New Zealand home the products the company manufactures are the building blocks of the latest piece of savvy 21st century technology to be found.

Out of what is New Zealand’s largest machine shop - spread over several buildings in Mt Wellington - the company’s team of skilled machinists, engineers and ‘out of the box thinkers’ are responsible for making the machines that, among other purposes, make about 80% of the world’s silicon chips.

Then there are a range of other machines that sport titles a bit baffling for most of us - charged particle beam line systems, high vacuum equipment (used in the ion implant industry) as well as cancer treatment systems, border security technologies, photovoltaic systems and particle accelerators supporting physics research.

Buckley is a humble man, too busy doing to dwell for long on what has been achieved.

The company is the recipient of several national and international awards including in 2013 the NZ International Business Award for ‘International Success through the Application of Innovation’.

In 2011 he was awarded the Ernst & Young ‘NZ Entrepreneur of the Year’, but most importantly he’s very proud of his team on the shop-floor.

He is happiest in among the workshop daily

Bill Buckley: enjoying keeping his engineering business at the forefront of the technology sector.

grind and thinks it’s the best place for him to pass on some of his skills and thinking to the next generation of engineer.

“I could be up in the office I suppose doing the admin stuff but there are much better people than me at managing those things,” he reflects.

Demand for silicon chip manufacture is down a bit these days, Buckley says.

“They haven’t identified many new products to make using silicon technology, following the explosion a few years back of the IPAD, flat-screen TV, toy world applications by companies like Samsung, Apple and Motorola, so more recently we’ve got into the medical cancer treatment technologies.”

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Business North

ENGINEERING » Buckley Systems

| 11

At its workshop in Mt Wellington Buckley Systems makes the electro-magnetic machines that are used to make about 80% of the world’s silicon chips.

By this Buckley is talking about making the magnets used in all areas of cancer treatment for Photon and Proton therapy.

Acknowledging the company is one of the heaviest metal removers in the world, annually ingesting up to 10,000 tonnes of steel into the machines it makes, Buckley is not one to rest on his laurels.

He is constantly looking for new markets as attested by a recent trip to Canada where he bought into engineering design company D-Pace. Buckley says the investment was an opportunity to support that company’s continued development and “to secure a position higher up the food-chain”.

When asked about the key attributes that go into making a fine and imaginative engineer Buckley says he sees the same set of skills in young kids who ride motor-cross or speedway, “You’ve got to think quick. It’s very similar to racing where you’ve got to perceive and react quickly and especially carry a vision.

They’re the most important attributes.”

With this in mind, it makes perfect sense that on any given Sunday Bill Buckley - a man whose company is in the centre of the world’s technology stage - can be found behind the wheel of his grader, preparing the track at Western Springs Speedway for another days racing.

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12 |

ENGINEERING » Hendl & Murray Engineering

Business North

Dairy industry boom drives growth Karen Phelps

Hendl & Murray Engineering specialises in the design, fabrication and installation of a range of stainless steel vessels and manufacturing equipment.

The only thing halting the growth of Hamiltonbased company Hendl & Murray Engineering is the difficulty in obtaining enough skilled staff.

This has led the company to undertake a proactive drive to recruit new apprentices to train to meet the skill shortage.

“We have developed our own training programme to bring on young people and we are actively recruiting all the time,” says one of the company’s directors Ron Hendl.

Operating from a 3000sqm workshop facility in Hamilton, Hendl & Murray Engineering specialises in the design, fabrication and installation of stainless steel vessels and equipment providing manufacturing and engineering solutions to the dairy, food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.

Although in the past a considerable proportion of the company’s work has been for international customers, Hendl says that the company is currently being kept busy with demand from New Zealand, in particular the dairy industry.

It has just completed work on Fonterra’s new ultra high temperature milk factory at Waitoa which saw Hendl & Murray Engineering construct a pipe bridge over 100 metres long.

“The bridge carries services from the energy centre to the production plant and contains many different pipes to deliver different services such as water, steam etc,” says Hendl.

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Business North

ENGINEERING » Hendl & Murray Engineering

| 13

“We pre-loaded pipework in 30 metre sections at our factory then transported these to site, erected and connected them. It was a complex project we delivered on time and on budget.”

The project is typical of others Hendl & Murray Engineering has completed for Fonterra in the past and other companies such as Dairy Goat Cooperative and Tatua CoOperative Dairy Company.

Hendl & Murray Engineering works in all grades of stainless steel meeting exacting specifications and demanding hygiene standards.

The company is committed to all aspects of quality and achieved accreditation under the ISO 9002 quality system in 1994.

This system has since been developed into what is now the company’s current in-house quality system with its own dedicated staff member.

“We operate within three levels of quality control to suit our customers’ requirements,” explains Hendl.

“Quality level one, where documentation requirements are low (smaller items); quality level two, where formal documentation and a summarised quality/handover package is required; and quality level three, where quality procedures need to be customised to suit a specific job with a inspection test plan (ITP) produced, possibly together with third party inspection and NDT requirements (eg coded vessels).”

Hendl & Murray Engineering has also recently invested heavily in new equipment to speed up production and further enhance quality levels.

This investment includes a glass bead blasting facility which has done away with the need for the use of toxic chemicals to clean

• To page 15

Hendl & Murray has purchased a new flanging machine to roll the radius onto cones and domes for the tops and bottoms of silos.

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With a business relationship that dates back over half a decade, Trans Ocean Developments supply Hendl and Murray with high quality Migatronic MIG, TIG, and Plasma welding equipment. In addition, Trans Ocean has recently installed a new ‘state of the art’ Migatronic seam welding system with an integrated melt-view welding camera to constantly monitor weld quality.

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14 |

ENGINEERING » Hendl & Murray Engineering

Business North

From its headquarters in Hamilton, Hendl & Murray Engineering also offers customers mechanical design, utilising an in-house design/drafting team operating Auto CAD 2D and 3D Auto Desk Inventor.

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ENGINEERING » Hendl & Murray Engineering / R & H Engineering

Business North

| 15

Dairy boom drives growth • From page 13 up welds as well as completing the job faster, says Hendl.

“With the glass bead blasting facility glass beads are blasted onto the weld – much like sandblasting – to clean it up,” he says.

“This process results in a very uniform clean weld.”

Another recent addition is a plasma beam welder; a piece of equipment Hendl believes is unique in New Zealand.

The welder can elevate up to five metres in height and rotate. It has been used to weld seams on silos and gives a much more consistent weld finish, says Hendl.

“Because a lot less heat has to be applied to weld using this process it doesn’t weaken the material as much resulting in a much stronger weld,” says Hendl.

“We have developed our own training programme to bring on young people and we are actively recruiting all the time.”

“It’s also about three to four times faster than dual welding seams by hand.”

A new flanging machine has also been recently purchased to roll the radius onto cones and domes for the tops and bottoms of silos.

“It will tackle up to 16mm thick stainless steel and up to five metres in diameter.

“This means we can now roll heavier material and achieve bigger radiuses than before,” says Hendl.

From its headquarters in Hamilton Hendl & Murray Engineering also offers customers mechanical design, utilising an in-house design/ drafting team operating Auto CAD 2D and 3D Auto Desk Inventor.

It is part of the complete service offered from project evaluation, equipment specification, project management, installation and commissioning.

Hendl & Murray Engineering can trace its roots back to 1976 when Ron Hendl founded the business on the back of 17 years with the NZ Co-operative Dairy Co as a maintenance engineer.

Hendl says that the company has built its success on responding quickly to changing industry demands and with more tradespeople coming on board he hopes the company can continue to grow in the New Zealand market and abroad.

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INVERCARGILL • DUNEDIN • CHRISTCHURCH • ROTORUA

R&H thriving on flexibility Kelly Deeks Auckland’s R&H Engineering says it can do almost anything with steel, and with extensive manufacturing experience in agriculture, architecture, construction, stainless steel, and even outdoor furniture, the company delivers superior engineering projects of any size, on time and on budget.

The company’s history dates back to 1979, then known as Robertson & Hodges General Engineers, which quickly established a reputation for top quality service within the local industry.

Over the years R&H Engineering has gradually moved away from machine shop work to become a more flexible fabrication engineering service provider.

Since 2006 R&H Engineering has been a family business owned by Julie Light, and managed by her son Simon, who is also supported in the workshop by his brother Tim and a loyal team of engineers.

Simon Light has a nearly 20-year history with the company, completing his apprenticeship there at age 19, and working there on and off before coming back to manage the business in 2006.

Some of R&H Engineering’s staff have also been with the company for more than 10 years, and this provides clients with a consistent level of service.

Five of the staff are qualified engineers, and one is a third year apprentice who will qualify before the end of this year.

Julie Light says R&H Engineering supports the

youth of New Zealand, and has had as many as three apprentices at various levels on the shop floor at one time.

“Simon likes to train up his own apprentices,” she says. “He looks at the big picture, and teaches that to his apprentices, giving them that all-round experience. One of our apprentices, Salis, started here aged 16 on work experience, he’s now 24 and is our workshop manager.”

Flexibility is the order of the day at R&H Engineering, and while the company has a strong agricultural client base, this sector is currently being matched by a large demand for structural and stainless steel.

“As a general engineering company, we never know what we are going to be asked to supply or manufacture next,” Light says.

“We thrive on this flexibility and a genuine fair and can-do attitude, aiming to be the preferred engineering company to all our clients old and knew.

“From supplying a piece of mild steel to designing and building agricultural machinery, diversity is our name and positive is our nature.”

One of R&H Engineering’s biggest customers is specialist parks, turf, and facilities management and maintenance company Recreational Services, which Light says is a vibrant company and very big on having the right machinery.

Machines like sand spreaders, hoppers, and levelers have been designed and built by R&H Engineering for Recreational Services. New trucks and machinery are regularly being customised to suit their requirements.

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16 |

ENGINEERING » Page Macrae Engineering

Business North

Heavy-weight firm earns its stripes Sue Russell When it comes to being a ‘heavy-weight’ in the heavy engineering industry in the Bay of Plenty, Page Macrae Engineering has earned its stripes.

General manager, Mike Lehan who joined the company in 1999 says the company’s success simply comes down to doing the basics right.

“We have a lot of long-term employees. I’m talking 20-years plus with the company and when you have this depth of experience and skill in your team, then projects just get done well,” he says.

It’s been an exciting growth period for the company as it continues to take on a diverse number of large-scale projects servicing the Bay of Plenty and further afield.

“We have a permanent staff of between 160 to 180 and a core of solid contractors that we can draw on who understand our company culture and standards.”

Page Macrae handles a wide variety of projects, including design, heavy fabrication, pipe spooling, storage tank construction, fabrication of stainless steel as well as on-site installation and project management. It has completed a large range of complex engineering projects in industries as diverse as power generation, petrochemicals, pulp and paper, food processing and materials handling.

“We pride ourselves on working innovatively and thinking outside the square. The projects we take on often have an aspect of difficulty to them and we relish this,” says Lehan.

The company provides fertile ground for young apprentices to cut their teeth and hone their skill set in the realities of working in heavy engineering.

The Page Macrae Apprenticeship Programme runs alongside Competenz ensuring that all the company’s apprentices, regardless of their specialty become quality trades people.

The company currently has 18 engineering apprentices. It puts a lot of emphasis on this and have a minimum of 10% in training at any time.

An intensive project last year involved welding 90mm thick sections of the tunnel boring machine used on the Waterview Tunnel in Auckland.

“We were contracted by McConnell Dowell to assist in assembling the machine.

“To achieve this in time we had a large crew working in shifts around the clock, seven days a week, day in, day out.

0800 527 370 (0800 LASER0) Fax 07 543 3481 162 Whakakake Street, Tauriko PO Box 3043, Greerton 3142 Tauranga www.lasertek.co.nz

Page Macrae Engineering has just completed the construction of the Te Mihi geothermal power station.

“Another project we have just completed is the construction of the Te Mihi geothermal power station for Contact Energy which involved 180 people and stretched over two years.

“This was a high profile job for Page Macrae and comes off the back of two other geothermal stations built for Mighty River Power - we are very proud of this achievement.”

Located just a few kilometres from New

Zealand’s busiest port at Tauranga, Page Macrae has become an experts in the designing, manufacturing and repair of cargo handling equipment.

A visit in 2012 by Minister of Energy and Resources Simon Bridges gave the company with the chance to show-case its facilities and staff .

“He was really interested in the projects we were working on including the Container Spreaders, specialised container lifting technologies we build,” says Lehan.

While business is good he acknowledges the strong NZ dollar is having some effect on overseas exports.

“We have muddled through so far, but if it continues we’ll come under increasing pressure.

“We have lost business to Europe over the last 12 – 18 months.”

Page Macrae is a major player at a community level as well. The company supports a number of community projects and initiatives.

These include sponsorship of the Innovative in Export regional award, the Bay of Plenty Steamers Rugby Club, Trust Power Rescue Helicopter, and Otumoetai College’s internationally recognised Robotics team along with supporting staff and their families by sponsoring various sporting and team activities.

• Site • Transport • Industrial • Marine • Blast & Paint Specialists • Soda Blasting Proud to Support Page Macrae Engineering info@taurangasandblasting.co.nz Phone/Fax

07 574 0339

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“No Job Too Big or Too Small”

Business North

ENGINEERING » Connett Engineering

| 17

New CNC machine adds to capacity Sue Russell A brand new and large CNC machining centre, due to arrive from Taiwan onto the workshop floor at Connett Engineering in Bell Block New Plymouth, is causing quite a stir.

Workshop coordinator Ray Maddaford says the 35-tonne double column machine will greatly expand the company’s machine shop capabilities, keeping it very competitive with other engineering firms in the area.

“This machine is the largest of its type in our part of the North Island,” says Maddaford.

“It can take a weight of 11 tonne and given its dimensions will greatly add to our machining capacity.

“There are a couple of similar machines in the district but neither comes fitted with a CNC system,” he says.

So big is the machine, that it’s hard to get a sense of it from the brochure the company has produced so Connett Engineering is considering inviting potential and existing customers to an unveiling day.

“It’s something we’re thinking about doing because to really get your head around just how versatile this machine and its capabilities are is best done by seeing it. It can duplicate anything that a CNC mill can do, with the advantage of the 11-tonne work piece maximum capacity.”

The Kao Ming tooling machine has a table working surface of 3230mm by 1800mm between its two columns. Because of the machines weight and footprint, substantial concrete foundations are required.

Maddaford says it is important in engineering to never rest on your laurels.

“In engineering you can’t stand still. You have to keep up with the market and with this new technology on board Connett Engineering will be able to offer existing and future clients much greater local choice.”

The company already has two CNC mills and three CNC lathes though these will soon be dwarfed when ‘big brother’, standing at 5 metres tall, arrives.

Connett Engineering is owned by Peter and Dale Coster who bought the business in 1993. Since then they’ve grown it from employing one full-time engineer to its current nine.

Moving to purpose-built premises in November 2011 signalled a new chapter in the company’s evolution, something Dale Coster says has really made a difference to its capacity.

“A large percentage of our clients are company’s servicing the oil and gas industry.

“We manufacture tools for onshore and offshore work, and carry out repairs as well as prototype requirements,” she says.

While acknowledging that the engineering industry is very competitive, the Costers know they are lucky to have an excellent professional team of well trained staff working for them.

“They continually reinforce our solid reputation for achieving consistently first class work,” says Dale Coster.

She says good support from the company’s bank manager Mark Lundt from Westpac along with Price Waterhouse Coopers Accountancy, made it possible for the firm to proceed with buying the new tooling machine.

Connett Engineering manufactures a wide range of tools and equipment.

She says giving back to the industry is something they are putting good energy into.

Connett Engineering employs two apprentices and Peter Coster likes to spend as much time as he can teaching and sharing the skills he has learnt over the decades.

“That’s a philosophy he has, about giving back to an industry that has been good to him and to

us and it is something we gain a lot of satisfaction from. Our apprentices get a really solid grounding in all aspects of the machining business and there’s plenty of variety in their day.”

The Costers’ son Jared is also fully involved in the business. The qualified tool maker/machinist is mentor to the apprentices, teaching them to use all the machines the company operates.

The team at

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18 |

Business North

ENGINEERING » Steelfort Engineering

Company future-proofed for success Sue Russell Second generation Palmerston North business Steelfort Engineering has structured itself to continue to evolve well into the future.

Managing director John McOviney, son of founder Frank McOviney, an immigrant who came to New Zealand from Croatia, says the decision to devolve operational decision-making to an experienced team of strategic managers is all about future-proofing the business.

“I don’t micro-manage my senior people. My role is to find the appropriate managers, put the square pegs in square holes by appointing key staff to manage their departments. We’ve worked this model for about 15 years; it’s all about empowerment,” McOviney says.

Balancing this, McOviney’s door is always open when the managers need to get his view-point.

The company began in 1946 fabricating stainless steel sink bowls for Terrazzo bench tops.

Those first three tradesmen went on to stay with the company for all their working life and pioneered what has become a core strength of the business; retaining highly qualified and motivated staff for long periods of time.

“I would say that about 50-60% of our 120 employees have been with us 20 years or more and that’s added much knowledge and experience to our productivity. We’re a family business and we tend to try to have a different slant on things. This trickles down to everyone working here.”

Steelfort Engineering Ltd is in the business of manufacturing and distributing outdoor power equipment, and business has been thriving lately, as manufacturing generally across the country bounces back from the global financial crisis.

“We are the only company now manufacturing lawnmowers in New Zealand and, if the grass is growing out there, then we’re busy,” he says.

Steelfort Engineering is in the business of manufacturing and distributing outdoor power equipment.

“The last couple of years with warmer winters have meant that our traditional seasonal sales cycles have increased to the point where we’re now selling product most of the year round.”

While the whole manufacturing operation is based on the one site in Palmerston North the company has national representation with sales people in Auckland, Hamilton, Hawkes-Bay and the South Island.

McOviney says one of the reasons why the company has been able to grow is that it has gone to great lengths over the years to operate without significant debt.

“I have had times of big indebtedness, but they are past.

“I believe most really successful organisations don’t have huge amounts of debt.”

The company exports its lawn and garden products to Australia, Western Europe and even some to Asia.

However it also supports its manufacturing programme with globally recognised products including ride-on mowers, radio controlled slope mowers and garden power equipment.

Steelfort Engineering also imports the WORX

and ICON brand of power-tools supplied exclusively through Mitre 10.

Reflecting on the competitive nature of the business his company is in, McOviney says China is very much our greatest competition and will be for years to come.

“Anything that comes out of Japan now is high quality and the same thing is starting to happen in China but that will take a few years to fully evolve,” he says.

Women are active in the company as well.

One of McOviney’s four daughters, Melanie sits on the management group and though she lives in Auckland her input and experience is something he greatly values.

“With the structures we have put in place, it’s reassuring to know that I could be away from the business on a break and everything would continue as normal.

“And that’s a good place to be at my stage in life,” says McOviney.

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DEVELOPMENT » Hopper Developments

Business North

| 19

Pauanui Waterways is an established marine life-style community on Coromandel’s east coast.

Developer pioneers waterway living Sue Russell Land development company Hopper Developments, a second generation company based in Orewa, is responsible for pioneering marine and canal coastal residential living in New Zealand.

Company chief executive and managing director Leigh Hopper says the development of three waterway communities in Pauanui, Whitianga and more recently in Marsden Cove has set a high benchmark in terms of what can be achieved when coastal water and land meet in a residential environment.

“New Zealand is a nation of boat and water sport enthusiasts,” hopper says.

“When we began developing Pauanui Waterways in the early 1990’s it was a bit of a punt but we had a clear vision of an exceptional life-style product to bring to this country.’

Pauanui Waterways is an established marine life-style community on Coromandel’s east coast.

Of the initial 250 Lots formed around man-made canals, water inlets and beaches, only 44 recently developed sites remain for sale.

Hopper says Pauanui has achieved and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

“Pauanui introduced water into private properties and accorded the public right of access to them as well. What is unique is the quality of the environment. We established management plans to ensure water quality remains pristine.”

While it may seem surprising that boats, boaties, swimmers, kayakers and water sport lovers can co-exist happily enjoying the same body of water,

PLANNERS

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Hopper says this comes down to setting in place some simple community protocols.

“Boaties give way to swimmers, the maximum speed for boats in the canals is 3 knots, no discharge is allowed from the boats, or fish cleaned.”

Whitianga Waterways departs somewhat from its older sibling project due to its size and the extent to which it has embraced a total development of a marine precinct. When completed Whitianga Waterways will house over 1300 Lots.

“It’s a major comprehensive development, including an airstrip, a marine precinct including a bulk retail development and a mixed-use retail area.

A large retirement village has been consented and a hotel planned,” Hopper explains.

Marsden Cove is special in other ways and encompasses a 230-berth marina.

Some existing and future waterfront lots are accessed through a water lock where the boats moored experience a tidal range of a metre rather than the natural three metre tide.

Pauanui Waterways was the first project of its kind in New Zealand to come under the Resource Management Act. Hopper says the Act cleared the air from the unwieldy and dysfunctional old Town and Country Planning Act. “The RMS was an enabling piece of legislation when it was first enacted. Since this time it has undergone several reviews and while the nature of the act was enabling, in fact what has happened as it has evolved is quite the opposite.”

Hopper says any project these days which proposes changes to the physical nature of the land comes under the scrutiny of a limitless body of science.

SURVEYORS

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He describes it as the dilemma of an endless amount of information that can so easily be accessed to argue against a proposal, causing a “massive slowing down and sometimes complete halt” in a consenting application and adding huge costs to the process – one of the base causes for rising land costs.

“When we built Pauanui Waterways the project had eight resource consents to work with. With Whitianga we had exactly the same physical issues but resource consents climbed to 20 and with Marsden Cove that number has jumped to 34.”

Maygrove Village, another Hopper Developments

project, located near the upper reaches of the Orewa estuary has been designed with the retired in mind; crammed full of facilities that encourage an active lifestyle.

Leigh Hopper has been around the construction business all his life. These days daughter Shana and son Gray are part of the next generation bringing their own visions and skills into the mix at Hopper Developments, something the head of the company welcomes.

“It’s important to be open to new thinking. The younger generation have the skills and disciplines to thrive in an increasingly complex world.”

Atlas Concrete is proud to be associated with Hopper Developments We pride ourselves on engaging in a genuine partnership with our clients. We appreciate the loyalty of our clients in the expectations of a lasting beneficial association

09 486 3333

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www.atlasconcrete.co.nz

ENGINEERS

Cato Bolam are proud to be on the Hopper Development team If you are you thinking of subdividing we’d love to work with you too Call the land development experts for a free initial consultation Whangarei 127 Bank Street 09 438 1684

Orewa 19 Tamariki Ave 09 427 0072

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20 |

DEVELOPMENT » OFC Sports Complex

Business North

The 7-hectare St Johns site will be transformed with two full-size artificial turf football fields, two artificial turf practice pitches, flood lighting, changing facilities and associated roading and car parks.

Construction begins on OFC complex Karen Phelps Construction has started on Stage 1 of a significant project by Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), which aims to create a regional base for football in New Zealand.

Located at Ngahue Reserve in St Johns, Auckland, the 7-hectare site will be transformed into two full-size artificial turf football fields, two artificial turf practice pitches, flood lighting, changing facilities and associated roading and car parks. Stage 2 of the project will comprise Oceania Football Confederation and FIFA’s new community sports complex.

Incorporated into the design is a full-scale gymnasium, Futsal arena, offices and food and beverage outlets. The complex will provide youth with the facilities for tournaments, team development, personal fitness and highperformance training development.

Emily Oakley, design manager for Three Dimension Consultants, the company responsible for the design and project management, says that a major challenge has been that the complex is being constructed over an ex-landfill.

After completion of mining it was taken over by Auckland Council as a clean-fill dumping site during the mid-1980’s. The past four years has seen OFC and Three Dimension Consultants working with the various council departments to find a way to successfully develop the problematic site into a community facility.

“It was definitely a challenge to make use of a site that was previously un-useable,” says Oakley.

“We’ve had to work closely with geotechnical, civil and structural engineers as well as Auckland Council. Extensive geotechnical and gas tests were undertaken to ensure no contamination and on-going monitoring is taking place.”

A sustainable storm-water and drainage system has been designed to run throughout the entire site, while the buildings have been designed to be lightweight with special foundations that do not penetrate the landfill cap.

“The project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of OFC and all consultants working closely together to achieve the end result.”

As part of its land lease agreement with the Auckland City Council, the OFC will maintain all private drainage networks within the site, wetlands, car-parking areas, grounds and artificial turf fields.

The community sports complex will feature state-of-the-art facilities.

The OFC complex will be the hub for football development in the region.

“It will be a valuable addition to the area which also includes Auckland Netball Centre, Scarborough Tennis Centre, the Colin Maiden Rugby Club and Auckland Cricket Club.”

The OFC and Auckland City Council have allocated time for community usage for the fields.

Brand new state-of-the-art artificial surfaces and shockpads from Taishan Sports, a FIFA accredited supplier, and specialised rubber granules from Malaysia will mean the sports fields will be able to be utilised year round. The sports fields are being supplied and built by Green Turf New Zealand.

The OFC is charged with the task of servicing and administering football in the Oceania region while also using the game as a tool for social development.

It is the smallest of the world’s six football confederations but is an active participant within the FIFA football community. It has 11 member associations which it supports financially and

logistically through various programmes.

Oakley says that as St Johns is a growing community, home to the Mt Wellington Quarry housing development and associated business areas, the community sports complex will encourage users of all ages.

“It will be a valuable addition to the area which also includes Auckland Netball Centre, Scarborough Tennis Centre, the Colin Maiden Rugby Club and Auckland Cricket Club.”

Stage 1 of the project is due for completion late July 2014. Three Dimension Consultants is presently going through the resource and building consent process for Stage 2 of the project, construction of which is due for completion in March next year.

Seismic assessments keep firm busy In the wake of recent legislative changes following the Christchurch earthquakes Ian Smith Project Services has expanded into the Wellington market as demand has grown for the company’s services, particularly around seismic strengthening.

“The 2004 Building Act requires all Territorial Authorities throughout New Zealand to adopt policies by 2006 for inspection and review of all commercial buildings for design strength to prove they were better than 33% of the new building code,” explains Ian Smith Project Services business manager Peter Martyn.

“Prior to 2006 such policies were voluntary.

By 2010 most Territorial Authorities had instituted the compulsory policies and this generated engineering reports by Territorial Authorities and by owner’s engineers but not much else had been achieved in practice.

“In 2013 assessment was made compulsory for all commercial buildings and multi-occupancy residential buildings within the next five years with any strengthening to be done in a further 15 years.

“The exception to this is buildings with historic categorisation.”

Ian Smith Project Services has been busy with seismic assessment work from Initial Evaluation Procedure (IEP)/Initial Seismic Assessment (ISA) to Detailed Engineering Evaluation (DEE)/Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA), Pushover Analysis on high-rise buildings plus detailed strengthening design as required.

The company has specialised in assessment and upgrading of existing buildings whether it be for improvement of amenity or a matter of strengthening because a building is not up to present day standard for earthquakes.

Martyn says that seismic assessments are important for building owners wanting to sell and those wanting to tenant their buildings.

He says that to do nothing runs the risk of another Christchurch with some buildings there that were not strengthened, now being a total loss and being demolished.

Ian Smith Project Services specialises in the seismic assessment and upgrading of existing buildings.

The company’s testing and analysis can show that the buildings do not require to be on an Earthquake Prone Building register or provide the most cost-effective way for the building owners to strengthen their buildings so that they will meet the criteria now required as a percentage of NBS (New Building Standard).

The company has a long history of involvement in strengthening work and also new design work.

Offices in Taupo and Wellington

Consulting Structural Engineers Earthquake Risk Analysts New Building Design Strengthening Designs

E. ian@isps.co.nz

Over the years it has been associated with some well- known prestigious buildings including the BNZ Tower, Woodward House, Fay Richwhite building, Old Public Trust Building, Ferry building, old Customhouse building, Intercontinental Hotel, Knoll Ridge Café and, most recently, with the new OFC Sports Complex in Auckland.

Based in Taupo and Wellington the firm employs 20 staff and is experienced in both

implementing, upgrading and strengthening existing buildings and new building design.

Ian Smith Project Services works from value engineering to contract administration for commercial, institutional and residential clients providing full design documentation plus independent peer reviews for structural design.

The company’s expertise means that it travels to undertake work all over New Zealand.

Ian Smith Project Services Ltd is a dynamic and experienced New Zealand - based firm of consulting engineers and project managers skilled in implementing new projects and upgrading and altering existing buildings. The firm works from value engineering to contract administration for commercial, institutional and residential clients and provides full design documentation of new works. ISPS also provides independent peer reviews of structural and carries out post - earthquake inspections plus investigations for building reports, including design work of reconstruction following fire and earthquake damage. We also do minor works soil investigations.

Ph. 0800 477 748

www.isps.co.nz

Proud to be associated with the OFC Sports Complex in Auckland

22 |

Business North

AUTOMOTIVE » Giltrap Prestige

Giltrap opens new VW workshop Karen Phelps Giltrap Prestige has opened a new workshop called Giltrap Volkswagen Botany to service the company’s growing South Auckland customer base.

Christopher Gunn, marketing assistant for Giltrap Group, says the demand for servicing has come on the back of the company experiencing sustained periods of growth over all brands due to New Zealand’s active market for premium car brands.

Giltrap Prestige also represents the Porsche and Bentley brands from its showroom in Grey Lynn, Auckland.

Giltrap Volkswagen Botany offers genuine Volkswagen parts and specially trained technicians.

Gunn says the satellite service site is the result of the company’s focus on servicing the customer beyond the initial sale.

“We specialise in servicing the brands as much as in sales. We aim to develop long-term relationships with our customers so that we know them, their car and can offer them the best service,” he explains.

“We have 16 hoists available in a facility of more than 1000sqm, and five technicians, who are all trained and attuned to the Volkswagen environment.

“Our team is in direct contact with the overseas factory about any issues that they detect with stateof-the-art computer diagnostic tools.”

The Botany site’s services include warrants, servicing, parts, modifications and recalls.

Gunn says that Giltrap Volkswagen Botany will also fuel the demand for specialty enhancements executed by professionals.

“Our technicians will also be responsible for special projects and limited edition vehicles that will come straight to us from Europe and will be modified on site,” he says.

The move is appropriate as Volkswagen is celebrating 60 years in New Zealand this year, says Gunn. Giltrap Prestige has offered the brand since 1977 and it has been an important part of the company growth, he says.

Volkswagen is celebrating its many successful years of operation in New Zealand with www. thepeoplesfilm.co.nz, a project which enables Kiwis to submit their photos, video, VHS, 8mm, cinefilm, sildes or home movies of Volkswagen memories.

“Volkswagen is interested in the things people have done, the places they’ve been, and the fun they’ve had in their Volkswagen,” explains Gunn.

Giltrap Group is a family-owned New Zealand company that encompasses retail automotive importing, distributing, wholesaling, new and used sales, servicing and high-performance racing.

The Group had its beginnings in 1966 when owner Colin Giltrap started his first car dealership in Hamilton. Today Giltrap Group operates nine retail dealerships, representing 13 different brands and employing over 500 staff.

Giltrap Prestige is the company’s flagship dealership and offers quality new and used European vehicles and demonstrators and provides full service facilities and factory parts for its brands.

The company employs around 120 staff and has a dedicated service centre located in between the two dealerships to service all models as well as Lamborghini and Aston Martin.

Recent releases include the Porsche Macan, which Gunn describes as one of the most powerful compact SUVs on the market.

Bentley is also about to release the new Bentley Continental V8.

Gunn says the range takes advantage of Bentley’s advanced V8 platform resulting in marked improvements in performance alongside a sleeker, more sporting appearance.

Read More Online VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.waterfordpress.co.nz FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SEE OUR OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Business North

Looking sharp: the experienced team at Giltrap Volkswagen Botany - geared up to deliver all things Volkswagen.

AUTOMOTIVE Âť Giltrap Prestige

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24 |

BUILDING » Foley Construction / KiwispanNZ Wellington Kapiti Coast

Business North

Firm keeping pace with industry changes Kelly Deeks

A focus on craftsmanship Karen Phelps Foley Construction specialises in “things you can’t buy off the shelf”, says company director Glenn Foley.

“We specialise in bungalow and villa renovations which often means creating bespoke pieces – architraves, joinery, handrails etc – that you can’t buy in a shop,” he explains.

It is this focus on true craftsmanship that has seen the Auckland-based company grow since its beginnings in 2007. Although the company can build new homes, it is villa and bungalow renovations, which have seen the most demand due to the team’s expertise in working with a variety of materials and techniques traditionally used to build older homes. This requires the company to often come up with innovative approaches to replicate the look of an original piece in a home.

“We are experienced with renovation issues that other builders may not be aware of or know how to manage. We have previously used dinner plates to cut out circles of timber to get the look the customer wants. We are adaptable and nothing is too hard for us.”

Foley says the company’s approach of taking the time to do things properly so that the renovation will stand the test of time has proved popular.

Building strong relationships with clients is important – not only is Foley Construction working on their home the company is also working in the home and must ensure as little disruption to clients as possible during the building process.

The Foley Construction team is led by Foley, a New Zealand trade qualified carpenter.

The company is a member of Certified Builders, Site Safe and Hazard Co. “That’s why we can offer a quality guarantee on all our work including renovations, repairs, maintenance, extensions and alterations,” he says.

“We work with the best architects, designers, landscapers and sub-contractors to ensure the work is built to last.

“We’ll also manage the entire project so that it stays within budget and is built to the client’s exact specifications. Unlike other tradespeople we also clean up after ourselves so that the customer is not left with a mess.

“The team is on hand to support clients and everyone else working on the project. This reduces the likelihood of hold ups, mistakes and ultimately means a faster, easier and more enjoyable process for everyone involved.

“We also work closely with a number of high quality trade partners and will recommend the right trades person for the job, manage their time and oversee the quality of their work.”

Ben and Yvette Peterson are now working in a different market than when they took over the KiwiSpanNZ Wellington and Kapiti Coast dealership six years ago, then in the midst of the global recession and now an improving economy resulting in a more productive construction industry.

During that time, Peterson says they have developed their business and their processes in both administration and construction, and the company is now positioned extremely well to take on projects of more intensity and value.

Peterson has been working in the construction industry for more than 20 years, in various roles including on the tools and in management positions.

“With that experience comes knowledge of what is required in the building industry with regards to keeping up with the regular changes that happen as an ongoing process, and how to get business to move forward,” he says.

The Petersons were drawn to KiwiSpanNZ because of the quality of the product.

“This product is made by a New Zealand engineer for New Zealand conditions.

“The products they use aren’t second rate, and we use more steel in our buildings than the competition does.

“We engineer our buildings for 50 years of life-span, and not the 25 years that some other companies advertise.”

He says there is a reason KiwiSpanNZ doesn’t have a huge advertising budget.

“We would rather invest into the quality of product that goes into our buildings, so we can deliver a product we can be proud of and will stand the test of time,” he says.

KiwiSpanNZ Wellington and Kapiti Coast covers from Upper Hutt, across to Porirua, and as far north as Otaki. The company specialises in industrial and commercial construction projects, from concept to completion.

Peterson says one of KiwiSpanNZ Wellington and Kapiti Coast’s biggest areas of growth so far is from growing businesses looking to move from a lease situation to a situation where they own their own building, and it’s designed specifically for their needs.

“We do consultation with them, their staff, and their suppliers so we know how best to service their needs through the construction of their building.

“Their productivity becomes better or higher as a result of what we build.

“We invite business owners who are currently leasing to investigate the cost of owning their own building, rather than paying dead money to their landlord.

“In a lot of situations we have found that business owners are not paying much more to own their business premises, and in some cases it has been a cost saving.”

Two new KiwiSpanNZ buildings have just been completed at Kapiti Coast Airport business park Kapiti Landing, including a workshop and office for A Grade Automotive, and a showroom and internal fit out for Horowhenua Motor Company.

Peterson says he and Yvette’s vision is to give their clients the best product they can have.

KiwiSpan NZ Wellington specialises in industrial and commercial construction projects.

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Business North

BUILDING » Barfoote Construction

| 25

Business built on concrete and steel Karen Phelps Barfoote Construction specialises in any building and structure that incorporates a large amount of concrete and steel, says company director Trevor Barfoote.

At the company’s precast concrete and engineering facility in Whangarei it builds all the precast concrete and structural steel components required for a project then transports these to site.

With over 450sqm of steel casting tables and a 15-tonne overhead gantry crane with nine metres under the hook and 96 metres of travel the company can tackle large projects.

Barfoote Construction has a welding capacity for structural steel to 500 amps meaning it can handle very sizeable components.

The company has completed a wide variety of projects in New Zealand including warehouses, factories, office buildings and shopping complexes.

A recent project completed was a modification of a substation at Marsden Point for Transpower.

The $2.2 million project involved restructuring foundations to upgrade technology enabling Transpower to even out power flows.

Barfoote Construction had already completed a number of similar projects at Bream Bay and Maungatapere for Transpower.

“We offer one of the most modern facilities in Northland for manufacturing precast concrete and structural steel,” says Barfoote.

“As well as manufacturing and delivering the products to site our team can erect and fix them into place taking total ownership of this element of the project.

“This often results in better quality control and is more cost-effective for clients,” he says.

Now with around 30 years building experience under his belt, Barfoote started his successful company almost by accident when his uncle asked him to build a cowshed.

It was such a success that Barfoote Construction has now been operating in Northland since 1989. Based in Whangarei and Otago the company works both nationally and internationally

Barfoote Construction does a lot of work in the agricultural sector including herringbone and rotary dairy sheds, feed pads, and concrete raceways. building structures for clients in the commercial, industrial, infrastructure, agricultural and specialist residential markets.

The company is supported by Barfoote Contracting, an excavation business run by Trevor's brother Kerry, and a trucking company run by another brother, Gareth Barfoote Trucking.

Barfoote Construction employs a multi-skilled workforce capable of undertaking precast concrete, earthworks and roofing in-house.

The company employs its own engineers, project managers and trade qualified carpenters and offers full project management from concept design to engineering, PIM and building consent as well as co-ordination of subcontractors through to completed structure.

The company undertakes a wide range of projects. The agriculture sector remains a speciality.

Barfoote Construction completes herringbone and rotary dairy sheds, feed pads, concrete raceways, cattle underpasses, silage bunkers/pads, feed troughs, palm kernel bins, fertilizer bins and specialist farm buildings.

Other types of projects completed including

building a sewerage treatment plant, a rail bridge and fifty-metre pool to designing and building a school for Kamo Christian College.

One particularly demanding project was a 54m long roundabout rail bridge where trains had to be able to travel on the Friday and Monday morning giving the company a window from Friday afternoon to early Monday morning to complete the job.

“It was a very challenging project with 17Mpa concrete, something we hadn’t worked with before.

“Our can-do attitude has been a big factor in the type of work we take on and the growth of our company.

“One thing about this company is that we like to have a go at anything. Each project has its own unique points and we get passionately involved. It’s not just an income – we love what we do.”

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26 |

BUILDING » Auckland Builders

Business North

No looking back since launching firm Karen Phelps Trepidation at starting his own building company led Mathew Den Boogert to play it safe, waiting until he had secured a couple of projects before handing in his resignation at the building company he had been working for and setting up Auckland Builders and employing his own staff.

The company’s first project - a renovation in Royal Oak, Auckland - involved renovating a traditional bungalow, taking it back to its original state after a series of renovations over the years, which weren’t in keeping with the look of the home.

That was back in 2008 and since then word of mouth from that first successful project, and general advertising has kept his business growing.

Den Boogert has now grown from smaller jobs to pricing contracts worth half a million dollars plus.

“We still do the little jobs as well though,” he is quick to point out.

“Those jobs can also lead to larger jobs further down the track.”

Den Boogert started his business with nearly two decades of building experience behind him.

He actually started his working career in deskbound jobs, but it was the encouragement of a flatmate who worked in the building industry that drew Den Boogert to become a qualified builder when he realised his love of working with his hands and the variety the job brings moving around different work sites.

He worked for various building companies before starting his own business.

“One guy I worked with told me: mate you’re not going to get rich working for someone else.

“That advice stuck with me I guess. But the timing has to be right to start a new business. You can’t jump into it until you’re ready,” he says.

Den Boogert has been quick to surround himself with the right team, including an accountant and lawyer, and the right certifications and systems to ensure the business is a success.

Den Boogert has a level 4 certificate in carpentry and is a Licensed Building Practitioner and member of the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand.

Auckland Builders owns its own plant and equipment including two company vehicles. Staff are professionally attired in uniforms with the company logo to ensure a professional image.

“The first thing we do with our customers is to build trust.

“We do this by presenting a professional image

Auckland Builders tackles a variety of projects including new builds, leaky homes, reclads and renovations. in all aspects of the business and by listening to their ideas.”

Auckland Builders tackles a variety of projects including new builds, landscaping, roofing, light commercial, maintenance, leaky homes and reclads, renovations and alterations, electrical and plumbing work, painting, decks, fences and retaining walls.

Den Boogert offers free quotes and works with architect Paul Thomas from Prime Design who also offers to take an initial look at projects free of charge.

Auckland Builders has its own office and employs a quantity surveyor.

“The company is based on the belief that our customers’ needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs.”

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“The company is based on the belief that our customers’ needs are of the utmost importance.

Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. ‘No excuses - only results’ is the company slogan. As a result a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.”

Past projects completed by the company include renovating award winning restaurant Pane and Vino in Ponsonby.

Auckland Builders now employs six staff and has just completed the renovation of a classroom in Point England, Auckland.

Business North

BUILDING » Euroclass Design & Build

| 27

Design-and-build delivers best results Karen Phelps The new Northland District Health Board office facility is a good example of the fact that the goal of design-and-build should deliver a better result, not just an easier one, says Alexandra Bishop from Euroclass Design and Build.

“At Euroclass we use the design and build process to create better business environments,” says Bishop.

“We believe that there’s more to bringing together the disciplines of design and construction than simply offering a broad solution - by integrating our knowledge of both fields we create real strategic value for our clients, which can be delivered by no other approach.”

The design and build of the project has been undertaken in a joint venture with A-Line Construction.

Currently the Northland District Health Board leases office space at several locations in Whangarei. The new facility will enable the relocation and consolidation of the teams and will house clinical and non-clinical staff.

Because the building is a Green Star rated project, Bishop says that this has necessitated intensive liaison with the Whangarei District Health Board, A-Line Construction and various Green Star accredited professionals to ensure the project meets certification requirements.

Euroclass is a New Zealand family-owned company established in 1987 specialising in commercial design and build.

Most projects are turn-key packages including land procurement and council compliance. The company has now completed more than 150 projects.

The company’s flagship project, which is still under development, is Stonehill Business Park.

The 40ha site at Wiri was acquired by Euroclass in 2005 and it is now one of the largest commercial subdivisions in Auckland, with developed infrastructure and a Business 5 zoning. Land and building packages are now available for sale or lease.

Bishop says that Stonehill is the only place offering a turnkey design-build package that has been created specifically for the needs of businesses owners.

The Stonehill Business Park, situated on a 40-hectare site at Wiri is one of the largest commercial subdivisions in Auckland “This makes it absolutely distinct from any other existing business park of its type - it will be tailored exactly to the needs of occupiers."

Euroclass has already constructed the Tyremax distribution warehouse on the site, a large office/warehouse/distribution centre for Multivac, four industrial units, an office/ warehouse for Signage Systems and Water Supply Products.

Recently completed was the office/warehouse for Cirtex Industries, while new premises for Van Extras are currently under construction.

Bishop says that there are still sites ready to develop in the park.

The company is still working through Stage 1 and is in discussions with other tenants/owners.

Although Euroclass is based in Auckland, the company has a New Zealand-wide operational range with completed projects as far afield as

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Kerikeri and Invercargill and projects underway in Christchurch.

Bishop says that design-and-build is a comprehensive building methodology involving Euroclass working closely with the client.

The benefit she says is that the client only has to deal with one organisation. “Euroclass takes care of all involvement from other parties,

providing complete co-ordination of consultants, local authorities and contractors, enabling the client to focus on core business activities.

“Delivering a building on time and on budget is only part of the answer. We aim to harness every facet of the design-and-build process to produce a solution that meets a client’s strategic goals.”

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28 |

BUILDING » Cossie Builders / Hans Ellehuus Builders

Business North

Renovation expert leading the way Karen Phelps

Renovating and restoring mature homes is a speciality of Cossie Builders.

Enjoying restoration challenges Sue Russell James and Mandy Cosgrove have carved out an exciting, challenging and busy life for themselves restoring and renovating beautiful ‘mature’ homes in Wellington.

While Cosgrove, a Licensed Building Practitioner, has swung a hammer in all directions in building, since making the decision, and a big one it was, to strike out on his own having worked for 14 years building new houses for Tuohy Homes, the couple have never looked back since starting their business in 2008.

“When working for Tuohy’s I had the security of a regular income but I came to the decision where I felt I could only go so far on wages.

“I was responsible for project management at Tuohy Homes but felt I could achieve so much more and encounter more challenges in areas that really interest me,” he says.

With Cosgrove knowing he is a stickler for overcoming the challenges that go with working in aesthetically rich environments from bygone eras he decided to concentrate on restorations and renovations.

Wife Mandy is very much involved in the company. The busy mother of two pre-schoolers handles the enquiries and all administration of their business.

The couple began offering clients the complete package when they started project managing in 2012. Business boomed in 2013 which lead the couple to employ two more qualified builders on their team.

“James has an incredible skill to visualise precisely what needs to be done for every single day of a project,” says Mandy.

“He is very good at preparing work schedules and the quotes he prepares are highly detailed.

“All the information given to clients is specific, precise and transparent,” she says.

James says he enjoys the challenges that come with renovating old villas and the like.

Some of his projects have been on entire homes, still lived in, that are well over 100 years old.

“It is challenging dealing with rooms where the floors aren’t level and walls not plumb,” he says.

“Adding new fixtures and fitting them in while maintaining a sympathy with the feel of the whole home is something I do enjoy.”

He says there has been “a noticeable shift” in the way home-owners approach a renovation by first wanting to see the builder and his work, rather than the architect.

“I think this is because what they really need in those early days is the practical advice about what can be done. As a result we have undertaken a lot of complete house renovations.

“This happens because the level of communication between us and our clients is constantly high; leaving nothing to chance or the unexpected. Clients are also very pleased to have us manage their entire project, and all subcontractors from concept to completion.”

What has been so satisfying the couple say is to have their work so highly regarded that clients are only too happy to provide testimonials and to open up their home to see just what has been done.

“What have some stunning testimonials on our website,” says Mandy.

“It is the most effective marketing we have and its freely given by our clients because of the impeccable level of quality craftsmanship that James provides.’

The Cosgroves have big plans to expand their business by employing more qualified builders and offering more subcontracting services as part of the project management package.

Things are busy for Hans Ellehuus Builders and the company is already taking bookings into 2015.

“We survived the recession really well which we’re proud of because that is when you really know whether or not you’re any good,” says company owner Hans Ellehuus.

With nearly 30 years of building experience, Ellehuus is a big part of the reason the company, which he started in 1992, is always so busy.

Ellehuus is a qualified joiner, Certified Builder and a Licensed Building Practitioner.

His skill at interpreting complex architectural plans and bringing them to life in a stylish and functional way has made his business sought after.

Hans Ellehuus Builders focuses on the

home renovation market, in particular villas and bungalows, undertaking a variety of projects from small alterations to adding storeys and major renovations.

The company employs a crew of up to 14 skilled, qualified builders and two apprentices.

Hans Ellehuus Builders has renovated more than 560 properties around central Auckland.

Ellehuus says a key factor which sets his company apart is that he understands the unique challenges faced when renovating a home, especially old wooden houses.

“We know the importance of preserving the character of a home while making it meet modern families’ needs,” he explains.

“Often people need help to achieve what they really want.

“The experience I bring means I can help them work this out as well as ensure the finished result will be exactly what they had in mind.”

“To be a builder today it’s not just about putting in nails – you also have to meet strict regulations, give people all their options and be a good communicator.”

Hans Ellehuus Builders has renovated more than 560 properties around central Auckland.

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Business North Ellehuus personally overlooks his building sites each day.

“I definitely want to know what’s going on so I’m on every site every day, sometimes more than once, to maintain good control over what’s happening,” he says.

Ellehuus’ partner, Wendy Mackereth takes on the office work and liaises with clients.

Although renovations are a focus, Hans Ellehuus Builders undertakes a variety of other work, such as re-clads and shop fit-outs.

Projects come with a maintenance schedule for 12 months following completion, including a free assessment.

As a member of the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand, Hans Ellehuus Builders can offer the Home First Builders Guarantee.

Something Ellehuus takes great pride in is that nearly all the work the company undertakes is by personal recommendation.

Hans Ellehuus Builders is often approached to undertake high end contracts due to the high levels of skill offered by the company.

As an example the company has just completed a reclad in Auckland’s more upmarket street, Paratai Drive.

The $1.4m project took over a year and involved stripping the whole house inside and out and adding a third storey.

At present one of the projects which the company is undertaking is in Grey Lynn, gutting a home and adding on a 90sqme addition as well as completing landscaping, retaining walls and parking space.

“With renovation projects there is a lot more to take into account,” says Ellehuus, explaining why he gravitates to this type of work.

“A lot of the time you can’t really know what you’re going to find until you open up the house.

“To be a builder today it’s not just about putting in nails – you also have to meet strict regulations, give people all their options and be a good communicator.”

BUILDING » Hans Ellehuus Builders

| 29

Hans Ellehuus Builders focuses on the home renovation market, in particular villas and bungalows.

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Mobile: 027 495 4087 mbegley@placemakers.co.nz

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30 |

BUILDING » Watts & Hughes

Business North

Manukau Court project on track Karen Phelps Watts & Hughes is constructing a major new addition and refurbishment to the Manukau District Court demonstrating the company’s ability to work on projects requiring sophisticated project management, says Watts & Hughes contracts manager Jim Wylie.

“All personnel working on site had to be police vetted and approved and carry photo identification.

“Our processes have had to be very robust so staff can move around the site securely and without causing any disruption to the daily business of the court,” says Wylie.

The project comprises a new four-level building adjacent to the existing court as well as significant refurbishment and upgrading to the existing building.

It includes a basement level underground car park for 24 vehicles, plant rooms and custodial areas.

The ground, first and second floors are 1680sqm each.

The ground and first floors include court rooms, circulation areas, interview suites, offices, exhibit stores, toilets, kitchens, jury rooms and ancilliary spaces. The second floor is presently vacant to allow for future expansion. A judicial circulation walkway on the exterior of the building allows judges to travel securely from the existing building to the new facility.

The new addition is connected to the existing building at each level by a number of walkways providing public access.

The building has been constructed from concrete frame with insitu concrete columns and precast concrete floors.

The roof is made from structural steel with waterproof membrane on plywood. Mechanical plant is located on the roof and in the basement level. The exterior of the building is clad in curtain wall, brickwork and neolith sintered porcelain.

The new building is scheduled for completion in October and a refurbishment to the existing courts

by July next year.

The new courthouse addition will be connected to the existing building at each level by a number of walkways providing public access.

Wylie says in addition to security challenges the building also incorporates some unique finishes such as areas of glass block requiring high levels of accuracy in construction.

“Because this is a system custom-made and imported from overseas it can’t be cut or made larger if required so we need to ensure the dimensions are correct down to the millimetre.”

Wylie says working in a live court environment has also presented challenges.

“We lost a lot of construction time when we expected to be able to work as we had to work around court activities.

“For example the recording equipment used in the court rooms is incredibly sensitive so we couldn’t use machinery at certain times. “

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He says this has meant Watts & Hughes staff and subcontractors have had to be extremely flexible including working weekends and after hours in order to meet project deadlines.

• To page 32

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Business North

BUILDING » Watts & Hughes

| 31

The Manukau District Court project comprises a new four-level building adjacent to the existing court as well as significant refurbishment and upgrading to the existing building.

KSJ leading the way KSJ Construction quantity surveyor Matthew Borg says the company’s work on the Manukau District Court project aptly demonstrates the company’s ability to stay on programme and budget despite challenging circumstances.

He says getting the right people to complete the job has been key: “This project was high value and shows that we’re capable of sourcing the right number of qualified people to get the job done,” he says.

KSJ Construction is a lead subcontractor on the project and has completed all the concrete work, including foundations and frames, as well as the carpentry work.

At peak the company has had up to 50 staff on site.

Based in Auckland KSJ Construction is a New Zealand-owned company and works Auckland-wide. Over the last 20 years clients have included Mansons TCLM Limited, Naylor Love, Arrow International, Mainzeal, Watts & Hughes and Ebert Construction.

“We are committed to understanding the unique needs of each individual project and client. This ensures that each and every time we are engaged our clients can be rest assured that they’ll receive an efficient, cost effective and quality solution, tailored specifically to suit their requirements.”

Borg says the company is proud of its safety record and employs a dedicated manager and health and safety officer to expertly manage all safety issues including ensuring all candidates are inducted correctly and that all sites are work-safe ready.

KSJ Construction undertakes both commercial and residential projects including recladding work. The company has established a new division focused on residential projects offering clients full project management from start to finish.

KSJ Construction will start two lifestyle residential projects at Gulf Harbour in October located in Rue D’Amarres. The projects will offer four-bedroom homes of 350sqm with individual yacht parking.

KSJ Construction services include carpentry, concrete foundation work, concrete slab, boxing, formwork, concrete framework and precast concrete erection.

KSJ Construction is a Registered Master Builder and will enter the organisation’s House of the Year competition in 2015.

Borg says a key to the company’s success has been establishing a good core group of long term employees and subcontractors.

The company’s entry is a four bedroom home with two living areas and a double garage.

“Because we directly employ so many people we can redirect staff and resources to projects as needed as well as offer competitive pricing to the market,” says KSJ director Vincent Chan.

Located at Gulf Harbour Chan says that the design by Francis Chenz Architecture is unique with major steel beam structure and finished brick wall with just a five metre walk to individual yacht parking.

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32 |

BUILDING » Watts & Hughes

Business North

Manukau extension on track • From page 30 Watts & Hughes Construction Limited is part of Watts Group. Based in Auckland the company was originally formed in 1984.

Watts & Hughes offers a full range of construction management services from office in Auckland as well as Christchurch, Mt Maunganui, Hamilton and Wellington. Some of the company’s branches’ services are augmented by a more hands-on approach to also include the supply of some of the required construction trades.

Watts & Hughes Construction can provide a total service to clients, covering every aspect of construction at any level required including design and build, refurbishment, project management, site contract management, pricing and estimating, subcontract and material evaluation, leasing and building services.

Services are offered across a broad spectrum of construction sectors including civil, industrial, recreational, retail, commercial, institutional, residential, educational, marinas, government infrastructure, health-care and sub-divisions.

Examples of projects currently under construction include a new classroom block for

Auckland Grammar School, a surgical facility for Eye Institute in Remuera and the refurbishment of Dressmart in Onehunga.

While Watts & Hughes can start its involvement in a project at any stage, Wylie says by engaging the company from the initial concept and design it can assist with matters such as budget control, offer a broad range of construction techniques for consideration, set efficient time-lines and help to overcome or offset any potential difficulties.

“Another key benefit for our clients is that the Watts & Hughes directors are approachable and available for clients to talk to. As the owners and operators of the company they can make decisions quickly and with confidence.

“Control and management of all projects is overseen by the directors, who ensure key people possess the technical excellence, experience and construction industry knowledge to get the job completed in accordance with the Watts & Hughes premise of delivering quality construction on time.”

He says that the company aim is for controlled growth. “We want to get bigger while maintaining high levels of quality and performance. We have some really good people coming through the company to take it into the future.”

Watts & Hughes offers a full range of construction management services.

Master Kelwin are proud to support Watts & Hughes Head Office: PO Box 12133, Penrose, Auckland 1642 373 Neilson St, Onehunga, Auckland 1061 T: +64 9 276 6242 F: +64 9 276 9940

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While Marlite FRP is ideally suited to anywhere that a hygienic, easily cleaned, robust product is required it is also incredibly versatile.

Marlite FRP has been used in a variety of situations and by many different industries including fish and meat processing plants, milking sheds, hospitals, schools, cheese and chocolate factories, packing lines, commercial kitchens, cafes and motor camps.

Marlite FRP has also been used extensively in the health sector at Auckland City Hospital, Greenlane Clinical Centre and North Shore Hospital in sterile areas, operating theatres,

clean rooms, dirty rooms, scrub bays, bed bays, corridors, toilets and showers.

More recently Marlite FRP is being used in the Manukau District Court project.

“District courts are using Marlite in their holding cells as with an adhesive it adheres effectively to plywood. Using Marlite’s aluminium jointing system complete with a high strength adhesive silicone and panelpinned to the wall combines to give a high impact / tamper resistant cell wall lining,” explains Graham Maddock, co-director of Marlite NZ Ltd. Marlite FRP originates from Marlite in Dover, Ohio. A privately owned company, Marlite is one of the largest suppliers of interior wall linings in the world. Based in Auckland, Marlite NZ Ltd was formed in 2005 to import, distribute and install FRP which had already been in the New Zealand market for approximately eight years.

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The product is available in three sizes: 2440mm/2740mm/3040mm x 1220mm.

To view FRP visit www.marlitenz.com From product finder select ‘Standard FRP’ For further information email sales@marlitenz.com or phone on 0800 4 Marlite (for those out of Auckland) or (09) 838-2077

BUILDING » Kosha Homes

Business North

| 33

New hillside subdivision has it all Sue Russell For the last few years Kosha Homes managing director Jonathan Fawcet and his team have concentrated their building and design skills on a substantial subdivision near Wellington’s Belmont Regional Park.

The homes are all one-off, specific designs, in the medium to large range, from about 240sqm to 300sqm.

“We mostly build spec homes, but have just completed a substantial home of 400sqm with eight bedrooms for a client. We’re a small company, there’s just myself and three other guys.

“A number of other small companies have built in the subdivision over the years, so there are lots of different styles, with no two houses the same,” Fawcet says.

He maintains the nature and design of homes has changed substantially in the last decade and although these changes are not necessarily apparent from an outside view they are important ones, hugely affecting the quality and enjoyment of life for the home-owners.

“These days you can expect double-glazing as standard, along with better seismic performance and cladding integrity.

“Heat pumps, built-in vacuum systems, once thought of as luxury features are now much more common-place.”

The advent of induction cooking technology and heatpump hot water has also made gas somewhat redundant.

Fawcet says these days home-owners get a lot more for their dollars invested, though this is not always reflected in the valuation of the home which is based in part around sales-prices in the area.

The subdivision at Meadowbank is nearly complete with half a dozen sections left. Fawcet expects that in a couple of years his company will have completed its last home on the sprawling subdivision of more than 100 homes.

“Challenges have come from building on steep and sloping sites but the range and quality of the homes is outstanding and it has been a pleasure to have contributed so much to its establishment in this lovely part of Wellington.”

Kosha Homes has operated for a dozen years, though Fawcet’s experience in the building industry extends back more than 30 years now.

Before establishing the company in the Wellington region he was based in Auckland, busy building terraced units.

The homes in the hillside Meadowbank subdivision have been built to make the most of their aspect.

Fawcet has decided to keep the company at its current size, which he says is ideal for the work he’s currently focusing on.

“We work five days a week which gives me and the guys a good work/life balance which I think is important in this industry.”

As if working with the one subdivision for so many years isn’t enough Fawcet and his family live in one of the first houses he built there.

As first residents in their street he’s been given the unique experience as a builder of seeing other houses he has built being lived in, something he says ‘keeps you honest.’

“This is a top-class subdivision and I’m proud to have built so many of its homes. A lot of the sections are over 1000sqm with

.”...the range and quality of the homes is outstanding and it has been a pleasure to have contributed so much to its establishment in this lovely part of Wellington.”

substantial homes of all sorts of designs. The houses have been built to make the most of their aspect,” says Fawcet.

Kosha Homes is a member of the Master Builders Association and Fawcet has Licenced Building Practitioner qualifications.

“The good thing is that you have to be involved continuously in new learning which

is important for the credibility of the building industry.”

With technologies, design and building systems continually evolving Fawcet and his team relish learning about advances in materials, construction methodology and design thinking.

“The building industry is in an exciting phase and I’m glad me and my team are a part of that.”

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34 |

BUILDING » Planit Construction

Business North

Planit Construction has some exciting projects underway in the greater Wellington region.

Photo: Alan Lowndes - Jarvis & Lowndes Electrical

Technology the tool to lift turnover Sue Russell When asked to describe what it is he does for leading Wellington construction company Planit Construction, Andrew Munn’s answer is disarmingly simple.

“I do anything the builders don’t do,” he says.

“All the paper-work from answering the phone right through consenting to completion of the job.”

The Victoria University Building Science graduate who majored in project management and sustainable design is in his third year with the company.

They’ve been busy years as he’s bedded down new administration systems, a challenge he has really enjoyed.

“I think that the key to being a good building company, one that is going to stay the distance, is to be really good at communication,” Munn says.

“Just being really clear right from the word go and being honest and upfront so that everyone knows what is going on.”

The company is structured to work at optimum and to pass these efficiencies on to clients.

The two directors, Rowan Hannah and Greg Parish each have their own domain, with Rowan dealing with the office functions and Greg managing the builders.

Munn straddles both worlds.

“Planit has a can-do attitude. It’s exciting to work here. I have quite a lot of freedom to find ways to get the most from technology.

“Planit has a can-do attitude. It’s exciting to work here.

I have quite a lot of freedom to find ways to get the most from technology.”

My motto is that once a document has been produced there should never be need to duplicate it.

It’s all about ensuring the builders spend as much time building as possible.”

Planit Construction has been involved in a diverse range of projects, from residential builds of all shapes and sizes. The company has recently completed a new make-over of a restaurant/café in central Wellington, a project Munn says was really satisfying.

“We transformed the old space into a welcoming, light and appealing restaurant.”

With the recession well and truly a thing of the past Munn says building in Wellington has picked up immeasurably in the last few years.

“People feel comfortable and happy to invest again. We are maxed out at the moment and with the improvements to systems that have been introduced in the office we’re in a really good position to be able to step up to the demand.”

The back-bone to the company is its core of builders and project managers, some of whom have been with the company since it began.

For Munn, the next evolution in technology to bring

efficiencies to building crews will be the use of lap-tops and tablets to interact with all key stake-holders in the construction process.

“Some of the technologies aren’t quite accurate enough yet and before we take anything else on it will be my job to ensure they are a practical and simple tool for the builders to use.”

While Munn acknowledges he has the skills to design a system from a ‘users’ point of view he doesn’t have the skills to right the computer codes for it.

“We were going to create our own App for the guys, so they could access time sheets from their smart phones but in the end we left it to the big companies to develop their apps and have adapted their software to suit our needs. Before anything gets rolled out it will be tested to make sure its fit for purpose. We don’t put any systems on to builders that stop them being good builders,” he says.

Munn says the success of the company is about being upfront and frank with clients. Being prepared, for instance, to offer alternatives the company thinks will deliver better outcomes and being open and honest when something goes wrong.

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Business North

BUILDING » IDAC Construction

| 35

Unique flooring system adds value Karen Phelps For property or business owners with a building that has a high stud, Auckland Speedfloor Contracting Limited could help to double the floor space without needing to purchase additional property, says Jim Cavanagh from Auckland Speedfloor Contracting, an affiliated company of IDAC Construction.

It has recently completed a project in Parnell where it inserted a mezzanine floor into the building to double the office space for a landlord.

“Once the floor was put in we also built an office area and a ramp leading up to it so cars could park beside the new office,” says Cavanagh.

“It increased the rent of the building for that landlord dramatically while still meeting the car park requirements.”

He says that the Speedfloor suspended flooring system offers several distinct advantages opening up possibilities for building owners and developers.

The system utilises a unique steel joist system, which makes the floors quick to erect and also reduces the requirements for structural steel.

Because the system is lightweight it also functions well on smaller foundations resulting in savings for clients, says Cavanagh.

Auckland Speedfloor Contracting can span 8.5-9 metres compared with typical concrete floors, which need smaller spans of 2.5-3.5m.

The joist is manufactured from pre-galvanized high tensile steel in a one pass roll former, where it is roll formed, punched, pressed and slotted to a high degree of accuracy at a fast production rate.

The ends are simply bolted to the joist which are then ready for shipping to site.

“The joist carries the weight of the floor reducing the amount of structural steel and it just locks together on site,” he says.

“So clients save on the structural steel, foundations and also because it is quick to erect and requires no propping or shoring.”

The system is ideally suited to car-park buildings and apartments where floors can literally just be slotted into place inside once the outside structure is erected. An example of a project utilising the system was the extension to the Auckland Hospital car park, where four levels of car parking were completed in just nine weeks from start to finish.

The suspended flooring system offers several distinct advantages opening up possibilities for building owners and developers.

Auckland Speedfloor Contracting also offers carpentry works through its associate company IDAC Construction.

IDAC Construction services include refurbishment and interiors, civil and infrastructure, retail builds and fit-outs and residential work.

A specialty of IDAC Construction is seismic upgrading of existing buildings and structures.

The company undertook the structural carpentry and seismic upgrading for Auckland Art Gallery contracting to Hawkins Construction.

“....we are here to provide a service that allows our clients to feel secure in their choice of contractor while knowing that we understand the changing nature of projects.”

It is presently completing upgrading work for Hawkins on five operational power sub stations.

“Our particular expertise is dealing with challenging sites,” says Cavanagh.

“During this project we had to keep the substations operational 24/7 meaning our methodology and health and safety had to be one hundred per cent.”

Cavanagh became a partner in the company in 2001 and it is today owned by him and Mike Watkins and employs 13 staff.

The company is currently pricing several projects to add in a mezzanine floor to an existing

building and is about to start the Northern Glen Innes redevelopment project for Housing New Zealand subcontracting to Arrow International.

“In our industry no two contracts are the same and therefore no two clients are the same.

“We offer our services with a firm commercial reality in mind – we are here to provide a service that allows our clients to feel secure in their choice of contractor while knowing that we understand the changing nature of projects.

“We work with our clients to adjust to changes while maintaining our focus on the critical project path.”

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Speedfloor offers a perfectly simple solution to all multi-storey construction, from a single family

detached house to multi-story residential, parking buildings or office complexes.

The joist depth and the concrete thickness are varied depending on the span, imposed loads and other functional considerations. Typical slab thicknesses of 75 and 90mm make Speedfloor one of the lightest suspended concrete floor systems, more often downsizing support structure and foundations, producing a cost effective solution.

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36 |

BUILDING » Leonard Construction

Business North

Tight-knit team delivers top results Karen Phelps Adam Leonard reckons it was his destiny to be a builder. Despite once vowing he would never enter the trade, he has now eagerly followed in the footsteps of both his grandfather and father who were both highly sought after builders.

“I used to help out my dad building in the school holidays. I did my own thing for a couple of years when I started working then saw the benefits of being my own boss and returned to building,” he says.

He started his residential building company Leonard Construction Ltd in 2009.

Based on Auckland’s North Shore, the company completes work from Auckland city to the Northern edges of the region. He says this means that the company doesn’t stretch itself too far logistically so he can continue to offer real value to the client and a highly personal service.

The company is a real family run business.

Adam’s wife Michelle, whose background is as an architectural technician, completes the company administration work and offers initial design advice.

Adam’s brother Carl, 24, is completing his apprenticeship with the company and design work is out-sourced to Michelle’s mum Sandy Rogers, who operates her own company SJR Architectural Ltd. Keeping it in the family, so to speak, means the company can offer a prompt, cost-efficient and seamless service.

“Adam takes a real pride in his work that comes from the family tradition of building,” says Michelle. “It’s about having a good work ethic and taking real pride and ownership of each project no matter whether it’s a new home build or a renovation,” she says.

Leonard Construction has a completed a wide portfolio of successful projects.

Adam agrees citing relationships as being the cornerstone of the business from customers to staff to subtrades.

“We are a real tight-knit group. With regards to subtrades I have chosen people I really trust

and know will do a good job. I refer work to them and they refer work to me. Our greatest success is by word of mouth,” he says.

Leonard is a Certified Builder (up until recently he was involved on the Auckland committee) and a Licensed Building Practitioner and says he gets great satisfaction from working directly with clients.

“This means we can help clients to resolve any potential issues early on in the process.

“Our practical input, knowledge and expertise can add real value at this point. It also helps that we are working with an architect that is family so we can communicate closely to ensure we are giving the client exactly what they want.”

The company employs two full-time staff and Adam is on the tools as well.

Leonard Construction works on several projects at a time and as a member of the Certified Builders Association of NZ can offer the Homefirst Builders Guarantee, which includes cover for structural defects for up to 10 years and non-structural defects for two years.

Adam and Michelle say they are looking to grow their company slowly but surely.

“I’ve seen guys collapse from growing too fast. My brother Carl is also expressing an interest in being more involved in the business.”

“We’re not aiming for world domination,” says Michelle. “We’re happy to be a medium-sized company. We want to manage it well and be smart about how we do things. We’re refining processes and systems to make sure we are doing everything right.”

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Business North

BUILDING » MH Builders

| 37

Renovation expert holds high standards Sue Russell With a view to eventual succession of their building company Mike and Dianne Holloway, owners of Hamilton-based builders MH Builders Ltd, have re-established the business as a company.

Originally operating as a sole-trading concern MH Builders Ltd began its life in 1987 and since this beginning Holloway has concentrated his considerable building skills towards renovations, of all shapes and sizes but especially bathroom and kitchen make-overs.

“We know we can’t compete for price against the group housing market and we have no intention of reducing the standard of our work, so building our reputation by concentrating on renovations has been good for us,” says Dianne, who takes care of a lot of the project management, customer liaison and administration functions.

Mike Holloway has carved out a building career which has found him working in far-flung countries around the world; renovating grand country homes, villas and resorts in England, France, South Africa as well as Saudi Arabia.

While not quite as luxurious as these buildings were, in the Waikato he’s been responsible for renovating homes with budgets extending from ‘add-ons’ to a current project with a price-tag of quarter of a million dollars.

There are special challenges that come with alterations and he says he enjoys the out of the box thinking that often goes into materialising the owner’s vision; visions which at times can begin in quite an abstract way.

“Sometimes our clients have enlisted the work of a draftsman and have a clear idea about what they’re after, but not always.

“This is where a lot of good communication,

being upfront about what we can see is possible and not possible is so important,” he says.

MH Builders Ltd employs three qualified carpenters/builders along with three apprentices.

The couple know their apprentices are going to learn a lot more working for them because of the range of work they undertake, than if they were working for a larger building company.

“With us they get to do everything, compared for example to the group housing system, where they’re likely to concentrate on a particular part of the building process.”

Since injuring his shoulder three years ago Holloway has stopped swinging a hammer.

While the transition away from the tools was unexpected and difficult at times he’s found his niche now in management and client interface especially.

Surprisingly, he says, some of the work he’s undertaken have been on rooms that have only existed for 18 months or so.

“We’re often called in because of a leak caused by sub-standard work.

“Even though the owners would have recourse to go back to the original builder they have lost faith in their ability to do the work well so they ask us to fix the problem.”

The couple are so fussy about the quality of their work that they would rather walk away from a job when the potential client is squeezing the budget down to an unrealistic amount or if they are after a quick patch-up.

“You have to keep your standard up high and never drop it.”

A new show-space opened in June at their site in Te Rapa Road, Hamilton.

“It’s a little room with a couch and access to photos and a TV presentation. It has been a welcome addition to our site, it looks really professional and potential customers really enjoy seeing what we’re capable of.”

“Sometimes our clients have enlisted the work of a draftsman and have a clear idea about what they’re after, but not always.”

MH Builders has concentrated on renovations especially bathroom and kitchen make-overs.

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38 |

BUILDING » Pepper Construction / Rob Littlejohn Builders

Business North

Success built on quality service Sue Russell

Building for future generations Sue Russell There’s no magic bullet when it comes to sustaining and growing a successful construction business, but, according to Andrew Pepper, managing director of Pepper Construction there are some basic principles to get right. “Get your numbers right, pay your bills and especially hire good people.”

And by good people, Pepper isn’t meaning necessarily the most qualified, but rather those who can work collaboratively, have similar work ethics and carry a common philosophy about what building means to them.

The New Plymouth-based company has not only weathered the ups and downs in the building trade but has found ways to flourish and develop its own concept of what adding value to building looks like.

Pepper Construction began life in 1936, founded

by Andrew’s grandfather Len Pepper in the burgeoning era of State Housing. Over the years the founder’s sons Graeme and Lewis Pepper took over the mantle, building houses then became heavily involved in light commercial construction and building schools.

“The building industry has a strong cyclical rhythm to it,” says Andrew Pepper. “We’re seeing signs that school construction is likely to become an important part of our work again, with new schools, refurbishments, structural strengthening post the earthquakes and dealing with weather-tightness issues all creating work for the industry.”

He says it’s “very satisfying” to drive past schools and homes that the company built. Good solid structures that have withstood the test of time.

Always looking at new opportunities to develop the company and with a philosophical connection to the principles underpinning sustainable living, the company has recently taken on a very special project - a six-lot subdivision on Whakawhiti Street in Marfell, New Plymouth.

“I was looking for a new approach to subdivisions that not only addressed the physical aspects of sustainable homes, but also created spaces that would benefit the social experience of neighbours living within close proximity to each other.”

Key to creating this ‘social centre’, while preserving privacy and individual life-style issues, is the central right of way, snaking its way through the six lot development. Designed to slow traffic down with substantial native and perennial plantings, hedgerows, courtyards, and a communal bike-rack area Pepper says the design evolved over time.

To help with the overall concept Pepper enlisted the support of Greenbridge Sustainable Properties Ltd, a company that specialises in sustainable subdivision developments. The six two- to four-bedroom homes will be priced from about $345,000 to $450,000.

Pepper says it is interesting to see a return of traditional building processes and materials, such as the use of piles and using weatherboard and timber framing. “You’re not going to have a problem with gravity with water by building on piles.

“Creating homes that are healthy to live in, warm and dry, creates better health outcomes.”

With an eye to encouraging the next generation to consider building as a career, Pepper has evolved a school holiday programme aimed at intermediate age students. It’s his way of introducing them at a good age to a taste of the industry.

“My daughter gave me the idea of offering holiday time work experience. It’s proved to be a really good thing and the benefits are not all one way. I get feedback from them about the sort of home they would want to live in and why.”

Pepper puts his passion for building down to a simple fact. “You have to enjoy what you do. We live in a wonderful place and you only need to see a bit of the world to see how well-off we are here. I hope the homes my company has built over the years have contributed to that.”

Whangarei building company Rob Littlejohn Builders has been successfully creating beautiful homes for more than three decades.

Director Rob Littlejohn says he enjoys the challenges and creativity that come with building high-end architectural homes, but he’s just as much “at home” constructing light commercial and residential homes of all values.

“As there have been lots of changes to building methods and affordability is a big factor in all types of building, it has been necessary to diversify and apply our expertise and quality in a wider range of services.

“To keep up with peoples’ needs we have launched our New Zealand Collection Series of homes,” says Littlejohn.

The series is a range of aesthetically pleasing homes he says will appeal to a wide range of the market.

All plans can be altered to suit the client’s individual requirements, a service which is not available from most set plan companies.

“Our homes are built to the same quality mark that our company is so well known for.”

Along with the New Zealand Collection Series, Littlejohn and his team are also launching a lifestyle buildings range, to cater for clients who already have a piece of land and want a timber style home.

These homes can be supplied in kitset or built to any stage. The company also offers the option of a shed type building with accommodation.

“They can then build their dream home at a later date. We think that with these options added to our building portfolio of

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Business North

BUILDING » Rob Littlejohn Builders

| 39

Rob Littlejohn Builders has completed numerous high-end building projects throughout Northland, but is just at home with constructing light commercial and residential homes of all values.

high-end homes, light commercial, extension and renovation, we have a wider range of all types of buildings built to our high standard,” explains Littlejohn.

He says a founding principle of the company is to always have the ability to offer the same quality of build to everyone, no matter what their size of build or budget.

“The only thing that will alter is the cost of the materials and fittings that the owner chooses to put in their new home.

“We are currently redesigning our website to include our exciting new plans and hope it will be easy to follow with four categories, including lifestyle buildings.”

Key to the company’s longevity in the competitive Northland district has been Littlejohn’s commitment to remain hands-on with pricing and client communication right from initial contact.

“It’s about building a relationship so that everybody knows where they are, both in

terms of their perception of their dream home and financially,” he says.

Reflecting on how the building industry has evolved since he first swung a hammer, Littlejohn says one of the big changes he’s seen is in the explosion of products available.

There’s a plus side and a down-side to this he explains. “While there’s a lot more choice unfortunately we can see that the decision to go with a certain product should not always be based on cost.

“When we think there’s a better value pro-duct, or that an alternative product will work better in a certain application, we always point it out. I think our clients appreciate this because we’re all after the very best outcome possible.”

Regardless of the scope, size or cost of the building project Littlejohn and his team of craftsmen builders are committed to delivering to every client the exacting professional standards their reputation has been built on.

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40 |

BUILDING » Waikato Registered Master Builders Association

Business North

Association has major role in region Karen Phelps The Waikato branch of the Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand Inc has been in existence since 1935. Although this may sound a long time, Waikato Branch President, Steve Ross says the branch is a “baby” in terms of the overall organisation, which was started in 1892.

“The Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand Inc is a membership organisation representing a significant part of New Zealand’s building and construction fraternity,” says Ross.

“We are represented regionally which enables us to have all the necessary checks and balances available on the ground to ensure that our members remain the best in the industry,” he says.

“This also ensures that our builders are provided local support and networking opportunities to share best practice with their peers, which in turn, filters down to their clients’ building projects.

Ross says the Waikato branch started more as an employers organisation with all the apprentices for the Waikato region being signed off by Master Builders.

“All the government contracts for houses for the region came through this branch and were then distributed to local builders,” he says.

The branch later became a strong lobby group to government on pertinent building issues.

He says it was an initiative from the Waikato branch that helped returned service people and their families into homes after the war.

The branch has been involved in the construction of many of the Waikato landmark buildings including the Waikato Hospital Board administration block in 1937 and members completed urgent work at Papakura and Hopuhopu military camps in 1939.

Today the branch has a healthy membership of 160 builder members, with memberships also held by companies and individuals associated with the building industry.

The Waikato Registered Master Builder House of the Year competition was held on 25 July and Ross says he was impressed by the high quality of the entries.

The Supreme Award was won by Greg McGovern Construction which also took out four regional awards including a Gold Award and category win for the PlaceMakers New Homes $350,000 - $450,000 as well as the Resene

The Registered Master Builders Association plays a key role in nurturing the talent of the present generation of builders as well as encouraging the next.

Sustainable Home Award and Craftsmanship Award.

“These awards really demonstrate the high calibre and workmanship of a Master Builder.”

The Registered Master Builders Association also runs the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards - which are open to all significant project partners on a build, constructors, architects and quantity surveyors etc - and the Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year.

Ross says the organisation continues to play a key role in nurturing the talent of the present and well as encouraging the next generation of builders.

“Our membership structure provides a cradle to the grave platform to cater for builders at any stage of their career whether they’re looking for

individual membership or a place for their company to prosper and grow,” he says.

A new initiative for the Association is an exclusive Trades Business Academy.

Ross says that this is the result of the recognition by the Registered Master Builders Association of the importance sound business knowledge plays in the building industry.

“The Registered Master Builders Association is New Zealand’s largest construction industry organisation.

“Construction is a complex business so the Business Training Academy has been specifically designed and targeted at the trades to improve performance.”

Ross says this is important for the public using

a Master Builder as they can be assured of quality both of construction and how the business is operated.

“If a member of the public engages a Registered Master Builder they are eligible to apply for a Master Build Guarantee, which gives peace of mind for potential remedial work that may be required following the completion of a project.”

The Registered Master Builders Association has close relationships with the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation and the Waikato branch works alongside Wintec in order to continue to bring new talent on board.

“The Registered Master Builders Association stand for building excellence and continues to strive to achieve this on behalf of the industry.”

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Business North

BUILDING » Waikato Registered Master Builders Association

| 41

Diverse group shares common aims Sue Russell When asked what the nearly 3000 members of the Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand have in common, the organisation’s CEO sums the answer up in one sentence.

“There is a commonality that all those who belong to Master Builders want to be as good as they can be,” says Warwick Quinn who has led the association for six years.

This year marked the 114th anniversary since its founding. Quinn is adamant one factor contributing to this longevity is the diversity of its membership who all strive for excellence.

“They extend from individuals to large corporates and across all the professional disciplines aligned to the building industry,” Quinn says.

This year also marked the first birthday of the Registered NZ Master Builders Association - an evolution not only in name from the original Federation, but most significantly in the way it functions at a national and regional level.

The change in name and structure follows a review commissioned two years ago to assess and bed-down a better way to deliver benefits to its members.

“As the Registered Master Builders Federation we were a membership organisation straddling 22 member associations. We relied heavily on these local associations to support its members with varying degrees of success. Now with the new structure key administrative functions are centralised (such as administration, accounting, reporting and tax) and managed at a national level.”

Quinn sees the new structure as delivering immediate benefits to members, because the activity at regional level is now solely directed at training and support, leaving the national body to take up the behind the scenes support.

With such a diverse membership, Quinn says the focus has evolved into better understanding of the unique needs of each sector.

“We are coming out of five years of recession in construction and if the stars continue to align as they have been we will experience going from low to very high levels of activity.

“How we cope with that rapid change is a real challenge our members will be dealing with.”

Collaboration between existing advocacy and membership groups is something Quinn says will bring about the greatest benefits for all.

As an example he points to collaboration between Master Electricians and the Master Builders as one way to deliver gains to members in both organisations.

The Registered Master Builders Association of NZ has adopted new strategies to help its members survive and thrive.

“We know for instance that trades-people don’t as a rule like reading books. So we have developed a web-based Trades Business Academy which delivers an applied learning programme, highly relevant to the trades sector.”

Driving this need to enhance the business knowledge-base is the fact that the construction business is highly complex and greater accountabilities are being imposed through local authorities who, according to Quinn, have become very risk averse.

“It’s a consequence of dealing with the cost of the leaky building crisis. Government has put in place greater accountabilities through all the construction disciplines.

“Our job is to equip our members with the right skills to meet that well.”

This year’s annual conference, aptly named ‘Game On’ held at Wairakei Resort in Taupo, brought together an eclectic group of key-note

speakers and session leaders. Rob Waddel spoke about preparation and getting the correct mental state while Sir John Kirwan shared his experiences with depression and strategies to cope with stress.

“Rob talked about winning his gold medal through years of preparation rather than relying solely on an exemplary performance on the day.

That same attitude is highly relevant to the building process.”

With sessions extending from recent changes to

the New Zealand standards to ways to achieve the most efficient use of time and recruitment strategies to employ the best staff for the job the conference also had its lighter moments.

Looking toward the future, Quinn says that the cost of land is the key factor influencing how residential building with evolve.

“Kiwis will continue to aspire to own their own home and in major centres like Auckland this means more intensive housing.”

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42 |

BUILDING » Livingstone Building - Five Stags Leamington

Business North

Creating the Five Stags flavour Karen Phelps A new restaurant brand has entered the New Zealand market.

The new Five Stags Tavern at Cambridge is described as a mix of old rustic charm with a new upmarket feel and it has already won a bronze award in the retail section of the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards 2014.

Designed by Evolve Design, the head contractor on the project was Livingstone Building New Zealand Limited.

Livingstone quantity surveyor Glen Larsen says the overall design outside was to give the bar an inviting and homely feel.

Paeroa stone work featured on both the exterior and interior combined with copper-look spouting has created a rustic feel.

“The whole project was completed on an extremely tight time frame with just two months

to complete the interior fit out,” says Larsen. “We had to have strict programming and guys putting in long hours to get the job done on time.”

To ensure the tavern had an authentic old rustic charm to it, many of the materials were recycled and taken from old buildings along with new materials made to look aged and worn such as the timber floors throughout.

Larsen says that the open trusses in the roof give the feel of an old bar and are placed for design purposes only alongside a timber ceiling with a wash stained finish to once again look old and worn.

The client brief was for there to be a clear division between the bar and restaurant with the bar feeling more relaxed while the restaurant patrons could still enjoy their meals in a quieter setting.

The placement of the bar in the middle of these two areas with the gaming room coming off the side gives that clear distinction between the two

while not closing anything off from one another.

Larsen says that the Five Stags Tavern building works on an aesthetic as a well as a functional level.

One example is that on the inside there are fake trees, which give a hunting lodge feel as well

as doubling in design and functionality by also hiding support beams throughout the building.

The enclosed hunting lodge within the building is one of the main focal points and one of the distinctive features of the design.

“The hunting lodge is a small hunting hut

“The hunting lodge is a small hunting hut which is a separation point between the bar and restaurant. It is built from materials from a late 1800’s villa in Remuera.

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Business North

BUILDING » Livingstone Building - Five Stags Leamington

| 43

To help give the tavern an authentic, rustic charm many of the materials used were recycled and taken from old buildings along with new materials made to look aged and worn.

which is a separation point between the bar and restaurant. It is built from materials from a late 1800’s villa in Remuera,” says Larsen.

The Firth cloud burst concrete floor fits into the theme of the tavern well along with being easy to maintain for cleaning and should never need to be replaced.

Larsen says this floor has no stress cracking at all which was achieved by a large planning process in advance to ensure placement and the location of all the cuts to make it look as rustic and old as possible.

Five Stags Bar and Restaurant is part of a larger development called Leamington Village, which also includes a Fresh Choice, cafe, bottle store and Thai restaurant also constructed by Livingstone Building.

Larsen says that the key to the success of the project was working closely with Evolve Design, Projects with Passion and the client ELJAYEJ Holdings Limited to achieve the award winning finished result.

“We all worked together as a team to pull it off.

Livingstone Building is all about relationships so this project sums us up in this respect.”

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44 |

BUILDING » Livingstone Building - Johnston Ebbett Holden

Business North

The Johnston Ebett showroom has been built to fit in with Wellington’s ‘quirky’ culture and to give the customer an overall Holden experience as soon as they walk in the door.

New showroom setting the pace Karen Phelps The new Johnston Ebbett Holden showroom in central Wellington is by no means a typical car showroom.

It has been built to fit in with Wellington’s ‘quirky’ culture and to give the customer an overall Holden experience as soon as they walk in the doors, says Glen Larsen, quantity surveyor from Livingstone Building New Zealand Limited the head contractor on the project.

The showroom is built from an existing building, and involved Livingstone completely removing the original facade. Larsen says that completing this task working right on the footpath of Taranaki Street involved extensive planning and scaffolding to keep the public safe at all times.

The existing structure was also stripped inside providing the bare bones of the design of concrete shear walls, columns and a concrete beam and timber infill flooring system.

Other distinctive materials included recycled bricks with exposed steel elements and cutouts, recycled rimu cafe joinery, timber stair treads and black window joinery with glazing bars set into the brick walls gives a loft style aesthetic. New plasterboard lines and shop front glazing and modern sliding doors provide a sense of contrast.

Johnston Ebbetts wanted to consolidate their two existing properties into one – combining both the showroom and the service workshop to centralise the business in the heart of Wellington.

Due to a tight footprint, the design by Chow Hill Architects, had to be smart to make best use of the space.

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The two-storey building features open-plan offices and cafe style customer area.

Floor to ceiling glass allows customers to see inside both day and night and invites them inside.

Customers park internally, escaping from the Wellington weather, and are connected to the showroom, service and parts divisions. When leaving they simply drive out on to a side street.

The project was awarded a silver award in the restoration section of the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards 2014.

Completed over just five months, Larsen says that the project is another example of Livingstone’s ability to pull off complex builds in tight time-frames.

Livingstone Building was founded over 60 years ago and builds in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions as well as on a national scale.

Livingstone Building undertakes a range of projects servicing the residential, commercial, industrial and rural markets.

The company also operates a maintenance division.

“Everyone in the team, from apprentices through to directors, understands and is committed to focusing on customer’s requirements and doing what it takes to consistently deliver top quality projects, says Larsen.

“We have established our excellent reputation by completing projects on time and on budget to a very high standard.

“It is this work ethic and commitment to excellence that has been the foundation of the long-standing relationships we have established with many of our customers.”

Business North

BUILDING » Livingstone Building - Johnston Ebbett Holden

| 45

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46 |

BUILDING » Quality Homes NZ

Business North

Quality Homes living up to its name Sue Russell Stu Adams, co-owner of Quality Homes NZ Ltd based in Upper Hutt is clear about one thing – everybody he has built a house for is his ‘showhome’.

“We’re not a big building company but we build great homes and every home we have built is the best advertising we have.”

Adams established the company six years ago.

A ‘sparky’ by trade, he joined forces with builder Rhys Dulieu.

When Dulieu decided to leave to pursue his own interests Adams asked his sister Caroline to join the company in April 2012.

While she has a property management background both here and abroad and handles all the administration work and pricing she can often be found on site mucking in.

“We’re flat out, with lots on. We have eleven new houses coming up ranging in size from 150sqm to 290qsm.”

The company has just completed an impressive three-storey, 300sqm home in Lower Hutt, the largest house it has built to date.

Adams is determined the company’s success and future will come from stamping its own mark, by remaining independent and relatively small.

“We’re not going to become like a franchise.

It’s not what I aspire to as I want to give that personal touch.”

He believes the residential building industry is in good heart but acknowledges that Wellington is a very tough market.

To be successful means finding a point of difference and he says his is in the way the company engages with clients right from the word go. Because of this engagement, when

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compromises have to be made to maintain a project within budget the way forward to achieve the best results and satisfy the clients doesn’t present as a problem.

“I love working with people. We’re all flexible thinkers and our aim is to deliver outstanding building experiences to our clients.

“We don’t have a sales person in between us and the clients, so the talking is direct and communication clear, that’s a good way to operate I think.”

Adams knows that building a new home is an exciting time for the owner, but unfortunately there can be unexpected issues which result in extra costs for the owner or time delays.

This can often be due to weather, soil conditions and having to change designs or availability of trades.

To minimise the effects this can have on the owner’s pocket, Stu and Caroline can often be found on-site pitching in themselves, whether it be removing rubbish, cleaning, labouring or on the tools.

“To avoid the pitfalls of trade availability and workmanship, we have worked very hard to get a great team of trades all working together towards the common goal, often reiterating that everyone is a valued member of our team with equal importance,” Adams says.

He says he is looking forward to a wellearned break, giving him time to draw breath and recharge the batteries before returning to a busy 2014 and beyond.

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BUILDING » McNaughton Windows & Doors

Business North

| 47

New era for timber joinery industry Kelly Deeks The timber joinery industry now has a tested and comprehensive timber window and door suite compliant with NZS:4211, which is now on the market thanks to a combined effort between Master Joiners and McNaughton Windows and Doors.

McNaughton Windows and Doors general manager Andrew Riley says windows and doors are required to meet NZS:4211.

Now because there is a tested suite of products, timber windows and doors will soon be required to provide evidence they have been manufactured to a tested NZS:4211 standard.

“Timber windows and doors have superior thermal qualities to other options, even compared to thermally broken alternatives, but not being tested was holding the industry back,” he says.

“When choosing windows and doors, we know architects and home-owners are placing greater importance on environmental impact and thermal performance, and now architects and home owners can specify NZS:4211 compliant timber joinery with confidence it will meet the required standards,” Riley says.

In 2010, the Department of Building and Housing indicated the timber window industry had to take control of its own destiny and supply windows compliant to NZS:4211, or there would be no guarantees they would be accepted in the future.

Riley says investing in testing was vital if the timber joinery industry was to regain market share which had fallen since the introduction of aluminium joinery in the 1960’s, (partly due to the aluminium joinery industry having itself completed this testing many years ago).

In developed countries, timber windows and doors have a much higher market share than in New Zealand due to their natural qualities, so McNaughton Windows and Doors and Master Joiners realised there would be a mutual benefit from working together on the timber testing programme. Together they formed a company, JMF NZ Ltd which went ahead using McNaughton standard manufacturing processes.

“We have complete confidence in our manufacturing techniques which have been developed over 75 years,” Riley says.

“We tested the McNaughton standard way of making windows and doors and used that as a basis, which - of no surprise to us - came up compliant, even in extra high wind zones.

“Now there is a comprehensive suite of timber windows and doors on the market compliant with NZS:4211,” says Riley.

“Because it is tested, it can be specified by

Timber windows and doors can now be tested to show they meet the required thermal standards.

home-owners and architects with confidence that council inspectors will soon be ensuring manufacturers are producing to the correct standard and evidencing this with correct labelling.”

The timber joinery industry is well placed to compete with aluminium joinery, with a range of advantages including a natural and aesthetically pleasing product, greater variation in design, superior insulating quality, and reduced environmental impact. “BRANZ testing reveals thermal performance of timber joinery is nearly 20% better than other thermally broken joinery options, and environmentally speaking uses in excess of 50 times less embodied energy to produce,” Riley says.

Timber windows and doors that are compliant with NZS:4211 can be identified by tags that state which wind zone the product has been tested to.

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48 |

BUILDING » MR Harman Builders

Business North

Adding value to outdoor living areas Sue Russell Murray Harman, owner/operator of Auckland Pergolas Patios and Carports Ltd (APPC) has a healthy attitude when it comes to the business of life-long learning in the building industry.

He sums that attitude up this way: “I have been an apprentice carpenter from leaving school at age 16 and after 30-plus years my apprenticeship has not finished.

“This is an industry that is always changing and the learning process is continuous.”

Three years ago Harman decided to diversify from his existing building company and became an authorised dealership for the Stratco brand, an Australian company who design and manufacture top quality pre-engineered, high-gloss coloured steel pergolas, patios, verandas and carports.

“I did my due diligence before applying to become a dealership,” says Harman.

“Stratco has an enviable reputation. They have designed a complete system with all of its own components that comply with New Zealand standards and create beautiful living spaces.”

APPC Ltd sales manager Nigel Rowthorn is usually the first port of call when potential clients are considering an outdoor extension.

He has a background in architectural drafting and construction, useful when formulating a clients ideas.

“Often, our clients do their own initial research and then contact us through our website.

“The amount of investment required often comes up first. I ascertain on the phone the basic vision they have for their space and try to arrive at a ball park figure. From this initial conversation I can then arrange to make a home visit and discuss further the options available to them.”

While there are a few cheaper options available for those considering enclosing or developing an outside space, Harman says the integrity, flexibility, performance and overall aesthetics of the Stratco structures place them in a league of their own.

“What we’re essentially doing is adding value to a lifestyle and to the value of a home.

“Most people who call me say they have a beautiful view and they can’t sit outside and enjoy it. They are very aware of the damage exposure to the sun causes.”

Demand for the elegant pergolas, patios and other structures Murray Harman’s company builds has continued to grow since establishing the dealership.

Recently APPC added outdoor curtain blinds to its product range. Both automated and manual they are available in a wide range of colours to complement the new pergolas.

Light is an important issue for people considering converting an outside space into an enclosed additional living area.

Demand for the elegant Stratco pergolas, patios and other structures Murray Harman’s company builds has continued to grow.

“With the old polycarbonate roofing a lot of heat and sun penetrates through, often leading to people putting up shade cloth under the polycarbonate.

“We instead alternate the colour steel sheeting with a white polycarbonate 250mm wide strip which results in diffused light which is much less harsh,” says Harman.

Another bonus that comes with the Stratco technology is the no-fuss way to keep the structure looking clean.

All that is required is a hosing every six months or so.

“We can all remember the look of cobwebs clinging to wooden beams.

“With the slim-line, uncluttered appearance of our Pergolas there is nothing to see except the wide-open views beyond.”

When a cost analysis is done comparing the Stratco system with timber structures Harman says there is very little difference yet a huge difference in the cost of ongoing maintenance and upkeep.

Another exciting new product adding further value to outdoor spaces is the Stratco, all aluminium, electronic louvre system.

“Most people who call me say they have a beautiful view and they can’t sit outside and enjoy it.”

With the push of a button on a remote control the aerodynamic louver blades can be adjusted through 170 degrees.

“We incorporated automatic louvres in a gableroof design for a man just in time for his 70th birthday celebrations.

“One of his guests suggested he might want to get a second remote - as he was so eager to show off his system’s operation functions he, might wear this one out!”

Harman says transforming customers’ ideas into reality is very satisfying.

“Our best advertisement is our happy customers all of which are more than happy to host our prospective new clients wanting a closer look at the product.”

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CONTRACTING » Sherriff Drainage

Business North

| 49

New manhole system offers major savings Kelly Deeks Drury’s Sherriff Drainage has a manhole concept solution which can save time and money for property developers and drainage installation companies.

Sherriff Drainage has been specialising in subdivision and larger diameter pipe work for many years.

Company director Jason Sherriff bought into his father Kelly’s business in 2000, then took over the company in 2002.

After spending more than 20 years in drainage installation, Sherriff came up with the idea for the Sherriff Bencher in 2007, developing an easier way to bench and plaster manholes.

Made out of polyethylene, the Sherriff Bencher moulded into concrete minimises the work in connecting wastewater pipes to a central manhole by utilising the advantages of a single module.

The Done Manhole has been developed by Sherriff Drainage over the past three years.

“With the Done Manhole, we have gone to the next level, with a high strength concrete base and the required pipes on grade and direction to suit the job,” Sherriff says.

The Done Manhole is a sealed system, manufactured with high strength reinforced concrete compliant with NZS 3109:1997, and steel fibre reinforcing compliant with NZS 148991:2006. The manhole base stands 650mm high from top to bottom, and 450mm from outlet invert to the top of the manhole with an inside diameter of 1040mm.

“... we have gone to the next level with a high strength concrete base and the required pipes on grade and direction to suit the job.”

It is finished with just the required inlets to suit the job, with the recessed soft spots in line with unused channels. The top of the manhole will suit any riser profile for the job.

It is ideally suited to new subdivision work, cutting into existing lines and some retro-fits, and high water table areas due to the manhole having no infiltration when supplied with pipes, so no ground water gets into the system.

“The advantages of using the Done Manhole system are zero infiltration, zero wastage, time and money savings, and minimising confined space issues as less time is required in the manhole.”

The Done Manhole is built to a high standard every time.

In the past year, demand for the Done Manhole has taken off and Sherriff Drainage has now sold 200 of them.

One of Sherriff Drainage’s long-standing suppliers Hynds Pipe Systems has also expressed an interest in combining the Sherriff Bencher and Done Manhole with their own products, to make a complete and future-proofed system.

Once established, this association will make the Done Manhole available all over New Zealand.

Sherriff Drainage’s Done Manhole is a sealed system, manufactured with high strength reinforced concrete compliant with NZS 3109:1997, and steel fibre reinforcing compliant with NZS 14899-1:2006.

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We are proud to support Sherriff Drainage From large scale commercial projects, to small individual domestic jobs, we take pride in providing quality products and service to all of our clients with that personal touch that only comes with dealing with a family owned and operated business For further information please contact Mike: 09- 299 6877 or mike@epsengineering.co.nz

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50 |

CONTRACTING » DMR Contracting / Recreational Services

Business North

Focus on people underpins success Karen Phelps

Firm carves out unique niche Karen Phelps DMR Contracting has chosen to specialise in specific building services – decking, fencing and gates, retaining walls and landscaping and pergolas – after perceiving a gap in the Hamilton market, say company owner Mark Roulston.

Focusing exclusively on these areas of building has also allowed the company to build up considerable expertise, he says.

Roulston, who has over 35 years contracting experience, started the company in 2003 after he returned from Australia.

The company now employs six staff. Roulston says DMR Contracting has been established on offering a prompt, reliable, friendly service.

“It’s about being flexible as to what the client requires,” explains Roulston.

“It’s about being able to visualise the end result and deliver. We get a lot of repeat work and work from referrals which says a lot about our reputation.”

The company offers design and construction services of all decking, timber fences, timber gates and retaining walls. Roulston says pergolas have been particularly popular in the Hamilton market.

“Pergolas are a simple way to extend or separate the living area and add value to a home.

They can add great value to a property by giving good indoor/outdoor flow.”

DMR Contracting can draw up a plan if necessary or work with the customer’s architect or designer. The company employs its own staff giving control over quality and project timelines.

Roulston’s wife Bronwyn takes on the office/ administration role while Roulston manages the company and oversees jobs. Roulston’s brother Alan, a qualified builder, subcontracts to the company, making it a real family affair. In the past year an additional staff member has been employed to keep pace with company growth.

DMR Contracting works in the greater Waikato area and has its headquarters in Hamilton. Two teams are employed giving the company the ability to work on multiple jobs at once.

Roulston says that he is comfortable with the size the company is at because continuing to offer a personal service is important.

“Our business has been built on a simple premise: we do what we say. Our customers get service from a contractor who undertakes the work that is organised with them and sticks to a quote.

It’s about offering good, old-fashioned service.”

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Working for local authorities may be seen as an easy way to make a dollar but the reality could not be further from the truth, says Cameron Parr, general manager of Auckland-based firm Recreational Services.

“Spending of the rate payer dollar is highly scrutinized within robust systems and work is tendered out vigorously seeking the best outcome for rate payers,” he says.

“The work is then audited at all levels with set processes in place that inspect every area of the contractor’s physical work to reporting.

“On top of that you have every rate payer as your employer and work within a politically driven world.”

Recreational Services, a local family company, has been contracting out the maintenance of council assets for over 20 years.

Owned by Brett and Natalie Turner and Paul Broom and Keitha Turner, the company’s overall management is driven by Parr.

He says that the company has not just survived in the highly competitive world of working for local authorities, but has developed a

style that sees the company maintaining all parks for all four councils north of the bridge as well as in Tauranga and Masterton.

Work includes nearly everything on a park from mowing sports fields and toilet cleaning to tending gardens and asset repairs.

Recreational Services employs almost 400 staff and Cameron says the company’s staff is their main point of difference.

“We are very much in the service delivery industry,” says Parr, who before taking on the role four years ago, was parks manager for the old Auckland City. “We are no different to when you go out for dinner - if the meal is great and the service leaves you wanting to leave a tip then you will go back wanting more.”

Recreational Services has an outstanding 93% contract retention history.

Managing director Brett Turner says that a recent customer survey affirmed that Recreational Services not only provided a great service but was also going the extra mile for customers.

“There is no secret to our success. We do all we can to hold onto our great people, we endeavour to empower them and support them in their roles,” says Brett.

“We are always focusing on delivering outstanding service and in a constant changing environment understanding what the customer needs are requires good communication and strong relationships.”

Business North

CONTRACTING » Recreational Services

| 51

Recreational Services provides specialist management and maintenance of parks, turf and facilities across New Zealand.

“It is not easy as you can never pay enough for passion and good work ethic but our staff know they are valued and we work hard to support them to develop.

“We don’t always get it right but we try bloody hard to right things when we don’t.”

Brett says that this focus on relationships extends to their customers.

“We have high expectations of ourselves because that’s what our clients deserve,” he says.

“We are always focusing on delivering outstanding service and in a constant changing environment understanding what the customer needs are requires good communication and strong relationships”.

Recreational Services is the only business to be awarded the Supreme Business Award twice at the Auckland North Westpac Business Awards.

Brett says that the robust systems and processes that the company has in place provide the platform and structure to allow people to do their jobs well.

“We believe that a good bottom-line comes when you run a good company and you do an outstanding job,” he says.

“Business is not all about how many dollars you make.

“You have a responsibility to your customers, your staff, your communities and above all yourself to feel comfortable that you are doing business the way it should be done in New Zealand.”

Building relationships: from left, Brett Turner, Paul Broom, and Cameron Parr

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Business North

ENERGY » NZ Wind Energy Association

Optimism about wind power potential Sue Russell The New Zealand Wind Energy Association (NZWEA), founded some 18 years ago, represents and advances the interests of companies in the business of building wind-farms, now commonplace around parts of New Zealand.

NZWEA chief executive Eric Pyle says there is every reason to be optimistic about the future of wind farming here, given the Government’s strategic goal to have 20% of our electricity wind generated by 2030.

“We live on a tiny thin land-mass stuck in the zone called the roaring 40’s so ability to produce substantial electricity generation from this environmentally friendly and plentiful resource is now well understood,” says Pyle.

“The Government goal toward attaining 90% of electricity generation from renewable sources certainly advances our cause.”

The NZWEA is active on a number of fronts as it supports building capacity in the industry.

“We’ve got some key roles we take up for our members, including promoting the industry, acting as a sounding board in the generation of energy policy, advancing understanding and information around the technical characteristics of wind and promoting health and safety and industry training,” Pyle says.

While it is certain the wind is going to continue to blow, the industry exists in an environment fringed with uncertainties.

One of these is future demand for power from Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, which currently draws down 12-14% of New Zealand’s total demand. That in turn is affected by global factors beyond the control of this country.

While there are a considerable number of windfarms in planning stage and consented, whether all will eventually be built is influenced by a vast set of dynamic determinants.

To achieve the objective of generating 20% of New Zealand’s total power supply from wind within the next 16 years will need considerable investment.

“When wind-farms were first proposed and some built there was a natural level of fear in people, around issues like the noise they would make, however over time, a lot of those have gone.

“Any development occurs within the construct

and application of the Resource Management Act and there is significant variation in how regions deal with consenting processes.

“We would very much like to see more consistency and certainty in process.”

Pyle says a key benefit wind generation brings is in its ability to produce reliably.

“A wind-farm is, in effect, many many generators and that means there’s little chance of a total failure to supply, unlike if a breakdown

Business North

ENERGY » NZWEA

PRINTING » PrintNZ

| 53

Awards celebrate the NZ printing industry

New Zealand’s 17 wind-farms currently produce 682 MW for the national grid, happens with a power-plant or if there’s extreme temperatures to deal with.”

Several companies already have consents in place to build new wind-farms, including Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy, TrustPower, Contact Energy and Mighty River Power.

Wind turbines have grown in size and consequent energy production capacity substantially over the last twenty five years.

“A 160m rotor, state-of-the-art these days will produce 35 times more power than its 27m forebear.”

This is not the only evolution in the industry.

Most significantly the cost of building the hardware and constructing a wind-farm continues to drop, tempered by much greater understanding these days about how to build them smart and due to improvements in technology.

This year’s annual conference in Wellington, complete with wind blade on display outside Te Papa was attended by 150 stakeholders.

“We had some wonderful guest speakers.

This industry is evolving very rapidly and has not plateaued out yet. We had Mike Eckhart from Citibank, key players in global investment, speaking about society being 40 years through a 100 year transition to renewables. We also had one of the top health and safety people from the energy section of Siemens.”

To achieve the objective of generating 20% of New Zealand’s total power supply from wind within the next 16 years will mean considerable investment in plant.

While the 17 wind-farms currently produce 682 MW for the national grid, consents are in place for another 3000 MW’s capacity.

“Wind farms have been in operation here long enough for the technology of wind energy to have gone from a science experiment to mainstream in 25 years.”

Given this, Pyle is optimistic the strategic goals the association has set for itself, which dove-tail significantly into Government policy on future energy generation, are highly achievable.

Print is a cornerstone of everyday life and has been for hundreds of years.

It’s the morning newspaper, your child’s favourite book, a school textbook, the packaging your cereal comes in, a treasured family photo.

Print plays a vital role in the infrastructure of every economy and is an important communication tool that is as effective today as it has ever been.

Once a year the New Zealand printing industry comes together to celebrate the best of the best – both the talented people that work in the industry and the spectacular array of products that are produced to world class standards.

In 2014 the Pride In Print Awards celebrated their 21st birthday and the Awards remain as popular today as they were on day one.

Gold medals are a highly sought after recognition of the excellence achieved across a broad range of categories that include business forms, labels, display print, packaging, innovation and export.

The industry takes great pride in the work they produce and the Awards are a great opportunity to showcase that exceptional work.

There were 189 gold medals presented at the gala dinner, along with 9 process winners, 8 category winners.

The overall Supreme Award went to a piece of letterpress printing that demonstrated the

absolute detail in the craft of printing and was printed by GTO Printers in Birkenhead, Auckland.

Printing is a specialised craft and apprenticeships play a key role in maintaining and developing the skills required to produce such complex products.

The Apprentice of the Year Awards celebrate the best of the trainees, the trainers and the companies that support them.

These people will be the future leaders of our industry and our Apprentice of the Year for 2014, Steven Hunter from Sealed Air in Hamilton has big ambitions for his future in the industry.

PrintNZ has a strong belief in offering a wide range of learning opportunities to the entire industry.

To further enhance this in 2014 the printing industry training organisation merged with Competenz, to become part of a much larger organisation that will offer our industry the benefits of broader training programmes, blended learning experiences and in-depth support.

PrintNZ congratulates all the winners of both the Apprentice of the Year Awards and the Pride In Print Awards.

A comprehensive booklet containing all the winners is widely distributed.

Print is an effective, enduring, environmentally sound method of communication – and there are no batteries needed.

Jane Caine of GTO Printers celebrates winning with the overall Supreme Award.

54 |

Business North

MARINE » Q-West Boat Builders

Diversity enables company to thrive Karen Phelps Offering a diverse range of services has allowed Q-West Boat Builders to move quickly to meet market demand ensuring the company has continued to thrive in a small market, says Q-West general manager Colin Mitchell.

“The marine market in New Zealand is a changing landscape and being a small country it is of course a limited market,” says Mitchell.

“In order to sustain and grow a company you have to offer a range of services as well as look off-shore to grow your business,” he says.

Q-West is an aluminum boat builder with experience in a range of vessels and applications ranging from pleasure craft, catamarans, fishing and charter craft, pilot boats, monohulls, ferries, to high-speed foil assisted catamarans and work boats.

Mitchell says the capability to work on many different types of vessels is something at which the company has always excelled. For example the company is presently working on a 16m rescue boat for Auckland Coastguard, a hydrographic survey boat and various refit/modification projects.

Relationships and reputation are key elements to achieve success.

“We’ve got a great name in the industry for providing a quality product for a fair price. We have a lot of repeat customers which means we’re offering a good customer experience.”

Q-West constructs craft from designs supplied by independent design companies and has associations with many national and international designers including Teknicraft Design, BakewellWhite Yacht Design, Incat Crowther and Camarc Design.

“Clients come to us with a requirement and we find the best designer to suit them. We then work with that design company to give the customer the best product they can get,” explains Mitchell.

A good example of the company’s process is the Mikotahi, a 19.5m pilot boat recently completed for Port Taranaki.

Q-West sought out the international expertise

Q-West recently built the 19.5 metre pilot boat, Mikotahi, for Port Taranaki. of Camarc Design, a Scottish company with specialised expertise in designing pilot vessels.

Mitchell believes the resulting mono-hull boat with a cruising speed of 25 knots will set a new standard for pilot crafts in New Zealand.

“We sought out this company because in our view it was the best pilot boat designer in the world applicable for Port Taranaki’s operation.

“The resulting vessel is a jet boat, which is not common in this country for pilot vessels. This gives it an incredible amount of manouverability and it’s

been built to Lloyd classification. There’s nothing else like it in its class in New Zealand,” he says.

Because Port Taranaki had gone worldwide for tenders and Q-West was selected from competitors in Europe, the UK, Australia and others in New Zealand, Mitchell sees the project as potentially opening doors as other ports around the country are looking at replacement pilot boats.

Mitchell says that its small management and production team allows the company to move quickly to meet changing market conditions.

The company employs a team of around 55 – a figure that has doubled in the past two years.

Q-West presently has its sights set on increasing its presence in the international market after successfully completing government tenders for New South Wales Maritime and a patrol boat for the Victoria Maritime Police.

“We are marketing heavily through industry magazines and tradeshows to get our name out there. There are always opportunities that we’re chasing at any one time.”

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Business North

HOSPITALITY » Southern Spit Roast and BBQ Catering

| 55

Delivering the best for events and functions Sue Russell In the hospitality business ‘word of mouth’ determines success or failure.

Graham Corse-Scott, owner/operator of Takanini-based catering firm Southern Spit Roast and BBQ Catering Ltd knows the company’s longevity has been built substantially on referrals.

“People are going to talk about their excellent experiences for years to come,” says Graham’s son and co-owner Phillip Corse-Scott.

“We know this so it is our constant aim to give customers an experience they will be 100% satisfied with.”

The company services a wide geographic area, from all over Auckland, Northland and through the greater Waikato and beyond.

It also gets the fundamentals right; sourcing the best produce direct from Turners and Growers along with premium meats from New Zealand Butchers.

Having catered for all manner of events and functions the company’s expertise extends well beyond the traditional spit roasts it is famous for.

“We’re able to work out your own individual menus to suit every budget and dietary requirement. Our professional staff are all fully trained and versed in giving top-quality service,” Phillip adds.

Embracing social media has been a significant marketing strategy in recent years.

“We regularly post updates for functions, venues and catering shots and we’re now starting to try to push Google plus. It has become incredibly important to our business.”

When Graham Corse-Scott established the company, originally operating out of his Papakura restaurant in the early 1990’s, he brought to it years of experience as a restauranteur. These days, the A Grade kitchen in Takanini along with another kitchen in Hamilton means the company can easily cater for as many as 20 functions a day.

The wedding season from December to April is the traditional peak time, while the conferencing season keeps the company busy from May and through the winter months.

“All year round we enjoy catering for a whole mixed-bag of events. I think this is one of the parts of the job I most enjoy,” says Phillip.

“Not only delivering the best experience possible but the variety of work we do is always interesting. It means our staff are capable of working in any sort of environment.”

Extensive menu options are available at a glance on the website. Spit Roast’s range in price from less than $27 per person through to the popular Spit Roast and BBQ combination for $14 per head more. Beyond this all sorts of menu combinations are possible, including vegetarian, gluten and/or dairy free.

“Have a look at our website and then contact us. We’ll happily suggest food options tailored to be just right for your function, no matter what the size.”

“We regularly post updates for functions, venues and catering shots and we’re now starting to try to push Google plus. It has become incredibly important to our business.”

Extensive menu options are available at a glance on the company’s website.

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56 |

Business North

HEALTH » Skinspots Skin Cancer Clinic

Clinic targets primary care demand Karen Phelps A new clinic is aiming to meet demand for primary care skin cancer screening and treatment.

Skinspots Skin Cancer Clinic is the brainchild of Doctor Franz Strydom who recognised a gap in the market for a service, which reduces costs for patients encouraging more people to proactively screen for skin cancer.

“The hospital health services and specialist have for many years been struggling to cope with the large number of people that need treatment and screening for skin cancer,” says Dr Strydom.

“There is insufficient funding at hospital, DHB and PHO level to deal with skin cancer screening and treatment,” he says.

“Primary care (first stop or initial contact / treatment point for patients) bears the brunt of this frustration.

“Until now GPs patients with skin cancer would be treated in the GP clinic or be referred to hospital where they would often wait for months or years before they are seen and treated.

“This has led to fear and frustration for the patient and GP watching significant cancers grow larger, often waiting to nine months before treatment is undertaken.

“By this time this cancer would have enlarged significantly and would involve very complex and expensive treatment.”

Dr Strydom says that the logical place to develop new services to meet the need was in this primary care level, which led him to develop Skinspots.

Instead of patients having to go to their GP, wait to be referred to a specialist then wait for treatment, Skinspots can fast-track the process by offering all services to patients under one roof.

Dr Strydom says that offering experienced staff highly trained specifically in the detection of skin cancer in primary care, is a huge point of difference.

Skinspots can provide services ranging from skin checks to high-level surgical interventions.

Treatment provided includes topical treatment done for groups of patients.

“This latter form of treatment provides a safer and supported regular group clinic to help the patients through what has always been a very difficult treatment with high dropout rate.

Skinspots can provide services ranging from skin checks to high-level surgical interventions.

“Our main concern is to find the most appropriate form of treatment for the specific form of skin cancer and the treatment that is best suited to each individual patient,” says Dr Strydom.

Dr Strydom has long held a special interest in skin cancer and has been part of the team involved with the development of the minor surgery skin cancer project for the Ministry of Health in the Bay of Plenty.

He has completed training for advanced

certificates in Dermoscopy and Advanced Skin Cancer Surgery from the University of Brisbane.

He has also attended training courses in Australia and New Zealand in the detection of skin cancers as well as surgery for skin cancers.

He has also presented at numerous

international conferences regarding skin cancer treatment.

Dr Strydom is one of the first New Zealand doctors to receive a fellowship from the newly formed Skin Cancer Association of Australia and New Zealand.

“Until now GPs patients with skin cancer would be treated in the GP clinic or be referred to hospital where they would often wait for months or years before they are seen and treated.”

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