Auckland Today Magazine Issue 123

Issue 123 | March/April 2017

TAKING CHARGE Kieran Read's role of a lifetime Is your workplace wellness up to par?

START-UP HACKS A definitive guide to get new companies up and running

THE KITSET KING It took Jorgen Ellis three years to establish Kitset Assembly Services nationwide - now he’s going international

HEAD OR HEART? Musing on an age-old debate

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REASONS WHY PR’s good for your business Strategically positioning your brand

NAVIGATING YOUR WAY THROUGH EMOTIONAL MINEFIELDS

News | Initiatives | Interviews | Personalities | Success | Profiles | Finance | Property | Sustainability | Export | Transport | Retail | Solutions | ISSN 1173-1508

CHICKEN ‘n’ THINGS

Only the freshest New Zealand meat

Chicken ‘n’ Things (2012) Limited processing facilities are based in the picturesque surroundings of Whenuapai in West Auckland.

The factory has the capacity to process over 30 tonnes of fresh poultry, lamb and beef a week. Our own refrigerated transport and courier partners ensure that our products are delivered to our customers as fast as possible without sacrificing on quality.

We currently service the greater Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.

We are a family-owned business which employs 15 full-time staff and specialise in portion control and have vast experience in servicing the hospitality industry.

Being a company with more of a hands-on approach, we are able to do fiddly little things and tailor our products and production schedules to specific customer needs.

We consider that the quality of the product supplied to our customers is of the utmost importance to the long term success and growth of our company.

We recognise that we must work as a team with all our customers, to provide the highest quality and value for money.

Every care and attention is taken to comply with all relevant New Zealand legal and safety requirements. To achieve this we have implemented a documented Food Safety and Quality Management System, incorporating all relevant food safety and qualitative standards.

This ensures that all employees are fully aware of the importance of the requirements within this document, to achieve this company’s and our customers’ goal of a consistent high-quality standard of product.

All our poultry is locally-sourced from New Zealand suppliers.

Our poultry products include barn-raised and corn-fed free range chickens. Fresh quality New Zealand lamb and beef also forms part of our product range.

Chicken ‘n’ Things is committed to providing the highest quality products and service to all our customers.

14 Brigham Creek Road, Whenuapai, West Auckland admin@chickennthings.co.nz | 09-416-5106 | www.chickennthings.co.nz

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Viewpoints AUCKLAND TODAY | ISSUE 123 MARCH/APRIL 2017 HEAD OFFICE

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NEWSROOM

9 | How to strategically position your brand If you have a great product or service, you don’t need marketing – right?

6 | Making time Kevin Vincent’s top time management techniques

10 | The power of PR Three reasons why PR is good for your business

6 | The risk of bad management John Shingleton on why middle management is so vital to your company’s success

11 | The iceberg effect A case study in the true cost of a toxic employee

7 | Proactive or reactive When it comes to tax, Martz Witty says you need to get proactive and you need to do it now

12 | Head v heart It’s an age-old debate: should you listen to your heart or to your head?

7 | Channelling your inner teenager If you want to know how to connect with any audience, Michelle Hider suggests you look no further than social media-aware teenagers

12 | Start-up hacks A definitive ‘if only I knew then’ list to help start ups

7 | Time up or time out?

Debra Buckley says beware you don’t call ‘time up’ when all you needed was time out 8 | Is your workplace wellness up to par?

Jane Cowan-Harris on why it pays to have an ergonomics programme 8 | Stress management Mary Casey talks about navigating your way through emotional minefields 8 | Events diary This is where you find out what’s on near you

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Feature sections

Pages 9-16

6 | An outcome worth investing in Bill English outlines the half-billion dollar investment to make our communities safer

Jonathon Taylor EDITOR Lydia Truesdale JOURNALISTS Natalia Rietveld Marie Sherry Phone: (03) 961 5098 Email: editor@academy.net.nz

Management

Pages 6-8

AGENCY SALES & DEVELOPMENT MEDIA CONSULTANTS

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13 | Lifestyles Selected items of desire that add a little style to your life 14 | The kitset king At just 21, Jorgen Ellis has already established his company Kitset Assembly Services nationwide, with international moves afoot 16 | Taking charge Kieran Read’s role of a lifetime

Pages 18-58 18 | Health & Wellness How Health 2000 helps you make healthy choices, and the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation’s mission to help Kiwis breathe easier 21 | Anniversaries AMA Travel marks 35 years getting people to destinations they desire, and Recreational Services marks a quarter century caring for our green spaces 27 | Focus Porter Contractors, Partridge Pools/Pool Panthers, Damen Office Furniture, The NZ Franchise Association celebrates the best in its business, Scaffolding, Access and Rigging NZ, RPM International Tool & Die, DCN Drilling, Auckland Bearing Distributors, and Northern Forklifts 39 | Property & Construction Manners Building Products, Trowel Trades, Concrete Link, Mohan Roofing Services, Southeys Group, Monkey Toe Group, NPD Maintenance, Craig Walker Building Removals, and vegetation specialists Asplundh 58 | Transport & Motoring Truck body and trailer manufacturer Onehunga Transport Engineers, plus road transport equipment solutions from Fruehauf NZ

YOU ASKED, WE LISTENED… WELCOME TO OUR FIRST FULL GLOSS ISSUE Magazines Today is proud to announce that from this issue onwards Auckland Today will be a full gloss magazine.

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Only now we’re doing it on a format that helps all messages, be it an article or full colour gloss advert, really stand out and make their mark.

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Management | Viewpoints

Rt Hon Bill English

Kevin Vincent

John Shingleton

Prime Minister

Managing director of Vincent Consulting www.vincentconsulting.co.nz

Director of Onlinelawyers www.onlinelawyesr.nz

An outcome worth investing in

Making time

The risk of bad management

Last year, New Zealand was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world. We want to make it number one.

Time management for your business can be described metaphorically as the good oil of your business.

That’s why I recently announced a new $503 million Safer Communities package to reduce crime and prevent reoffending.

Over the next four years the package will fund an additional 1125 police staff, including 880 sworn police officers.

Oil is the essential life blood that runs through the arteries of cars and mechanical operations and without which, these machines would undoubtedly soon come to a grinding halt and fail.

No doubt some of you spent part of your Christmas holiday, that is if you took one, reflecting on how you can manage your business differently, if not better in 2017.

This means there will be almost 10 percent more officers by 2021.

The extra investment will make police more visible and more responsive. Equally importantly, it will enable police to put more time and effort into working alongside other agencies to address the underlying drivers of dysfunction.

This half-billion dollar investment in police is part of our wider strategy to change lives for the better. We call our approach ‘Social Investment’ and it's showing promising results in a number of areas, but the recent rise in the prison population confirms we’ve got more work to do.

That is why we are investing more in police.

This package unashamedly targets offenders to ensure they are off our streets – by providing additional resources to resolve more crime and target criminal gangs and organised crime.

It also addresses the underlying drivers of crime through preventative work and more funding for prisoner rehabilitation.

Key initiatives of the package include a new national 24/7 phone number for non-emergencies like reporting an historic or low-level crime, or to get in contact with a police officer in your local area.

The Eagle Helicopter will now be available around the clock with a response time of 10-15 minutes. The Eagle will now be funded to run 24/7, 365 days of the year and can also be deployed anywhere in New Zealand.

Applied time management is the “good oil” that prevents the squeaking, creaking and tweaking that frequently arises during our often chaotic day to day existence.

By applying time management skills you can optimise your effort to ensure that you concentrate as much of your time and energy as possible on the high payoff tasks. This ensures that you achieve the greatest benefit possible with the limited amount of time available to you.

Here are some tips to assist you to apply the “good oil” of time management.

Set goals To start managing time effectively, you need to set goals.

People tend to neglect goal setting because it requires time and effort. What they fail to consider is that a little time and effort put in now saves an enormous amount of time, effort and frustration in the future.

Plan your day Prioritising what needs to be done is especially important.

Without it, you may work very hard, but you won’t be achieving the results you desire because what you are working on is not of strategic importance.

There will be an additional 140 specialist investigators for child protection, sexual assault, family violence and other serious crime (66 of these have been previously announced).

And an extra 80 officers to target organised crime, gangs and methamphetamine.

Delegate Delegation extends the results from what you can do, to what you can control. It frees time for more important tasks, allows you to plan more effectively, and helps relieve the pressure of too many jobs, too many deadlines, and too little time. Not only that, but it is one of the most effective ways of developing your staff. Improper delegation, however, is worse than no delegation at all.

We will fund 20 additional ethnic liaison officers who will work with ethnic communities and businesses to stop crime in these communities. And there will be more officers for up to 20 regional and rural police stations. This will ensure that 95 percent of the population lives within 25 kilometres of a 24/7 police presence.

Handle interruptions Some jobs need you to be available for people when they need help – interruption is a natural and necessary part of life. In these cases, do what you sensibly can to minimise it, but make sure you don’t scare people away from interrupting you when they should.

The targets won’t be easy to meet – but we don’t shy away from hard issues.

We’re here to make a difference. Investing more in police will make our communities safer. It will reduce crime and reoffending, and help steer some of our most disadvantaged young people onto a more productive path.

That’s an outcome worth investing in.

Don’t procrastinate To deal with procrastination, focus on the result of the task, not on the process. Tackle the most unpleasant job at the beginning of your working day and break down large tasks or projects into manageable chunks. Schedule each phase with both a start time and a finish time, and tick chunks off on completion.

One decision you ought to consider is keeping a focus on employee health and wellbeing. Not only does the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 create a legal obligation to monitor and manage employee health but a happy workforce means less sickness, higher productivity and better retention.

A key component of a successful wellness strategy is employing line managers with insight and empathy. Line managers are those people in your organisation who have the day to day contact with, and supervision of your workers.

This can be a supervisor, head teacher, partner in a law or accountancy firm or a foreman.

A recent survey in England found that for over 70 percent of those workers who were questioned, the moment they least looked forward to in their working day was interacting with their line manager.

I suspect it will be the same here. What an appalling statistic!

Shouldn’t it be that over 70 percent looked forward to interacting with their manager. After all, aren’t managers hired to inspire, encourage, support, nurture and grow the workforce?

This is where it is important to reflect on the personality types of your line managers. Have they got that necessary insight and empathy with others? Do they get along with people? Do they take the time to understand what makes their workers tick? Or do they hide behind process? Are they perfectionists?

Do they belittle people? Do they micromanage? Do they cause conflict? Are they a bully?

There is a lot of literature out there regarding the sort of personality traits you would want to avoid like the plague.

But, in the end, isn’t the ideal manager a person who can get alongside other people?

So, from a practical point of view what can you do?

First, make sure you have a clear understanding of your manager’s personality traits Secondly, if the traits are those of a well-liked, respected, empathetic and insightful individual, express your appreciation and support.

But if the manager is a psycho, or as Michael Hempseed of Employee Solutions Service Ltd puts it, a toxic individual, then it’s time to help that manager along with another career choice.

If you do not, then it is inevitable that this individual will negatively affect the workforce’s wellness and wellbeing resulting in employee unhappiness, a high level of sick leave and staff turnover and the potential for a claim of bullying or constructive dismissal.

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Part of the

Management | Viewpoints

Martz Witty

Michele Hider

Debra Buckley

Head of the Martz Group www.martz.co.nz

Director of Priority Communications www.prioritycomms.co.nz

CEO of the New Zealand Institute of Management and Leadership www.nzimleadership.co.nz

Proactive or reactive tax

Channelling your inner teenager

Time up or time out?

For many March 31 spells a new tax year and so many talk about paying more tax than they think they should, as they prepare their records anywhere from April through December. Then they toddle off to their accountant and find it’s far too late to make changes to the tax year past.

By the time they are 20, any social mediaaware teenager will have practiced one of the most important aspects of public relations thousands of times.

I have been reflecting upon a comment by John Key, at his departure, that “every good leader knows when their time is up”.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

February and March are perfect months to sit down with your advisor and talk through (proactively) planning issues that can be retrospectively applied to the tax year about to finish, and set you up nicely for the year about to start.

Can’t get an appointment with your advisor? Maybe it’s time to change advisors – just a thought!

Do you get told there’s nothing you are doing wrong? There are no additional claims to be had?

Yes it is true – this can happen and in 35 years as an accountant I have struck exactly this situation. Once! That’s right – just once.

It’s crucial you don’t get into the downward facing spiral of pay less tax, pay less tax.

Personally I believe you should pay tax – just no more than you are legally obliged to pay. Besides it is far more fun to focus on how to make more money (which will result in paying more tax).

So if I can offer any viewpoint about business management and tax it is this. Get proactive and not reactive. Focus on being happy to pay tax – just ensure you’re not paying any more than you're legally obliged to pay. Start this exercise now - not next week or next month. Start it now.

Never assume everything is as good as it can be, there’s almost always a change afoot to help you and your business going forward.

Sometimes you need your eyes opened to the opportunity, sometimes it will be obvious to yourself.

To any readers of Canterbury Today I am offering a free email showing the A to Z of “possible” tax deductions.

Just because it’s on the list does not mean it is deductible – but it might be. This will better arm you when you visit your advisors and do your expense review and work toward tax planning. Email info@martz.co.nz for your free copy.

Every time they post on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook, they are thinking about their audience. Who’s going to like this post; will they like, love it, share it; and sometimes, is it appropriate for Mum and Dad to see? Perhaps I should unfriend Granny?

If they take a wrong steer and think Granny is going to enjoy a picture of them and their friends semi-naked after a hard night’s drinking, it is unlikely to be career limiting, but may give them enough of a wake-up call, from one upset elderly relative, to think about it next time.

For us of more senior years, and I mean anyone 35 plus, we didn’t get this early training. Unless you work in public relations or marketing, in-depth thought about your audience is probably not ingrained and in this fast paced online world the opportunities to misfire are ever increasing.

He left on his own terms, was still our most popular PM and his party was polling well, yet he perceived his time was up.

Towards the end of the year, I too, often feel like my time is up. There is very little left in the tank, all the good ideas and strategic decisions feel like they missed a beat in the execution and I’m unsure as to what else I have to offer.

Following a jolly good Christmas holiday and some quiet time, watching the sun rise, I will somehow manage to refill the tank and return replenished and ready for another year.

I wonder how many times a leader does this before they know their time really is up? What are some of the warning signs that tell you your time is near and how can you tell if the lesson is that you’re ‘done’ with corporate life or just the current role?

If I had only one piece of PR advice to give, it would be to know your audience and keep them top of mind, from the minute you start planning your communications and marketing, to every comment and post you make.

For me the answer is really simple. Once there is no passion there is no challenge, and if there is no challenge, I am no longer learning or growing. So for me, it’s not a matter of leaving my corporate life all together; it is just a matter of taking time out and seeking a new opportunity.

Knowing who you want to engage with and why they might want to engage with you is the key to all great communication, whether you are wanting to attract more customers to your business, involve people in an important community conversation, become a thought leader, or simply get your views across in a time of crisis.

For others the time-out button may be triggered by significant change, an impossible workload or the mental pressure of being on top of their game 24/7. Alternatively, it can be exciting - an offer of a new role, possibly even accompanied by a feeling of elation that you have been head-hunted for a key role that appears a perfect fit for you.

In public relations, it goes well beyond data gathering. It’s often a case of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.

How would I feel if I was them and received that news, heard that message, was called at 6pm while I was trying to make dinner for the kids?

There are literally thousands of leadership books that tell us how to be a better coach, decision maker and delegator. Very few of us thought that President Donald Trump would take over the USA as president, yet, because of their two-term policy, President Obama’s time is up.

For example, when you want people to help with important decisions in your community, you need to think about who your issue is going to affect; where the most central place is for them to meet; should they meet at all or talk online; what meeting time will best suit the age and stage of the people that need to attend? And all of this before you consider how you are going to engage them in your issue.

This leads me to wonder if knowing your time is about to be up and having advance warning makes the transition any easier. My guess is, it would depend on how well you feel you have done in the role or how you measure your success.

If you want to do a detailed analysis of your target audience and what communications would work best for them and you, I recommend using a public relations professional. In the meantime, before you post or comment, stop, think and channel your inner teenager.

‘Time up’ is only a negative if what you really needed was time out.

Sometimes the decisions are made for you and sometimes you need to take the same approach as John Key, and choose for yourself.

Before you pen your resignation letter, ask yourself: Is my time up or do I just need a little time out?

Executive Programme Robust professional development for senior managers in a globalised, disrupted business environment 18 – 22 September 2017 (Residential 4.5 days)

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www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 7

Management | Viewpoints

EVENTS DIARY Jane Cowan-Harris

Dr Mary Casey

Head of WorkSpace IQ www.workspaceiq.co.nz

Founder and CEO of the Casey Centre www.caseycentre.com.au

Is your workplace wellness up to par?

Reflecting back on the past 12 months, it’s been great to see workplace wellness continuing to gain a higher profile in our business communities.

As well as this growth in awareness, I’ve also noticed a bit of a buzz starting to build around the term ‘ergonomics programmes’. Naturally this is a welcome topic of conversation for me, but it’s encouraging to hear that more organisations (maybe spurred on by the recent changes in Health & Safety legislation) are not only talking about well and accessible workplaces here in Christchurch, but we are starting to create them.

Creating opportunities; why it pays to have an ergonomics programme More than a feel-good, tick-box exercise, studies undertaken indicate that there is a significant increase in productivity, staff satisfaction and retention when there is an ergonomics programme in place.

A research paper put out by Humantech in the States in 2014 clearly recommended the benefits and return on investment, citing that the ROI can exceed three times the investment and that use of the simple ROI formula allows managers to measure and demonstrate the value of a programme to tie in with their organisation’s bottom line.

Currently most of us do not have these figures readily available to allow us to calculate this, but implementation of a programme creates an opportunity and becomes a worthwhile investment.

Stress management Stress is our brain and body’s way of responding to any kind of pressure such as challenging or even dangerous situations.

Depending on the person’s perception, these situations are perceived as either good or bad, and therefore, even though the stress response is similar, it can be seen as either good stress or bad stress.

When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood (“fight-or-flight” hormones amongst other things).

These chemicals give people more energy and strength, which is a good thing if their stress is caused by a situation that requires extra energy and strength. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is caused by a situation that does not offer an outlet for this extra energy and strength.

Many of your body’s negative responses to stress can be offset with positive responses from relaxation. While the most effective way to fight stress will vary for each individual, here are things to try: Look after yourself A healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, adequate sleep and a balanced, healthy diet will help your body to cope with stressful situations.

Manage your time Set realistic goals and deadlines and plan projects in advance.

Make lists and priorities, and schedule all the important aspects of your life, such as health, relationships and family.

Talk over your concerns with your employer or human resources manager.

A healthy investment with measurable benefits Hearing the chatter is somewhat helpful, but what actually is an ergonomics programme? And why would your workplace even need one?

Find what relaxes you physically Choose activities that help you to feel good, such as massage, yoga, swimming, spa baths, social sports, even sex.

If you intend on implementing a programme, I recommend that you start by running through a quick checklist to give you a snapshot of your current position and a reference point from which you can measure the improvements your organisation makes as your programme progresses.

Find what relaxes you mentally Choose activities that help you to unwind and forget about your worries, such as reading, meditation, listening to music, relaxation techniques, going to the movies or taking a holiday.

Remember every business is different, but regardless of the type of work you do, the check need not be complicated.

If your approach is proactive, you might involve new staff/induction training in workstation set up, safe work practices and healthy work habits. Perhaps you could also run occasional refresher courses, group training or train the trainer sessions. If fitness is important to you, you might organise a corporate exercise challenge, or offer workplace Pilates or Yoga classes.

20%

Maintain good social relationships Work on your ties with both family and friends. Spend time and laugh with the people whose company you enjoy, and who you can confide in when needed.

If work-related stress continues to be a problem, despite your efforts, you may need to consider another job or else a career change.

If a person needs extra support, talking to a mental health, occupational stress or psychological specialist or a professional counsellor may help. Some workplaces also have an employee assistance program or counsellor, which are useful sources of support.

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What’s happening on the business and entertainment front

SATURDAY, MARCH 4 UNCONFERENCE ON INTERDISCIPLINARY INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION UnConference on Interdisciplinary Innovation and Collaboration (CIIC) brings together academic researchers and practitioners working in the private sector, in particular; research and development staff, heads of product development, and individual creative technologists, innovators, and entrepreneurs to tackle wicked problems that don’t have an obvious solution.

For more information, go to: www.ciic.s23m.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 5 SETTING UP YOUR FOOD BUSINESS If owning a café, restaurant or food truck has always been your dream but you don’t where to start, the New Zealand School of Food and Wine provides 10 weekend modules on setting up your food business which covers all you need to know about opening your own cafe, food truck, pop-up concept, catering business or restaurant.

For more information, go to: www.foodandwine.co.nz

MONDAY, MARCH 6 GROW YOUR FINANCIAL SKILLS This two-day workshop will give you a detailed understanding of financial reporting to develop better budgeting and cash flow management. You will be able to read, forecast and manage the numbers behind the business and develop an action plan to improve financial stability.

For more information, go to: www.theicehouse.co.nz

TUESDAY, MARCH 7 ASSET MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP Delivered by leading facilitators, this workshop will provide asset management professionals across both the public and private sectors with an in-depth and interactive learning experience. This comprehensive program consists of three distinct days that can be taken in any combination, either in one continuous package or as an individual.

For more information, go to: www.liquidlearninggroup.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 9 DESIGN INNOVATION WORKSHOP Learn how to improve your business using digital technology and design. The design innovation workshop will teach you how to solve those critical issues facing your business by using technology in a strategic way. You’ll also learn how to scope and run a digital project through to successful completion and a return on investment.

For more information, go to: www.theinnovationbusinessco.nz

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Management | Tactics

How to strategically position your brand

By Stephen Lynch

Starbucks positioned itself as the coffee specialist, the brand you know offers premium coffee.

Many people believe that if you have a great product or a great service, you don’t need marketing.

Position your company by being explicit about your target market customer.

Curves is the gym solely for women. AXE (or Lynx, in some countries) cologne positions itself as the cologne that makes young men irresistible.

They like to cite American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, who supposedly said something like: “If a man built a better mousetrap, though he lived in a cottage, deep in the woods, the world will beat a path to his door.”

“

First of all, the quote is wrong. Here’s what Emerson actually said: “If a man has good corn or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles or church organs, than anybody else, you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods.”

That sounds great. It seems to imply that if you have a great product or service, you won’t need to worry about marketing. But reality is a little different.

You can have the greatest product in the world and the most superb service, but if no one knows about it you will have a warehouse full of excellent products, or you will be sitting around your office, waiting for the phone to ring.

This is where companies make a big mistake with their marketing. It’s important to have great products and great services. But too many companies delude themselves by thinking, “If people knew how great our products or services are, they’d buy us every time.”

They try to market themselves by saying things like: “We’ve got the best quality, the best product, the best service and the best people.”

I’ve got three words for you: waste of time. Yes, all those things are important, but they won’t help you be successful with your marketing.

It’s not about the product; it’s about the positioning.

Strategic Positioning or brand positioning is a statement of who you are. It is what your target customers think about when they hear your brand name. Red Bull owns the words “energy drink.” 1-800-GOT JUNK? owns junk removal. What words do you want to own?

What will make you stand out from the herd?

There are two important questions you should answer:

• What word or words do you own in your target customers’ minds?

• Where can you be perceived as a leader or as meaningfully different in some way?

Seth Godin in his book The Purple Cow says that you should stand out from the herd of competitors the way a purple cow would stand out from a herd of cows. That’s not just a little different. We’re talking “dramatically different” and that takes courage.

The old rule of marketing was that you played it safe. You created a good enough product or service, and then you sold it with PR and advertising. You took out ads, you spent money, and you tried to drive customers to your business that way. That used to work, but it doesn’t any more.

Today, you need to create remarkable products or services that your target market customers will seek out and talk about. They will spread word of mouth about your brand.

You’ve already made the critical decisions about how you’re going to deliver value to your customer. You chose a value discipline.

When you made that choice, you had to think about who your ideal target market customers are, and what they currently think of you and your industry. Now it’s time to decide how you’re going to market yourself to your target market customers.

product unless they think you’re remarkably, distinctively, and meaningfully different. You don’t win the marketing battle with the best product or service. You win the marketing battle with strategic positioning. So let’s think about how you can position your company.

There’s no one best way to position your company so you appear distinctively different from your competition. You need to choose a position that sets you apart in a way that appeals to your ideal target market customer.

There are six basic ways to achieve that: Position your company based on price point.

Walmart, for example, offers “everyday low prices”. Price positioning can work the other way, too, when people use a high price as an indicator of high value.

One of the most commonly told stories is the one about how Chivas Regal was a struggling brand of Scotch whiskey until they doubled their price; according to this account, unit sales doubled.

You need to choose a position that sets you apart in a way that appeals to your ideal target market customer. There are six basic ways to achieve that.

- STEPHEN LYNCH

”

Find your strategic position Here are two questions that I recommend to help you identify your strategic position:

• In what area(s) could you be perceived as the leader of a category or niche in your industry?

• In what area(s) could you be perceived as

being dramatically and meaningfully different from your competitors?

Strategic positioning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You have to consider where you are positioned compared to your competition.

That means returning to the industry analysis to identify your key competitors, looking at their marketing material, and figuring out what positions your competitors have staked out in the marketplace.

Let’s look at some other ways you can position yourself:

• Position your company by creating a

When you’ve done your analysis, it’s time to state your strategic position. A strategic position is a statement of who you are. I use my Twitter Rule. See if you can state your strategic position in a short, concise statement of 140 characters or less.

new category, that’s what Red Bull did.

Before them, there was no “energy drink” category

• Position your company as something

It starts with being dramatically different.

You’re either a purple cow of a product or service, or you’re a commodity. But that’s only part of the challenge. You must also be dramatically and meaningfully different to your ideal target market customer.

“We’re number two, so we try harder”, is a great example

Just being good is not enough. Your competitors are good. Your customers won’t even start down the path to buy your

There are coffee shops all over the world that sell coffee and a host of other things like hamburgers and breakfast and pies, but

different from the category leader.

In rental cars, the classic Avis advertising campaign,

The next big step is to look at things from your customers’ point of view and decide what benefits those customers should expect when they buy your product or service.

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Management | Growing your business

The power of PR In business, as in your personal life, reputation is everything. To be a credible player in any industry your reputation plays the biggest part in your success. It ensures your business continues, is the glue between you and your existing clients and creates trust with potential customers.

Lisa Powlesland, general manager at Purple Sherbet PR, talks about public relations and why it is important for your business.

By definition PR is “building a mutually beneficial relationship with a company’s various publics”, with the power to reach large audiences. Telling your positive success stories and building a reputation affects what your audience perceives about your brand and organisation. Public relations creates a platform that utilises media engagement to communicate your story and brand voice.

During the past year we have all seen examples of the power of PR and what can happen to reputations when things go wrong or an organisation is unprepared.

It’s important to build up positive engagement or ‘brownie points’ with your audience. It’s a little like saving for a rainy day because for whatever reason, one day there might be something negative attributed to your brand and you want your audiences to recall the good things about you to help outweigh the negative.

The first step is a good communication strategy. With the power of social media, how we communicate has changed.

“

The first step is a good communication strategy. With the power of social media, how we communicate has changed.

- LISA POWLESLAND

”

Consistent, clear communication of your organisation’s messages has never been more important. Businesses of any size should have a communication plan which includes some form of PR, along with key messages that can be woven into all external and internal communication.

Key messages should articulate what it is that you most want your target audience to know about your organisation. They should reflect your organisational beliefs and objectives and be relevant to both internal and external audiences.

Below are three reasons why your business should consult a PR professional sooner rather than later:

1. Crisis time is not when you should be

looking to hire a PR agency. By having communications professionals that you trust, fully briefed on your brand, you can manage any potentially tricky situations with a great deal less stress because you are all on the same page.

2. Telling your audiences the good news

stories underpinning your brand are not just for the benefit of your customers but also make your staff feel good about being part of your organisation. It’s a win/win.

3. If you have a good relationship with your PR consultancy they will be looking for opportunities to include your brand in news stories with their regular news contacts. With media organisations getting leaner, they look to their key PR contacts to provide story ideas and content that has integrity.

That’s where choosing a well-respected agency is important. If in doubt, check the directory of member agencies listed by the PR Industry Association of NZ, www.prinz.org.nz.

Lisa Powlesland is a seasoned PR strategist with a wealth of experience and strong media relationships spanning 25 years. www.purplesherbet.co.nz. lisa@purplesherbet.co.nz.

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10 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Management | Growing your business

The iceberg effect

A case study in the true cost of a toxic employee

By Michael Hempseed

We have all worked with a toxic employee; someone who is so toxic in the workplace that they cause untold havoc.

In some workplaces these events are caused by a combination of staffing personalities, yet in others it seems solely down to one individual.

Often employers suspect these individuals have a huge financial toll on an organisation, yet often this is extremely hard to quantify.

How much do toxic employees lower productivity, cause lost customers and severely damage a company’s reputation?

The following case study reveals some unexpected results.

Six months ago my company came across one such toxic employee. The company they were working for was a professional business with 10 staff. After a thorough investigation, it soon became apparent this employee was toxic. We suspected they were probably costing the company at least $10,000 to $30,000 a year. They were paid out to leave the company.

Six months later the company’s revenue shot up by an astounding 50 percent. The only change was this employee leaving the company. This was hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra revenue.

Why did this happen? The obvious answer is the employee was stealing from the company.

We found no evidence of this. So there were other forces at work.

The exact processes that led to the staggering increase in profits are unknown, but we strongly suspected the following happened.

Quite simply this person was a pain and managers and other employees dreaded coming to work. It’s easy to assume that when you dread coming to work you will not put much energy and enthusiasm into the business.

We believe that for the most part, instead of focussing on their jobs, gaining new clients and being innovative, most of the staff’s cognitive resources were occupied with avoiding and not upsetting this employee.

We believe this employee easily alienated customers and created bad word of mouth.

The company had to spend a lot on always gaining new customers, therefore the cost of customer acquisition was high. There may well be other factors but we believe these are the main ones.

“

The costs of a problem employee are exceptionally high, not to mention all the stress and anguish they cause. staff resulted in zero percent productivity improvement. We put this mostly down to one staff member.

All this amounted to hundreds of thousands in lost revenue for the company. Not all the results I see are this spectacular, normally I see a 10 to 30 percent improvement in revenue or productivity after a toxic employee leaves.

I can think of very few other things that a business owner can do that can increase revenue so dramatically. There were very few complaints about this person; most people said nothing, neither the staff nor the customers. Yet the managers had a quiet intuition that this person was a toxic influence on the workforce.

I do see these examples quite often. I had one recently where adding 50 percent extra

This is what I call the iceberg effect. Often if you have a toxic employee you will know

CHANGE YOUR JOB CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

”

about some of the trouble they are causing, but not all. Our original cost for this employee was $10,000 to $30,000. For a medium sized business this was a lot. We had no idea the true cost was many times this figure.

The lesson is that if you have a problem with a staff member it needs to be resolved one way or the other. The costs of a problem employee are exceptionally high, not to mention all the stress and anguish they cause.

Michael Hempseed is the managing director of Employee Solution Service.

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0800 486 329 | 2 IVAN JAMIESON PLACE, CHCH AIRPORT, CHCH 8053, NZ. www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 11

Management | Learnings

Head v heart

By Lydia Truesdale

It’s an age-old debate: should you listen to your heart or to your head?

Popular belief tells us that listening to your heart is the risky option of the two, while listening to your head is the safe, logical bet, but is that really, entirely true? Which should we actually listen to – one or the other? Both? Neither?!

Our brain likes to dictate what the ‘right’ decision is; its network of neurological frequencies working in cahoots to produce a seemingly sensible outtake taking into account our budget, our needs versus our wants, and other variables dependent upon the situation.

Our heart, on the other hand, tends to dictate the ‘truest’ decision – what we truly desire – and sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason behind this decision. It just is.

Or is it?

Those who believe the heart has its own mysterious way of knowing are not wrong.

Until the 1990s, scientists believed the brain was responsible for communicating messages and commands to the rest of the body.

But research shows us something incredible – something that might make a lot of sense to a lot of people. Our heart has a brain of its own.

Yes, the human heart is, in fact, a “highly complex, selforganised information processing centre with its own functional ‘brain’ that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways”, according to an overview of research conducted by the HeartMath Institute (Science of the Heart: Vol 1 (1993-2001)).

This heart-brain – the heart’s intrinsic nervous system – is made up of some 40,000 neurons, neurotransmitters, proteins and support cells - just like those found in the cranial brain.

In essence, our heart has the ability to feel, sense, learn and remember, and it communicates this to our cranial brain; messages which are then sent from our cranial brain throughout the rest of our body and dictate our quality of life.

These messages can be sent both ways (between the cranial brain and the heart-brain, and vice versa) but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the heart-brain can function independently of the cranial brain. And in actuality, the heart-brain sends out 60 times more electrical activity than our cranial brain.

So next time you’re tossing between your head or your heart, dare to listen to your heart, because technically you’re still listening to both but it’s the ‘truest’ decision for you at that point in time.

Sometimes, just sometimes, playing it safe is dangerous.

GroupTogether co-founders Ali Linz and Julie Tylman

<

We rely on both our heart and our head to steer us through many of life’s decisions major or otherwise – relationships, career pathways, houses and cars and gadgets, or even just what we want for dinner on that particular day.

Start up hacks Mumpreneurs Ali Linz and Julie Tylman are revolutionising the way Australians are gifting with a website that takes the hassle out of collecting for a group gift.

Nothing is as useful or as important as knowing why people want your product and how they want to use it.

The user-friendly platform does the inviting, reminding, collecting, tracking and then sends the money and group card to the organiser.

We knew our customers would find that terrifying. A dashboard implies expert tech knowledge. We wanted a process that I described as a tunnel. You know you just keep going forward and clicking “next” till finally you hit “send”.

Ali Linz, one of the co-founders of GroupTogether, shares her start-up hacks and her ‘if only I knew then' list to help others embarking on the start-up journey.

It takes much longer than you think We were originally quoted three months to build our baby; eighteen months later and more money… still no baby.

We originally scoped a product which had 10 times the functionality. There was lots of “but what if someone wants two birthday cards because they’re having a party for twins,” or “might as well offer the option to sell stuff like T-shirts once we’re collecting money from a group”. We spent weeks crawling on my dining room floor with pieces of paper getting the user experience, interface and flow right.

Pare it back – creating a minimum viable product (MVP) In the end, we pared it right back to the basics. We used the concept of the “minimum viable product”. This means creating the barest bones of your product that will still offer the nugget of what excites your prospective customer.

You can read a whole book called The Lean StartUp by Eric Ries. In essence, it’s about getting something out there so you can gauge how people react. Create a “wire frame” the logic of how the site flows, and cut off anything that’s not essential.

If you need to create a slick front end but have to have some bits running manually behind the scenes, so be it. This allowed us to launch. Now we’re adding in the fancy bits one by one.

Talk to people Talk to your customers. Talk to other startup-ers. Get advisors. We wanted to keep it secret and reveal the perfect performance on opening night. Fail!

For example, our designer recommended building a dashboard from which users could build and choose a suite of features they wanted when collecting money from their group.

There are big advantages in asking for help and advice. For one, it helps! But also, one of the big things investors look for is your team. Ideally, we’d have created an advisory board for support, advice and network.

Talk to other start up-ers. When they use language you don’t understand like “virality coefficient”, write it down and either ask them straight away or nod intelligently and run to Google it later.

How did we get meetings?

Most people will agree to a first meeting, even big shot investor firms. They usually give great and quite candid feedback. We always take notes and always learn things.

It helped us prioritise. But remember, the only thing that means they’re interested is a signed contract. Everything else is politeness.

Some tips here. Always ask for an intro to another person at the end of your meeting. Don’t know how to find the right people? Even the shyest woman can put a post on “Like Minded Bitches Drinking Wine” (a closed Facebook group for women in business) and ask the group a question.

It’s a saviour. Ask for feedback, advice, promote your business or commiserations.

What stopped us from quitting?

I suppose I’m a tenacious optimist but still, there are times!

Two things really helped. First - having a co-founder. When one was ready to jump, the other held onto her feet.

The other was to lower the bar for a minute and just try to keep going, if not perfectly. My son sings the song from Nemo’s friend, Just keep swimmin’. Just keep swimmin’.

Just keep swimmin’. I play that in my head often. www.grouptogether.com

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Part of the

Management | Lifestyles

Lifestyles

1.

By Lydia Truesdale

1 . Samsung virtual reality glasses The Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, is one of the most enjoyable and comfortable mobile VR experiences on the market. The winner of its category at the CES 2017 Innovation Awards, the Gear VR lets you travel across the galaxy, play amazing games, watch Hollywood’s best movies in your own private cinema, socialise with friends new and old, be at the centre of a suspense thriller and so much more. Compatible with Samsung devices only and harnessing 101 degree field of view, and gyrometer, accelerator and proximity sensors. Immerse yourself in entertainment like never before.

RRP: $199 samsung.com/nz

2. Hexed Vertical Garden If summertime isn’t the season to be healthy, it’s certainly the season we intend to be healthy, and a fun and easy way to do so is by growing your own vegetables and herbs.

So before you go DIYing up your own veggie patch, check out the Hexed Vertical Garden from Freedom Furniture.

This stylish yet functional design is also portable, meaning you can move it in and out of the shade as you please to maximise growth. Too easy!

RRP: $189 freedomfurniture.co.nz

3.

2.

3. Philips Hue Go light The Philips Hue Go is arguably the most versatile light on the market. Use it to create your own ambience, colour the walls of your home and office with up to 16 million colours or bright white light, sync lights with music and movies, or use the gradually increasing light intensity function that simulates sunrise to wake your body more naturally.

Powered by a rechargeable battery that can last up to three hours, this light is also portable and can be fully controlled by your smart device.

RRP: from $149 philips.co.nz

4.

4. VPI Scout II turntable Summertime and music go hand in hand and if it’s crisp, high quality sound you’re after, look no further than the VPI Scout turntable range from The Top Hi Fi Shop. When it came out circa 2009, the Scout model became the industry standard as the best-reviewed turntable on the planet. The popular Scout II model comes standard with the JMW 9T tonearm and the platter is made from 1 7/8” thick machined 6061 aluminium and is attached to a nonmagnetic 303 stainless steel damping plate, yielding a full and rich sound.

Speeds are 33 and 45 standard, while 78 is optional.

RRP: $5,695 tophifi.co.nz

5. Laguna Coffee Table

5.

A collection inspired by the relaxed, coastal elegance of the Hamptons, Freedom Furniture’s Bayside Luxe will have you feeling like you’re on a dreamy beach getaway all summer long. The perfect mix of old meets new, Bayside Luxe brings a bright and breezy sophistication to your home, and the Laguna table, measuring 90cm in diameter, is the perfect addition to any outdoor area.

RRP: $699 freedomfurniture.co.nz

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 13

Management | Cover story

THE KITSET KING

By Lydia Truesdale

There’s something in the water in New Zealand. Something that’s producing a fleet of young entrepreneurs willing and able to take on the world. Jorgen Ellis is such a specimen.

At the age of 18, Jorgen dropped out of university to found a company on a whim with $310 in his pocket. Jorgen’s now 21 and that company is now a million dollar empire.

14 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Management | Cover story

Jorgen began etching his way through a business degree at age 17 – a year earlier than the norm.

But as student life would have it, a part-time job was necessary, and so he stayed on at the hardware store.

Little did he know it but a chance encounter with a customer would lead to a chance opportunity that would lead to a chance at the career that he’d always dreamed of.

Capitalising on opportunities “One of the things my parents instilled in me at an early age is to take every opportunity presented, and I think I’ve done that well,” Jorgen says humbly.

At his age and with the resources he started with, “well” would be an understatement.

“One day, when a customer offered me $100 to assemble a swing set, that moment opened my eyes to the potential and the very next day I started the business,” he says.

“

The key to going from an idea to a company is sales; the day customers begin buying your product or service is when it changes from an idea to an operating company.

- JORGEN ELLIS

What began as Jorgen Ellis’ side-hustle – assembling people’s kitset furniture in his spare time for a flat fee – has grown to become a very real company providing a very real career in international business relations.

The company in question, Kitset Assembly Services (KAS), has fallen on New Zealander’s like a downpour in a drought. Its concept is simple: assembling people’s kitset products at their home for them.

Since KAS’ inception in 2014 there are already 7 franchises in operation throughout the country and Jorgen expects this number to be at 20 within 18 months.

The company is on track to achieve $100 million in assembly sales revenue by 2020, and has plans to open around 100 franchises across three countries by the end of the year.

So how exactly does a teenager from Christchurch – a self-confessed mischiefmaker – go from working his first job at the local hardware store to signing his own pay cheques and rubbing shoulders with the heads of some of the world’s biggest brands? Absolute ambition is how.

A typical Kiwi kid of the ‘90s

And just like that Kitset Assembly Services was born.

”

“

Business has become completely mobile.

I can run my business from anywhere in the world, on my mobile devices, and everything is open 24/7. The nine to five has gone and I can employ people on the other side of the world without having an office, company, or even manager in the same country.

The notion to simplify life isn’t a novel one but targeted at the right niche it creates just as much consumer engagement as any revolutionary - JORGEN ELLIS invention.

Asked what it was about kitset products that people find so appealing, Jorgen says it’s the price.

It’s been clear for some time, at least to those who know him, that Jorgen was destined to forge “Kitset furniture is much cheaper and it’s his own path. easy to transport.”

”

on my mobile devices, and everything is open 24/7. The nine to five has gone and I can employ people on the other side of the world without having an office, company, or even manager in the same country.”

Jorgen fondly recalls his ‘classic’ Kiwi childhood. He grew up under relaxed parents and alongside three elder sisters, and he was most often found playing sport, exploring the outdoors, building huts and playing games on the street until the street lights came on – the ‘90s beacon of an unspoken curfew.

However, it’s a double-edged sword in that assembly can be stressful, frustrating and time consuming, particularly if doing it for the first time.

Like many Kiwi households, Jorgen lived in a supportive family environment but expected no hand-outs. He was 14 years old when he landed his first job – working as a check-out operator at a hardware store.

With idols like Elon Musk and George Whitesides, not to mention an interest in the space industry If there was ever an opportunity to capitalise on, and achieving multi-planetary life, you definitely Jorgen knew this was it. But like most successful get the feeling that Jorgen’s name will become entrepreneurs, he believes it is applied devotion synonymous with modern entrepreneurialism not rather than a ‘light bulb idea’ that most commonly just in New Zealand but across the world. leads to success.

But that’s long term. Right now he is “It’s incredibly hard work turning an idea into a committed to KAS, saying he loves running company,” Jorgen admits. the company and he wouldn’t change what he’s currently doing given the opportunity, “The key to going from an idea to a company at least not yet anyway. is sales; the day customers begin buying your

Jorgen admits he was “a little bit mischievous” growing up, or as his Mum would put it, “a little shit!” Whatever way you look at it, this was clearly a young man with spark; a good student of Christchurch Boys’ High School, but one that was easily bored and so was equally as likely to find himself in detention as he was to produce top academic results.

“Many people don’t have the correct tools, enough time or the willingness to put their kitset together.

Sometimes the instructions on kitsets can leave out a lot of required detail making it very hard for the customer to interpret,” he says.

Spoken like a true millennial.

Ambition knows no limits “I am far from settled. Anyone close to me will tell you I’m probably one of the fastest-moving, spontaneous people they know,” Jorgen admits.

product or service is when it changes from an idea He sold the New Zealand rights to some to an operating company. “fantastic” new owners who will continue to “I would often work a 20-hour day, seven days a develop the brand in New Zealand so he can week and sacrificed everything I had to build Kitset focus on developing it globally.

Assembly Services.

He’s currently in private talks with some of the world’s biggest brands on solving the kitset “I remember times where I’d take a wage of just $100 a week just so I could afford to pay my staff movement on an international scale. This a living wage, or times when I’d sell something of means he’ll be waving our shores goodbye in March as he relocates overseas to further KAS’ my own to pay for an overdue phone bill.” international growth, with Australia and England Despite this Jorgen never relented. He started getting the KAS service in mid-2017. out with four staff and focussed on growing “For me business is my number one hobby. the brand nationwide, and never took his I enjoy building businesses more than others sights of the long-term goal: infiltration of the probably enjoy music festivals, jet skiing or global market. sports. I can’t see myself ever retiring as I’d have He identified the key areas in which he needed to give up the one thing that I love most. support, and he found it in high doses from “I don’t think there is one piece of advice [I could the University of Canterbury and Canterbury give] or key aspect for success as there is a lot Development Corporation in Christchurch, of different factors. I would say: dream big, be who provided the crucial outside assistance undyingly passionate, focus, and expect it to be needed to go from a small company to an the hardest thing you’ve ever done. If it was easy, international franchisor. everyone would be doing it.” AT “Technology has sped things up, connected people right across the globe and made many tasks so much easier.

For information on how you can become a franchisee of Kitset Assembly Services, visit “Business has become completely mobile. I can www.kitsetassemblyservices.co.nz. run my business from anywhere in the world, www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 15

Management | Kieran Read

TAKING CHARGE Ask any New Zealand boy what they want to be when they grow up and chances are they’ll say, ‘An All Black’.

It’s a noble dream shared by many youngsters throughout our nation including, circa 2000, Kieran Read, the man now at the helm of our men in black.

By Lydia Truesdale

16 ||March/April January/February 2017 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz www.canterburytoday.co.nz

Management | Kieran Read

Of those off-field priorities is being the brand ambassador for plumbing merchants Plumbing World, a position Kieran has held since 2013 and is “really proud” of.

“

Winning in sport is how the public and fans judge a team and that success usually stems from the coach, just as business leadership in a company starts at the top.

- KIERAN READ

“It’s pretty awesome to have that kind of faith put in you,” Kieran said at the time.

“Plumbing World is a business that’s been around for ages – it’s a real Kiwi brand that’s owned by lots of real Kiwi plumbers. That kind of thing’s really important to me.”

”

The feeling is mutual. Plumbing World marketing manager Sarah Vining says Kieran’s down-to-earth attitude really struck a chord with Plumbing World executives who, at the time, were launching a new marketing direction to reflect the company’s ‘Kiwi roots’ and found Kieran to be the perfect fit.

“Kieran’s one of this generation’s best players.

He’s always looking to improve, to better himself, and that really fits with the way we run our business,” Sarah says.

Perhaps due to being a father or perhaps due to the good-sort nature he possesses, Kieran’s also an advocate for men’s health and often speaks publicly on his own accord.

In a post on his Facebook page, Kieran is clearly keen to raise awareness on mental health and bust the paradigms by which it exists in our society.

All Blacks captain Kieran Read needs little introduction, but for the sake of it here’s one anyway.

Kieran is about as Kiwi as they come. Raised on the rural fringes of South Auckland, he’s described by those close to him as unassuming and down to earth, a real team player who is always looking to better himself, a sharp man whose actions speak louder than his words.

This is the fabric of a great Kiwi athlete and it’s certainly synonymous with the figure the nation has come to know and love. But there was once a time where we mightn’t have known Kieran in this light, or perhaps not even at all…

Small-town upbringing, global aspirations Kieran happens to be one of those people that is naturally good at everything – as academically endowed as he is physically talented.

He was offered a sports scholarship to one of the country’s most prestigious secondary schools, St Kentigerns College, and he duly accepted. But after a one-year interlude he returned to Rosehill College where, in his final year, he was made head boy and received the Sportsman of the Year and Sports AllRounder of the Year awards.

He has the brains in his head and feet in his shoes to steer himself any direction he chooses, and at one point it was looking like a life spent at the crease (he represented Northern Districts in age-group cricket and was selected for the New Zealand Under-17 tournament side in 2002).

He was certainly kept busy between cricket and rugby, where he also played for New Zealand Schools, New Zealand Under-19, New Zealand Under-21 and the Junior All Blacks.

But Kieran always felt a magnetism towards rugby and so, after an inspired pitch from Aussie McLean and Robbie Deans, he made the move to Canterbury and began his professional career in the Canterbury Development Squad.

“

If only men weren’t so reluctant to talk to a good mate or family when they’re going through tough times. We certainly need to out on the paddock when things aren’t going so well, so the same rules should apply off the field. C’mon men let’s start talking when times get tough.

- KIERAN READ

”

He simultaneously continued his academic studies, this time at the University of Canterbury with whom he shared his leadership philosophies, naturally, as he was studying for a degree in sports coaching.

“When leading, you need to be yourself and have very clear values that mirror and portray the way you lead,” Kieran told UC at the time.

“Outstanding coaches are also outstanding leaders, responsible for developing, nurturing and challenging people to consistently produce outstanding performance and with it – the right results.

“Winning in sport is how the public and fans judge a team and that success usually stems from the coach, just as business leadership in a company starts at the top.”

Though he began his senior representative year at blindside flanker, Kieran proved his versatility and has come to be known as a ‘master of the role of the modern number 8’.

In 2006 he played his first National Provincial Championship game for Canterbury; in 2008 he donned the All Blacks’ jersey for the first time; in 2010 he was named New Zealand Player of the Year by the 2010 Rugby Almanack of New Zealand; in 2011 he played in his first Rugby World Cup; and in 2013 he was the IRB’s (now World Rugby) National and International Player of the Year.

Appointed the All Blacks captaincy in 2016, Kieran is also partially responsible for leading the All Blacks to their world record 18-consecutive test wins and 45-consecutive home wins, and he’s not even one full year into his captaincy.

“If only men weren’t so reluctant to talk to a good mate or family when they’re going through tough times. We certainly need to out on the paddock when things aren’t going so well, so the same rules should apply off the field. C’mon men let’s start talking when times get tough.”

Kieran embodies what it means to be an All Black. Dominant on the field and compassionate off it; this is what it means to be an All Black and this is why next-gen after next-gen continue to dream of pulling on that jersey. AT

The role of a lifetime Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw left some big boots to fill – which other captain of a New Zealand sporting team can say a movie has been made and named after them – but Kieran has assumed the role, alongside the nation’s heart, with poise and ease.

“I believe in leading people by making sure that I have a connection with everyone I am involved with and giving them the trust and belief to do their job well,” Kieran told UC. “As players we have to perform and deliver everything we learned and trained for in order to get the results we want. I thrive on the role of playing my part to support, challenge and guide my teammates so we get over the line each time.

“While I have been lucky enough to win a few games over the years, I’ve also learned how to cope and grow from defeat. The burning feeling you suffer from a loss takes a long time to get over and the more you feel that pain, you can switch that energy into deeper determination to bounce back and reverse the result for the next game.”

Life off the field Now 31 and with a young family– wife Bridget, daughters Elle and Eden, and new-born son Rueben – Kieran’s priorities are shared between his on and off-field duties. www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 17

Health & Wellness | Health 2000

Helping you make healthy choices We only get one body and one life, so it makes all the sense in the world to keep that body as healthy as possible in order to maximise the life we have.

In order to achieve this, our bodies require a quality fuel source, regular maintenance and sometimes a little extra care and attention when things go wrong.

“There are so many mixed messages out there as to what health is that can make it difficult to be more health conscious,” Health 2000 marketing manager Stu Cook says.

“Advertising tells us to eat this and eat that, but when you look closely, it’s laden with sugar that works in our bodies as a toxin.

With sugar hidden in products, it’s difficult for the average consumer to make informed decisions for their health.”

That’s the key to Health 2000’s success – education. A nationwide co-operative established in 1993 to increase buying power and pass subsequent savings onto customers, Health 2000 has earned a reputation as a well-known and respected supplier of health products, but today the company is about so much more than that.

“We focus on having qualified staff in all our 76 nationwide outlets,” Stu explains. “This ensures you get access to the right advice from trained people who understand how the body works and what the products do.”

No man stands alone For more than 20 years, Health 2000 has been supported by a wide range of loyal suppliers, including the likes of Vitaco who develop, manufacture and market world-class nutrition products, and by Clinicians, who product range of nutritional support products.

It’s a holistic approach to health which, instead of treating the symptoms, looks to find the root cause. For more than two decades, Health 2000 has continued to grow and evolve, constantly seeking new ways to give customers access to the best advice, information and products.

Fact from fiction In recent years, sales in the global nutrition and supplements market have seen an unprecedented spike. This has encouraged a number of new players to step into the market with products that promise to be the elixir of youth, health and vitality.

18 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

As a result, New Zealand’s health and beauty markets have been saturated with hundreds of products that claim all sorts of benefits, leaving the average consumer scratching their head. When it seems as though new products appear on shelves every day, how do we tell fact from fiction?

The credibility, reputation and success of health shops is a key driver of local consumer choices, and it’s a responsibility Health 2000 doesn’t take lightly.

Each of the approximate 20,000 products available through Health 2000 stores

are sourced from around the world, but predominantly from New Zealand, and are selected through a stringent selection process by a product advisory group which looks at aspects such as ingredients.

“It’s not about having the most products on our shelves,” Stu says. “It’s about having the best products on our shelves to meet our customers’ needs.”

The company is the exclusive distributor of two unique brands, both built on different technologies. HealthZone is a premium brand exclusive not only to Health 2000, but

Health & Wellness | Health 2000

YOU’VE ALREADY HEARD OF THE DANGERS OF DRINKING OUT OF PLASTIC “If you have a headache or toothache you take painkillers, but rather than working where they need to work, they target pain receptors. On the other hand, HealthZone is designed to work on a specific area.”

Lighthouse is a great everyday supplement range, and price point is key, ensuring you’re getting a great product for a great price.

When it comes to sorting fad from fiction, Stu says it’s all about research and talking to a trained professional who cares.“Many of our team members work for Health 2000 because they have experienced an ailment that has been fixed or managed through natural health. It’s not about selling a product – it’s about finding the right solution for the customer.

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Health & Wellness | Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ

Helping Kiwis breathe easier You probably don’t give it much thought, but 12 to 20 times per minute, every single day, you breathe.

Due to a complex internal respiratory system, your lungs expand and contract, supplying lifesustaining oxygen to your body. Yet, for one in six New Zealanders, breathing isn’t quite as simple.

That’s more than 700,000 Kiwis who experience asthma symptoms; 700,000 Kiwis who experience their airways tightening, partially closing up, swelling inside and creating more mucus; 700,000 Kiwis who regularly find it hard to breathe in and even harder to breathe out.

There are approximately 2,700 deaths caused by respiratory disease per year. That’s more than 50 deaths every day. The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is striving to increase awareness of respiratory conditions in New Zealand and improve the health outcomes for those affected by these conditions.

In September 2016, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ launched the first ever respiratory awareness month in New Zealand. Breathe Better September is a national movement for Kiwis to show their support for better breathing and healthy lungs.

“Over 700,000 Kiwis have a respiratory condition, it’s the third leading cause of death and costs the country - $5.5 billion each year,” Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ chief executive John Wills says. “But despite New Zealand having one of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the world, it is not highly profiled.”

Breathe Better September encourages Kiwis to start thinking about how they can improve their respiratory health, with information shared throughout the month to support this mandate.

Individuals and organisations throughout the country supported the campaign, including local Christchurch business, Luciano Espresso Bar. To mark the two-year anniversary of the death of bubbly 25-year-old May Alsayyad, who lost her life to an asthma attack in 2014, May’s sister Nada and the crew at Luciano’s held a themed mufti day to raise funds and awareness for the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ, with the theme honouring May’s love of Disney movies and characters.

“

Over 700,000 Kiwis have a respiratory condition, it’s the third leading cause of death and costs the country - $5.5 billion each year.

- JOHN WILLS , ASTHMA AND RESPIRATORY FOUNDATION NZ CHIEF EXECUTIVE.

Established in 2008, Clean Planet has differentiated itself in the market by setting up as New Zealand’s first health-focused, dedicated environmentally conscious commercial cleaning company.

Clean Planet is proud to be New Zealand’s only Sensitive Choice commercial cleaning partner and playing a part in creating a healthier environment for our customers. This is because we don’t use known asthma and allergy irritants in our products – chemicals such as known carcinogens, aerosols and propellants in sprays, chlorine and ammonia, bleach, and harmful disinfectants.

Clean Planet has established itself in many regions and is looking for further master franchisees and franchisees as demand for the company’s services continues to grow.

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Breathe Better September comes nearly a year after the launch of Te Ha Ora: National Respiratory Strategy. The strategy highlights a range of respiratory conditions that are prevalent in New Zealand, and the shocking statistics showing many conditions are on the rise.

Respiratory disease includes asthma, bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and obstructive sleep apnoea, and the strategy sets out clear steps that all new Zealanders need to take to reduce the impact of the disease.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ has a poignant and moving story behind its formation.

In 1963, Dr Graham Milne, a general practitioner in Naenae, despaired when he could not save the life of a young girl who died of an asthma attack.

He approached the Naenae Rotary Club (now Rotary Club of Eastern Hutt) with the suggestion

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”

they help set up a support group for those affected by asthma in the Hutt Valley.

In February 1964, more than 100 people crammed into the Taita Community Hall in response to local advertising.

More than 50 years later, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ fulfils a diverse and wide-reaching role.

For free resources on how to improve respiratory health, or to organise a fundraising initiative, contact the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ. AT Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ Level 3, Ranchhod Tower 39 The Terrace Wellington (04) 495 0097 marketing@asthmaandrespiratory.org.nz www.asthmafoundation.org.nz — Advertising Feature

Anniversaries | AMA Travel

Destinations of desire

“

Thirty five years in any industry is something that a lot of people won’t experience in their life time, let alone in an industry as competitive and ever-changing as the travel industry.

AMA Travel is one of the lucky few that can proudly say they’ve reached that 35-year milestone. While it hasn’t come without challenges, AMA Travel’s managing director, Cr Arthur Anae, could not be more thrilled with where his business is at and it’s definitely not coming to a halt any time soon.

Arthur says back in 1982 AMA Travel began operating from a very small office, no larger than 200sqm, in Ponsonby.

“We set up the business to cater for the Pacific community, being Samoan myself, the idea was having people there who could speak the language and assist.”

They are now offering the same service to the Asian community and it has certainly been well received.

AMA travel has built up a fantastic reputation throughout the years and much of its business conducted is from word of mouth and repeat clients.

Arthur was no stranger to the travel industry.

Before AMA’s conception he worked for Air New Zealand before becoming the commercial manager for Polynesian Airlines based in Samoa. It was there that he noticed the need for AMA’s services.

If one person notices a gap in the market though, chances are in time, others will notice it to and throughout the 35 years there has been no shortage of competition.

Not one to give up during the difficult times, Arthur has seen many like-minded travel agent companies come and go. AMA remains determined to not slip through the cracks.

“I’m not a defeatist, I don’t give up. I’ve carried my losses and worked through them.”

The safest option if you’re planning on doing any sort of tour or cruise in an area that you are not well aware of, is to book through an agent.

knowledge and experience to ensure your holiday is nothing but smooth sailing.

One of the biggest challenges to overcome was the arrival of the internet. People now have the ability to book directly online but, according to Arthur, it didn’t take long before people eventually started making their way back to travel agents, and for good reason.

The safest option if you’re planning on doing any sort of tour or cruise, in an area that you are not well aware of, is to book through an agent, he says.

“They know all the contacts, they know all the ins and outs, they know how to get you there and they know how to get you back, because I can tell you now, it becomes very expensive if you stuff it up.”

The travel industry is truly where Arthur’s heart lies and the team at AMA Travel share his passion.

General manager Jessie Ng believes the service they provide is really important and she works hard to make sure all of AMA’s clients are well looked after.

If you’re sat reading this thinking a tropical holiday is on the cards, the team at AMA Travel are the people to trust with your holiday preparations.

”

It’s because of the dedicated staff that AMA Travel still exists 35 years down the track, so if a getaway is on your mind, take the time to meet the team and see what they have to offer. AT AMA Travel 560 Great South Road Otahuhu Auckland 1062 0800 666 246 sales@amatravel.co.nz www.amatravel.co.nz

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www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 21

Anniversaries | Recreational Services

Keeping our spaces green for a quarter century Clean and green is much more than an image to New Zealand, it’s a lifestyle, with green spaces playing an equally integral role in our cities as in our rural centres.

As more people made the move into cities, local and regional councils started creating large suburban parks in Auckland, Christchurch and smaller centres, such as Masterton, New Plymouth and Invercargill in the 19th and 20th centuries to cater to their needs. The popularity of these suburban spaces hasn’t abated.

For 25 years, Recreational Services has been meeting the maintenance needs of those parks and reserves on behalf of councils throughout the country, including mowing, horticultural works, sports parks services, rubbish collection, facilities maintenance and cemetery services.

“Although our contracts are with the councils, our customers are essentially the community,” Recreational Services managing director Brett Turner says.

“Everyone wants their parks, toilets and libraries to be nice, that’s where we go to the nth degree to keep them happy.”

From a small turf maintenance company in 1992 with just four staff members and one contract, Recreational Services has grown to become one of New Zealand’s leading providers of turf, park and facility management, a multimillion dollar firm employing hundreds of staff members nationwide.

“

We really want to thank our staff for their loyalty over the last 25 years and for doing the jobs they do on a daily basis. We are unbelievably proud of what has been achieved.

Support from the sidelines During the past 23 years, Recreational Services has grown to become one of New Zealand’s leading providers of turf, park and facility management.

Yet it hasn’t been a sole effort and the company continues to be supported by a strong team of suppliers, including: Water Supply Products, Kubota NZ, Reharvest Timber, AGrowQuip, R&H Engineering, PGG Wrightson Seeds, Classic Travel, City Nissan, and PS Electrical.

” y f i t u Bea ur GARDEN

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www.pselectrical.co.nz 22 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

PS Electrical is owned and operated by Paul Stewart having the support of over 30 staff, covering a wide range of domestic, commercial and maintenance contracts. The company is well equipped to cater to any electrical requirements and strives to exceed customers’ expectations.

Anniversaries | Recreational Services

“

It sounds cliché, but because we work for communities, parks and green spaces, there’s a real lean towards doing things right and going down the green route is a natural progression of that.

”

- BRETT TURNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR But what makes this home-grown success story such a good one is that the two-time winner of the Supreme Honours at the Westpac Auckland North Business Awards has maintained the very same culture as founded in those early years.

Since its establishment in 1992, the company’s specialist teams have provided turf, horticultural and asset management services to councils, schools, golf courses, stadiums, public parks and gardens across New Zealand.

It is a competitive industry, with all contracts offered on the open market through a public tendering process, with council contracts – which make up the bulk of the workload – going through a rigorous process based on priced and non-priced attributes.

But Recreational Services competes well, with a strong track record, good systems and processes in place, backed up by a quality job.

As managing director, Brett Turner, says “contracting is a hard business however a long-term view is important and we are here for the long term”.

Relationships are the recipe for success Today the company has contracts with nine councils throughout the country, including the Far North District, Whangarei, Kaipara, Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch, Masterton, Horowhenua and, more recently, Manawatu.

“A year after we started up, some 24 years ago, we got our first contract with Auckland City Council – which was the North Shore,” Brett explains.

“Whenever we’ve had a contract, the goal is to retain it through quality work.”

Strong relationships with customers and suppliers is a big factor in the company’s success, because a mutual understanding of each other’s businesses, their goals and their requirements enables them to work together for a mutually beneficial relationship.

“It’s about understanding both ways and trying to be supportive of one another,” Brett says.

“No matter how big or small the contract is, those relationships are integral and need to be valued and fostered. >

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 23

Anniversaries | Recreational Services

“

No matter how big or small the contract is, those relationships are integral and need to be valued and fostered.

- BRETT TURNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR

”

“We want to be seen as an extremely professional company that produces really good value and high quality for our clients in maintaining our facilities and parks. To do that we employ the very best people - we take ownership in what we do and we have a strong sense of pride.

“Key to that is maintaining that strong knowledge of parks, knowing what’s important for our clients and being that solution based client for them by being proactive and helping them work through their challenges.”

The same values feed through to the company’s relationships with its staff.

“It’s about understanding what’s happening with them and helping them through what they’re going through.

“When you’ve got the staff numbers we’ve got, they need to keep close to what’s happening so you can support your staff the way they need supporting. They help us so in turn we want to be able to help them in any way we can.”

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Level 6, 10 Scotia Place, Auckland, 1010 2 Ivan Jamieson Place, Christchurch Airport, Christchurch 8053, NZ

Anniversaries | Recreational Services Investing in the future Regional issues such as Auckland’s high house prices or Christchurch’s re-building are making it harder to secure good staff, compounded by an industry-wide shortage of good technicians, groundsmen and builder trainees coming through the system.

But Recreational Services is doing its bit and currently employs more than 30 trainees throughout the country.

“It’s an attitude rather than a commercial decision because you don’t make a lot of money out of training people up,” Brett says.

“Investing in our people is an important part of our business and some of those people who started as casuals years ago are now running multimillion dollar contracts.”

Recreational Services would be nowhere without their staff, Brett explains. And, as a result, the company works hard to look after their people that carry out their workload throughout the country.

“We’re looking to produce quality work and that requires quality people. As such, rather than put systems in place and make people work in towards them, we get quality people and build

systems around them. We believe that is a major contributor to growth by getting buy-in from them.”

It’s not just their people that Recreational Services is investing in, it has technology that enables the company to lower its carbon footprint and make things more time and cost efficient for its council clients.

“It sounds cliché, but because we work for communities, parks and green spaces, there’s a real lean towards doing things right and going down the green route is a natural progression of that.

“We’re investing in large electric machines and looking at our carbon emissions. It’s about

doing the right thing and is a reason why our clients believe in us and stick with us.”

Recreational Services has recently moved into the South Island, where it will continue to grow organically from a Christchurch base and facilities maintenance is another growth area for the company.

Facilities maintenance within the city’s parks involves tasks such as: water blasting, barbecue cleaning and servicing, park furniture, weed control around furniture, painting, repairing, reporting on wear and tear, breakages, graffiti and poster removal, vandalism response, and general cleaning, including the special detailing involved in ceremonial occasions such as Anzac Day and site openings. >

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 25

Anniversaries | Recreational Services A quarter century evolution Twenty five years ago, Recreational Services' contract was a sports field turf contract.

Today, full facilities management services are increasingly being sought by councils including

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all green space maintenance, rubbish collection and in public toilets, libraries and other buildings.

Recreational Services is committed to adapting and changing as customer's needs change.

Also new generation contracts are seeing Recreational Services more heavily involved in the communities in which it operates.

Recreational Services already has strong local links and employs local teams, becoming completely invested in the communities when they take over a new contract area – employing locals, becoming involved in local sporting clubs and sponsoring local children’s events.

“We’ve always had that community involvement; we do large figures in community donations and support local rugby and soccer clubs, including giving out over 4000 drink bottles a year to local sports teams. We’re also involved in ‘hand-ups’, sponsoring 12 students through schools in sport and academics if someone needs a hand in that area.

“So, for councils to allow us to do that as part of our job, alongside the councils themselves, is very exciting.

“We really want to thank our staff for their loyalty over the last 25 years and for doing the jobs they do on a daily basis. We are unbelievably proud of what has been achieved.

“We know that the one constant of the future will be change and whatever shape or form that will

“

Investing in our people is an important part of our business and some of those people who started as casuals years ago are now running multimillion dollar contracts.

- BRETT TURNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR

”

be it will be, the journey will be embraced with the professionalism, passion and positivity that is the hallmark of Recreational Services. AT Recreational Services 64 Porana Road Hillcrest North Shore City Auckland (09) 443 5011 0800 265 000 info@rs.kiwi.nz www.rs.kiwi.nz — Advertising Feature

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Focus | Porter Contractors

The road sweeping experts Porter Contractors Limited has been keeping Auckland’s streets clean and tidy for 40 years.

The company is a specialist in road sweeping, having been in the industry since 1977.

The company operates a fleet of mechanical road sweeping trucks, capable of providing services throughout the greater Auckland region. It also operates a regenerative air road sweeper, which regenerates the air as it sweeps, as well as a tractor with rearmounted brooms.

<

A mechanical road sweeper doing what it does best

Porter Contractors provides a range of services from the Coromandel to Kaitaia, including: Carpark sweeping: Usually done with a smaller mechanical road sweeper, along with manual labourers if necessary.

Yard sweeping: Usually just done using a mechanical road sweeper and manual labourers if necessary.

Chip seal removal: A tractor and broom typically puts the chip into windrows, then the road sweeper/street sweeper picks them up, leaving the areas ready for marking.

Asphalt sweeping: A road sweeper is often used exclusively, depending on size of area.

“

Mr Porter started out is a lawn-mowing business.

He then designed a cage to catch all the rubbish on the grass, as there was a lot back then, and then came up with a design to suck the rubbish up before he mowed the grass.

”

Managing director Karen Scott says Porter Contractors takes pride in being a familyowned business that has chosen to stick to what it does best; cleaning Auckland’s streets.

“Mr Porter started out is a lawn-mowing business. He then designed a cage to catch all the rubbish on the grass, as there was a lot back then, and then came up with a design to suck the rubbish up before he mowed the grass,” she says.

“After that he decided to get into sweeping streets. Over the years we haven’t gone out and tried to do anything else; we’ve specialised in what we know about.”

All staff are professionally trained to operate the road sweeping trucks, with the company experienced in the removal of chip from resealed roads and the prolific leaf fall in Auckland City. AT Porter Contractors Limited 77 Boundary Road Papakura Auckland (09) 298 4571 porter.contractors@xtra.co.nz www.portercontractors.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Porter Contractors is known for being reliable and honest, offering competitive rates and a prompt efficient service.

General road sweeping/street sweeping/ leaf fall removal: Channels are swept clear of debris.

Regenerative air road sweeper: This vehicle is designed to regenerate the air as it sweeps, with a suction box located underneath.

Tractor and broom sweeping: A tractor with a rear-mounted broom is usually used for brooming resealed chip roads into windrows, ready for the road sweeper to pick up. It can also be used to sweep or scrub large areas where dust or dirt are a problem, working in conjunction with a water cart (to be provided by client).

Proud to have known PORTER Contractors Limited for 25 years. Firstly as their accountant based in Takanini and then as I went out on my own in public practice, they found where I was based and have been their Chartered Accountant since.

We Specialise in: • Complete Cylinder Head overhaul • Reboring from single cylinder to large diesels & V8 Blocks • Conrod Reclaim on all sizes • Block Milling & Reboring up to V12 • Line Boring all Blocks; vintage to diesel • Specialising in complete engine rebuilds

A huge congratulations on your 40th anniversary.

Phone 09 478 2478 | Fax (09) 478 2475 39 Anzac Rd, Browns Bay, Auckland 0630, New Zealand

Feel free to give us a call

(09) 294 8467

TYREWORX is a leading group of Independent Tyre Retail Specialists.

Products & Services

• Supply, fit and balance a wide range of tyres, from premium brands to used tyres • Puncture repairs • Battery sales • Wheel alignments • Alloy wheel sales • Suspension repairs and upgrades • WOF issuers and wof repairs (if not available in store, wof inspections will be arranged)

Airport Tyreworx (Barry’s Tyre Services) 21 Richard Pearce Drive, Mangere, Auckland Ph: (09) 256 1846 | Fax: (09) 292 2173 Email: barry@airporttyreworx.co.nz

www.tyreworx.co.nz www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 27

Focus | Partridge Pools/Pool Panthers

Making pool care painless Borne from geographical isolation, Kiwis have become renowned for improvising and adapting limited resources to produce innovative solutions and, although the pursuit is no longer driven by need, but by the desire to improve conditions, clever Kiwis continue to innovate.

Glen Rowe started working for Partridge Pools during high school, sweeping the driveways. Today he’s the general manager of the Auckland-based company after a professional journey that’s seen him involved in “everything you can think of in relation to the pool industry”.

No man stands alone Well aware that no organisations stands alone, Partridge Pools/Pool Panthers thanks all those it has working relationships with, including those on this page: Dolphin Pacific, Davey Water Products, PoolQuip and Austral Pool and Spa Products.

That’s everything from pool construction and retail sales through to servicing.

“Traditionally to maintain a pool, you either get someone to come in to clean it and put chemicals in, or you would take a water sample into a pool store for testing, then get a ‘chemical recipe’ sheet printed for you to purchase the required chemicals yourself,” Glen explains.

“I thought there had to be a better way.”

And it seems, there was. Glen developed the Pool Panthers system to sit between the two existing models. Rather than a full pool service, Pool Panthers service their customer base with state of the art pool labs set up in trucks.

“We come around and test the water every four weeks, then our uniquely developed computer

28 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

programme calculates the quantities of chemicals required, which are then pre-measured and left in a crate with easy to read instructions for the following four week period.

“We partnered with another local company Poolwise for the development phase, with Poolwise helping us to develop the computer analysis programme and chemical system.”

With customers not having to purchase their own chemicals, there is no risk of over-purchasing, having to bulk-store chemicals, purchasing the wrong chemicals or forgetting the retail assistant’s instructions.

“The feedback we get from our customers is that they love it. It’s just so easy for the customer. We’ve taken what was once a confusing and time-consuming process for them and made it easy.”

What’s more, Pool Panthers was one of the first – if not the first – to introduce set price servicing to the Auckland swimming pool market, with a set fee from as low as $67.50 per month, including the cost of chemicals.

“Although a number of companies are doing this now, it was unheard of when we developed the Pool Panthers system,” Glen says.

Focus | Damen

Focus | Partridge Pools/Pool Panthers

“

The feedback we get from our customers is that they love it. It’s just so easy for the customer. We’ve taken what was one a confusing and time-consuming process for them and made it easy.

”

- GENERAL MANAGER, GLEN ROWE

“It stops you from getting a massive blow out in cost at summer time and it is part of their monthly spend on their house. Out of sight, out of mind, with the knowledge they’re being well looked after.”

The first person Glen spoke to said the concept would never work. Today the Pool Panthers service looks after more than 1,000 swimming pools throughout Auckland, with the service growing organically through word of mouth over the past 10 years.

Ergonomic solutions for your working space

“A key difference is you have a pool expert looking at your pool every four weeks, rather than trying to communicate what your pool is like, buying wrong materials, doubling up because you forgot what you’ve got in the pump shed at home, or forgetting what the guy at the shop said.

“Almost every pool owner can relate to these issues – we can assist the owner right there and then in front of their own pool.”

With the addition of the Pool Panthers system, Partridge Pools offers the full swimming pool solution from equipment sales, repairsf and a basic pool cleaning service through to a full pool valet and even a full service team available for breakdowns, new equipment installs, pump repairs and leaks.

There’s even a highly-experienced staff base, with many of the Partridge Pools and Pool Panthers crew having served more than 10 years with the company and rigorous training going into every new staff member.

“Pretty much anything to do with swimming pools, we have the experienced support staff to help.”

For a no obligation consultation and quote, contact Partridge Pools now. AT Partridge Pools/Pool Panthers 327 Great South Road Takanini Auckland 0800 998 659 info@partridgepools.co.nz www.partridgepools.co.nz — Advertising Feature

It’s not until you’ve experienced sitting at a desk all day, every day, that you realise the value of quality, functional office furniture.

Damen Office Funiture Ltd has been in the office furniture business for more than 27 years, their patented designs stem from years of experience and they know the importance of ergonomics and individual requirements.

Ergonomics is a term we often hear thrown around. Ergonomics literally means the science of work.

Damen understands the science of work and how office furniture plays a huge role in staff productivity and satisfaction.

Damen’s managing director, Antony Mayo, says employers are starting to catch on to that too.

Damen has a full range of: • Desk systems, including sit and stand pods • Linear pods • Workstations • Tables • Soft seating • Storage units • Technology interface points • Accessories. versatile with the option of being desk hung, wall mounted or floor mounted. The option of floor to ceiling partitions are also available, offering complete privacy.

On top of a great product their customer service is second to none.

“Client relationships are king; build strong relationships with clients, do what you say you “Employers are becoming increasingly in tune will and customers will come back time and time with the ergonomic needs and unique postural requirements of individual staff members, and are again, as well as spread the good word to others. opting for quality adjustable desk solutions that “Our staff bring a wealth of knowledge and are allow easy adjustment through the full range of key to our success. They have the attitude and seating and standing positions.” aptitude to go the extra mile for our customers,” During the past 12 months Damen has delivered Antony says. on projects of up to 300 seat installations across Damen offers the complete package, along a gambit of industries including health, local with supplying great products and having staff government, insurance and other utilities. on board that can answer all your queries, Damen takes care of complete office fit outs and And their products are fully manufactured from installation as well. recyclable materials. “The environment is very important to us. We have an Eco Warranty Put simply: no matter what you have envisioned Standard applied to our manufacturing and in your office space – Damen will make it work, warehouse,” Antony says. from beginning to end. AT Damen’s products stand out because of their affordability, durability and flexibility.

“We are known for our excellent price point and quality products,” Antony says.

Their work screens continue to be a best seller, offering privacy and acoustic qualities. They are available in custom made sizes and are incredibly

Damen 12 Fisher Crescent Mt Wellington Auckland (09) 276 9365 sales@damen.co.nz www.officefurniture.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

Need new cleaners?

Current cleaners not up to standard?

LET US SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM ONCE AND FOR ALL! NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Phone: 0210426300 • Email: Shay@ophioncleaning.co.nz www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 29

Focus | New Zealand Franchise Association

Celebrating the best in a $20 billion industry Franchising in New Zealand is a great way to get into business. It is a $20 billion industry and new franchise opportunities are popping up all the time.

But where do you start?

The New Zealand Franchise Association exists to help you in that process.

Having been around for two decades, they have built a really vibrant community.

On board they have knowledgeable consultants, legal advisors and specialists for advice at your fingertips.

A prospective franchisee purchasing a franchise from a member will be assured of receiving a number of things, including a disclosure document explaining key financial information, a seven day cooling off period, dispute resolution options and a minimum agreed standard of conduct.

If you are a member, there are opportunities to attend networking meetings where guest speakers lend their advice and knowledge, opportunities to attend a yearly conference, and who could forget the awards.

Supreme winner franchisee of the year Skew NZ Ltd – Mister Minit – St Lukes

The most recent Westpac New Zealand Franchise Association Awards were held on November 12, 2016, and were presented at a gala dinner at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland.

<

CEO of the New Zealand Franchise Association, Robyn Pickerill, says the association provides a self-regulating environment and being a member gives franchisors and franchisees a badge of credibility.

The association acts as the voice of franchising and will liaise with government officials as issues come up that may affect franchising.

A night of glitz and glamour hosted by comedian/ actor Geoff Dolan.

“It was a real picture. The evening was beautiful and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves,” Robyn says.

The awards are an opportunity for franchisors and franchisees to enter their systems into a range of different categories.

It’s a little bit of protection for those who are choosing a franchise because it’s not as simple as paying a fee to become a member.

“Franchising is all about processes and systems, you want that replicated in all of your businesses, so you have some continuity and uniformity across the board,” Robyn says.

“We have to make sure that they are in line with our code of ethics and practice; and show that they are giving a fair and credible opportunity,” Robyn says.

Doing that successfully is not an easy task and deserves to be recognised. The awards are well supported and last year 220 people attended.

30 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

The Minister of Commerce, Hon Paul Goldsmith, addressed the audience as did Steve Atkinson from Westpac who have supported the Franchise Association from the get go.

Entering the awards is not an easy feat so to become a winner in any of the categories is something to be celebrated and commended.

“Like any business awards it requires a real commitment to enter as it does take some effort to present a great application, however the entrants comment that the process itself is a great opportunity to stand back from their business and view it from new eyes,” Robyn says.

Entries for the awards closed in July and all those who entered went through rigorous questioning on their processes and progress and were marked accordingly by judges from the Business Excellence Foundation.

Signature Homes took out the Supreme Award for Westpac Franchise System of the Year and the Supreme Award for Westpac Franchisee of the Year went to Mister Minit St Lukes.

Entries for 2017 will open in March.

AT

New Zealand Franchise Association Level 4, 51 Hurstmere Road Takapuna (09) 274 2901 www. franchiseassociation.org.nz — Advertising Feature

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 31

Focus | Scaffolding, Access and Rigging NZ

Quality scaffolders in high demand The massive earthquake repair task facing New Zealand has highlighted New Zealand’s acute shortage of the most highly skilled scaffolders.

Scaffolding, Access and Rigging New Zealand Inc (SARNZ) CEO, Graham Burke, says the sector was already facing a serious shortage of advanced level scaffolders - the industry’s highest qualification – and is calling for action from Immigration New Zealand.

“Many of the scaffolds required for industrial, commercial and civil sectors can only be constructed by someone with an advanced scaffold certificate – that’s a legal requirement,” Graham says.

“That includes the very specialised hung and cantilevered scaffolds required for bridge repairs propping and demolition work.

“The sector was already in need of more advanced scaffolders to meet construction sector demand. Our members are finding it impossible to recruit the additional advanced scaffolders they needed.

SARNZ has already called upon Immigration New Zealand to help alleviate the situation by adding advanced level-scaffolders to its list of skilled occupations as a matter of urgency.

“Scaffolding is currently included on Immigration New Zealand's Immediate skills shortage list,

but not on its list of skilled occupations,” Graham says.

“Adding advanced scaffolders to the list would enable the most highly skilled scaffolders, including those already working here on visas, to have a path to residency as skilled migrants.

“Immigration New Zealand’s response is that the advanced qualification isn’t an essential qualification for scaffolders. That’s incorrect - scaffolders are legally required to hold a Certificate of Competence for the appropriate class and a number of scaffolds require an Advanced Scaffold Certificate.”

Graham has also written to Hon Michael Woodhouse, Minister of Immigration, outlining the problem.

“He replied that MBIE relies on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZCO) to classify occupations and, at level four on the classification, scaffolding does not meet the threshold for skilled migrants.

“That’s not correct either. The advanced qualification is equivalent to NCEA level five – which means it should fall into level

two of ANZCO’s advanced range of qualifications in New Zealand.”

While employers may bring in migrant workers for occupations not listed on the skill shortage lists, provided suitable New Zealanders are not available, or through the Immigration NZ-approved accredited employers scheme, Graham says that’s not an option for many smaller scaffolding businesses.

Advanced-level scaffolders are also needed to supervise scaffolder training. “Advanced-level

scaffolders are also essential to supervise and provide training for beginners as well as upskilling elementary and intermediate-level scaffolders,” he says.

“We are not asking Immigration New Zealand to open the floodgates and let hordes of scaffolders flood in from overseas. We want to train home-grown scaffolders ourselves.

We are talking only about the most highly qualified and experienced – those at the top of the game.”

Sale & Hire • Tube & Clip • Shoreloading • Kwikscaff System • KSL Props • Ringscaff System • Aluminium Mobile Tower

Phone: 09 271 1366 | Fax: 09 271 1377 Email: kwikserv@xtra.co.nz www.kwikservscaffolding.com

32 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Focus | Scaffolding, Access and Rigging NZ

“

Adding advanced scaffolders to the list would enable the most highly skilled scaffolders, including those already working here on visas, to have a path to residency as skilled migrants.

- (SARNZ) CEO, GRAHAM BURKE

”

Benefits of membership • SARNZ office as a single point of contact • Yearly membership certificates • Platform newsletter, distributed quarterly • Input into industry training through SARNZ involvement with Tai Poutini Polytechnic • Able to provide input into setting industry standards • Publisher and distributor of Best Practice Guidelines in Scaffolding • SARNZ has representation on the Australia/New Zealand standards group • Unified voice promoting and speaking on behalf of the industry • Networking with other members throughout the country.

Membership services

About SARNZ

• CSC member benefit card

Scaffolding, Access and Rigging NZ was formed in 1994 by a group of like-minded individuals working in the industry who wanted to ensure they were able to speak with a united voice when it came to issues of concern to the industry.

• FnF fuel scheme • Group insurance scheme – statutory liabilities defence, penalties insurance and employer liability insurance • An improved perception of the professional nature of your company by the public through being a member of the national trade association Scaffolding, Access and Rigging NZ.

To truly achieve its objectives, SARNZ needs the support of people and companies whose business is scaffolding and rigging. AT

Scaffolding, Access & Rigging New Zealand Inc Level 2, Bloomfield House Its membership consists of major scaffolding 46 Bloomfield Terrace and rigging contractors, through to smaller Lower Hutt companies and individuals. It also has a small (04) 589-8081 number of associate members who are providers admin@sarnz.org.nz to the industry in terms of supplying rope, planks, www.sarnz.org.nz pipe, safety equipment, shrink wrap and the like.

— Advertising Feature

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 33

Focus | RPM International Tool and Die

Turning bright ideas into reality RPM International Tool and Die is a Kiwi success story.

The company is celebrating 32 years in business, growing to become New Zealand’s largest privately owned and operated tool and die manufacturer.

RPM International Tool and Die capabilities include: Tool manufacturing • Conformal cooling • Injection moulding • Progression press tools and form tools • Die cast, blow and vacuum moulds • Automation • Tool trials and part validation.

Tool design • Tool design • Mould flow analysis • Stamping simulation • CAD CAM.

Formed in 1986, RPM is one of the country’s largest engineering operations, with its machinery, tool design and production facilities second to none.

RPM operates a large, modern manufacturing facility in Rosedale. Its commitment to quality

RPM International Tool and Die operates an extensive range of machinery for grinding, milling, spark eroding, wire cutting and more

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The company is all about turning good ideas into reality, specialising in high-end automation, press tools and injection-moulded tooling for all engineering disciplines in the packaging, electronics, whiteware, plastics and automotive industries, along with precision components for the medical and aviation sectors.

is upheld by an outstanding team of highly qualified tool makers, designers, CNC operators and a dedicated management team.

Smart use of available capacity and skilled labour gives RPM an edge over competitors when it comes to short lead times and tight deadlines.

“We have a full tool design team and can go from product and tool design right through to manufacture and tool trialling,” sales director Mark Vincent says.

“Our ability to deliver large tooling in very short time frames comes from our ability to increase production levels on demand by increasing production shifts immediately.”

Machining • CNC machining • EDM spark erosion • EDM wire cutting • Cylindrical and surface grinding.

DESIGN & MANUFACTURE MOULDS TURNING YOUR CONCEPT INTO REALITY Toolmaking - Plastic Injection and Metal Stamping Mould Sets | Ejector Pins | 5 Axis CNC Machining CNC Turning | Precision Machining | Gun-Drilling Surface Grinding | Cylindrical Grinding

P 09 276 7758 E info@egwhiter.co.nz 54-56 Huia Road, Otahuhu | www.egwhiter.co.nz

we are able to offer a wide range of product for the tool making industry from ejector pins and water fittings all the way through to hot runner systems, valve gates and electronic control systems.

PROUD TO SUPPORT RPM INTERNATIONAL 34 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Ph: 09 534 6612 E: diequip@xtra.co.nz

Focus | RPM International Tool and Die RPM’s success has been built on long-term relationships with loyal customers, together with excellent supplier continuity.

Mark says RPM’s suppliers are a big reason for the company’s continued success. “Our industry can be a tough environment. We’re all in the same boat, but the tool and die industry is a small place and the suppliers are a major part of our business.”

“

costs, including the freight portion, is very competitive coupled with our lead times. An example is we can get our goods to California in just 20 days ex-factory from tool completion.”

Mark says RPM’s domestic sales have picked up considerably in the past few months as well.

“We have some really nice contracts from long standing customers, and manufacturing in general seems to be going pretty well.”

High-tech machinery

Export is a big part of our market now, particularly to Australia and the US. - SALES DIRECTOR MARK VINCENT

”

RPM International Tool and Die exports about half its product overseas and is keen to continue growing its export market.

The Auckland company places a huge emphasis on export, which primarily involves Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Thailand.

“Export is a big part of our market now, particularly to Australia and the US,” Mark says.

One of its key pieces of machinery is the German Deckel Maho DMU200P five-axis simultaneous milling machine, the largest of its type in the South Pacific.

The machine has allowed RPM to compete internationally and stay at the forefront of machining techniques.

Mark says RPM is continually looking at new technologies to introduce them into its tooling.

RPM International Tool and Die 34 Apollo Drive Rosedale Auckland (09) 479 8844 mark@rpmtoolanddie.com www.rpmtoolanddie.com

One of the big advantages that RPM has, when competing with Chinese exporters, is the cost of sea freight from New Zealand.

“It’s extremely competitive to ship from New Zealand, compared with tooling out of China,” Mark says.

“They have cheap tooling, but the shipping to the US is very expensive. RPM’s overall tooling

Suppliers to RPM since 2007 of quality machine tools and materials. Stockists of High Grade German Toolsteels as well as Aluminium plate and round.

Comprehensive range and seven saws up to 1800 wide and 1 mtr dia.

CALL 09 622 2169

Mark is not particularly concerned about what effect the new Trump administration could have on New Zealand exports and says the American market has always fluctuated due to the dollar anyway.

Low sea freight costs from NZ

AT

— Advertising Feature

“In Australia we export plastic injection moulds and automation for the packaging industry, while in the US it’s mainly stamping tools for the automotive industry. We want to grow those export markets.”

“We used to do a lot of work in the US until the dollar went to 90 cents and then we went through a period of eight or nine years where we couldn’t win a contract. Now we can win these contracts and be very competitive.”

RPM operates a large, modern manufacturing facility in Rosedale

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Finding offshore favour

RPM International Tool and Die operates an extensive range of machinery for grinding, milling, spark eroding, wire cutting and more.

144 Captain Springs Road, Onehunga 1061, Auckland

Email: info@cncdirect.co.nz www.cncdirect.co.nz

Mersen NZ is a proud supplier of EDM graphite to RPM International New Zealand's number one insurance broker

With over 30 years of industry experience, we understand that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to insurance. We’ve designed solutions to meet the specific needs of all New Zealanders and negotiate with insurers on your behalf to save you time, money and the worry arising from navigating and understanding complex insurance contracts.

CALL 09 486 0499 www.aon.co.nz

- EDM Graphite - Mechanical Carbon - Carbon Brush - Ferraz Shawmut Fuse FORMERLY CARBONE OF NEW ZEALAND

Phone: Fax:

09 415 4020 09 415 4022

MERSEN Oceania Pty Ltd – New Zealand Branch

www.mersen.com

• Tool and Die Laser Welding • Fabrication and Production • Repairs and Restoration • Heavy Engineering • General Engineering • Hydraulic Cylinder Repair MACHINE PART WELDING ARE PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH RPM INTERNATIONAL

960 GREAT SOUTH ROAD, PENROSE, AUCKLAND

PHONE: 09 579 1599 • WWW.MPW.CO.NZ www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 35

Focus | DCN Drilling

Getting beneath the surface They say you should never judge a book by its cover and, although penned in reference to one’s physical appearance, it’s certainly an accurate saying when it comes to the drilling industry.

When it comes to construction, regardless of ground conditions, what’s below the surface can cause headaches – and expensive ones.

When you’re undertaking a large engineering project, it certainly pays to know what you’re building on, which is where local firm DCN Drilling Ltd can lend its highly experienced commercial hand.

Established by Dave Penney in 2007, DCN Drilling is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary in business.

That’s a decade of providing the full range of geo-technical, geo-thermal, anchor, wire, line and barge drilling, spread across New Zealand and the Pacific Rim, including earthquake work in Christchurch.

He’s joined in the business by wife Joyce and daughter Natasha, who are responsible for administration, accounts and health and safety, and his son Corey is now a senior driller.

“It’s because of the team that we’ve been able to stick around for so long,” Joyce explains.

“They’re a great bunch of guys with great personalities. The client always comes first, they work really hard, they’ve become like family to us now and they’ve kept us going.”

“

We enjoy being a strong family-orientated team and it enables us to provide a much more personal service for our customers.

”

- DAVE PENNEY

DCN Drilling covers work throughout New Zealand, which means the Christchurch rebuild has kept the company busy during the last several years. The higher code and safety specifications have increased the demand for geo-technical types of site investigations, foundation evaluations, slope stability investigations, retaining systems, irrigation schemes and landfill planning.

While the construction sector occupies a growing share of the DCN work load, it is the bread and butter of regular agricultural

We have an extensive range of products, many different brands for different engineering applications.

We cater for everyone’s engineering supply needs. We provide professional, specialist advice and technical information in conjunction with our numerous supplier partners.

• Abrasives • Air Products • Automotive • Cutting Tools • Chemicals • Consumables • Electrical • Hand Tools • Heating • Power Tools • Safety Products • Tool Storage • Vices & Clamps • Welding

We are HYDRAULINK for the Franklin region, so all hydraulic hose requirements and needs can also be covered by us in store or by calling our 24/7 Hour Mobile Service 0274 945 370 or 09 238 1806.

139 Manukau Road, Pukekohe | 09 238 1800 | www.hes.co.nz

DCN Drilling Ltd 2148 State Highway 2, Maramarua Phone: 0800 326 375 Email: dcndrillingltd@xtra.co.nz www.dcndrilling.co.nz

36 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

and irrigational borehole drilling and frequent mineral exploration projects that keep Dave and his crew busy for most periods of the year.

Locally, the company has carried out ground investigation drilling, piles, grouting and ground anchors for the seven-lane Newmarket Viaduct.

It has conducted investigation drilling, ground anchors, grouting and percussion drilling for the AK4 furnace at the O-I NZ glassworks facility in Penrose, geotechnical investigations and installations of the Wynyard Quarter at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront, and stages one, two and three of the Huntly Bypass connecting Auckland with the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

Health and safety has been an important focus for the company over the years, as Dave wishes to ensure his staff and contractors work in a controlled and safe environment which is free from accident risk.

This means careful maintenance and compliant operation of all plant and machinery which has been maintained and serviced to the highest standards of safety at all times, and adherence to a proper health and safety code to ensure staff are presented with a safe, secure, clean and healthy working environment.

DCN Services • Geo-technical drilling • Geo-thermal drilling • Soakage drilling • Wire line drilling • Environmental drilling • Soil nailing • Diamond coring • Auger drilling • Anchor drilling • Barge drilling • Down hole hammers • Piezometer installations • Helicopter/flying rigs.

“Health and safety is integral to our operation,” Dave says. “We now employ a full time health and safety consultant who has worked in the mining industry to oversee our health and safety to ensure our standards are the best they can be.”

New Zealand’s Trusted Drilling Specialist Geotechnical • Environmental • Geothermal Sample • Water Well Drilling

Focus | DCN Drilling

Focus | Auckland Bearing Distributors

NZ owned bearing company marks 40th anniversary Auckland Bearing Distributors marks its 40th anniversary this year of distributing bearings to the auto industry, and the industrial and power transmission sectors.

Managing director Grant Burrell says while they can attribute the company’s success to many things, the main area in which Auckland Bearing Distributors stands out is its level of service.

“We’re a 100 percent privately owned New Zealand company, so we can react quickly to customers’ needs. This ability to adapt means customers know they will always get a high level of service.”

The company specialises in bearings and has stuck to its core product over its 40-year history. Grant says this gives them another market advantage as the staff have a thorough and expert knowledge of the products. “We haven’t diversified to maintain a high level of product knowledge.”

Auckland Bearing Distributors acquired BTS in March 2014 and SMP Bearings in September 2016. It now has five branches throughout New Zealand: two Auckland Bearing Distributors branches (one in Glenfield and one in Wiri Manukau), two SMP Bearing branches (one in Hamilton and one in Christchurch), and one BTS branch in New Plymouth/Taranaki.

Quality and experience are everything when it comes to the complex nature of the drilling industry – two qualities which are in abundance at DCN Drilling, with a down to earth and refreshing no-nonsense approach to business which keeps customers coming back.

“We’re reliable, we get good results and we’re passionate about what we do,” Dave says.

“My biggest problem is I can never say no,” he laughs. “There’s always a way of doing it.

“We’re a comfortable size, so we don’t want to grow any bigger because we would get to corporate size. We enjoy being a strong family-

All branches are 100 percent owned by Auckland Bearing Distributors, and Grant says with the purchase of SMP they are now better able to serve their clients in the Waikato and Canterbury areas.

Among the bearings which they distribute are Nachi, NSK, HCH, KOYO, FAG, and Timken, and they are the exclusive agents for the high performance Krytox lubricants.

They also stock a wide range of power transmission products. They are one of New Zealand’s largest distributors of Tsubaki roller chain and Optibelt v-belts, along with a complementary range of pulleys, sprockets, bushes, couplings and gearboxes. AT

Auckland Bearing Distributors Head Office Cnr Diana Drive & Ashfield Street Glenfield Auckland (09) 444 6566 sales@aucklandbearings.co.nz Manukau Branch Unit 7A/6 Keith Hay Drive Wiri Auckland (09) 969 1876 wiri@aucklandbearings.co.nz www.aucklandbearings.co.nz — Advertising Feature

orientated team and it enables us to provide a much more personal service for our customers.

“We’ve got a fantastic crew, they really make the company what it is and we wouldn’t be here without them.” AT DCN Drilling Ltd 2148 State Highway 2 Maramarua Waikato Region 0800 326 375 dcndrillingltd@xtra.co.nz www.dcndrilling.co.nz — Advertising Feature

We provide engineering services for the agricultural & horticultural industries as well as general engineering & maintenance services for a wide range of industries.

Proud to support DCN Drilling 197 Manukau Road, Pukekohe, Auckland P. 09 238 8181 | E. info@belrose-eng.co.nz | www.belrose-eng.co.nz www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 37

Focus | Northern Forklifts

Property & Construction | News

Machines to do the lifting for you

Alexandra Park penthouse sells for $3.45m

Buying a Hangcha forklift from Northern Forklifts means you’re choosing strength, simplicity and great value for money.

Hangcha forklifts from China are renowned for being high-quality, low-tech work horses that are simple to operate and maintain and are suited to a wide range of applications.

Northern Forklifts is the New Zealand distributor for Hangcha forklifts, which is one of the world’s top 10 forklift manufacturers and the biggest exporter of the machines from China.

Hangcha’s range of engine-powered and electric machines includes internal combustion counterbalance forklifts, container forklifts, reach trucks, walkie stackers, powered pallet trucks and mini stackers.

The large range includes diesel, petrol and petrolLPG models capable of lifting from 1-25 tonnes.

Northern Forklifts has some exciting new Hangcha models in stock, including electric three and four wheelers and electric reach trucks.

Northern Forklifts Limited is one of New Zealand’s leading forklift specialists, offering a wide range of new and used machinery for sale, rent or lease, and providing a comprehensive service, maintenance and emergency breakdown service to customers.

Owned by directors Dexter Hyland and Ken Osborn, the company has branches in Auckland and Whangarei and supplies a range of materialshandling machinery, from walk-behind pallet trucks to 40 tonne container handlers.

Northern Forklifts offers comprehensive service and maintenance packages, which can be custom designed to suit each customer’s unique needs. It also provides a 24/7 breakdown and repair service from its Auckland and Whangarei workshops. AT

Northern Forklifts' managing director Dexter Hyland says Hangcha forklifts have been a big success since his company began selling them in 2005.

Northern Forklifts Limited PO Box 100-110 “They’ve proven themselves to be durable North Shore Mail Centre and reliable. They are simple and there are no Auckland 0745 computers in them. A forklift isn’t a motorcar and Auckland (09) 443 4661 needs to be low tech, simple and reliable. And the Whangarei (09) 438 8047 bonus with Hangcha is they probably won’t cost www.northernforklifts.co.nz — Advertising Feature as much as many competing brands.”

The last penthouse at Alexandra Park has sold for its asking price of $3,450,000.

The superiorly appointed 279sqm three-bedroom penthouse has three balconies totalling an additional 51sqm, with superb views over Alexandra Park to the city skyline, as well as Cornwall Park, and includes three car parks.

Last September Colliers International announced it had sold the largest and most luxurious penthouse at Alexandra Park for $4.75m.

Its total size is 489sqm including 140sqm of external balconies.

Alexandra Park chief executive Dominique Dowding says the fact that all five penthouses have commanded such prestigious prices reinforces Alexandra Park’s comprehensive quality offering and desirable location.

The Trelleborg NZ team, with a combined experience of nearly 40 years, is Phil Stafford-Bush, Val Tusani and Brian To’afa. The team second to none when it comes to offering quality products and quality service.

Northern Forklifts are one of our well established customers and together we have adapted to the many changes the industry has faced.

“The New Zealand market has representation of nearly all the major brands of industrial forklifts and equipment that is available globally. This brings with it its own set of challenges for our team” says Paul Hansen – Managing Director of Trelleborg Oceania.

Trelleborg was founded in 1905 and is a world leader in engineered polymer solutions that seal, damp and protect critical applications in demanding environments.

Trelleborg offer tyre and wheel solutions in solid (resilient) and pneumatic (bias and radial) for all types of wheel loaders, excavators, skidsteer machines, forklifts, airport Ground Service Equipment(GSE), waste transfer stations, Port Service and many other kinds of industrial applications.

Trelleborg manufacture world class brands such as Trelleborg, Monarch, Premia and Brawler just to name a few.

Call the Trelleborg NZ team now on 0800 TWSTIRES (897847), we may just have a solution that suits your application.

THE PIT STOP LINE Choosing Pit Stop Line tyres ensures that customers always get maximum value by replacing tyres at the right time. As the tyre tread wears down, a highly visible orange stripe appears on the tyre surface indicating approximately 100 hours of tyre life remaining. This allows ample time to schedule replacement at your convenience without compromising performance, safety or productivity.

WWW.TRELLEBORG.COM/WHEELS

38 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Colliers International’s director of project marketing, Jeff Davidson, says those still wanting wide-sweeping views need not be disappointed.

One top floor two-bedroom apartment remains for sale with a north facing aspect and stunning views eight levels up. At 99sqm plus a 16sqm balcony it comes with two car parks and is priced at $1,750,000.

“The townhouses are exceptional value given their generous size and their central and ‘double grammar zone’ location. They offer level separation between the bedrooms and the generous living spaces. Their large rooftop deck is also an entertainer’s dream,” Jeff says.

The three remaining two-bedroom townhouses have 112sqm of internal living spaces over two floors plus a roof top deck of another 54sqm with outstanding views of Cornwall Park. They are priced between $1,390,000 and $1,450,000 and come with two secure car parks.

The last three-bedroom townhouse is 137sqm over two floors plus a rooftop deck of 68sqm, and is priced at $1,700,000 with two secure car parks.

Since April last year Alexandra Park has sold 241 out of 246 freehold residential dwellings in its master-planned urban village on Greenlane West in Epsom.

It will also include a grocer, boutique retail and soon to be announced cafes and restaurants.

Now under construction it has been dubbed one of Auckland’s largest and fastest selling developments.

RTA Studio is the lead architect and international urban design experts Civitas are overseeing At the same time just four townhouses remain for the outside transformation which will include sale at Alexandra Park offering a three-level luxury plenty of world-class public spaces and living experience. Three have two-bedrooms and promenades. N-Compass and RDT Pacific are the project managers. AT one has three bedrooms.

Wilshire group forges ahead with Richmond development Auckland residential property developer Wilshire Group is forging ahead with its Richmond housing development in Mount Wellington, with over 50 unconditional sales in just 12 weeks.

which will ultimately comprise 600 to 700 homes by around 2020.

Wilshire sales manager Christie Wrightson says the company is “committed to being a longterm developer of affordable, quality homes for Aucklanders. The sales we’ve achieved to date total about $44 million, so we’re looking at an average sale price of under $845,000.

Architects involved in the project include AStudio, Isthmus, Brewer Davidson, Opus, HMA, Context and Sills van Bohemen, with master-planning carried out by Isthmus.

“In addition to those sales, our bank funding is in place and we have signed building contracts locking in our construction costs so we are full steam ahead.”

The first homes in stage one will be completed in the early 2017.

Wilshire GM development, Mark Peldmanis, says the company is also well underway on the next stages of the development,

“Site works are now complete on stage two and different architects for several stages have been appointed to add variety and different designs.”

Christie says the housing in Richmond stage one ranges from two-bedroom terraced houses priced from $680,000 up to five-bedroom family homes from $955,000.

“We’re creating a vibrant community with well-landscaped open spaces and a range of interesting and well-designed housing.”

With Richmond forging ahead, Wilshire is now actively seeking more residential development opportunities across Auckland, with the aim of delivering 300 new homes a year. AT

Property & Construction | Manners Building Products

Building products fit for any endeavour David Manners has accrued a huge amount of product and industry knowledge during the past 40-odd years, making him somewhat of an identity for all things plastering and painting.

As a result, Manners Building Products has a wealth of industry knowledge, with staff available to help tradespeople with any issue.

Focus on quality plastering

“We are more than happy to pass that industry knowledge onto other people,” David says.

The quality of your plastering and painting job is one of the most important aspects of every new or renovated home and ensuring only the best products are used is paramount.

“Our international reputation means we have become the first port of call when an overseas company is looking for representation and distribution of product through any of our five divisions; drywall, concrete, exterior tile, masonry and paint.

Manners Building Products in Auckland has been a leader in the painting and plastering industries for many years, operating as an importer, wholesaler and distributor for exclusive brands that have set an international benchmark in quality throughout the decorating industry. >

“We feel quite humble about that, but it has come about through our commitment to the industry and visiting many trade fairs and factories over the years and building relationships.”

Manners Building Products Limited supplies building hardware and tiling merchants throughout New Zealand, including its own Trowel Trade branded stores, which are located throughout the North Island, Blenheim and Christchurch.

Our international reputation means we have become the first port of call when an overseas company is looking for representation and distribution of product.

”

Manners Building Products imports and distributes a wide range of Hamilton Drywall Products

<

The company is a genuine wholesaler and is a supplier-member of the Buildlink Group, among others. Manners Building Products sources from top brands around the world and its distribution structure is there for any merchant to purchase and benefit from.

“

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 39

Property & Construction | Manners Building Products Leading the decorating industry Manners Building Products’ first agency lines were centred around paint and decorating products, and the fledgling business soon established itself as a preferred supplier to the major groups, importing for and distributing through traditional New Zealand recognised stores.

However, in the late 1980s wall covering was still predominantly wallpaper, with Winstone Wallboard Limited dominating the industry at that point.

With this in mind, David visited many tradeshows overseas, particularly in the US, which is the home of the drywall industry.

“We saw the potential of what could be achieved and started importing Hamilton Plasters to achieve that end result.”

The product mix we’ve built up over the years is all about perfection of finish, which is why we’ve stuck with quality brands.

- MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAVID MANNERS

”

Hamilton Drywall Products are a key brand for Manners Building Products.

<

David Manners says “the availability of specialist plasters that produced a paint quality finish were scarce in New Zealand at that time.

When wallpaper fashion declined, everything became geared to a higher quality finish as everything was expected to be painted.”

“

Manners Building Products concentrates on supplying products in the following areas: • Drywall compounds and tools • Concrete tools and accessories • Tiling accessories • Paint and decorator products.

40 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

< Manners Building Products imports a range of accessories for the drywall industry

Property & Construction | Manners Building Products Exclusive quality brands

Hamilton Drywall Products’ range of air drying finishing products includes products for every application:

Manners Building Products imports and distributes Hamilton Drywall Products, an American company that has led the international drywall industry for decades.

• Joint compounds • Lightweight joint compounds

Manners Building Products originally began importing hand tools for the DIY market and then moved into consumables such as specialist tapes, before it began important drywall compounds.

• Taping compounds • All-purpose compounds • Topping compounds

David says gaining the agency for Hamilton products helped establish his company’s reputation for supplying exclusive, industryleading products.

• Setting type compounds-for patching • Light-weight setting type compounds • Drywall completion systems.

“We were lucky enough to secure the agency for Hamilton Drywall Products, which in the US is regarded as the global benchmark of quality, hence most of the other brands have modelled themselves on the Hamilton standard,” he says.

“We’ve been bringing Hamilton products in for 21 years and they’re still very much the benchmark. Originally there was just ourselves competing with Winstones doing drywall, and our products raised the bar considerably.

“Other US plasters have since entered the market, but through our plan of staying strategic, we have steadily increased the Hamilton market share.”

“The product mix we’ve built up over the years is all about perfection of finish, which is why we’ve stuck with quality brands.”

Hamilton Drywall Products are international leaders in the drywall industry

<

The American Hamilton Drywall Products range is made to the highest quality, and features innovative formulas and product diversity, with the largest selection available in New Zealand.

Drywall is all about air-drying products and the complete range of TapeTech automatic tools is a testament to that concept. It is worth noting that the auto-taper tool was patented and developed in the 1930s and still remains the backbone of the auto-system. >

THE LEADING SUPPLIER OF TROWEL TRADE TOOLS AND PRODUCTS IN NEW ZEALAND. Drywall Compounds and Tools

Paint and Decorator Products

Concrete Tools and Accessories

Tiling Accessories

0800 MANNERS (6266377)

www.manners.co.nz

The professional’s choice for drywall finishing products Our joint compounds, ceiling and wall textures, setting type compounds and drywall completion systems are all proudly manufactured in the USA.

Proud supplier to Manners Building Products www.hamiltonnw.com www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 41

Property & Construction | Manners Building Products

“

We’ve been bringing Hamilton products in for 21 years and they’re still very much the benchmark.

- MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAVID MANNERS

” Manners Building Products has changed the face of New Zealand’s painting and plastering industry.

• Air and Ocean freight forwarding • Freight consolidation • Distribution and Logistics • Customs brokerage • Warehousing • Tariff consultancy

Proudly supporting MannersBuilding Products

David Manners says the company continues to lead the trowel trade with its ready-mix plaster-technology, FibaFuse and paper tapes, and top-quality range of hand tools.

“There have been new developments in automatic tools and we’ve understood the importance of efficiency through air-drying development, which is a continuous flow system of application” he says.

“That’s quite new. TapeTech are the number one in auto tools and have the best research and development programme.”

Pro Plaster Products was established in 1993 in Australia and has been continually evolving to meet and exceed the needs of a growing international market.

With over 20 years’ experience supplying and manufacturing compounds, selling automatic tools we at Pro Plaster Products understand a tradespersons needs.

David realised that good-quality automatic tools were the key to efficiency, because they significantly increased the speed of plaster application.

Manners Building Products has also gained the New Zealand agency for other leading decorating brands, including Hyde Tools and Kraft Tools, who both supply hand tools.

Strait-flex tapes, Marco paper tape, Rondo metal trims, Phillips metal paper trims and auto-tools, Apla-tech and Columbia also make up part of the Manners' inventory.

Manners Building Products has introduced a range of plaster compounds; 4T and Protop from Australian manufacturer Pro Plaster Limited.

These products are produced under strict control to American formulas and maintain the highest standards expected. AT Manners Building Products 2 Rothwell Avenue Albany Auckland (09) 415 7488 orders@manners.co.nz www.manners.co.nz

We have worked with David Manners for many years and last year commenced exporting compounds we manufacture to Manners Building Products. These products are 4T Lightweight All Purpose and Pro Top Midweight All Purpose.

Our businesses are similar in many ways and this has enabled us to ensure the products we supply are of a very high standard and have many benefits for the end user. These include: • Available in Refill Cartons • Midweight and Lightweight Options Available • Specifically Designed for Automatic Tools • Fully guaranteed

www.proplaster.com.au

42 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

— Advertising Feature

Property & Construction | Trowel Trades

A home base for the trowel trades Trowel Trades Ltd is the home base for anyone who uses a trowel, including plasterers, painters, bricklayers, tilers and concreters.

The company’s goal is to supply tradesmen with high-quality, innovative products at the best pricing, while supporting them and their businesses.

The first Trowel Trades store opened in Auckland 15 years ago, as a sister company to Manners Building Products Ltd, which imports and distributes leading international brands for the painting, plastering, tiling and concreting industries.

Builder's supply stores were for builders, plumbing outlets were for plumbers and electrical stores were for electricians, but what about the trowel trades?

Trowel Trades' stores are now located throughout the North Island, as well as in Marlborough and Christchurch, and are renowned for supplying quality products to any trade that uses a trowel.

They have guaranteed supply and distribution for Manners Building Products’ ranges.

“Trowel Trades are the home base for your trowel trades, servicing our five core areas, which are drywall, concrete, exterior tiling, waterproofing and painting,” David says.

“We see them as unique. Everyone knows what a builder's supply yard is, but in recent years we’ve determined that nearly a third of the building industry holds a trowel, including plasterers, painters, bricklayers and tilers. Those people have never had a home base and that was what we established the Trowel Trades stores for.”

Our whole emphasis from the outset has been about people.

- MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAVID MANNERS

Trowel Trades' staff recognise that people who hold a trowel for a living are professional tradesmen.

”

“We see them as business people who are keen to learn about their industry, new innovations and practices,” David says.

“We have tried to establish a reputation where our stores are centres for trade events. We have practical demonstrations of products and we run business seminars. We have talks from accountants on how to budget and how to quote.

“A lot of these tradesmen have never had that kind of support before. We’re a home base for their trade”

Large range of quality products Trowel Trades' stores stock a huge range of products for the industry, from more than 75 local suppliers; anything and everything they could possibly need to complete a broad range of jobs.

Trowel Trades is the home base of the trowel industry

<

Managing director David Manners says Trowel Trades was formed from the recognition that nearly one third of the building industry did not have a traditional home base for their trade.

“

“

A lot of these tradesmen have never had that kind of support before. We’re a home base for their trade.

- MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAVID MANNERS

David believes a lot of specialist knowledge is lost in a traditional builder’s supply store, Trowel Trades has a different focus.

“We offer a solution for any problem on a variety of issues. Tradesmen feel confident in coming to us with problems and we have acted as arbitrators for them on different issues. We also advocate the advantages of becoming members of industry organisations.”

“They stock a full range of products other than Each Trowel Trades store has a coffee corner those of Manners Building Products,” David says. where customers are encouraged to stop and take a break.

“The Trowel Trades' concept is still evolving, so local suppliers are valued for their new ideas, “We’ll have a chat with them and get to know their business, as we’ve worked hard to build up products and promotions.”

a group of knowledgeable staff in all our stores.

We want our customers to feel comfortable coming in and it’s an approach that has paid off over the years,” David says.

“Our whole emphasis from the outset has been about people. The major Trowel Trades' focus is to encourage our staff to take an interest in our customers and their activities.” AT Trowel Trades Ltd 2E Rothwell Ave Albany Auckland (09) 415 9822 www.troweltrades.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

Trowel Trades' stores stock a huge range of products for the industry

<

<

Trowel Trades has a huge range of products for plasters, painters, bricklayers, tilers and concreters

”

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 45

46 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Property & Construction | Concrete Link

Property & Construction | Mohan Roofing Services

Your one-stop concrete and landscaping link

Keeping your place watertight

The team at Concrete Link don’t just pride themselves on being experts in concreting and landscaping. They also take pride in their high level of service.

Mohan Roofing Services has been in the waterproofing business for nearly 40 years and owner Rodney Cotton says they are one of the few waterproofing companies able to make that claim.

Jordan Good, a director at Concrete Link, says the standard of their service is one of the things that sets Concrete Link apart from many other companies.

“We are known for our reliability, honesty and fast turnaround. We understand what it’s like to have tradies in your home and we always respect the fact that it is your space. The feedback we have about the team is all positive, that they are all friendly, reliable and completely professional.”

Concrete Link is a family firm, with Jordan taking care of the administrative side and her husband Ryan heading the team of concreters and landscapers.

They have over 30 years’ combined experience and work on residential and commercial properties throughout Auckland. They will work on new properties and on existing properties where the owners want to make improvements to the exterior of their home or business.

Jordan says when it comes to concreting and landscaping they can do it all. “We are the link between everything concrete and landscape and that’s how we came up with our name, Concrete Link.”

She says their aim has always been to be a one-stop-shop. “We can do everything outside your house, from site scrapes on bare sections so foundations can be put down for a new house, through to retaining walls, fencing, patios and laying ready lawn, and will project manage the entire job making it much easier for the client.

We really are a one-stop-shop.”

Concrete cutting Concrete Link undertakes all cutting jobs, on driveways, slabs, paths and kerbs in asphalt, concrete, masonry and brick.

Decorative cutting Decorative cutting is a cost-effective way to add an eye-catching design, transforming driveways, floors, patio, pool and paving areas.

Concrete slab For new homes they can dig out and prepare the site, box, pour, cut and finish the concrete floor in plain, coloured or exposed concrete.

SILVERDALE

Trowel Trades Silverdale are proud to be supporting Concrete Link 4K Titan Place, Silverdale, Auckland Phone: 09 427 4602 Mon-Fri: 7.30am-5pm Sat: 8am-12pm www.troweltrades.co.nz

Concrete boxing Concrete Link can shape an area to be concreted with wood and other material before a concrete pour to ensure a quality finish.

Decorative concrete Using coloured or exposed finish Concrete Link can turn concrete into a work of art.

Concrete and asphalt driveways and pathways The team can craft and sculpt driveways and pathways to look attractive while withstanding everyday use for many years.

Keystone concrete placing Keystone blocks can be placed around gardens, entranceways and other areas to provide a decorative appearance and durability.

Bulk earthworks and house cuts Concrete Link carries out all preparation and excavation work to achieve a good solid base for the concrete to rest on.

Compact and mesh placement Concrete Link has vast experience in ensuring the soil and metal fill is compacted properly and mesh base is laid to provide a sturdy foundation on which to lay the concrete.

“We’re one of the longest serving waterproofing companies in Auckland. Companies have come and gone but we’ve lasted,” Rodney says.

“This not only shows that we’re good at what we do but customers know that should they have any problems we are around to fix them.

Generally we have very few problems but it gives our customers peace of mind.”

Mohan Roofing Service offers warranties of up to 20 years on new jobs, and when dealing with a company with such longevity, the client knows they will still be in business in 20 years to honour those warranties.

This longevity of service also applies to the staff at Mohan Roofing Service. Rodney says they have had the same workforce for many years, and in the time he has owned the company no one has left.

Concrete removal Old concrete will be removed, leaving the site clean and tidy.

The main advantage of this is clients know they will always be dealing with the same people, even if there are long gaps between the times they use Mohan’s services.

Landscaping Concrete Link provides a complete service, from site clearance and preparation, to laying ready lawn, building retaining walls, and all other hard landscaping features.

“It also means the clients are dealing with a reasonable company,” Rodney says. “If you’re reasonable with your staff and they want to stay, you’ll also be reasonable with your clients. It shows what sort of values you have.”

Long driveways While the company can do it all, their specialty is long driveways with exposed aggregate. AT

Mohan Roofing provides a comprehensive range of commercial and residential waterproofing services. Their services include applying mastic asphalt, liquid-based coatings, energy-efficient warm roof systems for flat roofs, environmentally-friendly green roofs, and torched-on butyl rubber systems.

Concrete Link 027 875 8888 info@concretelink.co.nz www.concretelink.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

They also perform full roof restorations to upgrade existing roofs, and can apply

sealers and surface hardeners to decks and other floorings.

Rodney says the company not only provides a full range of waterproofing products but has a commitment to providing customers with exemplary service. “Our reputation has put us at the top of the industry and made us the most respected waterproofers in New Zealand.”

He says that is a reputation that has been earned over nearly 40 years of high quality workmanship, and it is a reputation they work hard to maintain.

Mastic asphalt Mohan Roofing Specialists has applied mastic asphalt to commercial premises and educational facilities throughout Auckland.

Rodney says these organisations have chosen mastic asphalt because it will last at least 100 years, can withstand harsh treatment and even if it does get damaged it is easy to repair.

He says it is an option that more residential clients should be considering.

“The cost is higher up front, but you get ten times the life of torch-applied systems and three times the life of liquid systems, so I sometimes wonder why anyone goes down the other paths, rather than choosing mastic asphalt.” AT Mohan Roofing Services 5a Miro Place Albany Auckland (09) 414 4343 admin@mohan.co.nz www.mohan.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

You need to grow. We can help.

Trowel Trades is everything you need to succeed!

At Trowel Trades we are committed to supplying products and tools for all trades that involve a trowel. We equip: Interior, Drywall Plasterers (Gib Stoppers) Exterior, Solid Plasterers Concrete & Brick and Block Layers Tilers and Waterproofers Painters and Decorators Our goal, to deliver you the tradesman, quality, innovative products at the best prices. www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 47

Property & Construction | Southeys Group

Getting group preparation right

During the years the company has seen phenomenal growth. As director Rob Southey points out, since 2010 they have gone from operating one hydro excavation machine to operating 16 machines.

Originally the company was importing hydro excavators from the United States. They realised that the machines were not ideal for New Zealand conditions. They were too heavy for our roads and had other major drawbacks.

So they completely redesigned the machine to suit New Zealand conditions. Through a sister company they now export the machines back to the United States.

Staff have also been a big factor in the company’s success. Rob says he can’t stress strongly enough how important it is to employ good, reliable staff with a can-do attitude.

He says Southeys Group is a family business, and that family-orientated approach extends to the staff, which means they always come first.

The company works with many of New Zealand’s largest companies, along with some medium and smaller firms, providing hydro excavation on a vast array of projects.

He attributes this success to being innovative, providing excellent service, and having talented, highly-trained staff.

Hydro excavation is the safer way of digging around valuable assets and sensitive underground infrastructure. Using pressurised water to cut through the substrate with high capacity vacuum suction, hydro excavators are less likely to cause damage than using shovels or conventional diggers.

He says the approach the company took to hydro excavation is a good example of their innovation.

“I always tell people that using hydro excavators is the way to avoid consequential costs,” Rob says.

Sub Surface Detection Ltd Helping clients identify, record and protect their underground assets.

Advancing our GIS Consulting Department. Driven by Abhi and his master’s degree in GIS, we have been able to create some great mapping and 3D models, applying UAV/Drone applications which are becoming very popular with clients because of the detail shown in the deliverables. When combined with our survey of underground assets, this is a very valuable tool for clients for both project planning and asset recording. Check out 3D model link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBsirkZ4BUY We now have in-house GPS for providing high quality mapping deliverables in which we completed for Bartley Consultants a GPR/EMI and GPS survey of a large stretch of East Cost Rd, North Shore, resulting in a high precision GPS survey of all utilities detected in an ”as-build” CAD drawing and map book of utilities overlaid on an aerial map of the site.

With 4 new staff in 2016 we continue to focus training to a very high standard of survey, working to the AS 5488-2013 of Subsurface Utility Information (SUI) with our technicians striving for quality Level B of this standard.

“

Our environmental policy is based on a belief that it is our responsibility to care for and protect the environment in which we work.

- DIRECTOR, ROB SOUTHEY

”

“It saves you money because you don’t want to be digging with a shovel or a digger and cut through the fibre optics of a business, such as a bank, and have to face the consequential costs of that.”

In recent years Southeys Group has worked on major projects around Auckland, including Victoria Park Tunnel, the Waterview Tunnel, and the roll out of ultra high speed broadband.

Along with risk-free precision digging, hydro excavation allows access to difficult locations, is at least three times faster than hand digging, is clean and efficient as all waste is removed from the site, and does not interrupt services.

Rob says while they are proud of these major construction projects, and the work they have done for many of New Zealand’s top companies, it has never come at the expense of the smaller companies they work with.

LTD

Southeys Group celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Originally the company started by cleaning farm effluent ponds. It now specialises in extraction and transportation of bulk liquid waste, vacuum loading, hydro-excavation, bentonite recycling, and spill response.

Innovation, Technology, Service & Satisfaction ITSS OUR FOCUS Fabrication of Steel, Aluminium and Stainless, Tailored Truck Building, Structures and Sculptures, Precision CNC and Manual Machining, Blast and Painting, and Cranes & Hiabs are just some of the diverse areas we cover.

MS Engineering Ltd congratulate Southeys Group on their 20th Anniversary

Phone: 0800 4257116 | Email: mse@mseng.co.nz | www.mseng.co.nz

WE HAVE NZ’S WIDEST RANGE OF TYRES We’re proud to stock the widest range, including Goodyear tyres, Dunlop tyres, Michelin tyres, Continental tyres, BFGoodrich tyres, Infinity tyres, Deestone tyres, Hankook tyres, Falken tyres, and Durun tyres. We also offer car batteries and wheel alignment servicing. Plus you get Fly Buys here!

A member of NULCA – the National Utility Locating Contractors Association Inc., Australia

SUB-SURFACE DETECTION LTD U N D E R G R O U N D P I P E & C A B L E LO C AT I N G Freephone 0800 500 330 admin@subsurfacedetection.co.nz www.subsurfacedetection.co.nz

PO Box 72 095 Papakura 2244 Auckland

48 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Beaurepaires Warkworth congratulate Southeys Group on their 20th anniversary Beaurepaires 09 425 8661 • www.beaurepaires.co.nz

Property & Construction | Southeys Group Rob says such initiatives are a win/win situation for everyone, including the environment.

service, being an industry leader, and to take an innovative approach to all that they do.

Drain jetting to clean and unblock drains is another important service provided by Southeys Group. They work primarily with industries, although this service is also available to residential customers.

“Without blowing my own trumpet we have seen some pretty phenomenal growth over the years and it all comes down to employing good staff, providing your clients with great, reliable service, and constantly being innovative and looking at new and better ways of doing things.” AT

Regular maintenance is the smart way to avoid emergency call outs, he says. By ensuring drains remain clear and well maintained a business will avoid economic and operational disruption.

Removal of liquid waste is another core function at Southeys Group. Working primarily with the farming industry the company has a fleet of vacuum loading trucks with high volume trailers, capable of carrying 3,000 to 25,000 litres of waste.

The powerful vacuums are also ideal for difficult access, vertical or horizontal. As part of their liquid waste removal service they also offer an emergency response, a tank cleaning service, and the removal of build-up of fats, silts, detritus and solids.

The environment is always an important consideration at Southeys Group. Waste is disposed of appropriately and environmental policies are built into everything the company does.

“Our environmental policy is based on a belief that it is our responsibility to care for and protect the environment in which we work,” Rob says.

“We are fully committed to improving environmental performance and training across all of our business activities, and we encourage our business partners and members of the wider community to join us in this effort.”

One such environmental action taken by the company is the recycling of waste from the Puhoi Valley Cheese Factory to pig farmers. The cheese factory needs to dispose of its waste, which is completely safe for pigs to eat, and the pig farmer needs to feed his animals. The pig farmer gets a free product, with the only charge being the price of cartage.

SAFEWORX keeping

kiwis

Southeys Group uses the latest in drain jetting equipment, and works on down pipes, sewers, manholes, drains, grease traps, and interceptors.

They use high-pressure water with the appropriate ‘head’, and jet cutting units to effectively and efficiently remove a wide range of blockages, including grease, fat debris and tree roots. They also provide an emergency call out service 24/7.

Southeys Group has seen substantial growth and expansion over the last 20 years, since it started out just cleaning cow effluent ponds.

Rob says they are well placed to continue this growth, to continue providing an excellent

Southeys Group Upper North Island 842 Old North Road Waimauku 0800 493 7639 (09) 411 8339 sales@southeysgroup.com Lower North Island 5 Page Grove Wingate Lower Hutt 0800 493 7639 (04) 567 9106 sales@southeysgroup.com www.southeysgroup.com — Advertising Feature

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www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 49

Property & Construction | Monkey Toe Group

The structural access and safety experts They say there’s a lot in a name. Although for local firm Monkey Toe Group, the name alludes to a unique and innovative company, what it doesn’t speak of is the important role this company’s product range is playing on buildings throughout the country.

Monkey Toe Group is a Kiwi company whose specialty lies in keeping both personnel and buildings safe, through a unique range of ground-breaking products that have been specifically designed to meet the needs of New Zealand industries.

It all began with the design of the Monkey Toe clip. But it’s not just any old clip. The unique patented Monkey Toe fixing clip grips safely to a roof, without destroying its structural integrity.

“Sistema is a New Zealand success story and one which is similar to ours in many ways,” Monkey Toe Group marketing manager Jeff Poole says.

“So, it was great for us to be involved in a project such as this.”

Monkey Toe’s glass balustrading will be making an appearance in the second stage of the new $250m high-rise Sugar Tree apartment development between Nelson and Union Streets, which is currently under construction.

It will also appear in the new 24-storey Victoria Residences apartments opposite the Sky Tower and the 30-storey Park Residences complex by Naylor Love.

Fifteen years later, Monkey Toe Group has developed a full range of products to meet the needs of the construction sector, including ladders, walkways (in aluminium and fibre reinforced plastic), handrails, plant platforms, condenser mounts, skeletal plant platforms for air Another recent project has been the $25m conditioning units, steps and stiles, and even a expansion of the Danone Nutricia NZ plant at modular balustrade system.

Airport Oaks in Auckland, after the French dairy These products have since gone on to set the giant doubled its infant formula production standard and benchmarks in height safety, capacity in New Zealand. Cleaning access was changing the way roof access is done in both required to the lift shaft and access platforms Australia and New Zealand, with a wide range were required at multi-levels to meet the of Auckland developments benefiting from the company’s strict hygiene requirements. innovative systems.

“Our team jumped into gear to design and build Plastic container maker Sistema has included an access system that would be self-supporting, a number of Monkey Toe Group products giving the clients access at 2.7m intervals up in the company’s new 52,000sqm, $120m the 80m shaft, meeting the timeframes required,” manufacturing facility – the largest warehouse Jeff says. in Australasia – near Auckland Airport, including “Safety and quality are important aspects of the walkways, platforms to access handling units and internal cage ladders.

Monkey Toe Group product range. The Monkey

“

We offer a lifetime warranty on most of our products because we know how durable our product is and we offer the service to back up that product offering.

- MONKEY TOE GROUP MARKETING MANAGER, JEFF POOLE

Toe system was developed from the need to provide owners, specifiers and architects, with a way to protect people and buildings, and health and safety continues to play an integral role in the company.”

Large platforms are proving an increasingly popular alternative to structural platforms for a range of developments, Jeff says.

A third of the weight of traditional structural platforms, they put less weight on the building, while providing more flexibility and are quick to install.

“We’ve done a number of really large platforms in Christchurch for developments in Cashel Square and Spitfire Square, some which are more than 500sqm.

“We’re changing the way people approach structural platforms by offering a modern solution.”

All materials used in the manufacture of Monkey Toe’s product ranges are recyclable and all waste is recycled. The materials used eliminate corrosion as well as the chemical leaching commonly found in older timber roof walkways and platforms.

With 95 percent of the company’s products exposed to natural elements during their whole lifecycle, Monkey Toe Group needed to

50 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

”

ensure they were using sustainable products and doing everything they could to protect the country’s waterways.

With offices in Auckland, New Plymouth and Christchurch, and with installation teams throughout the country, Monkey Toe Group provides the complete service from design through to installation.

From a warehouse and factory in Taranaki, their specialised design and engineering team can help with every stage of a project from planning and design through to construction and installation, and provide producer statements for code compliance.

“We offer a lifetime warranty on most of our products because we know how durable our product is and we offer the service to back up that product offering.” AT Monkey Toe Group Ltd NZ 45a Mawhitiwhiti Road Normanby Taranaki 0800 658 637 (06) 272 8708 info@monkeytoe.co.nz www.monkeytoe.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Transport Engineering | NPD Maintenance

Keeping your fleet up and running In the four decades since NPD Maintenance opened its doors in Auckland’s Kumeu, the commercial vehicle and machinery repair workshop’s body of work has changed quite dramatically.

“In the early years we were working on a lot of D-Series Fords, now all the vehicles feature modern technology and computers,” NPD Maintenance mechanic Warren Dobbe explains.

NPD Maintenance offers a full range of mechanical services including:

“They’re like day and night by comparison, so there’s been a lot of learning along the way.”

• Pre-COF inspections

• Servicing

This ability to grow and evolve alongside the industry has played a key role in the company’s success over the years, since Warren’s father Nick - a local diesel mechanic – started the business in 1980.

• Brake relining and machining

The company was heavily involved in forestry work in the early days before Nick hired his first car mechanic – who is still with the company – and NPD Maintenance has grown to where it is today in line with local population growth.

• Hydraulic cylinder repairs

NPD Maintenance performed standard vehicle and machinery repairs, as well as developing an ability to manufacture trailers and specialised ‘designed to application’ vehicle fit outs, after building several large trailers.

Today the company’s mechanics have experience in cars, trucks, light commercial vehicles, loaders, forklifts, excavators, auxiliary hydraulic systems, engineering and fabrication.

“We’ve remained adaptable so we can change as we’ve needed to,” Warren says.

“This has enabled us to grow and diversify accordingly, as new things have come up.

As a result, we’ve built mobile workshops for different applications.”

A sister company, Commercial Brake Services, was the first in the country to cater to machining brakes for commercial vehicles, offering a mobile workshop fully equipped for the re-lining and repair of commercial truck braking systems.

Another sister company – Engine Coolant Services – is a new venture targeting the 40-50 percent of engine failures caused by the cooling system. The mobile workshop will flush any engine coolant system with a hydro/pneumatic flush machine that removes rust, scale, chemical deposits and other contaminants

• Engine/intercooler/radiator flushing • Clutch adjustment and replacement • Hydraulic hoses • Gearbox repairs/rebuilds • Engine repairs/rebuilds • Minor and major engineering.

within the cooling system, and also offers a coolant refill and monitoring program to save you down-time and money.

“NPD Maintenance also provides general engineering and mechanical works, so it’s a varied workload because we’re able to adapt to what’s thrown at us,” Warren says.

NPD Maintenance operates specialised diagnostic equipment, heavy duty press, welders, metal working machinery and several qualified mechanics with combined experience of more than 250 years.

So, whether you require preventive maintenance and servicing or your machine is broken, the company can provide fast efficient service and a high-quality job to keep you earning.

Because this is one company that recognises that your time is money and every day your vehicles, machinery or plant is down is costing you.

The local family owned and operated vehicle workshop has developed a strong reputation in the local community and prides itself on quality work and excellent service.

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CALL US ON (09) 277 9961 TO BOOK A SERVICE! 72 Grayson Ave, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2104 P. 0800 329 331 | 09 277 9961 www.williamgill.co.nz

52 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

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Transport Engineering | NPD Maintenance

Property & Construction | Craig Walker Building Removals

Home moving made easy

Craig Walker was 16 years old when he began shifting houses for Warwick Johnson in the Waikato.

NPD Maintenance now maintains several fleets, horse trucks, cars and machinery with 13 staff, including full time mechanics and an in-house fitter welder for engineering jobs.

“We can get as many as 10 mechanics on the floor if we need to and have at least eight on a day.”

The 600 sqm premises at 9 Weza Lane is running out of space, so as the company expands to meet demand, finding larger commercial facilities will be a key focus moving forward.

“Long term we’re looking at moving into a bigger premises and we will be looking to expand our capabilities of working with modern electronics

and the new technology which is coming, and we expect this to be a big challenge for the industry,” Warren says.

“Today you’ve got builders, sparkies and plumbers, but these days to work on modern vehicles you need to be all three.” AT NPD Maintenance Unit 3, 9 Weza Lane Kumeu Auckland (09) 412 9815 mail@npdmaintenance.co.nz www.npdmaintenance.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Today, almost 45 years later and through his Auckland-based house removal company, Craig’s mission to help you acquire the home of your dreams is more alive than ever.

Simple, practical, no-nonsense business practices is the core principle of Craig Walker Building Removals Ltd (CWBR) and has been since the company formed in 1987.

When it comes down to it, buying a house is a huge financial commitment and one that you want to get right the first time around. CWBR offers three cost-effective services to help you achieve this:

The purchase and sale of houses for transportation

CWBR is privy to these types of moves having moved houses in as many as 11pieces, including a 3-storey character home from Remuera.

Contract moving CWBR possesses a fleet of fastidiouslymaintained, state of the art trucks and machinery that allows the company to safely carry out contract services such as lifting houses to repair or redo foundations.

At CWBR, health and safety is a huge priority.

All CWBR employees – from its truck drivers to its LBPs and pilots and everyone in between – undergo a two day height training course before they can complete any duties, despite already having their respective formal qualifications.

Craig has also developed in-house training modules for truck driving, house lifting, and working with tools such as skill-saws and chainsaws.

CWBR purchases between 80 and 100 homes every year and this is reflective of the number of houses the company on-sells.

Prioritising reputation ahead of profit also means doing pro-bono projects for local schools and organisations, and CWBR’s efforts have been At any given time there is a huge range of houses acknowledged accordingly. and price points to peruse, from smaller cottages Craig was made an Honorary Wing Commander and bungalows to villas and unique, grand for the work CWBR completed for the local air designs. force, and he was recently made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services The two biggest benefits of purchasing an to the wider community. He’s also been a existing house and moving it to a chosen site, member of the Heavy Haulage Association for Craig says, are the lower overall associated over 25 years. costs and the flexibility to alter or renovate the house to your personal taste. It’s a service that They say that a home is made, not bought, and increasingly more people are looking to. creating the home of your dreams might actually be possible with CWBR. AT

House removal and transportation

Thanks to mechanisation, what was once considered a complicated removal can now be quite easily and safely transported.

As an example, a big load in the 1970s would have been no longer than 15m by 7.5m and weighing around 15 tonnes. Today, loads can stretch up to 26m by 11m.

Craig Walker Building Removals Ltd 134 Main Road Kumeu Auckland (09) 412 6405 cwbr@xtra.co.nz www.cwbr.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

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Proud to be supporting Craig Walker Building Removals Ltd Tel: 0275 543 415 • Fax: 09 833 8356 • Email: dave@crosscoloadpilots.com

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 53

Property & Construction | Asplundh

The vegetation management specialists It is difficult to overstate the beauty of our country’s greenery. In giving credit where credit’s due, it is the gifted green fingers among us who can be credited with taming the wild green spaces which today mark the urban boundaries of our cities.

35+ acres 400+ varieties Choose Now!!

Although Asplundh was established more than 85 years ago, to provide tree trimming services to the emerging power utility companies in America, its emergence as a world leader in vegetation management has seen the company playing an integral role in the green spaces of New Zealand, where it has maintained a presence since 1990.

230 Clevedon-Takanini Road, Ardmore, Auckland www.ardmorenurseries.co.nz Ph 09 2928 661

Growing for NZ’s landscapers and retailers

“In those early days, the company specialised in electrical powerline clearance,” national business development manager Martin Weaver explains.

“At that time managing trees was more a municipal role and not deemed a specialty.

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If a current client asks us to do something that is within our capabilities, we will.

- NATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER MARTIN WEAVER

”

"This has evolved into a specialised industry requiring very high levels of safety processes, technical expertise, and environmentally responsible practices – these ensure that the amenity value of the greenspace is maintained.”

Asplundh had secured itself an 87 percent market share in the United States – even many of the wood chippers used in the industry were the company’s design – and in 1989 conversations arose between Asplundh and electricity network maintenance provider Electrix, which required the company’s arborist expertise.

Diversity of operations Today Asplundh New Zealand is the country’s leading vegetation management company with the largest industry geographic footprint.

A national support office in Auckland oversees operations across the greater Auckland region, Coromandel, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Wanganui, greater Wellington, Canterbury, Central Otago, Dunedin and Southland, with a total of about 220 staff.

“We’ve initially grown by servicing clients in trees, amenities trees, private tree work and powerline work – which remains the core of what we do.

“But about 20 years ago, we also became involved in grounds maintenance and mowing, with municipal contracts for open spaces in a number of regions, including with Otago District Council for many years, the North Shore Council and a lot of commercial work in Queenstown.”

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54 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

“

Together they formed a New Zealand company and, once established, they separated to focus on their core specialities, with Asplundh continuing to grow organically in the regions it services.

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Property & Construction | Asplundh

Residential tree maintenance services • Stump grinding • Tree planting • Land clearing services • Tree removals • Tree survey and health check • Shelterbelt maintenance • General tree pruning • Powerline pruning.

Commercial tree maintenance services • Stump grinding • Tree planting • Arboricultural consulting • Tree removals • Tree surveys and health checks • General tree pruning • Powerline pruning.

Council arboricultural services • General tree maintenance • Tree asset collection and management • Tree surveys/reports • Tree planting and after-care services • Stump grinding • Line clearance • Land clearing services • Shelterbelt maintenance.

In 2014 Husqvarna celebrated 325 years from weapons to robotic mowers, three centuries dedicated to innovation.

Before market leading chainsaws and trimmers, Husqvarna was a Swedish company built to manufacture weapons for the army. Since starting out in 1689, Husqvarna, now part of the Husqvarna Group, has manufactured a wide range of quality products including typewriters, motorcycles, stoves, and sewing machines.

Competing in a wide range of markets, Husqvarna’s excellent engineering skills and passion for quality products, has led to innovative solutions that have stood the test of time.

Utilising the skills developed through manufacturing different products was a key force in the development of Husqvarna’s first chainsaw. With existing chainsaws at the time causing problems with noise pollution, the brands experience in motorcycle manufacturing provided the ‘know how’ for ground breaking innovation. Through the use of in house built muffler technology, the noise level of the first Husqvarna 90 chainsaw was cut down to half that of contemporary competition.

Soon afterwards, this solution was followed by new inventions like anti-vibration that prevents vibration white fingers disease, and the first automated chain brake.

Throughout the years, Husqvarna has proved its technological leadership through the introduction of ground breaking and award winning solutions and products, with a strong user focus. Some of the brands greatest innovations include: X-Torq®, AutoTune™, and Automower®.

A major focus of the Husqvarna Group now and in the future is the urban green space with the increase in high density housing. Husqvarna launched a brand new range of handheld professional products, featuring an integrated, changeable battery that delivers petrol performance, without the fuel emissions.

Designed with the wants and needs of professional arborists, contractors, landscapers and gardeners in mind, the Husqvarna professional battery range is characterised by its outstanding performance.

The benefits of battery include; low noise levels, low vibrations and clean operation.

Importantly, the new range doesn’t generate any direct emissions – providing professional operators with an extremely comfortable, exhaust emission free working environment.

Today, Husqvarna is proud to be in partnership with Asplundh’s Vegetation Management & Tree Services supplying them with the full range of outdoor power equipment and keeping them safe with personal protective equipment they need to get the job done.

www.husqvarna.co.nz www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 55

Property & Construction | Asplundh

“

We have a real can-do attitude and we aim to get good results for our clients and customers every time.

”

- NATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER MARTIN WEAVER

Asplundh has continued to expand and provides open space and arboricultural services for local authorities throughout the country.

Specialist arboriculture, grounds and facilities maintenance and management services are also carried out for both small and large commercial clients nationwide, with the company catering to both one-off jobs and ongoing maintenance.

Services include tree pruning and trimming, tree removal, stump grinding, tree selection and planting, hedges and shelterbelts, line clearance, historic and protected tree management, tree pest and disease treatment, flower beds and bedding, sports fields and pitches, water features, hard surfaces, supply and spreading of tree mulch. These services are supported by

systems providing detailed tree data and asset management processes.

The company is also available 24/7 in the event of an emergency. It’s not just municipal and commercial works that this local firm is renowned for, with a full suite of residential services also available for homeowners and lifestyle owners.

Asplundh can manage your grounds whether it’s a character villa in the centre of town, a larger section in the suburbs or rural belt. No job is too big or too small for the Asplundh arborists, horticulturalists and mower operators.

“A lot of people think we just do tree cutting,” Martin says. “But we also do a wide range of related services such as burials, which came

about through being part of Council contracts.

If a current client asks us to do something that is within our capabilities, we will. We have a real can-do attitude and we aim to get good results for our clients and customers every time.”

Ahead of the commercial pack With many smaller contractors finding it difficult to meet the demands of the new health and safety laws, Asplundh is standing its ground, commercially speaking.

The company holds the safety of its team and customers in the highest regard, with strong health and safety policies an integral part of the company’s culture and the driver of its processes, illustrated by their vision statement: “Safety First – No One Gets Hurt”.

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56 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Property & Construction | Asplundh

“That statement goes throughout the company and, as a result, our safety record is exemplary.

Health and safety is paramount to our operation – it’s industry leading.

“When you’re working with powerlines, mowers and chainsaws, there’s high potential for accidents, but we mitigate the risk extremely well and our staff enjoy working for a safe company.”

Even though the New Zealand operations are completely standalone, being owned by a large parent company means Asplundh isn’t reliant on banks when it comes to increasing plant and equipment to meet market opportunities. This enables the company to further keep costs down.

“We are extremely cost competitive in the marketplace, without compromising on the safety or quality aspects of our service.”

With an industry shortage of qualified arborists, gardeners and horticulturalists coming through the system, Asplundh has taken an industryleading approach to encouraging growth in the hands-on industry.

Asplundh offers an Arboriculture Training School – with a foundation course known as A3 - which consists of two weeks of classroom time, followed by three months of on the job training.

When training is completed, the student will be employed by Asplundh and will complete a twoyear NZTA qualified apprenticeship programme.

R

“Learn as you work offers a very real career path for anyone who wants to work in those industries,” Martin says.

“In our last intake, we had an 18 year-old and a 40 year-old; some are straight from school, while others are just looking for a different career path.”

The Asplundh vision is to provide safe, cost effective, quality services that are sustainable and add value to clients operations while benefiting the wider community.

The key to achieving this is getting it right at ground level, on a day-to-day basis. The company’s people, its safe operating practices, services, facilities, equipment and industry partners are the foundation for ensuring the success of that vision.

“We’re looking forward to continued growth,” Martin says.

“And we will be looking to take our A3 course forward to help us maintain and employ a strong team moving forward.” AT

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www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 57

Transporting & Motoring | Onehunga Transport Engineering

The specialist truck body and trailer manufacturer Local firm Onehunga Transport Engineering is the name behind a body of work which travels up and down the breadth of the country.

So, it not only has to be up to the task, but it has to look good while doing it. After all, your customers want to put their best foot – or axle – forward.

For more than 20 years, Onehunga Transport Engineering – more widely known by the acronym OTEL – has been manufacturing truck bodies, including curtainsiders, tippers, powerline trucks, service vehicles, crane trucks, aerial buckets and arborist chip bins.

A one-stop-shop for anything related to transport engineering, the company also turns its commercial hand to the manufacture of structural steel, trailers, rollover cages, general engineering projects, as well as undertaking repairs, maintenance and refurbishment work.

Their trucks and aerial units can be delivered nationwide, where customers include companies as far south as Dunedin and up as far as Northland.

OTEL is also the New Zealand and Pacific Islands agent for Altec aerial lifts which it imports from the United States. Essentially an insulated hydraulic boom with a bucket that can be mounted to a truck, they are used predominantly by arborists, utility companies

“

We are able to develop innovative solutions for our customers and we are able to work collaboratively with them on the design in real-time, enabling us to meet or exceed their expectations.

- MANAGING DIRECTOR, KANE METCALFE

”

and councils for clearing trees, branches and vegetation around overhead powerlines and for live line repair work.

Altec is the largest truck-mounted aerial device manufacturer in the world, with the units renowned for their high standard of manufacture and ease of use. OTEL also provides regular servicing and parts for the aerials.

Proud to be working with Onehunga Transport Engineering Ltd

We create fibreglass products for the automotive, industrial and architectural sectors throughout New Zealand and as far afield as the Pacific Islands.

Ph 09 526 1450 • E admin@acfibreglass.co.nz www.acfibreglass.co.nz

58 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Transporting & Motoring | Onehunga Transport Engineering “We’ve found our niche, building innovative custom truck bodies, working closely with customers to provide vehicles that meet their individual requirements,” managing director Kane Metcalfe explains.

“However, we can also provide general engineering services. So, pretty much anything made from steel, we can make or weld up, including structural beams.”

OTEL thrives on finding innovative solutions to the most complex of problems, with in-house CAD designing capabilities enabling the company to discuss customised truck body designs with customers using detailed 3D drawings, renders and weight studies.

“We are able to develop innovative solutions for our customers and we are able to work collaboratively with them on the design in real-time, enabling us to meet or exceed their expectations.”

Kane took over the business last year, with company founder Craig Pierce continuing with the company as part of a year-long transition period.

“It’s been fantastic because often, when small businesses change hands, you don’t have an owner as dedicated to the business that is prepared to stay that long to ensure a smooth handover.

“The company’s success has been built on Craig’s technical engineering skills, his drive for uncompromised high quality workmanship, and the great relationships he has built up with customers over the years.”

There was a lot to attract Kane to the new business. “OTEL was a strong brand in the market, offering innovative solutions to customers’ transport requirements,” he says.

“

We can also provide general engineering services. So, pretty much anything made from steel, we can make or weld up, including structural beams.

- MANAGING DIRECTOR, KANE METCALFE

”

“The quality of workmanship was extremely high and the company was reliable, had scale and a strong reputation in the industry.”

From a banking and finance background, Kane was also attracted to the concept of a tangible product at the end of the day. “Coming from the service industry, even though customer service is still a high priority, it was quite refreshing to mix service with something tangible that you see out on the roads.

“There’s nothing quite like driving down the motorway and seeing OTEL stickers on what we’ve built. It’s a brand and a company we can be proud of.”

Craig started OTEL in a small facility in Victoria Street in the industrial section of Onehunga on the edge of Auckland’s Manukau Harbour.

But it has moved twice since those days, to accommodate significant growth. >

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 59

Transporting & Motoring | Onehunga Transport Engineering

Since early last year OTEL has called an 11-bay factory on a high-profile site in the neighbouring industrial and transport hub of Penrose home, after the company outgrew its premises on nearby Neilson Street.

Moving to the sizeable factory was a risk, but one which has clearly paid off. “Although the premises has 11 bays, business volumes have continued to grow and we’re already filling the factory floor, to the point where some bays have two trucks in them and we’ve been known to complete some jobs out in the yard as a result,” Kane says.

vehicle movements and unloading import containers easy,” Kane says.

“We’re also very well supported by other small and medium businesses in the Onehunga/ Penrose area, which has become a real hub for the supply industries. It’s close to all our suppliers and many of our customers have their head offices and premises close to us.”

“We’ve got a great team here. We invest in and focus on our people. As a result, many of them have been here for more than 10 years, which again comes down to the strong culture which Craig has fostered since the company’s formation.”

“The important thing will be to focus on continuing to deliver the high quality we’re known for, to continue to differentiate ourselves with innovative solutions and – if the economy and industry continue to perform well, which I believe it will – in due course, we may be looking for bigger premises once again in the future.” AT Onehunga Transport Engineering 440 Church Street East Penrose Auckland (09) 579 3890 www.otel.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Whether you have one truck or a whole fleet of commercial vehicles requiring painting and signage we can meet your needs, with competitive pricing and prompt turnaround times.

The highly experienced team in our refinishing workshop consistently produce top quality repairs and superior paint finishes for your vehicles.

Our service is friendly and professional and quality is paramount.

Please contact us today for a free quote.

CFX also signwrite and clear coat truck curtains

Phone: 027 279 4787 | Email: gavin@cfxltd.co.nz www.signageauckland.co.nz | www.truckpainting.co.nz

2 Way Industries is an established NZ owned and operated one-stop Sheetmetal Engineering workshop with a dedicated team who are committed to sharing their knowledge and expertise with you to design, customise and bring your vision to life.

They offer extensive precision sheetmetal fabrication capabilities, not limited to 3D modelling, precision metal punching, folding, laser cutting, welding and finishing using state-of-the-art machinery.

Additional to this, they offer CNC Laser cutting and Machining through their recently purchased sister companies Laser Limited and Langslow Engineering (2015) Limited, which are now all under the one roof. Making us a truly one stop shop.

If you have ever experienced a successful NZ business hard at work, you will be confident of the dedicated team who are on hand to get started on your next project!

2 Way Industries Limited • Langslow Engineering (2015) Limited • Laser Limited PO Box 21365 Henderson 0650 | 23 Patiki Rd, Avondale 1026 | Ph: 828 0045 www.2way.co.nz

60 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Fruehauf NZ is an international leader in the manufacture, repair and service of trailers and truck bodies

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“With our new facilities, increasing staff numbers, a buoyant industry and a strong forward book, we’ve got a lot to look forward to,” Kane says.

“It also makes doing business in the area very efficient, being close to motorway on and off ramps, suppliers, service providers and customers, while an extensive yard area makes

Innovative road transport equipment solutions

With everything in close proximity, the company has reduced freight costs and can run lean stock levels, with many of its suppliers offering same-day or even twice a day deliveries.

“We also identified the need for more staff, so we have had a 10 percent increase in staff, just to keep up with that demand, now totalling 25 with 19 on the shop floor.

The location of the new factory, tucked below the road at the corner of Great South Road and Church Street, is ideally situated for the high industrial traffic volumes on Church Street and enables easy access for customers.

Property & Construction | Fruehauf NZ

Fruehauf NZ Limited can provide the solution to any requirement within the road transport industry.

The company is an international leader in the manufacture, repair and service of trailers and truck bodies.

The Fruehauf name has been associated with quality, craftsmanship and dedication to excellence since its establishment in the United States back in the late 1800s. The brand came to New Zealand in 1969 and is today owned by transport industry experts Phil Watchorn and Jeff Mear.

Through its solutions in innovative design and manufacture, modification, second-hand sales, repairs and maintenance, the dedicated team at Fruehauf NZ helps customers improve the productivity and profitability of their transport operations.

Frauhauf NZ offers a range of transport solutions, including: • Customised design and manufacture • Repairs, rebuilds, and refurbishment • Maintenance and parts service • Advice on regulatory compliance • Engineering-led innovation.

Property & Construction | Fruehauf NZ On the road, the distinctive Fruehauf brand compliments its customers’ drive to deliver safely, to the highest standard.

New trailer range Fruehauf NZ’s new trailer range includes fully customised trailers, as well as models built to standard specifications, in a range of designs including curtainsiders, flatdecks, livestock, tippers, skeletal, hardsiders and special purpose.

Its capability extends across a broad range of applications, from small builds to HPMV units of 23 metres in length and 58 tonne capacity.

Gated curtainsiders, walking floors, sliding bodies and specialised produce designs are among the innovative solutions Fruehauf NZ has delivered for its customers.

Whether it’s a new model or a variation on an existing design, Fruehauf’s understanding of the regulatory environment ensures both compliance and productivity benefits are realised.

For customised equipment, its engineers work with the sales team and directly with customers to design a solution that suits every need and application.

The Fruehauf team is focused on excellence through every level of its processes from design to production, while its exceptional standard of paint and assembly craftsmanship ensure excellence in every finished product.

Truck engineering expertise Fruehauf NZ’s engineering staff has the ability to develop any trailer and truck body to suit the

client’s application, with trucks delivered to the company as a bare cab and chassis.

The company works with a variety of truck body types, including flat-deck, curtainsider and tipping. Its solutions often include a trailer, while coupling options can be customised to suit the size and type of coupling, and trailer connection mounts.

Trucks built by Fruehauf NZ come with a range of options, including: Decks: medium or high-tensile steel, plywood or monopan floors Toolbox: alloy, alloy with bright or brushed stainless door Mudguards: steel, stainless, alloy or plastic Mudflaps: Fruehauf to COF standard Steelwork: blasted and painted in fleet colours

“

Whether it’s a new model or a variation on an existing design, Fruehauf’s understanding of the regulatory environment ensures both compliance and productivity benefits are realised.

Curtains: a selection of colours and sign writing are available Curtainsider roofs: one piece Alloy with Fruehauf double curtain track

”

Tip bodies: a choice of removable or fixed sides in alloy or steel. Tip bodies also have a selection of hoist types.

Fruehauf NZ also supplies a range of second-hand trailers for sale and has the knowledge to ensure every customer buys a trailer that meets their needs.

Used trailers can be modified to suit any application, and can be upgraded or lengthened for increased load capacity.

>

PROUD TO SUPPORT FRUEHAUF NZ LTD

Ashhurst Engineering & Construction Co. (1989) Ltd Proud to support Fruehauf NZ Ltd

LASER CUTTING • PROFILE CUTTING • PRESS BRAKING We Supply to these markets: AUCKLAND | 20 Carpenter Road, East Tamaki Phone: 09 272 7552 Email: plate.akl@vulcansteel.co.nz TAURANGA | 5C Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui Phone: 07 928 8888 Email: plate.tga@vulcansteel.co.nz

• • • • • •

Electricity Industry Wind Turbine Maintenance General Engineering Structural Steel CNC Profile Cutting Export Products Worldwide

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www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 61

Property & Construction | Fruehauf NZ

“

Through its solutions in innovative design and manufacture, modification, second-hand sales, repairs and maintenance, the dedicated team at Fruehauf NZ helps customers improve the productivity and profitability of their transport operations.

”

Fruehauf will provide minor and major service maintenance and repairs of all makes, brands and year models of trailers including: • Chassis straightening • Wheel alignments

Fruehauf NZ operates a comprehensive service and repairs department that helps ensure customers’ downtime is minimised and profits are maximised.

With teams based at service centres in Auckland and Feilding, Fruehauf has substantial capacity to support a finely tuned repairs and maintenance programme for your business. AT

• NZ Transport Agency certifications Fruehauf NZ Limited Head Office and Auckland Branch 21 Hobill Avenue Manukau Auckland (09) 267 369

• Insurance work • Trailer rebuilds • Painting • General repairs • Welding and refurbishment • Suspension repairs/replacement • Rewiring/LED Lighting • Axle replacements/brake relines.

Feilding Branch 10 Mahinui Street Feilding (06) 323 4299 www.fruehauf.co.nz — Advertising Feature

130 Kaimanawa Street, PO Box 831 Palmerston North, New Zealand www.etech.net.nz / www.rmi.nz

FOR OVER 40 YEARS

MANUFACTURERS OF QUALITY ALUMINIUM ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT, SERVICING THE TRANSPORT, MARINE AND AGRICULTURE INDUSTRIES Proud to supply Fruehauf NZ Ltd

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www.roadrunnerltd.co.nz 62 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

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Avondale Business Association

Keeping Avondale on course The Avondale Business Association is run by a group of people who are committed to a successful and vibrant Avondale.

The organisation represents and promotes businesses in Avondale.

The main objective of the association is to foster Avondale businesses, to enable the local community to grow economically and socially.

WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE SAFETY OF YOUR STAFF, CONTRACTORS AND THE PUBLIC.

An area of unlimited potential An up-and-coming area, Avondale is set to take advantage of its potential for growth and development. With new businesses opening regularly, exciting new cafes and restaurants, and a great sense of community Avondale is becoming an increasingly attractive place to live.

suburb of Avondale was settled by Europeans in 1843.

The Avondale Business Association is committed to promoting Avondale as an exciting place to invest and do business. As such, it is actively involved in the development of the area as a great place to live, work and visit.

Te Whau was renamed Avondale District on June 1882. The original name Te Whau survives in the Whau river, an estuarial arm of the Waitemate Harbour, which runs along the western edge of the suburb.

The Avondale Business Association is an incorporated society which fosters the development of the Avondale area.

Brickworks, tanneries, mills and pottery works were common in early Avondale, along with market gardens. The area became increasingly suburban from the 1920s.

Our extensive construction knowledge ensures we understand local compliance issues and we realise how critical your deadlines are and we guarantee to be on time – check out our Secureguarantee.

For many people Avondale is known primarily for two things, the so-called Avondale spider and the Avondale Racecourse. AT

Secureguarantee

Avondale Business Association (09) 820 0648 aba@avondale.net.nz avondale.net.nz

• We guarantee to return all quotes within 48 hours otherwise you will receive the first week rental FREE of charge!

Avondale Business Association’s vision “A thriving and local town centre. A town that is economically and socially responsive – a good place to shop, use services, socialise and integrate with people.”

A short history of Avondale Originally called Te Whau, after the native tree, (also known as the NZ mulberry) the Auckland

With the completion of the Great North Road in the late 1850s settlement expanded rapidly, with churches, stores and a public hall built in 1867.

A railway connection in 1880 increased settlement further.

With more than 50 years’ experience in the construction sector we are well aware of the needs of the industry. This means we realise how important the safety of your best asset – your staff – is to you and your company’s future.

So, as a local company servicing Aucklanders in the construction industry, we are committed to the safety of your staff.

And when you deal with us you’re dealing with the owner, which means you receive a superior and speedy service – every time.

• We guarantee to beat any written quote by 10%

Securescaffold covers all NEW Worksafe working height requirements providing fall protection for builders, painters, home handyman and roofers on new and existing home constructions. * Terms and conditions apply to the Secureguarantee

“

Ask your builder if he’s using Securefence and scaffold – it will save you money.

“

AVONDALE DENTAL

CREATORS OF GREAT SMILES

P: 0800 66 00 22 Part of the

Crowns • Veneers • Cosmetic Dentistry Bridges • Implant Crowns • Sedation Preventative Dentistry • Dental Hygienists Laser Whitening • Take Home Bleaching Jaw Problems • Oral Surgery • Dentures P: 09 828 5786 E: avdental@xtra.co.nz www.avondaledental.co.nz

EXTENDING THE PASSION FOR CREATIVITY THROUGH TATTOO ART 1874 Great North Road, Avondale P. (09) 828 1237 | www.caintattoo.nz

www.securefence.co.nz www.securescaffold.co.nz

336 Te Ngae Road, Rotorua 3010 Level 6, 10 Scotia Place, Auckland, 1010 2 Ivan Jamieson Place, Christchurch Airport, Christchurch 8053

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 63

Birkenhead RSA

Birkenhead RSA The Birkenhead Returned Services’ Association was first conceived at a meeting of interested people in 1929.

This led to the formation of the Birkenhead Returned Services’ Club which had its first AGM in 1930.

By 1934, through hard work with socials and fundraising events, the Birkenhead Returned Services’ Club had accumulated enough money to buy the RAOB Hall and the clubrooms were re-titled accordingly.

By 1967 the prospects of a new club were being discussed in general terms and a new project was considered. However, due to inadequate finance and income, the project was shelved.

Council offered to lease a piece of land on the War Memorial Park for new clubrooms. A lease, with rights of renewal in perpetuity, was approved by the council for the site.

opened by the then Minister of Defence, the Hon David Thomson on 16 May 1970.

In 1972 the New Zealand Returned Services Association granted direct affiliation to the club as a Returned Services’ Association, this being celebrated on 20 January 1973.

As needs required and finance allowed, major additions to the premises were carried in 1984, 1989 (self-contained restaurant and sports / function room downstairs) and 1999 (a new frontage containing a conference room and offices) to enlarge them to what they are at present.

The two thousand plus membership consists of an even split of Returned, Service, and ever increasing Associate members, and a very strong Women’s section.

Facilities Bar One main bar services both the lounge and a busy bar area, which can be separated when necessary. The Bar area contains a large screen TV and several small screens, one dedicated to the racing channel. A small downstairs bar services both the restaurant and a multi-purpose function room.

Plans were prepared, tenders called and a builder selected. However, the problem was still that there was not enough money. The building size had to be reduced to conform, and help with such as painting was necessary to cut costs.

Restaurant In due course, and with much volunteer support, the clubrooms were completed and duly officially

Downstairs is the recently refurbished Don Stott Memorial Restaurant which comfortably

seats 85 people and currently serves lunches Wednesday to Friday, and dinners on Wednesday to Sunday nights with regular daily specials.

Conference room The upstairs conference room can cater for up to 40 people and is ideal for holding seminars and meetings.

Main lounge The main lounge seats around 140 people and includes a large dance floor and generous stage area.

Gaming area To the left through the main foyer is a selfcontained gaming area with 16 machines all connected to a single level jackpot. A self-service TAB facility is also available.

Sport areas Adjacent to the main bar are two sports areas, one containing two full size snooker tables and three pool tables, while the second area doubles as a darts room and an extra lounge. AT

Birkenhead RSA Recreation Dr Function room Birkenhead Auckland Home to the indoor bowls section, the multipurpose room converts easily to a function room (09) 418 2424 suitable for weddings, birthdays, etc, comfortably secman@birkenheadrsa.com birkenheadrsa.com seating around 100 people.

H

MORRIS FUNERAL SERVICES EST 1933

Barfoot & Thompson are proud to be supporting Birkenhead RSA IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SELLING YOUR PROPERTY ON THE NORTH SHORE, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR, DUTCH VAN GEUNS

Glenfield, 436 Glenfield Road DD. 0800 43 88 24 M. 021 988 537 www.barfoot.co.nz/d.vangeuns

Your customers want to do business with you if it’s easy...

Is your website a help or a hinderance?

0800www.fatweb.co.nz 444 090 | www.fatweb.co.nz 64 |March/April 2017 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

Gilmours North Shore are proud to be supporting Birkenhead RSA • Grocery • Chilled & Frozen • Meat • Fresh Produce • Wine, Beer & Cider • Spirits • General Merchandise, etc.

Dignity, sensitivity and respect are the hallmarks of H Morris Funeral Services and we are proud to be able to provide funeral services to suit your needs and financial circumstances.

Our staff are local people who can advise you and your family, and take care of all of the details to make the service meaningful and appropriate.

FREE membership for businesses

37 Constellation Drive, Mairangi Bay Ph: (09) 479 5435 • www.gilmours.co.nz

CALL US TODAY 09 489 5 3 WWW.HMORRIS.CO.NZ

Morrionsville RSA

Morrinsville RSA – the heart of a small community Morrinsville is a small rural town located in the greater Waikato, only an hour or so drive from both east and west coast beaches and Auckland or Taupo.

The Morrinsville RSA was founded some 86 years ago. While modernised in every aspect and with a modern attitude, the club still upholds the traditional RSA motto of ‘People helping people’.

Moorish Restaurant

With a relaxed atmosphere and modern decor it is perfect for people of all ages, including families.

The restaurant offers catering, both on-site and off-site, for any function, such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, corporate events, funerals and more.

Regular live entertainment is held throughout the year, including bands, comedians and shows.

Plus there are gaming machines, snooker and pool tables, dartboards, plus a big screen TV for members to enjoy.

The family-friendly restaurant serves delicious meals at very affordable prices and includes a kids’ menu. Plus there are blackboard specials available Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

There are menus to suit all budgets, so talk to the catering team about your next function or corporate event to see how the club can help make your event a great success.

Restaurant hours • Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 5pm – 8pm • Other times by arrangement Sports and social clubs The Morrinsville RSA’s sports and social clubs are a great way to meet new people, have fun while doing something you enjoy.

Activities include indoor bowls, a women’s section which meets every second Tuesday on the month, a fishing club, darts, a 500 club which every Wednesday & Friday at midday, and an 8 Ball club.

Membership fees • $40 • Returned Service Members over 70 – free • Membership year is 1st Feb to 31 Jan, but applications for membership can be made throughout the year.

Courtesy van Available Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, or by arrangement and a small donation is required.

Rooms for hire The club has rooms available for use by community and other groups, fees are negotiable. AT

310 Thames Street, Morrinsville

Providing high quality, professional servicing to commercial kitchens in the greater Waikato

YOUR LIQUOR STORE Quick Solutions to Your Plumbing Problems Plumbing • Home Heating • Gas Fitting Drain Laying • Rural 40 STUDHOLME STREET, MORRINSVILLE PHONE: 07 889 6396

www.brews.co.nz

Laser Electrical Morrinsville Commercial / Domestic / Industrial Maintenance and Servicing Air Conditioning and Ventilation Data Communications and Fibre Optics Security Camera Systems Intercoms Alarms and PA Systems Heating

Contact us for emergency plumbing 0800 BRUNTON (0800 278 686) Email: office@bruntonplumbing.co.nz www.bruntonplumbing.co.nz

. Lawn and Garden Maintenance . Tree Pruning & Chipping . Hedge Trimming . Section Clean up . Chain sawing . Rubbish Removal . And more …

SERVICING Morrinsville, Te Aroha and the Waikato area

PHONE (07) 889 3344 www.laserelectrical.co.nz

Donna Oakes 027 266 0762

Neil Goodger AREINZ 027 662 2186

John Petry AREINZ 027 273 3005

• Extraction and Kitchen Cleaning • Extraction Filter Servicing • Deep Fryer Change/Filter • Knife Sharpening/Rental/Sale

BRUNTON PLUMBING ARE PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING THE MORRINSVILLE RSA

24-Hour Call Outs 1 Anderson Street, Morrinsville 3300

Susan Douglas AREINZ 0274 744 605

Ph: 0800 888 012 Mob: 021 910 870 Email: info@lawnsandthings.co.nz www.lawnsandthings.co.nz

Morrinsville RSA 27 Studholme Street Hamilton (07) 889 7014 morrinsvillersa@clear.net.nz

KITCHEN SERVICES ARE PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING THE MORRINSVILLE RSA

For knowledge and Real Estate experience, call your local team on 07 889 0440 for all your Real Estate advice

Mike Geelen: 021 987 037 or 07 211 7406 Email: admin@kitchenservices.co.nz www.kitchenservices.co.nz

Sadliers Funeral Services We will assist you in creating a burial or cremation ceremony that celebrates the life of your loved one in a thoughtful and thorough manner.

Our offices are open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 2:00pm.

PHONE US ON 07 889 4333 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz March/April 2017 | 65

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The Acacia Cove lifestyle We all hope our retirement years will be spent within a beautiful, safe community with plenty of activities to entertain us. For the lucky residents of Acacia Cove Village, they have all that and much more.

Acacia Cove Village in Wattle Downs, Manukau, offers residents the ultimate retirement lifestyle within close proximity to a wide range of services.

Village living has never been better than it is at Acacia Cove, with a planned environment that combines beautiful, spacious accommodation with security and independence.

The village offers all the benefits of traditional retirement village lifestyle, including less home and garden maintenance, additional security, access to a great range of facilities and neighbours of a similar age.

Acacia Cove Village was built 18 years ago and is flanked to the east by the Wattle Downs Golf and Country Club, and to the west by an estuary teaming with aquatic wildlife. Village manager Bruce Cullington says the village is independently owned and operated, with low-density housing on 25 acres.

Acacia Cove contains 223 homes, with a total of 312 people living in the village. Residents range in age from 58 to 98, with the average age at entry being 72.

The village offers residents a choice of 27 activities each week. Its focal point is the ‘Lodge’ community centre, which is positioned to maximise the tranquil outlook and spectacular sunsets.

Phone: (09) 268 8522

Residents feel part of the community and are welcome to invite friends to enjoy the centre. The bowling green, indoor pool and activities room all face the sun and the estuary for a beautiful outlook. And for those relaxed afternoons in the sun, the lounge and restaurant provide the perfect place to sit in the company of friends and neighbours.

Within the community centre there is also a gas fire, billiard table, gym, spa bath, hairdressing salon, nurse’s station, library and computers.

A beautifully appointed meeting room forms the focal point for all activities, from the walking group to the garden club, and provides a place to gather before and after going over the road to the golf course.

Residents enjoy walking around the village’s green areas, enjoying safety from busy traffic and being among friends. “The village is on a peninsula, so it has a real country feel,” Bruce says.

“People who live here wish they’d moved here earlier. They have immense pride in showing their friends around.”

Beautiful Acacia Cove accommodation Acacia Cove Village contains 213 villas and 10 selfcontained apartments that offer independence, as well as the benefits of a vibrant and active community.

All homes have been architecturally designed with professional interior and exterior decoration.

Each single storey villa enjoys the privacy of its own courtyard area, while most have internal garaging with automatic opening doors. They provide spacious living areas and come with either one, two or three bedrooms.

Apartments have either paved courtyards or spacious decks and have two or three bedrooms.

All homes are warm, light and spacious, and feature all the comforts of modern living. The gardens are fully maintained, with owners welcome to add their own personal touches to make their house a home.

Bruce says dwellings within Acacia Cove Village receive a lot of inquiries and tend to sell quickly when they come on the market.

To ensure a high level of security is maintained at all times, security officers patrol the village at night, making it an ideal place to live for people who love to travel or visit relatives regularly.

Bruce says while there are currently no villas or apartments available, he welcomes inquiries from people interested in living within the village in the future.

New care facility Acacia Cove Village residents have the security of having a new residential care facility right over the road.

Bupa New Zealand Limited has built a care facility for the elderly opposite Acacia Cove, with village residents having priority on places within the resthome.

Bupa is an international healthcare group and is New Zealand’s leading residential care provider.

The company offers more than 57 care homes throughout the country. Bruce says the resthome is currently under construction and is due to open in September. It will offer Acacia Cove residents access to quality resthome care close by their village home.

Acacia Cove Village 131 Wattle Farm Road Wattle Downs Manukau T (09) 268 8522 E acacia@acaciacove.co.nz www.acaciacovevillage.co.nz

www.acaciacovevillage.co.nz

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