NZ Plumber August-September 2015

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

Learning the trade

Touring two training centres

Perfect or defect?

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

12-month defect repair guidance

CELEBRATING INNOVATION How new products evolve

HR ADVICE LINE New service for Master Plumbers

PLUMBERS WITHOUT BORDERS Lending a hand where it’s needed

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EDITORIAL

Volume 67, Number 4 MAGAZINE TEAM CEO Greg Wallace EDITOR Beverly Sellers 03 543 2008 beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz DESIGN Sally Travis Design www.sallytravisdesign.co.nz PRINT Service Printers 258 Taranaki Street Wellington 6141 SUBSCRIPTIONS NZ Plumber is published six times a year by Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ. MPGD members receive all six editions.

Non-members can subscribe online at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/subscription-form-2 MAILING LIST For enquiries, or to update your details: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz Non-Master Plumbers’ members with contact detail changes should notify the PGD Board, giving their registration number licensing@pgdb.co.nz TO ADVERTISE Contact Catherine Schuster 027 839 8398 cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz

New ideas Plumbing, gasfitting and drainage products are constantly evolving.

WITH NEW PRODUCTS and technologies coming onto the market each year, it’s no wonder that ongoing upskilling is a necessary part of a plumber’s career. Innovation is both exciting and challenging, as it means things never stay still for long. In 2013, the government launched Callaghan Innovation as part of its policy to encourage new high-tech products and services across various sectors.

On a recent trip to Auckland, I was fascinated to take a tour of the Rinnai HQ, where products are designed, prototyped and assembled—with the initial brainstorming process happening in a space alluringly called ‘The Love Shack’. In April, Rinnai received an innovation commendation from Callaghan Innovation, so it was great to see the product evolution process from whoa to go. Join the tour on p40.

Our Products & Services section on p75 is always full of new developments and this issue is no exception. Master Plumbers is also on a roll with fresh initiatives for member businesses, including a new HR advice line, featured on p44. Plus, the Taranaki Master Plumbers are taking part in an innovative collaboration for the region—find out more on p60.

There are also individuals in this industry whose original thinking has changed the way things are done. On p52, we talk to backflow guru Murray Ellis, who was recognised at this year’s New Zealand Plumbing Awards for his services—in particular the backflow training he developed for New Zealand’s plumbers (and is still teaching today at almost 75).

Beverly Sellers Editor, NZ Plumber, beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz The best email, letter or tip published on this page wins a $20 Hunting & Fishing voucher! Do you have a picture, story or news to share? Or feedback on any of the articles you’ve read in NZ Plumber?

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

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

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

The right to skite!

Thanks to Colleen Upton, General Manager of Hutt Gas and Plumbing for this glowing feedback for NZ Plumber. It made our day and we just had to share it. This issue’s voucher is yours!

I was late in to the office this morning—why? Well I went to the PO Box on my way through to work early this morning to pick up the mail as is my routine. I saw the NZ Plumber magazine and thought I would just take a quick peek before heading to the office—20 minutes later I was still sitting outside the PO Boxes reading the many wonderful articles contained in it!

There is such a wide range of information on offer it’s hard to know where to start with the plaudits. In the space of 20 minutes I learned about a nationwide programme of events around “Got a Trade,” how well Auckland Master Plumbers is now going, I upskilled myself on Restraint of Trade practices, multilayer pipe systems and landlord responsibilities in The Gas Ring, and enjoyed some photos from the Dodgy Plumbing Section. I enjoyed the article on Volunteering in Vanuatu, and at this stage I decided I better head to work or I might have to sack myself.

So thanks for putting together such an interesting and informative magazine.

Conviction correction Last issue, we included a news item on p35 about the conviction of a Rotorua man for completing work on a hot water cylinder attached to a wetback without a pressure limiting valve.

This should say a tempering valve. The information was from a PGD Board media release.

August/September 2015

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46

28

40

Inside this issue

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015

WHAT’S ON 7

NZ Plumbing Conference 2016 and more

MPGD NEWS 8

CEO Greg Wallace on protecting the brand; a sneak preview of ‘Master Plumbers Recommended’; rules reduction feedback; talking flushable wipes on Morning Report; plus Business Partner updates.

IN FOCUS 13 Auditing risk

Why Energy Safety carries out audits of high risk database entries

PLUMBING PROJECT 16 A weekend’s work

Stainless steel tripe line for ANZCO Canterbury

REAL LIVES 19 On the road again

A break from business for this cycling plumber 4

August/September 2015

43 Modern approach

Meet new PGD Board CEO Martin Sawyers 52 Big on backflow

Recognition for years of service

NUTS & BOLTS 22 Defining defects

New guidance for homeowners and tradespeople

24 Why buy NZ?

There are so many reasons, says Marley’s David Peterson 26 Tech points

This issue’s technical news in brief

WORLD VIEW 28 A peek at PICAC

Australia’s training centre of excellence

51 Plumbers without borders

Helping out in Haiti

INDUSTRY TALK 32 Canterbury needs plumbers

Collaborate Canterbury wants to hear from you

33 Forward for Auckland

Fresh approach for Auckland Master Plumbers 34 Building performance update

The trend is upwards for employment, GDP… and costs 36 Sam’s Spot

Sam Tyson considers the price of fame 36 Straight Flush strike gold

A finalist award for this Wellington business 37 Winning women

Recognising the top females in construction 38 Changes for infrastructure

New qualifications and a new ITO

CONTENTS

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

Learning the trade

28 & 71

Touring two training centres

22

40

22

38 Public knowledge

New consumer guidance from the PGD Board

40 From idea to end product

A fascinating insight into how products evolve

SUPPLY LINES 59 Here for the industry Plumbing World exists for the good of the plumber

AROUND ASSOCIATIONS

49

PLUMBERS WITHOUT BORDERS Lending a hand where it’s needed

44 Cover photograph: Manawatu Plumbing & Maintenance apprentice Jade Winter at WelTec.

68 It’s all moving water

Variety is the spice for this newly qualified plumber & gasfitter

INNOVATION

48 From the IR: cash jobs

Are you declaring all your income?

HR ADVICE LINE New service for Master Plumbers

55 Wartime apprentice

Ernie MacManus recalls an unusual use for urine…

58 Scotching the scammers

Some tips for keeping your software safe

46 Avoiding the icebergs!

Who is looking out for the dangers in your business?

CELEBRATING INNOVATION How new products evolve

NEXT GENERATION

TECH SAVVY

44 HR advice line New service for Master Plumbers’ members

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

12-month defect repair guidance

TIMES PAST

38 Recent convictions

More fines for unauthorised work

SMART BUSINESS

Perfect or defect?

71 Wellington workforce

WelTec is investing in construction and engineering 73 Teachable moments

Skills has some business-proven training tips

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

60 In it together

A collaborative collective in Taranaki

75 New Mico Service Promise; FlexiTrap™ from Dux; Rinnai Smart Cylinder™; and new features for Fergus.

SAFETY FIRST

AND FINALLY

63 Dust & noise

Protecting yourself and your workers

76 Offcuts

Weird and wonderful media titbits

66 Managing health and safety

The latest in our WorkSafe series

78 Dodgy plumbing

No prizes here…

August/September 2015

5

Methven’s New Aio Tapware – A Confident Choice

Plumbers can confidently recommend Methven’s new Aio tapware. Methven has worked hard to offer the trade a product that is not only durable and is easy to install, but offers peace of mind in relation to call backs.

• Lead free Eco brass® – Using Eco brass® to protect water quality and for enhanced corrosion resistance.

• Ceramic cartridge – Fitted with quality ceramic cartridge for all-round durability and longevity • Cushion close feature – Protects against forceful tap closure, protecting the cartridge and spout.

• Integrated base ring – The integrated design eliminates potential dirt build up and makes cleaning easy.

• Twin stud clamp kit – Twin stud is positioned centrally for maximum clamping force, improving the seal, and ensuring a robust installation.

• Newly designed hose – The new 500mm stainless steel hose is super flexible, reduces kinks and makes installation easy.

• Designed for all pressures – Suitable for all water pressure systems.

• Confidence and peace of mind – Product is covered by a 20 year warranty.

• Designed and engineered in New Zealand – Representing the culmination of over 125 years of lifestyle-enhancing innovation in the bathroom space.

• New Zealand Support and Service Team – Methven’s customer service team are technically astute, they give you the information you need and they don’t waste your time. Product specification, warranty and installation documents for Aio tapware can be downloaded from the Methven website.

For more information on Aio tapware and the complimentary range of Aio showers and mixers, call 0800 804 222 or visit Methven.com

What’s on

EVENTS

See what’s coming up on the industry calendar.

Hazardous Areas seminar MPGD half yearly meeting Date: 16 September Venue: Chateau on the Park, Christchurch

Date: 15 October Venue: Wellington

Standards New Zealand is hosting a one-day seminar for people with responsibility for explosive or hazardous work in Christchurch.

Delegates from the 17 Master Plumbers’ Regional Associations will come together with the MPGD Board and management team in Wellington on 15 October.

Some of the world’s top experts on the use of electrical equipment in hazardous areas—the IECEx committee—are meeting in Christchurch from 14-18 September 2015 and their skills and knowledge will be available at this open seminar on 16 September. ‘Ex’ areas are hazardous locations where flammable liquids, vapours, gases or combustible dusts are likely to occur in quantities sufficient to cause an explosion.

The seminar, organised by Standards New Zealand, is for those who work in a hazardous area or manage one and will include presentations on gas vapour detectors, dust as a hazard, and legal responsibilities. The seminar will run from 10am-5pm. The cost is $495+GST per person, which includes lunch.

This is an opportunity between annual conferences to discuss progress for the various initiatives underway at Master Plumbers and to share issues and topics of interest.

This year’s half-yearly format will be slightly different, with a oneday meeting followed by an optional dinner. Master Plumbers is undergoing a full rules review, and this will be among the topics for discussion on the day. There will also be presentations from external speakers, including representatives from The Skills Organisation and Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

Regional Associations will be provided with an agenda closer to the date.

To view the programme and to register, go to www.standards.co.nz/international-engagement/iecex2015

2016 NZ Plumbing Conference Date: 6-8 April 2016 Venue: Novotel Rotorua Lakeside, Rotorua

You heard it here first! Master Plumbers will be holding the 2016 NZ Plumbing Conference and Trade Show at the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside next April.

With a new name to better reflect this all-of-industry event, the 2016 NZ Plumbing Conference is set to wow! A bigger venue, more exhibitors than ever, a broader range of room rate options... this conference is not to be missed.

Bring your apprentices and employees too, as there’ll be plenty to entertain and inform for every stage in a plumbing career.

Partners are warmly invited, with an activity programme that mixes fun and leisure. Enjoy the evening social events together, and share in the celebrations at the 2016 NZ Plumbing Awards (nominations opening soon!).

This magnificent region of lakes, volcanic mountains and geothermal wonders is waiting to be explored while you’re there.

Early-bird registration opens 1 September at www.nzplumbingconference.org.nz. Book and pay by 15 December to be in to win an Air New Zealand Great Mystery Break for Two! Top right: The superb Novotel Rotorua Lakeside venue.

Below: Rotorua offers many visitor attractions.

August/September 2015

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MPGD PAGE TAGNEWS

Protecting our brand

Master Plumbers has a proud heritage that deserves to be protected into the future.

AFTER A LONG and sometimes costly process, we are pleased to report a successful outcome for the Society’s High Court proceedings against the former Auckland Association. At the end of the day, this was about protecting the Master Plumbers’ brand and trademark. With a strong heritage that goes back over 100 years, the Master Plumbers’ name and all it stands for is extremely important to us.

The High Court Order by Consent, dated 25 June, sends a strong message to businesses and the industry that we have a brand we can protect into the future. We will continue to invest in the brand to deliver robust, relevant products and services for the benefit of our nationwide membership.

Under the enthusiastic leadership of its new executive, the Auckland Master Plumbers Association hosted National President Martin De Gouw at its

the benefits of hiring a Master Plumber being promoted to consumers

President’s Dinner at the end of June. It was a great event and well supported by members and Business Partners alike.

Auckland has also been the initial focus of our new digital advertising campaign, with the benefits of hiring a Master Plumber being promoted to consumers through the likes of the NZ Herald and Stuff websites. This has resulted in a significant increase to hits on the Master Plumbers’ website, and we are now expanding the advertising into other regions.

Also as part of our digital marketing strategy, we have recruited a new website provider to redevelop the Master Plumbers’ website. The first stage is already underway, and we look forward to bringing you a completely new site for consumers and tradespeople, with easier navigation for both groups and a whole lot more functionality.

We have had very positive feedback from members on our new Business Contracts Seminar, which we launched in mid-June, in conjunction with Duncan Cotterill Lawyers. To date, the seminar has been held in the three main centres and we are now looking to roll it out through the Regional Associations, as long as there are sufficient numbers attending.

Among other topics, the seminar provides members with practical advice on the new disclosure and documentation requirements under the

NEW MEMBERS A warm welcome to new MPGD members: • A1 Plumbing, Christchurch • Foley Plumbers, Christchurch • Johno the Plumber, Whitianga • On To It Plumbing, Gas & Drainage Ltd, Christchurch • Sean’s Plumbing and Gas Services Ltd, Waiheke Island

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August/September 2015

Want to join?

Building Act for residential building work over $30,000.

This is a prime example of the practical business benefits of Master Plumbers’ membership—and it’s just one of many.

Also on offer to members is our new employment relations service, designed to help you deal with recruitment, payroll and all other aspects of the HR process. Turn to page 44 to find out more about this new offering at special rates for members.

Look out, too, in this edition for news of our 2016 annual conference. We’ve rebranded the event as the NZ Plumbing Conference as we want to attract the wider industry to what is the only national conference for our trades. The event is being held from 6-8 April at the superb Novotel Rotorua Lakeside venue.

With two accommodation price points available to attendees, over 35 exhibitor stands, and spacious conference facilities, we are confident that we will provide an outstanding conference in 2016. Keep your eye out for some great incentives to attend for you and your team, including value-for-money early-bird registrations, opening soon…

Greg Wallace, CEO Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ

Discover the business benefits of becoming an MPGD member by contacting Catherine Schuster on 027 839 8398; email cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz Membership application forms are available at www.masterplumbers.org.nz TWO-YEAR SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP DEAL NOW AVAILABLE!

MPGDPAGE NEWS TAG

Best in Brand winner

The final prize in our current Best in Brand competition series was the GT 1015 rod and GT 30 reel, kindly donated by MPGD Platinum Partner MICO. The well-deserving winner is Alexandra based McLellan’s Plumbing & Heating—well done, guys! In a break from tradition, McLellan’s have used the Master Plumbers Guarantee logo on their van, and we also really liked the way they promote the fact they’re Master Plumbers in their signwriting. Hope you catch the big one with your prize!

Refreshing our website

It’s been about six years since we last updated the MPGD website—and it’s high time for a refresh! With the arrival of mobile- and tablet-friendly websites, the technology has advanced in huge strides. We also want to make the site easier for both tradespeople and consumers to navigate. We are already underway with the revamp, so keep your out for some exciting new features and a great new look in the not too distant future!

Think before you flush MPGD Board director Mark Whitehead and Master Plumbers’ member company Drain Doctor featured in a recent report about ‘flushable’ wipes for Radio New Zealand National’s Morning Report. Mark expressed the Master Plumbers’ view that these wipes should not be flushed as they can cause potential system blockages and other issues. The report came after Marlborough District Council had appealed for people in the region to stop flushing wet wipes down the toilet, saying they were overloading Blenheim’s sewers. “We take hundreds and hundreds of these things out on a daily basis and I believe they’re not designed to go

down a drain,” Drain Doctor’s Ian Pauley told Morning Report.

Ian noted that older homes with drains that have rough surfaces are the worst hit. Mark Whitehead said there was a need for companies producing wipes and local authorities to educate customers on how to dispose of them safely. “I think it’s just taken for granted that our systems can cope with it but things are not the same throughout New Zealand unfortunately.”

Cutting red tape

Master Plumbers made a submission to the Government’s Rules Reduction Taskforce by the June closing date. The Taskforce, which was set up to help cut red tape around property and building, sought feedback on which property and housing rules should remain, which are unnecessary and which should be removed. The submissions received indicated that building, planning and land subdivision are the most common areas of concern. Updates are available at www.facebook.com/CutRedTapeNZ

Master Plumbers recommended

In another exciting move, we are making plans to launch a brand-new ‘Master Plumbers Recommended’ product endorsement programme later this year. The endorsement gives our loyal and supportive industry partners the opportunity to make their products stand out even further with consumers in the marketplace. It will also highlight to the purchasing public the importance of using a Master Plumber for a job well done. More information coming soon… >

August/September 2015

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MPGD PAGE TAGNEWS

Dux innovation success

MPGD Silver Partner Dux has invested heavily in R&D to bring New Zealand’s plumbers a market first innovation.

Dux has been designing, manufacturing and distributing a wide range of plumbing products for the New Zealand plumbing industry for over 70 years. Dux flagship product SecuraGold® has a long history of being the preferred choice in piping systems for the trade. With a suite of other products including the Dux Centreflush, which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2014, plastic wastewater traps, which Dux introduced to NZ in 1966, and a wide range of vitreous china products, you can count on Dux to have the product solution for your next project. Dux is part of the Aliaxis Group of Companies; NZ-based companies include Marley, RX Plastics, Dynex and Chemvin.

With an increased focus on innovation, Dux invested three years of research and development into the wastewater trap category. Plumber focus groups, group company reviews and international research identified the potential for innovations within the category. As a result, Dux has made significant improvements to the Dux trap range.

The result is an enhanced product for New Zealand plumbers and a market first innovation: FlexiTrap™.

FlexiTrap™ provides an easy and quick solution when working with misaligned pipes. Its unique FlexiJoint™ ball-andsocket design allows for a 5° range of motion. Along with a host of other enhancements, FlexiTrap™ offers New Zealand’s plumbers Dux’ fastest and most

flexible trap ever.

Dux Marketing Manager Susie Paterson says, “In 1966, Dux were innovators when we introduced plastic traps to New Zealand, and in 2015 we still are. A major part of the development of FlexiTrap™ was due to market feedback, so FlexiTrap™ has been literally developed by the industry, for the industry.”

Visit www.flexitrap.co.nz for more info, or to request your free sample today.

Making waves at Greens Tapware

Introducing new MPGD Gold Partner, Greens Tapware.

Greens began 80 years ago in Hamilton, turning its hand to the design and development of tapware in late 1978.

Today, Greens Global Ltd is a privately owned company, with its head office in Hamilton. Its focus is the design and distribution of tapware and showers under the Greens Tapware brand, to both local and international markets.

Greens have stayed at the forefront of tapware technology and design trends through constant research and development. Their products are designed in New Zealand specifically for the water and environmental conditions found in each market in which they operate. Greens are an ISO 9001 accredited company. Their

Above: Hamilton-based Greens Tapware

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August/September 2015

products meet international quality standards, including the Australian and NZ standard mark. They take their environmental responsibilities seriously— all products are WELS compliant and in markets where required, carry the Watermark licence.

2015 is set to be a big year for Greens in NZ. Three new tapware ranges have already been launched, including the Zeon Noir black range, the Sonic range and the traditionally styled Greens Bathroom Style Collection.

The most recent innovation to be launched is FloBOOST™ shower mixer technology, designed and developed in NZ. FloBOOST™ has been designed to improve the water flow performance to your shower in unequal water pressure situations. FloBOOST™ shower mixers are all about maximising the hot water flow to give the best possible result when mixed.

They have done this through a unique design in their new unequal cartridge and shower body combined with a venturi system. FloBOOST™ shower mixers operate down to a minimum 10kPa hot/200kPa cold with a maximum water pressure of 500kPa on unequal pressure.

Above and right: Sonic and Zeon Noir Sink Mixers.

FloBOOST™ also works on equal pressure down to as low as 20kPa. Whether building or renovating, Greens have an extensive range of products to suit—from domestic to healthcare use; products that are easy to install and suitable for applications from urban to rural.

Greens Tapware—innovation in design, quality and performance.

PAGE TAG

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

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

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

12

August/September 2015

Auditing risk Energy Safety explains why it may ask to see your documentation for entries on the gas high risk database.

ENERGY SAFETY IS part of WorkSafe and conducts a range of audits related to the gas and electricity industries. Part of the audit process may include requesting and reviewing documentation for entries on the high risk database.

These audits are not new. Energy Safety has been auditing a sample of database records and requesting related Certificates of Compliance (CoC) and Gas Safety Certificates (GSC) produced by certifying gasfitters since the high risk database was established under the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Amendment Regulations 2012.

The relevant legislation requires: A person who issues a gas safety certificate must, on request by WorkSafe (or other party authorised in Regulation 52I (2)) provide a copy of the certificate to the requester within 7 working days after the request. >

from the audits conducted to date, Energy Safety are seeing some common trends

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IN FOCUS

A responsible person must, on request by WorkSafe (or other party authorised in Regulation 52G (4)) provide a copy of the certificate to the requester within 10 working days after the request.

The high risk database audit work enables WorkSafe and other regulators to audit or review high risk records, request (if needed) associated practitioners’ GSCs and CoCs, and conduct site visits. The records can also assist in the event of product failures.

Audits can cover a range of elements, for example: • Is the high risk database record correct?

• Are the forms or templates used correct? Without all the items mentioned in the regulations being present and correct, the GSC or CoC is invalid.

• Is the form’s information adequate?

• Was the high risk database record created within the required timeframe?

• Was the practitioner registered and licenced at the time of the work?

• Was the requested documentation supplied within the required timeframe?

From the audits conducted to date Energy Safety are seeing some common trends, for example: • Practitioners stating that they relied on manufacturer’s instructions–but then not either attaching a copy of those instructions to the gas certificate, or providing a link to an electronic copy of the instructions.

• Practitioners not identifying on the CoC the date range the gasfitting was performed, and not listing anyone who worked under their supervision.

For example: When we at Energy Safety see a job that says it was completed in one day we know this record cannot be correct when you look at what was involved, eg installing two continuous flow water heaters, a 1200 wide space heater, a 900 wide cooker and replacement pipework from the gas meter to the appliances without help. Either the practitioner had help with the install or didn’t do the work in a day.

Our aim is to educate and to ensure that the correct process and paperwork is undertaken in the future. However, if noncompliance is found in our audits, we may take compliance action. Repeated non-compliance may result in an infringement notice (instant fine) or possibly a prosecution.

The Regulations also allow additional information to be added to certificates and a couple of examples we often see are: the date the installation was tested and the actual test results.

Energy Safety has designed a checklist to help you ensure that your certificates comply and a template for practitioners to use if they don’t wish to create their own. These are available on the Energy Safety website free of charge: http://www.med.govt.nz/ energysafety/forms/certification/gas All the regulations are available at www.legislation.govt.nz, also free of charge. ■ About the author: This article was provided by High Hazards & Specialist Services at Energy Safety, which is part of WorkSafe New Zealand.

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PLUMBING PROJECT

A weekend’s work

A less than traditional product has been used to fit pipework at ANZCO Canterbury.

Ross Miller reports.

MENZIES GROUP WERE given one weekend to fit pipework for a whole new beef tripe line at ANZCO Canterbury. ANZCO Foods is one of New Zealand’s largest exporters of beef and lamb products, and its Ashburton-based Canterbury processing plant is one of seven around the country.

The Menzies team used KemPress stainless steel piping, which is a flame-free jointing system, handles both hot and cold feed, and has a good UV rating so can be installed externally and internally. ANZCO is also using the system in other parts of its multi-stage upgrade, which means extension of the tripe line should be a simple process.

The pipes and joints fit together through a power-assisted hand-press similar to vice grips. This eliminates the need for welding or any type of heat application, and speeds up installation considerably. It also means the installer can get into a few tight corners that are difficult with bulky heat gear.

The first stage of the project (the tripe line) involved three plumbers working 25 hours over the weekend. “I found out

this eliminates the need for welding or any type of heat application 16

August/September 2015

Top: No heat required: the system is put together with a battery-driven crimping clamp.

Above: The piping can be installed externally and internally.

PLUMBING PROJECT

Above: The tripe line is just part of a multi-stage upgrade.

about the job on the Thursday before,” says Menzies plumber Owen Kershaw. “Discussing the job, we were told the machines had to be working by Monday.” There was something of a protracted silence. “However,” says Owen, “when we got into it, planning the route proved to be the hardest part of the job. The product is very simple to put together.”

The plumbers learned some tricks, such as marking finishing lengths on the pipe first, prefabbing the area you are working on, then crimping it up once it is in place. “If it doesn’t fit perfectly, you can adjust it before crimping.”

Although stainless steel, the pipe does bend easily at 15mm and normal gear can shape it up to 22mm, says Owen. Being stainless steel, it has the advantage of holding its shape. The only copper the team has used is for connections to a couple of bits of old system.

When NZ Plumber spoke to Owen, he had a few more weekends on the site ahead of him, getting to know the product well.

Based in Timaru, the Menzies Group is a Master Plumbers’ member and is committed to providing high quality work using modern equipment. It has been serving residential and commercial clients in South Canterbury for more than 65 years and the present owners, Ross Dooley and Stuart Loveday, are hands-on tradespeople.

Since taking over the company 28 years ago, Ross and Stuart have expanded it from a plumbing business to offer a full service including plumbing, drainlaying, gasfitting and roofing, as well as an engineering workshop and retail store. It regularly does plant installation and maintenance work for dairy, agricultural and food processing businesses, such as ANZCO. ■

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Above: The machines had to be quickly back in operation.

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August/September 2015

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REAL LIVES

On the road again Cycling a 2,700km stretch of Australia in the dry season was an unforgettable experience for plumber John Kelly.

JOHN TOOK TO THE road with his mate Warren on 27 March this year, and the pair cycled around 118km a day from Port Augusta to Darwin. “With a family, mortgage and plumbing business, I felt it was time to renew the youthful strength one can only acquire by tackling a big challenge like this,” says John. “Warren has a large veterinary business and I run a one-man-band plumbing, gas and drainage company.”

Both in their mid-forties, the pair rode for 24 days along the Stuart Highway, the only sealed road, which took them north via Alice Springs. John had done a few other big rides in his youth, one across the US, another from Sydney to Perth and another down the length of Aotearoa.

This one, however, came with extra challenges—including leaving their wives, children (six in total), businesses and employees for just over a month.

“We’re both from the Waikanae area of the Kapiti Coast, with wives who are >

Top: John and Warren enter the Northern Territory.

Above: John says big thanks to Marley for helping fund his water and accommodation.

August/September 2015

19

REAL LIVES

Left: This photo epitomises the southern part of the ride, says John.

Above: Swimming not an option at the Katherine River.

FINISH

teachers and busy lives. To suddenly be out of touch, with nothing to do but ride and think and eat and sleep and ride, and think and eat and sleep, was both a luxury, lonely, and mind-numbingly repetitive,” says John. “When you’re busy, there’s never a good time to take off like this, but you’ve just got to make the call and do it.”

Just entering the dry season, they cycled in 30°-40° heat and 10-100 percent humidity. “Unlike NZ, Australia is not to be disrespected with ‘she’ll be right, mate’ presumptions. It’s too hot, too dry and too big—and if you don’t get it right, you may not return. There was no running water for the first 2,000km; just 100m deep bores bringing up water of varying degrees of usefulness. We bought drinking water in 1.5 litre bottles for between AU$1 and $7, depending on how far away and hungry the sellers were.

“At the start of the journey, you could drink seven litres of water and not sweat at all. But in the Northern Territory the humidity was so high that the sweat poured off you and the salt burned your eyes.”

One main logistical problem was that there are only four reasonable towns along the way. “The rest of the time we relied on ‘road houses’—that’s a gas station with an eating centre of variable quality in food, staff, prices and facilities!”

There were plenty of highlights along the way, including sharing Bundaberg 20

August/September 2015

START

rum with oldie caravaners at the Devils Marbles (“thousands of caravaners use this tourist route”) and cooling down in pools and water of any kind to hide from the flies (“Ohhh the fffliiiiieeess!”). There was no swimming at the first river they came to, though. “The Katherine River is near the Northern Territory and the swimming platform was closed because the crocs will eat you.”

Croc warnings aside, they encountered very little wildlife along the way—unless you count the roadkill. “It was scraped off the road by 53m long, four trailer road trains and deposited on the verge for our viewing, and smelling, pleasure.”

They did, however, encounter outback hillbillies of an unusual kind in a small

town called Elliott. At the bar, a wall lined with photos showed the locals in an entirely new light—dressed to the nines in pink mesh and make-up for the mardi gras, which has been an annual event since 2004.

Despite the many challenges of the journey, all went spectacularly to plan, says John, with very few issues or surprises. “Friends stayed friends, the bike kept going and Australia treated us beautifully.”

John is very thankful to Marley for helping fund his water and accommodation, and also to Plumbing World for contributing to a GoPro camera to record the stunningly barren, enormous landscape. ■

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NUTS & BOLTS

Defining defects What is—and what isn’t a defect? New MBIE guidance outlines acceptable levels of workmanship in new residential construction.

IT’S A FACT of life that jobs don’t always go smoothly. Even if the work you do complies with the Building Code, the homeowner may have an issue with some aspect of the completed job.

New consumer protection measures that came into force on 1 January include a new 12-month ‘defect repair period’.

This places stronger obligations than previously on building contractors to fix any defects in residential building work that they are notified of within 12 months of completion.

This includes all the work covered by the residential building contract, including work done by a subcontractor. The 12-month period starts from: • the completion of the building work under a written contract, or • the completion of the physical building work if there’s no written contract.

If the building contractor is notified of the defect within 12 months of completion, the onus is now on the contractor to prove that the work is not defective or, if it is, that the defective work is through no fault of their own or their subcontractors.

If an owner notifies the building contractor of what they think is defective work, the contractor is obliged to remedy the work within a reasonable amount of time, or prove that it is not defective. Remedial work includes repairing or replacing defective materials used so that the work is fit for purpose and of the quality and standard agreed.

After the 12-month period ends, the implied warranties and remedies in the Building Act still apply (for the remaining nine years of the 10-year limitation period). However, after the 12-month period has ended, the obligation to repair is not 22

August/September 2015

automatic and the onus is on the owner to show the building work is defective.

The 12-month period doesn’t apply to work carried out before 1 January 2015 or if the contract was signed before this date.

WHAT’S ACCEPTABLE? MBIE’s new guidance provides a process for establishing ‘acceptable tolerances’— ie, what is a defect and what is not.

When an owner raises an issue with the contractor, the process for determining if it is a defect should refer, in the following order, to: 1. The contract, drawings, specifications and schedule of quantities, if relevant 2. The building consent and supporting documentation supplied to the council 3. Manufacturers’ specifications and installation instructions 4. The building contractors’ defect tolerance schedule, where its use was agreed to in the contract 5. Any relevant NZ Standard 6. The MBIE guidance document.

A defect can be defined in a number of ways. The guidance focuses on failure to achieve acceptable industry levels of quality or performance NOT covered by the following: • Non-compliance with the Building Code • Non-agreed variations from consented drawings • Failure to meet agreed contractual specifications • Premature product failure.

What constitutes a defect will also change over time with fair wear and tear, settlement, weathering and aging of materials. So,

NUTS & BOLTS what may be a defect at handover may not be a defect after 12 months (eg, deep scratching to a polished wood floor).

A building contractor can only be held liable for work done within the construction contract and by the specialist trades they’ve commissioned. They can’t be held liable for work or damage caused by the owner or someone contracted separately by the owner to complete a task.

Nor can they be held liable for damage caused: • by a natural disaster • by a person outside their control • by a failure to carry out normal maintenance • by a failure to carry out repairs as soon as practicable after the defect becomes apparent.

If an owner asks you to carry out work that you know will result in a less than satisfactory finish for either party, this should be put in writing to the owner before starting the work.

PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE Does it pass muster? Find out below.

Installation

✗

Persistent water hammer, providing it is not the result of temporary air bubbles trapped in the plumbing after work has been done on the system or reticulated water supply infrastructure

✗

Fittings are crooked, off-centre, misaligned or mismatched (unless otherwise specified)

✗

Fittings have internal or external residue, such as excess sealant, oil, grease, solvent, swarf or tape at handover

✗ ✓

Waste pipe is leaking All necessary fittings, fixtures and fastenings are securely installed as specified, with the correct size, type and material

✓

All mixers/taps are securely fixed and do not move when used

✓

Fittings and fixtures have been installed according to the manufacturers’ specifications

Damage that occurs after handover or is done by trades outside the main contract is not the responsibility of the main contractor, unless it occurs as a result of faulty installation or manufacture.

Premature degradation of fittings and fixtures is a defect where care instructions have been correctly followed. ■

GUIDE TO TOLERANCES Find the Guide to tolerances, materials and workmanship in new residential construction 2015 at www.building.govt. nz/UserFiles/File/Publications/Building/ Guidance-information/pdf/guide-totolerances.pdf The June 2015 edition of MBIE Building Performance newsletter Codewords notes that the Guide helps contractors and homeowners identify and agree what is, and what isn’t, a defect.

It can also be used before contracts are signed to help align expectations of the end product.

However, it is not a mandatory set of quality standards.

Contractors and clients can mutually agree to use their own standards for tolerances, materials and workmanship which should be agreed to in writing and preferably within the contract.

CPD points

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Why demand Spartan Brass?

Damage and wear

✗

Fittings and fixtures, and any visible internal pipework, have installation damage; for example, tool marks, scratches, dents, chips or stains, visible from the normal viewing distance (≥ 600mm)

✗

Mixers/taps drip when closed while still within the manufacturer’s warranty period

✗

Cosmetic elements, such as surrounds, brackets, mounts, rings and other decorative components damaged during installation

✓

Fittings and fixtures retain the finish intended by the manufacturer in accordance with their expected durability

Operation

✗

Mixers/taps are stiff to operate

✓

Some noise occurs when water flows through a floor waste August/September 2015

23

NUTS & BOLTS

Why buy NZ? A FRIEND ASKED me recently why he, as a small business operator who needs to make every dollar count, should buy locally-produced components and systems.

My immediate answer was… buying locally-made products and supplies keeps our local industries viable, supports employment and helps keep our economy strong for the long term.

It is an answer that no one could dispute. But I could see his eyes glazing over. I had given a response that was true but not relevant—my friend was just as aware of national and community interests as any good citizen, but he was looking for an answer that was also consistent with the pressures and demands on his business in a competitive environment.

As we all know and experience, perhaps the foremost of those factors is price pressure, driven largely by the availability of components and other supplies sourced from low-cost manufacturing environments overseas. This is the pressure to present the end customer with a package that competes favourably on price, or at least minimises any disadvantage.

So again… why support the local product?

Since that encounter I’ve given it more thought, especially with our industry in mind. Plumbing and water management systems use products that compete with those made overseas—often from countries where wages and other costs are lower. That presents ongoing challenges, but I’m happy to say there are a number of reasons to buy locally made products, and significant advantages for businesses that do so.

Above: The standards mark and licence number on products demonstrate compliance.

PRODUCT COMPLIANCE For starters, New Zealand and Australia have a standards framework with common coverage of equipment used in many industries, including ours. We also have the opportunity to comply with process standards under the international ISO regime. Standards provide protection for both customers and trades. Customers gain assurance that work has been carried out with reliable components and will perform as expected. Trades can work with these in the knowledge that they comply with building and professional codes; and all kidding aside… if it also means the parts fit together as they should, there are clear advantages in that, too!

On the negative side of that equation, there are financial and reputational consequences for getting it wrong. Going back to site to rebuild or repair a job, or replace a failed component, is expensive and embarrassing; and chances are that’s the last time that customer will call.

A quick tip: if in doubt as to whether a product or part meets the relevant standards, look for the standards mark and the licence number. There have been cases where the mark has been misapplied.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT

Above: David Peterson.

24

August/September 2015

The answer’s easy when you think about it, says Marley Managing Director David Peterson.

Then there is a package of benefits under the general category of industry support.

There’s a direct link between purchasing

locally manufactured components and getting the benefits of: • Manufacturers’ warranties that mean they take responsibility for the performance of their products • Next-day delivery from regional distribution centres • After sales support • Technical field support • Training and education, such as ongoing CPD programmes • Health and safety information and compliance training • Support for trade training institutions—eg, through supply of product for use in instruction • Support for the local and regional activities of trade associations such as Master Plumbers • Commitment to local environmental standards in manufacturing • Innovation through locally-based investment in new products and systems.

There isn’t space to explore all those in depth, but I think the point is clear— buying locally produced components supports a package of benefits that might not be obvious on a daily basis but is really important to plumbing businesses and customers alike.

You have to ask: why put that at risk— along with your business and your good name—by doing anything different? ■

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Tech points NUTS & BOLTS

PVC-U PIPES AND FITTINGS

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF BUILDINGS The Government is proposing a new system for managing buildings following a disaster such as a major earthquake or storm. Public comment was sought by the end of July on significant proposed changes to the Building Act covering: • the decision to use the emergency powers • the assessment of buildings • placing red, yellow or white placards on buildings • restricting access • the power to alter or demolish buildings without requiring a building or resource consent.

Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says the proposals are consistent with the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry. The Government intends introducing a Building Amendment Bill to Parliament to implement the changes, with future opportunity for public input.

GAS MEASUREMENT STANDARD NZS 5259:2004 Gas measurement is being revised, and public comment was sought in July. The aim of this Standard is to set achievable, balanced performance criteria for the accuracy of gas measurement, and to provide a means of compliance for gas measurement systems to meet performance criteria that will benefit both the gas sector and the consumer.

This edition’s technical news in brief.

AS/NZS 1260:2009 PVC-U pipes and fittings for drain, waste and vent application is also being revised. The aim of this Standard is to outline minimum requirements for the manufacture and performance of PVC-U pipes and fittings for non-pressure DWV applications for use by manufacturers, specifiers and purchasers of such products. The test criteria specified apply to pipes and fittings at the time of manufacture and are not intended to be used to assess the results from tests on pipes or fittings that have been in service.

BRANZ FIND BRANZ has a new ‘search and locate’ online tool to help you find useful NZ building and construction information, such as Standards, Acceptable Solutions and relevant industry organisations. There’s an A-Z index, or you can just type what you’re looking for in the search bar. BRANZ Find links you straight through to the information you’re after.

NEW BUILDING.GOVT.NZ SITE The www.dbh.govt.nz website has been replaced by www.building. govt.nz. All previous content has been migrated to the new site.

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WORLD VIEW

A peek at PICAC

Take a virtual trip to Australia to tour the facilities provided by PICAC, a not-forprofit organisation dedicated to providing world-class training for the plumbing trade. Razia Dzanaovic reports.

THE PLUMBING INDUSTRY CLIMATE Action Centre (PICAC) was formed in 2010 at the height of the drought in Australia. Its primary purpose was to provide courses in Green Plumbing, to address the skills shortage in sustainable plumbing within the industry at the time.

Since then, the Centre has evolved and now offers courses supporting the entire career lifecycle of plumbing—ranging from the Certificate II pre-apprenticeship and Certificate III Plumbing apprenticeship, to Medical Gases, Welding, Sprinkler Fitting, Fire Protection and a range of occupational health and safety classes.

Through this evolution and expansion, PICAC has become the premiere Centre of training for the industry in Australia. A unique industry collaboration, PICAC is a partnership between the Plumbing Trades Employees Union (PTEU), the Master Plumbers’ and Mechanical Services Association of Australia, Air Conditioners and Manufacturers Association of Victoria and the National Fire Industry Association (NFIA).

PLUMBING AND WELDING The PICAC building itself, located in Brunswick, Victoria, is a working and interactive element of the training environment.

With a 5-star Green Star rating, the Centre itself is testament to sustainable design. Throughout the building, plumbing systems and equipment have been left exposed to highlight with practical application the content of much of the coursework. The training 28

August/September 2015

Top: The Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre in Brunswick.

Above: Apprentices competing at the Skills Competition at PICAC on World Plumbing Day.

WORLD VIEW

Above: Portable training units developed by PICAC to deliver offsite training.

courses supporting the entire career lifecycle of plumbing facilities are of the highest standard and, through its industry partnerships, PICAC is able to house the very best demonstration equipment across the range of plumbing fields.

PICAC has attracted knowledgeable trainers, drawn to the opportunity to teach at a Centre of Excellence. Training is delivered in modern classrooms, complemented by hands-on practical delivery in realistic simulations of industry conditions.

PICAC has created Centres of Excellence in Safety and Fire Protection, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Welding.

The Welding Centre houses a total of 22 welding bays over two

Above: Sprinkler fitting apprentice training.

levels and also features a grinding, cutting and preparation room.

PICAC is looking to expand further with a new High Tech area under construction. In addition to providing a range of welding classes, additional workshops teaching skills in metal fabrication are provided, which are often not extensively covered in a > Plumbing Apprenticeship training environment.

Above: Promoting the role of plumbers on World Plumbing Day. August/September 2015

29

WORLD VIEW

Above: Exposed plumbing gives training a worksite context.

Above: Welding training at PICAC’s Welding Centre of Excellence.

throughout the building, plumbing systems and equipment have been left exposed FIRE INDUSTRY TRAINING

Above: Welding bays.

Above: Water treatment room.

30

August/September 2015

In 2012, Fire Industry Training (FIT), the training arm of the NFIA, took on the responsibility of delivering the Certificate III in Fire Protection to ensure this course was available to students in Victoria. The PTEU and NFIA, with guidance from the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, opened the Fire Protection Centre of Excellence at PICAC. The Centre is now the only provider of the course in Victoria and delivers to students from South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

The Fire Protection Centre of Excellence has been designed to meet post trade training needs. A simulated ‘real world’ environment enables learners to experience exactly what they can expect to encounter in the field.

In addition to providing courses and training, PICAC actively promotes the important role plumbing plays in maintaining health and sustainability within the community. Each year on 11 March, the Centre holds an industry event to mark World Plumbing Day, with this year’s event the most successful to date.

Over 400 people attended the event, which included an Industry Forum with high-profile guest speakers, a Career & Trades Exhibition and an Apprentice Skills Competition. The Centre also provides room booking facilities for conferences and seminars and can cater training courses to meet individual organisational needs. ■ For more information on PICAC visit www.picac.vic.edu.au

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INDUSTRY TALK

Canterbury needs plumbers Demand for plumbing companies is a key pinch point in the Canterbury rebuild, says Collaborate Canterbury.

To rebuild Christchurch, Canterbury needs more resources and more people. It is critical that businesses across New Zealand and offshore team up and work together to build scale.

Collaborate Canterbury, which is operated by the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, brings together construction sector businesses from across New Zealand and offshore and connects them with Canterbury companies to build scale.

This collaboration maximises opportunities for growth and minimises constraints and pinch points to achieve an efficient rebuild.

The www.collaboratecanterbury.org.nz website provides a portal for interested businesses to register and find suitable matches, both in the provision and/or the utilisation of products and services. They now have over 800 businesses registered and that number is climbing.

Collaboration can be in many forms, including fixed term secondment of employees, sub contracts, supply agreements, outsourcing, joint venture and partnerships and mergers and acquisitions.

Collaborate Canterbury is the link between multiple specialist agencies supporting the rebuild, such as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Christchurch City Council and NZ Trade & Enterprise, and is often the interface between project delivery teams, contractors and the supply chain. This collaboration mitigates potential procurement pinch points whilst promoting and integrating innovation.

Currently a number of the key projects, including Burwood Hospital, the Bus Exchange, the Justice Precinct and work on the University, are underway with real impetus building over the next two years. Public works construction is set to peak in 2017, including large anchor projects such as the acute services building and outpatients’ buildings at Christchurch hospital, the new central library and the refurbishment of the town hall.

Nearly $4 billion worth of construction work was carried out in the region last year—a record high. The market has been able to cope thus far, but with these large projects coming on-stream, coupled with continued private development, and an increase

32

August/September 2015

in residential builds and subdivision development, additional pressures are real and imminent.

In conjunction with MBIE, Collaborate Canterbury has identified some key ‘pinch points’—including mechanical services and plumbing—requiring the most additional resource. Collaborate Canterbury has already made successful introductions to local companies with large Australian companies seeking new opportunities in Canterbury.

They are keen to hear from anyone within New Zealand who may be interested in discussing opportunities and potential collaboration with local companies and projects. From $500 million commercial projects to residential projects, there is opportunity for all scale of businesses.

Registration on the website is free. For more information please visit www.collaboratecanterbury.org.nz or email Kate Flower: katef@cecc.org.nz

INDUSTRY TALK

Forward for Auckland

Around 70 members and Business Partners attended the recent President’s Dinner hosted by the Auckland Master Plumbers Association.

Held in Auckland in June, the inaugural event for this revitalised Master Plumbers Association was a superb opportunity for members in the region to come together with MPGD Business Partners. Dinner, drinks and good company were enjoyed by all, with the revelries continuing well past midnight.

MPGD National President Martin De Gouw updated attendees on initiatives at the Society, and officially recognised Life Members Murray Cockburn, Bryan Heron and Barry Watkins for their long years of service. Auckland Region President Regan Frost also gave a speech welcoming members to the event and introducing the new executive.

“I think we can safely say we are all here because we want to share and be part of a professional national organisation that works to produce great results for the benefit of the plumbing industry and us, the members,” said Regan. “We all recognise the importance of what Master Plumbers do and have done for the wellbeing of all of us for many years.”

Master Plumbers’ CEO Greg Wallace was unable to attend the event, but Regan acknowledged his passionate leadership of the Wellington team “to improve our organisation, to grow our membership and to work with national leaders of this country to protect our industry and help us achieve more through a stronger voice.”

Above: From left, Life Members Bryan Heron, Murray Cockburn and Barry Watkins.

Below left: The dinner was held at Auckland’s Maritime Room.

Auckland Association executive

The new executive of the Auckland Master Plumbers Association comprises: • • • •

Regan Frost – President Dale Lovell – Vice President Simon Collins Neil Gillespie

• • • • • •

Glenn Lewis Rohan MacMillan Marcus McDonald Kevin Maney Dan Pollard Bruce Trenwith

In his speech, Regan noted that the executive are “no different from any other members apart from the fact we have meetings twice as often… just to keep things happening, organise events and discuss important topics—so we can get the results you want.”

Outcome of High Court proceedings

The final separation of the previous Auckland Association from the Society was also announced in June, after High Court proceedings resulted in the successful outcome for the Society of a financial payment by the Association as a contribution to costs, and their agreement not to use the word ‘Master’ in their business branding, naming or any communications.

“The MPGD Board is grateful for the support it received for the Court action from the Regional Associations at the Tauranga Conference AGM,” said MPGD Chair John Leen. “On behalf of members, the Board has worked to ensure that the Master Plumbers’ name, brand and logo have been protected.

“The Board views this as very important for all members nationwide and will continue to promote and secure the name and title ‘Master Plumbers’ for members of the Society.”

The Order by Consent, sealed by the High Court on 25 June, included an injunction restraining the former Auckland Association from using any Master Plumbers’ trademarks or the term Master. It also gave the former Auckland Association a timeframe in which to complete certain steps, including:

•

•

• •

•

within seven days, advising its members to cease using the term Master, or any variation of the term and Master Plumbers’ trademarks within two months, changing its registered name to a name that doesn’t include the word Master or any variation of the term and Master Plumbers’ trademarks on or before 2 July 2015, placing an unbranded holding page at www.aucklandmasterplumbers.co.nz within 27 days, transferring ownership of the domain name www.aucklandmasterplumbers. co.nz to Master Plumbers within 21 days, paying an agreed sum to Master Plumbers as a contribution towards their costs.

The High Court Order by Consent can be read in full in the member log-in at www.masterplumbers.org.nz

August/September 2015

33

INDUSTRY TALK

Building performance update Construction employment, GDP and costs are all on the up, but residential consent volumes outside of Auckland are mainly flat.

The Auckland housing market is under the spotlight in the latest Housing and Construction Quarterly from MBIE, released in June. Auckland house price growth is more similar to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane than to Wellington or Christchurch it says. House price growth continues to rise while rental yields fall, which raises the question as to why the housing market is attractive to investors. “Ultimately, the gap between prices and rents must close; the key questions are how and when this will happen.”

Auckland house prices have grown by over 10 percent over the last year, with the average house value in the March 2015 quarter standing at $797,000. This compares to $472,000 for Christchurch and $457,000 for the Wellington region. House prices are falling in many regions, including Rotorua, Gisborne, Masterton, Upper and Lower Hutt.

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT The report notes that construction sector GDP and employment have continued to grow strongly, outstripping national GDP growth and total employment. This is consistent with the cyclical boom and bust nature of this industry.

Construction GDP and employment

RESIDENTIAL AND NON-RESIDENTIAL CONSENTS Residential consent volumes are largely flat outside of Auckland—and even here consents aren’t growing as quickly as they were from mid 2012-14. Residential alterations and additions are also continuing an upward trend in Auckland, while they are declining in Christchurch.

Residential construction (quarter) Dwellings consented: March 2015

Dwelling consents

Annual change*

Auckland

1,766

Greater Christchurch

1,404

Wellington region

423

Rest of NZ

2,139

 12.4%  6.4%  5.3%  0.4%

Alterations & additions: March 2015

$m

Annual change*

Auckland

$190

Greater Christchurch

$66

Wellington region

$40

Rest of NZ

$127

 25.3%  -12.3%  3.4%  3.7%

Change in trend values

Quarter Sept 2014 Quarterly change* Annual change* GDP Employment

 3.0%  2.3%

 8.9%  13.7%

* Change in trend values

Costs have been rising for both residential and non-residential construction. These increases are significant, it says, given that general price change has been close to zero over the past year.

Construction cost growth (CGPI) Quarter Dec 2014

Quarterly change* Annual change*

Residential

 1.1%  0.6%

Non-residential * Change in trend values

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August/September 2015

 3.9%  2.5%

Between March 2014 and 2015, Wellington saw a significant drop in the value of new non-residential consents (85.1%), while Auckland fell by 4.1 percent. During the same period, Christchurch non-residential consents increased by 39.2 percent and the rest of NZ by 23.7 percent. The report notes that Wellington non-residential consents are particularly variable, making the underlying trend difficult to determine.

Building consents have been on the rise since mid 2011, and both residential and non-residential building work put in place increased substantially over the year to December 2014. National residential building work put in place for this period was worth $2.5 billion, and $1.5 billion for non-residential.

Read the New Zealand Housing and Construction Quarterly (NZHCQ) in full at www.building.govt.nz/sector-information

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INDUSTRY TALK

Sam’s spot

In her second column, Sam Tyson considers the price of fame.

People beating down your door to get you to do work sounds like a nice problem to have, but an overwhelming influx of work opportunities can pose a real challenge to your business, as we are experiencing right now.

Since winning the 2015 Master Plumber of the Year award and publicising it locally, our enquiries have increased by around 50 percent. While it’s great to be recognised, we feel we are no longer behaving like an award-winning business. We are letting a lot of people down and our reputation of providing great customer service is rapidly diminishing.

Demand has outstripped our capacity and our biggest challenge right now is finding additional people with the right skills to work within our team to deliver our services. We are aware we are also running the risk of overworking our current employees because they are working in a consistently reactive environment.

So how do we fix it? Firstly, while it goes against my grain, we need to stop accepting every enquiry that comes through our door, thus taking on more work than our team can handle.

We need to keep working on hiring more people, but in the meantime we have to slow the workflow down so it becomes manageable.

We then need to focus on the customers we have and give them the respect they deserve by communicating often and fulfilling our promise to them. We need to get back to delivering

Sam Tyson.

a great customer experience and providing that magic moment when we have completely satisfied them and they are happy to pay for a job well done.

As we steadily grow, I need to stop wearing so many hats and subsequently have people in place to take on the daily challenges in these various roles. This will free me up to look at the bigger picture and keep us on track for the long haul.

I will let you know how we get on. In the meantime if you know of any good tradesmen such as plumbers, refrigeration technicians or electricians, send them my way!

Straight Flush strike gold “It’s great to see the trade getting some really positive press,” says Ngaire Mansfield of Straight Flush Plumbing. Ngaire is referring to the company’s recent ‘Emerging Gold – Services’ finalist award in the 2015 Wellington Gold Awards. “We felt pretty good to be the first plumbers to represent our industry in these awards and to show others what is possible by regular people with some commitment. It CAN be done!”

The finalists from 11 categories, which were announced at an event at Wellington’s waterfront Te Wharewaka Tapaere function centre in May, included several other businesses run by couples or families. They encompassed a wide variety of specialities, from film and media to ale and chocolate makers, software and transport management companies. There are also awards for workplace safety, wellness and HR programmes—all celebrating entrepreneurial activity in the region.

It was big night for Wellington in many ways, with the event also marking the Capital’s 150th anniversary, Porirua City’s 50th anniversary and 150 years for The Dominion Post newspaper.

Straight Flush was one of six businesses to become finalists in their category, all of which employ fewer than 10 staff. “For us personally, it is confirmation that persistence and maintaining high standards pays off, despite sometimes overwhelming challenges,” says Ngaire. “We had breakfast with the boys to celebrate the announcement, as it really was a red circle day!

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August/September 2015

Above: Straight Flush staff at the awards function. Ngaire (standing in front of Jeremy) is wearing red and black—the Straight Flush colours!

We’re so extremely proud of the team.”

The 2015 Wellington Gold Awards were held on 9 July at the TSB Bank Arena. Jeremy and Ngaire received their finalist certificate from Mayor Celia Wade-Brown at a cocktail function on 7 August.

INDUSTRY TALK

Winning women

With increasing numbers of females taking jobs in construction, it is great to see an inaugural awards event recognising the best.

The number of women working in construction in Canterbury quadrupled between 2009 and 2014, rising from 2,400 to 8,100. Before the earthquakes, only nine percent of the Canterbury construction workforce were women, which was below the national average of 13.6 percent. By 2014 that figure had gone up to 16 percent and is still growing.

Many of those women work for the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT), helping rebuild earthquake damaged roads, water, wastewater and stormwater networks.

SCIRT realised women were an untapped labour pool and set up a sub-group called SCIRT Women in Construction (SWIC) to promote the industry to women. The initial intention was to recruit more women to fill SCIRT roles, but it ended up being much more than that. SCIRT Human Resources Manager Belinda de Zwart, who has been a driving force behind the initiative for the past two years, says SWIC provides visible imagery of women in construction roles in advertising and web-based stories.

The first big project the women did as a team was to find a manufacturer willing to create a range of PPE gear tailored to fit women (featured in the Feb/Mar 2015 edition of NZ Plumber). NZ Safety was the company that made the range possible, as the posters in the photo show.

Female leaders in the construction industry were recognised in May at the inaugural Hays National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)

Above: Some of the women who are part of SCIRT Women in Construction. Top row, from left: Marianne Rogers, Tesh Lange, Jane Taylor, Kiri Ward, Monique Berry, Kate Hood. Bottom row, from left: Frances Adank, Ruth Bullen, Fritha Bevin-McCrimmon, Kimberly Jupp, Marcia Beuth, Belinda de Zwart.

Excellence Awards in Christchurch. From more than 50 entries, the SWIC initiative took out the top prize, winning the Helen Tippett Award for actively promoting the participation of women in construction.

Kimberly Jupp, Project Engineer for SCIRT’s McConnell Dowell team, accepted the award on behalf of the group, which includes women right across SCIRT, who work at one of around 100 different companies as engineers, traffic supervisors, project managers, labourers and support staff.

Other winners on the night included Tradeswoman of the Year Mary Clare Bartlett, who has run painting business Tickled Pink for more than 20 years,

now employing 20 staff, and Professional Woman of the Year Deborah Cranko of Cranko Architects. Among Deb’s future goals is to create a way to communicate seismic issues to the general public.

With 10 percent yearly growth rates in the construction industry predicted through to 2019, it makes sense to encourage more women to work in construction and to highlight the career paths available, said Hays Managing Direct Jason Walker at the event. A recent survey by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of 500 Christchurch women showed that women are more open to the idea of working in construction than previously thought. The word’s out!

August/September 2015

37

INDUSTRY TALK

Changes for infrastructure Until recently, most of the training in civil infrastructure was done on the job, with little formal regulation and few qualifications in the sector. Now there is to be a new qualification that is expected to follow three streams. The first will be to recognise the competency of workers already established in the industry, and who have attained supervisory roles. The second will be an 8000-hour training option for newcomers to the industry, who have been identified as potential future project managers and supervisors. The third will be for workers who were partially qualified, enabling them to bring their skills up to a level where they could be certified under the new scheme.

Infrastructure industry training organisation Connexis—

established in 2013 through the merger of the Electricity Supply ITO and Infratrain, the civil construction ITO—will manage the training for the infrastructure sector.

In May, Connexis also took over responsibility for the water sector from the agriculture-based Primary ITO. This includes water reticulation and water and wastewater treatment workers, with around 500 trainees carrying out qualifications in these areas.

Connexis CEO Helmut Modlik says the addition of water provides synergies with the other infrastructure qualification areas. With a shortage of skilled infrastructure workers, it is essential to focus on training and qualifications to fill the gap, he says.

Public knowledge

Legislation Sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying

While New Zealand law allows anyone to purchase fittings and appliances it is illegal to do restricted sanitary plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work without authorisation.

The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board says corporates are becoming more aware of the need to make sure consumers understand what products must be installed and what services must be carried out by authorised tradespeople. The Board has produced a new consumer guide detailing everything consumers need to know, and many councils are supporting the campaign by making the guide available in their public waiting areas. If you would like to help get the message out to consumers, please email comms@pgdb.co.nz to request copies.

Who can I trust?

Ask-for-the-card. Everyone authorised

to undertake plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work must carry their licence card and are required to produce it.

Getting it right

Sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying

CONSUMER GUIDE BUILDING OR RENOVATING?

A public register of all certifying

and licensed tradespeople is available at www.pgdb.co.nz. You can use the search function to find contact details

What does this mean for consumers?

You should ask to see the current authorisation card of a tradesperon – this is confirmation that the plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work will be completed by someone qualified or competently supervised.

You can have greater confidence in the competence of the tradespeople you engage.

It’s important to know that work undertaken by unlicensed people may invalidate insurance cover.

of specific individuals, or to find the names and contact details of certifying or licensed tradespeople in your area.

If you believe work you have had done is sub-standard, or has been done by someone who does not hold a current licence, you can make a complaint to

THE RIGHT STEPS TO TAKE

the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

0800 743 262 www.pgdb.co.nz

CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION

Recent convictions •

•

•

Christchurch man Ross Glynn has been convicted and fined $800 plus solicitor’s fee and court costs for carrying out sanitary plumbing work without authorisation. He was discovered to be working illegally during a PGD Board enforcement project in Canterbury, with authorisation checks at around 80 construction sites.

Also during the PGD Board’s enforcement project, Christchurch man Scott Double was found to be working illegally and fined $2,700 plus solicitor’s fee and court costs.

“As the Christchurch rebuild progresses, Cantabrians can expect the Board’s licence audits to ramp-up,” says Board Chair Peter Jackson. “Those who cheat the system and put public health and safety at risk will be caught.”

Tauranga man Andrew Hopcroft has been fined $1,125 plus

•

solicitor’s fee and court costs for misleading consumers through misrepresentation of his trade status. Based on the wording in a flyer he produced, the complainant was mistakenly led to believe he was authorised to carry out sanitary plumbing work.

Auckland man Dean Loveridge has also been found guilty of misleading claims. He confirmed that he was a licensed plumber by showing UK City and Guilds documents to the complainant, saying these documents were internationally recognized. He has never been registered or licensed by the PGD Board to carry out restricted plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work in New Zealand. He was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 plus court costs and a solicitor’s fee.

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INNOVATION

From idea to end product THERE’S A FAMILY oriented spirit at Rinnai. Many of the team have worked here for 20 or 30 years, undertaking professional development training along the way. Take George Eliki, for example, who started on the factory floor before moving to the technical department and who is now a fully qualified gasfitter.

The 10,000 sq m site houses everything from the product development room, paintshop and fabrication space, to the assembly line, storage area, warehouse, staff offices, training room and a retail showroom. There’s also a canteen, where the management cook a BBQ for the whole team on the last Friday of each month.

From concept to mass production

In the product development room, aka The Love Shack, whiteboards covered in writing, diagrams and a plethora of Post-it notes give a good idea of the intense brainstorming and product review process that goes into the development and evolution of each product.

It’s a lengthy process from concept to design, prototyping and mass production—and key to it all is understanding the end user’s needs and desires. “Customer insight is part of the design process,” explains Design Manager Ben Hawkins. “For example, with our gas fires, we hold interviews with end customer groups and observe the way they use products, to see how we can make improvements.”

NZ Plumber takes a tour of the Rinnai HQ in Auckland to see how new products evolve from whoa to go.

Themes that emerge from the post-interview ‘unpacking session’ serve as insights for the design phase. Prototypes are then created and, once again, trialled on customers. This could be, say, to find out how accessible the controls are on a gas fire, or which burn media has the most appeal.

Talking to the trade

Ease of installation is as high on the list of product criteria as functionality and style. This means tradespeople are another vitally important part of the design process, and often the deciding vote when it comes to hot water products, which make up 56 percent of Rinnai’s range. The project team gets out on the road and talks to the trade.

“The plumber often prescribes the solution,” says Product Manager Jess Ramsey. “Later this year we’ll be launching an updated Rinnai Boil &BrewTM boiling water unit, and all the changes we will make to this product for the re-launch are things suggested to us by the plumbers. They all loved the unit, calling it the bulletproof Boil & Brew, but there were also things they

whiteboards covered in writing, diagrams and a plethora of Post-it notes

Above left: Part of the in-house sheet metal fabrication facilities. Above right: Rinnai’s North Island distribution warehouse facility.

40

August/September 2015

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Above: Precision manufacturing with NC controlled sheetmetal processing.

thought could be improved. By listening to them we found that we could make simple fixes that added a lot of value for them, like changing the cover design so it can be removed without having to drain the tank and remove the tap.”

A new innovation recently launched in NZ is the Rinnai Smart CylinderTM range, designed to save on hot water bills by ‘learning’ how householders use their hot water and heating to meet anticipated demand. “This is massive innovation in the hot water cylinder market and we are the only supplier of this type of product in NZ,” says Jess. “Everyone has been involved, from our technical and marketing team through to our customers, the plumbers and end users.”

Even the packaging is considered part of the design process, led by the marketing team. “We had groups of children testing out their preferred options for the recently developed line of fun designs for our new Evolve 1250 gas fire. Last year, a cardboard castle was launched and won a packaging award in the 2014 New Zealand Best awards, while this year the vote went to a submarine.

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INNOVATION

Above: Rinnai gas fires, heaters and electric hot water cylinders ready to leave the Auckland warehouse.

Commended for innovation

This focus on design and innovation led to Rinnai receiving an Innovation commendation from Callaghan Innovation in April.

This stand-alone crown entity was set up in 2013 to encourage innovative practice in NZ businesses. It now uses an international benchmark framework—the IMProve Innovation assessment— to gauge the success of Kiwi companies and provide them with feedback.

Rinnai was given an overall score of 63 percent for their innovation management performance, compared to an average score of 50 percent among 594 comparable companies from around the world.

“Rinnai has a real focus on innovation, and we have increased that focus in the last four years, so it’s good to know the processes and practices we have put in place are working,” says Ben, who

Above: National Marketing Manager Kathryn Geck (left) and Product Manager Jess Ramsey.

ideas are welcomed from everyone within the company cites the Neo gas fireplace as a prime example of these practices, combining simple installation with efficiency and customerfriendly functionality. The Neo, an insert model designed to fit into existing masonry chimneys, earned Rinnai a second award, this time for Best Effect at the 2014 New Zealand Best Awards.

All ideas welcomed

Above: Rinnai’s award-winning Neo gas fireplace.

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August/September 2015

Ideas are welcomed from everyone within the company, not just the R&D team. “We have a saying at Rinnai that, in order to have great ideas, you need to have lots of ideas,” says Ben. “To encourage everyone to contribute, we have a ROFI (Rinnai Opportunity for Improvement) system, where any team member from the factory floor to senior management can suggest ideas for improvement in any area.”

Last year, as part of its Flames & Frames project, Rinnai introduced optional mirrored side panels to some of its gas fire products, providing an extended flame picture. This year’s innovations to date have included the extension of the Evolve 950 to the Evolve 1250, meeting customer desire for a longer, linear look with a wider burner bed. Also this year, a new revamped website was launched, and now includes an Architects Portal with CAD and BIM files and an updated TradeSmart portal for installers and service agents. ■

REAL LIVES

Modern approach Martin Sawyers, new Chief Executive for the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, explains his philosophy around regulation and looks at areas of particular focus for the Board.

I WOULD LIKE to thank the industry for a warm welcome into my role. After just a few weeks, I have already had the opportunity to meet a variety of people associated with the industry. I have enjoyed this time spent understanding the challenges that lie ahead.

I am hoping to meet more of you over the months as I work to ensure that the Board delivers its services as effectively and efficiently as possible.

stressful for those involved where significant health and safety issues do not arise. I will be exploring ways of dealing with those lower level complaints without them needing to automatically go through an investigation process.

• Continuing Professional Development A review is underway. I have some ideas on how CPD can be improved and I will be working on those ideas as part of the review.

About myself My formal training is in law. I spent 18 years in private practice, before moving into the public sector in 2008.

A number of my clients were small and medium sized businesses and I ran my own small business for 13 of those years. I have spent the last four and a half years working at the Real Estate Agents Authority.

I have previously held a number of governance roles in both the public and private sector. They include Deputy Chairman of a state owned enterprise, Chairman of an electricity lines company and a term as Mayor for the Buller District Council.

I enjoyed working in the area of regulation with the Real Estate Agents Authority, and my new role with the Board is an opportunity to use the skills that I have obtained.

My philosophy around regulation is a modern approach. I believe in making it as easy as possible for the majority of those in the industry that want to comply with their obligations.

I believe in a disciplinary system that is fair, risk based and proportionate. I believe in regulation that is responsive to the changing needs of the industry.

Key focus areas •

•

Industry engagement It is important that I continue to take the opportunities to meet with as many tradespeople and other stakeholders as possible. I want to understand the concerns and how things can be improved.

Streamlining complaints and discipline The current cost of dealing with the lower level complaints is disproportionate to the risks associated with those complaints. The process can be long and

I want to understand the concerns and how things can be improved • Reviews

The review of registration and licensing and the review of the fees and levy are now underway. I think it is important that tradespeople get involved and submit feedback for consideration.

There appears to be some confusion about supervision.

The upcoming review is the opportunity for the industry to clarify what the appropriate level of supervision is, that would deal with the risks associated with the different categories of work.

•

Unauthorised people Continued work in mitigating the risk to public health and safety from unauthorised people is also my focus.

I will be looking to develop further strategies that help deal with illegal operators within the industry.

Lastly, if there are any questions or concerns about the Board and how we operate—please feel free to contact me directly.

It is far better to hear it ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ than to speculate or listen to information that may not be entirely accurate.

If you want to know something, give me a call. I can’t guarantee you will necessarily agree or like what I say—but I am very happy to discuss it with you. ■

August/September 2015

43

SMART BUSINESS

HR advice line HIRING NEW STAFF? Dealing with a dispute? Having to make someone redundant? Dealing with issues involving your employees can be challenging and sometimes it’s hard to know which way to turn for advice.

To support member businesses, Master Plumbers has established a new subsidised helpline service. Members can call employment relations and HR consultant Lisa Duston for advice at specially reduced rates.

Lisa Duston.

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August/September 2015

Announcing a new employment relations helpline for Master Plumbers’ members!

Lisa is Director of Payroll Bureau Solutions Ltd (PBSL), which she established in 2007 when she saw a need in the market for payroll specialists to assist small to medium businesses with their payroll requirements. Over the years, PBSL had added to their ‘tool belt’, now offering businesses a complete office management package.

Having worked in various sectors, including construction, plumbing and electrical, Lisa has broad experience of the needs of small to medium trades businesses. She has also assisted Master Plumbers and MasterLink with their HR function, giving her a good understanding of the organisation.

Services available at special rates to members include: • Recruitment • Payroll • Coaching and feedback • Performance/disciplinary management.

Next time an issue presents itself in your workplace, give Lisa a call.

“Together we can work through the best approach to ensure you are acting as a fair and reasonable employer.” ■ Master Plumbers’ members can receive HR and employment relations advice at the specially reduced rate of $45 an hour. Call Lisa Duston on 03 388 4066 or 021 245 1704. Available during normal business hours.

SMART BUSINESS

Avoiding the icebergs!

Who is looking out for the icebergs in your business?

Spot them or risk sinking, warns Sue Hirst.

IF YOU ARE too young to remember the story of the iceberg that sank the Titanic, let me give you the ‘Executive Summary’ of what went wrong (courtesy of Wikipedia.org).

RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of 15 April 1912, after colliding with an iceberg, during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, US. The sinking resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 passengers and crew, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history.

Two enquiries reached broadly similar conclusions: the regulations on the number of lifeboats that ships had to carry were out of date and inadequate, Captain Smith had failed to take proper heed of ice warnings, the lifeboats had not been properly filled or crewed, and the collision was the direct result of steaming into a

dangerous area at too high a speed.

This is a useful story to remember and one that all of us in business can probably relate to. The question is, though, who is looking out for the iceberg in your business?

Here are some examples of icebergs we’ve encountered in our time with clients: 1. Superannuation calculated on the wrong staff pay items, resulting in overpayment 2. Ignorance of work health and safety compliance laws, risking potential fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars and jail term for directors 3. Growth plans with no consideration of the cash required to fund growth 4. GST claimed on expenses with no GST included. If this goes on for a long time, it can result in large amounts due—plus fines, plus interest—and

5.

6.

7.

8.

risk putting your business on a black list for future audits Similarly GST not claimed on items containing GST, risking potential input credits not claimed, adding up to large amounts, causing unnecessary and unexplained cash flow problems Plans to purchase a competitor’s business without consideration of the extra working capital required to fund the extra sales, risking potential cash flow problems and insolvency Incorrect rates paid to staff, resulting in retrospective recompense and wasted time dealing with industrial relations claims Long service leave liabilities not accounted for and expected, resulting in potential large payments, unless you have a particularly good relationship with staff to enable negotiation

it’s tempting to think that lots of sales will make up for any little issues 46

August/September 2015

9. Lease on premises not renewed, resulting in landlord giving notice to vacate, causing immediate and unexpected closure of business 10. Inadequate business insurance resulting in unnecessary hardship after fire 11. Unresolved contractual issues resulting in unnecessary money and time spent in litigation 12. Lack of data backups, resulting in unnecessarily long time to recover after technology breakdown 13. Fraud by staff resulting in financial loss 14. Issues not allowed for in supply chain, resulting in lack of supply and reduction in revenue 15. Ignorance of environmental issues eg, Digital Disruption (impact of internet delivery of products/ services by cheaper competitors), causing reduced sales. Also impact of rating sites—adverse ratings are

ignored at the peril of businesses 16. Lack of credit checks of major customers resulting in bad debt, which severely impacted business’s ability to continue 17. Poorly implemented systems, causing interruption to business’s ability to deliver to customers and reduced revenues 18. Goods not registered with PPSR, causing inability to recover them in the event of customer liquidation 19. Errors in accounting, resulting in underpayment of tax and penalties and interest on underpayment.

aren’t available to cover them.

The old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is appropriate here. An iceberg can create financial hardship, but it can also cause severe stress on business owners and staff morale. The issue with risk management can be ‘we don’t know what we don’t know’, and it can be a worthwhile exercise to have someone with experience to do a ‘risk management’ review of your business.

To develop your very own plan for growth visit: http://www.cfooncall.com. au/growth-planning-session ■ About the author: Sue Hirst is Co-Founder and Director of CFO On-Call, a team of financial and business advisors who work with open-minded people committed to business growth and achieving success. For a no obligation, free chat about your profit growth opportunities, call 0800 180 400 or visit www.CFOonCall.co.nz

These are just some of the issues uncovered—some before the disaster occurred and some after the event, and before we got there. It’s tempting to think that lots of sales will make up for any little issues that occur. Unfortunately, these issues can ‘rear their ugly heads’ when times aren’t so good and the funds

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PAGE TAG SMART BUSINESS

From the IR: Cash jobs

Some people think they don’t have to pay tax if they’re paid in cash—but they’re wrong, says Inland Revenue.

TAX EVASION IS a crime.

The government uses taxpayers’ money to pay for services we all need, such as healthcare, education, environmental protection and recreation.

By not declaring all their income, people who do un-taxed ‘cashies’ are taking unfair advantage of honest businesses and cheating those who pay the right amount of tax.

It’s OK to do jobs for cash or for your mates/family as long as you record them and declare the income when you’re filing your annual tax return.

Make sure that you: • record every job, no matter how big or small (even if the customer is a friend or family member), and provide your customers with receipts

•

bank all cash you receive—don’t use it to make small purchases • encourage your customers to make a direct credit or internet banking payment rather than paying in cash • charge GST if you’re registered for it.

You must be registered for GST when your annual turnover exceeds $60,000.

In short, you need to declare all your income, every last dollar.

If you’re already paying tax on all your income, there’s nothing more you need to do.

If you’re not doing the right thing we can help you get back on track.

Inland Revenue’s constantly improving information-gathering systems are making it harder to get away with cheating on your taxes.

CLASSIFIED ADS

So what can you do if you’ve made a mistake in your tax return?

We recommend that you bring it to our attention by making a ‘voluntary disclosure’ to Inland Revenue before they get in touch with you. You may be entitled to a reduction in shortfall penalties of 100 percent (75 percent if it’s tax evasion) and you won’t be prosecuted in court.

Inland Revenue’s guide Putting your tax returns right (IR 280) has more information, and contains the voluntary disclosure application form.

You can find the guide at www.ird.govt. nz (search keyword: ir280).

If you’re one of the majority paying your share of tax, thank you. Our reputation depends on professionals like you. ■

The cost to advertise is $40+GST for MPGD members; $75+GST for non-members.

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

Looking for a Plumber, Wellington

Plumber/Drainlayer/ Gasfitter

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To work within a company that treats all staff as equals. Are you a Registered/ Certifying Plumber looking for a new challenge? Interested in working with maintenance and light commercial plumbing services? We are a great team offering to the right person: • $29 per hour plus benefits • a vehicle • one week’s holiday a year for two people to Australia or the surrounding Pacific Islands Are you a team player who is willing to go the extra mile to ensure customer and job satisfaction? Email your application to Josh: josh@plumbingexpress.co.nz or call 027 585 1181 for any queries.

We are a Wellington based company requiring a person with plumbing and gas fitting qualifications and experience.

Certifying skills would be an added advantage.

The position requires you to have good written, verbal and IT skills to deal with a wide range of people and situations.

Our company has a busy environment with a friendly team. Teamwork ability is important but does not need to be in the construction industry.

If you are reliable and honest and you are looking for a change, apply to jeff@nve. co.nz. You will need a positive attitude, clean driver’s licence and NZ residency.

Earn 6 free CPD points online and learn about the design and installation of Advanced Enviro-Septic (AES) wastewater treatment systems. AES is a passive, aerobic ‘back to the future’ system which has been in use in the US for over 25 years. It requires no power, is easy to install and gives you and your clients peace of mind with a 20 year warranty and high quality treatment. Registered drainlayers who complete the online training course can install AES systems.

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Qualified Plumber/Gasfitter positions available, Alexandra, Central Otago Time for a lifestyle change? We have great lakes, awesome mountain biking, affordable housing and no traffic jams. You will be joining a friendly team, efficiently managed using the latest technology, with modern workshop, new vehicles and a wide variety of work. If this sounds like it appeals to you and you are a lifestyle seeker with a great attitude, we would love to hear from you. Email your application to rory@mclellans.co.nz or call 03 448 8500 to find out more. McLellan’s Plumbing & Heating

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August/September 2015

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Plumbers without borders

WORLD VIEW

A group of plumbers has been getting their hands dirty on the Caribbean island of Haiti, making a marked difference to daily life. Ross Miller reports.

FIVE YEARS ON, the earthquake devastation of Haiti has been replaced in immediate memory by other natural disasters, including the Japanese tsunami and Canterbury quakes. But for much of Haiti, the disaster still stares them in the face.

After major disruptions to facilities in a flood or earthquake, most of diseases are waterborne, so the priority needs to be… fix the plumbing. Since the Haiti quake, there have been more than 380,000 cholera cases.

GROUP EFFORT Florida plumber Fred Schilling, 65, is one of the group of plumbers helping out in Haiti. He was on the brink of retirement from a successful business when the Haiti earthquake struck.

Having begun his career in the United States Air Force’s Red Horse Combat Construction Division, with whom he’d deploy after an earthquake or tsunami with just two hours’ notice, he thought he could be the man for the job. Should be a quick job, he thought, but he didn’t realise Haiti was, and is, so undeveloped—especially by American standards—that, in many cases, there was no infrastructure to fix.

Seattle plumbers Domenico DiGregorio and Fred Volkers, and their wives, were in the process of founding a non-profit organisation, Plumbers Without Borders, to help plumbers wishing to help in natural disasters or developing countries to connect with those organisations that could best benefit from their skills. Schilling teamed up with them and promptly helped them launch their current Haiti initiative. The organisation has about 400 plumbers from the US, Africa, Australia, the UK and elsewhere. Plumbers speak the same ‘language’, says DiGregorio, and ending water crises is often just about employing a skilled > person in time to address the issue.

I had no concept as to how undeveloped Haiti was… that it basically had no plumbing

Above: Sanitation and clean water have been two major priorities since the quake.

August/September 2015

49

WORLD VIEW

Above left: Fred at work in Haiti. Above right: A new concrete and plastic toilet installation.

PURIFIERS AND PANS At that same time, a group of graduate students from Seattle University had developed a water purification system that could produce 10,000 gallons of clean water every 24 hours.

Since that first trip, Schilling has returned to Haiti nine times, but his mission has evolved into helping the country become more self-sufficient in tackling sanitation issues. It is thought nearly half of rural Haitians rely on open defecation.

To help reduce those figures, Plumbers Without Borders partnered with American Standard Brands, who invented a

Above: Plumbers Without Borders is teaching students at Haiti Tec to install water purification systems.

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August/September 2015

Photographs courtesy of Plumbers Without Borders

Schilling partnered with a group out of Seattle University, which helped defray some of the costs, and spent $3,000 of his own money to fund his trip. He found a different world: his training would allow him to ‘take on the re-plumbing of the Empire State Building’ and he had recently been the contractor establishing the world’s largest water park. When he touched down in Haiti, he quickly realised the sanitation issue would have to take a backseat to providing clean water. “I had no concept as to how undeveloped Haiti was… that it basically had no plumbing. We had to rethink this.”

WORLD VIEW

no-frills system called the Sato (Safe toilet) toilet pan that closes off pit latrines from the open air, eliminating sewage gas odours and preventing insects from spreading diseases. Last November, the company agreed to start licensing the Sato pan in Haiti. It’s a breakthrough that could bring five million toilets to the country in five years, Schilling says.

PLUMBING EDUCATION The next big hurdle for Schilling and his colleagues is improving plumbing education in Haiti so that local graduates can install these toilets and also take on major contracting jobs with hotels and clinics, instead of foreign workers. Haiti Tec currently has a one-year plumbing programme. Plumbers Without Borders has held plumbing workshops at Haiti Tec and hopes eventually to expand the programme.

It’s also working on finding ways to encourage more women into the industry to close the gender inequality gap. The organisation recently applied with Haiti Tec for a $500,000 Gates

bring five million toilets to the country in five years

Foundation grant that will launch a women-specific plumbing programme.

After a Seattle University graduate student recently gave a lengthy talk on cumbersome topics such as water testing in Haiti, Schilling expected the students to doze off. Instead, they spent two-and-a half hours afterwards asking pointed questions.

“They didn’t miss one word,” Schilling said. “This is life or death for them.” ■ Find out more about Plumbers Without Borders at www.plumberswithoutborders.org

In addition to running his own company, Fred Schilling is VicePresident of Plumbers Without Borders, Commissioner with the Florida Building Commission, a member of the World Plumbing Council and belongs to a variety of organisations, including the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the American Society of Plumbing Engineers and the National Fire Protection Association.

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REAL LIVES

Big on backflow In recognition of his many years’ service to the field of backflow prevention, Murray Ellis won the President’s Award at the 2015 New Zealand Plumbing Awards. NZ Plumber talked to Murray about his long, rewarding and sometimes outspoken career.

MANY OF MURRAY Ellis’s students have gone on to become equally passionate about backflow prevention. And with good reason. Cross contamination of the water supply can have disastrous, even fatal, results for individuals and communities.

Now approaching 75, Murray still travels around the country teaching backflow prevention skills to plumbers through Opus, though he’s about to hand over the reins and enjoy his wellearned retirement to the full.

Murray’s plumbing career started in earnest in the midSixties when he landed a plumbing job in Auckland with a firm that serviced the Hellaby and Westfield meatworks. Unlike many New Zealand plumbers at the time, who were heading to Australia in search of work, Murray was just returning from a stint across the ditch on completing his apprenticeship. A keen cricketer, rugby player and swimmer, he mixed work with play as he travelled between Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

I could foresee plumbers losing a lot of work to others

Above: Murray Ellis (centre) receiving his award in March.

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August/September 2015

PLUMBERS VS ENGINEERS It was while at the meatworks that Murray realised a lot of plumbers wouldn’t touch pipes over 40mm, even though it was sanitary plumbing. Any larger pipework was left to the engineers. Never afraid of speaking out, Murray protested. “I felt plumbers should be doing the work after spending all the time learning how,” he says. He and another couple of plumbers worked on the heating and ventilation at the plant, with the result that the engineers went on strike. Demarcation disputes between the Engineers and Plumbers Unions were to become a familiar battleground in the ensuing years.

Murray later worked at DB Breweries in Otahuhu, in the years when it was the plumber who took out the permit for work. This was all to change when the Building Act 1991 came into effect.

“Under G12, consents were now to be taken out by the owner, and I could foresee plumbers losing a lot of work to others.” This was to become a reality when stainless steel replaced the copper beer pipes and the plumbing industry failed to upgrade its skills to stainless steel welding, he says.

ARRIVAL OF IQPs The new Building Act also changed the face of backflow prevention by introducing the Independent Qualified Person (IQP) regime. With no regulation to address their competency or accountability, no national consistency and no available training, any private IQP could purchase a test kit and get started. Murray decided to return to Melbourne to do the backflow tester training there, only to discover he would have to become licensed as a Victorian plumber before he could gain the qualification.

This he duly did before he and his wife Sheila decided to set up their own business, Norman M Ellis, dedicated to his father, also a plumber. Together, they travelled to Southern California, where Murray completed tester training at the University’s Foundation for Cross-Connection Control—even being offered a job in the States with the promise of a paid-for university education for their two children.

any private IQP could purchase a test kit and get started TRAINING AND TESTING The pull of his home turf was too great, however, and back in New Zealand Murray was soon in demand for large commercial work with the likes of Auckland International Airport, CocaCola, brewery and dairy companies. Inspired by the work of good friend and backflow specialist Howard Henriksen, Murray went on to write this country’s first manual on backflow survey, along with backflow tester training, both funded by Unitec. For the next 10 years, he tutored courses, which were attended by plumbers, council staff and irrigation specialists.

These days, Murray and Sheila live in Tauranga. The City Council’s Water Engineer Graeme Mills is one of Murray’s former students and a great advocate for backflow prevention as Chair of Water New Zealand’s Backflow Group. Murray has been tasked by the Council to survey commercial buildings of every kind during his time here, and still laughs at the memory of one particularly unusual job.

“I went up the road to one of the city’s brothels where a spa pool had been installed. When I’d finished the work, I was spotted coming out by one of Tauranga’s more gossipy locals, so I raced back thinking Sheila might find out where I’d been before I got home.”

SURVEY SKILLS ESSENTIAL While the ability to test an installed backflow valve is a key skill, Murray believes that backflow survey is the most important part of the plumbing industry, as it ensures that no part of the water reticulation system in a building will pollute the drinking water.

“It’s something I’m very passionate about,” he says. “I tell my students that when they’re old enough to have grandchildren, they will want them to have the right to turn on a tap and drink clean water.” ■

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TIMES PAST

Wartime apprentice In part three of our series, Ernie MacManus recalls an unusual use for urine… and laughter at the Speight’s Brewery.

I SOON CAME to enjoy the work and the plumbing trade, especially the comradeship of the men who were always putting one over each other, with plenty of laughter especially during smokos and lunchtime. As usual with apprentices, they sent me for such things as glass-headed nails and technicolour paint.

The man in the paint shop poured several different colours in a one gallon tin and gave the lot one stir only and said, “Whatever you do, don’t shake the tin.” Then he added, “Sorry, tell them we are out of the nails but I am sure these will do instead,” and gave me two dozen glass headed mirror screws.

The joke was on the others when I arrived back with the order filled, but Tom had some explaining to do when head office saw the invoice.

GRIT, POWDER AND URINE One Monday, a few of us travelled to Invercargill led by Tom to complete a heating system in a three storey commercial building that had been piped out by some pipe fitters from Australia,

Image courtesy of www.flickr.com. Photograph

by Natalia Volna itravelNZ@travel app Above: The Grand Hotel in Invercargill.

temporarily employed for that purpose because of the shortage of plumbers.

It was our job to refit the radiators, couple the boiler, test the system and insulate the exposed pipework in the basement.

We travelled down in the firm’s 1940 Ford V8 utility for the three-hour-plus trip as a lot of the main road was still not tar sealed—three in the cab and rest in the back under the canopy—arriving just on lunch time when we were booked into the Grand Hotel (Invercargill’s finest) where we were served in the kitchen and booked into our rooms.

Over the next two days the radiators were all fitted and the boiler coupled, then the system was filled with water… What a disaster. Just about every joint fitted by the Australians leaked and soon the basement was running with water. The system was emptied and the very worst leaks repaired then tested again and, with the aid of a fine chisel and centre punch, the edges of the other leaks were somewhat closed, even though they were by no means sealed and they dripped steadily.

The national elections were in progress with the Prime Minister Sid Holland due to open the building two days later and the architect was not impressed, as things did not look good. The only one who appeared unperturbed was Tom when >

we booked into the Grand Hotel (Invercargill’s finest)

August/September 2015

55

TIMES PAST

he got me to borrow a bike and call on the nearest foundry to get a quantity of iron grit from around the grinding stones, plus two blocks of salamoniac (used for tinning soldering irons and highly corrosive), which was reduced to powder.

He sent the others off for their evening meal then got a bucket of urine, which the men used in the basement as the toilet that was not yet coupled. Then I mixed the grit, powder and urine together and we took the lot up to the roof space and poured the vile concoction into the open expansion tank from where it circulated through the whole system.

With the boiler at full temperature the leaks were slowly corroding up and we headed back to the hotel to join the others.

Tom swore me to secrecy and simply told the others we would try and fix the rest of the leaks the next day. The following morning the building was very warm and dry with not a sign of a leak, so all that day we fitted the asbestos lagging, emptied and refilled the system and packed up for home, stopping at the Gore pie cart on the way for a late meal.

Both Invercargill and Gore were dry areas but most of the patrons of the pie cart appeared to be well under the weather. It was not long before an all-in fight broke out between opposing supporters of the two local rugby clubs Albion and Pioneer, with the result some ended up in the open horse trough to cool off. It was great entertainment before we continued on our way back to Dunedin.

they appeared quite unsteady on their feet and laughed a lot VATS FOR SPEIGHT’S The firm at that time employed 49 plumbers and drain layers plus the tradesmen in the sheet metal shop where they manufactured all the ventilating equipment plus a big range of stainless steel bench tops and sinks. There was also a coppersmith shop mainly used for the production of hot water cylinders, but at this time several large fully enclosed copper vats were under construction for installation in Speight’s Brewery.

Wattie and I were sent along to give the coppersmiths a hand in coupling the finished products with the copper tubes, and every piece installed was duplicated to match exactly as fitted to the other vats. As each piece was finished it had to be cleaned and highly polished, first with sulphuric acid, then a mixture of vinegar and salt and finally with Brasso. Wattie and the coppersmiths seemed to be called away at various times and they appeared quite unsteady on their feet and laughed a lot by the day’s end.

Their excuse was that the brewery fumes were getting to them but it didn’t seem to affect me—but the fumes of the sulphuric acid gave me a bad headache when I cleaned the inside of the vats with no protective masks or clothing prior to completion.

Those vats in the pot room are a show place today with many tours passing through and they have been featured quite often on television.

With all the many jobs on the go, Burts only had one three56

August/September 2015

Above: The Speight’s Brewery copper vats are now part of the brewery tour.

ton truck to keep the material up to the tradesmen who were dropped off with all the tools and gear at the start of the job. No matter what area it was, finding their own way home and back the next day was the responsibility of the tradesmen and the apprentice. The Ford V8 utility was used almost exclusively for the maintenance plumber.

PAY INCREASE After the Speight’s job I was given an open order to a hardware shop to buy myself a complete tool kit including a leather tool bag! Payment was to be taken out of my tool allowance over a two-year period. Throwing the heavy tool kit over my shoulder I tramped back to the shop hoping to get a ride back to the hospital job. The jobbing foreman was there and sent me in the truck to an old historic house to run a gas line and also to fit the new spouting where the builders were replacing the fascia boards.

I had never worked on spouting before, especially on dormer windows with all the different angles, stop ends and downpipes.

Luckily some of the old spouting was still lying around so I set to, measured and marked the angles and made up the first section.

I put up the line, fitted the brackets with the right fall and the spouting fitted perfectly thanks to Wattie’s advice of double checking all measurements. The builder had been watching with some trepidation, and when he saw the first section complete tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Well done”.

This encouragement was enough to make me more determined to do well, and with renewed confidence I carried on and had the job well under way. We were having smoko when the boss arrived in a hell of a hurry the next morning with another plumber to take over. He said to me, “This is a mistake; you are not supposed to be here, you have had no experience on this type of work.” The builder looked astonished and said, “I don't believe it, there is nothing wrong with his work, come and have a look yourself ”, and with that we all followed him out to inspect my work. They spoke together and the boss told me to carry on and left, leaving me to finish the job on my own— and in my next wage packet was a note that my pay had been increased by a further period. ■

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TECH SAVVY

Scotching the scammers Cyber security tips to help keep your business software safe from attacks, hacks and viruses.

THE INTERNET HAS created a new world of business opportunity. You can sell to more people, communicate more efficiently and get paid faster.

These new opportunities go hand-in-hand with new risks. If a hacker breaches your business’s systems, you can lose money, customer data and suffer a blow to your reputation. Research

by Connect Smart (see box) shows eight in 10 New Zealanders have experienced a cyber attack, such as email hacks, computer viruses or misuse of credit card details.

But protecting yourself online is easy, much like clicking on a seatbelt when getting into a car.

By taking just these few key steps, you can guard against cyber incidents—and reduce the impact if any do sneak through.

1

Update your software Most software providers—particularly for your operating system—provide regular updates to guard against the latest hacks and bugs. It’s easy to ignore or put off these updates, but it’s time well spent to keep your systems safe. So next time you see an update notification, click ‘yes’ and go make yourself a cup of tea.

eight in 10 New Zealanders have experienced a cyber attack

2

4

3

Find your weak points Look at your systems with a critical eye. For each one, ask yourself if you’re making it easy for an unauthorised person to gain access.

Avoid using the same password for multiple systems, and don’t assign staff the same password. If you use a generic email account (eg, accounts@yourbusiness.co.nz) to access admin functions, limit the number of people who can log in.

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August/September 2015

Introduce processes Systems create regularity, making it easier to spot and fix any breaches. For example, if you assign one person to be the designated password-holder for a specific system, and another person the password-holder for another system, you’ll know straight away who to contact to check if any unusual activity is a breach.

Another tip is to set specific times for tasks such as depositing money or making batch payments. This will make it easy to spot suspect transactions.

5

Seize the day Once you’ve identified and managed the risks involved, you’re free to make the most of the opportunities the digital world has to offer savvy businesses. ■

Connect Smart

Connect Smart is a partnership of more than 100 organisations from across government and industry, committed to lifting New Zealand’s cyber security. For more useful tips, download the SME Toolkit from the Connect Smart website at www.connectsmart.govt.nz/businesses

© Crown copyright

Be wary of phishing Cyber criminals don’t just try to crack your passwords— they try to trick you into revealing them yourself. The most common method is known as ‘phishing’. An email will arrive, seemingly from a legitimate source such as a bank, asking you to log into your account. If you do so, you’ve given the scammers your password and/or user name.

Maintain a healthy scepticism. Banks never ask for your password, in person or by email. Check the authenticity of unexpected emails, or emails promising something that seems too good to be true. If it asks you to click on a link to log in to ‘your account’, does the URL [website address] match that of the organisation’s official website?

Next time you visit your bank or any other website you have a log in for, check for any warnings or information relating to scammers.

SUPPLY LINES

Here for the industry Plumbing World share some updates that reinforce its purpose of being in existence for the good of the plumber.

AS A NEW Zealand-owned cooperative, we are absolutely dedicated and focussed on plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying.

We’re NZ’s team in black, representing Kiwi-ness, teamwork and expertise in the plumbing industry. We’re another Kiwi team that works hard, plays hard and gets results—and these attitudes underpin and back our dedicated service.

Club info and events—all this and more at your fingertips. This app really is useful. Download it today from the App Store or Google Play.

Young plumbers

To the max

Max Points is Plumbing World’s loyalty incentive programme, which is available to all our trade account holders. Signing up is easy and so is earning points. You can check your balance and redeem your rewards online, so you can spoil your family and staff to the Max. You can redeem MaxPoints on a wide range of rewards or convert them to our Overseas Trips Programme.

Singapore in style

In May, Plumbing World took a group of almost 200 shareholder customers to the futuristic city of Singapore for five fun-filled days. From dining at the bottom of the sea, to lunch with endless Singapore Slings at Raffles, a private beach party on Sentosa Island and the magic of Gardens By the Bay, the group really did do ‘Singapore in Style’. What’s got all the industry talking now is the announcement for Plumbing World’s 2017 destination… Rome! This really

Above: Five fun-filled days in Singapore.

Above: Kieran Read with the Plumbing World app.

will be a memorable trip of a lifetime, so talk to your Plumbing World Branch Manager today on how you can sign up. Numbers will be limited, so don’t miss out. Plus, if you want to take the family somewhere a little closer to home, Plumbing World are also going to Fiji in May 2018. Find out more about this too at your local PW branch.

The aim of the Young Plumbers Club (YPC) is to ‘future-proof ’ our industry through the education of our younger members in the long-term value of a plumbing career. We want to ensure our young plumbers remain passionate about the trade and its longevity. By engaging together on many different levels, Plumbing World hope to illustrate the benefits of being involved in the industry and the power that long-term relationships can bring to your business.

Ask at your local Plumbing World branch when the next YPC event is.

PW app

If you haven’t yet downloaded it, don’t delay so you can have a wealth of information in your pocket, 24/7.

View our front-of-wall product range and current deals, access product specs (perfect when you’re out on a job), check our branch locations, Young Plumbers

Dunedin branch

Plumbing World were proud to open our new Dunedin branch in June. This new site on Macandrew Road provides great access for our customers and features a fantastic showroom to help your own customers with their product selections.

We hadn’t planned on the worst flooding Dunedin had encountered in over 100 years and unfortunately our beautiful new branch was literally knee deep in water. So, clean up mode kicked in, with the staff and customers all helping move shelving and stock, and we now look forward to you visiting our new Dunedin branch. ■

Platinum Partner

August/September 2015

59

AROUND ASSOCIATIONS

In it together

One year in, the Building Interest Group initiated by New Plymouth District Council Building Manager Peter Scantlebury is proving a useful collaboration.

FOR TOO MANY years, NZ’s building industry has operated in an adversarial manner, says Peter Scantlebury.

“Activities often play out without much collaboration between the parties, and with a focus on individual business interests. We’re all working for the same customer, so why shouldn’t we work together? It mitigates the risk immensely.”

To foster a collaborative approach in the Taranaki region, Peter initiated the Building Interest Group, or BIG, which held its first meeting in April 2014.

Representatives from professional bodies are invited to participate, rather than individual tradespeople. “We have two or three representatives from the likes of Master Plumbers, Master Builders, the Architects Institute, IPENZ, and we ask them to distribute the minutes to all their members in the region.

“In the course of my work, I always ask tradespeople if they belong to their professional body. There are many good reasons why you should, including assistance, advice, staying current and up to date—the whole shooting match.”

BIG has a vision statement, which is reiterated at the start of each quarterly

meeting. “By sharing constructive ideas and communicating with trust and respect, we contribute to a continually improving experience for building owners and occupiers.”

This, for Peter, sums up the ultimate aim of a better result for the end user: the fee-paying customer. “The meetings lead to interesting discussions and also generate a sense of community.”

Any particular issues are added to the agenda, listened to and, wherever possible, acted on. “For example, the council was receiving a steady trickle of complaints from builders that it was taking too long for their inspections, with sometimes a three or four day wait. As a result, we have contracted an engineering firm to inspect purely structural work on our behalf, using our competency systems and equipment.

We use them as needed, and it’s been an immense help.

“Some plumbers were also telling us that our inspectors didn’t have plumbing knowledge. Our senior inspector is a Certifying Plumber, Gasfitter and Drainlayer, but the others aren’t because much of the plumbing work they inspect

is quite simple.

But we took the comments on board and contracted a Master Plumber to do the more complex plumbing inspections for us. It has been very successful.”

Peter always felt that once a cohesive relationship had been established, BIG could go one step further and offer practical resources, such as training and presentations. This June saw a start, with around 100 attending seminars on passive fire protection.

“When I had the idea for BIG, I talked to several people who said they’d tried something similar and it hadn’t worked.

But I think by persisting, listening to everyone’s issues, sharing stories and improving processes where possible, we’re making a success of it. It’s turning ‘parties’ into ‘partners’.” ■ BIG updates are included in NPDC’s Planit newsletter. To subscribe, email peter.scantlebury@npdc.govt.nz

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Dust & noise

SAFETY FIRST

The dangers of dust and noise on construction sites are a focus for WorkSafe New Zealand, as it outlined to participants at a recent trade breakfast.

THE NUMBER OF people thought to die from work-related diseases in New Zealand is around 600-900 a year. “Most of that is asbestos related but the combination of dust load at the workplace is a very significant hazard,” said WorkSafe’s Canterbury Rebuild Health and Safety Programme Director Kathryn Heiler at a safety trade breakfast in March which was attended by more than 300 rebuild workers.

Silica is a natural substance found in construction site materials such as concrete, fibre-cement products, bricks, rocks and stone. Dust containing silica is created when these materials are cut, ground, drilled or otherwise disturbed. Dust containing silica isn’t always visible to the naked eye, and breathing it in can result in lung disease.

According to WorkSafe, harm can be caused by long-term exposure to small or moderate levels of silica dust, and by shortterm exposure to high levels. It also notes that smoking adds to the lung damage caused by silica dust exposure.

Earlier this year, WorkSafe funded a pilot study into silica dust levels across construction. Early indications from the study showed that in many cases, workers are not wearing any respiratory protection and, where it is worn, most are not face fit tested. Many are also not clean shaven, making the protection ineffective.

“In order for people to wear PPE, they have to understand why they have to wear it,” said Kathryn Heiler. “Workers are often not aware of risks associated with silica dust, in particular the combined effect of smoking and being exposed to dust.”

Although wet cutting and using water as a dust suppressant is considered best practice, the study indicates that this method creates a lot of slurry, which gets on workers’ boots and clothing and turns to dust again when it dries. So, the need for other

occupational hygiene practices at the workplace, including dust extraction measures, need to be considered.

A Silica Dust in Construction Fact Sheet, published in April by WorkSafe, notes that where silica dust is created on a worksite, employers should implement: • dust control methods • respiratory protection • air monitoring • health monitoring • protective clothing • warning signs • training.

Read the Silica Dust in Construction Fact Sheet in full at www.worksafe/information-guidance/all-guidance-items/silicadust-in-construction-fact-sheet

Case study: Fulton Hogan

Fulton Hogan occupational health nurse Nikki Ross talked to trade breakfast participants about this privately owned company’s approach to managing dust and noise. The company employs 5,500 people across New Zealand and Australia, with 850 of these in Canterbury, she said. “Because of the type of work and the industries we’re in, safety is of utmost importance, and idenyifying hazards is a priority for ensuring a safe workplace for all our staff.

The biggest hazard we’ve identified is noise and dust.”

The ultimate aim at Fulton Hogan is to elimate hazards by looking at: 1. production process 2. what hazardous substances are present 3. work practices used by staff, eg water suppression systems, ventilation and containment systems.

If hazards can’t be eliminated, the company uses PPE, warning signs, training and continual monitoring. Its focus is on monitoring its people, not just the environment. This inclues pre-employment screening medicals, cardiovascular, hearing and lung function tests, questionnaires and assessments.

Particular types of risk associated with dust and noise are respiratory problems, eye contamination and hearing loss, Nikki

Above: Nikki Ross talking at the trade breakfast.

explained. Eye wash stations are available on all Fulton Hogan sites and in the First Aid room. The company is also looking at developing safety glasses with improved rims for a better fit.

“This will be positive for the whole industry.”

Staff are also encouraged to take all practicable steps to keep themselves and others around them safe, including notifying managers or foremen of any concerns about noise or dust levels.

“We’re also really trying to encourage them not to take clothes > and boots home.”

August/September 2015

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SAFETY FIRST

Time to step up

“We really need to step up in the occupational health space,” says Donna Burt, WorkSafe’s Occupational Health in Construction Manager. “That’s where people are dying and we’ve ignored it for too long.”

At the trade breakfast, Donna urged participants to do at least one thing different, be it a lung function assessment or regular hearing tests. We’re not identifying or aware of occupational health hazards, and they’re not as obvious as safety hazards, she said. “A noisy or dusty environment is considered ‘normal’.

Workers don’t know what they are working with and its risks.”

The health hazards of construction noise and dust are a focus for WorkSafe. The silica dust project aims to identify the issues, then develop a programme of work from the report findings.

“We will work with industry to ensure that silica dust exposure is being identified and managed,” she said.

One of biggest challenges the government has is to get in front of workers, rather than just talk to managers and foremen. A successful initiative in Canterbury has been the occupational health van. With support from ACC, TriEx and the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter, WorkSafe visits construction sites offering ‘mini’ health checks, with a focus on education around health risks and how to use PPE. Nurses on site also provide food and drink bottles, along with giveaways and competitions.

The key with occupational health, says Donna, is to identify, assess, control, document and monitor. “Don’t go straight to PPE. Maintain your machines, see if you can you use water suppression or extraction. Make sure your controls are working.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Use the same model for safety, and focus on one thing at time.” ■

we will work with industry to ensure that silica dust exposure is being managed

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August/September 2015

Top: A worker getting a ‘mini’ health check.

Above: WorkSafe handing out giveaways on site.

W E N

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MANUAL INCLUDES

• H & S Policies • Accident & Hazard Registers • Information on Training & Supervision • Emergency Planning & Readiness CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVE

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVE

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND READINESS

OBJECTIVE

employees of (Insert Company Name) while undertaking the work required by the contract.

contractors, subcontractors and their employees do not cause harm to the

This is achieved by:

by the contract.

• Ensuring all contractors are inducted to (Insert Company Name)’s health

employees of (Insert Company Name) while undertaking the work required (Insert Company Name) has an effective general emergency / evacuation

plan to manage emergencies likely to occur within any part of the business operations and to comply with legislative requirements.

and safety systems

This is achieved by:

• Health and safety responsibilities are written into the contracts

• Ensuring all contractors are inducted to (Insert Company Name)’s health

This is achieved by:

and safety systems

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Health and safety responsibilities are written into the contracts

• Having a documented emergency / evacuation plan • Communicating emergency / evacuation plans to all employees

• Having designated wardens and providing adequate training for them.

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Maintaining a register of employee emergency contact details

• Ensuring emergency / evacuation drills occur at once a year

means a person who or that engages any person (otherwise than an

• As a principal, we are required to take all practicable steps for a contractor’s

means a person who or that engages any person (otherwise than an

safety and the safety of any of their employees.

employee) to do any work for gain or payment.

• To achieve this the business will:

• As a principal, we are required to take all practicable steps for a contractor’s

• Advise the contractor of all specific hazards they may be exposed to and the

safety and the safety of any of their employees.

EVACUATION PLAN

hazard controls that are in place.

• To achieve this the business will:

• Advise the contractor of the emergency and evacuation procedures

• Advise the contractor of all specific hazards they may be exposed to and the

In the event of any emergency or natural disaster, the following will happen:

• Ensure the contractor has adopted their own health and safety management

hazard controls that are in place.

• Prevention of any harm to all persons on site

system.

• Advise the contractor of the emergency and evacuation procedures

• Raise the alarm (where appropriate)

• From time to time the business may be the “principal contractor”. A principal employee) to do any work for gain or payment.

• From time to time the business may be the “principal contractor”. A principal

• Reviewing emergency / evacuations and updating plans if applicable.

(Insert Company Name) has a systematic approach to ensure that

contractors, subcontractors and their employees do not cause harm to the

(Insert Company Name) has a systematic approach to ensure that

• Ensure the contractor has adopted their own health and safety management

• Contact emergency services on 111

system.

• ensure the safety of each other and do not put yourself or anyone else at any unnecessary risk

• Evacuate the building in a safe manner, ensuring all employees are catered for.

• Assemble at the appropriate evacuation area • Check all persons are accounted for and report any missing people to the fire warden

The business will ensure fire drills and evacuation procedures are

practised at least annually. The systems will be reviewed at the end of all evacuations.

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SAFETY FIRST

Managing health & safety In the latest in our series, WorkSafe looks at good health and safety practice on site—and some new guidance.

PLUMBERS ARE JUST one of a number of trades that routinely work on construction sites. Construction is one of the highest risk sectors to work in, with its combination of heights, powerful equipment and deadline pressures. If you’re spending time on construction sites—large or small—you need to keep up to date with ways of keeping you and your workers healthy and safe.

Although the laws around health and safety are changing, getting the basics right will stand you in good stead for the future.

The proposed health and safety law changes currently before Parliament are based on Australian law and regulations.

Workplace deaths across the Tasman are a quarter the rate here, so they’re doing something right. But as ever, to be effective, the real change needs to take place in people’s minds and in workplaces themselves.

Health and safety at work is everyone’s responsibility. It is up to those that create workplace risks to manage those risks.

Essential toolkit

To help anyone working in the construction sector do just that, WorkSafe has created The Absolutely Essential Health and Safety Toolkit for Small Construction Sites. It’s a starter-course in the basics of good health and safety practice that you can slip into your glovebox.

The toolkit is broken down into a number of sections including working at height, hazardous substances, personal protection and how to handle emergency situations. But it starts with the basics—general management of health and safety.

At its heart, a lot of good health and safety practice boils down to sound planning. You can’t plan for every risk, but you can think ahead about the common risks you face at work.

When you are managing a plumbing project, ask yourself the following fundamental questions: Left: New guidance from WorkSafe.

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August/September 2015

workplace deaths across the Tasman are a quarter the rate here •

Are you giving enough time to planning, organising and controlling your work?

• Are you checking what actually happens and stopping dangerous practices?

• Do you have someone to turn to for health and safety advice?

• Do you think about health risks as well as safety risks (it may help to think of them as ‘slow-acting accidents’)?

These simple questions are a great place to start if you want to check whether your business is taking health and safety seriously enough. Don’t just ask them once—ask them again and again.

If you are an employer, you have a responsibility to look after those people working for you.

Make sure they are trained, competent and fit to do the job safely.

Provide proper supervision and clear instructions.

Ensure they have the right tools, equipment, plant and protective gear.

Involve employees in any discussions about health and safety.

Of course, it is not just employees that need to be protected.

The health and safety of anyone who is on site must be considered. If you are a principal who contracts, or a contractor who sub-contracts work to others, do you: • Check the health and safety performance of the people you plan to use?

• Give them the health and safety information they need for the work?

• Hold regular discussions about how the work is going, including safety problems and concerns?

• Make sure that you have provided everything you agreed (eg, safe scaffolds, the right plant)?

• Check their performance and fix any problems?

Planning is the key to ensuring your worksite is a safe one.

Before you rip into a project, identify your hazards and take steps to minimise the risk. Investing a bit of time at the start of a job could be the difference between a safe, smooth job and one where someone gets seriously injured or worse.

The Absolutely Essential Health and Safety Toolkit for Small Construction Sites is available on the WorkSafe NZ website. It does not cover legal requirements and is a guide only. ■ There is plenty of information about the upcoming health and safety reforms at business.govt.nz/ worksafe/about/reforms or use the QR code right.

Trade resources

Master Plumbers has developed a health and safety manual that’s tailored to plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying businesses.

Training and implementation support is also available.

Options

Cost (+GST)

MPGD Health and Safety Manual

$150 MPGD members; $750 non members

Manual plus two hours’ training (with 6 CPD points)*

$750 members; $1,100 non members

Manual plus two hours’ training (6 CPD points) plus 1.5 hours’ implementation support

$1,100 members; $2,500 non members

*Two Master Plumbers member companies together share the cost of training and pay $550 each, saving $200.

Three companies together pay $400 each, saving $350.

Contact Joe Grayland on 0800 502 102; jgrayland@masterplumbers.org.nz

NEXT GENERATION

It’s all moving water Todd Smith encountered a broader range of on-job experience than most during his apprenticeship.

RECENTLY QUALIFIED AS a plumber and gasfitter, Todd works at Tech Plumbing and Gasfitting, a division of Tech Mechanical Services Ltd in Napier. This is one of three companies in the Tech Group of Companies Ltd, which was set up by Richie Richards in 1984, originally as a one-man operation building and installing switchboards.

Tech Group now employs more than 70 staff, providing engineering, electrical, HVAC, sheetmetal, plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying services to residential, commercial and industrial clients. It also delivers automotive services within the Autotech Vehicle Maintenance arm and makes vandal proof lighting for correctional facilities under the Tech Lighting banner.

Todd first heard about Tech Mechanical Services when he

Starting your career with a large company means you end up on huge jobs

Above: Todd works for Napier-based Tech Plumbing & Gasfitting.

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August/September 2015

Above: Todd with his National Certificates.

was about to leave school, and was unsure what he wanted to do. “The Manager, Brad Ellison, came in to talk to us about getting free work experience, and I pushed hard to become an apprentice,” he recalls. Persistence paid off, and Todd eventually got the apprenticeship he wanted.

Tech Plumbing & Gasfitting is a Master Plumbers’ member and supports the MasterLink apprentice training programme, so a couple of months into his training, Todd was signed up as a MasterLink apprentice. “Starting your career with a large company like this means you end up on huge jobs with labour,” he says. “And though you’re basically doing plumbing and gasfitting, you can jump in and do other trades—it’s all moving water at the end of the day.”

At the beginning of his apprenticeship, most of the work was in industrial heating and ventilation. “I’d spend three months at a time up in Gisborne or Wairoa, working at Wairoa Hospital, the Gisborne District Courthouse and EIT.” Since then, he has also been involved with commercial drainage and fire sprinkler systems, including 400mm concrete drains at Hawke’s Bay-based Simply Squeezed and sprinkler alterations at Wattie’s.

“My boss, Brad, has been really helpful through my apprenticeship,” he says. “I could ask about anything and he’d know or he’d find out. The whole team has helped and taught me a lot.”

the whole team has helped and taught me a lot One of the company’s current maintenance projects is at New Zealand Oil Services’ (NZOSL) Napier terminal. With daily incoming cargoes, tank truck loadings and asset upgrades, NZOSL fuel yards are busy and hazardous places, so work safety is paramount. If you pick up a tool to work here, you need a work permit to ensure all the risks have been identified and safety measures are in place.

Energy sources—including electrical and hydraulic—must often be isolated before work begins and confined space entry rules must also be followed where appropriate. Some are easy to identify—storage tanks, silos, enclosed drains and sewers, for example—while others, such as ductwork, ceiling and underfloor spaces, are less obvious but can be just as dangerous.

Tech Group of Companies Ltd is a SiteSafe member, and its strong health and safety focus has provided Todd with a thorough grounding in safe work practices.

With his Licensed Plumber registration exam under his belt, and the gasfitting exam to follow in November, Todd is well on his way to become registered and licensed. He’s also about to start into his drainlaying studies, with the eventual aim of achieving Certifying status in all three. It’s not all work and no play, though. One of the things Todd loves about the job is that it’s Monday to Friday, 7:30am-4pm, leaving plenty of daylight hours in summer to do other things he enjoys: riding motorbikes, playing rugby and cycling to name just a few. ■

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NEXT GENERATION

Wellington workforce Plumbing students in Wellington are learning alongside a range of other trades as WelTec invests in its construction and engineering campuses.

CARPENTRY, PAINTING, PLASTERING and tiling—these are just some of the trades being taught at a new $11M School of Construction campus in Wellington, which opened its doors to around 220 trainees in early March.

Situated in Petone, the new campus— together with the nearby refurbished School of Engineering campus— represents the first stage in establishing Wellington’s Regional School of Construction, a joint venture by WelTec and Whitireia. Training will be provided through two main hubs in Petone and Porirua, along with preparatory programmes around the region.

The aim of this new School of Construction— a purpose-built 9,614sqm site— is to allow all students to see and become involved in the entire construction process, better preparing them for a career out in the ‘real world’.

Open-plan workshops have multiple uses, meaning that students in different specialities work alongside each other throughout the day.

“Students work in teams across the campus learning inter-disciplinary skills required for any work site,” explains Neil McDonald, Construction Head of School at WelTec. “Skilled people across the trades and engineering occupations are in high demand. The growth in residential and commercial builds, combined with the major infrastructure projects underway and on the horizon for the Wellington region such as the Wellington Northern Corridor, means the demand for a readily available skilled construction workforce has never been higher.

“The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s short-term employment forecasts for 2015 to 2018

Above: Apprentice Jade Winter in the plumbing and fabrication workshop in the Wellington School of Engineering.

show high employment growth for construction and related activities at around 20 percent of the growth across all sectors of the economy. This means the demand for skilled tradespeople will continue. For many of our students, gaining a pre-trade qualification gives them the skills they need to successfully participate in the workforce. For other >

demand for a readily available skilled construction workforce has never been higher August/September 2015

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NEXT GENERATION

students can access the information they need via hand-held devices students, studying via night classes on a cadetship or via ITO block courses suits them and their employer in terms of convenient times to study. Whatever the training option, the key is that the construction workforce is upskilling.”

The Construction campus provides a large ground area to build up to six houses at the same time from start to finish, with landscaping students being given equal opportunity to hone their skills in the surrounding space. Full wireless coverage at the campus gives students access to contemporary online learning. This extends to the house build sites, where students can access the information they need via handheld devices, such as smartphones and tablets. This could be anything from site drawings to building codes and standards, technical literature and health and safety information.

The plumbing and fabrication workshop is located in the School of Engineering campus, which has just undergone a $3M upgrade to bring

Above: The Wellington Regional School of Construction looking North to the Petone foreshore.

training delivery onto one 5,500m2 site.

Plumbing and gasfitting students are able to carry out the Level 3 pre-trade Certificate, and then move onto Level 4 once signed into an apprenticeship.

By working in the same space as the fabrication engineers, they can share the use of light welding and sheet metalworking equipment.

“The joint use of the new fabrication/ plumbing workshop has provided students and tutors with the ability to gain a greater appreciation of different trades, and exposure to a wider range of specialist equipment,” says Neil McDonald. “Multiple trades on one site gives students exposure to skills and ideas outside their core area of study and in some cases we have been able to consolidate the use of common trade

machinery and reduce duplication.”

The School of Engineering also caters for students in automotive, mechanical engineering, quantity surveying, engineering and architectural technology courses. A new collision repair workshop with a structural reinforced floor has replaced the previous, outdated facilities, and new heavy vehicle and automotive electrical workshops are designed to meet the growing technology and repair needs of the automotive sector. There is also a new project space for students, with access to computers.

In 2018, another $2M will be invested in technology and additional learning spaces for Petone. Whitireia is also planning to invest over $5M into new trades training facilities, which will be incorporated into the Porirua campus. ■

Above: This diagram shows the building sites available to carpentry students

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August/September 2015

NEXT GENERATION

Teachable moments Stephen Bocock of The Skills Organisation shares some businessproven tips for building on-job training into your everyday work.

Time is money in any business and if you’ve taken the step to train an apprentice then you want to get value for your business.

On average an apprentice spends less than 11 percent of their time in a traditional classroom—most of it is spent on-the-job. Because of this employers and supervisors play a crucial role in the learning process.

Every day I’m speaking to managers, business owners and learning providers and during these conversations there are common tips that pop up around how to build training into everyday work.

Having a training board to track learning modules and assessments is popular and works. This would go next to your regular job board and help everyone to see where there might be practical learning opportunities to back any theory learned.

For example, if Joe the apprentice has a

Equipping Kiwis for workplace success

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

section on sanitary plumbing coming up and you’ve got a job including this work— it could be a good practice opportunity.

There’s no extra effort on your part to organise it and it’s a great way of making sure a task is fully understood.

Another thing I’ve been told works really well is pairing a newer employee with someone who has experience. Not only is it good for team bonding but the apprentice gets some good practical advice.

As an added bonus the industry knowledge that can only be learned on the job gets passed to the next generation of plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers.

Finally, while you’re experts in what you do, everything is new to an apprentice.

Taking the time to explain things and being patient may seem obvious but in the everyday rush it can be hard to remember.

Double checking their understanding of a task you’ve assigned to them will make sure they understand what you want as well as show up any areas that might need further explanation.

At the end of the day, having a confident, knowledgeable apprentice on-the-job can only be a benefit to your business.

Stephen Bocock Industry Manager, The Skills Organisation skills.org.nz

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The Rinnai Smart Cylinder™ actually learns a household’s hot water usage behaviour and only heats what’s needed. Incredibly energy efficient, the new Rinnai Smart Cylinder™ typically saves 10-15 percent on water heating costs*—leaving more money to spend on the things we love.

The new Rinnai Smart Cylinder™ is easy to use. Once installed it learns your hot water usage habits and automatically adjusts when it heats hot water to save money by not heating water 24/7 like a standard electric hot water cylinder.

Available in a range of sizes from 135-250L. For more information, visit www.rinnai.co.nz/smart or phone 0800 RINNAI (746 624). * Savings are influenced by a number of factors including cylinder size, hot water use profile and plumbing system design. Savings of 10-15% have been observed in field trials in NZ and Europe when compared to the equivalent size standard electric hot water cylinder.

Dux launch new FlexiTrap™

Mico has developed a Service Promise as a direct response to feedback about what’s most important to customers.

The Mico Service Promise was launched at all branches nationwide at the end of June. “What differentiates our promise in the market is that it has consequences—if we don’t keep our promise, then we’ll put our money where our mouth is,” says Mico General Manager Bryn Harrison.

The Mico Service Promise has six components: • 500 core products at every branch or lunch is on us* • You pay what we quote or we’ll credit you $10 • Trained and knowledgeable staff • Order via Trade Door and collect within 30 minutes, or lunch is on us* • Delivery of your order in full and on time* • Industry leading warranties on our exclusive products.

Mico will be publishing their performance against these promises in upcoming issues of NZ Plumber, but don’t wait—get into your local Mico branch today and put them to the test. *Terms and conditions apply. See mico.co.nz for details.

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Often office staff will need to carry out small tasks relating to a job—like tracking down and ordering a specialist fitting, or a task that hinges on hearing back from someone. These tasks can easily fall by the wayside in the business of day-to-day operations. So the Fergus Task system creates a virtual checklist to house all these bits and pieces until they’re checked off. Tasks can be allocated to a person or group, and passed around between staff members.

Fergus now also integrates with the MYOB accounting platform, as well as Xero, making the decision to go with Fergus even easier.

Fergus are dedicated to making a great job management system for plumbers. They are continuously adding features, improving the Fergus web version and updating the mobile app.

Visit fergusapp.co.nz to find out more.

August/September 2015

75

AND FINALLY

Offcuts

The latest selection of media odds and ends of the plumbing kind…

Elevator relief

Japan is looking at installing toilets in elevators and providing an emergency supply of drinking water for people trapped by the nation’s frequent powerful earthquakes, according to a report on Yahoo New Zealand News. A meeting between officials from the infrastructure ministry and elevator industry bodies agreed to look into providing toilets for use in an emergency, an official from the Association of Elevator Makers told AFP press agency.

These might include collapsible cardboard structures with a waterproof bag or absorbant material inside. Japan has around 620,000 elevators in public or commercial buildings nationwide, about 20 percent of them in Tokyo.

Fashion at Fieldays

More than 50 entrants showed off their fashion creations on the runway at this year’s Ag Art Wear nationwide competition, held at Fieldays in June. Ag Art Wear challenges entrants to create a piece of art for the body, made from materials found on the farm.

Fashion designer Robyn Brooks and sculptor Adrian Worsley judged the designs in three categories. ‘Filtering Through’, the winning design in the Designer Traditional category, was inspired by old tractor filters. ‘Turbolina’, a dress made from corrugated plastic roofing and irrigation tubing, all held together by nuts and bolts, won the Avant Garde section, and the Classroom Couture first prize went to a creation called ‘The Catch’.

Can-do construction

A digger made in NZ from cans of food, came in the top 10 of this year’s international Canstruction® design and build competition.

Christchurch infrastructure rebuild team SCIRT entered ‘Darby the Dusty Digger’ into NZ’s first-ever Canstruction® competition last year, held in support of the Christchurch City Mission.

Eleven teams entered the inaugural event, using food cans to create massive 3D structures, with over 35,000 cans donated to the Mission’s foodbank once the show was dismantled. The winning Christchurch sculptures in six categories were entered via photo submission into the international competition held in Atlanta, competing against top sculptures from 124 worldwide cities. SCIRT’s digger came in the top 10 of the Juror’s Favourite category. The next NZ Canstruction® competition will be held at the Canterbury A&P Show in November, and aims to raise over 40,000 cans for the Mission.

Geyser blows

A marae in Rotorua was shut down for a week in June after a geyser erupted in the women’s toilets. According to a report on Maori Television, the decision was made to close the busy marae for health and safety reasons. The Tunohopu Marae in Ohinemutu is used by people from all over the country and all over the world, with visitors coming to stay and learn about the history. The Rotorua Lakes Trust was to work closely with the marae concerning the geothermal activity.

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Truck full of luck

Having his truck break down turned out to be the luckiest thing that could have happened to US plumber Anthony Perosi, reports the IJ Review. A frequent lottery player, Perosi had decided to also pick up a Powerball ticket for a change, but not checked the numbers after a friend told him the winnings had been claimed. Six weeks later, when his truck broke down, he came across the Powerball ticket while thumbing through a stack of lottery tickets kept behind a pipe in his basement. This time he did check it—and it turned out to be the winning ticket.

He told The New York Times: “I tried to breathe in and nothing would go in. I thought I was having a heart attack. So I grabbed the ticket, figuring they would find it in my hand.”

Perosi chose to split the money 70/30 with his son, Anthony III, with his own share coming to over US$38 million after taxes. He has no plans to stop work but plans to do a bit more travel… and buy a new truck.

Plumbers the best neighbours

What the heck?

Sue Diggle at EG Glennie Co in Wellington sent in this photo, taken during their recent trip to Singapore with Plumbing World. “After lunch at Raffles we were given this ‘thingy’ and none of us know what it is. The guesses at our office are a bookmark or a tongue scraper.

Any ideas?”

All printable suggestions to the Ed, please: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

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Recent UK research shows that Brits would rather live next door to a plumber than a doctor, revealed H&V News in June. Other tradies such as electricians, builders, carpenters and mechanics came below plumbers in the top 10 list of the most valued neighbourhood occupations.

Apparently, the education charity Edge Foundation produced the report to mark VQ Day 2015, an annual celebration of vocational qualifications. It found that nearly half of the population had need practical help over the past 12 months, with 56 percent likely to call upon a neighbour for assistance in a crisis. During the year, almost a third of respondents had had plumbing problems, including blocked drains and radiator issues.

UK Plumbing & Heating Contractors Assocation CEO John Thompson told H&V News: “It is pleasing that over a 20-year period and from a very low base, plumbing is now seen as one of the most popular vocations, as well as being the most valued neighbourhood skill in the UK. This is in part because it is irreplaceable; the only way to fix a plumbing issue is to call in a plumber. As a skill, it cannot be digitalised, making this one of the most future-proof occupations. This research shows that universal skills such as plumbing will be in demand long into the future.”

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Crack up

“Reasons why you should get your gas heater serviced—apart from the pegs and toy shovel, there are two cracks in the heat exchanger,” says Colleen Upton of Hutt Gas and Plumbing.

Hanging loose

“There were about six things about this installation that make it non-compliant,” says Paul Knight of Plumbing Works. “The main one is it was tied on a hook on the rafter under a house on a flexi pipe next to a power point. An explosive mix!”

Down and dirty It’s not hard…

“While on holiday in Paihia, basin blocked, owner couldn’t get a plumber so did myself— this is what you call a good water seal trap that will never siphon,” says Dale Lovell of Heron Plumbing.

Please send the biggest size photos you have. The bigger the file, the bigger we can show it on the page!

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August/September 2015

“This photo shows a 40mm upvc shower waste discharging into a 150mm horizontal downpipe,” says Craig Tremeer of Complete Plumbing Services.

“Hard to compete against these guys!

Their client was not aware what they had done.”

No expense spared

“Saw this and had a giggle. Thought it might be something for the dodgy plumbing section in NZ Plumber,” says Shannon Langford of Mico.

Thanks Shannon—love it!

Joint pain

BT Plumbing and Gas found this great tee on a job… nicely done.

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