Supplejack Contracting

from Wairarapa Men@Work 2021

McKenzie’s Electrical 2000

Supplejack Contracting A hardy and flexible company just like the native vine, Supplejack.

There are not many tracks in the Tararua Range that Dave Halliday and Kinane Dawes don’t know – in fact, they’ve possibly cut them. It helps knowing the rugged and diverse terrain in their wildlife and pest control work. It’s not only the Tararuas they know intimately, but much of the remote and wild outdoors all over the country. In 2015, after years of working in wildlife management with Greater Wellington Regional Council, Dave and Kinane established the business, Supplejack Contracting. It’s also Dave’s nickname (lean and tough – he laughs, just like the native vine). They were eagerly joined by Kinane’s wife Mallory Dawes – all three are directors in the company and come with a unique set of skills. Dave, as Programme Manager, looks after planning and budgets. Kinane is Operations Manager, overseeing the day-to-day activities of field staff. Mallory is Health, Safety and Development Manager, responsible for the administration of the business and ensuring they have the most up-to-date technology and business procedures. They are a lean and dedicated team which perfectly suits the business name. Altogether there are 13 staff including a Quality Assurance Manager, Field Supervisors and Field Operators. The business services encompass ground-based pest control, ground and aerial hunting, track cutting and technical surveillance. They are proud to be part of the pest management programme for Pūkaha Mt Bruce Wildlife Reserve and with Greater Wellington Regional Council programmes. Their work takes them everywhere, however, it’s the outdoors that Dave and Kinane enthusiastically talk about. They’ve both done the hard yards in their early days, cutting tracks and working in conditions from extreme heat to snow. Dave was born in Christchurch, grew up on the Kapiti Coast and made his way to Wairarapa. He and wife, Nicole have two young children, five and three years. Kinane is from Palmerston North and studied at Taratahi Training Farm. He and Mallory also have two children seven and three years. Possum control is a major part of their work but so are keeping the rabbit, rat, stoat, and ferret populations under control. Deer numbers are on the rise and landowners have been finding if not kept at bay, they ring bark and destroy trees.

The work is extremely attractive to young fit people and this year Supplejack Contracting has taken on three apprentices funded under a scheme by Predator Free New Zealand.

Supplejack Contracting is proud to be living wage employers.

Rabbit control in Whanganui, Jurgen Schwanecke, Shane Cross, Mario Della Barca Supplejack Contracting Directors Kinane Dawes (left) & Dave Halliday Track cutting Tararua Ranges, Mario Della Barca

Possum control in South Wairarapa Track cutting, Tararua Ranges Predator trapping in Pūkaha, Josh Price Wallaby control in Central Otago, Mario Della Barca, Jurgen Schwanecke, Sam Jury

Passionate about the outdoors and the environment, we pride ourselves on being versatile with the ability to safely and effectively deliver a range of wildlife pest control services in challenging and remote environments.