Business South - Novemeber Issue

November 2013

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Signature Homes - Canterbury 8-page liftout inside

Developer confident on Monorail Hugh de Lacy The fact that a proposed $200 million tourist monorail will barely enter Fiordland National Park is the key element in winning the Department of Conservation’s (Doc’s) approval in principle, while the competing rail tunnel concept was rejected, according to monorail company chairman Bob Robertson.

“We do enter the national park but only for the terminus, and that land has already got a hotel on it and it’s already developed, and we already lease it.

“That makes a big difference,” Robertson, who’s Riverstone Holdings has been promoting the project for the past eight years.

Earlier this year the Milford-Dart tunnel scheme, which aimed to slash the nine-hour bus-trip travel time between Queenstown and Milford via Te Anau, was rejected by Minister of Conservation Nick Smith in large part because it intruded too much into the park.

That scheme would have ferried up to 500 tourists at a time on an electric roll-on-roll-off train under the Humboldt Mountains by way of a 13.5km tunnel between the Routeburn and Hollyford Valleys.

Riverstone’s monorail envisages a million tourists a year travelling 20km by catamaran across Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown to Mt Nicholas Station, and 45km by all-terrain vehicle to the start of the monorail which will travel the final 43km to

Te Anau Downs, 30km from Te Anau and 91km from Milford Sound.

A final decision on whether the monorail goes ahead lies with the minister, who has said he will deliver it before Christmas.

Riverstone’s principal shareholder is the Infinity Investment Group, of which Robertson is managing director.

A second reason why the monorail bid got DoC’s approval where the tunnel failed was the latter’s impact on the iconic Routeburn walking track, Robertson said. “[The tunnel] would clearly ruin that walk, and it’s one of New Zealand’s most important ones.”

Robertson took issue with monorail opponents in Te Anau who have viewed it as a threat to the

town’s clicking the tickets of bus-bound tourists travelling between Queenstown and Milford Sound.

“We’re delivering people from Queenstown to Te Anau,” Robertson said, “and there isn’t one thing that’s been done in the last hundred years that would improve the lot of Te Anau more than the monorail.”

He could sympathise with residents there who feared the monorail was a threat to their peace and quiet.

“I haven’t got an answer for that, but whoever’s in business there, or wanting an improvement to the community, or a bit more progress, there’s nothing that they’re going to get ever in their history that would improve their lot more than the monorail going to Te Anau Downs,” Robertson said.

Pike River compensation knocked back Hugh de Lacy Any moral obligation New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) might have felt towards the families of the 29 miners who died in the November 2010 Pike River coal-mine disaster has been lost on shareholders asked to stump up the court-awarded $3.41m in compensation.

It now looks as if the victims’ families will get none of the compensation awarded by Judge Jane Farish in July, unless the Government surprises by putting up the money.

In late October NZOG’s shareholders voted overwhelmingly not to pay up despite the statement in Farish’s judgement that that it was “morally unjust” that Pike River Coal Limited, founded and one third owned by NZOG, had been allowed to fold and so escape any liability for the victims’ families’ welfare.

Of the $2 million insurance payout that Pike River got, only $156,000 was left.

NZOG shareholders heavily defeated a motion to pay the reparation award, and also refused to adopt a motion of censure of the way the company’s directors managed both the investment in Pike River and the response to the disaster.

In July NZOG spokesperson John Pagani said the company had already voluntarily paid out $25m, comprising $12m in victims’ wages and to fund the body recovery process, $7m to unsecured creditors, and $6m to fund the receivership conducted by John Fisk of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

INSIDE

Breathing new life into Christchurch....

A partnership between Christchurch building company Holloway Builders and Italian architecture firm Anselmi Attiani Architettura and engineers Cresco, has won an international competition to design an urban village for central Christchurch. The entry in the Breathe – New Urban Village design competition was hailed by judges as well-designed and structurally innovative, as well as an affordable and sustainable

Meat group eyes reform - PAGE 2

New facility for Gough Group - PAGE 2

Building the Dr Libby brand - PAGE 3

option. Breathe is an Anchor Project as listed in the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan. The village includes 72 timber-clad dwellings combining medium rise apartment blocks with two and three storey housing incorporating cutting edge seismic-resistance construction techniques.

Subject to finance the Holloway team hopes to start construction on the development in the second half of 2014.

Tax implications for insurance - PAGE 4

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

January 2013

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

Signature Homes - Canterbury 8-page liftout inside

Developer confident on Monorail Hugh de Lacy The fact that a proposed $200 million tourist monorail will barely enter Fiordland National Park is the key element in winning the Department of Conservation’s (Doc’s) approval in principle, while the competing rail tunnel concept was rejected, according to monorail company chairman Bob Robertson.

“We do enter the national park but only for the terminus, and that land has already got a hotel on it and it’s already developed, and we already lease it.

“That makes a big difference,” Robertson, who’s Riverstone Holdings has been promoting the project for the past eight years.

Earlier this year the Milford-Dart tunnel scheme, which aimed to slash the nine-hour bus-trip travel time between Queenstown and Milford via Te Anau, was rejected by Minister of Conservation Nick Smith in large part because it intruded too much into the park.

That scheme would have ferried up to 500 tourists at a time on an electric roll-on-roll-off train under the Humboldt Mountains by way of a 13.5km tunnel between the Routeburn and Hollyford Valleys.

Riverstone’s monorail envisages a million tourists a year travelling 20km by catamaran across Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown to Mt Nicholas Station, and 45km by all-terrain vehicle to the start of the monorail which will travel the final 43km to

Te Anau Downs, 30km from Te Anau and 91km from Milford Sound.

A final decision on whether the monorail goes ahead lies with the minister, who has said he will deliver it before Christmas.

Riverstone’s principal shareholder is the Infinity Investment Group, of which Robertson is managing director.

A second reason why the monorail bid got DoC’s approval where the tunnel failed was the latter’s impact on the iconic Routeburn walking track, Robertson said. “[The tunnel] would clearly ruin that walk, and it’s one of New Zealand’s most important ones.”

Robertson took issue with monorail opponents in Te Anau who have viewed it as a threat to the

town’s clicking the tickets of bus-bound tourists travelling between Queenstown and Milford Sound.

“We’re delivering people from Queenstown to Te Anau,” Robertson said, “and there isn’t one thing that’s been done in the last hundred years that would improve the lot of Te Anau more than the monorail.”

He could sympathise with residents there who feared the monorail was a threat to their peace and quiet.

“I haven’t got an answer for that, but whoever’s in business there, or wanting an improvement to the community, or a bit more progress, there’s nothing that they’re going to get ever in their history that would improve their lot more than the monorail going to Te Anau Downs,” Robertson said.

Pike River compensation knocked back

2

NEWS »

Business South / November 2013

Meat group steps up its reform bid

Hugh de Lacy Any moral obligation New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) might have felt towards the families of the 29 miners who died in the November 2010 Pike River coal-mine disaster has been lost on shareholders asked to stump up the court-awarded $3.41m in compensation.

It now looks as if the victims’ families will get none of the compensation awarded by Judge Jane Farish in July, unless the Government surprises by putting up the money.

In late October NZOG’s shareholders voted overwhelmingly not to pay up despite the statement in Farish’s judgement that that it was “morally unjust” that Pike River Coal Limited, founded and one third owned by NZOG, had been allowed to fold and so escape any liability for the victims’ families’ welfare.

Of the $2 million insurance payout that Pike River got, only $156,000 was left.

NZOG shareholders heavily defeated a motion to pay the reparation award, and also refused to adopt a motion of censure of the way the company’s directors managed both the investment in Pike River and the response to the disaster.

In July NZOG spokesperson John Pagani said the company had already voluntarily paid out $25m, comprising $12m in victims’ wages and to fund the body recovery process, $7m to unsecured creditors, and $6m to fund the receivership conducted by John Fisk of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

INSIDE

Hugh de Lacy Breathing new life into Christchurch....

A partnership between Christchurch building company Holloway Builders and Italian architecture firm Anselmi Attiani Architettura and engineers Cresco, has won an international competition to design an urban village for central Christchurch. The entry in the Breathe – New Urban Village design competition was hailed by judges as well-designed and structurally innovative, as well as an affordable and sustainable

Meat group eyes reform - PAGE 2

New facility for Gough Group - PAGE 2

Building the Dr Libby brand - PAGE 3

option. Breathe is an Anchor Project as listed in the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan. The village includes 72 timber-clad dwellings combining medium rise apartment blocks with two and three storey housing incorporating cutting edge seismic-resistance construction techniques.

Subject to finance the Holloway team hopes to start construction on the development in the second half of 2014.

Tax implications for insurance - PAGE 4

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Unfazed by yet another dead end in the major players’ negotiations to reform the dysfunctional meat industry, the Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group is launching a three-to-five-years campaign to take over the boards of the two big co-operatives, Silver Fern Farms and Alliance.

MIE has two of its associates standing in each of the co-operatives’ elections for directors in December: former MIE chairman Richard Young of West Otago and Dan Jex-Blake of Gisborne standing for Silver Fern, and Donald Morrison of Gore and John Monaghan of Eketahuna for Alliance.

Monaghan, who is a director of co-operative dairy giant Fonterra, has had his nomination declined by Alliance because he didn’t meet the qualification criteria, but MIE will attempt to have him appointed as an independent director.

The second stage in the plan is, with government help, to establish a binding contract supply system with farmers, according to Richard Young, who has stood aside from his chairmanship of MIE to seek a Silver Fern directorship.

This follows the failure of MIE’s “Tight Five” initiative, which brought leaders together to try to forge a common path for an industry whose prime farmland production base is rapidly being eroded by the dairy industry because of poor returns from meat.

Young said MIE had a “clear strategy of trying to win positions on the boards both this year and in the next round of elections as well.”

This latest effort to reform the meat industry wouldn’t simply run out of puff as previous ones had done, he said.

“It’s different now: the appetite [among farmers] for change is greater, we’re in a downward spiral

...it’s pretty clear we’re on the cusp of a world-wide boom in protein demand.” and people are really starting to question whether they can put farm succession plans in place for their children.

“Also, it’s pretty clear we’re on the cusp of a world-wide boom in protein demand, and if we don’t sort ourselves out it’s going to pass us by.”

MIE came into being earlier this year on the back of the biggest meetings of concerned meat and wool farmers since the wool acquisition debate of the 1970s.

The group says that returns to farmers from a buoyant overseas grass-fed meat market are repressed by what is in effect undercutting by the meat companies seeking market share.

It says efforts at reform by merging Silver Fern and Alliance to form a single Fonterra-style co-op owning 54% of the meat industry have been thwarted by philosophical and personality clashes among the co-ops’ leaders.

Conversions of former meat and wool farms to dairying has recently spiked through a combination of poor returns for meat last season, and Fonterra and the other dairy co-operatives signalling record milkfat payouts of over $8 kilogram in the current season.

The trend is most evident on Southland where in the past three months the regional council has received no fewer than 27 applications for conversions to dairying, compared to just seven in the 12 months to June this year.

Forum to look at food safety standards A group of up to 40 Chinese primary producers and dairy representatives will spearhead an exciting overseas contingent of delegates attending the first Global Food Safety Forum to be held in New Zealand.

The forum, in Dunedin from November 13-15, will address the perception that New Zealand must improve its food safety standards.

Normally the forum meets in Beijing, but Dr Helen Darling, a food integrity consultant, has persuaded the US based not-for-profit organisation, to hold it in New Zealand for the first time.

“This is a breakthrough conference and we’ll be looking at emerging threats and ways to address them before they become a problem,” Dr Darling says.

New Zealand has been caught out on a number of occasions and the dialogue and interaction will be focused on preventing further issues.”

Key to the forum is bringing Chinese and American delegates to Dunedin to see this country’s food safety procedures at first hand.

Dr Darling regards the response from China as significant.

“The delegates represent the dairy and meat industry and they want to see what we do and are interested in using our procedures to improve food safety in China,” she says.

“This forum is where dialogue between both ends of the supply chain can take place to improve transparency and integrity.”

In turn New Zealand producers must understand what the Chinese, in particular, requires of them.

“This is an area where we need to be more effective. If we don’t have an understanding of what they need in terms of food production and safety standards, we’re not going to get more orders.”

Council levies targeted to reduce house costs Chris Hutching The Construction Strategy Group is recommending a review of development contributions to ensure consistency and transparency.

Development contributions are charges levied by local authorities on sub divisions that are passed on to section buyers.

Development contributions theoretically pay for infrastructure and/or amenities.

But the Construction Strategy Group says there appears to be a lack of information and understanding about the nature of development costs.

The component costs of providing utilities and amenities vary significantly around the country and within districts.

“It was widely accepted that the cost of land including the development of that land is a significant component of the cost of housing and that it has been a pressure point in terms of increases in recent years,” the Construction Strategy Group says in a report released this week.

“What was not clear was why or how the actual components of the range of land development costs had come under pressure and whether these pressures were justified.”

An example of the levies discussed by the Construction Strategy Group was revealed in

the annual reports of fast-growing Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts in Canterbury.

Selwyn took in $12.5 million and Waimakariri $14.5 million which contributed to the districts’ annual surpluses.

The annual reports of the councils do not state where this money will be spent, whether it will be applied directly to infrastructure and amenities involving the newly developed properties, or whether the money simply goes into the councils’ coffers for general expenditure throughout the districts.

The Construction Strategy Group made several other recommendations based on a recent BRANZ report that is available on its web site.

Gough Group opens new Christchurch facility Gough Group has celebrated the opening of its new $10 million Component Rebuild Centre (CRC) in Christchurch.

The facility at the company’s Christchurch headquarters will provide a controlled environment for the rebuild of engines, powertrain components, hydraulics and fuel injection equipment.

Gough Group chief executive Karl Smith said the investment, one of the biggest in the firm’s 84-year history, ensured the heavy equipment market in New Zealand has access to a world-class facility.

“The leading edge environmental control technology of the building is matched by investment in new tooling, including a new engine dynameter, transmission test cell and fuel injector test cell.

“This will enable us to service the latest, most technologically advanced Caterpillar equipment.”

Officially opened by the Minister of Energy and Resources, Simon Bridges in September, the CRC facility took two years to plan and a further nine months to build.

The workshop floor is 80 metres by 21 metres with three specialist sealed rooms and 20 overhead cranes.

The opening of the new CRC facility, from left, Simon Bridges, Minister of Energy and Resources; Nicholas Tan, Caterpillar Distribution Strategy Manager; Karl Smith, Chief Executive, Gough Group.

NEWS »

Business South / November 2013

3

Building the brand with Dr Libby Jo Bailey

W

ith multiple books on the bestsellers lists and regular radio and television appearances, leading holistic nutrition specialist and weight loss expert Dr Libby Weaver is in hot demand on both sides of the Tasman.

She also has a growing global presence and celebrity fan-base that is likely to extend following her recent appearance alongside American health expert and media personality Dr Oz at one of the world’s largest health conventions in the US. Back home, Dr Libby’s recent Christchurch seminars sold out at rock concert speed.

So what it is about this warm and extremely bright woman that makes her message about healthy living stand out above the crowd?

And who is the man behind the Dr Libby brand, who used to start his day with a sausage roll and coffee, but these days knows where to seek out the best green smoothies at international airports?

Business South met with Dr Libby before one of her recent Christchurch seminars, just one of the vehicles, along with her books, DVDs, online programmes and media appearances through which she aims to “empower and inspire people to make optimum health choices”.

“I’m trying to wake people up to the fact that life is special and so are they, and that they should treat themselves accordingly.”

In a sector awash with information, Dr Libby’s message about healthy eating and taking care of our bodies seems to resonate strongly with the masses.

Her first four books have already sold an astonishing 100,000 copies, with her whole food cookbook, Real Food Chef, the number three bestselling book last Christmas. She believes people are simply sick of feeling sick and tired and looking for answers.

“There is definitely a shift in peoples’ thinking.

They realise they don’t have to wait for a health crisis before they start to change.”

It doesn’t hurt that Dr Libby’s own glowing good health is a great endorsement for her message, one she imparts with genuine warmth and can back with years of scientific research.

The girl who grew up in rural Tamworth, New South Wales, achieved a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Newcastle where she later completed a Ph.D examining biochemical and nutritional factors in children with autism.

Possibly her greatest gift is an ability to take complicated bio-chemistry principles and explain them in simple layman’s terms, to enable people to “get back in the driver’s seat” with their health and achieve the outcomes they seek.

While there’s no doubt Dr Libby herself is a significant talent, a driving force behind the Dr Libby “brand” is her husband Chris Weaver, a Christchurch-born Kiwi she met while speaking on a week-long health retreat in Australia in 2006.

“Chris is very encouraging and has a great big vision. He could see how people valued and appreciated the message I wanted to get out there.

“We often joke that without him I’d still be sitting in my favourite organic café writing my first book, not just releasing my fifth.”

Dr Libby Weaver: a growing global presence in the healthy lifestyle market.

When Chris Weaver made the decision to go on the health retreat, he had no idea how much his life was about to transform.

“Apart from fourth form biology at Shirley Boys High I knew nothing about the body, but when we got to the end of the week I had learned so much from Libby I thought the single best thing I could do for my health was to get her to move in with me.”

At the time Weaver was chief executive at Ellerslie Racecourse, where he was instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the flagging business, from the days of “instant coffee in smoky glass cups” into a summer brand that attracted the biggest crowds in 30 years.

This followed long stints with Lion Nathan in New Zealand, and jobs in London with Coca Cola, Burger King, and working alongside Sir Richard Branson from his London home office to promote the London Broncos rugby league club.

You couldn’t get a much more rugby, racing and beer oriented background, and Weaver admits a cheese toastie, sausage roll and coffee was a fairly standard breakfast back in his Lion Nathan days.

Although obviously keen to win Dr Libby over on a personal front, the retreat also revealed her “gift” to him, especially her ease of communicating complex ideas in an “inspiring and uplifting way”.

He told her that she had to write a book “immediately”, and his charm offensive wasn’t

I’m trying to wake people up to the fact that life is special and so are they, and that they should treat themselves accordingly.” too shabby either. Within six months, Dr Libby had moved to New Zealand, and the couple was later married.

Weaver says the Dr Libby business “started small” to provide an income for Libby in New Zealand. They started their own publishing company and produced her first book, Accidently Overweight which was an instant success.

Other titles, Rushing Woman’s Syndrome, Real Food Chef, and Beauty from the Inside Out are also bestsellers and the couple hopes for the same with the latest release, their second whole food cookbook, Real Food Kitchen.

“Out of all the brands I’ve been involved with I’ve never had the chance to work with such a passionate group of loyal, core followers. We are very lucky,” says Weaver.

Early last year he left Ellerslie to work full time on the Dr Libby business alongside their seven staff. He says the brand is all about “education and inspiration”, and with his extensive experience, is

able to provide the marketing expertise and business support to enable Libby to get on with writing and creating through the various mediums they employ.

Weaver says the next stage of growth is to keep pushing the brand globally, something that is “hard work but a lot simpler” with today’s technology.”

“Like any New Zealand based business it’s interesting and challenging to try and grow into new markets but I believe Libby’s message needs to be shared with the world.”

He sees no reason why they can’t be still running the business in 40 or 50 years.

“We’re very much taking a long-term perspective, as it’s so rewarding to help turn the light back on for people.”

“Medical systems are going to continue to come under pressure from aging populations.

“We believe it is a far better option for people to be proactive, look after their health and prevent illness now, rather than seeking a cure when it’s often too late.”

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NEWS / BUSINESS SERVICES » Business Evolution Group

Business South / November 2013

The tax implications for Information key insurance negotiations to best results Settling insurance claims and figuring out a way forward for rebuilding Christchurch’s commercial properties continues to be a headache for many property owners.

While insurance negotiations drag on it’s easy to forget about the tax implications, but sorting these out can be equally nightmarish – especially if left until tax returns are due.

Under previous legislation, if property (including buildings) was destroyed by a natural event a deemed disposal for tax purposes on the date of the event arose, with consideration being any insurance proceeds.

As a result, depreciation recovery income would arise for tax purposes and create a tax bill, effectively soaking up insurance proceeds that would be spent on replacing the property. This could also cause tax returns to be held open for years until insurance was settled.

In response to the earthquakes and the volume of taxpayers that would be subject to the above problems, Government passed legislation to protect taxpayers against the ‘unfair’ tax consequences of having their property destroyed, and to encourage rebuilding activity.

The rules have been patched up over time as different aspects of the rebuild and insurance settlements come to light, but there are still pitfalls and ambiguities taxpayers need to watch out for.

“Rollover relief” was introduced to allow taxpayers with destroyed property to defer tax depreciation recovery income that arose by reducing the depreciable base of replacement property.

However, originally rollover relief for a building required it be “rendered useless” by the earthquake and flagged for demolition, and it soon came to light insurers were frequently settling on the grounds that a building was instead “uneconomic to repair” (often leaving the owner with the repair/demolish decision).

This technically excluded taxpayers from qualifying for rollover relief as the property was potentially repairable.

Rules were then updated to allow rollover relief where property was “uneconomic to repair”, but there are still grey areas in how this interplays with the rollover relief rules.

For example, if a building has been “rendered useless”, its deemed date of disposal for tax purposes is when the insurance can first be “reasonably estimated”.

Consequently, tax depreciation recovery income will arise in that year, but can then be deferred by electing to use rollover relief when filing the tax return.

However, where property is determined “uneconomic to repair” by the insurer, the deemed

Jo Bailey

Alex Robinson

date of disposal for tax is the date of the relevant earthquake, meaning tax depreciation recovery income technically arises in a prior period.

As a result, if insurance is settled as “uneconomic to repair” in November 2013, but relates to the 22 February 2011 earthquake, a taxpayer with a March balance date suddenly has tax depreciation recovery income that should have arisen and been deferred via a rollover relief election in the 2011 return.

Does this mean rollover relief is now not possible? Do the returns need reopening to elect in?

The rules on notifying Inland Revenue of an election to use rollover relief are somewhat ambiguous, and discuss needing to file the elections only once a reasonable estimate for the insurance exists (regardless of whether the building is “rendered useless” or “uneconomic to repair”).

As such, it seems appropriate to interpret this as meaning a taxpayer can file an election into rollover relief to cover previous income years provided the year in which the notice is first provided to Inland Revenue is also the first year when a reasonable estimate of the insurance is available.

Applying this to our example above, it appears a taxpayer settling insurance in November 2013 can file an election to use rollover relief covering the 2011-2013 income years when filing the next return (likely either the 2013 or 2014 return) without needing to request reopening any of the filed returns. (Although an obligation for reassessment may still exist if depreciation has now been incorrectly claimed due to the deemed disposal date.)

This seems a fair approach for the taxpayer, and means Inland Revenue won’t be overwhelmed with taxpayers asking for reassessments for filed returns to simply allow election into rollover relief following drawn out insurance negotiations.

Keep watching this area, as earthquake tax legislation is still evolving, and we may see further clarifications in time. Changes to rollover relief to extend deadlines and encompass rebuilding through joint investments are currently before Parliament, and more details are expected before the end of the year.

Alex Robinson is a senior tax consultant at Deloitte

Cloud computing has made the implementation of information systems and IT business management tools more affordable and user friendly, says Brodie Archer, principal consultant of Business Evolution Group, a Christchurch based SAP Channel Partner.

With cloud-based solutions, clients can access their software from almost any smart device or computer without the need to own special hardware or servers, says Archer.

“We take responsibility of all the technical details, such as the underlying hardware and system availability, uptime and applications management,” she says.

“The shared infrastructure model results in significant time and cost savings for our clients.”

The company has recently introduced a monthly subscription based service for its flagship business software - SAP Business One, which allows clients to access the application via the cloud.

“Because clients are subscribing to a hardware and software environment that is already set up and configured, we are able to save significant time and upfront implementation costs which makes the solution very accessible to small and mid-size businesses.”

SAP Business One is a comprehensive financial management package providing businesses with on-demand access to critical, fully integrated, realtime information through a single system.

It encompasses financial reporting such as project accounting, job costing, time recording, payroll, sales and inventory; as well as customer relationship management (CRM) systems; manufacturing; after sales service; and management control.

“This system can shave hours, or even days off an administration team’s work, as the automation of reports and documents streamlines systems and eliminates the need for a lot of paper handling,” says Archer.

“It gives managers, administrators and financial teams more time to spend on added value tasks within the business.”

Business Evolution Group is also focused on providing business solutions to professional companies involved with the Canterbury rebuild.

Providing extended software solutions for Small & Mid-size businesses since 2006.

Reaching a global market through a network of reseller partners around the world.

Partnering locally with Business Evolution Group.

Enprise Job Wouldn’t it be great if you could monitor every aspect of every job?

Stay on top of all factors that affect your business – budgets, service delivery, staff productivity, progress billing, purchasing, contracts and retentions.

Enprise Job for SAP Business One is a complete management solution that gives you the power to capture all the costs, so your business doesn’t have to absorb them.

Enprise Software Limited 16 Hugo Johnston Drive, Auckland 1061 Phone: 09 829-5500 www.enprise.com

BUSINESS SERVICES » Business Evolution Group

Business South / November 2013

5

Business Evolution Group provides a comprehensive service to a wide range of business clients.

Ms Archer says the company’s clients typically fall into two categories; smaller businesses that have outgrown the entry level accounting products such as MYOB, XERO and Quickbooks, that require a more comprehensive integrated solution; and businesses that have been running outdated accounting packages that lack the cutting edge reporting and integration capabilities that SAP Business One provides.

Since it was established in 2003 Business Evolution Group has established an impressive nationwide and local client list.

Some of its major clients include City Fitness, New Zealand Cricket, SLI Systems, Black’s Fasteners, Southbase Construction and Christchurch ReadyMix Concrete.

Janis Gregan, finance manager with Christchurch ReadyMix Concrete said SAP Business One provided the company with “huge time savings”.

“We have been able to grow our business without taking on extra staff.

“It was fantastic to finally be able to see the data that we needed to help us manage our business more productively.”

Ms Archer says Business Evolution Group is also focused on providing business solutions to professional companies involved with the Canterbury rebuild, such as engineering companies, construction firms and surveyors.

“We have worked with these sectors for a number of years, providing a suite of specific products across the price spectrum that integrates with SAP Business One to provide a tailor-made solution, matched to the particular needs and complexities of each business.”

She says many companies in this sector are working through unprecedented growth and are “drowning in paperwork” as production and staff numbers dramatically increase.

“Many small to medium enterprises don’t have their own IT people or even an awareness of the solutions that are out there to streamline their systems and increase productivity, which is where we can help.”

The team of experienced business consultants at Business Evolution Group also provides support and services beyond the implementation and management of its business software systems, she says.

“Our staff consult and advise around some quite significant business decisions with clients, including business change management and project management.

“We also offer project coaching, training and a documentation design service.”

Ms Archer says Business Evolution Group prides itself in delivering high quality solutions that fit the individual needs of each client.

“We have clients ranging from two employees up to a thousand.

They key is to provide them with comprehensive business management software and consultancy services that are tailored to their unique requirements and that help them to stay on top of their business.”

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6

FONTERRA DARFIELD » Apex Environmental

Business South / November 2013

Extension doubles plant capacity Jo Bailey The completion of stage two of the wastewater treatment plant for Fonterra’s dairy factory near Darfield has cemented Apex Environmental’s position as a leading provider to the dairy industry, says business development manager Dr Matt Savage.

“It was very satisfying to pick up stage two works for this significant project,” he says.

“We are now pursuing several other dairy projects around the country, including another one for Fonterra.”

The Washdyke firm’s expertise in the treatment of industrial wastewater saw it manage the first stage of the dairy factory’s wastewater treatment

plant, from design and build through to installation and commissioning.

It completed stage two works in August, which effectively doubled the capacity of the plant.

“Fonterra had always planned to significantly increase the size of the treatment plant, hopefully after one year of operation, which is what happened.

“We had allowed for this possibility in our original design,” says Dr Savage.

He says the project went very well, with almost all of Apex Environmental’s team having some involvement in the project, and four staff “highly dedicated” to it.

“It was a huge advantage that we had completed stage one as we were already established on site with the systems in place.

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It was a huge advantage that we had completed stage one as we were already established on site with the systems in place.”

“This enabled a fluid transition into stage two works.”

At the heart of the new treatment plant is an Apex dissolved air flotation (DAF) plant that removes milk fat and other contaminants from the wastewater.

“This well-established technology has been around for decades, however we have developed our own system that is more robust and particularly

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suited to dairy or meat processing or other industries where there is a lot of fat or solids in the wastewater.”

There are two different wastewater streams coming out of the dairy factory - the first, water that has been removed directly from the milk via a large evaporator; and the second water from the washing pipes and process equipment that contains a lot of milk and fat.

FONTERRA DARFIELD » Apex International

Business South / November 2013 “The DAF plant injects air under pressure into the system and floats and separates off all the fats, solids and proteins from the wastewater.

“The processed wastewater is then clean enough to be recycled for irrigation, with the concentrated sludge containing the milk solids suitable for use as a stock feed.”

Apex Environmental engaged several Canterbury sub-contractors on the project including electrical, earthworks, construction, engineering and mechanical firms.

“We have long-standing relationships with many of these companies and to be able to support the local business community is fantastic.”

Dr Savage and Dr Steve Kroening founded Apex Environmental in 2009 after both having extensive local and international experience in water and waste treatment systems for industrial, commercial and domestic applications.

The company has grown rapidly in both size and staff numbers, completing projects in a variety of sectors and focussing on dairy, winery, food and beverage, and textiles, ”We are committed to helping industry grow sustainably, while preserving our environment for future generations,” says Dr Savage.

It has just commissioned a complicated project for a Nelson cider company, which required a “difficult application” to safely discharge processing wastewater into a small waterway.

He says the goal was to come up with a process that resulted in the water being discharged even cleaner than the actual waterway.

“We’re using a very high end technology called a membrane bio-reactor on this project.

‘It effectively has bacteria growing in it that consumes all the organic loading and contaminants in the water, and converts it to carbon dioxide.

“The bacteria are then filtered out as well, so what is discharged into the waterway is a crystal clear, virtually drinkable product.”

He says the leading edge technology has been around for some time, but Apex Environmental has adapted and interpreted it for this project by taking some of the components and designing its own systems. The company is also working with Fonterra on some upgrade work at its recently acquired Studholme plant, where Apex Environmental had already carried out wastewater treatment works for the previous owner.

“It’s great to be able to build on the relationship with Fonterra, established at Darfield, where we’ve had a lot of good feedback about the quality of our installation. We are very happy with the efforts of our team, and look forward to being involved in more challenging dairy projects in the future.”

7

Apex Environmental has completed stage two of the wastewater treatment plant for Fonterra’s new dairy factory near Darfield.

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8

FONTERRA DARFIELD » Active Refrigeration

Business South / November 2013

New system meets Fonterra needs Jo Bailey Completing stage two refrigeration works at Fonterra’s Darfield factory has put Christchurch firm Active Refrigeration’s “name on the board”, says director Craig Duff.

The industrial refrigeration and air conditioning specialists have just completed the design, installation and commissioning of a new 2.5 megawatt chilled water system which also had to be integrated with the existing plant installed during stage one works.

The system uses the natural refrigerant, ammonia, which is among the latest environmentally friendly and energy-efficient refrigeration technologies now available, says Duff.

“Fonterra is one of many clients with whom we are assisting to phase out ozone depleting refrigerants with more natural alternatives that are not subject to the stringent legislative controls around traditional products.”

Active Refrigeration worked closely with Fonterra and its consultants on the Darfield project and exceeded its Coefficient of Performance (COP) measure of efficiency and performance over the lifetime of the plant by around 20 percent.

“We were very pleased with this result. It is important to a client such as Fonterra that those performance guarantees are there for the lifetime of the plant, and that whole-of-life costs are closely considered.

“Asset care is another key requirement.

‘We have a heavily planned, scheduled maintenance programme in place at the plant over the next five years.”

This includes regular preventative maintenance for all the refrigeration and air conditioning services at the plant which are provided by Active Refrigeration staff who are dedicated to servicing Fonterra projects, and who have been trained to meet the dairy company’s stringent health and safety requirements.

“A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to even be allowed to bid for Fonterra projects, given its strict healthy and safety, and quality requirements,” says Duff.

“It is a testament to our project manager Jared Bright and our management team that we were among the top ranked small- to medium-suppliers in New Zealand under Fonterra’s contractors’ prequalification (CPNZ) standard.”

Duff says Active Refrigeration won the Darfield contract on the back of its work at Fonterra’s Kauri plant, north of Whangarei, where it installed

and commissioned a new 4.8 megawatt chilled water system.

“This project highlighted the benefits of installing a New Zealand custom design-and-build option as opposed to a standard OEM package brought in from offshore.

“We can offer far greater flexibility in the design and configuration of the plant, which can be engineered to suit the specific needs of the client.”

Active Refrigeration has also provided designand-build services to Fonterra’s new cheese distribution facility in Mosgiel and milk plant at Whareora.

It is now poised to provide enhanced service to Fonterra’s North Island projects following Active Refrigeration’s merger with Industrial Refrigeration Services (IRS) in Auckland.

The new company, Active Refrigeration North Island Limited, started on October 1 and now has 18 staff providing full service and contracting out of its Auckland office.

“We are now the only nationwide industrial refrigeration and air conditioning company that can provide full blown service and contracting.

“This is a huge advantage when it comes to supporting the plant we have designed and installed, as we can apply our own high quality standards and systems throughout the life of the plant.”

Duff hopes this will see the company align even closer with Fonterra on upcoming projects, and is excited about the opportunities to expand further into the North Island market.

He and fellow director Graeme Green founded the company nearly 14 years ago and they now lead over 75 staff across the whole operation, which includes a group operation in Whangarei, and service divisions covering Nelson/ Marlborough and South Canterbury in addition to its Christchurch head office and Auckland division.

“We are really proud of the progress of the company.

“Although there is room for more carefully planned, sustainable growth, we will never do this at the expense of service, which is what the success of the company has been built around.”

Active Refrigeration 03 339 2617 www.activerefrigeration.co.nz

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JOINERY » Custom Home Products

Business South / November 2013

9

Happiness with all things aluminium We can take a look at

Kelly Deeks Aluminium joinery company Custom Home Products has spent the past 26 years going the extra mile to find out what its customers really need.

First established in Dunedin in 1987, Custom Home Products specialises in the design, manufacture, and installation of aluminium windows and doors, conservatories, showers, garage doors, wardrobe doors and shelving systems, and balustrades, to the highest possible standard, and supported by a large selection of new and replacement parts carried in stock.

Managing director Derek Little says Custom Home Products prides itself on providing attention to detail and making sure the customer gets the right product to suit their needs.

“A lot of people will come to us and they don’t really know what they need or what they can have,” says Derek.

“We show them around our large showroom where they can see many possible options.

“We can take a look at their house and find out what products will work best for their environment and their lifestyle.”

Custom Home Products has done a large amount of replacement window work over the years, anything from replacement double glazing to pulling out whole windows and replacing them with the latest aluminium joinery.

With so many nice old villas in Dunedin, Custom Home Products is a specialist when it comes to matching the look of brand new aluminium joinery with vintage timber homes.

The company has even won a national renovation award from its systems supplier Aluminium Systems NZ Limited (ASL) for the work it completed on an old Dunedin villa, providing double glazed aluminium windows that looked like timber framed windows to keep the look of the house consistent.

their house and find out what products will work best for their environment and their lifestyle.”

Derek Little says these days double glazed windows are pretty well mandatory in all new home builds, and Custom Home Products has been providing double glazed windows in the majority for a long time.

The latest development in double glazing is thermally broken aluminium joinery, which Little says basically means thermally more efficient.

New homes and alterations must meet a minimum R value of thermal efficiency to comply with the New Zealand Building Code.

While this can be achieved by ensuring ceilings, floors, and walls are insulated, and windows are double glazed, an often overlooked area of potential heat loss or gain is the actual window or door frame itself.

“Aluminium is a highly conductive material and subsequently a very poor insulator,” says Derek.

“This property of aluminium means the window or door frame itself can be responsible for energy loss.

“This energy loss may be reduced by specifying thermally broken or insulated aluminium frames.

“This is achieved by using either polyamide insulating thermal strips or an insulating polymer.

“The thermal break works in association with double or triple glazing, by providing an insulating barrier within the frame minimising the transfer of energy through the frame.”

Custom Home Products has done a large amount of replacement window work over the years.

Derek says the correct glass options are also very important and can double the thermal efficiency of double glazing.

Custom Home Products’ Designer Series of ThermAcolour windows and doors offers the opportunity to mix and match thermally broken aluminium joinery on selected windows and doors, while using standard aluminium joinery in areas where insulated frames are less important.

“Other brands’ thermally broken suites look quite different to their standard suites, but for us it’s easy to give the customer the flexibility they need,” he says.

Custom Home Products staff of 10 include some highly skilled aluminium joiners, some with more than 30 years of experience, and contract managers that know their products and how to design them, and focus on providing what their customers need.

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10

SIGNWRITING » NZSDA

PAINTING » CDF National

Business South / November 2013

Wigram purchase solves a problem Our first and foremost

Kelly Deeks

Skills on show: Suzie Horne replicates an old Pears’ Soap advert.

Getting serious about signage Sue Russell If the standard of entry in this year’s 17th annual New Zealand Sign and Display Association awards is anything to go by this country is home to some seriously talented and innovative sign-writers.

Held in Blenheim the awards showcased more than 390 entries, straddling 18 signage and display categories, including vehicle, illumination, dimensional, traditional, glasswork right through to ten entries from the country’s top up and coming apprentices.

The New Zealand Sign and Display Association traces its beginnings back to a break-away from the Painters and Decorators Association nearly 50 years ago.

Secretary/general manager Brian Fairchild says that moment was pivotal in the professionalising of the signage and display industry and many benefits now flow to its 230 members.

“Our members can use our logo in their marketing, and they have our backing should there be any question over the quality of their work,” says Fairchild.

“It’s all about quality and all about trust in this industry.

“The quality of work produced by any member is guaranteed by us and we stand by that guarantee,” says Fairchild.

In the 17 years he has been secretary there have been just nine complaints about members work.

Of these, eight were found in favour of the customer and when one of the eight failed to correct the problem that company’s membership of the association ceased.

“We’re that serious about the professionalism and standards we expect our members to work to and they’re just as serious as us.

“We don’t represent every sign-maker but we do represent 100% of the good ones,” Fairchild says.

He goes back far enough in the industry to recall the impact the invention of the silicon chip

had on the craft and art of sign-writing. 2While there is an aspect of lamenting the demise of the old guild days, which saw the hard-grind of trainee sign writers perfecting free-hand lettering, Fairchild says some good things have come about since computers arrived.

“Using these technologies and with the advent of wide-format printing, two dimensional work has a certain perfection about it.

“You can tell that the piece has been created through the computer.

“Anything that is hand brushed has an inherent imperfection; just as in nature, perfection doesn’t exist.”

The association is actively involved in lobbying councils on signage by-laws and in developing health and safety policies that meet site safe standards.

Members can also access favourable supply deals.

With just 52 apprenticeships in the system, Fairchild says there are never enough.

“In a small industry like ours with a relatively small pool of qualified sign writers it is vital we keep promoting apprenticeships.

“The NZSDA is fully behind any businesses that take on an apprentice for the four or five year period of training, depending on their speciality,” says Fairchild.

He knows the work and aims of the association are worthwhile.

Fairchild only needs to look at the growth in business of many of its members from small owner-operated firms, typical of the 1990’s, to where they are now, expanding, employing and most importantly training up the next generation of sign and display craftspeople.

NZ Sign and Display Association

In a move to provide a suitable accommodation option for new staff arriving from out of town, Christchurch painting and decorating contractor CDF National has bought Wigram Manor, formerly the Air Force Officers’ mess.

The facility incorporates a 40-room hotel - known as Wigram Base - along with a bar, restaurant, and conference facilities.

Along with the Manor, the purchase, finalised in September, also included a range of old photographs and memorabilia from the building’s 75-year history.

CDF National has put its painting skills to work to brighten up some sections of the building’s interior, but a full-scale renovation is not on the cards due to the company wanting to retain the building’s history and ambience.

The company has employed the services of catering specialist Steph Campbell to run the Manor’s kitchen and functions, and cadets from the City of Christchurch Cadet Unit at Wigram have stepped into waiting and housekeeping roles.

CDF National director Megan Duffy says she started looking for a large house to accommodate new staff from out of town, as the accommodations they were in were “pretty ordinary.”

“We wanted to lift their accommodation without it costing them an arm and a leg,” she says.

With CDF National owner John Shivas a

intention is to accommodate our guys, then offer our services to others.”

passionate airman who flies helicopters and jets, it wasn’t long before he discovered there was an opportunity to take possession of Wigram Manor.

“It was probably slightly bigger than what we required, but John thought it was a marvellous opportunity,” Duffy says.

“Our first and foremost intention is to accommodate our guys, then offer our services to others.

“We don’t see the rebuild of Canterbury finished in the next two or three years, so it is a long term plan.

“We’ll look at developing the Harvard Bar and the fantastic function rooms which can cater for 130 people. There’s a bit of a hole in that market as well in Christchurch, so we can give people another option.”

CDF National is a commercial and educational painting specialist, first established in 1957.

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PAINTING & DECORATING » CDF National

Business South / November 2013

Painting specialist CDF National operates throughout the South Island and is known for quality workmanship in everything it does.

From offices in Christchurch and Dunedin, it offers a wide range of services throughout the South Island, from one off repairs to annual maintenance contracts.

Duffy says the company is committed to a superior service culture, developing lasting client relationships, and providing a top quality job.

“Our commitment to our clients has been the driving force behind the development of our company into a successful influence in the painting industry,” she says.

“Our success is based on a philosophy of continual improvement with a view to maintaining our leadership position.”

CDF National was purchased by the Shivas family in 2006. John Shivas is determined that CDF National is known for quality workmanship with a high standard of professionalism, reliability, and performance.

Duffy says the company’s most important resource is the band of people who transform its vision of excellence into reality - the staff.

“A loyal and experienced team of tradespeople, apprentices, site foremen, managers, and administrators have all made a contribution to the ongoing success of the company,” she says.

“We ensure all staff are aware of, and trained in, best business practice - a philosophy that recognises every staff member has an important role to play in maintaining the company’s industry leadership.”

Considering the nature of its business, CDF National has a proud health and safety record but is not content to rest on its laurels.

The company has a dedicated health and safety manager charged with remaining current with all relevant legislation, and continually monitoring the company’s performance to ensure full compliance.

CDF National 03 348 1348 www.cdfnational.co.nz

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12

BUILDING » Jennian Homes Southland

Business South / November 2013

Winning ways on show in Southland Jo Bailey It’s been an exciting year for the Jennian Homes Southland team.

After being named a Jennian Homes Franchisee of the Year finalist, the company picked up two awards at the Southern Region Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards.

“We build every house like it’s our own home, so it’s great to achieve recognition from our industry peers and also to be regarded among the top Jennian franchises,” says general manager Carl Hamilton, a qualified builder who took over the Southland franchise with wife Tracey in 2011.

It was a move that saw Hamilton come full circle as he started his career in the construction industry as an apprentice with Jennian Homes Southland, before working in New Zealand and abroad, and running his own company.

A few months ago, Hamilton’s brother Shane and his wife Viki have also bought into the franchise.

“Shane is a qualified architectural draughtsman and our new home consultant. It is great to have his skills on board.

Jennian Homes Southland picked up two silver awards at the House of the Year competition – the first in the James Hardie New Homes $450,000 to $600,000 category for a custom-designed family farmstead in Mossburn; and the second in the Gib

Jennian was the first building company franchise in Southland, and is a well known brand with a great quality product.”

Show Home category for its Inverurie Estate show home that opened late last year.

The silver award-winning five-bedroom Mossburn farmhouse has a country feel with a modern touch, with features including a sleek, white open plan kitchen, luxurious en-suite bathroom, mud room off the laundry, and a schist fireplace.

For the last year the Jennian Homes Southland team has been based at its stylish show home in Inverurie Estate, Invercargill, winner of its second silver award.

“We are very proud of this home. It was based on a standard plan that we made some quite significant changes to. The new updated design has

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BUILDING » Jennian Homes Southland

Business South / November 2013

13

The silver award-winning five-bedroom farmhouse has a country feel with a modern touch with features including a sleek, white open plan kitchen, luxurious bathroom, and a schist fireplace. now become a standard plan in its own right through Jennian New Zealand.”

Hamilton says the large open plan kitchen, dining and living area form the hub of the plaster-clad, three bedroom plus office home.

“It also has quite a large, covered outdoor patio area that is perfect for family dining and entertaining, and a bulkhead ceiling is a feature of the living areas.”

The show home is open for viewing from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday.

“It is a great sales tool for us that showcases the excellence in design and construction we offer.”

Hamilton says the franchise has plenty of work to keep its team of three tradesmen and additional contract builders busy. He even gets on the tools himself during busier times.

“We have around six houses on the go at the moment as well as some alteration work which is something we’ve always done to carry us through when it’s a bit quieter.”

Jennian Homes Southland also has a number of house and land packages available.

The franchise covers the greater Southland region to Clinton, north of Gore and just below Kingston.

Hamilton says one of the biggest drawcards of running a successful local business is the opportunity it provides the family to give back to the community they are proud to be part of.

“We are all born and bred Southlanders who are passionate about supporting local initiatives.

“We host the annual Mother’s Day fun run that all Jennian franchises are involved with. We also walk in support of the Heart Foundation’s Go Red for Women Campaign, and this year started ‘Carpentry for Kids’ a programme that provides tools and woodwork tables to local preschools.”

Hamilton says Jennian Homes Southland offers clients all the benefits of dealing with a family team of owner operators, combined with the benefits of a large New Zealand group.

“Jennian was the first building company franchise in Southland. We are proud, as a family to be responsible for taking the franchise forward in its next stage of development.”

Jennian Homes Southland 03 422 1287 www.jennian.co.nz

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14

BUILDING » Cliff Erskine Builders

Business South / November 2013

Emphasis on quality brings rewards Jo Bailey Award-winning Queenstown builder Cliff Erskine has no regrets about pitching his company at the top end of the market.

“We want to be renowned for our finishing and workmanship rather than just how many homes we build,” says Erskine.

“This is why we prefer to work on two or three high quality builds each year, instead of lots of smaller houses.”

The philosophy has paid off with his company, Cliff Erskine Builders being contracted to build some of Queenstown’s finest homes.

In 2011, it won two National Master Builder House of the Year Lifestyle awards for a project at Millbrook West, near Arrowtown in the over $2 million category.

“Winning the awards was so rewarding and really special for our team who put so much pride and passion into this and every job we do.

“We like to say we craft a new home for people rather than simply building it for them.”

Erskine expects the company’s two current projects to feature in future Master Builders’ awards, in which he hopes the company will eventually become consistently recognised at a national level.

“We have just completed a spectacular home at Tuckers Beach Road, designed by well known Auckland firm Ron Sang Architects.

“It has a massive cantilevered roof that hangs out over the deck, with other exterior features including schist columns, travertine tiles, cedar weatherboards and a two-metre pivot front door.”

Travertine tiles have also been used extensively in the interior of the sleek three-bedroom home, which has an office and library in addition to large living spaces.

A 30sqm walk in scullery with a commercial kitchen-style fit-out sits behind the front kitchen.

Erskine singles out the 20qsm walk in wardrobe

in the master suite for special mention.

“It’s a pretty amazing wardrobe, and is virtually a fifth bedroom.”

This project took one of Erskine’s two four-man teams around 11 months to complete.

The company is now building a 600sqm home at Millbrook Resort for Patterson Associates Architects, which has an all-schist exterior with cedar beams.

The interior has schist walls as well as textured tongue and groove panelled walls and ceilings, with a six-metre ceiling height throughout most of the house.

“This home also has 3.4m high interior doors

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BUILDING » Cliff Erskine Builders

Business South / November 2013

15

Cliff Erskine Builders has just completed a spectacular home at Tuckers Beach Road, designed by Auckland firm Ron Sang Architects. which will look pretty spectacular when it is finished.”

Each of the six bedrooms (including two separate guest bedrooms) has its own ensuite.

“This is a very special home. We are excited about getting it to the finishing stages sometime in the middle of next year.”

Erskine set up his business in Queenstown around 10 years ago not long after completing his apprenticeship in Invercargill.

He was only in his early twenties at the time, but says this hasn’t been a barrier to success.

“Our clients tend to appreciate having a young, enthusiastic builder running their site.

“We aim to deliver a stress free building process and a great end result, with some fun along the way.

“It’s important the owners enjoy the build.”

Most of Cliff Erskine Builders’ clients are out-oftown people building holiday homes, so he keeps them regularly updated with progress reports and photographs.

The company has grown project by project and

is at the stage he wants it to be in terms of its size and portfolio, he says.

“My eight staff are of varying ages and experience. They are a great team of craftsmen who consistently produce top end work. We couldn’t provide such a high level of interaction and special service to our clients if we got too much bigger.”

Most of the company’s work comes through word of mouth, he says.

“Our clients tend to do our marketing for us, which has resulted in us working on some pretty fantastic projects.

“We are extremely motivated and driven to do the very best for our clients, and are excited about getting involved in crafting many more architectural projects in the region.”

Cliff Erskine Builders 0800CLIFFE 0800 254333 www.erskinebuilders.co.nz

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16

BUILDING » Snowfed Builders

Business South / November 2013

Versatility allows company to thrive Jo Bailey The ability to provide a diverse range of services is important when operating in a smaller rural area, says David McLeod, owner of Methven firm, Snowfed Builders.

“Local people tend to prefer to use local builders, but you’ve got to be versatile,” he says.

McLeod, who has been building for nearly 30 years both in New Zealand and London, started Snowfed Builders about 15 years ago on his return from overseas.

New residential homes provides the bulk of the workload for McLeod and his team of five builders, with a smaller amount of commercial construction work, fit-outs and alterations.

The company is also a contracted builder for A1 Homes’ range of kitset homes; and McLeod and his wife Julianne are also the Mid Canterbury distributors for Christchurch firm, Simply Wardrobes.

Over the years Snowfed Builders has worked on several “notable” local properties and has an extensive rural portfolio.

McLeod says two “big houses” are the current focus of the company - projects that should keep his team busy until the middle of next year.

The first is a 460sqm country lodge style homestay, nestled in the Mt Somers foothills at Staveley, with “fantastic views” of the Canterbury Plains.

The spacious lodge has five bedrooms, all with ensuites. It is clad in cedar and brick with stonework features and chimneys.

The second home is a large, two-storied 540sqm farm house with a plaster finish and stone features.

“This is another impressive home with views towards Mt Somers. It has a big open plan kitchen and plenty of living space including a media room, and large games room area over the garage.”

McLeod says the company has other new homes to build in coming months, so there is “plenty happening”.

“We don’t need to venture further afield than Mid Canterbury as there is plenty of work here to keep us going.”

New residential homes provide the bulk of the workload for Canterbury’s Snowfed Builders.

McLeod says Snowfed’s relationship with A1 Homes goes back around five years.

“We’ve constructed several of A1’s kitset homes in the region, mainly for first home buyers as it is an affordable way for them to get into the housing market.”

On the commercial front the company recently finished the latest stage of work on the Ski Time restaurant in Methven.

“We’ve been involved in all stages of its construction.

“The original structure burned down, so we rebuilt that stage, completed an addition to the building, and this year, we finished adding a new conference area, two new rooms, and a toilet block which was a reasonably big undertaking,” says McLeod.

He says the Simply Wardrobes distributorship is another busy part of the business.

Snowfed Builders use the brand’s range of walkin wardrobes, free standing wardrobes, wardrobe doors and internal wardrobe systems in all its new houses.

David and Julianne McLeod are also kept busy dealing with private clients of Simply Wardrobes throughout Mid Canterbury.

“We used to have a shop in Ashburton but it was condemned after the earthquakes.

“We now run the business out of a small display room in Methven which is working just as well for us.”

Snowfed Builders are Master Builders and Licensed Building Practitioners.

Overall McLeod is happy with the company’s progress and praises the efforts of his staff.

“We have a great team who take the highest pride in their honesty and workmanship.

“It would be great to add another good builder or two to help meet demand, but they are pretty scarce at the moment.”

Snowfed Builders 03 302 9032 www.snowfedbuilders.co.nz

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BUILDING » Leading Architectural Builders

Business South / November 2013

17

Renovation project pick of the bunch Jo Bailey

The Queenstown project involved extensive renovations to the existing house, which was originally a flower-drying barn.

She is full of praise for the efforts of Sharp and the Leading Architectural Builders team.

“I could not recommend McCallum more highly - his standard of work, the quality of his team, his attention to detail, his attitude to the job and the constant tidiness of the building site.”

Sharp has been building for around 18 years, the last seven in the Wakatipu Basin.

He has six on the team at Leading Architectural Builders, many of whom are working on the company’s current major project, the “re-cladding, re-roofing and pretty much re-building” of a 400 sqm home at Millbrook.

“This project will keep us busy for the rest of the year.”

He is pitching the firm at the higher end of the residential market, but also takes on light commercial fit-out and construction projects.

Yacht carpentry is another area of speciality as Sharp spent four years in Majorca, Spain working on super yacht fit-outs, restorations and deck building.

“If someone has a boat that needs a new deck or refurbishment, they can definitely come to us.”

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A stunning renovation project for a wealthy British aristocrat has seen Queenstown firm Leading Architectural Builders take out a prestigious award at the Southern Region Registered Master Builders 2013 House of the Year finals.

The company won the Supreme award for Renovation of the Year as well as the Future Proof Building Renovation Award over $500,000 for the home at Crown Terrace. “It was our first time at the awards so it was a huge thrill to win,” says McCallum Sharp, who founded Leading Architectural Builders three years ago.

The home is the country residence of Henrietta, Dowager Duchess of Bedford, who is best known for her former stately home, Woburn Abbey in England, a major visitor attraction that she shared with her late husband, the 14th Duke of Bedford.

The complex, technically challenging Queenstown project involved extensive renovations to the existing house, which was originally a flowerdrying barn.

“The previous owner had already converted the barn and incorporated a lot of quirky features.

“We worked closely with local architect Marc Scaife to match the renovations to the original state of the building to the point where it was difficult to tell which parts were original and which parts were new.”

Bare timber floors, walls and ceilings are a main feature of the home.

Around 150sqm was added within the original footprint, including extras bathrooms and bedrooms on a new second storey floor, with a mezzanine area rebuilt above the kitchen.

The exterior deck was also rebuilt and extended to provide an expansive outdoor living space.

Sharp says building materials were recycled throughout the project where possible.

“Any bits we took off we tried to re-use somewhere else.”

The House of the Year judges said the project was “intriguing, functional and quirky in the true sense of the world”.

“An incredibly difficult renovation, the builder managed to replace all roof trusses in the rear half of the home without disturbing the roof line or cladding. This renovation is a beautifully crafted response to the needs of the client, seamlessly encapsulating and retaining the existing character of the house,” they said.

The project took around nine months to complete, with the dowager duchess living in the home throughout most of the process.

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projects also translates to Sharp’s general building work.

“This is the sort of detail we try to bring to every project.”

The dowager duchess’s Queenstown home will now compete against other Registered Master Builders regional winners at the national awards to be announced in November.

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18

BUILDING » Landmark Homes Central Otago

Business South / November 2013

Stamping their mark on Central Otago Jo Bailey A new Wanaka satellite office is helping Landmark Homes Central Otago provide enhanced service to the resort town, says Darryn Wilkie, who took over the Queenstown-based franchise just over a year ago.

“We opened the Wanaka office in mid-October due to existing demand and the growth that is happening in this market,” says Wilkie.

“With a new home consultant based there full time we can respond much faster to clients, with local based expertise.”

Landmark Homes is sharing the centrally located office space (opposite New World supermarket) with another local business Wanaka Accommodation and Reservations.

It is not the only development made by Wilkie since he took over the franchise.

A new showhome is in the final stages of

concept planning with construction due to get underway at the Jack’s Point site before Christmas.

“We are excited at the prospect of getting this high-spec home underway, which has been designed to take full advantage of incredible 360 degree views,” he says.

The three-bedroom showhome will be clad in schist and cedar, with stone feature areas.

A study and loft above the garage will provide additional sleeping options.

Other features of the design include “very large” windows, a specially designed kitchen with modern appliances and fully tiled bathrooms.

In the meantime, clients can visit the existing Landmark showhome at Afton Lane, Jacks Point.

This home includes a suite with master bath, dressing room, study and balcony; two other spacious bedrooms with separate bathrooms, and triple car garaging.

The large open-plan living areas include a

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People can find directions to the showhome on the company website.

Wilkie says the local market has improved considerably over the last nine months.

“I’ve spoken to a number of builders who like us, have a steady workflow for at least the next three to six months.”

Landmark Homes Central Otago has several projects underway and another four or five to start before Christmas.

“We also have plenty of work in the pipeline for next year.”

Wilkie had a varied background in the construction sector before taking on the Landmark franchise.

In his long career the qualified quantity surveyor has provided contract project management and quantity surveying services; and has also worked for a large building merchant in the UK and Canada where he was also a builder for nine months.

He was subsequently employed by Placemakers for six years in account management and estimating.

“On top of that I’ve project managed the construction of five spec houses, so had a good understanding of the process before my involvement with Landmark Homes.”

Wilkie runs the Queenstown office alongside a new home consultant and part time administrator and is hiring a construction manager to oversee the projects.

Business South / November 2013

BUILDING » Landmark Homes Central Otago

19

Distinctive design and large open-plan living areas are key features of many of the homes built by Landmark Homes Central Otago.

“We use contract building teams and find this works well, as we can bring a second set of eyes to progress and quality control.

“We also organise the rest of the trades around the building team which lets them focus solely on their work.”

He was attracted to the Landmark Homes’ brand because of its unique designs, quality product, and attention to detail.

“We have a number of quite different designs and can also offer a specialised, custom design and build service.

“There is a huge amount of variety and flexibility when dealing with Landmark.”

The company also works closely with local real Superbuild Ad.pdf 1 21/10/13 6:18 estate agents to provide house and land packages.

After 35 years he says Landmark Homes is a “tried and trusted” brand.

“We work hard to build on time and within budget and make the process as stress free as possible for our clients.

“Our staff and contractors play a vital role in providing our clients with top service and ensuring they end up with a high quality home they can be proud of.”

Landmark Homes Central Otago 03 409 2504 PM

www.landmarkhomes.co.nz

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20

BUILDING » Fairbrass Builders 2011

Business South / November 2013

Family firm has plenty to celebrate Jo Bailey The Fairbrass name is synonymous with building in the Selwyn District, with three generations of the family now involved in the industry.

Today, Rodney Fairbrass owns and operates Fairbrass Builders 2011 - a Sheffield based company originally founded by his father John in 1977.

“Dad has almost retired now but he still does a bit of building work with me part-time.

“We’ve worked together since 1988 when I started my apprenticeship.”

The father-and-son team won numerous Master Builders awards under the original company including several Golds between 2006 and 2009.

“The awards were for a mix of projects, from architectural homes to more standard-style homes,” says Rodney.

“We haven’t entered since 2009 but I may look at it again if the right project comes up.”

In addition to building new homes, Rodney Fairbrass- a Licensed Building Practitioner and Registered Master Builder - has broad experience in a range of construction work from residential homes, alterations and additions, fences and decks, to garages, carports, building maintenance and light commercial construction and fit-outs.

“It’s good to have a variety of projects. Lately we’ve been flat out with alteration work, mainly bathroom upgrades.

“A lot of people are getting these sorts of projects done now before the rebuild really cranks up and tradesmen become harder to find.”

With the Selwyn district now the fastest growing district in New Zealand, Fairbrass Builders has added a few new home projects to the books this year.

“We prefer to work directly with clients on their projects rather than go through EQC or insurance companies so have tended to stay away from those sorts of projects so far.”

Having direct, personal contact with clients is what the family building company is based around, he says.

“When someone contracts us they know they are dealing with us directly and that we’ll stay on the job until it is finished.

Fairbrass Builders has completed many new homes throughout Canterbury.

“We won’t have another house on the go at the same time. All our efforts are focused on each individual client’s project.”

Quality of workmanship and finish is also key, he says.

“We’ve built our reputation on producing a good quality job. Most of our work comes through word of mouth rather than advertising.”

Rodney’s wife Chrissie does all the company’s bookwork in addition to working at the Darfield High School canteen.

Their sons Jesse and Dudley are now the third generation members of the Fairbrass family to become involved with the business.

“Jesse worked for me for a while but has decided to move onto a computer course in Christchurch.

“However Dudley has just started with me as an apprentice.”

Dudley Fairbrass’s talents extend well beyond building.

Last year he gained a national profile as one of the finalists on the New Zealand’s Got Talent television show.

He was studying at university at the time of the show but had already decided then to leave and join the family business.

“Dudley did extremely well and will definitely continue on with his music.”

With John Fairbrass soon to hang up his tools for good, Rodney Fairbrass says he will have to find another builder to join him and Dudley in the business as the workload increases.

“The market is really picking up and I can see it’s going to get crazy soon.

“People wanting building work done should get in quick otherwise they might struggle to find a tradesmen.”

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Business South / November 2013

PROPERTY » Russell Cunningham Properties

21

Business park gaining momentum Jo Bailey Confidence is returning to the commercial property sector in Invercargill, says Vicki Corkill, general manager of Russell Cunningham Properties, one of the largest commercial developers in the southern city.

“The global recession slowed the commercial market, particularly for many owner-operator type businesses that put plans on hold to purchase and develop their own premises.

“However in the last few months, people seem to be considering their options again with many looking to capitalise on the current low interest rates and a competitive construction industry.”

Russell Cunningham Properties’ flagship project is The Invercargill Business Park, the largest commercial subdivision development undertaken in Invercargill.

The company has invested substantially in the 28 hectare site in the central city that it purchased from the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association in 2006.

Construction of the first buildings got underway in the development in 2007.

Companies from a wide range of sectors are now operating in the subdivision from both multi and single-tenanted commercial premises.

A large retail hub is being developed near the entranceway which is located just a block-and-ahalf from the main shopping area in Invercargill.

“This development has become a thriving economic hub Southlanders can be proud of.

“There is already a diverse mix of businesses located in the Business Park with negotiations underway with several more. Many businesses have reported a significant increase in turnover since moving here, which is exactly what Russell envisaged when he developed the site.”

One of the latest additions is the new RD1 mega store that opened on Bill Richardson Drive.

It includes 505sqm of retail space; 350sqm of bulk retail, 145sqm of office space and a 240sqm covered loading area.

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The Invercargill Business Park is the flagship development for Russell Cunningham Properties.

Corkill says that there are still limited sections left on Bill Richardson Drive and Arena Avenue, with the middle sections already sold and earmarked for development over the next few years.

“Options for clients include leasing premises, land and building packages, or purchasing a section to design and build their own premises.

“We offer a lot of flexibility to enable buyers to develop something that meets their unique needs and budget.”

Russell Cunningham Properties’ quantity surveyor and property manager Alex Cunningham can assist potential clients to make informed decisions on concepts, estimates and building costs, she says.

“A lot of businesses are keen to expand but may not be sure about the costs.

“Through Alex we can offer assistance in these vital early stages of their project.”

There is already a diverse mix of businesses located in the Business Park with negotiations underway with several more. Many businesses have reported a significant increase in turnover since moving here..”

Russell Cunningham started in the building industry at the age of 15 and was self-employed at 18 years of age.

His achievements in the building sector and as a developer of some of the most high-profile commercial buildings in Invercargill have been well documented - from the Farmers building to the Windsor Centre.

Today, Russell Cunningham Properties continues to own and manage a “considerable

portfolio” of commercial properties throughout Southland.

“Even after more than four decades in the industry, Russell still looks for new challenges and is pleased to see other businesses in the city thrive, particularly those that have made the move to the Showgrounds Business Park development.

“With many other local businesses looking at where they’d like to be in two or three years, it is a very encouraging time for us.”

Russell Cunningham Properties 03 214 4775 www.cunninghamproperties.co.nz

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22

CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Richards Building

Business South / November 2013

Renovation expertise added bonus Kelly Deeks Christchurch-based construction company Richards Building brings to the rebuild of Canterbury some valuable experience in large scale and historic renovations from owner Brad Richards’ time working in the UK. Richards is a trade-qualified builder and has been running Richards Building for the past three years, after returning to Christchurch following a seven stint working in the UK. Richards ran his own building company there for five years, and completed many renovations including a lot of repairing and re-levelling work underneath house as well as extensions and loft conversions.

He says that experience is helping with the earthquake repair work Richards Building is now completing as an accredited Fletchers EQR contractor, and also through the opt out programme.

“We are currently working directly with Fletchers and EQC on various home repairs, as well as with opt out clients, therefore we are familiar with the process first hand,” he says.

“Clients can request Richards Building as their preferred contractor within the Fletchers programme, or they can opt out of the programme on the EQC opt-out website and select the contractor they wish to complete the repairs on their home.”

Richards Building was involved from the beginning of the Canterbury rebuild, initially as an assessor then six months later became accredited with Fletchers.

As well as earthquake repairs, Richards Building is also completing other renovations, new builds, and light commercial fit-outs.

The large amount of earthquake repair work has Richards Building turning over a lot of jobs, with Richards running about 10 projects at various stages of construction at any one time, and meeting a lot of new clients.

“Being a small company, we are very clientfocused,” Richards says.

“I’m on the tools and meeting clients at their homes on a regular basis.

“We are big enough to undertake reasonable sized jobs, but still small enough to develop a personal relationship with our clients.”

Richards Building has eight painters on contract and employs four builders to keep all the projects ticking along.

To date the company has completed 150 earthquake damaged homes repairs, so has gained a lot of experience in all aspects of repair.

The company still specialises in completing renovations and extensions to existing properties.

“We can help with advice and suggestions from the design stage, ensuring the best fit for our clients’ homes, lifestyles, and budgets,” Richards says.

As well as earthquake repairs, Richards Building is also completing other renovations, new builds, and light commercial fit-outs.

Being a small company, we are very client-focused.”

“We can also manage the project from start to finish, ensuring the final outcome meets our clients’ expectations and visions.”

Richards Building is a member of the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand, offering the Homefirst Builders 10-year guarantee on all new homes it builds.

The company is also a Licensed Building Practitioner and a member of HazardCo, ensuring health and safety protocols are adhered to on all work sites.

Richards Building 03 355 0545 www.Richardsbuilding.co.nz

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Business South / November 2013

CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Grace Developments (2008)

23

Firm showcases design capabilities Jo Bailey Earthquake repair and rebuild work for insurance companies has provided the bulk of Grace Developments (2008) Ltd’s portfolio in recent months.

However the Canterbury building firm is gearing up for more projects working directly with private clients.

The company recently opened an impressive new showhome at 9 Seymour Place, Rolleston, to showcase its design and construction capabilities to this market.

“The showhome is an important tool to help us grow the business,” says operations manager Veronica Bradnock.

“It is just new, so we are still advertising it and getting the word out there, but we’ve already had a lot of great feedback.”

The four-bedroom home is clad in Monier bricks and weatherboards.

It is built for warmth and comfortable living, with a good level of insulation and double-glazing throughout.

The stylish Kaboodle kitchen is the hub of the home’s extensive living areas with features including SMEG appliances, meltecca cabinetry and laminate bench tops.

Opening hours are currently Thursdays to Sundays from 10am to 4pm.

Bradnock says around 90 percent of Grace Developments’s current workload is earthquake residential repairs through Fletcher EQR. “We’ve already completed over 300 house repairs under this scheme.”

The company also has a subsidiary, Grace Homes, which is gearing up to rebuild several Canterbury homes through Lumley Insurance.

“We have around 49 rebuilds on the books, with four at consent stage.

“This will create significant work for us moving forward.”

Grace Developments and Grace Homes employ around 30 staff, including 12 painters, seven builders, five plasterers, a truck driver and administration staff.

The operation has grown significantly since owners Troy and Carla Lange founded the companies in 2008 from a room in their home to provide a wide range of building and home remodelling services in Canterbury.

“Troy started out on his own with one other builder,” says Bradnock.

“Since the earthquakes, things have really taken off in response to the insurance repair market. The growth has been huge and the company is still getting bigger.”

In late 2011 Grace Developments moved to its current offices in Izone Drive, Rolleston.

These days, Troy, a qualified builder, mainly oversees the projects and his teams of tradesmen but is not afraid to put the tool belt back on to help his staff.

Grace Developments 03 347 2618 www.gracedevelopments.co.nz

Grace Developments provides a wide range of building and home re-modelling services in Canterbury.

“We are dedicated to the safety of our clients and building contractors and employ strict health and safety guidelines on all worksites to ensure we can execute our projects to the highest quality without risk,” says Bradnock.

She returned to Christchurch after 26 years in the North Island to take on the role of operations manager and assist the Langes with their involvement in the Christchurch rebuild, working alongside Carla Lange who does part time administration. Bradnock says the locally owned and operated company has developed a solid reputation for providing “affordable, functional solutions” to clients throughout Canterbury.

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24

CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Bergs Construction

Business South / November 2013

Logan Bergs recently completed his own fully off the grid, sustainable house built in Tai Tapu.

Logan’s new focus on sustainability Kelly Deeks Christchurch’s Bergs Construction is now building on more than 12 years of construction industry experience with a new focus on sustainable and green building Bergs Construction is owned and operated

by Logan Bergs. He is a licensed and qualified builder with a passion and personal interest in sustainability.

Traditional and Contemporary Stonemasonry

His experience in commercial and residential renovations have led to a speciality in heritage repairs and renovations. In his four years in business, and particularly since the Christchurch earthquakes, he has been called upon to stabilise several heritage buildings and churches to keep them protected from the elements while they await their repairs.

One of Bergs Construction’s first earthquake repair jobs was on St John’s of Hororata, a Grade II heritage building, consecrated in 1911.

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St John’s was extensively damaged in the September 2010 earthquake, with the bell tower masonry falling through the roof and shattering the pipe organ to pieces.

Bergs Construction was called in to make the stone church stable and weathertight, repairing the hole in the roof to protect the interior of the church until its rebuild could be completed.

The company has also completed the full repair to St Luke’s Anglican church in Little Akaloa, which was one of Canterbury’s first stone

churches to be repaired following the Christchurch earthquakes.

St Luke’s is a Protected Building in the Banks Peninsula District Plan, and a Category 1 building in the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

Working in with the stonemasons, Bergs Construction repaired and upgraded the church with the addition of new structural steel concealed inside the stone walls, and it now looks the same as it did before the earthquakes.

Bergs Construction has also completed the

Business South / November 2013

CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Bergs Construction

25

It used to be too expensive for most people to consider, but now sustainable elements are becoming more cost-effective.” stabilisation of Knox Church, the centre of the Presbyterian community in central Christchurch for more than 130 years.

The church was initially damaged in the September 2010 earthquake, then more seriously damaged in the February earthquake.

Bergs Construction removed the damaged brick walls, and installed all the structural bracing to hold up the roof structure.

The company then carefully removed the interior timber panelling which is going to be reincorporated into the new building.

While still focused on his historic buildings speciality, where he says he enjoys doing proper carpentry work and manufacturing those components that can’t be bought, Bergs has decided now is the time to follow his dreams of owning a sustainable company building sustainable buildings.

“These days the public are becoming more accepting of sustainable building and more aware of the resources they are using,” he says.

“It used to be too expensive for most people to consider, but now sustainable elements are becoming more cost effective.”

Bergs Construction’s new direction was validated recently with the completion of the Berg family’s own fully off the grid, sustainable house built in Tai Tapu.

The 100sqm, timber interior, iron exterior home is also constructed with wooden piles.

“The house we’ve built is relocatable and self sufficient, with power and water all generated on site, and septic waste processed on site through a green septic system,” Bergs says.

“I’m always checking how much water we are using and how much power we have generated for the day.”

Bergs’ next project is to develop the sustainable building side of his business.

Working alongside sustainable architects and completing his own research, he hopes by the middle of next year to have a sustainable house product available that can compete with most housing companies.

Bergs Construction 021 062 0048 www.bergsconstruction.co.nz

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Bergs Construction’s expertise in heritage building has seen it called upon to stabilise several heritage buildings and churches to keep them protected from the elements while they await repairs after the Canterbury earthquakes.

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26

CHCH REBUILD » James Scott Interior Construction

Business South / November 2013

Interiors specialist set for rebuild Kelly Deeks Family business James Scott Interior Construction has been working in Christchurch for many years and is now proud to be a part of rebuilding popular entertainment venues and homes for Cantabrians, and looking forward to many more to come.

James Scott Interior Construction specialises in custom-made joinery, and hospitality and retail fit-outs throughout New Zealand.

With more than 25 years’ experience, the company can cater for large scale, upmarket venues, through to residential doors, stairs, and balustrades.

James Scott Interior Construction office manager Tara Smith says her father Steve Smith is a certified carpenter/joiner, and bought the business at 19 years of age.

Now three members of the family work in the small business.

She says the company has continued to operate from the same location since the Christchurch earthquakes and can provide “everyone’s joinery needs for the rebuild”.

“We have a specialised team that can manage and manufacture everyone’s joinery needs,” she says.

“They have a great deal of experience working with different materials including glass, PVC, fabric, steel, timber and panels, and since the earthquakes we’ve had experience rebuilding in both the CBD and suburb areas.”

James Scott Interior Construction has been active in the rebuild of Canterbury and has recently completed the fit-out of the new Lone Star restaurant on Manchester Street, and the Rydges Latimer Hotel including the Bloody Mary’s Grill restaurant and bar.

Smith says while the company has worked on the fit out of many new Lone Star restaurants throughout the country, the Bloody Mary’s Grill fit out was quite a different project.

“The restaurant required some architecturally designed joinery, and we worked with different materials like dark oak timber and bluestone, and different colours to create a sophisticated space,” Smith says.

One of James Scott Interior Construction’s largest projects to date is the renovation of the Cashmere Club in Christchurch.

The 40-year-old club recently underwent a massive refurbishment, creating a sports bar environment.

“This was one of the biggest projects we have ever taken on, and it took us a year from start to completion,” Smith says.

“The joinery we provided ranges from all the things you can see like bars, booths, and cabinets, to the skirting boards.”

Alongside its specialisation in hospitality fit outs, James Scott Interior Construction has years of experience in retail fit outs, and has completed

James Scott did the fit-out of the new Lone Star restaurant on Manchester Street, above, and, below, the grill bar at Rydges Latimer Hotel.; some recent projects at Westfield Riccarton including food court retailer Amici’s, and florist Madison Rose.

Over the years, the company has developed a long standing relationship with South Island residential building company Peter Ray Homes, and provides doors, stairs, and balustrades for the high end homes.

James Scott Interior Construction has also fit out Peter Ray Homes’ offices in Christchurch, Nelson and Blenheim.

James Scott Interior Construction craftsmen are fully trained and experienced in both the installation and the manufacture of joinery. he company can take care of the entire installation process with the expertise required to ensure every last detail is completed to the highest standard.

James Scott Interior Construction 384 4399 jamesscott@xtra.co.nz

The restaurant required some architecturally designed joinery, and we worked with different materials like dark oak timber and bluestone, and different colours to create a sophisticated space.”

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CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Cardno

Business South / November 2013

27

Quake projects keep team busy Jo Bailey Cardno is providing a range of land planning, surveying, and engineering expertise to address the immediate and future needs of the Christchurch rebuild.

The consultancy firm has already worked on several significant projects in the city, including the construction of Re:Start Mall; the redevelopment of The Hub Hornby, and providing the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT) with survey data capture services on their infrastructure projects.

Christchurch business unit manager Richard Graham says the office has doubled in size since the earthquakes, with its 19 staff a mix of surveyors, civil and structural engineers, and resource management planners.

“The growth rate is probably standard for most consulting firms in town, with the scale of the rebuild boosting the industry for years to come,” says Graham.

Before the earthquakes he says Cardno was primarily focused on residential developments in Christchurch, assisting developers with resource management planning, land surveying and civil engineering.

The company still provides these services, but has added a structural team to the operation which is kept busy on damage assessment, building repair and new design work.

Cardno is an Australian-based, ASX 200 listed company with a global reach.

It branched into the New Zealand market in 2007 and now has five New Zealand offices employing just under 100 staff.

The branches work closely alongside each other, sharing staff and resources when required, says Graham.

Cardno 03 366-5428 www.cardno.com

“We can bring in additional skills such as landscape architects and ecology specialists from other offices if needed, and vice versa if our skills, such as storm-water modelling, are needed elsewhere.”

He says Cardno’s land planning capability has been enhanced by the addition of a small land planning team that is available to work on projects nationwide.

“This team is at the front end of project development, getting resources consents in place and assisting with district plan changes if it is necessary to get land zoned for development. It is a strong addition to our existing planning team.”

Graham says these services are primarily targeted at developers, although would also be suited to large retail merchants or companies developing big sites, where it can “take a bit of effort” to get consents through.

The Re:Start Mall was one of the first high profile projects Cardno was involved with following the earthquakes. It provided civil engineering and surveying services under a tight deadline that saw the company work closely with project architects The Buchan Group and construction team Leighs Construction to ensure the opening day deadline was met.

Cardno has almost finished its work at The Hub Hornby, which is undergoing a significant expansion and remodelling.

“We provided resource management planning, civil engineering and surveying services for the project which involves The Hub expanding out over the existing alignment of Chalmers Street and the road realigned to be clear of the new building line,’ says Graham.

Among numerous other projects, Cardno surveyors continue to work alongside SCIRT, using various survey methods to capture data for asset condition assessment to assist with engineering design ahead of the rebuild construction.

At the helm of Cardno is managing director Andrew Buckley, who since joining the company in 1997 has grown it from a small Brisbane-based engineering business with around 180 staff, into a leading listed professional services company.

Cardno has worked on several significant projects in Christchurch, including the construction of Re:Start Mall, top; and, above, the redevelopment of The Hub Hornby.

It now has around 8000 staff working in over 290 offices on projects across more than 85 countries around the world.

Graham says despite its scale, nothing could have prepared for Cardno global team for the extraordinary natural disasters it faced in 2011.

“In a short space of time we had the Christchurch earthquakes, the Queensland floods and the hurricanes on the east coast of the US. “At the time it was a fair bit for head office to get

their heads around but in hindsight the disasters have provided a great opportunity for the company to showcase its skills around the globe.”

Graham says Cardno’s extensive global reach is a big advantage for its Christchurch customers.

“The model that Cardno uses is a focus on having local staff providing local expertise to the local market but with a world of specialist expertise at our fingertips and the capability to bring extra staff from off-shore when required.”

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28

CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Clyne and Wright Construction

Business South / November 2013

Commercial work keeps firm ultra-busy Jo Bailey Clyne and Wright Construction director Dave Wright says the Canterbury commercial rebuild is “finally kicking into gear”.

“The pace has really picked up in the last couple of months with a lot more projects starting to flow.

“We’ve taken on a new apprentice and one extra carpenter in the last year to meet demand which will definitely continue to grow.”

The longstanding firm has operated in the Christchurch market for almost 30 years since it was founded by Wright and fellow director Glenn Clyne.

For the last decade it has specialised in commercial fit-out work, mainly in the hospitality, retail, office and mall food court sectors.

“We are really busy at the moment, fitting out two floors of a high profile office building on the corner of Peterborough and Victoria Streets; and working on several new shop fit-outs, including the Maki Mono standalone sushi restaurant and takeaway in Lincoln Road.”

The company is also fitting out Environment Canterbury’s new premises, and is working on amenities upgrades at Christchurch International Airport with local design firm Redesign, with whom it has already completed several food and beverage fit-outs at the airport.

These include the Espresso to Go; Grab and Fly; Espresso to Go/Coffee Club; Noodle; Number Eight and Burger King outlets in the new domestic terminal.

“We have also worked on hospitality fit-outs at Auckland International Airport and Mumbai International Airport with Redesign and hope our current projects at Christchurch Airport will lead to our involvement in other scheduled upgrade works there together.”

Late last year, Clyne and Wright Construction completed another high profile project at the airport, the $1.2 million, South Bar & Café with designers Burning Red from

Clyne and Wright Construction completed the high-profile South Bar & Cafe at Christchurch International Airport.

Auckland. The 600sqm venue has a café area, lounge, courtyard, casual dining and drinking zone, restaurant and boardroom.

“It was a reasonably challenging project with a lot of structural elements that had to be worked through and the constraints of working within a busy airport. We are very proud of the end result.”

Wright says several of the company’s commercial clients are taking the opportunity

to upgrade and up-spec their business premises at the same time as earthquake repairs are completed, which is “good news” for the firm.

Although commercial projects are its priority, Clyne and Wright Construction also has a couple of “top end” residential earthquake repairs and renovations underway, including a project with Hierarchy Architecture.

“One of our upcoming residential projects is for Simon Thwaites, owner of the Silver Moon jewellery chain, who has engaged us to complete substantial post-earthquake renovations and alterations to his Sumner home.

“We have completed the fit-outs for all of his shops, which has led to this project.”

Wright says much of the company’s work comes from this sort of repeat business from regular clients as well as referrals.

“We get a lot of it. Our clients have always been our best form of advertising.”

The company has 11 staff, a level Wright is happy with.

“We are very much focused on the level of service and quality we offer, and don’t want to compromise that by getting too big.”

Clyne and Wright Construction 027 4827 541 www.candw.co.nz

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

Business South / November 2013

CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD » Dean’s Drainage

29

Helping restore vital infrastructure Kelly Deeks Long-established family business Deans Drainage takes pride of place in being at the forefront of protection of the Canterbury community, ensuring that foul and storm water are being disposed of correctly.

Dean’s Drainage office manager Adrienne Lester says the installation of systems, maintenance, and disposal of drainage is a specialist field, as the community’s public health and the environment are at stake.

“A country or city is judged by its infrastructure, and the sewage and drainage systems under a city are one of the key indicators as to whether a city is a first world, or a third world city.

“The disposal of excess water in the form of used or storm water has always been a major concern for those involved in building a sustainable infrastructure as a city grows.”

Or in Christchurch’s case, regrows.

Dean’s Drainage has been a major contributor to the Christchurch rebuild, within the drainage infrastructure network.

After having been established for over 18 years, in September 2010, Dean’s Drainage expanded its team of two certified drain layers, and set about completing residential drainage repairs through Fletcher EQR, and bringing on more staff as the workload increased.

Now the company has a total of ten staff, and has moved back into the commercial rebuild sector.

Adrienne Lester says this work is very enjoyable and rewarding for the staff.

“Initially after the Canterbury earthquakes we worked solely on the residential repairs, but with the commercial rebuild progressing quickly in Canterbury we knew it was our time to move back to our specialty.

“There is a lot more skill involved in the commercial work, and it has seen our experienced guys being able to fully utilise the skills they have, and has especially helped our apprentices to gain experience at a higher skill level.”

Dean’s Drainage has worked on some high profile rebuild projects including Christchurch Cathedral’s transitional cathedral in Latimer Square, and the Carlton Mill Corner, and is currently working on the rebuild of Mainfreight’s new Freight and Logistics Super Site, and the Kilmore Street Medical Centre, one of the first medical centres to be rebuilt in the central city.

With six out of the 10 staff being members of managing director Dean Wilke’s family, Lester being his niece, she says the family ethos of the company means they really stand behind their name.

“Our name is our business,” she says.

As a certified drain layer, Wilke says using professional tradesmen with the proper accreditation and a full understanding of the code of compliance with drain related regulations is the

Dean’s Drainage has been a major contributor to the Christchurch rebuild, within the drainage infrastructure network.

key for the drain laying industry in the rebuild of Christchurch.

He says it is every client’s social responsibility to make sure that their drain laying expert is certified in drainage work prior to ordering any

Dean’s Drainage 337 1444 www.deansdrainage.co.nz

work done. When it comes to breakdowns, blockages, and irregular preventative maintenance, a skilled team of drain layers is required to get things back up and running at full capacity in the shortest possible time.

Dean’s Drainage is a leader in finding solutions to problems and uses the best product for the situation, be it a repair or replacing an existing drainage problem for storm water, foul water or grey water.

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30

CONTRACTING » Ching Contracting

Business South / November 2013

Staff the key to company success Kelly Deeks The key to business success for multi-disciplined civil works contracting company Ching Contracting is having the right people on the team, allowing the company to focus on doing what it does, and doing it well.

Ching Contracting started as a small business in the early 1970s, providing drain laying services around the Nelson region.

Company founder Neil Ching established a reputation for reliability, honesty, and integrity for the next 20 years, until the company was purchased by employee Andrew Spittal and a partner in 1994.

Spittal ensured the company’s reputation was retained. In 2005 Scott Brookland started working with Ching Contracting, then became a partner in 2008.

In 2013, Hamish Oldfield also joined as a partner. Like Ching and Spittal, Brookland and Oldfield believe in these same principles.

The company has continued to build on the solid foundation built by Ching in its early days.

Spittal and Brookland recognised there were considerable opportunities in the Nelson region to provide specialised drainage and water reticulation services and in recent years roading and earthworks services, and these fields continues to enjoy a rate of growth well above the national average.

The production of residential and commercial subdivisions and the need to upgrade local government infrastructural services to cater for the needs of an expanding population has provided a steady and reliable source of work for Ching Contracting.

Capitalising on this has seen the business grow and adapt to the needs of the region.

Oldfield says the company’s contracting team have a mandate to focus on client relationships, allowing the company to provide innovative solutions.

“We have found this partnering approach achieves the best results for principle, client and contractor,” he says.

Ching Contracting currently employs about 32 staff, with the longest serving employee notching up an impressive 20 years’ service.

“We invest heavily in our staff and we promote from within,” Oldfield says.

“One of our contract managers started here eight years ago from the freezing works. He had no industry skills then but he learned and soon became a top notch foreman, and now he’s a contract manager.

Ching Contracting provides a wide range of services including roading and earthworks.

“We love to see our staff getting ahead and having something to show for their time with Ching Contracting. We currently have six of our staff undertaking training in level three and four certificates.”

Another pleasing result for Ching Contracting was when trainee contracts engineer Sarah Boulton won the New Zealand Contractors Federation national Trainee of the Year award for New Zealand in 2011.

Oldfield says “upskilling” the staff is equally as important to the individual undertaking the training as it is to the company.

“We know they’re really good at what they do, as that is why we employ them, and when they complete their training this is proven in a written sense,” he says.

We love to see our staff getting ahead and having something to show for their time with Ching Contracting.

We currently have six of our staff undertaking training in level three and four certificates.”

Hard work goes well rewarded at Ching Contracting, with the company recently shouting the entire staff over to Australia for a weekend.

“Our staff deserve it,” Oldfield says. “They show up every day and work hard. They believe in what they do and they believe in the business.”

As well as investing in their staff, Spittal,

Brookland, and Oldfield are also investing in their gear, with four new Hitachi excavators added to the fleet in the past two years.

Oldfield says this strategy ensures Ching Contracting can continue to deliver its key services in a manner that guarantees 100% total customer satisfaction.

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Business South / November 2013

CONTRACTING » Ching Contracting

Ching Contracting’s services are in demand throughout the Nelson region.

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31

32

CONTRACTING » Jeff Evans Plumbers

Business South / November 2013

Moving forward with confidence Kelly Deeks Proudly servicing the West Coast since 1988, Jeff and Moreen Evans and the Jeff Evans Plumbers team this year celebrated their 25th year in business, including expanding its services with a new rural division established in early January.

From Jeff’s very early beginnings as a sole trader to their current team of 30, Jeff Evans Plumbers has firmly cemented its place as the largest plumbing company on the West Coast and they are a team that pride themselves on quality workmanship, great service and value for money.

As many in the industry will know, Jeff Evans is extremely passionate about his trade, and has gone to extra lengths to make sure the industry is as good as it can be.

As a mentor for polytechnic tutors he remains actively involved in making sure the New Zealand plumbing industry remains a leading example to other countries and was involved in writing the unit standard for drain laying.

The company actively promotes and spends time and money on upskilling and training its staff on new products and industry practises to ensure that their clients are getting the best experience possible.

Over the last 25 years Jeff and Moreen have seen the business evolve from being a one-man band, primarily working on domestic maintenance plumbing to an industry leading company with years of experience in everything from domestic plumbing, drainlaying and gasfitting through to large scale commercial projects including project management for many local and national businesses including New World, The Beachfront Hotel and DoC. Their hard work has not gone unnoticed and the company has received industry accolades in 2011 and 2012, first winning the Canterbury Master Plumbers award for excellence, then taking out

Jeff Evans Plumbers has firmly cemented its place as the largest plumbing company on the West Coast. the Leading Light Service award at the West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards in 2012.

As a result of their achievement at the Leading Light Awards the Jeff Evans team was graced by a visit from Prime Minister, John Key, who had travelled to the Coast in partnership with Development West Coast to visit businesses that

were moving forward in tough economic times particularly after the Pike River Mine disaster of 2010.

“At the time, we had done a lot of work for Pike River and we were left with quite a lot of debt,” Moreen Evans says. “We had lost friends in the disaster, and no money will replace that.”

She says the business climate on the Coast following the disaster was bleak.

“Greymouth was struggling, shops were closing,” she says. “It really hit everyone. So much money was lost out of the community when the mine closed and everyone lost their jobs. The whole coast grieved.”

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CONTRACTING » Jeff Evans Plumbers

Business South / November 2013 The Prime Minister’s visit had a positive effect on Jeff Evans Plumbers, with Key talking with the company about the global financial crisis.

“He said while New Zealand is affected, we’re quite a stable country compared to Europe, and our debt to equity ratio is quite low. The talk he made gave us confidence going forward.”

And moving forward with confidence is exactly what they did in this year, achieving another milestone for the company, with the establishment of Jeff Evans Rural, after the acquisition of local company, Coast Pumps and Dairy.

This has expanded the range of services Jeff Evans Plumbers has to offer, and has lifted the company’s staff to 30, with the five Coast Pumps and Dairy engineers bringing their experience and expertise to the company.

Maureen Evans says the staff are the company’s biggest asset, and she considers it a people company that does plumbing.

This year, Jeff Evans Plumbers is on target to turn over about $5 million, of which about $1.7 million will be paid out in wages, and back into the Coast community.

The company also supports the Coast through an active sponsorship programme, with the Evans’ passionate about backing local youths in sport.

“Sponsorship is about paying it forward. We feel it is our duty to support the community, after all, the community has supported us for 25 years.”

Moreen Evans says the West Coast is still working through tough economic times with the Pike River Mine disaster, the closure of Spring Creek Mine and the down-scaling or closure of several other large West Coast businesses, but the Coasters are resilient, and Jeff Evans Plumbers is managing to maintain sales and revenue, and that in itself is a reflection of the skills amongst the staff.

“We compete against a lot of plumbers on the Coast, but I think our point of difference is the fact we believe it’s an employee’s right to go home safely after work. We spend a lot of time on health and safety, and we’ve just had a full review.

“We have a monthly health and safety meeting, and before every job we undertake a job safety analysis report to identify new hazards.”

Even for something as simple as fixing a leaking spouting, she says.

“If there are children in the house, we don’t want them climbing the ladder. Health and safety is as much about us as it is about keeping our customers safe and their children. We want to provide a good service, and we’ve created a brand that people associate with good service, good safe products, and a safe work environment.”

The Evans family, from left Matt, Moreen, Ashley and Jeff , with Prime Minister John Key.

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33

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CONSTRUCTION» SCNZ

34

TRANSPORT » Aratuna Freighters

Business South / November 2013

New premises as company expands Food and fuel are daily

Kelly Deeks

The new Kilmore St Medical Centre in Christchurch has a seismic load resisting system using post tensioned rocking steel braced frames.

Cheap steel imports could compromise Chch rebuild Karen Phelps A rush of cheap imports into the Christchurch market will have a negative effect on the economy, especially when the New Zealand steel industry has the capacity to supply locally, believes Alistair Fussell, manager of Steel Construction New Zealand.

“The whole life of the building needs to be taken into consideration when making purchasing decisions,” says Fussell.

He says that research findings in 2009 from Berl “concluded that for every $1 million spent in domestic manufacturing activity in New Zealand (instead of imports) resulted in an additional $0.93 million in value-added and 8.87 full-time equivalents”.

“Over the past five years imports of fabricated steel into New Zealand have tripled,” says Fussell.

“From 2008 to 2009 alone the value of imported steelwork increased by $43 million or more than 50 percent,” he says.

“The overall economic impact was the loss of more than 150 jobs in the steel construction sector.”

Fussell says that the New Zealand steel industry has the capacity to handle the rebuild.

“Industry is currently operating at about 30% of the output it achieved at the 2008 peak.

Steel Construction New Zealand 09 263 5635 www.scnz.org.nz

“We believe the capacity of the industry has also increased significantly since then.

“Steel Construction New Zealand is currently surveying its members to determine the capacity of the industry.”

Fussell says another significant advantage of local industry is that it already has the correct systems in place to ensure high quality steel is delivered that meets current New Zealand requirements.

“Certainly one of the difficulties faced by engineers using overseas products are quality issues and meeting local New Zealand certification requirements.

“Unless you have appropriate independent inspections undertaken in overseas factories by certified bodies it is very difficult to demonstrate compliance and meet New Zealand standards, which can cause delays.

“We are aware of several projects in New Zealand over recent years which used imported prefabricated steelwork that either failed to prove it meets AS/NZ standards or failed on-site testing and had to be removed and repaired or replaced altogether.

“We respect New Zealand’s overseas trade agreements but the concern with imported prefabricated steel is that it does not carry the same quality assurances as New Zealand-made steelwork.”

Fussell says that the local steel industry has invested a lot of money to be compliant and demonstrate greater visibility and traceability.

“We are a competitive industry focused on delivering value and certainty to our customers.

“We stand by our product and are accountable for our work.”

West Coast-owned and operated transport company Aratuna Freighters has recently moved into a brand new, larger premises, the driver being a couple of years’ worth of expansion seeing the company getting more clients, more staff, and more trucks.

Aratuna Freighters general manager Andrew Havill says some of the company’s clients have also grown, so demand is increasing from existing and new customers.

“Over the years we have developed a strong base of loyal customers, whilst also vastly improving the size of our fleet,” he says.

“Since our inception, we have had the opportunity to extend our services to scores of customers, with dedicated services and affordable prices.”

A recent expansion of Aratuna Freighters’ services is the acquisition of the Fastway Couriers franchise for the West Coast in June.

Aratuna Freighters is now running three Fastway Courier vans out of Greymouth.

Havill says this was a great opportunity for the company to get involved in the growing courier market.

“There are not a lot of small parcels carried by general freighters anymore, since courier companies have really catered to that market with tracking services and good prices,” he says.

“With online trading on the increase, we have taken this opportunity to get involved.”

Aratuna Freighters was originally a one-truck business, started in 1985 by West Coast farmer Durham Havill, and his wife Lorraine.

Their son Andrew and his wife Monique are now also fully involved in the business.

With a team 74 members strong, Aratuna Freighters now carries fuel, frozen products, general freight, bulk freight, and livestock from all over the West Coast mainly to Nelson and Christchurch, Aratuna Freighters units can be seem all over the South Island and even in the North Island.

The company had a strong rural focus in its early days, and four years after its inception it won the distribution rights for BP, and its petroleum distribution division began.

The petroleum distribution work has grown over

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the years to now include two truck and trailer units, two semi trailers, and eight tanker drivers based in Greymouth.

In 1992, Aratuna Freighters started a refrigerated division, with the acquisition of Polar Express’s one truck and trailer unit, and Transalpine Refrigeration’s one line-haul unit.

This division was further expanded in 2001 with the purchase of Williams Transport.

Havill says Aratuna Freighters’ food and fuel distribution services are key to its success.

“Food and fuel are daily requirements and need to be transported every day,” he says.

The rural side of the business has also been a constant focus since day one of Aratuna Transport, and Havill says it has expanded and is currently booming.

“That was one of the first things we started doing, and our rural clients are very important to us,” he says.

“Our rural operation now has two stock units, nine bulk units, and a three curtain sider trucks and trailers.”

It is run from Aratuna Freighters’ second yard in Hokitika, which was acquired in 2003, and is managed by rural manager John Hutchison with his team of highly skilled drivers.

Havill says Aratuna Freighters is very proud of its staff, and not afraid to say so.

“Our team are passionate professionals who are always happy to help each other to achieve their goals in order to exceed customer expectations,” he says. “They pride themselves on providing quality customer service, so our customers will always find them with the time and patience to cater to their needs.”

Aratuna Freighters 03 768-4038 www.aratunafreighters.co.nz

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be transported every day.”

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Business South / November 2013

West Coast-based Aratuna Freighters has expanded rapidly as the demand for its services has increased.

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35

36

MANUFACTURING » Classic Wood Products

Business South / November 2013

Adapting to meet changing market Jo Bailey Colin Mitchell is in a unique position to confirm that New Zealand does indeed have a growing obesity problem. He has manufactured coffins at his Balclutha-based firm for over 30 years, and says there is a noticeable demand for larger caskets these days.

“Around seven years ago we used to make the odd really large casket. But where we might have done one every three months, we’re now doing about three a month. It’s quite a change.”

He has even had to make the standard casket range, produced by his company Classic Wood Products, a little bigger to adapt to what is quite literally, a growing market.

Mitchell says there have been other changes to casket preferences over the years, with “eco-style” funerals growing in popularity, and people wanting to personalise the casket for their family member.

“We’re happy to find the right factory specified paint to accommodate a family’s wishes. We’ve painted caskets Massey Ferguson red, John Deere green, Ford blue and even Lamborghini yellow.”

Classic Wood Products produce everything from ornately finished, American-style solid oak couch caskets with hinged lids, to the “eco” versions, a plain customwood or radiata pine coffin with no finish at all.

The company deals directly with funeral homes throughout the bottom half of the South Island, producing up to 3000 caskets a year.

“We’re geared up with the latest computerised equipment and could probably double our production if required,” says Mitchell.

He has made caskets during his entire 32 years in business, but they only became the main focus of the operation around 11 years ago, when he rebranded the firm to Classic Wood Products.

“In the early days we did a lot of joinery fit-outs in Queenstown and Wanaka, as well as kitchen and general joinery and furniture. But we’ve gone away from that to focus on our production ranges.”

Classic Wood Products also manufactures a range of bedroom furniture under the Home Parts Furniture brand which is sold directly to independent retail stores throughout the South Island.

“We started this part of the business around five years ago and it’s going well.”

The Home Parts Furniture range includes scotch chests, dressers, wardrobes, book cases, headboards and bedside cabinets, all made from pre-finished board with a white, black or woodgrain hard laminate finish.

Classic Wood Products produce everything from ornately finished solid oak couch caskets to plainer “eco” versions.

“These products offer affordable quality, and a superior finish to many of the imported products in the lower- to mid-range of the market,” says Mitchell.

“All our furniture is New Zealand made, using local materials, with glued backs and drawer bottoms that are built to last.”

Mitchell says the range is popular with the student market, and young couples looking to kit out their first home.

“We also produce a popular children’s range,” he says.

Mitchell and his wife Anne have grown the business considerably over the years, and now employ 10 staff.

“We have very little contact with the end customer these days, now that we deal directly with funeral directors, or retailers on the furniture side of the business.

“But one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to producing a quality product, and doing the best we can for families who buy them.”

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We’re geared up with the latest computerised equipment and could probably double our production if required.”

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MANUFACTURING » Lumberworx

Business South / November 2013

37

Firm expands reach after quakes Jo Bailey The Canterbury earthquakes created both adversity and opportunity for Christchurch engineered wood product (EWP) manufacturers, Lumberworx.

Director Denis Morgan says the business “virtually stopped” for three months in the aftermath of the quakes, while consenting, insurance and geotechnical inspections were carried out.

“Our local work dried up, and we had to deal with a 20 percent rent increase and 400 percent rise in insurance premiums. It was a difficult time.”

Extending the firm’s demographic to a nationwide market was always in its long-term plan.

However the earthquakes forced Morgan and his wife Anne to expand sooner than expected.

“The only thing we could do was implement a fast and vigorous marketing campaign to promote the business outside Canterbury.

“This was very successful and we were fortunate to be supported by a loyal group of specifiers, new and existing customers, generous suppliers, and not least, very good staff.

“Around 70 percent of our work is now outside the region, spread right across New Zealand.

“The growth has even led to us opening a new distribution centre in Auckland and we now have a full time LBP on staff to assist clients and housing companies with residential designs.”

Lumberworx offers an increasing range of independently appraised, structural engineered wood products, with the most prominent being I Beams, and structural LVL (laminated veneer lumber). Its products are supplied direct to the major hardware merchants such as ITM, Placemakers, Mitre 10, and Bunnings, as well independent truss and frame makers.

“Our products combine the aesthetic and practical attributes of timber with the engineered strength and advanced technology of LVL, which is renowned for its improved strength and versatility,” says Morgan.

“Any defects in the wood are engineered out, which makes for uniform construction and more predictable designs. LVL can be produced in billets up to 18 metres which creates the versatility.”

Morgan says new initiatives by Lumberworx’ main supplier, Nelson Pine Industries are helping to place the company at the forefront of the sector.

Lumberworx 03 349 0515 www.lumberworx.co.nz

From its manufacturing base in Christchurch, Lumberworx supplies products throughout New Zealand.

“Nelson Pine has introduced free software that can be downloaded and used to design EWPs in construction projects.

“They have also introduced a new treatment for LVL which eliminates the use of solvent-based LOSP (light organic solvent preservative) now considered undesirable.”

Morgan says the new glue line system occurs during the manufacturing process, so the product comes off the production line already treated.

“We see this as a significant step forward in this area.”

Morgan worked in management roles in the aviation sector and shellfish industry for more than 30 years before he and wife Anne started Lumberworx in 2004.

“My father’s family background was in timber and residential construction and I was keen to get into timber as well.

“At the time, engineered wood products were just emerging, with all I-Beam products being imported from Australia. I could see an opening for a competitive New Zealand made option.”

It took three years for the company’s first product, a lightweight timber I Beam to be prototyped and tested.

“We didn’t start marketing it until 2007, when the business really got started.”

Lumberworx introduced structural LVL products in 2009, and in 2010 moved into new, larger premises in Hornby.

.”

Lumberworx range of engineered wood products include I Beams and structural LVL products.

Then the earthquakes struck, and changed the direction of the business in unexpected ways.

Although it has grown its market throughout New Zealand, Lumberworx is also well poised to service the Canterbury rebuild.

“We work hard to provide expert service, flexibility, and the delivery of high quality, safe engineered wood products to the construction sector, wherever our clients are located,” says Morgan.

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38

SCAFFOLDING » Nayland Scaffold & Crane

Business South / November 2013

Leading the way at the top of the SI Kelly Deeks Nelson’s Nayland Scaffold and Crane is the largest supplier of scaffolding services in the top of the South Island, and brings to its residential, commercial, and industrial clients more than 30 years’ of construction industry experience.

The company is a proud member of Scaffolding and Rigging New Zealand, (SARNZ) ensuring customers using its services can be assured the company meets the industry standards as outlined in the Best Practice Guidelines for Scaffolding.

Nayland Scaffold and Crane scaffold manager Jonny Benbow says the company also prides itself on a high standard of health and safety, to meet the expectation of all of its clients.

Benbow says recent changes to requirements and enforcement brought about by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment’s Preventing Falls from Height project have had a huge effect on residential scaffolding, which is a small but important part of Nayland Scaffold and Crane’s business.

“It has been a positive change across the industry,” he says.

“We have always worked safely, and our staff are well trained in health and safety issues,” says Benbow.

“A lot of the large companies we work for have very high health and safety expectations, so we have worked to those standards.

“You’ve got to do everything practical to stop someone falling.”

Nayland Scaffold and Crane continues to be a market leader for domestic scaffolding requirements for the Nelson/Marlborough region, providing prompt service and the ability to scaffold anything.

The company’s main focus is providing commercial and industrial scaffold and crane solutions.

Benbow says Nelson has had a good year in terms of commercial, industrial, and civil construction, with more projects underway than any time over the past 10 years.

“Last winter was one of our better ones, with a lot of commercial building, and bigger jobs like multi-storey buildings and retirement villages,” he says.

Expert skills - no site is too tricky for Nayland Scaffold and Crane.

“Winter is traditionally a quiet period where we mainly work on general maintenance projects.”

The scaffolding industry has also been affected by the Christchurch earthquakes, but for Nayland Scaffold and Crane, with so much development in Nelson creating a huge demand for its services, the company hasn’t sent any scaffolding down to help with the rebuild.

While Benbow says that getting more gear wouldn’t be a problem, “finding the right guys with the right skills and experience is a bit more difficult”.

The company has, however, provided a crane to assist with the construction of the new Countdown supermarket in Ferrymead, Christchurch.

Nayland Scaffold and Crane’s parent company Kidson Construction won the contract to supply the new supermarket’s precast panels, so with the crane available the two companies have been able to provide a turn-key solution.

Nayland Scaffold and Crane specialises in providing all terrain cranes, and getting into tight sites or over rough ground.

“These cranes are also perfect for day to day work around housing and construction sites,” Benbow says.”

Nayland Scaffold and Crane is also able to provide materials and services for construction site set ups, including propping, shoring and underpinning, temporary site fencing, scissor lifts, cranes, and access stairs.

Nayland Scaffold and Crane 03 547 9613 www.naylandscaffold.co.nz

12, Quarantine Rd, Stoke, Nelson Ph: (03) 547 0670 Fax: (03) 547 0671 Email: liftnshift@vodafone.co.nz

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DESTINATION OAMARU » Rod Tempero

Business South / November 2013

39

Bringing classic cars back to life Jo Bailey Some of the most desirable cars of the 1950s and 60s are being brought to life in large workshops on a rural North Otago property.

That’s where craftsman motor body builder Rod Tempero and his team at Rod Tempero Ltd manufacture and restore rare and highly sought after registered cars of the era.

“I believe the 1950s was probably the most exciting era for motor vehicles,” says Rod. “They went fast, were slightly dangerous and had plenty of Hollywood glamour attached to them. Cars like that just aren’t built any more.

“It’s hard to think of any vehicle being produced now that will be collectible in 20 or 30 year’s time.”

At the moment the company is building two replica Ferrari GTOs; an XKSS Jaguar; a 250F Maserati; a D-type Jaguar; 1957 Lister Jag; and a Ferrari 375 MM with an extremely rare Rossellini coupe body for a client in Texas.

The team is also restoring two Ferrari GTs and a “very rare” 1959 Maseratis with aluminium touring body.

All the vehicles manufactured by the company are hand built, with every aspect to the original specification, using techniques and tooling handed down over three generations of the Tempero family.

To create the stunning replicas, Tempero uses multiple photographs of each vehicle, from which he calculates every contour and shape by taking multiple measurements and working out the average.

Then he draws a full sized profile of the car on a large blackboard in the workshop and from that creates the buck over which he forms the car body from sheet aluminium.

“We use very old fashioned methods but that’s part of the appeal of what we do.”

Most of Rod Tempero Ltd’s clients are in the US and New Zealand.

“America has been a good market for us since the early 1980s when we starting building cars in earnest,” he says.

Before that, Tempero’s father Errol was running the family motor and coach building business which was started by his father Alan in 1946 on his return from serving in the Second World War. “My grandfather produced his own brand of luxury caravans and was also a main contractor to International Harvesters, building ambulances.”

Rod started as an apprentice in 1979 when the company had contracts with local body and government organisations, building truck cabs and decks, ambulances, and other commercial vehicles.

Then the government deregulated the industry and lifted trading restrictions which flooded the market with purpose built vehicles.

“This virtually put the motor body building industry out of business overnight.

“We were the only one of 24 South Island companies to survive at the time.”

To carry on, the Temperos decided to get into classic cars in earnest.

They had already built a D-Type Jaguar for

Rod Tempero Ltd has carved out a successful niche - restoring and manufacturing classic cars.

Rod Tempero when he was aged 19. Not long after the company won a large contract with a Los Angeles firm, Fine Sports Cars which really put it on the map.

The relationship endured for many years with the Temperos sending dozens of cars to the US. Its market with private clients also grew significantly.

After many years of successful trading, Errol Tempero sold the company to American interests in 2002.

Rod Tempero left to set up on his own account in 2007 when it became apparent the new owners “didn’t really understand the business”.

His says that his passion for the restoration industry has never dimmed, although he is mindful of not letting it overtake his business obligations.

“It is a good business and nice lifestyle, but

I’m always thinking about the staff and suppliers I have to pay. My work is definitely a passion and I’m proud to be carrying on the family legacy, but I make sure that everything is done in a professional, business-like way.”

Rod Tempero Ltd Oamaru 03 434 0443 www.rodtempero.com

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40

DESTINATION OAMARU » Fotographix Oamaru

Business South / November 2013

Business moves with time and technology Jo Bailey Oamaru photography and imaging firm Fotographix is gearing up for the busy pre-Christmas period, when its wide range of personalised gifts comes into its own.

Ian Cope, (otherwise known as Copey), who owns the business with wife Lynette, says the traditional Christmas calendar or gift basket is now “old hat” when a personalised key ring, mouse pad, coffee mug, tee-shirt, beer stein or even jandals could be gifted instead.

“We can print photos, branding and personal messages on a wide range of items. They are great gift ideas that allow companies to show their appreciation to their customers or employees in a unique way.”

Personalised jandals are one of Fotographix’ most popular gift items, he says.

“Who doesn’t throw on a pair over the summer holidays? They are a great way to convey appreciation, and provide association with a brand at the same time.”

He encourages businesses to enquire now about these gift ideas to beat the Christmas rush.

“They need to get in quick so they don’t miss out.”

Cope says moving with the times and technology, has kept Fotographix ahead of a rapidly changing market.

“The days are long gone when you could make money from just printing photos and selling cameras. We’ve diversified into a number of other things, which has really paid off.”

Fotographix’ thriving retail store provides photo processing and imaging services, and also sells a full range of cameras and photographic accessories including the popular Fuji, Canon, Sony and Nikon brands. It also has an area of the shop dedicated to scrapbooking, as well as its range of special occasion or corporate gifts.

The company also operates a well-established school photography program throughout New Zealand.

In-store, the Copes recently invested a significant amount in upgrading their photo kiosks with new, world-leading Fuji technology.

“We are one of the first stores in the country to have this technology, which will allow customers to access the kiosks via Wi-Fi and an App.

“This means they can print directly from their mobile phones, or their Instagram, Facebook or Picasa accounts without having to plug in visual media.”

Fotographix could already print from all mobile phones via Blue Tooth or USB cable, however the new App has made things “so much easier”, he says.

Although there is a lot more competition in the digital services market these days, Cope says the quality of the machines and expertise of professional photo shop staff will always get the best out of peoples’ images.

“Printing photos at home is very expensive, takes a long time, and the images will generally fade and discolour. Unlike many of the photo kiosks in large department stores, our staff inspect every single image, colour correct and adjust the densities before they are printed to make sure they are the best they can be.

“We take a lot more care with peoples’ memories than just ticking a box.”

Cope says the dedicated scrapbooking section at Fotographix has become a rapidly growing part of the business since it was introduced around a year ago.

“Scrapbooking has been popular for a while in Oamaru but there used to be only limited stock available off the shelves, with most people buying supplies on-line. We bring in a lot of product in from Australia including popular ranges, Kaiser and Martha Stewart.

“We even held a craft weekend where people came in to scrapbook together. They loved it so much we’re having another one in November.”

Ian says the possibilities of what can be achieved with a simple photograph are “endless”, which is something he and the four staff at Fotographix are keen to promote.

“Our overriding mission is that every visitor leaves us knowing a little more and is inspired to try something new.”

Fotographix Fujifilm Image Service 03 433 0015 www.fisphotos.co.nz Fotographix produces a wide range of popular personalised gifts for the Christmas market.

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DESTINATION OAMARU » Ritchies Oamaru

Business South / November 2013

41

Opportunities for growth in Oamaru operation Jo Bailey The new manager of Ritchies Oamaru branch, David Lott, has already identified some key areas of the business he would like to develop.

“Now that I’ve been in the job for three months I’ve had a chance to get to know the operation and can see some opportunities for growth.

“These include increasing the workload for our two luxury coaches; promoting our charter services to local community groups and sports clubs; and looking at opportunities to service community events as well as horse racing, and the wedding market.”

Ritchies Oamaru is part of the Ritchies Transport Holdings group that provides bus and coach transport nationwide.

The Oamaru branch has operated since 1968.

Today its fleet ranges from 12-seater Toyota Hiace shuttle buses, to truck buses, standard coaches and 48-seater luxury coaches.

Ritchies Oamaru’s core business is the 35 school runs it provides daily, covering the greater North Otago area.

Its rural school runs reach as far as Karitane, Palmerston, Waikouaiti, Kurow and Cattle Creek, with its town runs servicing urban schools.

“We also have a town bus that runs in the morning and afternoon, taking Oamaru children who can’t access the Ministry of Education school buses into local schools. It is another area of the business we are trying to develop.”

Lott says the company’s charter business is an offshoot of its school run work.

“We do a lot of school bus trips for both educational and sporting purposes, and hope to grow additional patronage with local groups like Probus, or sports teams and groups, wanting to charter us for trips.”

Ritchies Oamaru works in with the group’s Intercity service and other branches as needed, and often supports the Dunedin branch with resources during the busy cruise ship season and school holidays.

The Oamaru branch has around 45 staff including drivers, mechanics and administration.

Lott has had a rapid rise through the ranks, having only been in the “bus game” for just over four-and-a-half years.

Previously he worked as an on-the-job trainer at Fisher & Paykel in Mosgiel for around 10 years, then took on a Dunedin based lawnmowing franchise. During the quieter winter months he became a part-time bus driver with a Dunedin company, where he later took up a full-time job when a heel injury prevented him from doing the lawnmowing work.

After just nine months driving he was offered a supervisor’s job, and later, took on the assistant manager’s position at Ritchies in Dunedin.

“I looked after the suburban runs there for two years before they offered me the position in Oamaru.”

Lott and his family have since moved north to Oamaru, where his wife is now also a fully qualified school bus driver.

He has started a facebook page for the business to promote more interaction with the local community.

Ritchies Oamaru is part of the nationwide company Ritchies Transport Holdings.

“I’m really excited about the change of role and am enjoying the opportunity to get to know the locals.

“Ritchies has a long history in Oamaru and I’m pleased to be on board for the next stage of the branch’s development here.”

Ritchies Oamaru 03 434 7964 www.ritchies.co.nz

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DESTINATION OAMARU » The Brydone Hotel Oamaru

Business South / November 2013

Hotel aiming to broaden appeal Kelly Deeks The Brydone Hotel Oamaru is entering a new era with a relationship recently formed with Mainstay Hotels which will offer a fresh approach to how hotel owner Oamaru Licensing Trust markets its services.

Oamaru Licensing Trust general manager Justin Ludlow says the 123-year-old hotel has for years been under a management contract with Kingsgate Hotels, but the new move will help the Brydone Hotel to capture the local public business.

“Being locally owned and operated by the licensing trust we’re community owned and our business is for the locals and visitors alike,” says Ludlow.

“Any profits go back into the community so we need to encourage the locals to make the most of what we have to offer.”

He says his vision for the Brydone Hotel going forward is of a great place to start off a night out, with a nice meal and some good entertainment.

The hotel has recently employed the services of executive chef Pablo Tachinni, who also runs the kitchen at the exceptional Northstar Restaurant & Bar. He is currently working on a new menu to suit the hotel’s new direction.

Ludlow says the previous menu was a little basic, and Tachinni is going to flair it up Oamaru style with some exciting dishes and as much local produce as possible.

“This is a great opportunity for him to bring his exceptional food to our hotel,” Ludlow says.

The new relationship with Mainstay Hotels will also see some profile work done in the hotel as well as updating the bar and restaurant.

For out-of-towners, the Brydone Hotel offers a great location and great services for a business or leisure trip to Oamaru.

With 49 accommodation rooms, guests can choose from a standard room through to suite accommodation.

The hotel’s Historic Wing has upgraded the original rooms from 1880 into superior plus rooms and junior suites, whilst the more modern Pacific Wing has the regular and superior rooms.

All rooms have access to wireless internet, SKY TV, tea and coffee facilities, refrigerator, hair dryer, and ironing facilities.

The hotel also offers full conference and meeting facilities with a large room catering for 350 people, and the Thomas’s Lounge and the Whitson Lounge for smaller groups.

The hotel now has two bars on offer, the welcoming T-Bar and Brasserie, and now the newly incorporated Sports Central Brew House, which used to be a stand-alone business.

Ludlow says the Mainstay Hotels relationship opens up an opportunity for the Brydone Hotel to become more involved in the tour market.

Asian tours have regularly visited the hotel, but now Ludlow says the Brydone Hotel is hoping to support Australian, North American, and European tours through Oamaru.

The Brydone Hotel is located across the road from the historic Oamaru Opera House, and Ludlow has been in discussion with Oamaru Opera House director Megan Peacock-Coyle, about ways the two can work together.

“They’ve got some real world class shows on, and we’ve got some good facilities over here,” he says.

“We both agree that Oamaru is becoming a destination.

“It’s central to Canterbury, Dunedin, and Central Otago, so it’s a good place for people to centralise themselves for work or leisure before heading home.”

The Brydone Hotel 03 433 0480 www.brydonehotel.co.nz

Being locally owned and operated by the licensing trust we’re community owned and our business is for the locals and visitors alike.”

Guests at The Brydone Hotel can choose from a standard room through to suite accommodation.

Market Place, Otematata Phone: (03) 438 9650 Delivery Truck: 0278 123 586 waitakilaundry@icloud.com www.waitakilaundryservices.co.nz

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Business South / November 2013

DESTINATION OAMARU Âť The Brydone Hotel Oamaru

The Brydone Hotel offers a great location and great services for a business or leisure trip to Oamaru.

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DESTINATION OAMARU » The Mill House

Business South / November 2013

New lease of life for historic gem Jo Bailey An historic North Otago lodge has been given a new lease of life by a former Wellington-based naval officer.

When Karen Bleakley bought The Mill House late last year, the accommodation and restaurant complex had been closed for some time, with its buildings and gardens in a run-down state.

Bleakley says the striking stone building, a landmark on the main highway 25km south of Oamaru, “struck her” even more than the business opportunity.

“I was looking for a lifestyle change and bit of balance after 17 years in the navy.

“I’ve always been interested in food, but hadn’t entirely planned on getting into accommodation as well,” she says..

“However the potential of the building did it for me. It really is something special.”

The Mill House has just reopened as a restaurant, function centre and accommodation lodge with 10 rooms, six in the historic Mill House building, and four adjacent motel units.

Bleakley’s partner Malcolm Fagerlund is a chef, and is in charge of creating the “modern, casual” food being served up in the restaurant, which is open to the public from Friday through to Sunday lunchtime, with breakfast and dinner available to guests at any time.

“We’ve created a casual, relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant with simple but really good food,” she says.

The restaurant can also be hired as a function centre, with a capacity of around 100 people.

Bleakley says The Mill House is also the ideal venue for small conferences, corporate social events, strategy sessions and team building exercises.

“We can provide a full package including accommodation and catering and have close access to a number of interesting activities and attractions.”

These include the Kakanui Coastal Drive, Moeraki Boulders, the Oamaru Blue Penguin colony and Clark’s Mill.

The Mill House has a long and unique history.

It started life as a flour mill following its

Situated just south of Oamaru, The Mill House was built from locally quarried stone blocks in 1879. construction from locally quarried stone blocks by German settler Ernst Diehl in 1879.

The mill closed in 1939 with the buildings and adjoining land later sold to the Boy Scouts Association in 1958.

In 1969 new owners Bernard Esquilant and William Menlove were the first to return the

We can provide a full package including accommodation and catering and have close access to a number of interesting activities and attractions.”

unoccupied mill to its former glory, opening an accommodation and restaurant complex in July 1970 after extensive renovations.

Now over 40 years later, Bleakley is on a similar journey.

She moved south in March and since then has been working “in earnest” to update the tired decor in the lodge and four-unit motel complex that was also developed in the 1970’s.

“When I got here the historic lodge was very dark and dated.

“Over the last few months we’ve completely refurbished the interior and updated the motel units to give the complex a fresh, modern look, whilst retaining many of the historic features.”

She says the local community has really got the behind the project. “Everyone has been so supportive and has showed a lot of interest because I believe they don’t want to see history lost and the property go to wrack and ruin either.

“It’s absolutely fantastic to reopen The Mill House and be part of the next exciting stage of its long history.”

The Mill House 03 439-5554 www.themillhouse.co.nz

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