Fencing running through their veins

Fencing has been running through the veins of the Collins family for at least three generations. Steve started fencing alongside his father John, as a young boy trying to avoid doing his schoolwork. John still fences today with Steve’s sister.

Steve worked with his father fencing for many years before deciding to take a break, where he went spray truck driving for two years. During this time, he met me, his wife, Sarah. Just before our wedding in 2011, we needed some extra money to help pay for our wedding. A good friend of my sister needed some fencing, so I spoke to Steve, and before you know it, we had our first client. Steve then mentioned to a few others he might go back fencing, and before the end of the week we had about two months’ worth of work ahead of us.

I decided I had better come up with a business name. S & S Fencing Contractors Ltd was officially brought to life here in Reporoa. We now have 2-3 teams and cover the Taupo/Hawke’s Bay region. We focus on all styles of rural fencing, as well as doing the odd town pailing fence. You just can’t beat a good post and batten fence from the top of a hill, overlooking the hills towards the sea.

At that time, I was trying to run a home-based childcare business, as well as doing our office work. I remember the first time I offered to try to help on the fence line; Steve gave me a hammer and some insulators and post staples. I’m pretty sure I left in tears, as it took me quite some time to get a staple in, and even then, it still did not look right. Clearly, somewhere in the last six years, my skills have improved.

We had been in business for about two years when my younger brother Hamish asked for a job. Hamish became our first staff member. He worked for us for about 18 months before completing a Bee apprenticeship and was fencing every opportunity he got. Before we knew it, Hamish had started his own fencing business in Te Awamutu.

Having a brother who can fence has added bonuses, especially if you’re on a big job and need an extra set of hands. Having someone who knows your standard of work and how you operate means you can get job site flow straight away. It also means you can run different ideas past each other, and give feedback – the good and the bad. It helps to keep a high standard. Having family you can call at the drop of a hat to share how you came up with a way of making a job more efficient, or poaching that new tool to test it out before you decide to buy one, definitely has its plus sides.

While my dad has done the odd bit of fencing on the farm growing up, he took on a career as an accountant which is also a great advantage, as he is able to help with all the niggly tax obligations, as well as providing advice at the drop of a hat. I should also mention the support that both our mums have given, from endless encouragement to us to get started, babysitting so we can work away, or just being able to turn up and dinner is made. All these things make a big difference to our lives.

The downside is, you live and breathe fencing. There is always some job on the go that you’re talking about, or discussing who needs to organise what in the evenings, or how we can grow or adapt to the market.

I feel privileged to have the family that I have around us to support us with all the highs and lows of fencing.

Written by Sarah Collins

Published in WIRED issue 75/December 2024 by Fencing Contractors Association NZ

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