PermaPine, a leading supplier of treated timber in New Zealand, has expanded its offerings to include Micronised Copper Azole (MCA) treatment. Unlike traditional CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate), MCA provides environmental advantages and better end-of-life options. MCA treatment will solve the problem customers – most notably vineyards and orchards – face with disposal of CCA treated posts.
As New Zealand’s leading supplier of CCA-treated posts, poles, and piles, PermaPine has long been committed to providing quality outdoor products for the New Zealand and Pacific Island markets.
PermaPine has recently commissioned a second treatment plant, which provides additional capacity and extends the capacity to “fixate” the timber preservative into treated product following treatment. Customers and end users benefit by receiving drier products.
Along with CCA treatment, PermaPine can now offer an alternative timber preservative called MCA. Micronised Copper Azole treatment will be offered to the market as an alternative to CCA treatment.
What is MCA?
MCA is a wood preservative with two active ingredients: Micronised Copper and Azole. Micronised copper is simply copper carbonate ground down to a fine size. The copper used is almost always from recycled copper metal. Copper is a common fungicide. Azoles are a family of synthetic fungicides originally developed for the human health and crop protection market. The azole used in MCA is also a finely ground particle.
History and use
The first commercial use of MCA was in the USA around 2007. MCA was accepted into the NZ Wood Treatment Standard (NZS3640) in 2012. MCA is commonly used to treat pine species in the US, and is also used in Australia. MCA provides protection for H3, H4 and H5 applications.
Why MCA?
MCA has some advantages compared to CCA.
MCA has various environmental certifications, including being certified by Global Green tag and National Green Building standard.
Recyclable at the end of life. Some industrial energy users now have consent to burn MCA treated wood in their boilers.
PermaPine MCA treated product is backed by a 50-year warranty against insect and fungal attack when used and installed according to industry guidelines.
But why still use CCA as a treatment?
CCA remains well-recognised and established as a preservative.
Its long history of use globally and widespread availability make it a reliable choice
CCA tends to be a more cost effective treatment compared to others.
Why choose WOOD?
As trees grow they sequest carbon. Trees are like mother earths liver, they filter out all of the Co2 in the atmosphere that is created through the production of products such as steel, plastic and concrete. When wood is preserved, this stored carbon is locked into the wood. Each wooden post sequesters approximately 30kg of CO2, while the production of a steel post emits approximately 7.1kg of CO2.
As winners of the 2023 Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Championship, the prizes awarded to Mark Lambert and Jeff Joines included entry to the Tornado fencing competition, held in July in the UK. Mark Lambert shares his experience with WIRED.
The day after arriving at Heathrow Airport, having caught up on some sleep and adjusted to the time change, we met up with our first contractor, JC Countryside Fencing, run by James Corbett and his brother Tom.
We met at his yard, looked at some machinery and talked all things fencing. After a lunch meeting with James, his wife Ruth, and son Archie, we headed out to see some of James’s current projects and more of his machinery. We ‘helped’ with (i.e. watching) installing a strain of netting with James’ Protech 220b with Bushpig netter. Later, we were joined by another contractor for dinner at a local pub.
James kindly hosted us for the night, and the following day, we went for a drive, visiting the famous Diddly Squat Farm Shop, which unfortunately wasn’t open, but it was clearly a massive tourist attraction. We then visited a couple of suppliers with James and Tom, the first being Batsford Timber Ltd, where they had organised a tour of their yard and lunch.
Batsford Timber supplies all things fencing, from timber and posts through to tools and wire netting. We even saw some well-known Strainrite NZ tools in their showroom. The next stop was to Stoag. This would be best described as a Farmlands crossed with a hardware store – it stocked everything agricultural and more. It was great to see more NZ made products on shelves.
Leaving James, we made our way to meet Mark Evans at ProTech Machinery for an organised tour. There are some impressive tracked post drivers being made there, which are now seen across NZ. That night, we stayed with Mark, met his wife Clair and children Emily and William, and enjoyed a BBQ dinner with Nic Quan, his wife, and a couple more contractors.
The following day, we followed Mark Evans into Wales to attend the Royal Welsh Show. I would compare this to a big Fieldays/A&P Show, but with 80,000 people through the gates a day – it was an eye-opener. Everything agricultural; shearing comps, timber sports, stock showing, Young Farmers rugby games – it has it all and doesn’t slow down at night, being a big 4-day party.
At the show, we caught up with McVeigh Parker Farm and Fencing Suppliers, who are the Strainrite importers into the UK. Jeff did some wire tying demos and chatted with some locals.
From here, we travelled up the island, where we arrived at Millom, the home of Tornado Wire. We enjoyed a presentation of Tornado’s history, followed by a factory tour. Tornado supplies all things fencing and manufactures various nettings, barb wire and staples on site. The netting machines were from NZ, which showed just how big New Zealand is in the worldwide fencing industry. They distribute across the UK, Europe and into America.
One big thing we noted here was the factory’s location, being out on the West Coast. Anyone who has been to the UK will know once you’re off the motorways, some roads can be quite narrow, and either have hedgerows on each side, or stone walls, so there’s no room for error.
We travelled back to Cumbria, where we had dinner with Rob Bell from Rob Bell Fencing and his workers that evening.
The next day saw us out on the job with Rob, helping with (observing) a couple hundred meters of netting fence getting built. This was put up quickly and finished around lunch. Rob runs a SoloTrak post driver, which is transported behind a tractor and low-loader transporter. Once he moved the machine for his boys to carry on, we drove further up into the Lakes District, where we walked up into the hills to see a job he was about to start. The materials had been helicoptered into the fence lines as access was limited. The job would involve a lot of handwork and walking. Using bulldozers to level lines and make access better seems to be frowned upon over there.
We spent another night in Cumbria, then headed back to Mark Evans, where we would spend the next two nights. Mark had planned a couple of activities for us, including a morning spent at Giffin-Lloyd shooting ground where we shot clay birds with his son Will, through a series of traps set out across a farm. You pre-buy the number of clays onto a card, then drive around and stop at various stations, where you insert the card and shoot as many as you want from different traps. As a full sporting-type shoot, it was an awesome facility, hosting major UK shoots.
This was followed by a well-earned roast lunch at The New Inn, a black and white pub dating back to the 16th century, in a local village. We were joined by Mark’s wife Claire, daughter Emily, and a fellow contractor Jono Bradley, from J.A. Bradley Services.
Later that afternoon, we looked around Mark’s yard and equipment. We were joined by Nic and started going over gear and the competition fence; this led into the next day, where we proceeded to get on the tools and have a practice in the paddock. It was definitely no Mystery Creek – digging, and the use of a borer was very limited; the ground was a combination of dirt with good size stones. We then raided Mark and Nic’s tools and marked out a few key measurements on the levels.
That evening we travelled to Tewkesbury, and while checking into our hotel we met with a fellow competitor (who could spot a couple of Kiwis), and then joined Lewis Knox and Graham Turner from Scotland for dinner. Graham also is involved, and represents the UK, in timber sports.
The next day we left the hotel, bound for the Tornado Wire Fencing Competition at Three Counties Showgrounds in Malvern. This was the 40th year of competition, and we were lucky enough to be given a line and represent New Zealand as the winners of the 2023 Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Competition.
It was great to arrive and have a pit crew made up of the MJ Evans fencing team lay all our gear out for us. We don’t get that in NZ! We arranged it a bit ourselves and talked through a bit of a plan, having seen the site. The strainer holes had been pre-drilled and then back filled. Looking at the stone in them and with the foreign tools we had been lent, it would be a bit different for us.
A quick briefing was held, we met a few of the other teams, and then the work began. The fence was approximately 50m long, had one angle about two thirds of the way along, and consisted of two diagonal stayed strainer assemblies with a tee foot, one plain wire at the bottom, an 8-wire Tornado netting, and two high tensile barbs above.
Even though the strainer holes had been pre-dug, it still took a lot of work to remove the fill. A good long-handle shovel couldn’t seem to be found in our shed-raiding of tools, but we got told “Use these” – a set of ‘spoons’ as they are known. They took Jeff a bit of getting used to.
Once the strainers and angles were set, we had the posts to put in. These were machined rounds, approximately 5.5 feet long, with points on them. We needed to drill a 50mm hole (some competitors bared their holes with a crowbar), followed by a drum of water to fill the hole, and then leave it to soak for a while as stays were done. We then used a sleeve hammer to install.
There was a bit of a misunderstanding of the fence specifications, and we managed to put in 12 posts instead of 9, which we only realised once we had finished the fence. The advice was to not worry about time and just work on quality, as time points aren’t worth much. Competing on a 33-degree day with dry, rocky ground conditions and foreign tools – we were not the first off the line by a long shot.
Judging then took place, made up of fencers and industry people from the UK and New Zealand’s Nick Liefting. Competitors were treated to a few refreshments and pig-on-the-spit for lunch, while rubbing shoulders with fencers from across the UK. While enjoying the rest of the show and looking at the fencing equipment, we caught up with expat Kiwi Simon Dale and his wife, who lives and builds the SoloTrak post driver.
Prizegiving then took place, announcing only the top three. We were lucky enough to secure the top step, with some very close scores. Second place went to John Morgan and Si Gibbs, and third was Duncan and Rory Samson. John and Si will travel out and compete next year at the 2025 Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles competition at Mystery Creek. After the competition, we moved to a paddock where we had a BBQ dinner and ‘chewed the fat’ with the guys that had stayed on.
With only a few days left, we started heading South, and decided to go and catch up with Marc Preston. Marc is a fencer and engineer who owns and manufactures the Bushpig brand of fencing tools and runs Somerset Fencing. We had a tour of his workshop and went for a drive to look at a big job he was on. These ground conditions were extremely hard, and the job was being done with all steel. He runs a big tractor and Fencequip post driver. We were treated to another pub lunch and then had a look at a big cider factory before departing ways.
We carried on further South and met James Hill down in Blandford, where we also met up with Nick and Ngaire Liefting. We had a sunset dinner at a hut up the back of the farm, overlooking the countryside, joined by another contractor, Nick Green and his family.
James has been a fencer for many years and has always had NZ made post drivers. He has now moved his focus to the retail market and owns a business called Wire and Wood. He sells everything fencing and has developed his own gauge of netting, which is slightly higher than usual and results in less barbed wire required. We spent two nights with James, visiting fencing contractor NJ Green’s set-up. We were treated to breakfast, put on by Nick’s wife. Then, onto a roundwood producer, where they recycle old creosote power poles into strainer posts. They also supply chestnut posts and rails – these are a sustainable tree and give character to the fence, due to the posts being split with a wedge and maul not sawn.
The success of this type of business in the UK is due to the type of timber treatment they are allowed to use. The UK still use imported pine posts, but they seldom last more than 15 years, according to several contractors we met. One of the most common posts used in the UK are creosote posts – they seem to last the best, but are a real safety hazard for the fencer installing them, causing burns on their skin while handling or cutting them.
We enjoyed another gathering at a local pub with everyone we had met that day and were treated to a nice meal.
Our last stop was in Hensfield, Sussex, with Tim Bennett. We met Tim at a roundwood producer and looked at their systems for producing chestnut posts. It was quite similar to the last yard but on a smaller scale. They make charcoal on-site with some of the offcuts. We drove up into the hills to seethe forest where the chestnut posts are harvested. There is a set season for this, and generally done in the winter months. We stopped and had a look at a chestnut pale style fence and an interlock rail fence also made from chestnut. This site also happened to be where the TV show The Repair Shop is filmed.
Tim put us up for the night, and we were joined for a BBQ dinner by family and fellow fencers.
On our last day in the UK, we looked at a couple of Tim’s jobs and his machinery. Tim runs tracked post drivers and one fitted with a Revolution 180, plus another three Revolution Post Drivers that he owns. After a coffee with Tim at a local café, we departed for Gatwick Airport, to get into our 40-odd hours of travel home.
We would like to thank all the people who supplied accommodation and meals, and took the time out of their days to keep us entertained. We met a lot of new people, and hopefully we will see some of them make their way to New Zealand so we can return the favour.
Lastly, we would like to thank the sponsors that made this trip possible: New Zealand Fencing Competitions, Revolution Post Drivers, Strainrite, Stihl, Stockade, Fieldays, and FCANZ.
FCANZ Board members and Best Practice Day organisers Nick Terry and Craig Sinclair were thrilled with the spectacular weather for both Southland Best Practice Days held in October. Running from 9.30am—3pm each day, both morning tea and lunch were provided, and this, combined with the learning and networking, made for a really valuable day out.
Best Practice Days provide attendees with an unrivalled opportunity to learn new skills, see the latest fencing gear, meet industry suppliers and connect with like-minded fencing contractors in their area. Delivered across the country, FCANZ Best Practice Days are attended by fencing contractors, fencer generals, horticulture workers, farmers and those interested in a career in this fast-growing industry.
“Our mission is to raise the profile of fencing as a recognised trade that embraces best practice, adherence to quality standards and ongoing professional development. Best Practice Days go a long way towards achieving this – not just for our members, but for anyone who builds fences,” says FCANZ President Phil Cornelius.
The stunning weather was a treat not only for attendees but also for the Association Partners who attended, sharing their knowledge with attendees, and in many cases providing material or gear for the demonstrations. Attendees heard from FCANZ PartnersWaratah, Gallagher, Beattie Insulators, Strainrite, Farmlands, Bunnings, Bayonet, Summit, Point Lumber and Milwaukee about how their products are used for the best quality rural fencing.
MC for the two events, Nelson-based FCANZ member John “Noksee” Noakes added, “I love the social side of FCANZ events, catching up with like-minded people, having a yarn, running ideas past people, getting opinions, not to mention making new friends who you can ring for advice when needed.” He continued, “It’s such a great industry to work in. To be able to step back at the end of the day and see what you’ve physically accomplished is so rewarding.”
Te Anau – Tuesday, 15 October
The Te Anau event focused on rural fencing, particularly the installation of netting on slopes, with netting and wire supplied by Bayonet. Electric top wire was run as a lead-out from the unit, and some good lessons were learned about the importance of using good-quality wire to feed the rest of the fencing around the farm. Using quality underground cable and pipe to connect is a must, with clamps or crimps for joins.
Thanks to the Custom Fencing crew for the pre-event post-ramming and helping with the hard yakka on the day, and Donald Cornwall for giving us his paddock to work in. Big thanks also to the Great Southern Group team for assisting with the barbeque – there were a lot of sausages!
Invercargill – Thursday, 17 October
The Invercargill event was held at the Invercargill Rodeo Grounds and resulted in the installation of some permanent fences for the group. Demonstrations included installation/construction techniques for equine, paling and electric fencing. There was also a session on riparian fencing using Waratah Jio posts, specifically for the coastal conditions we were working in. Thanks to Waratah for the Jio posts, Beattie for insulators and Point Lumber for posts.
After lunch, Brendon Crequer from Waratah demonstrated the installation of their Flex Rail equestrian fencing with the construction of some permanent holding pens for horses. This was followed by Nick Terry demonstrating the construction of a paling fence to provide shelter for the rodeo ground bar area, with materials thanks to Bunnings Trade Invercargill.
Thanks to Foster Price for assisting with the organisation of the event and Craig Sinclair and Nick Terry for their hard work on the day.
A farmer’s innovative solution for electric fence insulators more than 65 years ago went on to create a family legacy that remains strong today.
It was in 1958 at ‘The Haldons’ high country station in Seddon, Marlborough, that Doug Beattie embarked on his life-long innovation journey. The 3000-acre hill country farm he managed required extensive development, and Doug was up for the task.
A key component of hill country development is good fencing. Doug had ordered 1.5 miles of Barrier chain electric fencing that used a porcelain insulator top and bottom on a steel Waratah post, with a chain running between them. But there was a seven-month delivery time.
“This set Doug’s mind going – ‘There has to be a better way’,” Ivan Beattie, Doug’s son, told WIRED magazine.
With the dry Haldon Range hills, there had to be an earth return in the fence, which couldn’t be achieved effectively with the Barrier chain system.
After a number of prototype models, the resulting invention was a plastic insulator with two lugs that bolted onto a steel ‘Y’ post.
“Doug coined this the ‘alternate earth/electric fence system’, ” Ivan said, where livestock made contact with both an electric wire and earth wire creating a completed circuit.
With three young children and on a farm manager’s salary, Doug turned to the bank to fund the product, and after much badgering, managed to secure funding. A plastic injection mould was commissioned, and the patented Insulators were custom-manufactured in Christchurch.
The budget was to sell 100,000 units to pay off the die – however, in the first year 250,000 units were sold. This gave Doug the confidence to go on and produce a greater range of insulators, Ivan said.
He soon went on to patent the Pinlock Insulators that fitted both ‘Y’ and wooden posts, later lamenting when the patents ran out, that he hadn’t copyrighted the name Pinlock. Over his lifetime Doug took out over 35 patents.
The permanent and temporary insulators were the first Beattie insulators, and the permanent insulator was originally made from high-density plastic.
Doug had noticed in those early years the material in the permanent insulator was losing its black colour and becoming brittle, while the temporary insulator made from low-density polyethylene remained completely unchanged.
Temporary insulators have been on fences for over 65 years without any signs of deterioration. The permanent insulator has now been manufactured in low-density polyethylene for 55 years.
While Doug continued to manage The Haldons, fitting in a nationwide sales trip each year with his wife Dawn, the insulators were packed and distributed by Dawn’s parents from Christchurch.
In 1964, Doug and Dawn purchased a farm in Kaikoura, moving the packing and distribution part of the business to their new home.
Upon leaving school, their sons Ivan and Roger joined the business, helping with the odd sales trip and working on the farm. They were later joined by their sister Linda, helping Dawn in the office and packing.
With Beattie Insulators being run in conjunction with the farm, the development of any new products was thoroughly tested before being presented to the market.
“Doug’s catchphrase was ‘designed by farmers for farmers’,” Ivan said.
As Doug and Dawn became less hands-on in the business, Linda took over the management role and was later joined by her son Matthew in a sales and marketing position. Doug remained actively involved in developing new products.
After Doug’s death in 2014, brothers Ivan and Roger bought out Linda’s share in Beattie Insulators. With the efficiencies of manufacturing and distribution in the same location, the business was moved to a dedicated manufacturing and distribution site in Christchurch in 2017. Today, over 90 percent of Beattie products are manufactured in-house.
All Beattie products are manufactured in New Zealand.
“As Beattie Insulators have total control over the complete manufacturing process, we have the confidence of placing a 50-year guarantee on a permanent range of Insulators.”
Ivan is involved in the day-to-day running of the business and manufacturing, and Roger, along with farming and other business interests, is involved in strategy. With two farms on the Banks Peninsula, this makes it the ideal ground for testing new products.
“Actively running a farm helps Beattie Insulators ensure we have products that work in practice and last, proof of which time has shown,” Ivan said.
Roger’s son Andrew, an economist, has been assisting in the financial direction of the business, and Ivan’s son Hamish, a mechanical engineer, has helped at times in product design. Both Ivan and Roger’s daughters have also helped in the business while at university.
Ivan and Roger work closely together on the division of labour, supplying staff on contract to Beattie Insulators.
A big swing to automation in the manufacturing process and an efficient distribution process has meant that staffing numbers have been reduced, Ivan said.
“We now mainly employ part-time staff.”
Today, the company’s wide range of electric fence Insulators and electric fence products is impressive and includes unbreakable gate handles and other gate accessories, fence reels with unbreakable bobbins, underground cable, pigtail and wire outriggers, a large range of HotTape, HotWire and electric bungi, the original Sprong electric fence gateway for centre pivots and motorbikes. It also supplies the KG prill applicator for applying prills or granules in weed control.
Under ‘Beattie Plastics’, Ivan has acquired new state of the art equipment to manufacture the Beattie products.
Ivan and Roger aim to grow the business and develop new products, along with continuing the strong relationships they have built with farmers and fencing contractors over the years.
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.
The expression “You will never work a day in your life” rings true for David Swansson and his son Jordan. Combining farming with family fun on the fence line creates a typical successful Kiwi business model for the Swanssons.
David and his wife Janine, well supported by their parents, had been dairy farming for 30 years but decided it was time for a change in their business as grandchildren were on the horizon for their eldest daughter Sara and fiancé Josh. At just 15, Jordan, who found school unfulfilling, worked alongside David on their dairy farm. One wet rainy day, they realised they were more interested in fixing fences than milking cows. This sparked the decision to sell the dairy farm and launch Bang It Fencing. Since 2020, David and Jordan have been the driving forces behind this venture while also managing their drystock farm in the Tararua District.
David’s passion for fencing dates back to his youth when he left his cabinet-making job to spend 18 months on the fence line before committing to a successful dairy farming career. These early experiences instilled valuable skills and a long-held dream of owning a flash post rammer.
The duo forms a perfect team on the fence line, with attention to detail and efficiency being key aspects of their workmanship, along with a shared sense of fun and a lot of playful banter, creating a positive working environment. David takes pride in their strong relationship, which has naturally extended to include other family members. David’s daughter Anna and Jordan’s fiancée Emma have also contributed to the business, while Janine manages administrative tasks.
Fencing offers a fantastic opportunity for young people to start their own business. Despite rumours of a humorous rift, the timing is right for Jordan to forge his own path. David believes in empowering his son to create his own business rather than waiting to ‘have’ to take over an existing one. As David continues with Bang It Fencing, Jordan has this month launched Ridgetop Fencing with Emma, just as they prepare to welcome their first baby in December. Fencing provides the perfect versatile business for Jordan and Emma, with farming connections in both Tararua and Hunterville, where Emma’s family farms.
David and Jordan are very grateful to their local customers, who are central to their success. The fencing industry also fosters a strong sense of community, which Janine and David enjoy and embrace through their involvement with FCANZ and NZ Fencing Competitions. David is particularly proud to compete alongside Jordan at local fencing competitions, learning and growing their skills from the experience. Competing alongside other true fencing legends is a great privilege.
In May, David and Janine hosted 88 attendees at an FCANZ Best Practice Day on their property, featuring fencing legends Paul Van Beers and Tim Stafford. This event provided an invaluable opportunity for local fencers to come together, share knowledge, and learn new techniques. The day was humorously MC’d by John Noakes (Noksee), a local reminiscing about his youth in the area, now part of the land David and Janine purchased from Janine’s parents. Fencers and local farmers left with new insights and skills, further enriched by the support of sponsors and partners who enhance the fencing community.
In 2023, David and Jordan completed their Level 3 Certificate in Fencing. They gained essential fencing skills and knowledge, including important business aspects such as health and safety in their trade, while connecting with like-minded individuals.
Looking to the future, the family business model works well for David, especially as Anna prepares to head to university and will join him on the fence line. Meanwhile, Emma will support Jordan. Although David and Jordan will operate independently, the nature of fencing allows them to collaborate on projects as needed, maintaining their strong family ties and shared passion for their work.
David and Jordan’s relationship reflects a healthy dynamic between both men, important in any business, emphasising growth, learning, and family values while navigating their respective journeys in fencing and farming. When not having fun working on the fence line, David and Jordan enjoy the outdoors, hunting, fishing and diving.
Advice from David to Jordan (Dad to Son) as Jordan starts his own business.
Embrace independence: “Take the opportunity to build your own brand
with Ridgetop Fencing. It’s important to carve out your own identity in the business world.”
Focus on learning: “Always be open to learning from every experience, whether it’s on the job or through competitions. The more you know, the better you’ll be, there’s always room for new knowledge and growth.”
Maintain relationships: “Value the connections you make in the community. They are your support network and can lead to future opportunities.”
Balance work and life: “As you step into this new role, remember to prioritise family and personal time, especially with the baby on the way.”
The Barnes family’s history of manufacturing farming and fencing equipment began in 1969 when Steve Barnes launched the ‘UFO Single’ Mower.
Due to its simplicity and durability, the UFO range of mowers became one of the most popular farm mowers in New Zealand history. In 1989, the Maxam mower range was born and led to the Barnes family selling two of their Manawatu farms to focus on manufacturing farm equipment.
The Barnes’s entered the Fencing industry when FencePro was purchased in 2009. At that time, FencePro was a small business, but one with innovative products and a desire to supply the New Zealand fencing industry with the best equipment. The attitude of innovation is what FencePro was founded on and has been continued by the Barnes family. Products like the RB800 180° Rotational base have enabled NZ farmers and fencing contractors to take their efficiency and capability to a new level.
Throughout the 2010s, the Barnes family continued to develop and manufacture the FencePro post driver range, leading to it becoming New Zealand’s No.1 post driver brand. These days, FencePro customers are looked after by Grant Barnes and long-time family friend, Tobi Currie.
In 2015, the family business changed names from Maxam Machinery to Farmgear Ltd with the vision to add more brands under the one ‘parent company’. This vision was realised in 2019 when Kinghitter and Hooper were added to the family of brands. Kinghitter was the first brand to introduce hydraulics into the post driver industry, which redefined post drivers as we know them today.
Whilst working on the family farm, Nick Barnes still clearly remembers; “The day Dad (Steve Barnes) came to the farm with a hydraulic top link to use on the banger – the farm manager and I thought we were made!” This would have been the case for many people when this new method was developed.
For over 45 years, Kinghitter has been known globally for its ‘tried and trusted post driver designs’ and continues to be a major player in the global post driver market. These days Kinghitter’s range of next-gen post drivers are exported all over the globe as farmers and fencing contractors seek to purchase quality NZ-made equipment.
The Barnes family business currently operates out of two Manufacturing facilities in Palmerston North and Feilding (Manawatu). The recent acquisition of Aitchison Seed drills and the continued manufacturing of Maxam, have enabled the business to be spread across multiple industries. This resilient business model is especially important in economically challenging times as it allows product development to continue and a high level of customer service to be achieved, even when other businesses are going to ground.
Steve Barnes’s three sons (Nick, Nathan & Grant) are still well involved in the running of the business. Nick in Operations, Nathan in Product Development and Grant in Sales. The third generation has been involved in the business for over 7 years, with Archie in Production, Jack in Sales, and Dallas in Marketing. The attitude of innovation and customer care which founded the business is still well engrained, with the company’s No.1 value being to “Put our customers front and centre”.
Working in a family business can have its challenges. One of these is maintaining a strong family relationship, especially when there are some tough decisions to be made. Being able to put aside disagreements and still be able to get together as a family is above all else. However, working together in a family business certainly has its benefits. Knowing each other so well enables us to have some robust conversations and draw on different people’s strengths to achieve outcomes that are best for our customers and the business.
As for the future, we will continue to innovate new products and improve our existing range, while providing the best customer service. These two principles are what the business was founded on, and have worked for the last 55 years. We don’t see that changing anytime soon. There are some very exciting projects in the pipeline, so keep an eye out!
In the heart of the Hawke’s Bay, NDP Fencing and Earthworks stands as a testament to hard work and family dedication.
Nigel Parkinson had been working in orchards since the young age of 16 and progressed throughout the years to working for corporates in managerial positions. “As I worked for corporate entities, I understood that when it comes to contracting, scale is key if you want to make a serious go of it,” he said.
He began his contracting business in 2002 and refocussed the business towards fencing in 2013.
Over time, he has expanded the enterprise, adding machinery and staff to keep pace with rising demand. The business now offers both earthmoving and fencing services, with a full-time staff of 14 and two fixed-term employees. They also subcontract staff for the wire crew season. It is a genuine family business with Nigel at the helm, his wife Deidre in the office, their 22-year-old son Angus a crew foreman and Deidre’s father Jim driving the transporter. The couple’s younger son James (19) is completing an engineering apprenticeship in Napier and may join the business at a later stage.
With the team’s age ranging from 16 to 77, the business tackles everything from conventional and commercial fencing to earthworks, including cutting out driveways and creating drainage systems. “It keeps things pretty interesting,” Nigel said. They service the Hawkes Bay area and travel as far as Gisborne for orchard development projects.
Deidre’s background as a legal executive and trust accountant brought a valuable skillset to the administrative side of the business when she joined her husband in 2021. “When I came into the business, Nigel had been doing that side of things for nearly 10 years, so I didn’t want to come in, take over and change everything,” she said. “As I learnt his processes, I just made small tweaks here and there and created new templates to streamline things a bit more.”
Deidre looks after vehicle servicing and registrations, marketing, invoicing, payroll and health and safety from their home office. “I also do material and fuel deliveries to the teams when required, and I hold our Transport Service Licence,” she said. “Nigel is out on the road a lot, and we come together two or three times a week to finalise invoicing and complete pricing and the like.”
A professional brand was also important to Deidre, and she facilitated a rebrand of the business to better reflect everything the company offered. “I like a clean, modern design. We pride ourselves on being a professional company to deal with, and I felt our brand needed to reflect that better,” she said.
The couple’s eldest son Angus has been fencing since he was 16, initially working during the school holidays, he has worked his way up and is now a crew foreman. When time and workload allow, Nigel will ask Angus to join him and learn some other facets of the business. “He’s been learning how to estimate jobs and organise teams, but I am very aware he is still bloody young, so I’m mindful not to overwhelm him,” Nigel said.
During a significant knee surgery, when both Nigel and Deidre were away, Angus took control, ensuring operations carried on without a hitch. “He organised the teams and transporter and the business continued running, which we were extremely grateful for, it took a lot of the pressure off Nigel,” Deidre said.
As the director, Nigel’s role is demanding. “I’m the guy that makes it all happen,” he laughed, Managing it all from client phone calls, quoting jobs, ordering gear and materials, dealing with staff, handling the odd breakdown and planning forward work for all five fencing crews, Nigel agrees it’s relentless but he admits he thrives on the challenge, “my phone is going all day, and I am all talked out come six o’clock, I am happy to sit down, watch the news and just say nothing for a good while”, he said.
The family enterprise is complemented by Deidre’s father, Jim Henderson, whose 77 years of wisdom makes him a valuable team member. “Some weeks Jim will do 10 hours, other weeks 30, it just depends on what’s going on. Being flexible to the workload is a huge asset to us,” Nigel said. Jim particularly enjoys working alongside his grandson Angus. “Dad is a bit of a gruff farmer type, he doesn’t show too much emotion, but you can tell when he works alongside him that he is super proud and enjoys every minute,” Deidre said.
Family dynamics do come with their own unique set of challenges, and with Angus and his partner living under the same roof as his parents, the family were mindful of keeping a balance between personal and work life. “When the day is over, we tend not to talk about work,” Deidre said. “It becomes all-consuming otherwise and very hard to switch off,” Nigel adds.
The key to working and living together is to have your own hobbies. Deidre’s is horse riding, and Nigel’s is his beloved modified XF Falcon. Deidre explains just how far back the couple go: “We grew up together and started going out at the age of 15. I know exactly what Nigel is thinking just by the look on his face,” she said, laughing.
With his father-in-law on the payroll, Nigel concedes there was a short settling-in period for Jim. “He was his own boss for a very long time and came from that old-school mindset where everyone should be tools in hand and on the job by 7am, so he found our morning toolbox meetings and health and safety briefings frustrating to begin with,” Nigel said. “He is coming around to it all now though, and these days when he’s being a bit of a grumpy old bugger, the crew will humour him and have a bit of banter,” Nigel laughed.
The couple’s advice for those entering a family business: “Make each member’s role clear, Deidre said. “Try not to overstep each other’s mark. Be open and talk about where the business is going and where you see it heading in the future, it’s important to listen to everyone’s ideas,” she said.
“In this day and age, it is extremely important for any business to be diverse in what they do – we have found diversification across a lot of industries has enabled our business to keep afloat in hard times, hence the range of services we offer, which means we are always busy in a number of sectors,” Nigel said.
Mitchpine has been supplying quality fencing products since 1975.
FCANZ’s newest Silver Partner, Mitchpine started when Keith Mitchell swapped a batten sawmill with the Oxnam family from Foxton in exchange for 230,000 fence battens. He then put his three sons to task and got them to complete the order.
“We were all keen to earn some extra money, so when Dad got the sawmill batten, he put us to work” said Grant Mitchell (Butch), Keith’s son and former owner of Mitchpine.
“He made a strong point to note that we were not to neglect any of our farm jobs.” Butch said.
Nearly 50 years later, Mitchpine has had three generations of Mitchell’s leading the business and has grown from Keith and his three sons to Lee Mitchell (the grandson) and a team of over 75.
One thing that has remained the same is the drive to offer the best products.
“I believe we have set the standard for quality products, over the years we have been driven to offer the best. To do this, we have made a huge investment in technology and equipment,” said Lee Mitchell, current Managing Director.
“We have imported equipment from all around the world to stay up to date with the latest technology. By investing in technology, not only do we get better products and the ability to use the right part of the tree for the right product, but we are also reducing waste and creating a safer workplace.
Things have changed a lot in the industry since 1975, and Mitchpine continues to evolve.
“We want to keep changing to meet demands, our team is currently working on a new roundwood mill, which we are excited to open next year to coincide with our 50th year in operation.” said Lee.
“We are proud to be a part of the fencing industry, an industry that plays an important part in New Zealand’s landscape.” says Lee.
There are many things – situations, events and people – that have an effect on our lives. A lot of these are positive,but there are plenty which are negative, that don’t complement our wellbeing.
We often get involved in things (causes, clubs, community) for the right reason – it’s at the right time at that moment in our life – but find after a while, these things start to develop a more negative path – draining us of the original passion or desire to be involved.
Sometimes, the fight it takes within us to stay involved is accelerated by confrontation that is taking place outside of our control, by someone or something that is really working against us. This creates a negative spiral, and can lead to bad decisions and confrontation, or worse still – an overwhelming, all-consuming thought process that puts us in a state of anxiety and stress.
It’s at this point we need to take a step back, breathe and give ourselves space to process how we are feeling, analyse what is driving the feelings we have, categorise the influence that’s causing the anxiety and then make a decision to improve the situation.
Once you step back, it can become clear as to what needs to happen. Firstly, ask and write down the answers to some simple questions:
Is this issue within my control or outside my control?
Is what I am involved in – that is causing an issue – going to compliment me and grow me? Or hold me back?
How important is the time I give this issue in comparison to my needs, and those who need my time, such as family and friends?
What are the pros and cons of staying in this space vs moving away?
The answers, if honest, will normally present the solution!
Recently, I was faced with this exact same scenario, and I think it’s important I ‘walk the talk’ when writing or speaking to others on their mental health, so to own and talk about my journey hopefully shows an honesty and connection to those who may need it.
Since I was 12 years old, I’ve been involved in a sport/industry as a club member, competitor, administrator, board member, coach and team manager, commentator, and public defender, and have faced many social media and personal attacks because of the roles I’ve been involved in. This involvement has led to many great opportunities for me personally, and had I been a bit more selfish, it would not have mattered when the people within the sport disrespected the efforts I took to grow it, foster the youth development and give many hours of what should have been family time to it. But I was wrapped up in it. To say it was my life was an understatement; it was who I was. Or was it what I do, not who I am?
This year I decided that the last part of my connection to this sport had become toxic; out of my control, was no longer a complement to my life – taking my time away from my family, and consuming my mind with negativity that was impacting my life.
How did I come to that decision? I asked the questions above, and the answer became clear! Move away and foster the positive, don’t enable the negative. Start devoting time to where my life seems to be heading or where the need for my work is taking me.
The result has been a weight off my shoulders, more family time, and not having to appease the agendas of others but instead foster my own agenda: to help develop and grow the Lean on a Gate campaign.
This has been a realisation of that simple fact: what we do is often not who we are. When the world throws rocks at us, it may be time to change path, as the world has a better or different plan for us that we may not know while stuck in a void of negativity.
The problem with my changes is that they are often public, due to the nature of my work, such as the roles with the Young Farmers competition, NZ Rodeo, The Farmers Weekly and other commentary work. However, I think we can care too much about public perception rather than the reason for change.
I read of a preacher who had been with a lot of people as they took their last breath. Never once had anyone asked for their trophies, awards and accolades, or their money and assets at the end of their life. They want only one thing; to be surrounded by the people that they love, the people that have supported them or they have supported, the positive influences they have had in their life or invested in.
