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Building a new set of stockyards is a huge expense for farmers in this day and age, with prices of both timber and steel increasing more rapidly than ever. It shows the lengths farmers will go to ensure quality of animal health by maintaining farm infrastructure. 

Well built yards make it a lot easier, safer and more efficient for everyone involved in working with the stock including farm workers, vets, technicians and truck drivers. In the last few years we have built several sets of yards, both sheep and cattle in the South Canterbury region. Timber yards with steel gates and concrete floors still seem to be the most popular choice.

When designing a set of yards, concept designs are usually drafted while sitting at the kitchen table. It’s a rough plan, sometimes a coffee cup or even a beer bottle might be used to draw a circle race. I like to take two or three different ideas to a client and then discuss with them what will work for their farm and things usually develop from there. It all depends on how many stock units they are wanting to run, what the purpose of the yards is and how big the pen sizes need to be. I ask if they want a round pen with a backing gate or just a normal forcing pen; how many sliding gates they want in the race and if they want a single or double load out ramp. Generally, clients are very receptive to advice on how to go about things and they welcome suggestions.

Stockyards require a lot of accuracy when driving posts and care needs to be taken with measuring and marking out so that spacings are the correct size. However, the yards are mostly built prior to going through and measuring all of the gateways to ensure perfect accuracy for slam catches. It also makes it a lot easier having the gates fabricated after the posts are driven and yards are built so you’re not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. 

This does mean there can be a bit of wait time where the yards aren’t able to be used until the gates show up and are installed but in the long run it is more efficient. If we are using pre-fabricated gates, we always make sure the gates are on site prior to post driving to ensure the measurements are dead right. 

In South Canterbury we have some good local engineers building our gates and ramps; Gibson Bros Limited in Fairlie and Agriboss Engineering in Timaru. We use a lot of Te Pari slam catches and also some of their pre-fabricated gates. The Te Pari slam catches are good to use even on the custom-made gates as there is the benefit of being able to purchase both right-handed and left-handed catches and they have 25mm of adjustment if there is any movement with timber shrinkage. In sheep yards, standard gate chains are often used but it is down to the preference of the client.

Cattle Yards

For cattle yards, we tend to use a lot of 2.4m gates. It’s a good size that you can fit enough animals through, but if you want to stop one you still have a reasonably big presence in the gateway when standing in it. It’s also a good size practically as the gates are normally light enough that you can slam them fast and they tend to stand the test of time without sagging too much. They are also easier to transport and hang at this size. We usually go for 1400mm high and have six rails spaced 150mm wide at the bottom, getting further apart at the top. 50mm x 50mm galvanised box section is used. When hanging yard gates, we like the gudgeons to come off the post at a 45° angle so that the gate will swing right back to the boards and you also get a bit of adjustment in the gudgeons to get it sitting right. If your gate isn’t hung right it won’t meet the slam catch and in some cases won’t swing right back (not to mention it looks awful).

In the last year or two we have built three sets of yards for a large client in South Canterbury. We built some sale pens on a station for a calf sale venue, and a set of cattle yards on a dairy farm for young stock. The other set were large scale yards on their run-off block which were built to manage about one thousand cows. They have large holding pens, a large round forcing pen, a 20m long race split into three with sliding gates and a double load out ramp. When building the large set of yards we stripped an old set of cattle yards which was being pulled down and salvaged what was still in good condition in terms of steel gates. It was good to be able to re-use some of the materials without them going to waste and some of the original gates were also modified by the engineers to get them to suit the new yards. The double load out ramp and 32 new gates were made by Gibson Bros Limited.

Sheep Yards

Sheep yards have more variation in gate size usually, ranging from 450mm x 900mm to 3000mm x 900mm. When building sheep yards, generally you are working around more of what is already there, including building a load in race into a woolshed. Recently we built a completely new set of sheep yards, again with custom steel gates from Gibson Bros Limited. For this project the gates were galvanized steel frames made from angle iron and box section. We then bolted in three 150mm x 25mm boards inside the angle iron frame so they were a combination of timber and steel. The top board needs to be flush with the top of the steel so that there is no gap in which a sheep dog could get a paw stuck and get hurt.

Building yards is a rewarding aspect of fencing because the finished product is quite an art. It’s always great to get a few photos from above when you have finished a set so that you can appreciate the full capacity of the project. The process of building yards forces you to think and calculate a bit more than your standard fence so it can be a good challenge at times. Just like with fencing, it’s good to be able to drive past and see the yards working well when the job is finished.  

Article written by Dan Douglass 

www.facebook.com/dandouglassfencing

Published in the Gates Feature in WIRED Issue 66 / September 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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WIREMARK® Golden Pliers winner, 10 x Fieldays Silver Spades winner and former FCANZ Chairman Wayne Newdick, provides a quick hanging a gate how-to using best practice techniques. 

Make an effort to level the top of the strainer distance 3660mm gate inside measurement usually minus 40mm assuming the gate opens 180 degrees.

Tools

–  2 short levels 250mm one of which is magnetic
–  30mm ring spanner
–  Small sledge
–  Drill and bit 19-20 mm
–  Tape
–  Spade

Method

1.  Stand the gate in position on the ground, check for slam ie: 30mm and make sure the gudgeon position will not cause binding.
2.  At this stage, I simply put a vertical pencil mark above the top hinge to determine the entry point to drill through the centre of the strainer in line with a hinge.
3.  Lie the gate on the ground.
4.  Most top hinges line up with the bottom of the top bar of the gate. Simply measure from the top of the gate to the bottom of the top bar and add 15mm for the centre of your top gudgeon.
5.  Transfer that mark to the strainer and with a short level transfer the mark that you put above the hinge to the horizontal mark indicating the centre of your gudgeon.
6.  If using a lock thru, hold this across the face below the mark you have just put on the strainer.
7.  Then mark the top of the lock and this will give you the centres. Now drill both at the same time using a short level to ensure the drill bit is level.
8.  Fit the gudgeon and lift the gate on, then put a spade under the latch end of the gate, sometimes on the top of the blade, if it’s too far off the ground put the handle of the spade under the pipe on the top of the gate, or you can use a straight handled spade with a holder (as per photo below).
9.  Sit the top of the gate above the slam. The amount depends on the gate, a Standard gate is 20-30mm. 
10.  Then put the magnetic level just above the bottom hinge to get plumb. Try to keep both gudgeons in line.
11.  Once the gate is plumb drill the bottom gudgeon hole using the second same as the top.
12.  Generally, long pin is used on the bottom, making it easier to fit the gate.
13.  All gates are different with drop. Standard gates with a brace don’t drop much, 20-30mm.
14.  Plastic inserted hinges drop less.
15.  Some heavier gates and those without a brace can drop anything from 30-50mm or more

Most of the time it’s just practise mixed with a good guess.

I only use blocks of wood or wedges to lift a gate if I’m on concrete or hard metal. This same system is how I swing gates to ground as well.  

Article written by Wayne Newdick

Published in the Gates Feature in WIRED Issue 66 / September 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Fencing and gate automation have more in common than is apparent on the surface.

We all work outside in all weather conditions and must deal with mud, water, wind, and all while making sure we meet our customers’ expectations. At the end of the day we continue doing what we do best because we enjoy the work and the lifestyle it creates. Standing back and looking at a job well done makes us all proud of the work we have completed.

Gate automation is a small but vital part of our industry and all the work carried out by the fencing contractor can either complement an automation install or bring out the shortcomings.

History of OPENZ Limited

OPENZ Limited, operated by Tony Phaal, has been working in tandem with the fencing industry for many years and is a name synonymous in the gate automation sector throughout the Canterbury region.

Tony has a solid background within the security industry having been involved in gate automation and access control for more than 30 years, specializing in domestic and commercial automation solutions.

Tony has been based in Christchurch since 1996 with his wife and 3 daughters. With his background in the gate automation industry and qualification in electronics, he saw a huge opportunity for this type of business.

OPENZ started operating in the South Island in 1999 and they have done numerous installations in Christchurch, Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin, Nelson. Over the last 20 years they have concentrated more on the Canterbury region. “We prefer to focus our talents and expertise on the local market. We have also learned a lot about the local requirements regarding access control solutions for domestic, commercial and rural installations” says Tony. 

Automation today

“We are now seeing more automation companies focusing on rural and lifestyle blocks, where the security benefits are becoming more and more necessary as well as the ease of use. The use of solar panels within a rural or lifestyle property is very attractive where there is no access to power”. OPENZ operates the Roger brushless motors from Edgesmith which run effortlessly when powered by their solar kit.

The aesthetics of the entrance way are also becoming increasingly important and automatic gate technology has come a long way from the farm gate mounted on wooden posts, which was more often than not never closed.

Customers now have access to bespoke designed and engineered gates which operate seamlessly such as swing gates, sliding gates, cantilever gates, telescopic sliding gates, bi-folding swing gates, and sectional sliding gates. Pretty much a solution for any application. 

“The selection of the type of automation system is critical for a successful installation and functionality of the installation,” says Tony.  “This is where we spend a huge amount of time with our customers, to ascertain exactly how they would like the system to perform for their specific needs. There is nothing worse than investing in a new entranceway for the enhancement and security of your property and ending up with a system that does not perform. The system needs to be designed correctly from the start.”

Roger Automation is a great product due to it being a BRUSHLESS system and this enables the motor to slow down and speed up during its run cycle without compromising the power of the motor, resulting in a super smooth operation. It’s also super quiet. 

The gate shown in the featured photo (above) uses an underground gate motor. A foundation hole is dug with drainage and a special tub is concreted into the hole. The motor fits into the tub and the gate sits directly on top of it, effectively acting as the bottom hinge for the gate.

This has three benefits:

–  it is a clean and elegant look, with no external motor detracting from the aesthetic of the gate
–  because the gate sits directly on the motor there is no chance of the hinges letting it down and very large gates can be automated this way
–  the geometry is very flexible – gates can be made to open up to 180 degrees and there are no limitations with the posts

For a fencing company, forming a relationship and working with a professional gate installer can open up a far greater range of solutions than just a standard sliding or swing gate and will give you confidence that the automation is the right choice for the job.  

Article written by OPENZ Limited

www.openz.co.nz

Published in the Gates Feature in WIRED Issue 66 / September 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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take them to a Fencing Field Day and watch the job offers roll in.

Geraldine High School’s Primary Industry Academy (PIA) class was lucky enough to join the FCANZ National Fencing Field Day. Back in the day PIA introduced themselves to Whangarei on our class trip in July and invited themselves to the FCANZ National Fencing Field Day to run an event to showcase what school students are capable of. We were lucky enough to make friends with Donna Upton (FCANZ / NorthTec), Phil Cornelius (FCANZ) & Jim Smith (NorthTec) meeting up with them in the torrential, horizontal rain at the Young Farmer Final.

PIA is recognised as one of the top schools in New Zealand for practical primary sector training. We have been running for around 10 years modifying the course along the way and discovering that fencing is our “thing”. At school, the students each have their own set of posts and all the tools thanks to Strainrite, Waratah, Stockade & Geraldine ITM. In year 11 the main focus is wire work centered around a basic line with figure 8 knots, crimps, and adding in a permanent wire strainer in different ways. Year 12 students get their chainsaw ticket and advance to digging in posts and stays. These students are all out on the farm one day per week where they are able to put their skills into action.

Our top students enter in the Adult Young Farmer Fencing competition consistently making the top 3 in our region.

2022 has seen students working for local fencing contractors in the holidays and taking on projects of their own eg, building a fence for the Peel Forest Preschool and the boundary fence along the school river. The students have proven to be invaluable during the 2021 floods fixing fences and taking some of the stress off our farmers.

In Mosgiel we got some experience in what setting up a competition could look like with the aim of the day being to show what teenagers are capable of to the posh people of the fencing world,  receive feedback that what we are teaching is what employers want, and pick up valuable tips and hints.

Our demonstration consisted of 2 categories both using teams of 3. The strainers were pre-driven (massive thank you to Nick Terry from Custom Fencing). We had 7 teams in total consisting of 5 GHS and 2 Taieri High School. 

Class 1 – Intermediate 

Dig in an intermediate post and breast block, 3 wires, use a triplex 3 ways, set up electrics, add in a crimp and fig 8.

Class 2 – Advanced

As above, adding in a box and angle stays and chamfering the strainers.

For us the whole day was pure gold and made leaving home to start the first student pickups at 4 am well worthwhile. 

We can’t thank Donna and the team at FCANZ enough for this opportunity and to all the amazing contractors who stopped by for a yarn and were so willing to give up their time to hang out with the teenagers and share their expertise. 

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Published in the Training & Events section of WIRED Issue 66 / September 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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There are worse places to knock up a fenceline than the picturesque Waiheke Island near Auckland. So, when Hawke’s Bay-based contractors Shane and Joelene Bouskill were approached about a job fencing up a newly purchased farm on the island, they were happy to oblige. The 800-acre property was purchased by an old boss of Shane’s, who owns the neighbouring property.

Although he wasn’t short of work back home, Shane and Joelene were happy to take it on. “There’s plenty of work happening down here (in Hawke’s Bay), but he’s purchased this block and it needs to be fenced up, so we are just helping him out.” Accommodation is provided for them on the property while they carry out the job, while a worker takes care of their business back home.

At this stage the property has around 1,200 ewes and some cattle, but that will increase over time, Shane says. The new owner is also taking on a large amount of native planting of the wetlands and is using seeds from the existing bush on the property to carry it out.

The three-kilometre boundary fence, with eight-wires including two hot wires, is on rolling countryside with reasonably forgiving terrain, Shane says. “There’s a little bit of steeper stuff, but it’s not too bad.” There is eight kilometres of internal fencing to carry out as well, “but I think it’s going to be more than that.”

So far on the job, machinery and tools have included a tractor and post driver, skid steer with a ram and a four-wire jenny. They are using Goldpine quarter-round posts, which you don’t see a lot of in the area where full rounds are a more common sight.

Quarter rounds perform just as well as full rounds, Shane reckons. “They’re quite strong, the quarter-round posts. You don’t really need to use full rounds, and it’s pretty hard to get full rounds at the moment as well.”

And if there are any issues with them breaking, Goldpine will replace them. The price point on quarter rounds was good too, helping to keep the cost down for the client, he said.

“It’s a no-brainer as far as farm fencing goes, especially with the added compliance costs these days.”

One challenge the location had thrown up was getting material and machinery to the job, relying on transport across to the island which could be two hours apart. “You’ve got to barge everything over, so you’re running on a timetable.” It added to the cost and was “a bit of a hassle”.

Shane and Joelene are managing to get through about 700 metres a week and are using Waratah’s longlife blue wire, which Shane was confident would stand up to the area’s coastal conditions. An order of 48,000 metres was on its way to complete the job.

Shane is well known in the fencing industry having taken out the Golden Pliers competition four times and also winning the world title. However, his son Tony knocked him off the perch in 2018, taking the national title and having done so each year since. Together, Shane and Tony have won the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 Silver Spades doubles titles.  

Bouskill Fencing Contractors

Article written by Rosa Watson.

Published in Our People section of WIRED Issue 66 / September 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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When it comes to selling off-plan houses in a brand new subdivision, there are high expectations about timing and finish quality. Not only must the inside of the house meet all expectations, but the landscaping and final touches (including fencing) must be impeccable before keys are handed over.

Lower North Island fencing contractor Rob Bigwood of Bigwood Fencing is in the process of constructing the gates and fences for a 42-house subdivision where house and land packages are being sold off-plan. The houses have been architecturally designed to ensure each house has its own character and avoids the “cookie-cutter” look so common in 90’s subdivisions.

As an integral part of the design aesthetic, each property has two road-frontage gates, making them something that must be “just right”. While the designs are very specific about where the gates should be, they don’t account for where services have been placed. “It can be a really delicate process digging the holes for the posts closest to the houses. I even sometimes scoop the dirt out one handful at a time,” says Bigwood. 

Challenges of working in a subdivision

“Constructing fences in the virgin ground of a subdivision may sound like a dream but it has its challenges,” says Bigwood. The fences and gates are installed while work is still underway. On a build of this size, there are multiple different trades onsite at any one time, including plumbers, builders, electricians, roofers, and painters not to mention earthworks that are still underway elsewhere on the site.

“We have to coordinate with the concrete placers so that we can make sure that our posts are in the ground before they box up and pour. There’s no room for error – the consequences of the posts not being 100% right are significant.” With houses that are only 2.4m apart being even 10mm out means someone loses an unacceptable amount of their land. Meanwhile digging up a post would require relaying large areas of concrete paths and patios – at a significant cost.

“There’s no way we could put posts in the ground once that concrete has been poured. We usually have posts in the ground before the landscapers have even prepped final ground leveIs” says Bigwood. 

Adding to the challenge, the approved landscape designs have specified the use of two different systems – Boundaryline panel fences around each plot and gates from Fence Direct. Each fence can only be installed once the house build reaches a certain stage meaning the work is very piecemeal. It is not uncommon for fence and gate posts to be in the ground for a few weeks before landscaping work has progressed enough to be ready for fencing to be finished – and the fence is often finished before the inside of the house is complete.

While it is technically challenging work, the results are certainly striking to look at. “We effectively have three clients that we are accountable to on this project – the developer, the house builders who have their brand on the project, and the homeowner. It’s great to be able to move on to the next house knowing they are all happy.”

 

Article written by Jaime Bigwood

Published in the Gates Feature in WIRED Issue 66 / September 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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In a family business it’s often the parent that hands the reins over to their children and brings them into the fold to teach them how to run the business.

Not so with Young and Sons Fencing – starting up in business was the first time 50-year-old father Kevin had been self-employed during his working career and, equally, quite a young age for 23-year-old son Quade to venture down the road of self-employment.

Kevin had fenced on farm jobs when he was much younger for a couple of years, then his mainstay became truck driving. Driving tankers for Fonterra for 15 years and bulk trucks, logging truck for over 5 or more years. From Opotiki and living in Edgecumbe in more recent years the Young family name has been in the area for quite some time.

Quade left school and did various work, including about 3 months with Tight Wire Fencing in Taupo. He was employed by Stockland Fencing in Whakatane for around 4 – 5 years, which is where he was taught fencing techniques and quality standards.

Quade left to do some motorbike mechanic work in Taupo and admits to drifting a bit, he also missed outdoors work. Kevin had been urging Quade to work towards self-employment and both comment that self-confidence was lacking to go down that road. Kevin suggested that they go into business together, and so began a real learning curve for the first-time business owners. In 2017 Young & Sons Country Fencing Ltd was formed. The “sons” came about in the instance that Kevin’s oldest son might also come on board in the future and the “Young” was based on the family name being long associated with Opotiki which might help with recognition.

The learning curve of running a business begun in earnest. Kevin who was never good at reading and writing at school and who left early is proud of their achievements. “It was a big move in my 50s to start out afresh and have to learn the ropes both ‘on and in’ the fence line. Even the physicality of fencing with an older body has had its challenges and I do stretches every morning – I’m hoping the knees hold out.”

For their first fencing job together, both were living in Edgecumbe, but while driving a logging truck to Huntly Kevin noticing a big stockpile of materials on the Station and Kevin got talking to the farmer who had visions of doing their own fencing. After expressing an interest, they came to an arrangement that Kevin and Quade would use the farmers tractor and post driver, supplying all their own tools and labour. This launched their fencing business, working on the station for about 6 months. Word of mouth got them working in Gordonton and then the Raglan area after about 12 months.

Kevin had the old ‘farming” style fencing knowledge and looked to Quade who had a good foundation in fencing to learn from. Quade had been taught industry standards and Kevin looked to these learnings, then the pair set about working towards the finer details to maintain uniform standards and focus on quality, like knots being uniform, planning stays.

Their decision-making process in the business is based on equality. Kevin doesn’t play the leading role, they discuss plans and decisions and come up with solutions together. It’s certainly not the case of having one boss. They decided to work as a two-man team and focused on systems to help make them effective.

In setting up Kevin and Quade brought their hand tools, a post hole borer and used Kevin’s Ute. Their next step was buying a single cab Hilux that they set up as a dedicated fencing Ute. During those first twelve months Kevin and Quade used the farmer’s tractors and post drivers and meanwhile built-up funds to look at buying their own machinery.

They started out working hourly, then started looking at what things were costing them, spoke with some other fencers about the way they were charging out (hourly, per metre, per unit etc) and started getting a feel of what was happening elsewhere.

With work on the books – both behind and in front of them – they had the confidence to set about buying new machinery. Kevin comments “we decided to buy new because of the warranty, peace of mind, less maintenance. I don’t like fixing gear and look at maintaining it from the onset – knowing the machine’s history is a plus.”

When asked what new gear might mean for a client’s perspective Kevin admits he thinks it has a bearing “when you have new, or more importantly well-maintained gear, I think it helps with making you come across as professional and know what you’re doing. I know in reality that this doesn’t makes you a better fencer, that’s on you and your quality and your systems, but I think it does come into play with customer perception and how they see it as in how you approach your business.”

Fencing in the Raglan area for 3 ½ years the team of two has served them well and they saw no need for employees, also being cautious that being employers would put pressure on bringing in more work. They even lived together in the same house with Quade and his partner Tayla, finding that they could manage to work together and live together well.

Just before the end of November 2021 Kevin returned to the Opotiki area and set up a second operation. He acquired the machinery over the previous 12 months, taking the existing tractor, with Quade getting a new one and Kevin buying a good quality second hand post driver from the manufacturer.

Kevin has quickly found work is plentiful and he is grateful to retired fencer Jimmy Fisher who has gone out of his way to introduce Kevin to some of his clients that were still ringing him up. Jimmy is in his late 70’s having retired three or so years ago, having fenced for a lifetime with a 2-wheel drive David Brown 990 tractor with duals, a belt driven post driver and a good spade. Jimmy seems impressed with Kevin’s set up and where he can get to.

Young and Sons Country Fencing will continue to be run as one business with two accounts, both Kevin and Quade being responsible for their own bills etc. Quade has settled in the Raglan area and partner Tayla works in Hamilton. Kevin and Quade continue to communicate and discuss work regularly as equals, both proud of what they are achieving in their own periods of their lives.

Quade sums up the commitment that has been made and appreciates what his Dad has done for him. “Dad had a steady job and income, he put that aside to help me get on my feet and find direction. We have worked and lived closely together over these past five years and others said it wouldn’t last, especially with no time apart. But we have had little friction between, never had any major problems. I am grateful for what he has done for me and that I wouldn’t have done it without him.”

Article written by Debbie White

https://www.facebook.com/Young-Sons-Country-Fencing-246703049254950/

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Luke Tarson’s family had looked at a farm in South Otago when he was 12 years old. They missed out on the property – but from the first time he saw the hills and tussock, the young Cantabrian knew he would be back.

Eighteen months ago, Luke returned with his wife Rachael. Rachael manages a farm just outside Balclutha on the Balclutha-Owaka Highway while Luke runs Tarson Fencing and services a wide area from the Catlins to Teviot and West Otago.

Farming and fencing provide a perfect complementary existence for Luke and Rachael.

Making the call

Luke’s good fortune seemed to kick off when he made a phone call as a youngster. While still in Canterbury, Luke rang the neighbour of the Clinton farm that his Dad had looked at buying.

“I was 16. The farmer said I was way too young for a job, but I could come for tea. I went to tea.”

The next morning, Luke had a fulltime shepherding position. Two and a half years later, with a little more experience and a bit of money saved up, he headed to Lincoln to complete a Diploma in Farm Management.

The boss on that Clinton farm was an ex-fencing contractor. He had fenced his way into farming. During the winter fencing work, the farmer noted that Luke was picking up fencing skills quite quickly. He suggested Luke “could make something of them”.

“I probably didn’t give it a whole lot more thought until I was at Lincoln.”

The side hustle

Luke hadn’t met Jared Alloway before he headed to Lincoln. He just made another phone call. “I told him I was getting a wee bit bored and needed something to do on the weekends.”

“Jared was a phenomenal fencer. He wouldn’t compete because he fenced five days a week and wanted his weekends. If he did compete, he would have been quite something. One of those people who was just so efficient and with a real eye for detail. A real top fencer.”

“I ended up fencing for Jared every holiday through the year, and quite a few weekends. It was then that I thought ‘fencing could be a good thing’.”

Moving North

Fencing really came to the fore a few years later. Luke had met Rachael, a Southlander. They were managing a farm in Slopedown on the edge of the Catlins at a time when Luke’s parents sold the home farm in Canterbury and moved up to the Manawatu.

“Dad passed away, so Rachael and I went North to develop that farm for Mum. We did about 30kms of fence line in the summers. The hill country gets too wet and slippery in the winter so we thought it would be the perfect time to do an OE.”

No sooner had the pair arrived in England, Luke discovered he hated London with a passion. Rachael found a phone number on a UK job site for a fencing contractor. She made a call!

Within days the pair found themselves in the Chiltern Hills with Luke fencing and Rachael managing a slew of 10-acre lifestyle blocks and their inhabitant sheep.

Not surprisingly, the couple’s skills were missed back in New Zealand. On return, Luke’s Mum’s neighbours were already lining up, ringing and asking Luke and Rachael to do their farm fences.

“I thought, maybe we might be onto something fulltime, and Tarson Fencing began!

Following the heart

Both Luke’s and Rachael’s hearts were anchored in South Otago. An opportunity came up for Rachael to manage a farm down South. It took a mere reassurance by the new boss that the whole country was short of fencers, and they were off.

The bulk of Luke’s work is waterways, riparian, and wetlands, most through the Pomahaka Wetland Restoration project using netting and hot wire to keep sheep and cattle out. Work has flowed in.

“There’s a lot to do fencing off waterways as well as replacing and rebuilding fences from the 70s and 80s development boom. Every local contractor already has an existing client base so I fill the gap for waterways fencing fairly well. Also, many contractors have waiting lists, so they have been quite happy with me taking up the slack.”

“With many good-sized jobs on the go, I thought we could get out quicker if we fire the staples in rather than putting them in by hand. I picked up a Stockade ST400i power stapler and noticed the speed straight away. All our waterways work has hot wire, and I wouldn’t be without the Stockade stapler tool for the insulators.”

There hasn’t been a spare week in the year and a half since Luke’s and Rachael’s arrival in South Otago. Business is good and now Joseph Tarbotton, Luke’s brother, has also come on board.

One thing Luke loves about fencing is the flexibility. “I am my own boss so I can give Rachael a hand on the farm, and I don’t need to check with anyone if I can take time off.”

Luke says if someone enjoys variety, being outside and a bit of physical work, then fencing is a good career.

“Once you start fencing it becomes a little addictive. The competitive nature of it is like shearing, you are always trying to hit more out. But it is not like shearing in that there are 50 blows on every sheep. Every fence line is different, different challenges, different ground types, different farmers, different farms.”

It seems incredible that it is only 13 years since a 16-year-old lad made a phone call. Now Luke and Rachael are living their dream of farming and fencing in the beautiful South Otago landscape. Their future looks bright.

Luke says if you are thinking of getting into fencing “Call a fencing contractor!”

 

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For the multiple generations of family involved in Barakat Contractors Ltd, succession planning is about much more than that. It’s also about up-skilling the team, so they have an opportunity to progress in their own fencing careers if they choose to.

A natural progression

Henry Barakat started fencing at 16 while working on farms, so it seems only natural that he would set up his own fencing business. Now, more than 40 years later there are 3 generations of the Barakat family involved – with the next generation already playing with tools of the trade.

In 1979, Henry’s son Dale joined the business and spent many years working with his father as an equal business owner.

“We’ve worked together for 40 years and never had a fight” says Dale, “Because we know when to walk away, think about the issue, and then we’ll come back and talk it through”.

It’s this level-headed approach to challenges that has seen Barakat Contractors continue to prosper.

The next generation

Third-generation family member Carl joined the business as a 20% shareholder in 2006. He then bought a further 30% in 2018. Carl first officially started on the tools when he was at school – though (like his own sons) he’d been playing with spades and other fencing tools for years. “As a 16 year old school leaver I didn’t have a plan to join the business, so I helped a family friend do some roofing. I did that for a week before Dad (Dale) rang me and said I need you back and this is when I joined the business full time and I haven’t left since”

“Some of our foremen/supervisors are older than me but even though I was family to the bosses, I earned their respect by starting at the bottom and working my way up.” says Carl. “They know that I can talk the talk because I know how to be on the tools – and to this day I still am”

Carl goes on to say that succession planning is not just about the family but the people who work for the business too. “We hire a lot of people straight from school and help them learn the trade. They’re not just a number. They can come and talk to any one of us and we will hear them out. We often get told that people love working for us because we are good to work for and it’s not only a job we offer but the little things we help with out of hours.”

Crossing ‘t’s and dotting ‘i’s

When it came time for Carl to join the business, the family contacted their accountant who talked them through the process and how best to structure the business – not only for the new structure but in consideration for how Henry might exit the business at a later date. “So that the process was fair and transparent, the business shares were appraised at market value and that is what we paid” says Emma Barakat, Carl’s wife.

Following proper process is part of the Barakat way of business. Dale says that it is the “small things” that really matter such as returning voicemails, following up on emails, and fair rates. They also don’t tend to pick and choose their jobs. “We get asked ‘can you do it” a lot so we look into how to do it and get it done” Dale adds.

“We started off by fencing in the winter to keep our shearing crews employed, and it grew from there” says Henry. Now rural fencing makes up about 30% of the Barakat projects, predominantly in the Waikato region. The remaining 70% of the work is in security fencing, with the team specializing in fences for high-security facilities such as Corrections, power generation and commercial sites.

“There’s a lot of paperwork and hoops to jump through for some of those big jobs but it is worth it in the end” says Carl

40+ Years of favourite projects

With so many years spent fencing there have been many memorable projects.

For Henry it was building yards for 1600 head of cattle at Lochinver Station. “We designed and built those yards – they could fit 4 truck & trailer units at the same time. The cattle were for export and needed to be moved out of the yards quickly, so they had to be just right.”

Dale has fond memories of working on Waiheke Island. They were supposed to be there for 10 days only but ended up having Barakat crews on the island off and on for over 12 years. During this time they completed many different types of work including 100+ km of conventional fencing, 10+ km of hand dug bush roadside fencing, and installation of 100-acres of vineyard post and wire grape vine runs.

Installing high-security fencing at Rolleston and Tongariro prisons has been a firm favourite for Carl. “You get to meet great contractors and was a nice environment to work in.”
What’s next for the Barakat family and crew? Business as usual completing agricultural and security fencing around the country and running after the 4th generation of Barakat children plus much, much more.

Barakat Contractors are always on the lookout for new people to join the team.

 

Article written by Jaime Bigwood

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