Wired Magazine Archives - Page 12 of 17 - FCANZ - Fencing Contractors Association NZ

Posted on December 6, 2023July 18, 2025 by FCANZ

Shane on the Wire | Our winter holiday

For a Board member and his wife, the lead up to the conference and National Fencing Field Day can be hectic and stressful. A winter holiday was just what was needed.

Trying to get fencing work finished and setting the staff up with easy stuff so they won’t need to ring you at an inconvenient time, like at happy hour! Making sure they have everything they need. Trying to keep the wife believing that you are really organised. Replying to the almost continuous flood of emails, flying back and forth between the FCANZ Board and admin team. Throwing clothes in some bags and stuffing gear in the back of the Ute, on the Sunday that you were driving down to New Plymouth, and not the day before like was planned. As I tell myself, and Angelina, just trying to get another fence finished. Not to mention the pesky little email from Heather, reminding us that we were supposed to get our Wired articles in before the Conference and not afterwards. Sorry Heather, but here it is.

To the stray delegate attending Fencing’s pinnacle event of the year, you probably think the Board is cruising around with not much to do and the admin team are as cool as cucumbers. We are pro’s at hiding how busy we are, and you have your head in the clouds. And, yes, for those that didn’t grace us with their presence, I can’t do much about the weather that happened on the Wednesday, but it is winter, and the rest of it was really good, but I’m not telling you anymore. You should have been there.

It’s really not much fun for the poor wife to be abandoned by her Board member husband every time something needed to be done. I really have to congratulate her. We hardly argued at all, and she even got an hour or so shopping time. Thank you Dear for being such a good wife.

As we headed off on Saturday morning after breakfast, packing and lots of goodbyes, we made the crazy decision to head south. Yes, we were stuffed, yes it would add another 3 hours to an already 6-hour drive, but we sometimes do out-there things.

I’m going to call it a mental health drive, and we have done it before. The plan was fairly casual. Head south to Whanganui, then follow the road to Raetihi, shoot across the pass to Ohakune, lunch at Waiouru, then home via Taupo.

The drive from Whanganui to Raetihi was the best part, lots of winding corners, steep ridgelines that meet the sky way up, with fencing in crazy places. I think I prefer fencing in Northland. You really get a good look at the back country, almost a snapshot into what life might have been like many years ago. And glimpses of the Mangawhero river, with its cascading waterfalls, lazily cutting its way through the valley below the road as it headed out to the mighty Tasman sea.

We had the typical blight that seems to be getting more common, like the occasional set of traffic lights and cones, forcing traffic into one lane, where the rest of the road has vanished into the gully below, and the funny looking fella with a sleazy grin on a pink sign, strategically placed in so many locations. He really must like himself to want to be everywhere.

Raetihi is an interesting place. It reminded me of Moerewa, so we didn’t stop. Lunch at Waiouru was fantastic, but the drive over the Desert Road was a little disappointing. You would think, crossing it in winter, there would be some snow around. But on this occasion, it was just blobs of ice and a few random “Ice men”, and even they looked sad.

Angelina snoozed most of the road to Taupo and I just sat back and enjoyed the drive with a little Genesis and Crowded House, and other easy listening playing on Spotify. As my grown kids say, “old person music”.

Other than the hustle and bustle of Auckland traffic, we made it back home with no trouble at all, but that is to be expected when you drive a Holden.

People often ask us why we drive to Conference. It’s not the drive there that counts, it’s the drive home.

Article written by Shane Beets
www.a1FenceworX.co.nz

Published in the Our People Section in WIRED Issue 70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Posted on November 21, 2023July 17, 2025 by FCANZ

A Wife’s Tale – September 2023

When I pulled into New Plymouth for the 2023 FCANZ Conference I wasn’t expecting to feel this sense of… hmmm… I’m not actually sure what it was.

I mean, it’s probably not usual to see the Novotel carpark filled with huge dirty 4WD Utes squeezed into tiny city-car spaces. As I drove past them I recognised the sign-writing of each (oooo they’re here!) Maybe what I felt was a sense of “This is us” – a sense of belonging.

This really surprised me because I’ve always felt like fencing is Shaun’s thing and I’m just in the background making things flow (and tidying up the mess.)

But this is my third Conference now and I know that when everyone gets here there’s this overwhelming vibe of “We Are All Fencers Together” but in a very quiet, understated way. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Like, walking into the AGM and swimming through the sea of checkered shirts, jeans and dirty work boots. – In. The. Novotel! This is a bunch of people who say “We will wear whatever we want!” or if you’re Shaun, “We will wear what we wore yesterday!” There’s no prestige here.

This became blatantly obvious when half way through the AGM I saw Noksee take off his shirt to reveal….a black bush singlet! In. The. Novatel! I almost laughed out loud at the bold audacity. Except, there is nothing bold about it. It is just what we do around here. This is refreshing, as a woman, to know that whatever I want to wear to conference is ok. Jeans – tick. Trackies – tick. Designer dress – tick. Black singlet – double tick (I should probably test this statement next year.) There’s no dress code. You’re welcomed as you are.

This is what I love about FCANZ Conferences. The people are just down-to-earth-real and all joined in the desire to enhance the fencing industry. Even board members don’t put themselves on a pedestal. They just show up and say their bit, humbly and humorously, despite the enormous amount of effort they’ve put in over the year. They don’t do it for an accolade. They simply want to see the fencing industry grow in value. Which means they want to see us be more valued. Ka pai guys.

The FCANZ partners contribute to this as well. They’re not sales-reppy, but just ‘one of the gang’ and voice their ideas for industry growth as passionately as we do. However, once quiz night starts, it’s very much dog eat dog. I had a very vocal, hilarious and memorable partner at my table who would competitively fist pump and seat-jump each time we got a question right.

The speaker, Stephen Caunter, who hilariously kept the room enthralled for two hours, talked about the benefits of helping staff to feel connected, that they are ‘a part of something’. And Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins, creator of Lean on a Gate, Talk to a Mate – a charity to raise awareness of mental health and prevention of suicide – talked about connection too.

A sense of belonging is when you feel unity and connection. We are hard wired this way because when we were cavemen it was awfully unsafe to be isolated or outcast and not have the protection of our clan. When we feel like we belong we feel safe and can relax. In this way, it can also be a protective factor, helping us manage stress, creating resilience, increasing happiness and mental health. Research shows that when we feel like we lack a sense of belonging we lose purpose and meaning to our lives, often leading to depression.

So, when our son turned up on the last day to be present for his nomination for the Emerging Talent – Youth Award, I was not surprised to hear him say the next day “This is cool mum. Everyone here is so friendly and interested in my work and keen to yarn about fencing.” It was his first time at Conference and yet he found it so easy to belong.

And that’s the extra special thing about belonging to FCANZ and coming to Conference, is that not only do you ‘fit in’ regardless of what kind of fencing you do, how new you are, how old or young you are, or what you’re wearing, but you ‘belong’ from the moment you drive your big dirty Ute into the carpark.

Come to Conference next year. I’d love to see you there. You’ll find me. I might be in a black bush singlet. Hopefully you don’t confuse me for Noksee.

Article written by Angelena Davies
www.daviesfencing.com

Read the Conference 2023 wrap-up.

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Posted on November 7, 2023July 17, 2025 by FCANZ

NorthTec | Te Pūkenga Student Profile – Andrew McCracken

Name: Andrew McCracken
Course: Certificate in Fencing (Level 3)

Andrew McCracken has been fencing since he was young and currently runs his own fencing company in Wellington, Big Dog Fencing. But that didn’t stop him from enrolling not only himself but also the two men working for him on the NZ Certificate in Fencing (Level 3) at NorthTec | Te Pukenga.

“My main aim for doing the course was to get certified,” Andrew explains. “There’s a lot of government work available in Wellington and to put in a tender for it you need to be certified. I started fencing when I left school and I know how to do it all, but I never got the qualification.”

Despite already knowing how to fence, Andrew and his workers all got something out of the course.

“It was definitely a worthwhile thing to do. It’s like any industry, there’s always change. There might be a better way to do something for one reason or another, because products change or technology changes. So, I think it’s important to keep up with that and stay relevant. It was a great course in that aspect.”

“The two guys working for me are young and, like a lot of labourers their age, they never finished school or got NCEA. They did find some of the written aspects of the course hard, but they got through it and are really proud of themselves. It’s something no one can take away from them, they will always have that qualification to fall back on and prove they can do the job whether they are working for me or not.”

Andrew has since enrolled in the Certificate in Fencing (Level 4), a course specifically designed for those running their own business or wanting to start their own business.

“It’s a much more technical course and will go into the yard design and business management side. It’s all online or in-work study, so it will be much easier to fit into my life as well. I’m looking forward to it.”

Article supplied by North Tec | Te Pūkenga
www.northtec.ac.nz

Published in the Training & Events Section in WIRED Issue 70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Posted on October 31, 2023July 21, 2025 by FCANZ

Helping those hit hardest

When Waitoki-based fencer Colin Hawken saw an email pop up asking for fencers to assist with cyclone repair fencing in the Hawke’s Bay, he didn’t think twice about putting his hand up.

“I just wanted to help out the farmers down there”, Colin says. Colin had travelled to Canterbury after the 2021 floods to help with fencing, so knew how much it meant to farmers to have help arrive when facing the aftermath of a disaster. Colin rang the organiser (Gerard Hickey) immediately, saying “We’re here to help, [I’ll] give you a week – let us know what you want.”

Knowing that there was a huge amount of fencing to be done, Colin put the feelers out in his local fencing community for additional fencers to join the trip. Campbell Caldwell responded, and, regardless of the fact that neither had worked together before, they set off on Easter Monday for five days of fencing in Ōtāne.

With just their hand tools in the Ute (a tractor and postdriver was provided), the men approached the Taupō-Napier road (SH5) with some apprehension about what they would find. What they found was a large gap. “The road’s just gone”.

Carrying through to the Esk Valley, the pair were stunned. “It was horrendous; silt up to the top of the eves of houses, cars parked on top of fences, crops covered in silt.” At first glance Ōtāne didn’t seem that bad, but on talking to the locals, Colin and Cam discovered that the flats had been under 4-6 metres of water, after the Waipawa River had breached its banks.

Drumpeel Farm

Colin and Cam initially worked on the property of Hugh Ritchie, whose Drumpeel Farm in Ōtāne grows sweetcorn, squash, beans, and maize and is the largest supplier of carrots for McCain’s frozen vegetables. It’s estimated that Ritchie lost 150ha – around half – of his summer crop. The farm lost approximately 10km of fencing in the flooding. Repairs and replacements were required urgently to secure stock before approximately 8,000 lambs arrived in spring.
The toll on farmer’s mental and physical health was visible on their arrival.

“Hugh Ritchie was pretty stressed. You could tell by just looking at him, he’d been doing some massive hours,” said Colin. “He was pretty wound up, it was a big relief for us to go in there.”
The men erected 400m of new post and 8 wire fencing and a heap of repairs to the Ritchie property. “They cleared everything in front of us, we just pushed in the posts and strainers and put in the wires for him.”

Helping Michael Oliver

Colin and Cam also assisted Michael Oliver, who lived an hour from the Ritchie property, in the hills. Michael Oliver was very thankful for the offer of help, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of doing the cyclone repair fencing on his own. Oliver had allowed two days for the job, which ended up only taking Colin and Cam a day, which Oliver was ‘absolutely stoked with’.

Work on Michael Oliver’s property required sheep fence repairs ‘on rock faces’. Initial thoughts from the fencers included “How the hell am I going to stand up on this?” but they managed to get the job done.

Volunteering his time and energy is clearly second nature to Colin. “It felt great to go down and help them”, said Colin. On his return home, Colin has rallied his local fencing community, organising 150 donated silage bales to be delivered to Hawke’s Bay farmers in need. With the bales donated by Colin’s clients and Waitoki locals (Colin himself donating 28 bales) and with loading costs free, Colin has secured sponsorship for the freight costs for two loads of silage, and is in the process of securing a final load.

Article written by Heather Kawan

Published in the After the Storm Feature in WIRED Issue 70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Posted on October 24, 2023July 17, 2025 by FCANZ

The cost of insurance quotes

Like many trades, doing insurance quotes is part of our business, and I can’t for the life of me understand how so many cars fall off the road in the places that they do.

Things have ramped up considerably over recent months, and I’m sure many fencers have been inundated with requests to prepare quotes for insurance companies after each weather bomb that has slammed through, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

I have given up counting how many we have done, be assured, there has been a lot and still they keep coming in.

Going to see the client, measuring up and preparing a quote, and quite often a report for the insurance, comes at a cost.

If you are a fencer that has done a lot of insurance quotes, I challenge you to work out the actual cost of running your vehicle to the site and your whole time spent on working on that quote at your hourly rate. You might be shocked.

Out of all the recent weather-related quotes we have done, our success rate is only around ten percent. And there are a few reasons for such a dismal success rate.

Obviously, it may be that we are too expensive. Insurance companies are looking for the best price, given what they are facing. To counter that, we add a report detailing what we are going to do and why.

We had one that was a paling fence where all the posts had snapped at ground level. The fence itself was ok and not that old. The two other fencers had proposed to cut the fence into panels and screw on to new posts. I said it would be a full replacement and explained my methodology to the insurance company and sent them my significantly more expensive quote through. We won that job.

There was a lot where the fence was already stuffed, and it was quite obvious that the person just wanted a free fence. Insurance assessors are not stupid, so most of those jobs we walked away from, or sent a report through saying that more investigation was required and that we wouldn’t quote it. A total waste of money and time for us.

Then there were the ones that thought they had insurance, got me out there, then delightfully informed me that they may not be insured. I am open to suggestions on what to do with those people.

The next lot were the devious ones. They were the ones that pocketed the cash or rebuilt the fence themselves. They just needed a quote from a fencer to get the money. Not a care in the world about how much it cost us and the wasted time, and no intention to pay for the quote. As insurance companies generally want two or three quotes, that means two or three fencers are out of pocket for nothing.

Then we had some that were downright bizarre.

One that we visited, was a boundary between two farms, an older fence, still in good condition, what was left of it. A 300-metre row of trees had been blown over the fence from one side.

A quote was sent to clean up the trees and reinstate the fence. You would think that would be straightforward, but no. The insurance company of the guy with the trees, came back and wanted the poor neighbour who was not responsible, to pay for half the fence as it is a boundary fence. We sent an email back to the insurance company pointing out that there is no fault from the farmer that didn’t have the trees, so why do they want him to pay half? Last I heard, was the farmer with the trees was still fighting with his insurance company over it.

We also had a few requests from insurance companies to pull apart our fixed price quotes. We refused of course. The insurance company is just a client, why would you give away commercially sensitive item pricing so they could knock the next guy down in price?

I understand that we are likely to see more weather destruction, in the future. My advice is to treat insurance as another client. Talk to the assessor. You are more likely to get the job if you explain what you are proposing in simple language. Some of these repair jobs can be complicated and you will most likely have to try and match up with what was there before. They also want you to tell them how you will future-proof the fence from being destroyed again, if you can. We found assessors more than happy to pay a little more for a stronger fence if it would withstand more extreme weather conditions.

And if the client seems a bit dodgy, ask them if they will pay for the quote and you can credit it back when you do the job.

Oh, and if you were wondering, our car versus fence quote success rate is 100%.

Article written by Shane Beets
www.a1fenceworx.co.nz

Published in the After the Storm Feature in WIRED Issue70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Posted on October 10, 2023January 8, 2025 by FCANZ

The ladies who lunched

Coming to a conference to get to know a large new group of people, especially when you work by yourself most of the time, can be a little intimidating, to say the least. The Ladies Who Lunch events are a super fun way to get to know like-minded ladies.

My partner, Jase, just started his fencing company in November, and has gotten a huge amount of value from his FCANZ membership, so we were excited to come and meet everyone at Conference23, but also a bit overwhelmed.

That’s why I was glad to have the opportunity to get to know a few people one-on-one before joining the larger group, and the Ladies Who Lunch outing was the perfect chance to do that.

The decision to go was confirmed a good one throughout the day as the rain pounded down and icy winds ploughed through New Plymouth. We all felt sorry for our partners and all the folks at the National Fencing Field Day but I was very glad to be dry and sipping gin, to be honest.

First, we went to Bianca Lorenne, a fine linen company based in New Plymouth that has national distribution and is growing quickly. We were welcomed with some free gifts, and then the salespeople talked to us about the process that the company goes through to create beautiful and cohesive linen collections. We browsed through the shop, with lots of ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ah’s’ and then hurried through the rain back out to the van.

Next, we headed to the Kina Art Gallery in the downtown area. We loved looking at all the beautiful glass objects and paintings that were done in the Magic Eye style. We also checked out a few other shops in the area. There was a lot of velvet and fake fur involved, which I was happy about (how could I not be?!?!)

Giles Chocolatier was our next stop and proved to be a very popular one. The owner and chocolatier, Gavin Giles, gave us a very informative talk about the chocolate-making process and how important it is to grind the chocolate thoroughly and temper it at exactly the right temperature to make a smooth, shiny, and delicious final product. Suddenly, Carol announced that we only had 4 minutes left for our stop there – we were so interested in the talk that the time flew by. How could we possibly buy all the chocolate that we seriously NEEDED at that point? Luckily, our van driver was patient and everyone was able to get their fix.

Locals’ Cafe is a popular local lunch spot, so we all got a ‘tasty tucker’ and got to know each other better, which was really fun.

Finally, a tasting at Juno Gin finished off our tour on a high note. I don’t really drink much, but I was very excited to learn about the science behind distilling, how different botanicals help make unique gin profiles, and the ins and outs of how spirits are judged at the Spirits Competition. The delicious samples Jo James shared with us highlighted several gold- medal winning gins that were outstanding.

So, all in all, the lunch, while good, was just one small part of an overall wonderful day filled with interesting and fun activities.

We “Ladies Who Lunch” genuinely enjoyed ourselves and I want to thank Debbie Robertson of Rural Safe for sponsoring this fun day, Debbie White for doing such a great job of organising it, as well as Carol Noakes for being the point of contact and keeping us all on schedule!

Article written by Cassa Grant

Published in the Conference23 Wrap-Up in WIRED Issue 70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Posted on October 3, 2023July 17, 2025 by FCANZ

NFFD 2023 – A day for the brave and the hardy

The FCANZ National Fencing Field Day (NFFD) looked good on paper. Being held around the country in conjunction with the FCANZ conference, it can be challenging to organise an event at a one-off location that changes every year.

But the Stratford A & P folks were great to deal with, the facilities looked good, 25 exhibitors had signed up – both FCANZ partners and other agricultural suppliers – adverts and editorial had been put in the local papers (thanks Sue Rawson for the list), and we had a top demonstrator organised in Paul Van Beers, who had contract fenced in Taranaki for over 20 years.

The weather forecast was looking dodgy, but we were hoping our luck would hold out like it did at Mosgiel last year and Waimate North the year before that. The day started with a Future Post demonstration, driven in by Fencequip post drivers. Then, just as Stihl was doing a chainsaw maintenance presentation with a nice group collected to listen, a ‘prolonged squall’ (polite words) came across again, and that was pretty much the start of not just wet, but also very cold conditions.

Then Paul Van Beers – having farming blood and being suitably dressed from head to toe in wet weather gear – started demonstrating the importance of the underground work; stays, stay blocks, breast blocks and foots. Assisted by Tony White (who purely has fencing blood and dressed in heavy duty raincoat and shorts and a good pair of work boots) they slithered in the growing pools of water and mud. They managed to get a foot on the strainer, but the breast block hole became a duck pond. Paul then went on to wire work with a plan that electrics connections would follow. Despite the weather, a group gamely stood by, being provided with some invaluable tips for even the most experienced of fencers.

Greg Burton had brought down his pride and joy, a Trailmaker vehicle that he had built himself, along with an interesting array of vintage fencing tools and old totara posts that had been erected with some intentionally questionable wirework that was intended to start a discussion.

Greg was also the judge of the FCANZ Ute toolbox competition, with Greg having the best laid out contractor’s toolbox in his Ute that you will ever come across. Therefore, Greg was banned from entering to allow others a chance. But Greg was very impressed with the winning entry of David Swansson from Bang-it Fencing. The toolbox being, in Greg’s humble words, “nearly as good as mine, except he doesn’t have a generator in it.”

To be admired were two South Islanders who should have known better. Lindsay Hayman who wore white leather sneakers and kept them remarkedly clean. George Williams wore brown leather dress shoes, having the excuse “I didn’t pack anything else not thinking I would need them”. One hazards to guess how and where the shoes were cleaned up in order to carry George through the rest of the conference.

By around noon the hardy exhibitors were standing in pools of mud inside their tents and showing signs of hypothermia. Hugh from Strainrite was one of the first to break down, and as organisers we soon caved as the day had turned into a wash out.

Normally, we have to pack down and remove all the demonstration lines and fill in post holes etc. Thankfully, Martin from Gallagher knew a local farmer who was happy to pull down the driven posts and the Stratford A & P Showgrounds came to the rescue in the tidy up. As the bus full of conference goers headed off and exhibitors bolted Paul was in his own zone putting on the cut-out switch on the demo fence. With “the job not finished” we had to convince Paul it was over and to head home.

Thank you to all the exhibitors who supported the event and got washed away (see list), Shane Beets and Nick Terry for marking out the sites on the Monday prior to the event, the FCANZ Board and our Operations team, Greg Burton, John Noakes, Paul Van Beers, Tony White, Jason Millar and to Angelina Beets who “manned” the gate all day.

Oh and as we left, it started sleeting with snow in Stratford within the hour.

Article written by Debbie White

Published in the Conference23 Wrap-Up in WIRED Issue 70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ

Thanks to all exhibitors

Beattie Insulators
Bunnings
Carr Family Foundation Rural Heath and Wellness Van
Carters
Delfast
Exclusive Tyres
Farmlands
FencePro
Fencequip
FMG
Future Post
Gallagher
Kinghitter
Kyne Equipment
Permapine
Power Farming
RD Petroleum
Revolution Postdrivers
Steel & Tube
Stihl
Stockade
Stoney Creek
Strainrite
Waratah

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Posted on September 4, 2023July 17, 2025 by FCANZ

Conference23 Wrap-Up

The FCANZ Annual Conference, held on August 2 – 4 2023 in Taranaki, was once again a great success. Made up of the National Fencing Field Day on the Wednesday; AGM, Feedback Forum and Workshops on the Thursday; and an activities day on the Friday, the event provided something for everyone. Almost 100 delegates registered for Conference23, and it was a wonderful mix of new and previous attendees, providing unrivalled industry networking opportunities.

WEDNESDAY

The third annual FCANZ National Fencing Field Day was held at the delightful Stratford A&P Showgrounds and featured the largest number of exhibitors yet.

Unfortunately, Stratford didn’t put on the greatest weather for the event, with wind, rain and sideways hail making challenging conditions for exhibitors and attendees alike. Fencers and industry suppliers are a hardy lot however, and we still had great numbers turn out to the event.
Between squalls, the day offered plenty of opportunity for attendees to exercise their competitive sides through the hammer throw, guess the strainer weight, stride competitions, wire tying and battening competitions. The demonstrations put on by Tony White and fencing competitions legend Paul Van Beers were, as usual, well attended and incredibly useful.

Once again, the Carr Family Foundation’s Rural Health & Wellness caravan attended with mental health advocate Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins. Nurse Sarah Tatham saw 25 National Fencing Field Day attendees for their free health and wellness checks, of which 48% were referred to see a doctor. Hopefully, those referred have since followed up with their healthcare provider.

Ladies Who Lunch

While most were battling the weather, eleven lucky ladies opted to attend the Ladies Who Lunch event, which was sponsored by Debbie Robertson from Rural Safe – who potentially regretted her decision to stay at Stratford! A delightful day was spent visiting Bianca Lorenne Linens, Giles Chocolatier, Kina Art Gallery and Locals Café, finishing at Juno Gin Distillery for a tasting session. Keep an eye out for Conference24 info, as the next Ladies Who Lunch event is likely to sell out fast!

Mix & Mingle Dinner

Wednesday evening saw the quirky Mike’s Brewery & Bistro buzzing with old friends catching up and new acquaintances being made during our famous Mix & Mingle dinner. Fantastic food, a huge beer selection and great people made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

THURSDAY

Thursday was a full day – the longest in the Conference programme. Recently appointed Executive Director Jaime Bigwood was MC for the day and delivered the welcome to first-time attendees and the first prize giveaway, with one lucky newbie winning an FCANZ branded Swazi buffalo cape worth $379.

The Board update then provided attendees with an overview of what had been worked on since the last Conference and provided information on areas that would be discussed later in the day during the Feedback Forum. This was closely followed by the Association’s Annual General Meeting.

With no Board election required, the Association said farewell to Board member Max Walton, confirmed Nick Terry, re-elected Phil Cornelius, and welcomed Craig Sinclair.

Member Feedback Forum

Following the AGM, the Member Feedback Forum once again provided a valuable opportunity for members to discuss areas of concern with the Board. As usual, many topics were addressed, including qualifications, managed apprenticeship schemes, how best to engage with current members, and how to grow the membership. We appreciate the input and comments received from those at the meeting and will be working hard to respond to the items discussed.

Workshops

The theme for Conference23 was Building Better Business, and keynote speaker Stephen Caunter took two interactive workshops looking at Having a Great Team and Creating a Bulletproof Business. As always, Stephen provided some excellent insights and takeaways including “100% of business won’t pay an invoice they haven’t received”. The slides for these workshops, and the FMG Liability Insurance presentation are available in the Members Area of the website.

Thursday Evening

After a bit of downtime, delegates enjoyed the Bayonet Happy Hour before heading into dinner, after which followed the annual FCANZ Quiz. Once again, the quiz title was hotly contested – and made more competitive this year with attendees being randomly allocated to each team.

The organising team were all blown away when (like last year) an impromptu auction began to raise funds for the Whatever with Wiggy Charitable Trust. After last year’s unexpected auction event, quizmaster supremo Stephen had come along prepared with a gavel and wore the shirt he auctioned last year. It was incredible to see the 2022 fundraising amount smashed, with a massive $16,800 raised this year. Thank you to all those who donated items for auction and those who placed bids.

FRIDAY

After a long day on Thursday, delegates were grateful to get out and about around Taranaki. Thankfully the weather was spectacular, and therefore, the planned activities were able to proceed unhampered – no freezing hail today! The first group headed off to Actionaki, where the charming Paddy took them through three hours of archery and clay bird shooting activities. Meanwhile, the other group were doing a tiki-tour of fascinating collections.

The first stop was the Hillsborough Holden Museum and luge – complete with a cute train for transport. Next up, they visited Taranaki Aviation Transport and Technology Museum (TATATM) with its huge collection of hands-on exhibits, many of which are still in full working order. The crew then headed to the delightful Maketawa Museum. Created by dairy farmer Barry Bishop, the Maketawa John Deere Museum is full of vintage classic John Deere Machinery and collectables.

Coming back together for lunch, in the historic Inglewood Hall, delegates enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch from Smok’n Comrades. Craig and the team delivered more than enough food for our hungry crew and collected up all leftovers to be delivered to those in need by the local charity “On The House”.

A short drive up the road took us all to Trundles Automotive’s HUGE workshop, where delegates learned about pimping a 4WD, before heading back to the hotel for some well-deserved downtime.

Friday Evening

Friday Happy Hour this year was FCANZ hosted and led nicely into the gala dinner and the inaugural FCANZ Awards night. The intent is that every Friday will be a semi-formal gala dinner and awards night, so make sure you pack your glad rags next year!

2023 Photo Album

FCANZ CONFERENCE24

Christchurch here we come! Keep an eye out for announcements soon on dates and details.

A huge thanks to Association partners and sponsors who supported the Conference and exhibited at the NFFD, and to the members who attended and made the Conference the success it was. We look forward to hosting again next year.

Thanks to Conference 2023 Sponsors:

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Posted on August 28, 2023July 17, 2025 by FCANZ

FCANZ Industry Awards 2023

Fencing Industry Excellence Recognised

At the August 2023 annual Conference held in New Plymouth, the Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) recognised three excellent fencers through the inaugural FCANZ Industry Awards.

A New Award

FCANZ has replaced the lifetime membership award, which has been presented twice before, with a re-invigorated Legacy Award. The first lifetime membership award was presented to the late Bill Schuler, a legendary fencer with a name known by many. The second was to Frank Prince for his work on the NZ Wire Industries National Certificate in Fencing Master Fencer manual, which was delivered at Flock House.

The new Legacy Award will be a special and infrequently awarded honour as part of the industry awards, and recipients receive honorary FCANZ Life Membership. It is for individuals of the highest calibre – the best of the best – who are recognised as having significantly contributed to the growth of the fencing industry by their own deeds, in a giving capacity.

2023 Legacy Award Recipient

Long-time fencer and fencing competition legend Paul Van Beers was presented with the Legacy Award for his contribution to the fencing industry.

Paul has won the Golden Pliers 13 times (plus another win the year the competition went to Central Districts) and the Fieldays Silver Spades 14 times, including a win alongside his son Jason in 2015. Paul has also won the World Power Fencing Competition in Germany twice. He has fenced in New Zealand, the US and China, demonstrated in New Zealand, the US and Australia, and been a demonstrator at All About Fencing events and FCANZ Best Practice Days.

He is held in very high regard by fencing competitors, has long been seen as the “one to beat”, and is an industry example of a high level of workmanship. The farming community are also fans, with farmers heading to the Fieldays specifically to watch “Paul Van Beers”. As Debbie White, FCANZ Vice President, said in her address, “What makes this Award special is that Paul amplifies the true value of the fencing industry as a profession. FCANZ are honoured to be able to be able to award the Legacy award to Paul.”

2023 Emerging Talent – Youth Winner

Taylor Barr, from Tawai Fencing in Kimbolton, won the Emerging Talent – Youth Award for under-25-year-olds in the industry, who have shown a commitment to fencing as a career and demonstrated growth and excellence in their workplace. Nominated by their employers, the finalists and winners were determined by a panel of independent assessors based on visual evidence provided and through interviews with finalists. Judges said, “The three finalists are all sterling young candidates who have obviously earned the respect of their employers. We’d all happily employ any one of them. Taylor clearly understands client needs, using the right materials and working within the client budget. He helped in Wairoa post-cyclone and is passionate about what he does both during his workday and in his personal time.”

2023 Trainee of the Year

Michael Conijn – Trainee of the Year winner

The Trainee of the Year award recognises a worker who was enrolled in an NZQA National Certificate in Fencing Level 3 course during 2022 and has demonstrated to the tutor that they have excellent knowledge and skills in fence line installation. There were 4 finalists for this award, with Michael Conijn from Custom Fencing in Dunedin taking out the honours.

Judges’ comments stated that Michael “Demonstrates exceptional workmanship, shows natural leadership within teams and has no hesitation in sharing his knowledge to help upskill others. His assessments were completed to a high standard, he works well in the team environment, is dedicated and focused, and Health & Safety minded.”

Final Word

Debbie went on to say, “The calibre of nominees was incredibly high, and so we congratulate both the finalists and winners. Being nominated and making it as a finalist is recognition of the high regard that these fencers and their work are held in. We look forward to seeing what they all achieve in the coming years, and to see who the recipients are of the 2024 FCANZ Industry Awards”.

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Posted on August 7, 2023April 30, 2025 by FCANZ

My day starts at 7

A typical day for Todd Sherburd starts at 6.00am, with a 35-minute trip to the Fencing Solutions Waikato yard in Te Rapa. Staff will either assemble at the yard, or, if closer, will drive directly to the job. The yard will be prepared for the day’s work: materials and tools are loaded onto the work vehicles and off they go.

Like most business owners, the very next action for the day is reading emails and checking for any new leads that have come in overnight.

“The beauty of online is that people can do their browsing at any hour of the day, send an email, and expect a reply in due course,” says Todd. Fencing Solutions Waikato uses the data collection system Tradify to track jobs from initial inquiry to sign-off. Having previously used spreadsheets to track everything, Todd appreciates how the system links the entire project.

“We can write quotes, get them accepted, create a job from those, add notes and plans for the staff to have all the information they need, we can track materials and labour against each job. The best part is turning it into an invoice and getting paid.”

With 20-odd years of rural and highway fencing experience already under his belt, Todd established Fencing Solutions Waikato Ltd (FSW) in 2008. Accredited in 2009, FSW now specialises in residential and commercial fencing and gates. Based in Hamilton, FSW holds significant commercial and civil contracts across the upper North Island and has been responsible for the fencing at many large commercial sites from Whakatane to Whangarei, including McDonald’s, Farm Source, and various dairy factories. They currently have a crew working at the new McDonald’s site at Silverdale, alongside all the other tradies and asphalters. A second FSW crew is currently on-site at Tokoroa’s new milk processing plant, and preparations are being made for the fencing of a new Power Farming site in Papamoa.

On the residential side, pool fencing keeps the team busy in autumn. Todd has also seen an uptake in the installation of automated gates, from an increasing number of customers becoming more security conscious.

A typical day is split between managing incoming work, planning, and data loading. This includes staff training and the ever-increasing amounts of health and safety requirements.

“There are many companies, including multinationals and government agencies, who demand an extremely high level of health and safety. It pays to keep up with it otherwise it will get the better of you, and at the end of the day we have minimised our injury risk considerably.”

Staff training is generally done on the job, with the exception of first aid. Health and Safety is managed internally but Todd seeks expert advice regularly to ensure the business remains compliant. “We’ve just recently talked to Debbie Robertson from Rural Safe, to give us some templates on what we should be doing to tidy things up. You run the systems for a while, and then the requirements change for companies, so you’ve got to reshape what you do. You’ve got to be proactive with it.”

HR is managed in-house and FSW benefits from the expert advice of Todd’s sister, a corporate HR professional. “Employment contracts are important, they’ve got to be correct, but the best employment contracts you have are the ones you put in the drawer, and everyone gets on and does the job.”

“I’ve been lucky over the years to have a good and consistent staff, one of my employees having worked with me for 20 years. We try to make a good working environment and one that they want to work in, if they have a problem, I want them to be able to talk about it.”

Todd’s son Jared and Jared’s fiancé Danielle have come on board with the Fencing Solutions Waikato business and are in the process of setting up their own line of product importing. Their complementary business Modern Fence Supplies offers customers a custom-built product in a variety of fence and gate styles, aimed at higher-end residential properties.

Todd enjoys sharing the workload. “The administration has now been shared three ways, with Danielle being a huge asset in getting data filed, quotes out on time, and up-to-the-minute accounting, one thing that I did loathe.”

A big chunk of Todd’s day is seeing clients and arranging meetings. “This can be very time-consuming and you can feel busy by driving around the town and country and discussing sometimes at length the issues of a boundary fence or a new swimming pool fence or the logistics of a commercial site.” Luckily, there are an increasing number of tools to enable fencing contractors to do a considerable amount of work from the computer screen.

A good day sees Todd getting out into the workshop or onto the fence line. “It’s good to keep in with the boys, and that also doubles up with training or instruction onsite. They get to know the ways you think, and hey, it’s not always that I’m right, I’ll put it out there and try and get them to problem solve. That way they’re taking ownership of the work.”

“I started out on the fence line, not in the office, and being out on the fence line is what I enjoy the most. Although my back doesn’t thank me after a few hours of poring a concrete mowing strip. Hopefully, my usefulness will still keep me active each day.”

Along with running the business, Todd is active in his community, having recently prepared an audio-visual presentation for the 70-odd attendees of the Anzac Dawn Service in Tahuna, on behalf of the local fire brigade.

Having had a health scare several years ago, and with the upheaval of Covid, Todd also recognises the importance of keeping life in balance; physical and mental well-being are an important part of a healthy life. Todd’s wife Denise is an integral part of that. “She’s been beside me every step of the journey. I couldn’t do this without a supportive family. A bit of R&R will include weekends away and the odd fishing trip. We make plans for not only fencing but for a normal life as well.”

Article written by Heather Kawan.

Published in the A week in the life Feature in WIRED Issue 69 / June 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ.

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