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Like many fencing contractors, White Fencing do a lot of equestrian work, and certainly, in some regions, contractors can become equestrian fence specialists.

Our clients over the years have included breeding horse studs, trotting/galloping tracks, sport horse breeders and owners, horse quarantine facilities, polo properties and lifestylers after a pony or two.

One of the jobs we are currently on involves the reinstatement of a horse walker. We opted for screwed and glued laminated 25 x 150mm timber to allow for a continuous flow, having used this method for many years on horse round pens, cattle raceways and tight flowing curves in rail work.

SITE PREP

The platform that had been laid wasn’t level, being 750mm out, and given the height requirement of the walker, we needed to create a level site on a recently earth-worked slope, so two retaining walls helped with this situation to create a level platform around the circular walker.

CONSTRUCTION

The external walls were a 25-metre circle and we wrapped retaining around the bottom half of the circle using 3.6m strainers which were left to level height because the rotating walker created a visual top-line requirement to meet the arms of the walker as it rotated 360 degrees.

We posted the outside wall right around and lined the outside base of the wall with laminated rail before backfilling with our Skid steer and putting drainage in to allow centralised water to escape. Prior to backfilling, we drove 1.8’s to full depth to support the middle of the retaining walls.

For backfilling we used wet run of pit that was levelled and compacted using a 4-ton Excavator to create a level base for the sand rubber combo surface mix.

The walls of the walker ranged from 2.7m to 3.6m strainers to create an overall external wall height of 1850mm. Internally the walls were 1550mm high and two bottom boards to hold the surface in

On the external wall, we used 4 x 150mm boards staked on each other to create a kickboard for the horses, as opposed to using conveyer belt rubber.

The laminated rail was an issue on the tight inner radius. With today’s situation of being landed with what’s available, the timber that was delivered was too knotty and boards were breaking so we had to change over to a softer heartwood timber.

THE NEXT STEPS

The final levelling and surface spreading are yet to happen, along with two gates that we will probably have pipe built with a radius and screw plywood too.

Article supplied by:

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Published in the Diversity in Fencing feature of WIRED December 2021 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Phil Cornelius established CPC Contracting 20 odd years ago as a one-man-band, fencing throughout Northland in the many challenging environments that the north has to offer.

Phil was certified in 2009 and is the only Certified Fencer in Northland at present.

Donna Upton comes from a rural banking background having worked for the largest Agribusiness Bank in the world, she draws on the experience she has picked up from some great people along the way. Together, they own and operate CPC Fencing Limited.

“I met Donna in 2011. We rebranded the company to CPC Fencing Limited in 2013 and started Mid North Fencing Limited in 2019,” says Phil.

“The second company was set up to complete the Auckland Motorway extension project Puhoi to Warkworth. This project is very large scale with in excess of 90kms of conventional fencing being completed. Two of our crews are currently 16 months into the project, looking to ramp up in the spring and summer season.”

Both Phil and Donna are on the Board of Fencing Contractors NZ (‘FCNZ’), the industry body for Fencing Contractors, with Phil the President of the Board. Donna has recently taken on the NorthTec Course Coordinator role for the current NZ Certificate in Fencing Level 3 and the national rollout of Level 4.

BUSINESS GROWTH

Since 2011 CPC Fencing has grown considerably and now has 18 staff, making up five fencing crews. The business offers late-model utes for staff, and features five tractors, UTVs for the lines, two full forestry specification excavators, a large transport fifth-wheel trailer and a transport truck.

“We have a great crew of staff and subbies to call on. The crews love what they do, particularly the forestry crews, including the challenges and they have a tonne of can-do attitude and enthusiasm” says Donna.

Originally CPC Fencing didn’t work in the Forestry side of fencing, but a couple of phone calls from Nick and Gordy from Northland Forest Managers Limited saw CPC suddenly immersed in Forestry fencing. Phil keeps in contact with the Forestry companies on a weekly basis to make sure everything is aligned.

“Currently we service three of the Forestry companies throughout Northland and enjoy working with the Managers – the crews love working outdoors and in beautiful areas that you don’t often get to see, off the beaten track” says Phil.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Anyone that knows the forestry industry, will know that the Health and Safety and training side is high end and very important, with huge monitoring protocols. The business has a robust policy in place thanks to Danica Wells from Hastrak.

“Adapting it into the Forestry world was key and we implement that flavour across the entire business, making it easy to switch staff and crews in and out of forestry operations” says Donna.

“Our systems are audited 3 times a year through the Forestry and from our recent audit we gained a 99% pass mark and we have also received SiteWise Gold. In my opinion, audits are viewed as a good collaborative meeting and you should always be learning from the outcomes” says Donna.

Training and qualifications are key in Forestry. The staff are required to have Forestry units, chainsaw certificates, ATV/UTV units, WTR endorsements for machinery, and first aid.

CHALLENGING WORK

The work is not for the faint-hearted; the staff in the forestry crews thrive on the diverse terrain, challenging and remote lines. One project CPC Fencing has recently completed was a line on a boundary in a remote block.

“Ordinarily you’d not put a fence line there, however, the Trust owners wanted it on the boundary pegs, in this case, what the client wanted was what the client got” says Phil.

“The line was cleared by hand by silviculture staff, then we helicoptered the materials into the top of the line and the boys completed the line by hand. 500 odd metres, three guys in 13 days – a pretty good achievement in trying conditions in the middle of winter.”

MACHINERY

CPC Fencing has four fully forestry rigged diggers ranging from 13.5t to 23.5t.

“Without these machines, we wouldn’t have been able to complete some of the lines we have. When we started in the forestry, we’d have lines bulldozed or cut with diggers, this meant a lot of waiting on other contractors to get jobs lined up” says Phil.

“We purchased a 13.5t Hitachi and started prepping all our own lines and had a Revolution rammer on the front, enabling us to complete lines without too much environmental footprint, with less soil disturbance. The diggers also made stripping lines and prepping them that much easier and time-efficient. This also removes risk factors on cutovers and with staff on the ground” said Phil.

CPC Fencing in recent years has been adapting and moving to other less traditional jobs.

“The 13t excavator allowed us to get into post-harvest clean-up. Where we invested in two other high and wide machines, a Hyundai 210 and a Hitachi 225, fitted with stick rakes, hydraulic thumbs, meant we could tackle all post-harvest clean-up with minimal footprint” says Phil.

These machines crossed over between the fencing and post-harvest. With the forestry cut slowing in Northland, CPC Fencing recently sold both large machines.

“The 14t Sumitomo working in the business on the motorway project which is a more versatile machine, with a compacting plate and auger, is more adaptable for the business and more cost-effective for clients transport wise” said Phil.

The forestry industry has annual awards, with CPC Fencing nominated in 2017 as Contractor of the Year, the first entity that was outside the forestry industry to be nominated. They were nominated again in the 2021 awards for the Forestry Excellence Award. The awards were held online in 2021, hosted by Jeremy Corbett. “None of the above is possible without great staff, we have a stable workforce and they all want to do an excellent job” says Donna.

“We are currently putting 9 of our staff through their Level 3 via NorthTec, some will go on to Level 4 as soon as it rolls out. Staff buy into upskilling, with ongoing training.”

The business has been growing as opportunities present themselves. Ingenuity, thinking outside the square and being able to bounce ideas off forestry staff has proven to be a great recipe.

Article supplied by:

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Published in WIRED December 2021 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Marlborough has the reputation of being the biggest wine-growing province in New Zealand and is fast running out of land to put grapes. The big companies are buying all the plants and now there is a shortage of plants in New Zealand. Orders are already being taken for 2024.

2021 was a quiet year compared to others for Renner Fencing as we normally develop approximately between 200 to 250 Hectares in a season, which starts late August and finishes before Christmas. We can do up to 10,000 strainers and 120,000 intermediates plus around 7,000 stays in one season.

Vineyard fencing trellis rows are different from your normal fencing standard practice. It starts with a digger in most cases ripping the GPS line for your vineyard rows, anywhere between 600mm to 900mm deep depending on plant type and intermediates the client wants to use. Plants are spaced out evenly 1.8m and are most commonly machine planted. The ones that are hand planted are done earlier in the season and are normally small blocks.

Posts are 7.2m apart down the trellis row and the trellis rows can be as close as 2m apart but normally anywhere from to 2.4m to 3m apart. Intermediate posts are all types in Marlborough with plastic future posts coming freshly on the scene but the most favoured is the half-round wood and eco trellis steel post a close second.

VINEYARD DEVELOPMENT

Renner Fencing comes on the scene first in the vineyard development season, laying-out posts with the help of overseas workers. These guys work hard and can lay out up to 7000 intermediates in one day, they also lay out the strainers, stays and stay blocks. The 15 Tonne digger is next on the scene with three men to help us out lifting the posts and putting them in place – which is normally marked out with a popsicle stick or a rip line marking the exact place for intermediate to go.

We do 3 rows at once with the digger straddling the middle row. It takes a couple of days for the crew to get into the groove of vineyard fencing but by the week’s end they can be hitting around 2,000 a day.

STRAINER DRIVING

Next job is the strainer driving at the end of each row. Strainers are survey-marked with a little wooden peg. Wooden strainers are far the most favoured here in Marlborough, the strainers are 2.4m/175 (or number ones as you call them up north). Strainers are driven 1200mm in, 1200mm out.

Our trusty Taege Post Drivers work hard but get a hammering and depending on the ground can do as low as 40 per day if the ground is hard and over 200 if it’s good going. This takes two men; one on the Post Driver and the other backing into each strainer peg and in between chamfering each strainer with a chainsaw and boring a stay hole with a 65mm boring bit, not mortest square.

The stays have been done for a long time now with a round stay hole and don’t fail if done properly. Stay hole conventional height is the same as a fence – just above kneecap height or just over halfway down the 2.4m strainer – the 2.4m stays point end goes neat and tight into the hole.

Positioning the stay block hard up against the end of the stay on the ground ready for the digger to dig the stay in, the stay block is used to get the exact position of the back wall which allows the placing of the digger bucket gently against the stay block. The stay block goes vertical so when they cultivate in between the rows they don’t hit the stay blocks.

We had a guy that is now retired that could do up to 600 stays in a day, you imagine trying to square mortise stay holes in front of him.

WIRE AND IRRIGATION

Now the vineyard block is ready for the wires and irrigation to be run. There are 7 wires on average: one for the irrigation to fruiting wires and four lifting wires. The wires are run out with a quad bike or side-by-side and a wire trailer towed behind that can run up to 5 wires at a time. Wire tension is around 150 gauge for the fruiting and irrigation wires and the four lifting wires I normally 100 gauge. The reason for this is they get shifted up and down the intermediate depending on the season.

The weight of the wires on a vineyard strainer are all at the top – with only the one wire below the stay, which is the irrigation wire. Fruiting wires are around 900mm to 1m high above the ground and the lifting wires are close to the top of the strainer putting more pressure above the stay.

Triplex strainers are used mainly on the lifting wire so they can change the tension when lifting in place around this time of the year. When development is in full swing, we still have two to three fencing crews going which keeps me extremely busy – organising the development crews and fencing crews, having up to 15 people on the books when normally it is only 7 or 8.

Marlborough has definitely changed over the years gone by. Renner Fencing has had to diversify to keep up with the demand of the changing landscape.

Article supplied by:www.rennerfencing.co.nz

Published in WIRED December 2021 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Barakat Contractors Limited (BCL) were approached to complete a challenging project at the beginning of 2020. It was essentially a complicated construction by numbers activity.

The scope of the project was to construct a baseball structure at Fowlds Park, Auckland for Auckland Council. It was essential that it could be assembled and dissembled annually to coincide with the seasonal sport as the area of construction is also used as a rugby field.

Architectural concept drawings were provided to BCL from Auckland Council, outlining the structural requirements. BCL engaged JP Marshall Engineering to provide the engineer design drawings. BCL was already committed to other projects and with tight time frames, BCL made the decision to outsource the steel fabrication to JP Marshall Engineering as well. Steel fabrication comprises columns, panels and dugouts. The structure at its highest point is 6 meters with a total length of 51 meters, along with 3-meter wide x 9 meter long dugouts that sit behind the panels at each end. Design and Fabrication work took approximately four months to complete.

In August, the galvanised steel frame arrived at the BCL yard ready to be clad with chainlink netting. Timber seating was fixed inside the dugout frames. In October 2020 our team arrived on-site to complete the initial installation. Six truckloads of materials were delivered to the site. Using our 6-tonne excavator, Bryce our experienced operator was tasked with managing the installation. Due to the turf (artificial grass under pitch grass), extreme care was crucial. During the initial installation, plywood was used to limit damage from machine movement on the turf.

Each piece of the frame is identified using a letter/numeric system – a construction by numbers and is fixed to a subsurface concrete plinth – 18 in total – the largest plinth being 544mm by 420mm. These plinths are covered with turf after installation so not exposed to players during use.

Whilst a great achievement for BCL and its team this was not without its challenges. Due to the height of the structure, it was not an easy undertaking. BCL didn’t think we would be using our recently purchased 6-tonne excavator to install a baseball structure. Another challenging aspect was the coordination and planning of all parties involved to ensure a well-planned construction, along with ensuring the safety of all involved, staff and public.

During construction, BCL didn’t think we would be returning to disassemble and assemble the baseball structure again, but we are! This gave BCL the opportunity to make improvements from lessons learnt during the initial construction mainly with machinery. BCL has changed from a scissor lift to an all-terrain boom lift. We are now using a telehandler that enables the lifting of both the framing and dugouts for seasonal storage e.g., dugouts are stored at Fowlds Park and all Columns and Panels are stored at AIM Services’ Henderson Depot. Rubber turf mats have replaced plywood to further minimise potential damage to the turf.

BCL’s digger returns twice a year as the best piece of equipment for lifting and holding the steel columns in place when fixing to the inground concrete plinths.  BCL is extremely proud of the work completed, a fantastic effort and collaboration from our team and our client AIM Services.

Article supplied by:www.barakatcontractors.co.nz

Published in WIRED December 2021 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Business Coach Daniel Fitzpatrick talks about five simple ways to find new staff.

Most tradies say the same thing: it’s hard to find good staff. MTA recently said there are 1,600 jobs throughout New Zealand that have not been filled. It’s a problem.

So if you have too much work, how do you find skilled staff to grow your business?

I believe that even in a shortage, there will always be good people who are looking for other opportunities. Here are my tips:

1. Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.

The sooner you start looking, the more likely you are to find someone and be persistent. You may have difficult experience in employing the right person; one of my clients, a builder, had been actively looking for a salesman for many months. They finally found someone, three days later, he quit! They were disappointed.

Business owners decided to advertise again and found John, who has been a real star for them. He has consistently outsold other reps, and sales have gone through the roof. If they hadn’t kept advertising when they did, they wouldn’t have found him.

2. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Good staff know what they are worth. Don’t worry; the good ones will always earn more than they cost.

If hiring someone at a higher rate means jobs will be done right, fewer callbacks and less stress, then you will free up time to grow your business, it’s worth it.

Also, consider what benefits you offer. Why would this job be more attractive than anything else out there? Are current employees happy with benefits? Ask them for feedback and new ideas.

It might be as simple as free breakfast once a week over a toolbox talk. The flexibility to leave early occasionally if the job is completed. Incentives when they meet targets. Or maybe it’s a generous tool allowance, latest iPhone or Samsung work phone, uniform, or company vehicle.

3. Your vibe attracts your tribe.

 Look at the latest ads on Trade Me or Seek. Here’s the deal; if you want the great applicants, you have to have a great ad. Visualise the best team member you have on board right now. What exact ad would attract another just like them?

Put some personality into the ad and make the advert friendly, talk about what you offer and how you look after your staff. Make sure it reflects your vibe and how you operate.

What kind of company you want to be. How do you want your team to feel about you. What makes you unique? Are you about precision and high standards? An easygoing team that has a lot of fun? Serious about work/life balance? A growing professional level company that dominates your niche?

Also, make it easy for them to apply. Some people are not great with paperwork so a phone call might be better in some cases. Of course, if it’s an admin, sales or supervisor position, you will still want a proper CV.

4. Think outside the box.

First, ask around. Some of your best hires will come from word of mouth. One way to quickly get the word out is to set aside a couple of hours on a Friday afternoon. Shout pizza and get your team to message friends and post on social media. Use the time to reach out to your contacts and do the same.

If you’re trying to reach under 40’s, you’ll want to list your ad online. Trade Me or Seek is an excellent place to start. Also, post on your Facebook business page and in local groups.

What about taking on an apprentice as part of the plan? They take a bit of work in the beginning, but in a few years, they’ll be fully trained in your way of doing things.

Always field test applicants. Things to check are: Are they punctual? Can they think for themselves? Are they willing to learn? Can they follow instructions? Are they honest? Do they have attention to detail? Remember skills can be taught – hire for attitude.

Consider recruitment agencies. It might cost a bit more, but often they have a pool of workers ready to start now. It could be short term or long term, as long as you have a good margin on jobs and can afford to pay a bit extra, this can be a good option.

Depending on your trade and what you are looking for, some immigration and recruitment agencies are sourcing highly skilled overseas workers from places like South Africa or the UK. Talk with them, see what options are available.

An engineering firm I worked with had a staff of around 20 welders. Approximately half of these were hired from other countries. It worked for them, it might work for you.

5. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.

I was speaking with a business owner recently who was looking for drivers. Their comment was “you just can’t get drivers.”  I know there are not many around. But to say you can’t find drivers ever? That’s going to trip you up.

We talked it through, made the job ad more appealing, got interview questions ready, and threw the dice. A few weeks later they’d been receiving much better quality applications. The guy they hired told them in the interview “I kept going back to your ad. I just couldn’t go past it. I really want to work for a company like yours. So here I am.”

I think the bottom line is this: if you have the right hiring process, you can still find excellent people, even in a difficult market. Go for it. You might be surprised who you find. And it could be the next gamechanger for your business and your sanity.

Want help to grow your business and your profits to the next level? Book a complimentary online call with me here nextleveltradie.co.nz

Daniel Fitzpatrick

Business  Coach

Next Level Tradie

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The current supply of posts available out there appears to be a lot greener and wetter than usual. With the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, not even the Hulk can get away with carrying posts around by himself.

All joking aside, it is probably a good reminder about using proper manual handling techniques.

Manual handling is when someone; carries, holds, moves or manipulates something, in any way, as part of their work.  Some workers do a wide variety of manual handling tasks.  The tasks involve using force, repetitive movements, stooping, static and awkward postures, frequent bending and twisting at the waist, and handling heavy objects.  These can cause several problems, including; serious back injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, including occupational overuse syndromes, acute injuries, like muscle or tendon sprains and strains, injuries from slips, trips and falls.

The main issue with lifting and carrying these posts is the sheer weight involved.

Handling heavy objects needs a lot of strength. This means tissues and joints in the back, knees, arms and shoulders are overloaded. A lighter weight held away from the body needs the same effort to handle as a heavy one held close. Jerking or moving a load quickly uses more force than just carrying the load. No one can set out specific weight limits (because manual handling is a complex process involving a lot of different risks), but the more weight or force needed, the more likely it is someone will be hurt.

Key points for preventing manual handling injuries when lifting and carrying heavy posts

• Workers must be trained in correct techniques for manual handling jobs
• (Re)design the workplace to minimise manual handling hazards
• No one should lift something that is too heavy for them
• Warm up before lifting and stretch regularly
• Lift with the legs, not the back
• Use mechanical/lifting aids where possible
• Plan regular breaks and rotate jobs

The other issue with these posts is being wet, is that it exposes everyone handling the posts to tanalising chemicals. The immediate effects of this exposure can be skin irritations or rashes and illness. Over a longer period of exposure, the effects can be more serious long-term health issues such as cancer.

Key points for preventing exposure to tantalising chemicals from wet posts

• Take particular care when the post has crystalline chemical deposits on it.
• Wear long sleeve shirts when handling posts.
• Wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking.
• Wash exposed areas of your body after working with tantalised
• Wash work clothes separately from other clothes.

Finally, talk to your post supplier and don’t settle for posts that aren’t up to standard, it is you and your team that are being put at risk with the manual handling and exposure hazards that these wet posts present. Paying a higher price for good posts may seem a small price to pay when compared to injuries, sickness, long-term illnesses or fines for not appropriately managing this hazard.

Stay safe out there guys.

The Rural Safe Team

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