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In this Fencing Careers feature article hear from Genna Allen who took a step out from her role as an early childhood educator in Central Otago to grow the Abercrombie Fencing crew.

Initially, she thought giving an old mate a hand in his business might bide some time over the summer.  A year on, she is on the tools, fencing every day across some of New Zealand’s most striking and awe-inspiring countryside.

“One of the greatest rewards of my job is the variety of office space. I’ll get up a hill and say, ‘This is a nice office for today!’ or walk away at the end of a week, looking back on an amazing fence.”

While Genna didn’t “seek out” a fencing career, she now enjoys an office view second-to-none, a workplace that doubles as a fitness centre, job satisfaction and an ideal mix of using her existing talents while building and refining new skills.

 

A team that continues to grow

Brian Abercrombie started off Abercrombie Fencing Services in 2006. His son Andrew joined in 2015 and learnt the finer skills of rural farm fencing. Since then, they have expanded into security, residential, and retaining walls. “Pretty much everything.”

Andrew Abercrombie, Genna’s boss, says many things take time for new staff to learn. “What I have found with Genna is her commitment and eye for detail.”

That sharp eye came to the fore straight away. “When I started, I’d notice when a line was off and call it. I guess I bring a bit of a woman’s perspective.”

The same close attention to detail has helped Andrew be more on the mark too.

Many residential clients love having Genna on board. “We have had a couple of female clients who have come over for a chat and advice on the aesthetics of residential jobs.”

Obviously, there are physically challenging times in the fencing game, particularly farm fencing. At Abercrombie Fencing Services most heavy and repetitive work is done by machinery. Andrew explains that over time Genna has built up enough physical strength to do what she needs to do. “She has had to find her own way around it. As long as the result’s the same I am happy.”

 

Surprising benefits

And, while Genna finds the creative aspect and the physicality of fencing rewarding, she is the first to admit that there were things she couldn’t do at the beginning. “I’d say my hand strength was zero for cutting wires with pliers. Reels of wire, netting and posts could be super heavy. I am quite capable now.”

On top of her growing hand and upper body strength, she hasn’t been for a single run since she started. “I don’t need a gym and I don’t think I could work in an indoor job again.”

”Now I carry weights over several kilometres every day, or spend eight hours squatting putting in waratahs or threading wires — and I get paid for it!”

Good quality tools make everything easier too. Andrew says if he didn’t have a Stockade ST400i stapler tool, he wouldn’t have Genna and it is her favourite piece of equipment. “If she was stapling by hand, I think she would have left a long time ago!”

“It’s true. I don’t really like hammering in staples. I think the stapler tool gives a better, cleaner finish. You are just boom-boom-boom in a straight line down the netting. It is all about controlling the angle, positioning on the post and the depth as well. That’s the attention to detail!”

“Right at the start, when you are doing five kilometres of fencing up and doing hills the tool could get pretty heavy on the arm, but since then it is literally ‘boom-boom-boom-boom – next post – boom-boom-boom-boom’. A couple of times Andrew has stood back with a smile on his face and said, ‘I’m so proud of how you do with that now’.”

 

More women welcomed to the industry

Business is good and two months ago, Becky Rae joined the Abercrombie crew as a casual employee and is loving the job.

Genna also enjoys seeing women joining the fencing community.

“It’s definitely a talking point around the region! With all the trade gear, tools, and workwear too, there is more variety and fit for women. Still, it can be pretty funny to see some of the reactions to Becky and me dressed in our gear, lifting the palings out and using the impact drivers.”

“We do a huge variety of fence construction and we are starting to do more cut steel, lifestyle, and macrocarpa fencing with new technologies. We have joked about me going into the fencing competitions. Sometimes I think I’m pretty good!”

Article supplied by Stockade

Published in the Careers & Training  feature in WIRED March 2022 by Fencing Contractors NZ

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Tekapo-based contractor Nathan Monk talks about how constructing a rabbit netting fence line in the South Island’s Mackenzie country added an extra element to this large tenure review job.

The 17km job at Simons Pass Station near the bottom of Lake Pukaki job included 6.3km of deer fencing with rabbit netting.

Nathan and his worker, with the help of some casual labour, spent more than three months completing the line.

“There was just the two of us the majority of the time, with help of casual labour mainly when putting the rabbit netting on.”

He also brought in Geraldine-based contractor Ben Haugh’s crew that completed 2.1km of the line.

Weather, timelines and a ship-load of rocks

The weather was one of the biggest challenges on the job, according to Nathan. Almost three weeks of inversion layer and hoar frost left limited visibility in which to complete the work. Time management and planning was required to get around this.

“When it cleared, you’d drop what you were doing and continue sighting lines while you could see,” Nathan said.

On top of the weather throwing up some obstacles,  keeping to the timelines that were submitted as part of the tender in the tenure review was also challenging.

“Due to the uncertain times we face, securing a date for supply of materials was a nightmare,” Nathan said.

“But the key material that was worth its weight was the Waratah rabbit netting. Its quality is second to none.”

“The scale of the rabbit netting was probably the biggest time-consuming part – having to put a rock on the apron every one to two feet apart.

“Over 17km equated to a ship-load of rocks!”

More than half a million clips

Rabbit netting added half the price again to the cost of materials, and the same again for the labour cost.

“This job, in particular, we rocked as opposed to pinning. I got a digger in to sort a pile of rocks into a manageable size.

“On Glenrock Station just recently we put seven kilometres of Waratah rabbit netting on and pinned it down as opposed to rocking because of the lack of suitable rocks nearby.

“At smoko one day we worked out that this job put us over 60km of rabbit netting and 600,000 clips.”

The control of rabbits in the Mackenzie has been ongoing for many years now, and in the early days, there weren’t a lot of fences in the area.

“What they did rabbit net was more a border for control,” Nathan says. “In today’s world, fencing has intensified and now between multiple groups are putting a plan together to intensify rabbit netting on new and mainly existing fences for easier control on rabbits.”

Ready for the next challenge

Monk Fencing has been operating for 15 years, which Nathan operates alongside an accommodation business in Tekapo township. He reckons 99.9% of their work is rural with a small amount of residential.

As well as rabbit fencing, the MacKenzie area has thrown up a few different challenging jobs for Monk Fencing. Earlier this year they also undertook fire damage repairs, replacing strainers, joining broken wires and restraining.

Article written by Rosa Parks thanks to
Nathan Monk – Monk Fencing Ltd

Read about Monk Fencing work here: Fence protection of Tekapō’s iconic Church of the Good Shepherd underway

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

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In this “Diversity in Fencing” feature article Custom Fencing’s Nick Terry talks about how the formation of Custom Construction has expanded his business into residential and lifestyle projects.

11th November 2011 is a bit of a big deal in my business life. It was on this day that Custom Fencing Ltd had its first day of trading. Then 9 years later little did I know that a new venture called Custom Construction 2020 LTD would have its first day of trading also.

How do you go from fencing to building I hear you ask?

Well, it’s not by getting good at doing stays and then applying for your LBP licence I can tell you that for sure!

The idea of Custom Construction came about by employing a mate (Tame) who I had met through playing rugby.

He had already been building for around 9 years with 6 of those working as a qualified builder in the same area as myself. Work for his old employer had dried up a bit and he had found himself doing jobs that he wasn’t really enjoying.

So, as we were sitting down having a beer (where most good ideas come from) I said “Come and do a few weeks for us, help us catch up on a few residential jobs”. One thing led to another and then he was asking me for a job.

 

Heard it on the grapevine

As the grapevine did its job, word got around that I had a Qualified builder on staff. Next thing I found myself getting asked to price out decks and house renovations, to which I had no idea about where to start: how long it was going to take, any variables etc. So, as you do, the two of us sat down for a beer (Speights, if you were wondering) and had a work out of materials and labour etc and put our first price in. All this was taking place while Tame was driving up a driveway to complete a building job in a ute with “Custom Fencing” written on the side… not the best look in the world.

The only real way to fix this problem was to form another company. Not a lot of point in a fencer solely owning a building company though, because if the builder left, I would end up with jobs on the books I couldn’t complete, letting down clients. So Custom Construction was formed and Tame was given a share in the company and the responsibility of the day to day running of the company. With there being a massive shortage of builders around our area I could see that as long as we provided a good service, then work wasn’t going to be too much of an issue.

So, although still very early days, things have been going very well. We currently have another self-employed builder on the books along with two apprentices and a workload leading well into 2022. There is one job they’re currently working on that they’re not making much money out of though – that’s building my house! Smokos and after-work beers are reasonably frequent though!

 

Tartan paint and other learnings

Personally, I’ve had to spend more time away from the fence line and more time in front of the computer. Which to be completely honest isn’t the reason I got into business – I never thought I’d spend more time in an office than with a hammer in my hand. But look at me now – learning about joist hangers and soffit joiners. Already knew about tartan paint so had that one sorted!

I’m enjoying the new challenge of running two businesses and learning more about bookkeeping, percentage of profit etc (especially on a day like today when it’s snowing outside). Even if you are a one-man-band I would really encourage you to look into your own books and your percentage of profit. And if you’re not too sure what you’re looking at talk to someone like “Next Level Tradie” – I’ve had a few meetings with Daniel and he’s been a huge help.

I’m really lucky that I have great staff working for both companies but in particular, the fencing lads that have been with me for a number of years and know what they are doing and accept nothing but the best from each other. It’s the two old stories: surround yourself with good people and life will be rosy; and, it’s not what you know it’s who you know!

Article provided by:
Nick Terry
Custom Fencing Ltd & Custom Construction 2020 Ltd

www.customfencing.co.nz
www.customconstruction.net.nz

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

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With construction sites and subdivisions popping up in most districts, there is an ever-increasing need for safety and environmental controls to be implemented. In this “Diversity in Fencing” feature article Nick Liefting talks about civil site fencing.

We are all accustomed to the health and safety protocol by now and am sure it is well embedded into each of our psyches. Environmental issues are also becoming just as important and I know a lot of us who are faced with it almost on a daily basis, it too has become part of our psyche.

So, in this article, I will explain the issues surrounding these two very important topics.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Induction

Before we start work on-site, we must go through the induction, which can take anywhere from two hours to as much as a day (yeah you heard correctly). In the induction, the following items are spelled out:

• Dangers
• Contact personnel including the first aider
• Hours of work
• Housekeeping
• Drug testing
• Nature of the site
• PPE to be worn
• Nearest A&E

We will then sign a register to confirm the induction and often get an induction number.

PPE

As well as mandatory high viz jackets, lace-up boots, and hard hats, it is becoming increasingly common for gloves, glasses, ear protection, long sleeve shirts and long trousers. To be worn ALL THE TIME. No fun in the Auckland summer!! On some sites, they have personnel specifically designated to watch for anyone not complying – then it is instantly off-site.

Our responsibility is to produce a site-specific hazard register, along with our company Health and Safety Policy.

We must also have our own toolbox meeting before we commence work, which basically states what we will do that day and the hazards to be aware of. This must be recorded and signed by each of us. It only takes 15 minutes and can be done on the way to site.

All this you might think is a hassle and a half, and yes, I do agree, BUT, if something goes bad, WorkSafe is certainly looking who to ‘point the finger at’. And believe you me, I have had this happen first hand.

Not all that many years ago, we were asked to install 120m of farm fence on a sub-division and for whatever reason, one of my staff got his hand under the post driver weight, and yes you know what happened, ‘Whamo’, lots of blood and a finger gone. Fortunately, my foreman had all the relevant paperwork in place and WorkSafe checked the machine etc, and realised it was the worker’s own stupidity. He is now permanently on a benefit. Like they say, ‘you’ve gotta have all your ducks in a row’.

I will often factor induction time into whatever I am pricing for the site.

SITE FENCING

Due to the specific consent requirements spelled out by the relevant local authority and nearby residents, the fencing can be quite involved, namely:

• Safety fencing
• Silt fencing
• Super silt fencing
• Dust fencing
• Acoustic fencing
• Security fencing

 

SAFETY FENCING

This is primarily used to keep the public out of hazardous areas, e.g., silt ponds, deep excavations, and high machinery traffic zones. It is also often used to fence around the drip line of protected trees and historical sites, to deter construction machinery from encroaching.

The construction of this fencing is generally outlined in the site plans and is mostly constructed using waratahs at 4.0m centres with a top and bottom wire and high viz plastic mesh attached. As this is an integral part of the overall construction works, the fencing must also be maintained throughout and often well after completion. At times, the mesh will need to be replaced as the UV breaks it down.

Safety fencing must also be installed above any structure that is over 1.0m high, e.g. retaining walls.

 

SILT FENCING

We are fortunate to live in a country that has strict environmental controls. This makes it rewarding when we are out enjoying our leisure activities, as there are countries that belch anything into the air and send anything and everything into the waterways.

Of course, living in this pristine country comes at a price. Environmental controls on construction sites can be an expensive commodity, which obviously must be passed on to the end-user.

There are many environmental controls but I will talk about silt fencing. Silt fencing is used to hold back silt runoff, just like a farm fence is to hold livestock back.

It is installed on the lower end of an exposed surface where vegetation and/or topsoil has been removed, and often at the base of earthworks stockpiles.

It is common for the plans to show the extent of the silt fencing, plus the Engineer can also direct where additional silt fencing is to be installed.

Prior to inclement weather approaching, often contractors are frantically upgrading and/or refurbishing silt fences to ensure all is secure, and yes, we have been on previous occasions called to a site mid-afternoon Friday to do just that – it doesn’t put a ‘smile on one’s face’.

It has happened that silt fences haven’t coped with the sudden deluge of silt and therefore failed, causing silt to go where it is not supposed to. The consequences to the contractor are not nice. Abatement notices and fines of tens of thousands of dollars are not uncommon.

With an Abatement Notice, all work on-site must stop until the silt control is adequate and has been inspected by the territorial authority. This of course does not do wonderful things for one’s attribute portfolio.

 

CONSTRUCTION OF A SILT FENCE

1. Dig a trench 200mm deep with a narrow bucket.
2. On the downhill edge of the trench, install waratahs, or supports of equal strength, 3.0m apart (2.0m apart if working on a small construction site).
3. Install one wire approximately 400mm above ground and another at approximately 800mm above ground.
4. Use 1.20m wide designated silt fence cloth and clip to the top wire then lay in the trench and backfill. I find from experience, it is best to have it lay across the trench with dirt on top, as I have seen them blow out on a windy site. There is no need to attach to the lower wire.
5. When joining silt fence cloth, roll both ends on a batten, then nail the battens together.
6. Along the length of the silt fence, a 3.0m return is generally installed every 40m or as designated by the Engineer, depending on the catchment. This is to slow the run-off down.

The silt fence remains in place until the grass has taken, or areas have been sufficiently covered in mulch, and there is no potential for silt runoff.

 

SUPER SILT FENCE

This fence is similar to a standard silt fence, but more robust, and used primarily if there is a greater slope uphill of the silt fence, and/or potential of larger and stronger silt flows.

The construction has a wire netting or mesh attached to the wire before the silt cloth is attached. The super silt cloth is double thickness, with the top 200mm single thickness for ease of installation.
Silt cloth also comes in an orange colour to double up to use in a high viz zone.

Also, you don’t need to apply much, if any, of your Golden Pliers expertise for the construction. What’s more important is what I have explained.

 

DUST FENCING

This is a very real issue and is often demanded by local residents. With the constant tracking of earthmoving machinery, copious amounts of dust can be generated. Throw some wind into the equation, well Mum next door won’t be at all happy when she is hanging out her washing!

It is common for the contractor to have water cart trucks fixed with sprinkler booms solely dedicated for the purposes of dust control. However, if for whatever reason this is not practical, then a dust fence can be erected.

The construction of this as we have previously done is a 4.0m high windbreak fence, as used in the horticulture industry. This will have a sprinkler hose attached on top which will be emitting water continuously. Dust fencing is not all that common, as most sites are not completely surrounded by residential properties. If there are properties nearby, the prevailing winds could well be blowing away from them.

 

ACOUSTIC FENCING

As much as we can have silt and dust pollution, so can we have noise pollution. With a lot of sites operating 7.00am to 6.00pm, there can often be people still asleep and families having dinner. A lot of acoustic fencing can be a permanent structure if close to busy roads and noisy facilities.

Most acoustic fencing is constructed using timber or concrete, which obviously absorbs the noise. On the recent widening of the South Auckland motorway, there was a significant quantity of concrete noise barriers installed. They attached a stainless-steel wire grid and have now successfully grown vegetation against the wall.

There was a situation not that long ago, where Land Transport, in their wisdom, installed a significant metal screen noise fence on the Manurewa Hill portion of Auckland’s Southern Motorway. As I travel this section frequently, it was sometime later that this structure was completely removed. The noise was magnified due to the bouncing and echoing effect of the steel barrier.

The most common acoustic fence structure is a timber paling fence, 2.0m high. At the base, a ground treated 150mm x 50mm rail is placed firmly onto the ground. The paling configuration can be either:

• 150mm paling with 100mm gap and another 150mm paling placed over the gap
• 150mm paling attached with no gap and a 50mm paling secured over the join
• 150mm paling attached with the next 150mm paling placed 25mm over the previous one.

 

SECURITY FENCING

On most construction sites, a security fence is paramount around the perimeter. This fence is obviously temporary until construction work is complete and permanent boundary fencing can be installed.
The purpose of the security fencing is to keep ‘Joe Public’ off the site and lessen the risks of potential accidents.

The construction of security fencing is either diamond mesh or deer netting, using timber posts. These are often installed without concrete for ease of later dismantling. Regarding deer netting, yes, I know you need big end assemblies etc, to give the tension required. Often sites can have many angles, plus ends for gateways. However, we are not dealing with livestock, but people who would climb the fence. So ask yourself the question, “Which is easier to climb? – a tight netting or one that is a little more on the saggy side”? As a further deterrent, a barbed wire is often placed on top of the posts.

Article provided by:
Nick Liefting of Nick Liefting Contractors Ltd

www.nlcontractors.co.nz

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

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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:

www.whitefencing.co.nz

www.facebook.com/WhiteFencingNZ

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:

www.facebook.com/CPCFencingLtd

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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Debbie White blows dust off the archives and takes a look into the origins of FCANZ.

Time passes quickly, memories fade and people disappear. Even though I had an understanding of the origins of the Association I went digging through some archives, both written and through recounts of some of the people who were there.

One thing is pretty evident, the company we now know as Pacific Steel with its WIREMARK® brand of wire was there before the start, under its names of NZ Wire, Wiremakers, and in more recent times NZ Wire/ WIREMARK. It’s also widely accepted that this company who has backed the New Zealand Fencing industry for the past 50 odd years provided the impetus to get an association formed.

Back in the early 1980’s NZ Wire industries, in association with Hurricane Wire products, Cyclone – CMI, Armour Industries and Anchor Fence put out a newsletter “The Fencer”.

Interestingly the following was in issue 2 December 1981,

A Masters Fencer Association is one idea a fencer has put forward with the idea of “raising and maintaining the standard of fencers” and to help limit the number of “spare time fencers” (rather than part or full time contractors) who sometimes tender for contracts at prices sufficient to only keep themselves in “booze and petrol”. The spare – time fencer is, the writer suggests, a person who does not consider fencing as his occupation but only as a sideline. The practical difficulties in setting up an association with these objectives would likely be enormous but no doubt this topic is one which will generate considerable interest.

Around 1986/87 the Master Fencer was launched, it was to give fencers a qualification outside of the Golden Pliers, according to Nick Liefting. The New Zealand Agricultural Engineering Institute with practical input from fencer Frank Prince wrote the course documents and it was presented and backed by NZ Wire industries. The idea was course assessors in every district. Unfortunately a major downturn in the rural industry meant momentum was lost. Cyclone to the best of our knowledge still owns the rights to the Master Fencer.

The next known period that can be accountable as some form of structure and communications within the industry was in the early 2000’s.

After the fencing competition heats at Fieldays a fencers meeting was held and two fencer representatives were nominated to attend and represent the fencer’s viewpoint to the Fieldays fencing committee. This was as near of a get together that the industry had. Remembering the NZ Wire Industries newsletters, Representatives Nick Liefting and Wayne Newdick started discussing amongst themselves and a few others the idea of putting out a newsletter to the industry. George Schuler offered to come on board and a 1 page newsletter, with a subscription form named the “Fencer” was put out on September 2001 to gain subscribers. A meeting was held with the three at the Glenview motel in July 2002 and the idea of an association was thrown around, along with how to manage the task of producing a quarterly newsletter.

It was quickly realised that support from commercial partners were needed and Pacific Wire were the obvious choice, it helped greatly that they were responsive, supportive and enthusiastic allowing the concept to start gaining traction. A roundwood partner was also sought, being the two main components of any rural fence and Goldpine Industries came on board once the Association had been formed.

August 15^th 2003 a meeting with Pacific Wire and “Key Industry players” Jim Erickson, Nick Liefting, Rob Best, George Schuler, Pacific Wires general marketing manager Bruce Blundell, marketing assistant Donna Mackay and key account manager Warren Grayson, held a meeting at Pacific Steel to try and nut out how best to work together to promote the association and fencers.

The first Fencing Association meeting was held May 13th 2004 in Hamilton and Rob Best, Nick Liefting, Kelvin Strong, Wayne Newdick, and Donna Mackay were present. George Schuler and Simon Fuller were recorded as apologies and the Agenda included deadlines for setting up the Association in relation to rules/subscriptions/benefits. Simon Fuller was nominated Chairman at the next meeting in June.

The first WIRED 4 page newsletter issue was put out in June 2004, it stated,

The objectives of the Association were to be as follows, but certainly not limited to

1. Lift the profile of fencers and fencing in NZ.
2. Improve the quality and standard of fencing in NZ
3. Provide access to training and business skill training
4. Networking and a way to vent and share ideas with peers
5. Grow the market for fencing contractors

The benefits of joining the Association would be

1. Provide a marketing tool for you and your business
2. Information sharing and up skilling
3. A form of recognition and professional body overseeing the promotion of fencing and fencers.

In order to secure a training provider George Schuler who worked for Ag ITO helped facilitate Taratahi as training providers for the delivery of the NZQA National Certificate in Fencing, as it was the only qualification to the industry. Lance Hare headed the training programme and joined the committee.

I went to a meeting to help with the first conference and quickly found myself on the committee. I then went on to take the WIRED newsletter, which was 8 pages and compiled by Donna Mackay and turned it into an industry magazine, obtaining sponsorship for its printing costs from WIREMARK and developing the advertising outline.

Over the years we have seen many fencers join and move through the Association, the committee became a Board, the conferences were taken over by John Noakes after successful early conferences at Rotorua and Makoura Lodge in the Manawatu and they have become a leading networking opportunity for both Sponsors and Fencers. Association days have gathered momentum in their attendance around the country.

While there is much progress to be made and new members sought and retained, we should remember that we are fortunate to have those who have gone before us, who had the foresight to form an association to represent the fencing industry and provide unity. I do not know of any other country whose fencing industry is this structured and progressed as ours.

by Debbie White

One of the first FCANZ conferences, held at Makoura Lodge, Manawatu.

 

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