Wired Magazine

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

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

You may also like: Cyclone Gabrielle rescue response

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

FCANZ Member and urban fencer Rob Bigwood is the Regional Coordinator for the Manawatu/Tararua Surf Lifesaving Search & Rescue squad. The team assists with swift water (river) rescues and recoveries as well as supporting in-shore search and rescue activities. This is his story about how Rob and his team were involved in the Cyclone Gabrielle response.

“On the morning of Friday 10th of February this year, Central Region Lifesaving manager Justine Flemming contacted me to advise that the incoming weather event was going to be big, and it was likely that the team would be needed in the coming week. 

The team went on standby and by the Sunday the whole country knew that the Cyclone was going to hit hard. By Monday afternoon, following updates from the National Surf SAR Coordinator, the team had moved two boats inland from Himatangi Beach to Palmerston North and were ready to be dispatched wherever needed whether Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Tararua or Manawatu areas.

On Tuesday, the 14th we all awoke to the news of the devastation that had hit the East Coast. At 8am the SAR Squad were put on alert for dispatch to the Hawke’s Bay and at 10am the squad received the instruction to deploy – a trip that takes 3 hours in “normal” conditions. By now, the Saddle Road had closed and only the Pahiatua Track was available, a challenge with trailers at the best of times. 

11 Senior Lifeguards were in the team dispatched, including five specialist Swiftwater technicians, two Flood Rescue Boat Instructors and an EMT. The convoy of four vehicles and five IRBs assembled in Waipawa, where the first team had completed their initial taskings of a medical and a welfare check. The team then quickly made haste to the Hawke’s Bay, aware of the added challenge of no comms with Hawke’s Bay surf. 

Arriving in Hastings the team were immediately redirected to Pakowhai with a local on-board to give directions through police cordons and around closed roads. We arrived at the Ngaruroro River bridge at about 1730hrs and immediately launched the boat. 

The conditions on the water were nothing like I had experienced in 29 years of Lifeguarding or Land Search and Rescue. Only 300 metres from the launching point a Kenworth truck was completely covered with water with only the tops of its exhaust showing.  We were having to duck under the power lines. Most single-story buildings had only the top ridge of the roof showing.   

For the next two or so hours, with nightfall approaching, our SAR Squad worked in challenging conditions to rescue approximately 50 people, many of whom were RSC workers trapped on the rooftops of buildings. We were told to look for hovering helicopters as they would hover over any people they would find. In one hour approximately 190 people were rescued by Surf Lifesaving crews, the Airforce, rescue helicopters and two jet boats.

The final rescue of the day for the squad was a challenging stretcher recovery through a window to allow a spinal patient to be winched to safety, so when the squad were able to call it a night, having rescued all patients in the area, they were all very grateful for the food and accommodation provided. 

With the immediate dangers to life now (mostly over) we spent the following two days assisting Police and USAR (Urban Search & Rescue) to get to houses so they could check on occupants. This was an exhausting and sad time, and incredibly hard work. We performed a few animal rescues and thankfully we were able to help USAR clear a lot of buildings.

Surf SAR and Flood rescue events are likely to become more frequent and as such the Manawatu/Tararua SAR Squad would like to acknowledge the families and fellow clubbies who offer never-ending support while deployed. It is this support that allows the squad to do what they do. To the people of Hawke’s Bay we send all the aroha we can muster to you while you rebuild your lives and homes.” 

Article supplied by Rob Bigwood of Bigwood Fencing

Read More: Surf Lifeguards incredible Cyclone Gabrielle response recognised by bp

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

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. 

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 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

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

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.

As the alarm goes off at 3:30am, “Why?” is the only word that comes to mind. 

“Come to school on the bus,” I said, “no rush, we’ll cut a track once you all arrive,” I said. Then we entered the South Island Agricultural Field Days Doubles Fencing competition in Kirwee and our timeline changed somewhat. Fortunately, Outdoor Education needed to pop a tramp on the school calendar, which reduced our 16 favourite friends to 6, but with the first pickup in Pleasant Point, she was a bit of an early start. 

Optimistically the gear list for the day included blanky and pillow, but the teenagers were unexpectedly alive so early in the morning and therefore it was tunes of a similarly unexpected genre through to Rakaia. “Singing” Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus at the top of their delicate wee voices had the superior driver begging for another strike day. It was with desperation that a light bulb moment ensued – feed them! Can’t sing if they’re eating. So it was pies all round at the Rakaia Bakehouse, followed by a brief period of blissful silence as we boosted through to Kirwee.

A grand arrival 

It had been raining and the Bear Grylls of the Primary Industries Academy (PIA) had organised gumboots and a tow rope. Smiling nicely and batting our eyelashes at the gate to the Field Days got us into the restricted parking area. A sea of mud left, right and sideways off all tracks had our superior driver questioning the pushing power of the teenagers. The desire to make a good impression overcame the perks of a good park, and we unloaded fence side and headed off to park in a paddock far far away…. and more appropriate for 2-wheel drive vehicles. Inconspicuously parking amongst EVs and nana cars, our team leader parked and made a hasty exit through to the 4WD area to enter the grounds alongside other mud-gripping vehicle owners. Now is a good time to remind the GD Community Bus Trust of my request for a 4WD van please… am batting eyelashes!

Quinn Foley-Smith and Aidan Christie are entering the Doubles Fencing Competition. This is a big deal. To explain: It is the only qualifying round in the South Island for the National Finals. Contestants generally are hard-out, experienced fencing contractors. So a couple of teenagers from Geraldine High School looked right at home. 

The set up 

Our fencers met us there (apparently it’s not the done thing to arrive in a minivan and towing a trailer?) Quinn had packed two of every power tool known to man, an impressive line-up for some school kids.

Did I mention it was cold? Very! Luckily PIA is kitted out head to toe by Highstreet, topped off with Woolworks beanies. We were on site just after 7 am to get our bearings, set up, and start making friends. We had been doing a bit of practice at school and are very grateful for the help received from Struan Moore from Strainrite, the team at Stockade plus Toby How Fencing & Ben Haugh Fencing.

Holding their own in the competition 

The lads had to build two fences, one with a pivot crossing and the second a 5-wire electric, angle, and box stays; build and hang a gate; build a boarded section; dig in 3 posts and ram Y posts. We had a plan and agreed that it was more important to finish the build and get good feedback rather than worrying too much about time. We certainly lost points on time, but the feedback and experience were invaluable. 

The great thing about the fencing contractors’ community is that they are all so helpful and generous in sharing their time and expertise, which we certainly made the most of. While we didn’t (and didn’t expect to) place, we certainly didn’t disgrace ourselves in the big boys’ world, managing to hold our own in a few sections including Box assembly, angle stay, gate build, and rails. The compère was quite impressed that the lads had gone to such extremes in order to get a day off school and that their reason for entering was that ‘Mum\Sarah made me’. Good job!

Exploring the Field Days

Meanwhile…. The intrepid PIA “A” team was let loose around the Field Days, gleefully returning to describe the other school students onsite in formal uniform and school shoes in the ankle-deep mud. Maps were distributed with a carefully highlighted plan of attack – sites to visit and homework to get completed – including photos and thankyous to all of our sponsors, and research into how to spend the PIA budget. Fortunately, the Buy button couldn’t leave the fencing.

Tanker Challenge

Completion of the fencing saw a two-hour power shop ahead of us, beginning at Fonterra (PIA sponsors). Joy! There was a tanker driving simulator: MFS (Mrs Foley-Smith) leaps into the driver’s seat, ready to have confirmed her driving expertise is of epic proportions, only to be informed that you have to be over 16. Damn, ID’s at home. So the hot seat is given up to Lydia, Charlotte and finally Ella. The first two were able to clearly demonstrate the superiority of female drivers worldwide, with Ella experiencing a brief “male” moment in stalling, familiarising herself with verge-side driving and climaxing in a roll. A small bribe saw Ella’s score deleted from all records and a more acceptable ranking reinstated. We have Goody’s Driving School on speed dial and several sessions are now booked. After relaxing in the members-only area, it was off to introduce ourselves to Animal Tanning Services, whom we are visiting next term in Invercargill. Amongst the wide variety of plush skins and rugs, we found a cat. OMG, thoughts abound as to the uses of Fluffy beyond the grave. 

Next steps 

Back to fencing for the prizegiving and pack up. Our next step is the Cadet Fencing competition in June at the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek, so getting judged and receiving great feedback from official judges and sorting a plan of attack for the next level was awesome. A massive thank you to the FCANZ team, Nick Terry, Leanne & Nick Stanger, Collin, and Noksee for running such a great day, looking after and including us – and sharing your talent and expertise. And a huge thank you to our sponsors: Stihl, Strainrite & Stockade. Man, we learned heaps. 

16 hours after pickup, the class was tucked up at home. Teenagers are amazing, never ceasing to amaze me with their knowledge and attitude. 

About the Primary Industries Academy

A bit about Geraldine High’s PIA team: we are a practical class running from Years 11 – 13. A typical week sees us outside fencing, on-farm for work experience, and usually there is either a trip or a course on during the week and over the weekend. We do a large amount of volunteer work at A&P shows, local schools, and in the community, including sending students to Hawke’s Bay for cyclone recovery fencing, with some students clocking up more than 250 Student Volunteer Army hours in two years. 

We enter Young Farmer and fencing competitions. All students fundraise for the extras, which include clothing, resources and equipment, disaster recovery and overnight trips away. We are fortunate enough to have an amazing community and group of parents behind us, without whom our course would not be one of the top schools in New Zealand for practical primary sector education. In a nutshell, we are really, really good at getting stuff done. 

My Why

Like most part-time teachers, my working hours are largely voluntary. So what’s the driver? The wonder that is teenagers: their passion, humour, and skills. That every day is different and exciting. The desire to squeeze as many opportunities as possible into each week. Watching that light bulb moment when a student discovers that thing they are good at, when they are acknowledged for their success for the first time in their school life. Being able to offer a meaningful subject for all the practically minded students and show that a career path in the Primary Sector is something to be proud of. Running into ex-students and hearing them proudly tell me about life after school.

In 11 years in the PIA driving seat, the most valuable thing I have learnt is Attitude. With the right attitude, the world is at your feet regardless of background, qualifications, or experience.  

Article written by Sarah Foley-Smith
Primary Industries Academy
Geraldine High School
geraldinehs.school.nz

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