As I sit down to write this article, it’s pouring with rain, and a southerly has hit. I remember the days in Raetihi where growing up in the hills and rain was the norm and the passion for all things rural filled my mind: rodeo, hunting, working alongside men, and a pocket full of cash at the end of the week meant life was grand.
Last night while judging the FCANZ Emerging Talent Award, alongside Paul Van Beers and Justin Tilly, we all got to go back in time as we witnessed that same youthful passion in the three nominees. The same drive that we had as young men came out of the mouths of those we questioned, judged and deliberated on.
The outcome will be known by the time this goes to print, but what the industry won’t know is the incredibly hard job we had separating the nominees: Kalani Snooks, Murray Graham and Galen Monks. They are a credit to the industry and together are the rising tide that will lift all ships. To have staff like these is a credit to the contractors that have trained them and the NorthTec industry training programmes that Donna Upton works so hard to organise and Justin facilitates.
I spent eight years as Manager/Coach of the New Zealand Rodeo High School programme and, with the help of my (recently passed) friend Ross Ford from Australia, we developed a Trans-Tasman contest and development programme. Ross and I worked tirelessly on this, with a few cuts in our hides along the way. We knew what we were doing meant the world to the young people. We travelled to each other’s countries. We watched them develop into adults taking their own paths in life, and that has been the most rewarding part of my rodeo career.
To see NZ rodeo youth competing in America this past month at the World College and High School Finals is what Ross and I wanted as an end goal for our country’s rodeo youth. It made this old man proud but tinged with sadness that Ross didn’t get to see it.
As I write this, I realise I’m driven to show youth the same help many an older generation showed me in my youth growing up in Raetihi. It’s an investment I hope I pay back to them for as long as I can.
The ultimate opportunity to be involved in and experience the growth of rural youth was when I was asked to host the Young Farmer of the Year Contest. Forty-six regional finals and six grand finals around every rural region in this country meant I witnessed the passion, the emotion and the joy that this contest created in the contestants, the organisers and often the parents and families who travelled miles in support. Again, I see those young people travelling well in their own lives; some are now politicians, industry leaders, and many others honoured for their work.
In the last three years, I have been the Chair of a school board that has so many layers of compliance, staff management, public scrutiny and parental management that it’s a minefield of anxiety and stress, with many who sign up for the role leaving as soon as possible. But again, the reason for being involved is the youth. The treasure of unknown potential, the passion of life, the ability to support and develop the needs of all, from the gifted to the challenged, and knowing that one day the investment will return or be paid forward. If not by all, by some that have understood the journey. The cuts in the hide from this space scar deep, but the results of the mahi heal most wounds.
Recently I was contacted by a young farmer who was struggling with life, feeling isolated and not in the best of thoughts. As we celebrate those who go forward, we must also catch those who fall back! I’ve seen so much success in the people who have travelled the harder roads, so that’s where my life spends a lot of time now. The ‘Lean on a Gate’ campaign works not only for those in need but also for those who are trucking along well. The reassurance of knowing what you do matters, and the telling of your stories, good or bad, makes us human; it gives us connections and can lift those in need or simply reassure the person who seeks positive affirmation. But equally, it fills the cup of those who invest the time to give support.
Passion is something we can lose as we grow older; the reason we get out of bed in the morning, the work we do and the relationships we are in. Take a word of advice from me: the passion of youth is infectious, and it will keep an old man alive!
A demanding job with tricky bluffs and steep terrain was made even more challenging with continual wet weather disruptions for the Gisborne-based Fisher Fencing Matawai team. But getting in the right gear and some good old-fashioned ingenuity got the job done.
Owner Ben Fisher was approached by the client to do a secondary quote for a QEII National Trust (‘QEII’) project she was planning on her property near Otoko.
“She had funding for plants and was working with QEII for funding to fence the area off,” Ben explains.
The job was approximately one kilometre of new deer fencing with two small top-up sections around the house.
“One being a top-up of three wires and the other of two additional railings to increase the height of the original fencing.”
The quote was accepted for the project and plans were made for a start date as it could be worked in and around jobs.
As trees were ordered and funding needed to be used, it became “a bit of a priority job”, Ben said.
Gear was ordered to arrive before the start date, which was planned for the end of April/start of May.
However, the weather did not cooperate, and the team managed to get started on 24 May.
Ben was joined on the job by Allan Spice, Bus Sterk, and Jaime Johnson, with the Komatsu D37 bulldozer creating access to the site and blading the lines ready for fencing.
There were challenges finding the best line around boulders, Ben said, dodging tomos and working with a couple of springs at the base of the hill that needed channelling through the fence line.
Two steeper bluff sections at either end of the hill meant the team was unable to blade the entire line.
“But we could access the top of the ridge from a track further around the road. Once on top, it was a nice easy line along the ridge.”
Once bulldozing was complete and the materials laid, they got started with the 360m line along the ridgetop to stockproof the adjoining paddock. This was completed in two days – and then the rain came again.
“This held us up for a few days, so off to tidy up a couple of small jobs elsewhere.”
The weather cleared and they were back into it again with a couple of days thumping posts where they could, the wet ground limiting progress.
“The spades came out and the remaining posts up the steeper sections were dug in.”
Then rain came again, halting progress for another few days.
When the weather cleared again, the ground was still wet and saturated, and a day was spent on the top-up sections of the job.
The decision was made to purchase a set of Kyne tractor spikes to get the job done. A netting rig for the front of the tractor had already been built about two years earlier.
“So, a mad dash to Pahiatua was done to collect [the tractor spikes] and then home to install and hopefully get the last 500 metres of netting out and sorted.”
With this all done, the last stretch was the fencing of the bluff at either end of the ridge.
“For this, we decided to swap out the netting and do a 13-wire and batten fence due to the conditions and terrain.
“One end was easier than the other; we were able to post where possible to get a line down the 50-metre section. The shorter line of about 30 metres took a lot more thinking and ingenuity.”
Steel brackets were made and 4×2 timber bolted to them as posts. These were then bolted to the rock and used as the rise posts.
For the foots, plates were bolted with an eyelet to the rock with a chain D-shackled to it and the wires fed through the chain.
“This was best as if we had done the 4×2 and bracket, we wouldn’t have been able to staple the top wires off. But with this, as we strained the wires, the chain lifted to height.”
The job was finally completed on 11 July. In total it took seven weeks to get 12 days’ work done.
“Bloody rain.”
It’s not easy hosting the prestigious National Fencing Competitions every year. The team at NZ Fencing Competitions does an incredible job, with the following being just a small insight into the precision planning and dedication of the voluntary judges and committee.
Monday 10th June, 7.00am: the gate to Yellow Car Park at Mystery Creek is unlocked. It’s heats day; fencers drive their loaded Utes in, eager and hoping that by the end of this crucial day, they have achieved a place in the prestigious Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles and/or Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles competitions, held at the end of the week.
The caravan is in place, fence lines are laid, and the food tent is up – the chief judge and his crew of helpers have been preparing since Friday. Fencing judges have attended their meeting the afternoon before; everyone is ready to go, the weather just needs to hold. Fingers crossed.
There are 24 singles heats entries, with 15 teams for the doubles heats, featuring many familiar faces and a number of newcomers, including a team from the South Island and the USA. A big day of judging is ahead.
Today, the difficult task of competing for a place in the finals is performed, with eight fence lines available in the Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles final, and space for six teams in the Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles final. There is automatic entry for the teams from the South Island (Craig Sinclair and William Pei) and the USA (Jason Day and Alexander Masser).
6pm: The gate is locked, the heats are done and the finalists have been notified. It will be another full day tomorrow, pulling the fence lines down and moving everything to the fencing site at the Fieldays.
Wednesday 12th June
7.00am: The site is looking great, all laid out for its week of fencing. The WIREMARK® tent is centrally placed, where sponsors, judges, fencers and their families will gather to eat and catch up.
8.30am: The Fieldays Silver Staples competition commences with two cadet teams entered from Smedley Station, Geraldine High School and Pukemiro Station.
9.00am: The Bill Schuler competition kicks off; a consolation round for six of the singles fencers from the heats, who have missed qualifying for the Golden Pliers.
Anchoring for the week are Craig Wiggins and Craig Graham, whose information and knowledge abound over the microphone during the competitions, amusing spectators and setting the tone.
4.00pm: The WIREMARK® tent is full as we hold the Silver Staples prize giving. Congratulations to Smedley Station’s Bradley Anderson and Cameron Chambers. The Bill Schuler contestants have to wait until Friday.
Thursday 13th June
7.00am: Eight finalists are setting up for the event of the week, the prestigious Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles Competition. Borers roar to life at 8:04am, with a marathon of fencing ahead – the competition is capped at 6.5 hours to finish. A generous crowd of spectators gathers over the day to witness the physical and mental effort of the fencers to build a quality fence in the fastest time.
Line 5 calls time first at 1:24pm, finishing in 5h:20m:06s. A time penalty of 1 point per 2 minutes is now on the mind of the remaining contestants.
7.00pm: In the caravan, the result reveals only slightly more than half a point difference between first and second place. There is much double and triple-checking to ensure that nothing has been missed!
Friday 14th June
7.00am: It looks like the task of building a deer fence for the Fieldays® Silver Spades™ teams is going to be done in the rain! The teams from the South Island and the USA are about to compete at their first ever NZ National Fieldays Fencing competition, they are unknown adversaries for the other qualifiers.
Comments are heard from spectators nearby; they are pleased to see the challenge of building a 2.1 metre high netting fence again. This style of fence was last built at the 2004 Fieldays® Silver Spades™ competition. The rain eases a little as the judges begin their task, some armed with waterproof paper!
There are busy times in the caravan finalising results and preparing for the main prizegiving in the pavilion at 5pm. Fencers disappear to the showers and return, smart in their Golden Pliers Jackets, displaying badges showing years of participation and their wins. New finalist Cameron Hamerton will receive his jacket and first badge today, with hopefully many more to come, and always the potential for a win on the horizon.
Congratulations to Tim Garrick for winning his first Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Championship. Tim also collected the Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship trophy with partner Cory Twigley. The Bill Schuler trophy was lifted by Michael Trott.
It was another superb week showcasing New Zealand’s unequalled fencing prowess. There had been huge organisation and input behind the scenes for this to happen, and our grateful thanks go to all who are involved, including Leanne Stanger, Joeline Bouskill and Debbie White.
The Judges team comprised of Chief Judge Owen Peterson, Craig Shortall, Paul Van Beers, Warren Herlihy, Mark Lambert, Shane Tilson, Campbell Bryce, Wayne Newdick, Nick Liefting, Colin Brown, Owen Petersen and Kim Petersen. Technical Judges comprised Richard Broughton, Craig Graham, Cambell Clark, Pete Anderson, Victoria Power and
Marty Hepburn.
A special mention to our sponsors WIREMARK®, Goldpine, Cyclone, Stockade, Stihl, Strainrite, Steel & Tube/Hurricane, Revolution Postdrivers and FCANZ, without whom there would be no event!
COMPETITION FINAL RESULTS 2024
Golden Pliers® Singles Championship by WIREMARK®
1st Tim Garrick
2nd Jeff Joines
3rd Cory Twigley
4th Tony Bouskill
5th Shay Robertson
6th Jared Nicholson
7th Cameron Hamerton
8th Wilton Weeks Best Quality: Tony Bouskill Nick Liefting First Off The Line Trophy: Tim Garrick
Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship
1st Tim Garrick & Cory Twigley
2nd Shane Bouskill & Tony Bouskill
3rd Jeff Joines & Craig Smith
4th Shay Robertson & Cameron Hamerton
5th Wilton Weeks & Burne Maxted
6th Martin Leveridge & Troy Brooky
7th Craig Sinclair & William Pei (South Island Team)
8th Jason Day & Alexander Masser (US Team)
Bill Schuler
1st Micheal Trott
2nd Craig Sinclair
3rd Murray Graham
4th Troy Brooky
5th Tom Dingle
6th Burne Maxted Best First Year: Craig Sinclair Best Second Year: Cameron Hamerton
Fieldays® Silver Staples Cadet competition
1st Bradley Anderson/Cameron Chambers (Smedley Station 1)
2nd Thomas Batty/Lachie O’Connell (Geraldine High School 1)
3rd Jackson Marriott/Cullen Gordon-Wilson (Geraldine High School 2)
4th Ryan Craw/Holly Bird (Pukemiro Station 1)
5th Harry Peacock/Ben Solomann (Pukemiro Station 2)
6th Jordan Miles/Angus Kopua (Smedley Station 2)
Fencing Solutions Waikato (FSW) were recently contracted by Livingstone Builders to build a retaining wall on two sides of the new McDonald’s restaurant in Mt Wellington.
One thing that you learn quickly, being from the Waikato, is that place names that start with ‘Mount’ usually have something volcanic about them. This job was no exception.
The retaining wall was going to end at 2-3m high, so the poles needed to be 3 metres in the ground. Logistically, this was going to be difficult to say the least, as the site was previously a commercial yard with many layers of metal and volcanic rock.
The holes were either bored or dug with a digger. The holes for the poles were to be 600mm round and 1.2m apart, and as the holes were prone to cave-ins, every second pole was concreted in before the pole in the middle could be dug. As the ground was metal, cave-ins were an everyday occurrence. If there was water in the hole, a trash pump was used to clear the hole before concrete could be pumped in.
Finally, with all 65 poles in place, it was time to put on the timber. 6m lengths of 150mm x 75mm timber rails are heavy to manoeuvre, often being winched into place. The day the last rail was installed was definitely a welcomed sight.
In the end, the scheduled 18 cubic metres of concrete escalated to 32 cubes, so I can safely say that those poles are not going to fall down. Once the wall was backfilled, and the poles architecturally cut to the finished height, a timber handrail was installed with 40mm vertical pickets.
It was late winter 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere when we had a visit from Stu Tyler from Strainrite Fencing Systems, and over what would turn out to be more than a few beers at our kitchen table, Stu started pressing for an answer as to why I hadn’t visited New Zealand for a bit of hands-on fencing education.
I didn’t have an answer for him. I suppose I did, but not an acceptable one, and it was a bit embarrassing. He called my bluff. So, as soon as we got him back on the plane headed home, I booked my tickets for a few weeks’ visit in New Zealand, including the full week of Mystery Creek Fieldays and the Golden Pliers® / Silver Spades™ NZ Fencing Championships. Simply put, I had no idea what treasures were ahead.
After a mostly uneventful journey and re-creation of the kitchen table scene previously mentioned, day two of my trip found me in the left seat of Hugh Morrison’s infamous Ram, where we made good time going to meet Jeff Joines on a security fencing project he was just wrapping up.
It was fantastic to finally meet the man behind all of the (nearly) viral YouTube videos. As anyone who knows him will attest, we spent plenty of time laughing on that journey!
The remainder of that trip was filled with the Mystery Creek Fieldays, with most of my time spent soaking up all of the knowledge I could from the best fencers in the world. Having the opportunity to meet legends like Wayne Newdick, Shane Bouskill, Paul Van Beers and Owen Peterson, as well as the current stable of young guns who are turning the fencing world on its ear, is something I never dreamed I’d experience. If you had told me how the next year would play out, I’d have called you a liar.
We were fortunate to have Hugh and Craig Wiggins (‘Wiggy’) over for our Fall Fence Forum in October 2023, and the reception was overwhelming with the attendees. They both did a fantastic job helping American fencers learn some new Kiwi fencing techniques, and they certainly made many new friends in the process.
In our fencing comps, we see great value in our international competitors. It is purely from a selfish standpoint, as we take way more than we give, but after some discussion with those fencers, I thought that it made good sense to try and enter a few competitions abroad and bring what I learn back to the fence line at home.
This led to another visit to New Zealand in February, and entries in the Taumarunui competition with Wayne Newdick and the Waimumu competition with Donald Cornwall. Boy, was I in for a learning experience!
Wayne did his best to prepare me for my first NZ fencing competition, and I think all he needed was a better student! I made the same mistake that we had spent the most time learning how NOT to make, and this cost us 20 points in the process. But that’s just the thing about fencing competitions that makes them so valuable, in my opinion.
It’s the place where you will never be under more pressure to do the job right and fast, but at the same time has very little in the way of real world consequences, and that translates to the perfect practice pitch. The South Island competition was something brand new for Donald and I.
Rabbit netting isn’t something either of us had ever done, so it was quite an entertaining challenge. I had to call Mark Evans in England for some advice on that one! It was really neat to see how many different styles there were across the field of competitors, and just how tidy some of them were with their netting terminations was amazing.
The time between those two comps is really where I got my first taste of Kiwi hospitality, where I was made welcome at every place we stopped…not only on fence lines, but in fencer’s homes as well. On that drive from Auckland to Waimumu, we called in on what seemed like every fencer in New Zealand.
Mack Rennie graciously set me up with a gearbox, Wayne and Kathy Newdick made me feel at home, Shane and Joelene Bouskill made sure I was never hungry or thirsty, Wiggy teed up a jet boat ride up the gorge, Donald and Christine Cornwall made me feel at home on their farm, and the list goes on. As I get a little older, it becomes more evident that I may occasionally use fencing as an excuse to visit my friends, and it’s because of the amazing hospitality in this community.
Our most recent visit was for the 2024 Golden Pliers/Silver Spades competitions, and that was a whole new level of learning curve! I was able to get in some training days with Jeff Joines, Shane Bouskill, and Jared Nicholson who was also kind enough to enter the heats with me.
Until you get in the mix yourself, you really have no idea what it takes to compete with these guys who make the finals. All of the fiddly little bits that add up to a pile of points, the tricks to do a faster job without giving up the quality, and having the endurance to do it at a sprint are things we can learn and train ourselves to do if we are willing to put in the time and effort. I can’t wait until the next opportunity to try it again and I surely will walk away with another bucket full of tips and tricks from the masters of the game.
I would like to give a special thank you to Hugh Morrison. Without his efforts, there would not be nearly as open a channel as there is for fencers to connect. If you need to know something, he always knows the person with the answer.
I would also like to thank my wife, Leslie, for all her hard work and for taking care of things at home when I’m away. Our last visit was extra special for me because my daughter was able to join me. I am always a little nervous to over promise and under deliver, but you did not disappoint! Thank you to everyone who took the time to make Kate’s visit very special. It was just awesome to be able to include her.
Finally, I would like to say how thankful I am for resources like FCANZ and NZFC. As a strictly agricultural fencer, I’ve always felt more at home as a member of FCANZ than any of our domestic associations. It takes a ton of work to run a quality organisation, and that doesn’t go without notice.
The effort it takes from the organisers and judges to run the fencing competitions far exceeds what it takes to compete; you are all legends. It was fantastic to see the fencers handle the teardown at Mystery Creek this year, and to have that money go right back into making a better future is just awesome.
I’d also like to say that it was nice to see three father/daughter duos on teardown day. I am looking forward to our next opportunity to visit, and I hope to see some familiar faces visiting us soon as well!
Article written by Luke Gibson
Overall, my experience in New Zealand was amazing. It was an unforgettable experience for sure, the country is beautiful, everyone I met was super nice and friendly. I learned so many new things about fencing and about the country! Thank you to all the people who let me spend time with them, and for teaching me very valuable things. I hope to visit again next year. This was one of the best experiences of my life because of the people, thank you for giving me some of your time (especially Izzy Joines, Hugh Morrison and Shane Bouskill)! Kate
Fencing Solutions Waikato (FSW) often receives interesting and difficult projects to undertake. We were approached by a company who manages, supplies and installs racking in commercial buildings, to deliver a 14-metre high chainlink fence, which would extend from the floor to the ceiling apex.
The posts were galvanised 50mm Nominal Bore (NB). Joining two lengths of 6.5m provided us with 13m, and this enabled us to get within 1 metre of the apex. The mesh also needed to be secured to the steel rafters to create an impenetrable barrier. This new warehouse is where Soudal manufactures and stores product. The containment area is where pressurised aerosol cans will be stored. If they exploded, they would not turn into a missile that could cause further damage or injury.
There was a requirement to complete an Elevated Work Platform (EWP) course for health and safety, as all working at height needed to be compliant. It did take a bit of getting used to working at this height on a scissor lift and being that far off the ground. Even so, the EWP swayed.
The pipes were wound together on the ground and the foots secured – a special tool was made to secure these tight. The framework was clamped in place. Brackets were adapted to attach to the posts and the racking, which eliminated the need for any onsite welding.
A cradle was made to manage the heavy rolls of 3.15mm x 2.7m wide x 14m long rolls of galvanised netting so they could be unrolled from the ground up, like hanging wallpaper. Those hanging in place were stitched together with 2mm lacing wire. Each line was 38 metres. Two lines of fence overlapped with a return, which meant that gates were not needed.
In the meantime, the perimeter of the building was fenced with 2.1m high spear top fence, supplied by Modern Fence Supplies. Gates were manufactured in the FSW workshop and transported to site in one piece. There is a Key Automation gate system fitted. The site is secured 24/7 and access is controlled with exit loops fitted for gates to automatically open when leaving the site.
Building a one-kilometre, all-steel fenceline in a steep gully without vehicle access was a challenging but ultimately rewarding job for Canterbury-based Ward Fencing.
In early February, they took on the job located near Fairlie, putting up a one-kilometre steel fence starting on top of a main ridge line and heading down a very steep gully, towards the main creek.
The line was cut by a “very ballsy” dozer operator who had managed to get up around the top of another basin to get onto the line, owner Simon Ward told WIRED.
The fence used Number 8 on the bottom wire and 2.5mm for the other six wires.
Five-foot steel waratahs were used as the run posts and steel Waratah MaxYs for the angles and terminations.
The job had limited four-wheel drive access to the bottom of the line, and foot-only access to the top of the line, which was 1.8km along the main ridge.
“Our good mate Ben Smith, and his son Mac, went out onto the line and packed the gear into three bundles to be lifted on to the line with a helicopter,” Simon explained.
The pair spent a couple of days spreading the gear out down the line for the Ward Fencing team to start building the fence, saving valuable time.
Accommodation was provided on the station, which was about a 40 to 45-minute drive up onto the top of the ridge. Each day, the team of Simon, Ben Smith, and Reece Valois would be dropped off by the client at the end of the station track and walk in to the line with the gear needed for the day.
Being a good walk into the line, and with no easy way back to base, extra caution was placed on making sure they had everything they needed, Simon said, as well as spare gear in case of breakdowns, fuel generators, a rock drill, and plenty of water for the hot conditions.
The line had six corners, done in four strains.
“We reckon we sunk about 300 Waratahs in, including all tie-downs and tie-backs for angles/terminations, and we reckoned of the 300 there would have only been 30 to 40 that didn’t have to be drilled. It was chewy going.”
Nathan Monk of Monk Fencing in Tekapo lent his rock drill and generator for the job, which was hugely appreciated.
The line took roughly 45 hours to build and was charged out on a per hour basis to factor in drilling and other machine work.
“The line took a massive effort from everyone. A lot of gear had to be carried on to the line and the steep grade, loose terrain, and heat played a factor, but it was bloody good fun and we loved it.
The client had been hugely helpful in providing accommodation, dropping the team on the line and providing a vehicle at the bottom, Simon said.
“(It) was a massive time-saver.”
Time had also been saved with Ben and Mac starting the line earlier, laying out
the bundles.
Simon said it was crucial to be organised with a good plan in place for materials, tools, a checklist in place, and being proactive with batteries, fuel and other items.
“We had bloody good fun on this line and we were stoked with how it came up.
“It was tough going and a bloody tough challenge, a lot of blood and sweat was lost, and some character was built.
“What a wicked spot to work and not a bad spot to appreciate over the lunch hour.”
While it was very different from most fence lines, the actual building of the fence and the ideology was the same, Simon said.
“The steepness of the line, the heat, and the logistics of getting gear organised and out onto such a remote line added another element that made it quite different.”
He said efficiency on the line was vital with no vehicle to drive up and down the line.
“Being so steep, we couldn’t afford to be walking up and down it all day to check something, grab some gear or tools, or head back to the top for so much as a drink bottle. So, we did our best to have it mainly built in one pass.”
CERT NZ’s latest Cyber Security Insights report, covering the first quarter of 2024, showed New Zealanders reported $6.6 million lost to cybercrime (online scams), up 84% from the previous quarter.
More New Zealanders reported losing money. There were 413 incidents that reported financial loss and indicated the loss amount, compared to 364 in the final quarter of 2023.
However, the bulk of the money lost was from a handful of scams where people reported losing over $100,000.
The percentage of incidents with financial loss below $500 has decreased for the third quarter in a row.
“We hope that New Zealanders who might normally be caught out by less costly scams are getting better at spotting them,” said CERT NZ Acting Director Sue Critchlow.
Number of reports drop
Between 1 January and 31 March 2024, CERT NZ received 1,530 reports, a 20% decrease from the last quarter of 2023.
“A drop in incidents sounds like encouraging news, but we also know cybercrime is significantly underreported,” Critchlow said.
“Reporting every incident and forwarding phishing links can seem like a waste of time because new emails and messages keep popping up in your inbox. But every report sent through to CERT NZ plays a part in keeping everyone in Aotearoa safe from future threats.”
CERT NZ relies on reports from all New Zealanders – individuals and organisations – to assess and act against online threats and so, the main message in the Cyber Security Insights report is to report every incident to CERT NZ.
You can report any incident to CERT NZ using the reporting tool on its website: https://www.cert.govt.nz/report/business-and-individuals/
A business cyber security plan made easy
The more you know about how to manage online security, the less your business is at risk. Knowing where to start and what to do can be overwhelming. The good news is that many online security incidents can be prevented by implementing a few small changes that will make a big difference.
Own Your Online has developed a helpful online self-assessment tool that gives you tailored actions and advice for your business needs.
Once you’ve completed the questionnaire, you will get an online security action plan checklist that breaks up your tasks into levels:
1. Business basics.
2. Next level protection.
3. Extra for experts.
You can email your plan, print it out and even go back to it again to tick off your completed actions.
When you’ve finished your actions, set a reminder to take it again in a few months’ time – online security isn’t something you should set and forget, as new threats are always emerging.
Created by CERT NZ, Own Your Online is part of the New Zealand government’s work to raise understanding of cyber security issues for individuals and businesses. ownyouronline.govt.nz/business/
As part of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), New Zealand’s CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) functions work to create a more cyber resilient Aotearoa.
NCSC supports businesses, organisations and individuals who are affected by cyber security incidents as well as providing trusted and authoritative information and advice to help prevent those incidents.
Did you know?
If it were measured as a country, then cybercrime – expected to inflict damages totalling USD $9.5 trillion in 2024 – would be the third largest economy in the world, after the USA and China.
Fencing Contractor Joe Corlett has seen a lot over his 83 years. Coming from the school of hard knocks, Joe is a tough bugger who has seen more than his fair share of challenges. He shares his life story with Alice Scott.
Despite some major hurdles in his life, Taranaki fencing contractor Joe Corlett’s philosophy has always been about giving people a second chance, and he has had a lasting impact on the lives of many. Generous, effervescent and extremely hard working, Joe maintains that a job should be done once and should be done well.
Joe was born in 1941. One of 10 children, he was the oldest boy and recalls working as a youngster on his father’s large sheep and beef farm in the Taranaki.
“Dad was a very cruel man. For some reason, he took issue with me and would beat me. I came home from school one day when I was 14, and he told me I was finishing school and staying home to work on the farm, so that’s what I did.”
Those years are not fond ones for Joe as he endured harsh treatment by his father. “I had a lot of siblings, but he directed most of his abuse at me. I know he was violent towards my mother sometimes too.” After a harsh beating from a stock whip at the age of 17, Joe decided he had had enough. His father had disappeared after the whipping only to return with a knife announcing he would kill him.
“I had to get out of there. I left on foot and walked about eight miles to my uncle and aunt’s house. They took me in, and we became very close. I don’t know why my father was so cruel. He went to his grave as a horrible, nasty man,” he said.
During his time at home, Joe had learnt to shear and spent his early twenties working for shearing contractors while also working for his uncle who was a dairy farmer.
Joe then worked for a contractor called Monty Simons and was looking to purchase some machinery from Monty and go into contracting himself. “My father got wind of it and said to Monty if he ever sold any gear to me, then Monty would never get another contract on my father’s property again. He really had it in for me, even when I was an adult.”
Joe’s mother was a very kind and loving woman, but powerless against his father. “She died at the age of 53 from a blood clot. I think it came from a bad injury she got when Dad kicked her in the leg one time.
“It was very sad when mum died, she didn’t get to see us all grow up and enjoy our adult lives or meet any of our boyfriends and girlfriends. She made all our clothes when we were little, how she did it all I have no idea.”
After working for Monty, Joe moved on to a dairy farm in Lepperton. The skills he had picked up from his time with Monty were invaluable, and he did a bit of everything from cultivating, drain laying and fencing. “I did a lot of fencing work there, there were always fences to pull down and new fence lines to build.”
1976 was a challenging year for Joe – the boss’s son had returned home and was making life harder for him, and his first wife had also had an affair and left him. “I had to pick myself up and move on”.
He started a fencing contracting business in Lepperton. “I went along to a fencing workshop day organised by the Young Farmers Club and that was where I met a man called Bill Schuler. He was a master fencer, and we got on well. I worked with him a lot after that.”
Joe had been fencing a couple of years when drought hit and the fencing work dried up. “There was a gas pipeline being installed from New Plymouth to Te Kuiti, and I got a good name for myself doing that work. I picked up a lot of knowledge about drain laying and earth movement.”
Joe recollects with ease the many jobs he has been on over the years; some were decades ago and he recalls them and the people he worked alongside like it was yesterday. Several interesting and highly specialised fencing jobs stand out, such as fencing the perimeter of a golf driving range in Papakura. The posts were 14 metres high with conventional three metre stay blocks. “That was a very enjoyable and interesting job.”
Another contract was installing an electrified fence for a snail farm. “There were 12 electric wires threaded through cloth and netting on an angle with aluminium springs to keep the rats out.”
Another job was assembling a Kiwifruit block. “Once we had built the vine structure, we flew the protective cloth across with a helicopter to avoid catching it on things. It hadn’t been done before and it worked well. Often, it’s been about thinking outside the square and not being afraid to try new things,” he said.
Joe also likes to draft his own fencing designs; he has an eye for seeing what will work and what won’t. “I recall a job I was asked to do, building a specialised fence for a flower bulb farm. We got to the site, and I looked at the drawings they had an engineer design, and I knew the fence wouldn’t work. We could’ve just got on with it, built it anyway and sent them the bill, but I knew I couldn’t stand by it as it wouldn’t have lasted. So, we turned around and went home. Two years later the landowner came back and asked me to come up with something that would last the distance, so I drafted up a design and away we went.”
The fence was 75 metres long and 45 metres wide; more than 3000 square metres of area, suspended with no internal poles. “It was a challenging and satisfying build which has gone the distance.”
While it is the workmanship of a fence line that Joe gets great satisfaction from, working with good people and finding quality staff has also been a highlight for what is almost 50 years of contracting. One of the first employees he took on was Paul Van Beers. “I recall getting a call from this young fella who was looking for a job. He had been working for a farmer called Bob Whiteside. Bob told Paul to call me. I knew anyone that had been working for Bob was worth giving a chance.”
These days Paul is a household name in the fencing industry, having won the Golden Pliers 13 times and the Fieldays Silver Spades 14 times. “Paul was a natural from the start. Everything he did was impeccable.” Joe stops short of crediting his own training skills for how Paul turned out, but it’s clear Joe has a high standard of workmanship and finish for everything he does.
“It’s in the detail; keeping it tidy, keeping the fence out of the water. If that means you need to dig a bit of a ditch to make sure the water runs away from the fence line, then so be it.”
In the 1980s, Joe became known to many as ‘Railway Joe’. He was infuriated one day when he saw the state of the wire coils that had been delivered to a retailer via rail, and he took it upon himself to do something about it. “The rail company wasn’t taking any care when they were loading it into the carriages, they were just throwing it all in and then loading other stuff on top. It would get all buggered up on the journey and would be a prick of a thing to pull out when doing a line. The big boss wasn’t interested in a call from me, so I thought ‘bugger you, I will make it your problem alright’.”
Joe found out when the next delivery was due to be delivered to the retailer. “When it arrived, sure enough, it was more of the same and we just loaded it all back up on a truck and sent it back to the rail yard where it had come from. They had all these buggered coils of wire that no one wanted. He was keen to talk to me after that.” Joe’s efforts changed the way fencing gear is now packaged and transported around New Zealand.
Coming from a tough upbringing, Joe agrees he may have grit and sheer bloody mindedness in the face of adversity, but he is also a very sensitive person and feels empathy for others. Treating others with care and respect is important and he was heavily involved in the build of the Taranaki Retreat; a place where those going through a hard time can go to find peace and support. Ten years prior, Joe’s second wife had taken her own life, “it took me a very long time to understand why. Helping build the retreat gave me a deeper appreciation, life is just so precious,” he said.
“The retreat never got a bill from me. When it came to the opening, they thanked me and made a big deal out of me. I went home and burst into tears, I had never had that kind of praise growing up and it absolutely knocked me for six,” he said. Telling someone they matter is important to Joe, and he makes a point of doing that with the good young employees he hires, some of them have come from a rough background, and Joe has been happy to take them on and give them a second chance at life. “Most of the time it has worked out, and they move on a better person after learning a thing or two from this old bugger,” he said.
Banter and enjoyment in his work is an important element to the day. “You’ve got to be able to have a laugh and enjoy each other’s company. It’s about teamwork, looking out for each other,” he said.
When WIRED magazine caught up with Joe, he was busy supervising a technical job next door to the Taranaki Airport. “I will see this job out and then after that I will call it a day.” Just what is next he isn’t quite sure exactly, he is due to get shoulder surgery, but he knows he won’t be hanging up his boots completely. “I will help train young people, and I will go annoy the odd bugger or two and have a cup of tea with them. There’s always something to do, isn’t there?”
Bloody Marvellous! And so begins the planning conversation with Nick Terry (Custom Fencing) for the inaugural FCANZ NZ Secondary Schools Fencing Competition. It takes a village to enter a fencing competition, and we feel it takes a city to actually run one.
The eyelashes get a workout as Team Leader (Sarah Foley-Smith, of Geraldine High School’s (GHS) Primary Industry Academy (PIA)) begins the quest for materials. It’s a stroke of luck that on visiting Andy Gillespie at Point Lumber to show him a copy of the last WIRED edition, he offers all the posts for this competition; and an unsuspecting contractor, who was fortunate enough to be at Point Lumber at the time of our visit, found himself at Geraldine excavating our competition lines for us the next day! High five Jamie Wratt Fencing!
Where it all began
Back in the day, watching the 2023 Golden Pliers™ competition at Mystery Creek and the Bouskill Royalty in action, Team Leader had a light bulb moment: “Let’s do a school kids competition!” Now, PIA is universally known for being very, very good at making *&#@ happen, and 2023 started a storm. We found another gear, forcefully made a few friends and hit the ground running.
The end result was a bit of a stitch up, with Team Leader promoting the competition to her class as a great way to get experience, to trial our competition in front of all the posh contractors and industry representatives, to troubleshoot and change as needed. Kind of a final run through before launch, no stress. Students clambered for a spot and seven teams were duly entered. A bright spark noticed that our competition was called the ‘NZ Secondary Schools Competition’ on the FCANZ page. Hmmm… a bit more posh than we anticipated. We all enjoyed some team bonding in a kind of ‘caught in the headlights’ moment.
A fortnight of fencing fundamentals
“We’ve got this,” Team Leader declares. She has worked long and hard to instil an appropriate amount of fear in her students and no one is brave enough to speak up! Five of the seven teams now have ten days to learn how to competition fence. We have a joyous fortnight of lunchtime, class time and after school fencing. Fortunately it is no longer dark at 5pm. The mighty Ranger gets a workout dropping students home, and it has rained, so last year’s class G.O.A.T (in the form of Quinn Foley-Smith) is able to help with valuable coaching.
We have 14 teams from GHS, MacKenzie College, Rangiora High School and Akaroa Area School entered. Specifications have been checked by our posh people at FCANZ, and materials sorted. A massive thank you to Point Lumber, Strainrite, Bayonet, Gallagher, Stockade, Farmlands, and Terrain Northland.
Nick Terry enjoys being on standby for a raft of questions from Team Leader (which could be interpreted as casting doubt on a male’s organisational ability!) He upgrades his mobile plan.
And now for logistics…
How to fit gear for seven teams on the trailer? Including seven wheelbarrows, ten Jennys, the intermediate posts and extra sets of everything for the other schools. Every strop in Geraldine has been used, and the end result produces the feeling that if fencing doesn’t work out, we could venture into transport. It’s good to have options.
There is a lot of pressure for this competition to run smoothly and for the GHS students to see how they go up against their peers. We have been entering the Adult U31 Young Farmer and Silver Staples U21 cadet competitions for a wee while, and this is a defining moment. Is what we’ve been teaching any good?
It’s a cracking day at the Rangiora Showgrounds, and we finalise the materials on each line and set up. Team PIA spots Tim Garrick & Phil Cornelius in the distance and skips over to re-acquaint themselves – nothing quite like being on first name basis with the FCANZ President and the current Golden Pliers champion!
Our teams have two hours to erect a three-wire electric fence with two Y posts either side of a 1/4 round, plus figure eight, crimp, inline tensioners attached three different ways and parallel electrics. The ‘have a go’ category is the same, excluding digging in the intermediate post. Our First Off The Line team comes in at 1h:35m, with Akaroa one minute behind and most teams finishing within the allotted time. Phil and Tim work up a sweat judging, although they have to be reminded to “crack on” and that they have “one job”!
All of our competitors have done themselves proud, putting themselves far outside their comfort zone and in front of industry experts. In particular, our first time schools have been super awesome and we are so appreciative of their support in entering and helping to make the day a success.
We are so pumped that FCANZ trusted us to get this competition off the ground, and are so grateful for their support and expertise – particularly Nick Terry for all his technical expertise and in setting up the day; Jeanette Miller, Donna Upton and Jaime Bigwood for keeping us on track and providing fantastic support. To our Judges Tim Garrick & Phil Cornelius: a job well done. Thank you to John Noakes (Noksee) and Struan Moore, for all your mentoring over the years; and Wiggy, for taking every chance to promote us.
To my students: bloody well done! I am super proud of what we have achieved. While the results were nice, it is the fact that we have made something big happen and the sense of achievement in a job well done. “We’ve got this” has become “we did this”.
Have a go category Best Quality:
Althea Smith & Isabelle Atkinson
Best Termination Knot:
Althea Smith & Isabelle Atkinson
Best Posting:
Althea Smith & Isabelle Atkinson
Best Breast Block:
Innes McKay & Alex Holmes
Highlights
Tim Garrick is fencing royalty – he knows us!
We can fit nine strainer posts inside a minivan. Our posts at school have certainly seen better days, and despite requests, Team Leader was too tight to buy any. All our dreams came true as we watched the Point Lumber truck exit the showgrounds leaving all their posts behind. Luckily, we knew someone who wanted them. It was one of those “no post shall be left behind” moments.
Team Leader is not a hugger – ever!
Team Batty & O’Connell breathe a sigh of disappointment on discovering the above.
A brilliant response to being asked to explain the driving force behind wanting to enter this competition: “Sarah made me.”
“It was good” does not a speech make! Our winning team has some points to work on.
“The sense of achievement in doing a good job, and being proud of what I have accomplished makes it all worthwhile”.
Finally, from the lads: “We would like to thank FCANZ and all the contractors in general who are all so generous in giving time and resources to a bunch of school kids. When we started school, we never would have dreamed of achieving what we have. We have been lucky to get some amazing opportunities and our advice to other students is to never give up, and ask for help – there is heaps of it out there. Learn how to bat your eyelashes and smile nicely!”
NZ Secondary Schools Fencing Competition winners Tom Batty & Lachie O’Connell, with Tim Garrick and Phil Cornelius
NZ Secondary Schools Fencing Competition Best Quality and Best Termination Knot winners, Althea Smith & Isabelle Atkinson with Tim Garrick and Phil Cornelius
