Most of our members work directly on the fence line and there are many whose partners pursue an independent career, while others work alongside in their self-employed businesses. The FCANZ Board currently has three women that work in fencing companies, so we thought we would enlighten members on their backgrounds and roles, and what skills they bring to the Board. Meet the leading ladies of FCANZ.
Debbie White
I never intended to get involved in Tony’s fencing business, with my first foray into self-employment being an export cut flower business, growing eight acres with 12 seasonal staff, whilst Tony was developing his fencing business and helping in both. With a university education and previous roles in fashion buying, marketing and merchandising, fencing was a world away. But realizing the potential and scope that the fencing business offered, I developed a growing realization that it was best to pay heed.
Over the years I have become involved with marketing, compliance, human resources (including hiring) health and safety, materials sourcing, administration (yuck, I hate filing, find it impossible!), monitoring finances and “approving” asset purchases a.k.a – reining Tony in. I thrive on strategic thinking and concepts, which works well with Tony’s ability for efficiency, design, and systems.
In a need to keep things interesting and because I suffer from a desire to overcommit, I’ve taken an interest in the wider industry, enjoying the genuineness of the majority of people I have met. I joined the FCANZ Board some years ago, helping to organize the first conference in Rotorua and going on to be a Board member for a further three years.
Interested in event organizing I went on to create “All About Fencing” and organized fencing events in both the North and South Islands within larger Field Days. With a desire to unite the industry and showcase industry best practice with top fencers skilled in various aspects, the formula worked well with exhibitors broken into different installation types and the demonstrators being carefully selected based on their outstanding workmanship and ability to relate.
When in his mid-40s, Tony took up competitive fencing, having watched it at the Fieldays for many years and finally deciding to give it a go. Finding it highly useful as a training resource and meeting a great group of fencers, I was happy to help with the formation of New Zealand Fencing Competitions (NZFC) and work within the newly formed committee to negotiate terms with the Fieldays and unite the various regional competitions that had been and still are, run by long standing individuals. Currently I am working alongside Nick Liefting who’s been successful in organizing a UK team to compete in the 2023 Fieldays Silver Spades. Our aim within NZFC is to create a New Zealand based global fencing competition. Tony and I currently organise the South Island Fencing competition, alongside Leanne Stanger and Nick Liefting.
I rejoined the FCANZ Board several years ago to focus on the fiscal management and help with strategic planning, while working on some new concepts for FCANZ like the annual survey and Webinar series. As a Board member I am a time poor volunteer, but I enjoy the challenge of helping to define the direction that the industry needs to move towards. My method is cautious and looking at things from all angles, not wasting resources but trying to keep an open mind to the need for change and growth.
Donna Upton
If I think back to the days when I was wondering what a career looked like for me, I was training to join the Police – I got as far as scope and went out on a few nightshifts and had to deal with some interesting characters. As much as I knew I’d love that as a job, I didn’t see that as a future family fit career for me. I worked for a few years as a Legal Secretary and then went into banking, working in the rural banking industry (namely for Rabobank) from 2005 right through till 2020, when I resigned to steer our business and, as it turns out, help the industry and Association.
In 2011 I met my husband Phil, who was then a one-man band fencer under his business name CPC Contracting, in Northland. Through our 12-year partnership, we have grown the business, changed entities to CPC Fencing Limited, increased the crew sizes, sometimes up to 6 crews and running 20 staff. Our staff numbers have reduced thankfully over the last two years to a manageable 9 (including Phil).
My part in the business varies, I manage with a H&S manager the Health and Safety, I complete all aspects of the paperwork. I am Phil’s sounding board and sometimes handbrake. We have three children at home also who are 6, 8 and 15. So with Phil always out sorting the crews it’s my job to oversee the ship. Some days I am out on a fenceline ferrying vehicles and machinery with Phil, other days I am sitting in the office from daylight to dusk.
Phil joined the FCANZ Board in 2019, the AGM before the COVID pandemic began. Through that 2020 lockdown year, I quit my job at Rabobank and focused on our business, the kids and the changing times we found ourselves in. I enjoyed the change away from banking and ended up helping quite a lot behind the scenes with Association related things. I then joined the Board at the 2020 Wellington AGM and have been helping a lot more behind the scenes on the training and industry pathway side of things.
At the 2021 FCANZ conference, I had a conversation with Jim Smith from NorthTec about how we could push the fencing qualifications along and streamline some of the training and the full pathway through for the industry. At that time NorthTec was struggling to find Tutors and Coordinators to manage the Level 3 courses. There was a lot of interest around the country to work into the course framework. Jim asked if I would contract to NorthTec as the National Coordinator and industry liaison between the Tertiary system and the Association.
The last 12 months or so (and prior with COVID frameworks and mandates etc to navigate) have been a massive learning curve, especially with the complete restructure and move toward Te Pukenga, the merging of New Zealand’s sixteen Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics under one umbrella organisation. NorthTec managed to run three courses in 2022, and each time we run them we learn better, easier ways to do things. We have some great tutors who go out of their way to help new and upcoming fencers.
I enjoy giving back to an industry that has been good to us. I enjoy the people, friends and connections we have made and are making along the way. It will be interesting to see where the new Fencing pathway takes the industry in the coming years.
Janine Swansson
Getting ahead and being the best that you can be in business has always been the motto for Janine Swansson, 46, who has recently joined the FCANZ Board.
Janine, with her husband David, started their own contract fencing business Bang It Fencing in the Tararua District just 3 years ago after selling their dairy farm, achieving a better work-life balance.
Janine and David had a successful career in dairy farming and from the very start of their careers became heavily involved in the dairy industry body now known as DairyNZ. The Swanssons went on to win the Hawke’s Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker of the Year and Janine held many voluntary positions in the dairy industry. Janine sites the biggest benefit to being involved with your industry is the self-development, learning and satisfying networking connections made. Janine still retains a close connection to the dairy industry through her Senior Extension Partner role with DairyNZ.
Janine and David continue to farm beef and dairy grazers on 220ha, however the diversification into the fencing contracting business – specialising in rural and lifestyle – has been exciting for them all.
The moment the Swanssons started a fencing business, David was attracted to the FCANZ website and from there they have used all the information to help build their business. Janine admits after knowing the dairy farming practically, physically and in a business sense, fencing for her is like a new language – whilst for David it was second nature having done a short stint working with a contract fencer before full time dairying. Those fencing skills have been put to good use in all David’s years of farming and are now a true passion as he utilizes his creative and development skills fencing.
A highlight for Janine and David was in August 2021 (their first spring without any cows to milk) jet setting off to Paihia for the annual fencing conference. It was a surreal moment flying home and not worrying about calving cows. Janine’s workmates joke about her romantic getaway and winning a chainsaw. They thoroughly enjoy mixing with all the experience at these events as well as best practice days. The partners and sponsors of the events are also so beneficial to meet and play a key part in their successful business through valuable relationships.
Janine & David’s Bang It Fencing business is a family affair with their son Jordan working for them full time. They also have another young school leaver working with them. This year David and staff have completed the Level 3 Certificate in Fencing. Whilst it was not a requirement for David to complete Level 3 before doing Level 4 this year, Janine and David thought it was valuable to complete the course to best support his young staff going through the course. They think it’s invaluable for young staff to have the Level 3 Certificate to support them in the future if they decided to move on to a new part of the country looking for employment.
David and Janine complement each other in business with him out in the field and with her in the office. While Janine admits she won’t be swinging a hammer or ramming posts anytime soon, the fence line is not just a male affair with their daughter-in-law Emma and daughter Anna often seen out on the fence line.
Janine and David have enjoyed attending FCANZ events and Janine soon identified a place she could really support David in his passion for fencing and networking with other like-minded fencers was in the leadership of the Association. Janine is now taking the opportunity to learn even more fencing lingo after joining the FCANZ Board at the 2022 AGM.
Janine brings her current and previous experience from banking and consultant roles to the Board table to help a very active FCANZ Board continue to develop, grow, and achieve the goals of the Association for the betterment of fencers, partners, and the industry. Janine aspires to the work of the other Board members and especially the immense work being done by fellow female Board members Donna Upton and Debbie White.
Janine believes the Board has a great mix of gender and is spread across the country to serve the needs of its members. Sometimes it has been questioned, “what place does a woman have on the Board?” The simple answer is that we can all have a place at the Board table just as much as we have an opportunity and place in our own businesses.
While we may wish it wasn’t necessarily true, we live in a regulatory business space and the greatest opportunities will come to those that meet and embrace those standards. It makes sense to have FCANZ, to allow fencers to collaborate and work together to ensure quality and standards for fencers to be recognized as a professionally valued part of the Agriculture Service sector.
Janine is looking forward to taking part in organising the events FCANZ offers. Joining the FCANZ family for the Swanssons was a simple no brainer and instrumental in the success of their business.
Written by Debbie White, Donna Upton and Janine Swansson.
Published in the Women in the Industry Feature in WIRED Issue 68 | March 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ.
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