Business Central December 2021

66 | Awakeri Drainage Speed and quality are key to Awakeri T Kelly Deeks Modern machinery and slick operators mean Awakeri Drainage can get work done quickly and to a high standard. Talk to us today, the feature profile experts Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz PROFILE YOUR PROJECT... CONTRACTING 9 Barnes Pl, Hastings 4175 | PO Box 2497, Hastings 4153 | Phone (06) 879 6238 info@aqualinecontractors.co.nz | www.aqualinecontractors.co.nz Proud to support Awakeri Drainage W ith a reputation for speed and quality, Hawke’s Bay drainage con- tractor Awakeri Drainage is proud to be able to service clients from a wide range of industries with drainage and earthworks solutions, without disrupting their schedules. Established in 1970 by Ron Bishop, Awakeri Drainage is now in the hands of his son Jim, and grandsons, Marcus, Braydon, and Jarvis. Ron gained his operation experience during army training, where he drove heavy machin- ery and army equipment. Settling in Twyford, Ron went on to land clearing for the agricul- ture sector, then saw an opening for irrigation trenching and drainage trenching on Hawke’s Bay orchards and vineyards. Today the Bishops and their team provide a wide range of drainage, earthworks, and aggregate supply services in the agriculture, horticulture, viticulture, and construction industries. “We work on a lot of the same land that grandpa did,” Jarvis says. “The drainage systems he installed had a life cycle of 30 to 50 years, so for the past few years we’ve been going through and replacing his systems.” Jarvis says it’s amazing how the industry has changed since 1970, especially equipment wise. “All of our drainage installation equip- ment is now specialised, one-of-a-kind stuff, imported from England with Trimble GPS and we keep it updated.” While its modern and well-designed ma- chinery set ups mean Awakeri Drainage can get work done quickly, and often well before deadlines, the diverse range of skills in the Awakeri Drainage team means the firm can allocate resources from different angles to get jobs done even faster. And the fact they get to work with good gear makes them all happier in their work. With 25 staff and growing every year, Awak- eri Drainage hasn’t had many issues finding new staff. “You can hardly ever find fully trained staff, but we love training people up and getting them into the industry. We bring them in and put them on crews that can help them out. Having good, experienced opera- tors to train them really helps us out.” Awakeri Drainage has seen farming inten- sify during the past 50 years. Jarvis says an old-style orchard would have trees sitting 3m apart in 4m rows, where today trees will be 1m apart in 2m rows. As the farming be- comes more intensive, so does the drainage required, and farmers and orchardists are willing to invest in looking after their land. “Successful drainage will help to improve returns on your land through improved crop management, increased production, reduced risks, and less disease,” Jarvis says. “Good drainage improves nutrient uptake, animal health, and drought tolerance, while maximis- ing the productive area on your land.” High quality drainage also means a need for less irrigation, and a higher land value. “Drain- age is an investment that will deliver benefits for decades to come.” Awakeri Drainage also offers an orchard recycling and tree chipping service, with its Bandit Beast 2680 which undertakes hori- zontal green waste and tree grinding, and reducing trees and green waste into mulch. Full orchard removal is also on offer, including pull, heap, chip, and disposal of woodchip. Awakeri Drainage’s consistent growth has seen the firm grow out of its premises and is now on the move, so watch this space!