| 65 ENGINEERING Cuttriss Consultants Ltd Quality first is key T T Sue Russell With a branch in Lower Hutt and another one on the Kapiti Coast in Paraparaumu, leading surveying, engineering and planning company Cuttriss Consultants has accumulated years of experience across a wide array of projects. It’s a company Chartered Professional Engineer, Sam Godwin, says operates out of a strong set of principles which has guided how it conducts itself through 75+ years. “While we’ve got a team of 55 staff, we’ve still managed to keep the same sense of ourselves as we’ve grown. I’ve been with Cuttriss 5 years and have been encouraged to develop myself and grow within the company. Today, I’m fortunate to be a Director and it is not our intention to grow bigger, to enable us to maintain our great culture,” Sam explains. Each office operates independently, however at times, given the nature of a project, support in terms of personnel input, may cross over. About 10 years ago the company went on a mission to work together across its offices, a commitment Sam describes as the ‘One Team’ mentality. While work streams are still quite separate, every month staff from the two offices get together for training sessions and knowledge sharing opportunities. One of the key reasons Cuttriss has attained the reputation within the sector that it has, is its ability to input and add value at the very early stages of a land development project. Because its multi-disciplinary in nature, it’s able to offer clients a full suite of capabilities, from initial concept discussion, planning, consenting, right through to delivering subdivided titles. “We are very much turn-key in our service offering and this is something that appeals to our clients. They’re dealing with the one company and team from the outset and because we’ve accrued so many years of steering planning and consenting, we have developed great relationships with Council staff and other key stakeholders. All this assists in delivering an effective and efficient project management model.” It even goes back to initially researching what the best land options are for developers to consider and given the growing impact of climate change in terms of the need to identify where flood risk areas are, Cuttriss is able to mitigate any potential risks for property developers, and in turn first home buyers and investors who purchase the properties. Forecasting rising sea levels and the consequences of increased rain fall in any given area has been identified by Councils as increasingly critical, however in some circumstances Council planning regulations are lagging behind this reality, as Sam explains. “When clients come to us, we’re able to provide them with up to date information concerning how currently undeveloped land will respond in large flood events. This is critical information developers need to know now before committing to developments that may demand significant capital investment as it may impact the safety of future residents and the ability for any potential development to get insured.” Cuttriss also facilitate a lot of infill brown field development, where the project will involve knocking down an existing house and replacing it with up to 8 townhouses, as an example. “We’ve done some larger brown-field work in Wainuiomata with an 82 Lot development. Consenting wise at the moment there is still some greenfield development in northern Wainuiomata, however the majority of work in the Hutt Valley is brownfield development.” Outside of Wainuiomata, Cuttriss is involved in a range of developments throughout the Hutt Valley, Wellington City, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast. One of the things that Sam says is a strength of how Cuttriss Consultants operate is that they set standards very high for themselves. “We won’t submit any consents that we can’t stand by and justify as being a good outcome. Our clients get that certainty.” As a director, Sam enjoys being more in a people leadership space these days, looking after the engineering team. He’s one of five directors. Cuttriss, he says, is excellent at growing people and providing pathways within the company. The surveying division is the largest entity within the business and a significant number of surveyors are engaged straight from University. “We’ve even employed some keen people who fit our culture straight from school and we’re certainly open to conversations with motivated people prepared to knock on our door.” The purpose statement for the business is “Great People, Great Relationships and Great Results”. It’s a fitting one Sam says. “We work very hard to live those aspirations every day including how we support the wider community and the environment. As a business with considerable history to it, we embrace our responsibilities to be always making incremental improvements to how we operate that benefit not only us but the wider community.” Contact John Pritchard today to discuss your project: Phone: 021 755 155 or Email: john@pritchardcivil.co.nz • Project Management • Bulk Earthworks • Topsoil Screening and Supply • Building Siteworks • Roading • Drainage • Surveying We offer a large range of services to assist you with your next project: Civil Construction & Earthworks ROCK SUPPLY/PLACEMENT EROSION PROTECTION EARTHWORKS DRAINAGE FORESTRY ROADING Rock Supply/Placement | Civil Engineering | Drainage | Earthmoving | Forestry Roading Proudly supporting Cuttriss Consultants Ltd
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