88 | Tatana Contracting CONTRACTING Celebrating 60 years in operation Tatana Contracting was established by Johnston Mac Tatana in 1964. T T Sue Russell Levin Civil Construction company Tatana Contracting Limited has been around a very long time now, long enough for the third generation to be very involved in the day to day operation of the company. Operating throughout the lower North Island, Tatana Contracting was established by Johnston Mac Tatana in 1964, so this year is a milestone celebrating 60 years in operation, something Grandson Chevy Tatana says has been testament to the dedication and hardwork of those involved in the pioneering years. “Mac and then sons Darryl and Bernard, who are now Directors, along with Mac’s wife Ming, really worked very hard to establish the reputation of Tatana Contracting as a company that is prepared to roll its sleeves up and get the job done, often in very difficult situations, ‘Do it once, Do it right, is our motto’,” Chevy says, with a note of pride reflected in his voice. Tatana Contracting undertakes civils work across a range of situations, from civil construction for Council, Government, Private Developers, to Certified Drainlaying, Hydrovac Excavation, minor and major Earthworks, through to a traffic management division. Chevy’s role in the company is around Project Management, but he admits to doing just about anything else that’s required on a day to day basis. In all, the company engages about 46 employees and Chevy says its been operating at that size since 2016. “We’ve evolved hugely from the very early days, with more crews out on various locations.” Chevy started the traffic management division and today the company has five traffic management trucks that operate full-time. “We’ve also bought a franchise from a company in Canada, Aquapipe, which undertakes water main relining, using a cured-in-place pipe lining system that repairs broken or leaking water mains and other types of pressure pipes. In turn has opened up other opportunities for us such as, high pressure water cleaning and CCTV of new and existing pipes; Aquapipe New Zealand Environmental Liners (Anzel) is a whole other company in itself.” Matriach, Ming still visits the workyard every day and works in the office, with other family members also involved in administration. Cruzie Simpson who is a first cousin and Raana Tatana who is Chevy’s younger brother are also invovled in project management within the company. While the main yard is in Levin a second yard is in Plimmerton, Wellington. “We completed a lot of work in the Wellington region, so it just made sense, to have a second yard.” Chevy says that when the new highway opens up in coming years, it will make a huge difference to travelling times around the region. Tatana Contracting also works in with other companies such as Downer, Fulton Hogan, Electra, LT Mcguinness and The Horowhenua Company to name a few. The company has also not long completed large stormwater and watermain projects for Horowhenua District Council. While not busy at work, Chevy can often be found on a parcel of land on the coast at Levin, owned by the family, where he runs dry stock and in more recent developments, a new company JMT Developments has formed to start a new venture in property development with the first project being based on Tararua Road, Levin. “We want to see the name taken on into the future, respecting the journey of those who started the company all those years ago. We owe them that and it keeps us bound as a family business which is very good.” Suzuki Dealer Holden Service & Parts Congratulations Tatanas on your milestone Congrats to Tatana Contracting for 60 years business Proud to be part of the NZ Team
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