20 | Whanganui Business Awards - NZ Structural & Engineering T T Kelly Deeks Young firm hits the ground running NZ Structural and Engineering is looking forward to a future as successful as its beginning has been. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Starting from scratch only three years ago, Whanganui’s NZ Structural and Engineering is hitting all of its milestones and in some cases surpassing them, with a long list of achievements including two prestigious awards finals for 2024. NZ Structural and Engineering was started by former workmates Mat Gaudin and Jared Davis in 2021. Between them they have 32 years of experience in engineering, heavy steel fabrication, and welding, and a strong reputation locally for delivering quality results for a fair price. On their first day of business, the pair was working on minor jobs at Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, which at the time was in the midst of a five-year, $70 million make-over project. This was set to not only restore the 105-year-old heritage-listed building to its former glory, but also to re-imagine the entire complex with a new west-facing atrium linking the original building to the new, state-of-theart Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa wing. Within about six months of its inception, NZ Structural and Engineering was engaged to take over from the project’s main structural steel contractor, which had gone into liquidation. The work was about 50% complete, with NZ Structural and Engineering left to provide structural steel for the new building and the link building, and the earthquake strengthening of the original building. This sizeable contract presented challenges for the fledgling business, which was initially fabricating inside an unfinished space. “We had a brand-new workshop, which wasn’t quite complete,” Mat says. “We had no power for the first six months and had to run our power from next door. Also, our building wasn’t lockable so we had to pack all of our gear into our utes every night and unpack it every morning.” Out of this humble scenario, NZ Structural and Engineering has managed to deliver the shimmering new Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, which is set to showcase Whanganui to the world. Its contribution saw NZ Structural and Engineering reach the finals of the Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) Excellence in Steel Awards in the $500,000-$1.5M category. NZ Structural and Engineering also took the silver Manufacturing and Engineering Production and Processing Award at last year’s Whanganui Regional Business Awards. Mat and Jared cite the quality of their products as the reason for their success. “We’re lucky to have a really good crew working here,” Jared says. “They treat it like it’s their own name on the line. They take total responsibility for what they do, they’re proud of their work, and they enjoy it.” In return, Mat and Jared try to look after their people as best they can. They have recently brought in welding helmets with built-in air-purifying systems, not yet required by law but enabling safe, cool, and comfortable welding. They operate an open-door policy and are ready to work on solutions to both personal and professional issues, and they keep workplace morale high and team culture strong with an exciting social calendar of events. NZ Structural and Engineering is looking forward to a future as successful as its beginning has been. Thanks to strong local relationships, the company has secured large projects for 2025, and has already achieved SiteWise Gold, thanks to the stringent health and safety protocols meticulously organised and submitted by manager Melany Davy. Already grown out of its now complete workshop, NZ Structural and Engineering will look to expand into bigger premises once it meets the five year mark. NZ Structural & Engineering • SANDBLASTING • ARC SPRAYING • REPAINTS • TOUCH UPS • COMMERCIAL TRUCK SPRAYING • STRUCTURAL STEEL • MOTORHOMES SPECIALISTS 358 Heads Road Wanganui Ph (06) 344 4024 or Jason 027 403 4293
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