| 29 T Sue Russell Te Kuiti based Kurt Houghton Builders specialises in new houses, farm buildings and renovations. Waitomo: Kurt Houghton Builders REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A decade ago Kurt Houghton established his building business based out of Te Kuiti. Before this Kurt had gained his qualifications working for a Hamilton-based builder. “We did a variety of work, including commercial and new builds so I got a really good grounding,” says Kurt. He also spent time working in London as a carpenter and when he returned he set up his own business and looked to employ apprentices to help them on their way. Kurt has put four builders through their apprenticeships and currently has another two in training with BCITO. His core business today is building new houses, farm buildings and renovations, with a small proportion of commercial work. Over the last couple of years Kurt along with his wife and business partners have set up a company which is developing land in Te Kuiti into new residential housing. “There’s room in Te Kuiti for a lot of infill housing on large sections and along with our business partners this is what we are trying to achieve.” Asked whether COVID has had any residual impacts Kurt says when the first lockdown happened they really weren’t sure what was going to happen. “We went into crisis mode, however what happened was we had a bumper year following lockdown 2020-2021 and I had seven staff at the time. Towards the end of 2021 the materials shortages really started to kick in which has slowed things down considerably and we have now dropped back to myself and three staff.” Delays in knowing when to expect materials to arrive have caused an adjustment in working and Kurt feels that coming out of the current challenging environment will be a slow process. Last year K J Houghton Builders built a well appointed three bedroom spec home which sold for $585,000. “That’s a positive of building here. Houses are less expensive than most other places in New Zealand so people from other areas are beginning to seriously look at relocating to the Te Kuiti Area. As an indication that the King Country is a district with plenty of opportunities, Kurt says there are a good number of builders operating in the area and making a living. Asked about future plans Kurt says he doesn’t intend to grow much bigger in scale as he also has another business running dry stock on his 1000 acre farm. Another Spec home is in the process of being completed at 11 Ngatai Street, Te Kuiti. The two bedroom house, in late April had the roof on ready for the bricks. Waiting for gibboard was proving a frustration. “It means we need to have multiple building jobs on the go to keep us busy while we wait.” One solution to this problem Kurt says is an adjustment in how Council’s favour the use of specific products. “Alternatives to gib-board for example exist but using them can impact on consenting time-frames through Council. “If a wider array of materials were pre-approved this would open alternatives up for us.” Kurt also says his experience of training apprentices has been positive through BCITO, however the one negative is that the organisation has, at times, quite high turnover in staff. “The construction industry is going through a very challenging time at the moment but we hope that 2023 might bring us back to some normality”. Infill housing a focus for builder TOGETHER, WE’RE BUILDING NEW ZEALAND ONE JOB AT A TIME www.placemakers.co.nz R PlaceMakers PLACEMAKERS TE KUITI 07 8788 149 • WATERBLASTING • GIB STOPPING & PLASTERING • INTERIOR • EXTERIOR • ROOFS • WALLPAPERING • RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL & RURAL Proudly serving the King Country and Waipa Districts for over 20 years. 07 873 9104 | www.daverowe.co.nz 07 873 9104 027 234 6418 “Taking pride in what you hire” 55 Turongo St, Otorohanga / 31 Taupiri St, Te Kuiti | 07 873 7956 | info@jghire.co.nz | www.jghire.co.nz Best Equipment, Best Service • Trailers • Diggers • Access (scissor lifts, cherry picker, scaffolding) • Delivery available KING COUNTRY LOCAL ELECTRICIAN P 07 878 8335 E james@marshallelectrical.co.nz W marshallelectrical.co.nz FOR THE PEOPLE Domestic Commercials Industrial Smart Vent and Heat Transfer Maintenance
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