26 | Northland Business Excellence Awards: Robinson Asphalts T T Karen Phelps Company paving the way for success Whangarei-based Robinson Ashphalts took out the workplace safety award at the 2022 Northland Business Excellence Awards: Annie Johnston - Director, and Cole Johnston - General & HSQE Manager. “We believe in doing the job once and doing it right.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Whangarei based company Robinson Asphalts, or ‘Robinsons’ as it is commonly known, is always seeking to grow, evolve and improve. It is this attitude that saw it win the workplace safety award at the 2022 Northland Business Excellence Awards. Company general and HSQE manager Cole Johnston says entering also helped to identify further opportunities for improvement. “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved to date but at the same time, we recognise that there is always room for improvement,” he says. “We continue to chip away at this and along the way we achieve some valuable transformations.” With regards to health and safety this has seen the concept of best practice integrated into every process, a culture promoted and demonstrated through committed leadership. Regular reporting and feedback to staff also keeps them engaged and committed and regular health monitoring, encourages staff to be proactive about their personal health and wellbeing. Cole says that establishing good communication is essential for the success of change implementation. “Health and safety is considered a team effort. We’ve established a culture of participation and consultation, where suggestions are welcomed through both formal and informal channels and available to all staff. “The sharing of the views, opinions, challenges, and concerns helps to set a base for improvement and alignment. Implementing changes, even minor ones, can affect the rhythm of work and cause some confusion in the beginning, demanding from our people different responses to old ways of doing things. This can be challenging for all concerned but in the long run we reap the benefits as a team.” Cole says that true commitment to health and safety along with a robust approach to systems, communication, consultation and participation helps Robinson Asphalts to achieve its goals. It has achieved ISO 45001 (Health & Safety), ISO 14001 (Environmental) and ISO 9001 (Quality) – one of the only construction companies in Northland to have achieved all three ISO standards. The Robinson family has owned the 50 year old business since its inception in 1972 and it is a proud multi generational Northland business. It was originally started by Cole’s grandparents Peter and Joan Robinson when they bought out a small operation. It was then sold in 1992 to his parents Alan and Annie Johnston. The business has thrived and continued to grow from strength to strength over the years and the scope of services and products offered today is extensive covering all aspects of site and property development. This includes, in addition to asphalt, concrete, paving, timber, retaining and fencing mediums, siteworks and all civil contracting requirements. Cole says that the emphasis at Robinson Asphalts is very much on its team and producing a high quality result. “We believe in doing the job once and doing it right.” This has seen the company involved in many high profile projects in the region and being an integral part of Whangarei’s development over the years, particularly in a series of projects around the Town Basin precinct. The company has won numerous industry awards for its work, including category wins in 1999, 2009 and now 2022 in the Northland Business Excellence Awards. “We celebrate success with our whole team. For example when we recently won CCNZ Northland Construction Excellence awards for both our Hundertwasser Art Centre and Pūtahi Town Basin Park projects we celebrated with a full staff breakfast at Aqua Café in the Hundertwasser building. This sort of recognition is a great motivator and reward for striving for excellence.” “The management, systems, and accountabilities structure that we have put in place is invaluable, but nothing is more important than our people. “Along with hiring and developing the right people we continually strive to maintain a strong culture and live every day by our values. This approach has proven its value in achieving excellent results and growth over the years. We have a solid foundation for the future and remain absolutely committed to delivering a first class job every time and keeping everyone safe in the process.” Michael Badham PARTNER Alice Dombroski PARTNER Maree Stenberg CONSULTANT Rupert Wakeman SENIOR ASSOCIATE BLISS BALL LAWYER Wayne Coutts ASSOCIATE Vaughan Syers PARTNER Our property law experts provide astute advice on all aspects of property development and subdivision. We have extensive experience in helping clients with property development and subdivision projects, from straightforward boundary adjustments or subdivisions through to major commercial property development projects. Our Commercial Team Thomson Wilson are very pleased to support and provide legal services to Robinson Asphalts Mansfield Terrace PO Box 1042, Whangārei 0140 (09) 430 4380 legal@thomsonwilson.co.nz
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=