14 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Northland: Project Apōpō T T Sue Russell Housing project with ‘broader outcomes’ Pōtahi Papakāinga at Te Kao involves the addition of 16 new whare to an existing community. “Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu.” Feathers allow the bird to fly. Individually clever, collectively miraculous. This is Project Apōpō’s unique approach to project delivery in the Far North. Making a difference to the region and its people is at the heart of Natalie Blandford’s Kerikeri based construction project management company, Project Apōpō. Collaborating with the best the region has to offer, she leads a team of passionate ‘doers’ who are delivering quality construction and property development projects with positive outcomes for the wider community, and the environment. Born in Whangarei Natalie has tribal affiliations to Ngai Tahu – Waikouaiti/Karitane and Ngapuhi. Project Apōpō is an Amotai registered, Māori-owned business which, from conception over a decade ago, has worked from a strong cultural base. It’s mission statement ‘Linking your environmental legacy to project delivery’ articulates the space Natalie and the team work in. In industry speak, Project Apōpō is all about ‘broader outcomes’. ”Getting a project across the line on time and within budget is one thing, doing it in a way that provides lasting benefit to community and environment is what drives the team to dig deeper in the planning and execution,” Natalie says. Joining her in the conversation with Business North is Di Grant, Project Apōpō’s newest recruit. Natalie says Di brings a raft of skills and human qualities that will help build the team’s capacity, in her role as Assistant Project Manager. “It’s a culmination of all my work and life experiences rolled up into this moment working with Natalie and the team. It’s lovely to work for a business that cares deeply about the projects they take on, always with a view to offering positive outcomes, environmentally, socially, and culturally,” says Di. An example of the work Project Apōpō has recently been involved in is Whangarei District Council’s Blue Green Network Raumanga Stream Project. Project Apōpō delivered project advisory and feasibility assessments for the project to rehabilitate the stream banks with native plantings. During this process, the team were able to propose alternative product solutions with greater longevity and broader environmental outcomes such as a New Zealand sourced wool alternative to the traditional plastic material used for mulching and weed suppression. “When we provide insight to our clients into the intrinsic values that can be realised through their project, it’s a really wonderful feeling of contributing to broader outcomes,” says Natalie. The team are currently working on several housing and commercial developments. One such project is the Pōtahi Papakāinga at Te Kao. This project involves the addition of 16 new whare to an existing community. The failing wastewater treatment system has been replaced with a new modular wastewater treatment plant achieving excellent environmental outcomes. The houses are being constructed by PanelLock, Kaitaia, a choice consciously made to work with a local business owner, whose economic and environmental values are closely aligned to Project Apōpō’s and those of their client. The houses are constructed offsite with staged delivery to site to maximise efficiencies due to the remote location of the site. Climate resilience for the Pōtahi Papakāinga is also factored into the project. “Water is a scarce commodity in Te Kao, so each 3 or 4 bedroom house will have two 30,000L water tanks and the 2 bedroom houses for kuia/kaumatua will have one tank each”, says Natalie. Natalie is proud of the business’s growth through recruiting local talent who, due to their desire to balance their Northland lifestyles with their careers, cannot commit to full-time positions. These individuals bring diverse skills to the construction projects Project Apōpō takes on. “We have a work from home ethos to give as much flexibility as possible for team members who are geographically distributed across Northland. Along with our use of leading edge technology for efficient project delivery, this makes the company resilient to weather and health events”, Natalie says. The team usually comes together once a week in a co-working space and at networking events to maintain strong social connections. The firm also regularly partners with other local professional services firms, including Māori businesses, to deliver projects. This approach ensures that clients receive a project delivery service from a cohesive, genuinely Northland based team. As a business leader, Natalie enjoys giving back to the community. She is in her second year of volunteering as a Northland Chamber of Commerce director, an organisation that contributes to the economic sustainability of Northland businesses. She has also been a committee member of the Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN)– Northland branch, for the past few years. This is a group that has some shared goals with Project Apōpō – such as increasing the number of women in leadership roles, and supporting women in the infrastructure sector. To that end, Project Apōpō is currently collaborating with local organisations to develop a gateway programme for senior high school students interested in construction project management. With its broader outcomes led project delivery approach, Project Apōpō is providing a unique service to like-minded clients with construction and property development projects in Northland.
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