| 61 Girls on Grass CONTRACTING $6,999 Luba 3 AWD 5000 New Zealand’s trusted robot experts since 2018 Book your free in-home demo* *T&Cs Apply. ONE PLUS $7,299 0800 ROBOM8 (0800 762 668) | robomate.co. nz T T Sue Russell Girls on Grass works from three centres, Whakatane — where it was first established in 2008 — Tauranga and Taupo. Keeping grounds in tip-top shape “Maintenance is the backbone of our work and we have a variety of ongoing contracts for both private and public sectors, such as maintaining the grounds at Tauranga and Whakatane polytechnics, and Te Whatu Ora Whakatane.” As the name might suggest, Girls on Grass, is a quirky description for an all-woman team of lawn maintenance/ landscaping professionals, though founder Emma Kunac says this was never the original intention. “We’ve had guys in the team over the years but right now it is all girls, 17 of us. The number’s reduced a little since last year but we’re in good stead and situation with plenty of work to keep us all busy,” says Taupo-based Emma. Girls on Grass works from three centres, Whakatane — where it was first established in 2008 — Tauranga and Taupo. This geography provides plenty of scope to be engaged in working in challenging and interesting spaces. Emma describes the business as working in equal measure across residential and commercial sectors, offering plenty of variety for the team. “Maintenance is the backbone of our work and we have a variety of ongoing contracts for both private and public sectors, such as maintaining the grounds at Tauranga and Whakatane polytechnics, and Te Whatu Ora Whakatane, to name a few.” While Emma is based in Taupo, she oversees the entire business; however, she has managers in each region coordinating things on the ground. She’s the first to describe her team as absolutely amazing, putting in regular hours from 7am to 3.30pm. “We’ve got 10 vehicles, tipper trailers and six ride-ons and I’m proud to sa y we led the way by being the first company to use Husqvarna auto-mowers commercially. The brand actually did a video as I have 30 robotic mowers. There’s a video up on my Facebook page.” A project that stands out involved designing a garden around the edges of a meticulously maintained residential helipad. “This presented a unique challenge, as we needed to ensure that no materials — such as loose leaves, branches, mulch, or flower heads would become airborne and create debris during helicopter take-off or landing.” The solution was a design that was clean, simple, highly practical, and visually striking from both ground level and the air using approximately 2000 Black Mondo plants, planted 1.5 metres deep around the circular pad and entrance, creating a strong, defined edge. This was complemented by mass plantings of around 1040 Carex ‘Feather Falls’ adding texture and movement while remaining low-risk in terms of debris. The final result is a low-maintenance, elegant landscape that performs as beautifully as it looks. A new area of focus is in engaging new residential subdivision developers and home owners. In an exciting development Emma and the team have secured work at Wairakei Golfing Sanctuary, where 30 residential sections are being developed. “There’s a kiwi hatchery within the area too, which is something very special.” Working for Emma at Girls on Grass also provides budding garden and landscape maintenance staff with the opportunity to gain formal qualifications through an apprenticeship with a focus on amenity gardening. “This is great because it focuses more on the commercial side. It’s delivered through Primary ITO. It’s a qualification they can gain while going about their regular daily work.” Girls on Grass has also joined NZ Master Landscapers Assn, an organisation whose goal is to enhance professional standards within the sector, something Emma welcomes. “By its very nature you can get a whole lot of different people describing themselves as landscape maintenance operators. By belonging to Master Landscapers, it means that our practices and capabilities have been recognised as being of a high standard, giving assurances to our clients.” And it’s only a couple of years until Girls on Grass celebrates 20 years in the sector, an achievement Emma, a former golf pro, is very proud of. “It’s been quite the journey to here for me and when I think about the team I have around me, I’m very happy with where the company is positioned, and the types of clients and projects we get involved in.”
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