106 | BUILDING HE Harnett Builders Rachel Graham ‘Excellent staff’ key to ongoing success Standing, from left, Michiko Cooper, James Cooper, Sam Fielden, Kyle Parsons, Terry Robinson, Dave Gathercole. Seated: Howard Harnett. Site Te Hononga, Kawakawa. Howard Harnett started up Harnett builders almost fifty years ago and is still going strong. Howard doesn’t get out on the building site as much now as he’d like to, but he has an excellent team of 27 builders out on the job. Howard has been building in Whangarei since around the mid-1970s. In that time he has seen the town double in population and building costs more than quadruple. Harnett Builders has covered a huge range of jobs over the years. One of the recent jobs was the restoration of New Zealand’s oldest hotel, The Duke of Marlborough in Russell. The Duke of Marlborough’s website says it has been operating in Russell since 1827 and operating legally since 1840. The project involved adding a large extension to the rear of the building, with 13 additional accommodation rooms, all in keeping with the historic look of the building. They also did work on the historic waterfront façade with a new entry, balustrade, and garden bar. Howard says it was complicated work to marry the new with the old and to achieve a consistent look that gives the impression of being original. “We had a team of 11-15 trades people including Manager Hayden Taylor, foreman Aaron Wright who is our longest serving staff member, beginning his apprenticeship 29 years ago. Muzz Hilton-Jones ‘the kaumatua’ 58 years old and keeps the young apprentices in line, and we also have a female apprentice who is into her 4th year and going great guns.” It was a fascinating build to work on, with the pioneer-look preserved on the outside and then visitors step inside into a modern hotel with all the mod-cons. Another interesting project for Harnett Builders was Te Hononga in the Hundertwasser Memorial Park in Kawakawa. Te Hononga is an arts, culture and environment centre which celebrates the town’s link with Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The centre has a museum, learning and education centre, library, and facilities for freedom campers such as toilets and showers. Howard says the large building mirrors the shapes of the famous Hundertwasser toilets with its beautiful curved walls. This project involved the younger generation of manager/site foreman Sam Fielden and foremen Michael Pilkington and Dave Gathercole all who served their apprenticeship with the company. They combined with other Harnett staff and the rammed earth crew to form the 20 permanent people on site who along with the additional sub-contractors made it a busy site. The team also worked on another of Kawakawa’s beautiful curved buildings a few years back, a local childcare centre. That building is built into a hill on its street side, with the front walls hidden behind the grass cover covered shoulder of the hill. The back part of the building opens out to a large sun-filled play area. Howard says for these buildings, and a number of other residential properties using a similar style, some members of this team worked alongside people with boat-building skills to master the art of making the big, rounded beams. He says he is very proud of his talented staff, many of whom have been with him since starting their apprenticeships, or who have returned to Harnett Builders after working elsewhere. Howard says his continued success is down to his excellent staff, who they carefully select for their patience, attention to detail, high skills level and good communication. He says patience and good communication are skills in a builder which are sometimes undervalued. “When you do high class work you can’t just go rushing through it. You have got to be careful how you put it all together. “One house we worked on they asked for the same level of finish someone would get on a super yacht. “So you have got to be prepared to be patient and make sure it is perfect.” He says being able to communicate well with the client, the architect and each other on a building site all helps the team complete the high-quality work Harnett Builders are well known for in the region. “When you do high class work you can’t just go rushing through it. You have got to be careful how you put it all together.” Northland owned & operated for over 40 years WEBB CONTRACTING - We’ll make it work Specialists in: Drainage • Site/Earthworks • GPS Machine Control • Kerbing • Demolition Driveways/Carparks • Drilled & Driven Pile Foundations • Retaining Walls (09) 435 0239 info@webbcontracting.co.nz| www.webbcontracting.co.nz Call Jake 027 298 3768 or Sam 027 424 3292 • Electrical Contractors • Domestic / Commercial Repairs • New Installations & Maintenance Proudly supporting H.E. Harnett Builders BAY OF ISLANDS ELECTRICAL LTD 09 402 7676 | 19 Kings Road, PO Box 171, Paihia admin@boielectrical.co.nz | www.boielectrical.co.nz
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