66 | Each edition priority delivered to your door. Ea . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . . . i i 03 983 5500 Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, profiling their success. i ; i i i i - ll i , ili i . Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. r i , r I tr , r . businessnorth Despite the challenges of the job, East Coast farmer Toby Williams says rewards are easily found - page 6 Animal welfare at the heart of operation Spring 2020 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Business North Rural Nothing sucks for this business The company aligns itself with many of the larger civil works players. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Parkinson & Holland T T Sue Russell Bruce and Michelle Holland, directors of Auckland civil construction and environmental management company Parkinson & Holland, established in 1989, say the business has evolved through the years as opportunities presented themselves. “It actually began as a local liquid waste company,” Bruce says. “In Auckland at the time there were just three big liquid waste entities. Two of them were multinationals and I had worked as a manager for one of the biggest,” Bruce says. While he was full of ideas of his own to grow that business, the then owners didn’t have the same aspirations, and eventually Bruce realised he would only advance by going out on his own. Carrying strong design and engineering genes, Bruce developed and built his own breed of vacuum truck, which captured the interest of another large company and potential client. “My design was very different from anything available on the market at the time and featured a very powerful vacuum system,” Bruce says. The couple invested heavily into the technology, and in those early days Bruce describes himself as being a “one-man-band, working long hours and on-call 24/7”. Following the success of the first truck, Bruce analysed the market and determined there was a need for another type of truck that was less powerful than the first. Again, putting his design skills to work, Bruce built this at home too, at the same time employing a driver and splitting the work. More vacuum trucks were constructed with input from an engineer, and after retiring the second truck he had built, Bruce and Michelle took over the operation of another small liquid waste business. Next came drainage CCTV cameras and crane-cleaning equipment. Once the big multi-nationals began fighting amongst themselves for business, Bruce could see it was time to diversify, so he purchased a ‘rock-saw’, the only one of its kind in Auckland. Next came two ‘rock capable’ horizontal directional drills and then a mini tunnel borer. “It’s the only one of its type in the country. Laser-guided for pinpoint accuracy and a vacuum extraction system to manage the spoil.” Bruce says there hasn’t really been a full recovery since Covid. Finding it increasingly difficult to find skilled operators, Bruce and Michelle began training staff from entry-level. With the array of skills and equipment at hand, Bruce says, the company has been fortunate to have taken on some very challenging projects. “We like nothing more than to undertake work that isn’t straightforward.” These days, Bruce picks and chooses what equipment he works on, but he has always enjoyed the rock-saw. “If there’s a challenge I think others can’t handle then I’ll jump on board.” Bruce has also been involved in liquid waste industry governance and served for many years as chair of the National Liquid and Hazardous Wastes Operators Group. He was one of 12 operators that worked alongside the Ministry for the Environment and other industry professionals to develop the Liquid and Hazardous Waste Code of Practice and the Code Compliance Programme in 2004. The company also aligns itself with much bigger civil works players, such as March Cato, Pipeline & Civil and some of the much larger multinational companies, such as Abergeldie, Brian Berry Civil, Downer, Fulton Hogan, HEB and McConnell Dowell. Bruce says at this stage of his business journey he and Michelle are pleased with what they have achieved, the reputation the company has attained, and its contribution to the waste management and civil works sectors. PH (09) 299 6213 or (09)296 9954 or visit: www.pascoe.co.nz Proud to support Parkinson & Holland With over 25 years experience we can provide your complete site prepara�on package. No job is too big or small, so call us to discuss your requirements! HALL & BURGESS LTD General & Precision Engineers Proud to work with the team at Parkinson & Holland Ltd Providing High-Quality Solutions for Civil, Commercial, and Industrial Applications Get in Touch Phone 021636991 www.hallandburgess.co.nz
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