Business North November 2021

82 | “Finding the right location to drill the bore is mostly done through our local knowledge of the area. When we find water and the farmer sees water coming out of the bore, there’s the most relieved look on his face.” Barham United Welldrillers CONTRACTING Water well drilling specialist ups ante T Richard Loader Mike and his team operate throughout the Waikato and King Country, into the Bay of Plenty and all the Coromandel. S tarting his drilling career in 1971 as a young man, veteran water well drilling specialist Mike Ormsby recalls the days when shorts, jandals and a tee-shirt were the order of the day manning a rig. Much has changed in Mike’s illustrious fifty year career within the industry, not the least of which has been the protective clothing, now a must on site. “The basic principle of drilling bores hasn’t changed much over the years, but we’ve gone from mechanically driven Kelly rigs to hydrau- lically driven rigs — that’s been the biggest change,” says Mike. “There has also been the introduction of new drilling bits and techniques, which has advanced the drilling industry significantly. The advent of mobile phones has made a big difference with communication on site. Nowadays if a staff member has a problem out in the field they can call and get advice, which has improved our efficiency.” Along with Ted Barham, Mike founded Barham United Welldrillers in 1981, specialis- ing in drilling waterbores around the Waikato region. After operating the business with Ted for fifteen years, Mike began to increase his shareholding until he became the sole owner. Based in Te Awamutu, in the heart of dairy farming country, Mike and his team operate throughout the Waikato and King Country, into the Bay of Plenty and all the Coromandel. “Who ever needs water we’ve drilled for them including farmers, local maraes, councils and community suppliers — you name it. “Our main customers are from the region’s diverse farming community.” Barham United Welldrillers extensive equip- ment list includes a big Hydrapower Explorer rig that runs 12000kgs of pullback. There is a Bournedrill THD25 that drills a 200mm hole down to 300 metres and a Hy- drapower Scout that will safely take a 200mm hole to 200 metres. “I have a Failing 500 — that’s what they call a Kelly Rig and I have a Hanjin D&B 8, that will take a 100mm hole to 200 metres. That’s our only track mounted rig, all the rest are truck mounted.” Barham United’s biggest hole bored by volume was 350mm diameter by 140 metres deep but a standout was the hotwater bore- hole drilled at the Baywave Aquatic & Leisure Centre at Mount Maunganui two years ago. “That was 492 metres in depth and 200mm diametre and took over a month to drill. Another standout job would be at Waikeria Prison where we drilled a 304mm hole to a depth of 140 metres to provide good quality drinking water. “We achieved excellent quality and flow and that water will be used to feed into the prison.” Drilling waterbores to irrigate Kiwifruit farms, provide pasture and crop management keeps Barham United busy and the company currently has six jobs on its books for Kiwifruit orchardists wanting water for irrigation. “A lot of our work is for farmers needing stock water. Finding the right location to drill the bore is mostly done through our local knowledge of the area. “When we find water and the farmer sees water coming out of the bore, there’s the most relieved look on his face. “We provide water bores for all sorts of processing plants and one of the big ones we look after is Ingham Enterprises’ processing plant in Waitoa. “Lifestyle block owners are also becoming an increasing source of business.” Mike rates the quality of his team members for the success of Barham United Welldrillers and says until retirement two of his people had been with him for thirty years. “A lot of it has been employing the right people and giving them the freedom to do what is required. “Generally, when people leave the yard to do a job they’re in charge of the machine. Building strong customer relationships has also been key and I have some wonderful customers. “I have people who just call me and say, ‘Mike, I need a bore drilled,’ — they don’t ask how deep it will be or how much it will cost. You have to be prepared to go the extra mile for customers quite regularly. Over the years Mike has been very involved in the New Zealand Drillers Federation and was President for three years. A few years ago he was involved in the development of standard NZS4411, which sets out the minimum national environmental performance requirements for the drilling of soil and rock. “I love what I do. There’s a very strong fu- ture in New Zealand for drilling, though we are going to have some challenges with impend- ing changes to three waters that we will have to meet.” HARTY MECHANICAL Diesel Mechanical Repairs 021 985 395 Office 07 871 8203 136 Harrison Drive, Te Awamutu hartymech a xtra.co.nz P. 07 871 3288 W. www.waipahire.co.nz Mon-Fri 7.00am - 5.30pm Sat 8.00am - 5.00pm