| 107 BUILDING Oceanside Builds ïññğóöõğñô÷ø ´}Ñ }´ķËÖÄdzË}º®ĄºĄ´ë 7946)1) N = 1 Design & Installation of Stone, Porcelain, Mosaic & Ceramic Tiles. 021 844 934 hello@tileco.co.nz • Residential & Commercial Tile Installation • Underfloor Heating tileco.co.nz Apprentice makes his mark Oceanside Builds Ross Pirie placed third in the regional Master Builders Apprentice of the Year competition. T T Kelly Deeks “I’m really happy with where we are, and I just want a really well-oiled machine where the work comes from referrals because of the quality we produce.” A young apprentice’s third-place finish in the Master Builders Apprentice of the Year competition is highlighting both the strong training focus at Mount Maunganui building company Oceanside Builds, and the calibre of builders it has developed. Twenty-one-year-old Ross Pirie placed third in the regional competition, with judges praising his understanding of project scope, planning, health and safety, and structural challenges. Oceanside Builds director Will Salwey says Ross stood out as a winner from the first time he saw him working on site. Ross was working for his father, also a builder, when Will encountered him on a commercial project. Ross was meticulously cleaning four levels of a large concrete building, putting in more effort than any of the other people around him. “I was looking at starting my own business and I asked him if he would be interested in coming on board,” Will says. “He was my first employee.” Now in his third year of his apprenticeship, Ross had completed some training with his father before moving to Oceanside Builds. Will says his attitude made him an obvious choice to enter the competition. “It’s fairly easy to find a good builder, but it’s very hard to find a good apprentice,” he says. “Ross is like a sponge. He soaks up everything I can give him.” The competition involved four stages testing different areas of construction knowledge and practical ability. Ross performed particularly strongly in the practical challenge, finishing in the top five, while his in-depth knowledge of the project helped him during the site walkthrough. The judges also noted that Ross is already trusted to run jobs and contribute ideas independently. Will says the consent component was more challenging because it covered areas outside the apprentice’s day-to-day experience, but Ross enjoyed the competition overall. His entry was based on a substantial conversion of an American-style barn into a two-storey, high-end home. The project presented plenty of detailed challenges, with Ross acting as Will’s leading man and taking responsibility for much of the work. Training apprentices has been a long-standing priority for Will, who estimates he has trained about 10 during his career. Oceanside Builds was established in 2023 after he spent years working as a lead foreman on high-end residential projects, and the company now has five people. The business is operating in a quieter residential construction market, with renovations and extensions, traditionally a significant part of its workload, currently harder to secure. Will says clients are cautious with their money, while increased competition means pricing is under pressure. He is focused on maintaining the company’s standards rather than growing it substantially. “We’re not trying to be a really big company,” Will says. “I’m really happy with where we are, and I just want a really well-oiled machine where the work comes from referrals because of the quality we produce.” Client communication is central to that approach, with Oceanside Builds involving clients early in design development, providing regular updates during construction, and carrying out quality checks at handover. Will says having reliable people is equally important, particularly for a young and growing company. “When you’ve got good people like Ross on site, everyone else tries to mirror them, and you get a really high-functioning team,” he says. With Ross demonstrating that approach at just 21, Will sees the apprentice’s award result as recognition of both his ability and the culture Oceanside Builds is building around training and quality.
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