Business North October 2021

6 | Paving the way ahead in Northland Karen Phelps The Bascule Carpark next to Te Matau a Pohe – completed for Whangārei District Council in 2019. Whangārei: Robinson Asphalts REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Northland’s Leading Native Plant People Wholesale native plant nursery specialising in coastal and off shore island plants Our vision is to supply quality native plants. Specialising in plants for modern garden design, revegetation projects, urban development and council requirements. Site visits and planting advice can be arranged. 606 Matapouri Road • RD 3 Whangarei 0173 Phone 09 434 3971 • Email tawapou@tawapou.co.nz www.tawapou.co.nz R obinson Asphalts is currently completing its largest contract ever and one that will add significant value to the Whangārei region, says company director Annie Johnston. The company is now well underway with the construction of the new Town Basin Park for Whangārei District Council. Located next to the Canopy Bridge and the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery, the project works include a sizable lawn, terraced seating, amphitheatre and a water feature. There is also a wind sculpture, feature walls, trees and planting and new public toilets. Robinsons are also remediating the seawall and upgrading the timber boardwalk as part of the overall project. Annie says the project has special mean- ing significance for Robinsons as in the early nineties the company also constructed the majority of the original Town Basin land- scaping and timber boardwalks. She says the project has also helped the company by pro- viding certainty after the Covid-19 lockdown and has generated significant collaborative work opportunities for the region. As head contractor Robinsons has sought to employ local companies were possible. “It demonstrates that local contractors can handle specialty contracts of scale. The project shows good vision from council to invest and create jobs locally,” she says. Robinsons has also recently completed the new Town Basin Playground near the Clock Museum and the Bascule Car park and land- scaping next to Te Matau a Pohe. As a subcontractor to Trigg Construction, Robinsons is also completing the landscap- ing works for the Hundertwasser Art Centre, including the iconic planting on the roof of the building and extensive paving. Annie says all projects will bring huge amenity value to the region. “It will be an amazing area, unique to Whangārei, which will attract both locals and tourists alike. It will certainly be a major tour- ism generator for the region.” Robinson Asphalts has a long history in Northland. The company was originally started by An- nie’s parents Peter and Joan Robinson in 1972 and was purchased by Annie and husband Alan in 1992. Annie says that the company is proudly local and she and Alan are honoured to carry on the family tradition. “The emphasis at Robinsons is very much on quality. We believe in doing the job once and doing it right. We stand behind our work and people know they can count on us, which is why Robinsons has become such a trusted name,” she says. Although ‘asphalt’ is in the company name since its inception, it today offers much more than this as signified by its head contractor status on the town basin park project. Annie says that Robinsons is professional in all aspects of site and property development, offering clients a total project service from start to finish including asphalt, concrete, pav- ing, timber, retaining and fencing mediums, siteworks, landscaping and all civil contracting requirements. She says the Robinsons team operate by key values and principles including integrity and commitment: “We do the right thing. We are honest and dependable and we do what we say we’ll do. We can be counted on by our customers and by each other.” Coupled with a positive, can-do attitude and always going the extra mile for customers it’s been a recipe for success. She says Robinsons focus on building positive long-term rela- tionships with key clients such as Whangarei District Council, other government entities, builders and developers. The attitude of striving for excellence in everything has seen Robinsons the recipi- ent of multiple awards over the years. Most recently the Town Basin Playground was a finalist in the highly contested 2021 CCNZ National (Hirepool Construction Excellence) Awards under $2m category and the 2021 CCNZ Northland Construction Awards in the over $1m category. Their project undertaken for Kaipara District Council, Baylys Beach Boardwalk, won the $100-$500k Northland category. The award winning Baylys Beach Boardwalk completed for Kaipara District Council, and, below,the Town Basin Playground in Whangarei.