114 | Arrowsmith Ltd T T Hugh de Lacy Tauranga firm thrives on diversity Arrowsmith has carved out slices of both the residential and commercial building sectors, rounding out its work portfolio with high-profile heritage projects. BUILDING Pitching itself as a full-service construction company, Tauranga’s Arrowsmith Ltd has grown since its founding by Blair Arrowsmith and wife Sue in 1997 to become one of the Bay of Plenty’s leading builders. With a current workforce of 65 throughout the Bay of Plenty and eastern Waikato, and with a head office in Roxanne Place, Tauranga, and a branch office in Whitianga, Arrowsmith has carved out slices of both the residential and commercial building sectors, rounding out its work portfolio with high-profile heritage projects. Managing Director Blair Arrowsmith is a qualified carpenter – he came out of his time in 1985 – and he made the company’s mark by providing clients with cost-effective solutions. Today, with 36 years in the industry behind him, he manages the company’s commercial maintenance division while having a consulting role in the project management of all of Arrowsmith’s projects. Among his past achievements was managing the construction of the America’s Cup headquarters in Auckland, along with large projects for the likes of the Ministry of Education, Fuller Ferries, Nissan NZ and Gilette NZ. He’s one of four hands-on directors, the others being Ryan Pratt, Logan Basham and Aaron Hill, with a combined 70 years’ experience in construction, and despite the struggles the industry is currently facing, Arrowsmith is on the road to further expansion which may include an upgrade of its base premises in the near future. The initial work is underway to make that move, but the company’s not yet ready to make an announcement about it. The company’s services extend to commercial and residential alterations and additions, renovations and earthquake strengthening, and its heritage work has seen it complete major upgrades of some of Tauranga’s oldest buildings. These include the earthquake strengthening of what was once the Commercial Hotel, built in the early 1900s, that now serves as a backpackers’ hostel. Then there was the restoration of the Holy Trinity Church which had been built in the 1950s and which required a nearly complete re-build, right down to re-installing the original stained glass windows. Aaron Hill sees the construction industry as being in the throes of a period in which it’s pursuing gains in productivity and efficiency, with associated pain and a reduction in the workload. “Interest rates have made it difficult to borrow, which makes it difficult to build, and the Crown entities, which are New Zealand’s biggest developers, have significantly reduced their volume of projects, and this has placed a lot of pressure on building companies,” he says. “We are seeing a lot of good Kiwi builders heading off to Australia, so when the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates, inevitably resulting in a market rebound, the market may be limited by the scarcity of skilled labour. “To address this we are focused on retaining our skilled labour using a range of incentives. “We’re in the situation where the government wants to reduce construction costs, and while the cost of materials has inflated by around 40% since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, comparatively labour rates for builders have barely moved over the last 20 years,” Aaron says. “The Government is looking at eliminating barriers to using overseas building products to make it easier and more affordable to build in New Zealand. “This is exciting news as most people that head down to their local hardware store will see the prices always increasing, so more competition should help drive prices down. “We are always looking for new ways to keep the prices down for our clients, and we’ve found some of the new technologies particularly effective without compromising quality,” he says. Your COMMERCIAL FLOORING SPECIALISTS Call us on 07 571 1114 today. carpet, f loors &more Cnr 11th Ave & Cameron Rd, Tauranga www.theflooringroom.co.nz We proudly support Arrowsmith Builders Email: info@sca oldsystems.co.nz Call: 027 433 3433 Sca olding Mobiles Edge Protection Shrink Wraps We’re proud to support Arrowsmith Builders
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