Business Rural Summer 2021

64 | High Country Contracting has grown High Country Contracting’s spray truck and crew on the job. Sue Russell H igh Country Contracting Ltd, now based in Pleasant Point and Mosgiel, was established seven years ago to provide a raft of animal and plant pest control services, as well as land and vegetation restoration. Gerrit Roux is the company’s Contracts Manager, taking care of the necessary documentation and procedural compliances to ensure that projects tak- en up run smoothly, following all health and safety protocols demanded of this specialised industry. Now, seven years later, from small beginnings, the team has grown to 40 field operators and a strong management team. “We do a lot of competitive tendering to secure ongoing work. This is a very competitive environ- ment, however, we believe our highly innovative focussed approach sets us apart from the rest. We’re proud of our track-record to date and the consistently excellent standard of work we deliver,” Gerrit says. Working often in hostile, remote locations calls for highly evolved operating systems. Gerrit works closely with the company’s Operations Managers, Tim Butcher and Blake Clinch. “We’re out there in the back country all year round, undertaking a large range of environmentally essential tasks, including dealing, for instance with the spread of wilding pines, which really threaten fragile eco-systems and farmland. They suck a lot of water out of the ground, making growing conditions for native species challenging.” Animal pests such as possums, wallaby, deer and goats require teams of specialised professionals to deal with through trapping, poisoning and shooting. Gerrit says wallaby in particular are a huge pest in the South Canterbury and Otago high country spaces. “The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has recently released funding for a coordinated ap- proach lead by Regional Councilsto deal with the explosion of wallaby populations as wallaby are an agricultural pest, consuming large quantities of pas- ture. We adopt the approach that where there are really low numbers we want to search and eradicate all wallaby before they get a chance to establish.” RURAL SERVICES » High Country Contracting High Country Contracting staff utilise drones with thermal cameras to locate the position of animals which may extend over vast areas of land. The technology has proven itself, even equipped with spotlights and zoom cameras for working in the dark, given most of the pest species we deal with are nocturnal animals. Proud to provide business advisory and governance support to High Country Contracting Timaru: ww Andrew Johnstone - Director w.solveca.co.nz RANGER 1000 EPS PREMIUM 3.99% FINANCE P.A. + $23,495 INC GST $1,500 FREE ACCESSORIES ^ On farm service available • Breakdown service available PROUD SUPPORTERS OF HIGH COUNTRY CONTRACTING CALL GEOFF 02 7435 2614 OR CALEB 02 7435 2616 *Offer ends 31/12/21 or while stocks last. Offer only available at participating Polaris Dealers. Not valid with any other offer. Excludes fleet clients. ^Accessories offer only valid with the purchase of a new MY21 Ranger 1000 EPS Premium. +Finance offer is only available on selected models. GST registered customers only. 24-month term contract. 20% Deposit required. Deposit may include Trade (Trade conditions apply). Fees and conditions apply (normal lending criteria applies) Finance is provided by Polaris Finance, a program operated by De Lage Landen Limited Company No 135515.