Business Rural Summer 2021

| 81 and food industries RURAL SERVICES » Hooked On Engineering Servicing all your electrical needs Proudly supporting Hooked on Engineering Call Michael today! 03 579 4488 or 027 373 4322 The team members with fabrication back- grounds give Hooked On Engineering the ability to turn out components quickly and efficiently, while the team members with machining backgrounds are at home in the machine shop, turning out a good quality product on the machines or the lathe. Jarrod’s background in marine engineering makes him a good all-rounder. “In marine engineering, you can look after everything from pumps and filtration, right through to mechanical engineering and welding. When you’re on the ship or in the dockyard, you have to be a one stop shop. I’ve picked up a broad range of engineering skills and these transfer across to general and maintenance engineering work.” As one of the major players in Marlborough’s thriving wine industry, Hooked On Engineering has a very busy autumn season every year, as hundreds of thousands of tons of grapes are being harvested throughout the district. “During harvest time, we provide seven days a week, 24 hours a day cover for the wineries. We do some big hours but it is quite rewarding at the end of it when we see all the wineries getting their wine in. It’s great to be able to keep everyone running.” Hooked On Engineering has continued to grow since Covid, particularly immediately after our first lockdown in March 2020. Demand for mainte- nance engineering services crept up and has held steady, as procurement of imported machinery is no longer as quick or easy as it once was. “People haven’t been able to buy new equipment and get it here straight away, so for us things have changed from clients replacing their equipment to keeping it running for a while longer.” Jarrod made a big decision in December 2019 which has also helped to grow Hooked On Engineering, when he bought out an existing winery maintenance engineering firm he had contracted to. He almost regretted such a big call when Covid hit three months later, but it turned out to be the right one. Now being a good employer is key. “Sometimes as a small business you can’t pay as much as some of the bigger corporates, so a good working environment and keeping staff happy is all part of the package. We are all pretty like-minded here, so we’ve created a real team culture, and our work is so varied it keeps everyone interested. Our staff are the core of our business, and with the labour pool so affected by Covid, keeping a good team on board is key to anyone’s success at the moment.” As one of the major players in Marlborough’s thriving wine industry, Hooked On Engineering has a very busy autumn season every year. F armers and growers are demonstrating their commitment to the environment by achieving record-breaking volumes of recycling through the rural recycling programme, Agrecovery. A staggering 532 tonnes of plastic, from used agrichemical containers, was collected from Agre- covery’s sites, events and via on-farm pick-ups over the past year. This represents a 32 percent increase and is “a massive leap from the 405 tonnes col- lected the previous year,” says Agrecovery Chief Executive Tony Wilson. “Like most consumers, farmers and growers are often left with plastic packaging and they don’t want it to end up in landfill or release emissions by burning it. They are motivated to do the right thing – and the best thing is to turn it into a resource that doesn’t get wasted,” Wilson says. The plastic that Agrecovery collects is shredded, cleaned and broken down into a resin before being made into materials like cable cover and damp course – a building material to prevent rising damp. These products are sold locally for locals, “it’s a great example of a circular economy,” says Wilson. Wilson says that because the whole recycling process is done in New Zealand, “we use fewer emissions than shipping the plastic offshore, we reuse the materials, and our programme has the added bonus of supporting the local economy. It’s a win-win,” he says. “Farmers are under increasing pressure to meet regulatory requirements and face increasing con- sumer scrutiny. We are proud to be able to offer a service to help meet some of those demands.” Rural recycling rockets into record figures They are also asking Agrecovery to collect other plastic packaging as well. “We’ve heard their call and are starting to collect soft plastics like LDPE bags.” “Our goal is to collect all types of farm plastics. Our High-density polyethylene (HDPE) recycling is well established and it’s time to tackle other plastic types. “We want to raise the game to achieve better environmental outcomes for rural communities by removing plastic from farms,” says Wilson. The Agrecovery Product Stewardship Scheme is focused on providing an easy and convenient scheme for farmers and growers that meets the needs of the Government and the brands that fund the programme. “Supporting farmers to preserve the environment by providing alternatives to the harmful disposal practices of burning, burying and stock-piling of waste is vital for the future of New Zealand. “As a not-for-profit organisation, we are ide- ally suited to lead the charge on this and provide solutions for our farmers and growers in their role as kaitiakitanga – being good stewards of the land. We are backed by industry, manufacturers, retailers, distributors and farmers and growers. Agrecovery recycles more than half of the ag- richemical containers and drum plastic sold in the New Zealand market. Those manufacturers who participate in the programme pay a voluntary levy to support the recycling of the containers and recovery of any end of life product – at no cost to the farmer. Collected plastic containers await recycling in Hawke’s Bay. “Our goal is to collect all types of farm plastics. Our High-density polyethylene (HDPE) recycling is well established and it’s time to tackle other plastic types. We want to raise the game to achieve better environmental outcomes for rural communities by removing plastic from farms.”