| 117 Hurunui dedicated to farmers Andy has over ten years experience as an agricultural helicopter pilot. Karen Phelps • from page 116 RURAL SERVICES » Grieves Construction & Hurunui Helicopters Hurunui Helicopters specialises in agriculture. This means every available opportunity is spent servicing farmers. “It’s literally all we do,” says company pilot/owner Andy Toomer. “Farmers are copping it from all angles in the current climate and we want them to know they are important. Being 100% dedicated to the rural sector farmers know when they call Hurunui Helicopters they are our priority. Being based on the Hurunui River and working in the district day in day out we can be responsive to their needs, offering an efficient, quick, cost effective service,” he says. Andy, who has over ten years experience as an agricultural helicopter pilot, started Hurunui Helicopters in 2017 with wife Nikola. At the time there was no one offering a dedicated service that was based in the area so they identified a gap in the market for a dedicated agricultural company. Hurunui Helicopters has since grown through offering a good service at a great price - fixed hectare rates with no hidden costs. It operates two helicopters employing one other COVID has had a part to play in this.” Keeping their design and consenting processes in house means there are less delays at the beginning of the project, the design can be altered and moved around quickly without having to engage an outside contractor. This also means the client can be confident the builders onsite have easy access to the design team throughout the project. Now, looking back on COVID Todd acknowledges, like many building entities, there wasn’t initially much work going on, however once the sector began to wake up again, driven by consumer demand there’s been solid demand for their services. Doing their bit to help bring on the next generation of builders Grieve Construction currently employs three apprentices, two in their first year and one nearing the end of his time. Asked for comment regarding the apprenticeship programme Todd says it is a good system. “BCITO is very good at helping with the written side and engaging with employers around when an apprentice has attained the necessary skill levels and experiences.”Ashburton has a number of building businesses based there, each experiencing similar market conditions. This brings about its own set of challenges. “It isn’t difficult to find apprentices at the moment, with the Government support offered, however that has to be balanced with enough qualified on-site builders to train them day in day out. Everyone in town is advertising for qualified staff at this time.” • to page 118 New Zealand’s leading and largest supplier of building materials and hardware. PLACEMAKERS ASHBURTON ARE PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING GRIEVES CONSTRUCTION Phone: 03 466 5062 25 Mailer Street, Mornington, Dunedin www.yardleylo.co.nz Dunedin: 25 Mailer Street, Mornington www.yardleylo.co.nz Helping your business stack up Yardley Lo Specialise in a range of Accounting services - from Farm Accountancy to Tax solutions. Get in touch with the team today! . On the Farm Mobile Service for all your Tyre requirements No job too BIG or SMALL. 0800 484 725
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