74 | Plains Construction T T Hugh de Lacy New blood at helm of building firm Plains Construction is changing hands with James Davidson, a former apprentice, taking over from boss Colin O’Neill. BUILDING In a classic case of the apprentice buying out the boss, James Davidson is taking over Rangiora’s Plains Construction company from Colin O’Neill, the man he served his time with. James has been with the company for eight years, and in 2021, two years after he completed his apprenticeship, he bought into it and joined Colin in re-branding as Plains Construction the business that Colin had been running under his own name, Colin O’Neill Building Ltd, for 40 years. It was a highly recognisable brand in North Canterbury and Christchurch, and Colin retains an advisory role with Plains Construction. The company is changing hands at a time when it’s running a staff of six, including an apprentice, and servicing a buoyant North Canterbury and Christchurch market that James thinks is probably the strongest in the country across both the residential and light commercial sectors. Plains Construction is active in both those markets, doing new-home builds – especially bespoke architectural ones – up-market renovations and earthquake strengthening, as well as commercial buildings, office fit-outs, and even some landscaping. James started his career studying agriculture at Lincoln University, only to hive off into exploratory drilling for gold, coal, oil and gas with the Auckland-based company Boart Longyear, working on the West Coast and at MacRaes goldmine in Otago. But building held the strongest appeal for him, and he grabbed the opportunity to do his apprenticeship with Colin. Plains Construction has plenty of work on for 2024 at its present staff levels, but James is on the lookout for new opportunities to generate a modest expansion. “Our main focus is on continuing to serve the North Canterbury and Christchurch communities while exploring new networking options with architects, designers and engineers, and supporting the North Canterbury industries that are springing up around Rangiora,” James says. A commercial project that Plains Construction recently completed was a new tilt-slab warehouse and office space for local company Steve Lees Logging on the burgeoning industrial fringes of Rangiora. The company is also nearing the completion of a two-storey bespoke house in the up-market Christchurch suburb of Merivale. With a footprint of 320m2, the house designed by Christchurch architect Case Ornsby. James expects the Canterbury construction market to remain firm for the rest of the year but he’s aware that not all of the local industry is as fully occupied as Plains Construction. “There are some areas in Christchurch where builders are looking for work, but there’s no doubt that the North Canterbury industry is thriving,” he says. This is to some extent driven by northward population and commercial drift from Christchurch all the way up through North Canterbury to Rangiora and its surrounds, and on to the equally rapidly-growing town of Amberley. “It can be a bit patchy in Christchurch, but the North Canterbury industry is strong,” James says. As the new owner of an established, albeit re-branded building company, James says his ambition is to build a family-style business that relates to and is involved in the Rangiora market especially. “There’s been quite a pronounced in-flow of people from the North Island, and especially Auckland, who have come to take advantage of the generally lower cost of housing and commercial developments down here, and North Canterbury has benefited hugely from that,” he says. KAIAPOI ALUMINIUM JOINERY LTD 1261 MAIN NORTH ROAD, KAINGA CHRISTCHURCH P.O. BOX 62 KAIAPOI 7644 TEL: 03 323 7808 | EMAIL: sales@KAJ.co.nz | www.KAJ.co.nz | K & T Drainage Registered Drainlayers FREE QUOTES SPECIALISTS IN COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC DRAINLAYING - Commercial development - New housing - Septic tank systems PHONE CH 342 3561 P.O. Box 20 126, Bishopdale Proud to Support Plains Construction Architectural design for residential and light commercial buildings, based in North Canterbury Mobile: 021 1524 384 jade@jadearchitecture.co.nz www.jadearchitecture.co.nz
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