34 | Southland: Southern Stone and Timber Russell Fredric Pebbles white gold for thriving business SST’s Kim Drain and Nathan Diack inspecting Southern Gold pebble. “It’s also unique in that most pebbles aren’t as naturally smooth and round as our pebbles because they come out of ancient glacial riverbeds.” to page 36 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A Company 48 Mangawhero Road, Matamata 3400, New Zealand www. +64 7 881 9188 Southern Stone & Timber - Screening Plant Rocktec is a proud supply partner to Southern Stone & Timber and we congratulate them on being awarded a major finalist in the 2022 Southland Export Awards. Rocktec Avalanche Extra Heavy Duty Screen Delivering engineered solutions for over 30 years with our in-house design and manufacturing expertise. Rocktec provides materials handling plant and specialist equipment for both local and international customers. Design & Build Materials handling Environmental Service A unique resource of pebbles extracted from one of New Zealand’s southern-most shores is proving to be white gold for Southern Stone & Timber (SST). Established in 2005 and part owned by John and Kim Drain, the Southland company’s core business is the global supply of unique decorative aggregates, largely for swimming pools, flooring, counter tops and landscape markets as well as for aquariums from its site in Awarua Bay. Ownership of the company is shared by Turley International Resources (TIR) of Mesa, Arizona, which specializes in locating and importing aggregates from around the world as well as Fairfield TIR New Zealand Ltd. John and Kim have known TIR’s founder Laurence Turley for many years. “Laurence was already down here and John was already selling pebbles through the other company, so we’ve actually known Laurence for the last 22-23 years,” Kim says. SST has progressively upgraded its plant which incorporates screening, washing and drying facilities and is capable of processing 100 tonnes of aggregate an hour at peak capacity, supplied either bagged or loose. Its 43 hectare site yields a highly sought-after brilliant white, naturally smooth pebble dubbed Awarua White/Glacier Blue. When wet, the pebbles tend towards blue hues. John said, “It’s also unique in that most pebbles aren’t as naturally smooth and round as our pebbles because they come out of ancient glacial riverbeds.
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