52 | T T Hugh de Lacy Rural base suits problem-solving surveyor One of his recent jobs was on a 1200ha high country farm in the Kaikoura region. CONTRACTING Datum Surveying The beginnings of an agriculture-driven economic surge in Canterbury has Swannanoa surveyor Tim Hastings looking to take on more of the problem-solving and community-focused projects that got his three-year-old Datum Surveying firm started – and growing. Tim takes delight in his rural, home-based business – he has three young kids and can hear the birds singing – as much of his work is in land development, with an emphasis on rural projects that can often cover large areas.. “My favourite part of the job is getting out and talking to people and trying to resolve issues,” he says. “I do a lot of two- and three-lot rural subdivisions across Canterbury, with the work mostly in the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts; however, jobs come in from Hanmer and Kaikoura down to Ashburton and Methven. “While about 60% of my work is out in rural Canterbury, the remaining 40% is in Christchurch for developers and builders. The construction market is still pretty variable, but a lot of jobs that have been sitting for a while are starting to come along now, and personally I’ve got loads of work on,” Tim says. The ‘Datum’ in the company name is a surveying term for a reference point or surface used as a starting point for measuring positions on the earth’s surface, and often the phone call to the surveyor is the start of a development project. Typical of the work Datum Surveying attracts is a recently completed 18-lot Belgrave Drive subdivision on the northern side of Rangiora. “It was an interesting project involving complex easements and servicing requirements, and it was satisfying to be able to provide a good solution for the developer,” Tim says. One of his recent jobs was on a 1200ha high country farm in the Kaikoura region, where the farmer client was subdividing to allow for forestry conversion of one half of it, while he continued to farm the other. “It was challenging, because the plans I had to work with were all pre-1900, but I really enjoyed being up there in the bush,” Tim says. Tim got into surveying partly on the recommendation of his careers counsellor at school, and partly because the indoor-outdoor nature of the work was particularly appealing. “I graduated in 2011 and went to work for a succession of companies to gain as wide an experience as possible before launching out on my own,” he says. Back home in Canterbury, he worked first for Davie Lovell-Smith, Calibre Consulting and Fraser Thomas firms, alongside a year contracting for Ashburton Contracting Ltd (ACL). Tim says the decision to start his own surveying company was strongly influenced by his having a young family, and wanting to work from home so he could spend as much time as possible with them. “While also avoiding the hour-long commute back and forth into Christchurch every day”. After three years of Datum Surveying being a sole trader operation, Tim says that he is now eyeing expansion by hiring a licensed cadastral surveyor (LCS) to join him in the business. Altra Planning delivers expert planning services nationwide, supporting everything from small projects through to large-scale developments. We handle multi-unit builds, subdivisions, commercial activities and more — making the resource consent process smooth, efficient and stress-free. 027 813 6098 allie@altraplanning.co.nz Christchurch, New Zealand www.altraplanning.co.nz From concept to consent – planning made simple.
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