24 | Collaboration underpins emergency response The flood responses was a massive logistical undertaking for the 250-strong Fulton Hogan team. Fulton Hogan - Nelson T T Kim Bowden REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT When hundreds of kilometres of the region’s roads closed due to slips and floodwater caused by backto-back severe weather events in mid-2025, Gavin Stobie didn’t have to wait for a phone call to know there was trouble. Gavin’s the regional manager for Fulton Hogan Nelson, and his team manages the NZTA highway maintenance contract. He describes his crews as “the eyes and ears” of the roading network. While the rest of the region hunkered down, Gavin and his workers mobilised to stitch the district’s “lifelines” back together and reconnect communities. “Our initial task was to get some form of access...for those communities and freight... which we managed within a couple of days,” he says. It was a massive logistical undertaking that required the 250-strong Fulton Hogan team to pivot from steady maintenance to emergency response work. A unique local civil construction sector that blurs the lines between competitor and partner helped, as did Fulton Hogan’s 40-year history in the area. “We have a lot of subcontractors that we’ve built long-term relationships with over many years...we do a lot of reciprocal trade,” Gavin says. “They could be another competitor — they might buy our aggregates, perhaps — then, in times like flooding and so forth, we can return that favour and get them to have a digger and truck clearing slips.” That local spend is significant. While the brand is national, the Nelson operation injects between $60 million and $70 million annually into local suppliers and subbies. “Plus, we employ and support 250 staff and their families,” Gavin says. There is wide scope to their projects; the team manages everything from the Nelson water treatment plant and complex bridge builds to quarries and asphalt production. They currently have 15 to 20 projects running concurrently, backed by a fleet that sees about $3 million in new plant investment every year. “We do anything from building a private driveway right up to...the $20 million plus infrastructure project,” Gavin says. But despite the heavy machinery and the high-tech GPS equipment now standard in the cabs, Gavin is clear about what keeps the business running — the people. It’s a tight labour market, and retaining staff means offering more than just a competitive wage — it’s medical insurance, share schemes, and a culture that respects the physical reality of the job. There is a healthy, humorous respect for the divide between the air-conditioned office and the worksites. “I would say, roughly 70 percent are in the field doing the ‘real’ work,” Gavin says. Gavin is quick to point out, however, that everyone has got their role to play in making sure they are a trusted delivery partner. The mandate now shifts to resilience. When government agencies and clients demand infrastructure capable of withstanding future events, Fulton Hogan is a critical part of the design equation, with decades of on-theground, regional knowledge to tap into. “We work with the client and the designers to find the best value — balancing efficiency and cost,” Gavin says. “It may be using local materials or using a certain type of equipment that we’ve got locally, rather than having to pull something in from the other side of New Zealand.” Ching Contracting BUI LDING OUR FUTURE IN NELSON & TASMAN Civil Infrastructure Specialists • Subdivisions • Wastewater • Stormwater • PotableWater • PE PipeWelding • Bulk Earthworks • Metalcourse Construction admin@chings.co.nz +64 (3) 547 4516 www.chings.co.nz 12 Echodale Place, Stoke, Nelson 027 453 3246 027453 3034 Kerbing specialists, General Concrete work Phone Chris Trathen or Craig Ingham chris@notjustconcrete.co.nz craig@notjustconcrete.co.nz PO Box 3555 Richmond Our Compliments to Fulton Hogan Nelson Tasman Damwatch Engineering Ltd has worked closely with Fulton Hogan during the successful construction of the recently completed 53 metre high Waimea Community Dam. Damwatch is an engineering consultancy specialising in dam engineering and dam safety. We have a track record in successfully evaluating and developing solutions for critical hydro and water storage infrastructure projects throughout New Zealand and internationally. To support our clients in the South Island, we have opened of ces in Richmond and Christchurch. The Damwatch team supports our clients with concept design development through consenting and detailed design to construction supervision, commissioning and with ongoing dam safety support during the lifespan of these vital assets. Damwatch is well placed to support farmers and landowners achieve compliance with the regulatory requirements and deadlines set out in the recent Building (Dam Safety) Regulations. Contact: Steve McInerney | Business Development Manager Tel: 04 381 1300 | Email: info@damwatch.co.nz DAMWATCH ENGINEERING www.damwatch.co.nz
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