Business South November 2021

70 | BUILDING Central Otago: Niche Design and Construction Teamwork key to Hawea firm’s success T Kim Newth Hawea-based Niche Design & Construction offers a comprehensive home build service, from new homes to renovations, and is experienced in commercial builds. F ostering positive relationships at work and with clients, community and the environment is where the job satisfaction comes from for Kawhata and Amy Williams, who are proud to have been named as win- ners at the 2021 Te Kupeka Umaka Māori ki Araiteuru (KUMA) Māori Business Awards. These awards honour resilience, collabora- tion and business success for Māori business- es in Otago, Southland and the Queenstown Lakes District. Niche Design & Construction, owned and operated by Kawhata and Amy, won the 2021 KUMA Employment and Growth Award. Hawea-based, Niche has been building Wanaka homes for five years. Winning the KUMA Employment and Growth award is an acknowledgement of how the company has successfully managed growth while modelling te ao Māori in busi- ness relationships. Everyone on the Niche team is involved in decision-making and team members are en- couraged to share their whakaaro (thoughts) as part of day to day work on site. “We aim to foster a sense of whanaungatan- ga, where every employee sees themselves as a valuable part of the team,” explains Kawha- ta, of Ngā Puhi descent. “Amy and I focus on creating a culture of ‘we and not me’ as collaboration is paramount in the making of a successful team.” Along with that focus on positive team building, manaakitanga deeply infuses the Niche culture of welcome and respect for work colleagues, clients and industry partners. As first time entrants in the KUMA awards, Kawhata and Amy have been humbled by their success. Their experience since joining the Māori Business Network has been all positive and they highly recommend it to others. “We’ve been amazed at how much encouragement and support we’ve had,” says Amy. Niche Design & Construction offers a comprehensive home build service, from new homes to renovations, and is experienced in commercial builds. Kawhata and Amy each bring complementa- ry skills to the business, which has a respected reputation for quality, craftsmanship and great service. Kawhata grew up immersed in the building industry from a young age. This naturally paved the way to his building apprenticeship and subsequent career as a Master Builder and business owner. “We aim to foster a sense of whanaungatanga, where every employee sees themselves as a valuable part of the team.” Amy, who is Design Director at Niche, grad- uated as a designer in the early 2000’s and has loved becoming involved in whole house design since Niche starting doing their own developments several years ago. Their portfolio includes stunning architec- tural homes. One current project is a first for New Zealand, involving the construction of a healthy home using no nails or glue with the key building material being beautiful panels of Lunar Wood (cut during a waning moon to imbue the timber with additional strength). Niche developments is also busy building quality homes that are ideal for those wanting to be involved in a new home build without the pressure of too many decisions. (Niche organises the section and house plan and Amy guides the design and finishing process). The team has recently completed two such beautiful home at Sentinel Park, Lake Hawea and has a third in the pipeline. Amy and Kawhata enjoy the process of buying land, finalising the home design and then see- ing that through to completion. “We’ve found that experience really beneficial - it has helped us to grow personally and professionally,” says Kawhata. As Amy observes, it has honed their un- derstanding of what clients go through in the build process and the tremendous emotional investment involved. Home renovation projects are also wel- comed by Niche, whose team relishes the challenges that come with renewing older homes and giving them a new lease of life. Last year’s lockdown brought a surge of demand in the local building market. Kawhata and Amy are positive about market prospects ahead following this latest lockdown and are looking forward to continuing with their inspiring line-up of new home and renovation projects. Phone 03 249 4339 or call Simon 022 6046305 Location 10 Caswell Road, Te Anau Email fiordlandjoinery@gmail.com w w w . f i o r d l a n d j o i n e r y . c o . n z We offer a highly skilled and experienced joinery service with craft and creativity at the heart of all of our projects. Kitchen Joinery Stairwells Wardrobes & cabinetry Pre-hung Doors Bathroom Vanities, Laundries Your kitchen specialist Proud to support Niche Design & Construction