| 53 T T Rosa Watson A big office revamp for Baxter & Neilson team Baxter & Neilson employs 10 staff, including two apprentices, and carries out a wide range of work, from domestic and commercial to industrial projects. Baxter & Neilson Plumbers CONTRACTING BAXTER & NEILSON PLUMBERS lj8ljlj ƑƁƑ ƁƆŏ of Master Plumbers Membership! Congratulations Baxter & Neilson Plumbers on your Milestone Award for 40 years Masterlink is delighted to support owners Nathan and Theresa Holdaway in the excellent work they do in training New Zealand’s next generation of plumbers, gasfitters & drainlayers Baxter & Neilson turns keen apprentices into outstanding tradespeople, continuing the legacy of previous owner and Master Plumbers Life Member Ray Galt Masterlink is New Zealand’s only national group training organisation specialising in the plumbing industry Contact us if you would like to become an apprentice or take one on in your business Visit masterlink.co.nz An Invercargill-based plumbing firm that has been in business for over 100 years has once again been recognised by the Master Plumbers Membership Milestone Award. Master Plumbers Membership Awards are awarded for continuity of membership in ten-year blocks, and this year the company received its 40-year-award. Baxter & Neilson Plumbers was started by George Baxter in the late 1800s. He then went into partnership with Andy Neilson in around 1930, calling the business Baxter and Neilson. Andy finally bought George out of the business in 1939 when they completed the then new Southland Girls High School in Tweed Street. Today the company employs 10 staff, including two apprentices, and carries out a wide range of work, from domestic and commercial to industrial projects. Owner Nathan Holdaway said this included tap washers to drainage, roofing to water protection, sheet metal to hot water systems, gas fitting to renovations. He said fault finding was one of the most rewarding aspects in plumbing - finding and fixing problems that others can’t. One of the company’s biggest projects recently has been Recycle South’s silage wrap/ plastic recycling plant. “Being part of a design and build water and wastewater system has been highly motivating and rewarding, being able to work through different aspects of a huge plant.” The company has been a Rheem service centre for 40 years and have been service agents for different plumbing suppliers over the years. Nathan and his wife Theresa have just given Baxter & Neilson a big office revamp and new computer software system, which had helped boost business, including job cards that are now directly sent to the technician’s phone, and once the job is completed the office know before the technician has left the job site. “This is boosting efficiency. With everything cloud-based now days the business can run from anywhere.” Nathan and Theresa have big visions for Baxter & Neilson’s future, but Nathan said one of the company’s biggest attributes were its staff and clients. “At Baxter & Neilson we pride ourselves on always being professional. Every client is always treated with professionalism and courtesy from a little client with a tap washer problem to multi-million dollar clients.” Nathan said like most trades, there were challenges around staff shortages. “Finding tradesmen is difficult, so training apprentices is really the only way of getting tradesmen.” They currently host two Masterlink apprentices. Receiving the Master Plumbers Membership Award showed the commitment of Baxter & Neilson Plumbers to belong to an organisation with high values and expectations of its members. Nathan himself started as an employee during the big frosts of 1996, and eventually he and Theresa bought the business in 2022 The company has changed hands a number of times over the years. Andy Neilson ran the business, with son Peter completing his apprenticeship there. His other son, John, worked as a sheet metal apprenticeship and later worked with his father and brother as an apprentice plumber. John and Peter took over the business when Andy retired, continuing on until selling in 1993 to Ray and Trish Galt. It was then the company was named Baxter & Neilson Plumbers Ltd, and the company received the 30-award, even though Baxter and Neilson had been a member since Master Plumbers was formed in 1901. George Baxter was a member, attending national conferences and serving as Master Plumbers national president from 1930 to 1932. Ray Galt also served as national president from 2011-13. With each name or ownership structure change, the Master Plumbers membership is restarted. “Being part of a design and build water and wastewater system has been highly motivating and rewarding....”
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