Hawke’s Bay builders do it for the kids

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The Hawkes Bay’s Registered Master Builders and Certified Builders recently came together to take on the enormous challenge of erecting five buildings from the ground up in just six days, all for a very worthy cause.

 

The “Trucking for Hawke’s Bay Child Cancer Charitable Trust” was overwhelmed by the response from the community in support of the $1.3 million Little Elms Charity House project.

 

The project consisted of a house situated behind the regional hospital in Hastings, plus three separate units, an office block, three two-unit chalets and a separate respite house.

 

The Little Elms complex will provide accommodation and hospice facilities for children with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses and their families.

 

The project was a completely co-operative effort between Registered Master Builders and Certified Builders, and was the first time the two membership organisations have worked side by side on a project of this kind.

 

“They all worked extremely well together. At the end of the day, they were all passionate about doing something for a good cause,” according to project manager and Carters Napier manager Peter Edwards.

 

These kinds of projects are a great way for a community to come together and this was no exception, with local businesses and schools giving financial support and also providing much needed nourishment for the building team on-site.

 

There were a couple of important positive outcomes for this project. First, the entire job was completed within just six days and, second, the quality of the work was exceptional, given the short time frame.

 

“It was a testament to the high calibre and professionalism of the builders involved,” Mr Edwards says.

 

“They worked through gale-force winds and rain in the first two days to make sure everything was completed on time. The weather was a major issue at first but it didn’t faze them. They did a sterling job throughout and the finished product is second to none.”

 

Semi-retired registered master builder Nick Meechan was one of the team leaders for the project.

 

“My team of 30 were working on the administration block, which was probably the most complicated part of the job,” he says.

 

“I was bombarded with questions for the first couple of days so didn’t get my apron on until day three!”

 

Mr Meechan says he was amazed by the support the builders gave to each other. “Everybody helped each other out, even if they were working on a different part of the project.

 

“To see the number of tradesmen and helpers hard at work was great. The atmosphere was wonderful and I surprised myself at how much I got out of it on a personal level.”
So far the project has received entirely positive feedback from the builders, and the whole community is very proud of what’s been achieved.

 

“The teamwork between members of the RMBF and Certified Builders has made the end result a really positive one. They all did a fantastic job and this has been a real feather in our caps,” Mr Edwards says.

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