Q. Where did you grow up and what was your education?
I was born in Palmerston North but spent my early years in Hawke’s Bay before moving to Upper Hutt in the 70s and have been there ever since! School was OK but I needed to move on, so I only managed to last until the end of 6th form (now year 12) and went straight to work.
Q. Did you have an early interest in the building industry? If so, tell us about it.
Not really – I always wanted to work in a laboratory, so I left school and went to work in a polyurethane foam manufacturer and was involved in daily QA and development of new foam types. From there, I went into the paint industry firstly as QA technician for Dulux and then as a sales representative for British Paints.
Q. What was your work history before coming to BRANZ?
Immediately prior to starting with BRANZ, I spent 19 years with Nuplex Construction Products (now Allnex) in technical sales calling on specifiers and specialising in waterproofing systems in all their different forms. So, with the time in various laboratories and sales I have spent over 45 years involved in the construction industry.
Q. When did you come to BRANZ and what do you do here?
I started with BRANZ in 2005 and I am one of the project managers in the Assurance Services team with a particular focus on membrane Appraisals, currently around 200.
Q. You have been at BRANZ a while – what things stand out to you over the time you have been here?
The biggest things are the changes in technology and the speed everything moves at now. When I started at BRANZ, we were still faxing documents, had desk phones and took paper files around BRANZ for auditing, but all that has all gone now.
Q. What do you see as the current challenges in the building industry, and do you think that changes are happening that will help to solve some of the issues?
The challenge is still how to provide enough homes – we aren’t keeping up with current demand - but in the rush to provide those homes we need to ensure we don’t take shortcuts that may jeopardise the long-term durability of the housing.
Q. What is something that you particularly like about working at BRANZ?
The environment must be one of the most unique anywhere. When I look out my office window, I see quail, rabbits, sheep, the odd pheasant, occasionally a stoat, and I listen to the tui in the trees – quite a different outlook to most offices!
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
As I approach my retirement, I look back on what I have done and all the people I have worked with and think what a fun time I have had – and I even got paid for it!