Tag Archives: Gemco

A steady pair of hands on Municipal Rebuild

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After over five years of working in the dust, dirt and dark to rebuild Hawke’s Bay’s most recognisable building, Eddie Holmes was afforded the highest civic honour by the mayor of Hastings District Council Sandra Hazlehurst.

It was something unexpected when Gemco, Hawke’s Bay’s leading construction firm, was awarded the contract to strengthen, rebuild and refurbish the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in 2016, followed by the new Functions On Hastings and Municipal building.

For Eddie, who grew up enjoying shows and performances in the buildings, he knew he was embarking on what would be his great career highlight, to lead the $35 million rebuild. When it was officially opened in late July, Eddie was himself the star of the show, being recognised for his dedication to the project and instilling a high level of workmanship and pride by the over 200 trades people that delivered a stunning revival and re-invention of the complex now known as Toitoi Arts and Events Centre.

“I never expected the recognition I got at the re-opening of the Municipal Buildings. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be afforded such as significant compliment by a client, it was a huge surprise. Eddie was also quick to say that it was a team effort and he was well supported by the Gemco team and his project support Rudi Bauerfeind.

“It was tough, especially in breaking the building down in preparation to strengthen it. There was dust, dirt and a lot of noise for 18 months or more as we took the building apart. Concerned for the wellbeing of his team and other sub-contractors Eddie made sure the site had the highest level of health and safety, including regular health check-ups due to concerns about air quality caused by the smashing apart old concrete and bricks.

Today as Eddie enjoys a coffee outside one of the complex’s new hospitality offerings – Long Island Delicatessen, he reflects over the last five years and the outcome, which is significantly better than when it was forced to close over eight years ago.

“I was just ordering our coffees and a customer in the café recognised the Gemco branding on my shirt and said ‘well done – nice job’ and I take that as recognition of Gemco’s and wider teams commitment to the project, not for me as an individual.

At the official opening of the Municipal Buildings and Assembly Hall, Sandra Hazlehurst, as mayor bestowed Eddie the council’s highest recognition – a Hastings Civic Honour Award, reading out a testimonial from the project architect Justin Mathews of Mathews & Mathews.

It read – “Eddie is one of best construction managers I’ve had the privilege of working with. “Eddie could see the vision for the building and has been integral in achieving it. He would instinctively provide solutions on site that would fit with the design goals. The respect, care, and attention to detail given to the heritage qualities of the building through the construction is a testament to Eddie.   “He also understands the importance of working together on complex challenging projects, and is well versed in doing so.  He created an environment where challenges could be resolved through clear and honest communication.  His years of experience shine through in his calm, methodical, and professional manner.   

Sandra in presenting the award added “we are so lucky to have Eddie as our on-site leader. Your contribution and dedication to this project is truly outstanding. You have continually devised innovative solutions to what appeared to be insolvable problems.

So what’s next for Eddie? He’s built or rebuilt many high profile buildings but is now getting back on the tools to build a large new home in Napier.

“I’m keen to be more hands-on and get back on the tools. I haven’t done a house for a while and an opportunity has come up to build an amazing home in a stunning location, so I jumped at the opportunity.”

New build sets standard in health care

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Gemco Construction project manager Graeme Johnson takes huge satisfaction in the completion of Stage 1 of Kaweka Hospital, knowing that it’s a vision of an idea by Hawke’s Bay people, built by Hawke’s Bay people and ultimately improves the health of Hawke’s Bay people.

“It’s going to change people’s lives and when we first heard that vision from Colin Hutchison, it was something that the team at Gemco wanted to be part of.

Graeme says a previous medical facility project, the new endoscopy facility across the road at the regional hospital helped pave the way for Gemco to secure the Kaweka Hospital build. It’s there that Graeme started a formidable partnership with project manager Nick Ward of PML which progressed to securing the construction of Hawke’s bay’s newest private hospital.

“We (Nick and I) formed a good working relationship on the public hospital project and that has continued here. Nick makes our job so much easier from chasing all the council documentation but also in a role that’s part lawyer, accountant and manager.

“He takes some of the pressure off me and our team, so that we can focus on what we do best – building. The Kaweka project started in March 2019, just as COVID-19 was arriving into the country and the initial four week setback from the enforced lockdown of the country.

However as Graeme looks back at the journey to complete Stage 1 and to commence Stage 2, a three-storey building, the delays in what has probably been the most difficult environment to build in, have been relatively minor.

He adds that one of the earliest challenges was the discovery of “rubbish” in the way of discarded and buried metal, wheels, car bodies and engines under the previous building on the site. During exploration and testing of the site to understand what was below the surface didn’t reveal the more than 3600 cubic metres of waste, as it was under the existing building.

“That was a big surprise as usually you wouldn’t expect anything under a building, it would have already been excavated back then, but that wasn’t the case here, so that added unexpected time and also cost to the project.

“We also had building material delays due to COVID but the other big delay was specialist medical equipment that was held up in Europe. But when you look back over the last two years, we ended up only being 8 weeks over the deadline, so that’s a big achievement for everyone involved.

Graeme and his team are now well underway on Stage 2, a 7000m2 complex that is set for completion late 2024-early 2025. A feature of the new building is technology that will see the building be one of the most earthquake proof in New Zealand. For Graeme, the start of Stage 2 and the introduction of base isolators, the technology that will ensure that the building is still operational after a major earthquake, is part commencement of another exciting new build project but the next stage of what will end up being over 5 years on a construction site.

“I think a new build best suits my skill base and I really enjoy starting something new, discovering what lies beneath the ground and then setting about building a new structure and then bringing it to life. Overall the entire Kaweka Hospital project is only about one third complete and after Stage 2 is complete, Gemco will move back to the Stage 1 building to build on the connectivity between the two buildings.

“Yeah we’re here for some time yet. The hospital will be a huge success in what it offers the community, so no doubt there will be additional builds as it grows.

 

Blockbuster project delivered on time and budget

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Herman Wismeyer of Focus Project Management has the huge task of ensuring the biggest and most complex project ever carried out in the Hastings CBD is delivered on time and to budget.

To complicate the challenge, two of the three buildings are classed Heritage Place Category 1, having been built during World War One.

“You’re dealing with heritage buildings that are over 110 years old and you assume a lot of things, but it’s not until getting underway that you realise things are not what they seem.”

It also meant that when any setback occurred, everyone would rally together.

The biggest setback – a costly fire in the loading bay behind the theatre stage – required a significant amount of fire repair work but also provided an opportunity to carry out work that was never planned.

“What we saw as a team was an opportunity and we were lucky that the location of the fire reduced the potential damage significantly, with the fire protection curtain doing its job and stopping smoke entering into the auditorium.”

The fire damage, covered by insurance, was $750,000 and enabled the rebuild of the loading bay as well as the painting of the stage walls.

The two months prior to the planned handover to council, Herman and the team discovered that the auditorium plaster ceiling was in a state of deterioration and would need to be repaired.

With the Opera House now back up and running, Herman‘s energy is focused on the Municipal Building strengthening, with a budget of $8.75 million, and the management of the designs for the refurbishment and fit-out. The budget for this next stage is subject to council approval.

“This is a bigger and much more complex project as the building wasn’t built as well as the Opera House.”

Herman says if it hadn’t been for a decision by Hastings District Council to enter into an early contractor agreement with Gemco, there almost certainly would have been a budget blowout.

The arrangement was quite unique for a council, differing to the conventional approach where a project is put out to tender for a fixed price and carries the greater risk of costly variations and ultimately a budget blowout.

“With buildings like this it is very hard to predict what’s going to happen and this puts pressure on the budget and build programme, so it was refreshing to see council enter into an early agreement.

“We were able to do a lot of the physical investigations at the design stage, to check what we assumed was correct or not and then make changes accordingly, with input and understanding of those involved in the construction.

“For example, we could see if beams were actually where we thought they were and if not, we then had a process to deal with it and not run into extremely costly variations placing the budget under constant pressure.”

Herman says bringing a strong local business presence together on the project was also a huge success, with over 90 percent of the businesses based in Hawke’s Bay.

“These businesses had a vested interest in the project and took immense pride in their roles.”

Community support drives investment into doors reopening

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The redevelopment of the Opera House precinct, now called Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre, is one of the largest construction projects council has been involved in for many years.

The Opera House has played an important role in the community since 1915. It brings our people together to celebrate, to be entertained and to enjoy each other’s company. That’s why the community fully supported the redevelopment, they recognise that the complex is at the heart of our community.

After six long years of closure, we will be able to watch and enjoy our children and grandchildren dance and sing as families have done for the past 100 years. We will again enjoy national and international performing arts and most importantly, we will have a place to discover and develop our very own local Hastings talent.

Hastings is alive. We are seeing a huge rejuvenation of our CBD with many new businesses, retail, hospitality and professional

From left Scrapit HB owner Des Bristow, foreman Tim Knight and Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst with the trowel that was found in a safe at the Opera House.

services establishing or relocating. We will also see our first hotel open in the CBD and this will complement the many events that Toitoi will host, including regional, national and international conferences.

For the first time in its history, Hastings will have a purpose- built events venue – Functions on Hastings. The functions venue will host up to 600 people for conferences and special functions.

Toitoi will bring the heart and soul back to Hastings and create an arts renaissance as well as ignite a new era of vibrancy and prosperity for our district.

Encore for build team

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Gemco Construction manager Eddie Holmes will know how good a job the team of over 100 tradespeople has done when he sits down to enjoy one of the 30-plus shows scheduled for the Hawke’s Bay Opera House stage in 2020.

Eddie has been on-site in a porta-office since 2017 and when the project is fully completed with the handover of the Municipal Building, he will have been leading the project for over four years. It will bring down the curtain on what will be the longest, largest and most complex projects of his career.

The first two stages are now complete with the opening of the Opera House, which was first built in 1916, and the new multi-use venue called Functions on Hastings (formerly the open air Plaza building).

For Eddie, he’s seen the Opera House reemerge from a dark, wet and cold building to an enhanced version of its former splendor.

“I would come in during the early days of the rebuild and unlock the doors to a dark, damp and spooky building. The walls were running with water, the seats were moldy, it was like a freezer, and the early stages of the strengthening work did nothing to improve it, it just added dust and noise to the equation,” Eddie says.

Life has slowly returned to the Opera House, which has been strengthened to 75 percent of the Building Code. It’s been carpeted and painted throughout, including significant repairs to the failing ornate plaster ceiling and surrounding detailing. The stage floor structure has also been strengthened and new toilets and refreshment bars have been built. Many areas have been returned to their former glory, or as near as possible, while incorporating the upgrade and ensuring the building remains functional.

What hasn’t changed is the buildings’ acoustics. It’s still one of the best opera houses in the Southern Hemisphere.

Eddie says that after two-and-a-bit years of hard work by the Gemco team and all of the subbies, the character and personality of the building have come back to life.

“When we reached the stage of final clean-up and rebooted the air conditioning, it was a real milestone. I now find it a really stimulating building to walk through, particularly when I go through to open up and turn the lights on in the morning while all is quiet and nobody is around. It’s very invigorating.”

Like many, Eddie can’t wait to sit down and enjoy his first show. He is in no doubt that the council made the right decision to invest $32 million (including $23 million of council funding and $9.5 million of external funds) in this magnificent Category 1 classification heritage building.

The initial brief was to strengthen the building to 75 percent of the Building Code but the work was to be done in

such a way that nobody would notice the difference. Partway through the project, the decision was made to increase the initial investment and give it a ‘50-year makeover’ at the same time. This has resulted in a truly amazing outcome.

“The timing is perfect for the Opera House to reopen. We have so many entertainment options these days with online streaming services and hospitality options but I think there’s a real demand by the public to attend live shows, and what better way to enjoy a live performance than in either the Opera House or the new function facility.”

To get to the end of the first stage has been one of the biggest challenges of Eddie’s career, but it’s also helped prepare him and his team for the next stage, which he says is more difficult: the rebuild of the Municipal Building.

“Nothing is harder than this sort of work, it’s a logistical challenge. You can preempt as much as you like but you don’t actually know what you’re dealing with until you open it up and get started. It has been an extremely hard, dirty, noisy job in a dingy environment, but because of the unique character of the building and a remarkable team to work with, we got stuck in and pulled it off, and surprisingly, not one person asked to be moved off the job to another.”

When the entire Toitoi complex is finally revealed in 2021 and the credits start rolling, Eddie says there will be many unsung heroes who can celebrate the roles they’ve played in breathing new life back into Hastings’ CBD.

“We have had some people put in outstanding commitment. There’s been some very clever people involved and everyone has bought into the project, from the project leads to the Gemco team to all of the subcontractors. A huge thanks to all!”

Strong foundations – The efficient and eco-friendly building solution

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A construction boom has been sweeping across Hawke’s Bay over the last few years and it’s not predicted to decline any time soon.

As hundreds of new houses are needed due to population growth, there’s greater pressure on builders to complete projects more efficiently as well as adopting greater sustainable building products and practices.

This all starts with the foundations, and experienced businessman Mike Teddy of MPT Concrete, and Cupolex Solutions has been using the proven foundation flooring solution, Cupolex, since he was first asked by a homeowner to source it 16 years ago.

Not only did Mike find the product, he became an exclusive reseller for the lower North Island and has since acquired the New Zealand license to manufacture and sell Cupolex nationwide. Cupolex is a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to a polystyrene/raft foundation, using Italian designed structural domes to replace hard fill or polystyrene concrete formwork.

When Mike first started using Cupolex the domes were manufactured in Italy, then Australia, now here in NZ, but once he’d bought the license and dies, he went local and partnered with Napier plastics manufacturer NTD Plastics.

“It’s great that we can now manufacture 75% of the components in Napier; it was important to me that we looked to source local and it’s been great to partner with NTD Plastics,” he says.

Mike now sells Cupolex to like-minded and independent concrete contractors throughout New Zealand and to construction firms such as Gemco, as well as supplying to the likes of building supplies company ITM and Mitre 10.

Gemco general manager Chris Olsen says Cupolex has become their flooring system of choice.

“We first used it on a housing project and we immediately found the ease, cost efficiencies and programme advantages resulted in a quicker and better product for the client. We now endeavour to use it everywhere we can as it has proven to be a good addition in an always changing and challenging market for costs and programmes,” Chris says.

The dome designs aren’t new; they were invented in Italy over 20 years ago and have become a world-proven solution, predominantly for residential housing but now also starting to branch into commercial buildings.

Mike says the benefits of the dome system are many, including providing cost savings in concrete, steel, labour and freight as well as being a virtually zero waste solution. With a
global emphasis on the environment, all components are manufactured from 100 percent recycled/recyclable materials.

Since the Christchurch earthquakes, there has been greater focus on a building’s foundations, with geotechnical engineers designing the foundations and recommending the type of foundation system to use.

“Cupolex is a customised site-specific design and takes into consideration the unique ground dynamics, bearing in mind liquefaction and sheer twists, and Cupolex is pretty much a floating floor system.”

Mike says it’s not about supplying Cupolex and leaving the concreter or builder to it. “We’ve got a really good support service for the entire process and we put a lot of effort into training and showing how to use Cupolex.

“We’re not just selling a product. MPT Concrete use Cupolex on 99% of jobs so we have learned a lot and are only happy to pass on our experience to support our product.”

Cupolex is listed on www.productspec.co.nz and www.smartspec.co.nz.

Visit www.cupolex.co.nz 

Earning and learning helps build career

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Apprentices Jade De Har and Harry Algie both agree that learning a trade has been a great decision that will set up their careers in the construction sector.

Jade is one of three female apprentices at Gemco, and the only one training to be a carpenter. A go-getter, Jade left school at 16 years of age and managed a restaurant for 10 years before deciding to take up a trade.

“I love working with my hands and at Gemco, every day I get the opportunity to do something different.”

Jade did a pre-employment course with G & H Training and as part of this she was placed at Gemco for some work experience.

“I could see that there were lots of opportunities here and I like being creative, so I worked hard to impress my foreman so that I could get an apprenticeship.”

Twelve months on, Jade sees a long-term future at Gemco. She is also about to start another exciting new chapter in her life as she is due to have a baby later in the year.

During her time at Gemco, Jade has worked on a wide range of projects, all of which are helping her develop a broad range of skills and experience. In the past year she’s worked on the Hastings Crematorium, Hastings Health Centre, Delegat winery and the new commercial complex on Joll Road, Havelock North.

“I’m a person who does not ask for a hand, instead I’ll tell my workmates that I can do it.”

While on maternity leave Jade plans to continue her apprenticeship education via BCITO in preparation for the next stage of her career.

Harry is in his third year of a plumbing and gas fitting apprenticeship. Although some of his mates headed off to university, Harry enrolled in a pre-trades course at EIT at the beginning of 2016 before joining Gemco later in the year.

Harry was keen to stay in Hawke’s Bay and ‘learn and earn’ while completing his four-year apprenticeship and making the most of working within a large multi-trade construction company.

“There’s a great group of people here at Gemco and everyone is keen to help me. We always have a wide range of projects on the go.

“Better still, I am earning and learning, I have no student loan to pay off and I’m saving money.”

As for the future, Harry hasn’t ruled out a stint out of Hawke’s Bay, whether that’s within New Zealand or overseas, but he is keen to run his own business at some stage.

“It’s a fair while off yet though. I enjoy it here, it’s a supportive environment but at some stage it would be great to have my own business.”

Leading construction firm builds future workforce

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The construction industry is booming in Hawke’s Bay. It’s at unprecedented levels both in large-scale commercial projects as well as in the residential housing sector.

In the November 2018 issue of The Profit we estimated there is about $600 million worth of commercial construction projects either currently underway or set to commence. Over and above this is the housing boom, up 38 percent on last year.

Construction companies and other trades-related businesses have full books. It’s an enviable position but while businesses like Gemco have had a hot run with major builds such as the Hawke’s Bay Opera House, Hastings Health Centre and Delegat winery, a pinch point is having enough skilled labour.

However, Gemco is doing something about it. With a 140-strong workforce, Gemco managing director Darren Diack says they generally have over 20 percent of their staff made up of apprentice builders, plumbers, electricians, painters, plasterers and joiners, to ensure they are future-proofed.

“Some will stay on once they are qualified and some will leave; and more importantly, some will become leaders within Gemco. Regardless, we are proud to be contributing to the growth of tradespeople in Hawke’s Bay,” Darren says.

As Gemco’s general manager Chris Olsen says, “when you’ve got a large engine to turn, it’s important to focus on the future”, and the Havelock North-based business maintains a steady stream of apprentices progressing through the ranks.

Gemco currently has 35 apprentices at varying stages of their three- and four-year apprenticeships. The current crop includes

nine mature adult apprentices and three females, with the remainder school leavers.

Chris says they finish their time with a wide range of skills and experience, due to the wider exposure to all the trades within the business as well as the variety of commercial and residential work.

“They pick up a range of skills from their more experienced workmates, as well as getting a varied perspective from other trades,” Chris says. “They are the future of the business and we offer a really good learning space with a wide variety of projects that we have on the go at any one time.”

Chris adds that the mature adult apprentices have decided to take the step up from labourers or tool hands due to the current demand for qualified staff and the opportunities that arise.

Brent McAsey, who oversees the development of the budding tradespeople, says back when he was doing his time, getting into a trade was usually the career path for academic underachievers who didn’t go to university.

“However, that’s no longer the case. Apprentices may start on an hourly rate just above the minimum wage but they are not racking up debt as a student and there are strong career pathways within our sector,” he says.

Gemco, which was formed 18 years ago, has former apprentices who have worked their way up through the business as well as some who have gone on to start their own business or use their experience as a platform to other career options.

Apprentices like Jade and Harry (featured in our supporting story) spend 44 hours on the tools each week working towards achieving the practical components of their qualification, as well as completing theory education via the EIT School or Trades and Technology or BCITO.

“They can go as fast or as slow as they like in earning their unit standards but they work a full week on the tools,” Brent says.

Apprentices at Gemco are also given the opportunity to take on more responsibility as ‘Site Safety Reps’ on larger construction sites; undertaking site inductions, safety inspections and providing support to the Site Foreman.

Chris adds that the benefit of working at a larger construction firm is the exposure to a mix of large-scale construction and smaller domestic projects, as well as learning from many experienced tradespeople.

He says a big issue going forward is the pending demise of the 90- day trial period, which has enabled the business to give someone a go who may not have had the strongest CV.

“It will hurt our industry [the loss of the trial period] as firms like ours probably won’t take the punt on someone who we have a slight doubt over. We just won’t take that risk as we have in the past and that’s sad, as many of them go on to become very good tradespeople.”

Chris, who served in the army, says there’s many similarities between the armed forces and the trades industry.

“It’s [trades] similar to the army in that there’s a lot of comradeship, especially within a large firm like ours where you create long-lasting friendships. Also, your skills are transferable to other jobs.

“There’s also a lot of interaction with the other trades and you inadvertently learn skills from your peers,” Chris says.

Recruiting and maintaining apprentices is an ongoing challenge and learning curve for Chris and Brent, who admit that the old way of leadership no longer cuts it with the Generation Z.

“We have to be smarter and understand where they have come from and where they are going. Youth do have a different attitude than our generation, especially with the influence of technology.

“It’s important that they have an attitude of wanting to be here and wanting to succeed.” One of Chris’s life learnings is: ‘You just have to want it bad enough and the rest you can be taught’.

“We want everyone to have the attitude of giving everything a go and giving it everything they have got, and then if it doesn’t work out, just learn from it. One of the best ways to learn and some of the most important pieces of advice we give them is don’t be afraid to fail, and if you’re going to do something, don’t be afraid to ‘fail big’.

“It’s about learning, growing, taking risks and producing the very best we can for us and them and the future of our industry.”

Business Profile – Simply Architecture

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Many business professionals start giving back to their chosen career later in life, but that’s not the case for architectural designer Andrew Flack, who runs his own fledgling business but doubles as a tutor at EIT.

Andrew completed the two-year architectural design course at EIT in 2010 and within just seven short years he returned as a tutor, a role that has also enabled him to establish Simply Architecture in Hastings.

Going full circle is a bit of a theme to Andrew’s career. Simply Architecture is based in commercial offices on the corner of Hastings Street and Avenue Road, the same office as his first-ever job out of EIT.

“I’m pretty much sitting in the same place that I sat in when I began working with LHT, an engineering design business.”

As well as working for LHT, Andrew built up his knowledge and experience with Napier-based businesses Structural Concepts and PMA Architects.

All three businesses had more of a focus on commercial building projects but with the booming residential building sector, Andrew was keen to focus on this area of the market.

“I had previously been involved in large-scale commercial design projects and hadn’t done much residential design until we set up the business.

“I always had a strong interest in designing houses and with the boom in this area across Hawke’s Bay and a shortage of architectural designers, I could
see that this was a big opportunity.

“My background in structural form of buildings has also been a benefit as I can take a practical approach when a brief from someone building a new home starts to get a bit more complicated.”

In a little over 18 months in business, Andrew has moved from working at the kitchen table to offices, and has added experienced architectural designer Warren Clarke, two former students Ezra Curd and Scott Peters as draughtsmen (are both the students draughtsmen or just Scott Peters?) and sister-in-law Tenille McCombie as office manager.

The team has worked on a range of residential and commercial projects including new houses, house renovations, some shops in Napier, a church in Tamatea and a funeral home in Gisborne.

Another exciting project is a new building for the YMCA, a partnership they are doing with one of Hawke’s Bay’s leading construction firms, Gemco Group.

Andrew likes a modern approach to building design but also takes design inspiration from some of Hawke’s Bay’s foremost architects Guy Natusch and John Scott.

He also enjoys robust design discussions with Warren, who is a specialist in designing energy-efficient and sustainable houses to the Homestar rating system.

“Warren’s done something that I don’t think I could do, which is design my own home. I would be too critical and I don’t think I would ever finish it.”

Andrew also enjoys giving back to his profession and says it’s been great to teach architectural design at EIT and see graduates go and work for local businesses, including his own.

“Most graduates are pretty keen to live and work in Hawke’s Bay and with there being a wide range of subdivisions coming on to the market, it gives employers confidence to give students a chance to kick start their careers.”

Andrew has teamed up with former Hawke’s Bay architectural designer Warren Clarke, who is based in Christchurch.

simplyarch.co.nz

Opera Precinct humming along

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In August 2019 the first of three stages of the Hawke’s Bay Opera House Complex will reopen to the public, after it was closed in 2014 due to earthquake risk.

The estimated $30m Hastings District Council Project is part of a major overhaul of the Hastings CBD and could well be the catalyst for additional developments including a hotel.

Hastings District Council Group Manager community facilities and programmes Alison Banks says the large scale project is tracking well, but there’s high anticipation from the community to see it reopened.

“The strengthening of the opera house theatre has gone very well and is on time. There’s been a slight delay with the Plaza but that was to ensure that the multi-purpose venue had the right roof structure and we’re now consulting with the public on what they would like to see the municipal buildings used for.

“Early feedback is that they are very keen to see it being a mix of commercial use, such as hospitality, as well as community usage,” she says.

The Hawke’s Bay Opera House was built in 1915 in the style of Spanish Mission. Both the opera house and neighbouring Municipal Buildings (built at about the same time) carry Heritage One status.

The proposal includes a plan for the laneway between the Opera House and the Municipal Building – with ideas including making it a ‘light path’.

Gemco has painstakingly strengthened the Opera House via a process which saw each of the 100-year-old unreinforced earthquake-prone brick walls encased in steel rod mesh, which is ‘pinned’ to the brick with reusable plastic boxing then erected and concrete poured into the recess. That results in an average 300cm- thick wall of concrete, laid up against the old bricks.

For the Opera House precinct’s project manager Herman Wismeyer of Focus Project Management, there was a strong desire to be involved in this legacy and iconic redevelopment.

Having grown up in Hastings and performing on the Opera House stage, Herman wanted to lead the project, which would create a complex for the next 150 years.

When the redevelopment was first mooted Herman was working as a project manager for Opus in the earthquake ravaged Christchurch, but he packed his bags and door knocked on the council in the hope of being involved.

“This is the key building of the district. It’s the heart of Hastings and it’s been closed for too long.

“After a rigorous procurement process which involved successfully responding to a RFP, Focus was appointed as the lead project management company.

He’s pulled together what he regards as the “A team” that when the project is full completed, they will all be incredibly proud of what has been achieved.

“It’s an all local team and it’s what I regard as a high performance team that could now go on to any project and have the same success.

“Everyone’s mana is on the line and we’re determined not to disappoint both the council and the residents of Hastings. The project certainly has had its challenges but we’ve all met them head on and it keeps ticking over,” Herman says.