The Hard Yards | December 2020 1

Mere Kirihimete | Manuia le Kirisimasi | Maligayang Pasko | Kilisimasi Fiefia

In this Issue

Apprentice

SchoolChristmas

celebrations

5 mins with

Fidell Nicholson

The ‘Biggest Loser’

challenge

Wesley

Church

RCP move into new HQSteve Lindley describes the meticulous work that went into crafting RCP Property’s new office space in Freeman’s Bay. In November, the team was excited to move from their existing site at Parnell to the modern new space.

Originally a car mechanics and panel beaters, the ‘guts’ and roof of the existing building at 25 Hargreaves Street were removed before revitalising and developing the space. The structure was extended to the south and east and a new corrugated iron façade was installed with corrugated features within the interior linings across level one. Another attraction is the six-metre-high cantilevered curtain wall.

A deck to the east with four-metre-high sliding glass doors provides impressive views of the city. The ground floor consists of three tenancies– a coffee shop and two office tenants. On the first floor is RCP’s new Auckland office. The Kingspan roof is left exposed with all the structure and services on show and painted white. With us extending the building to the boundary limits across all sides, site logistics became more difficult as the building progressed. With no luxuries of a laydown area, everything had to be organised within the site, meaning that cranage works and deliveries had to be carefully managed. The building is RCP’s main office so there were 50+ project managers keeping tabs! With the new police headquarters situated directly opposite site, there were plenty of eyes on us.

We were privileged to be asked by RCP to undertake this build, which shows a strong relationship and trust. It’s a great compliment to LTM and a supportive statement within the competitive Auckland construction market. The first floor is completely light-filled, with very high ceilings, raw finishes and beautiful architectural detailing. The corrugated iron façade truly makes the building stand out.

To celebrate, we had our subcontractors’ completion drinks at the local pub,

The first stage of Willis Bond’s third residential project in the precinct comprises of 80 high-end apartments, a three-level car park, and six townhouses, this first phase was wrapped up on 26 November, one week ahead of programme. It’s an outstanding achievement considering the challenges the team have encountered along the way. The project itself required some design problem-solving and of course we had the disruption of COVID.

Our successful team have continually planned ahead and nutted out any big problems from the get go. Back in March this year, when national lockdown seemed imminent, LTM moved fast to secure a warehouse and purchase all the materials they would need. It was a decision that paid off.

Stage Two of 30 Madden is currently under construction. This phase entails a smaller-scale residency, Beaumont Apartments, which contains 60 units over

30 Madden’s successful year In Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter development, 30 Madden has made significant headway this year. Stage one was handed over in November the team are feeling optimistic about the next stage of works. Aaron Lindsay reports.

six storeys. The tight programme led by Blake Honeyfield and Richie Miller is aiming for completion by November 2021.

When Stage One wrapped up, the old ‘Taj Mahal’ games/smoko room had to be dismantled and our well-loved table tennis equipment stored away. Rest assured, we’re keenly anticipating ‘Taj Mahal Round Two’ and we’ll have our new ground floor smoko space up and running next year.

In the meantime, the Madden crew have run an offsite basketball competition and we regularly put on site BBQs. We have such a positve crew. It’s a great atmosphere to work in.

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DECEMBER 2020

The Cav on College Hill, which became our local during the build.

Paul Mullally did an impressive job leading the carpenters on the exterior and internal framing, and Harry Fui was able to develop his own joinery skills and make some good strides with his apprenticeship.

RCP staff are enjoying their new space and we’ve received great feedback so far.

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Sleek, high-spec finish.

Chris tmas edi t ion

The Hard Yards | December 20202

Wesley Church to re-open Easter 2021It’s a job not for the faint-hearted. Prior to work, the Wesley hall, Drama Christi and Church were all marked as less than 33% of NBS (New Building Standards) – making them extremely earthquake-prone. The team at Wesley Church are currently working hard to bring the heritage space back to life. Mitch Aitchison reports from Taranaki Street in Wellington.

The project has involved seismic strengthening and heritage maintenance of a category one(1880) timber church. It is a massive project that includes structural works to buttresses, foundation ground beams, reinforced piles, installation of steel portal frame to the front towers, a new roof and full exterior refurbishment. We are also reinstating heritage linings and the annex atrium.

The Hard Yard catches up with the new teacher in

charge – Rodney Green.

Apprentice school

Rodney, what is your role at LTM? I am the Apprentice Trainer. The role is to help the apprentices to get the knowledge that they need, to complete the units as apprentices.

What is the Apprentice training school?It was developed by LTM as a way for the apprentices to learn the trade and get the best outcomes. LTM recognises that an apprentice does not get all the aspects of the trade in the commercial environment. By having an environment like a trade training work shop they can gain the skills and be introduced to different materials and tools used in the trade.

Favourite part of the job? The most rewarding is the look on the face of an apprentice when you have shown them how to do and understand something that they have been struggling with.

A challenging aspect of the job? Keeping the apprentices focused. Most of the apprentices have been out of a learning environment for some time, so trying to re-instil that whole learning environment can be challenging.

What are the apprentices working on right now? How to set out a new build. This involves dumpy and laser sat outs, RLs and datums. The apprentices had a lot number and section to work on. They then designed a house and have set it out with profiles.

With compliments

Dear all, As I have just finished the final snag checks on the heritage part of Wesley Church, and the scaffolding is coming down Monday I understand. Heritage work on Wesley Church is finished in the majority, with only small items to do on the heritage front later. I enjoy working with Mitch, he had a good ability to forecast future problems, and was very respectful to his staff / subbies when keeping them on the straight and narrow. The solutions he suggested, and the alternatives recommended, were intelligent, well considered, and thoroughly thought through before he brought them up.

Thanks – the outside has been an enjoyable job. Paul CummackAssociate | Conservation Architect

From Athfield Architects to the Wesley Church team

How many apprentices are you working with?We have 24 in total. Five are based in Auckland, and I see them five times a year.

What can the apprentices look forward to in 2021? We have an exciting year with some great new unit modules to get into. We also have some trips to pre-nail factories and new builds - lots happening!

What are you planning to do with your summer break?I race in Speedway, so that will keep me busy. I will also be completing the unit modules for the start of the new year.

The hardest part of this job so far has been sequencing between the temporary propping of the church and ground beam construction, which dictated the entire job and programme at the time. The very tight location of the ground beams and piles made this even more challenging for the boys tying the reinforcing in place. A big thanks to Jody (RIP), Ty, and Nino for their superb effort.

The heritage aspect has made this job particularly unique. Restoring heritage carpentry items back to their former glory is a rewarding process. There is also an element of surprise. We didn’t know what we would uncover when removing old sarking linings and floorboards. Along the way, we have discovered old artifacts such as the original ‘Vanish’ can once used on pews, vintage glass bottles and an 1884 newspaper in good condition!

Our hardworking staff deserve a special mention, especially: Japhet, Mike P, Sam M, Matias, Nino, Ricky, Benedict, Ryan, Ty, Jose and Phil, who have all demonstrated a high level of attention to detail and quality craftsmanship throughout.

We’re not at the finish line yet, but it’s not far away. We are looking forward to completion by Easter 2021.

The Hard Yards | December 2020 3

Rutherford L7 reno complete

Peter McGuinness FNZIOB Honorary Fellow

Defence House wins big

Another floor was handed over to Victoria University at Rutherford House in November when Ed Russell and the team finished level seven, well-ahead of programme. Ed has literally been doing ‘the hard yards’ at Rutherford House since 2015; enough time to graduate with a Masters in Business

down there.

To Satish Dahya, VUW’s Associate Director of Campus Development’s great disappointment, Ed departs for a new venture at S9 next week.

Fortunately, we have Ben Mitchell on board to lend a hand with the next phase.

NZIOB describe an Honorary Fellow as a person who ‘holds a position of eminence, distinction or authority in the building and construction industry and whom the members of the NZIOB wish to recognise.’

Peter was humbled to receive the award and said, “This is as much for LTM as for me. Well done to all of us.”

The membership category of Honorary Fellow is a prestigious one and only limited to ten members.

For 2020, the NZIOB Board extended the invitation for two people to join the current group of five Honorary Fellows. Existing members of this category include: Sir Ron Carter, Robert Lockwood, Peter Menzies, Jack Smith and Sir Miles Warren.

A celebratory lunch was held to mark the special event.

Our project partners at Precinct Properties won the RCP ‘Commercial Office Property Award’ category for the recently completed Defence House project in Wellington. Well down to all LTM staff involved on this project who really went the extra mile.

Jack McGuinness

On 15 December, Peter was formally invited to become an Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Building (NZIOB) at a Central Region prizegiving event.

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Soup kitchen provides comfort

We are excited to further develop our partnership with

the Home of Compassion’s Soup Kitchen here in central

Wellington. In October, some of the team attended

a volunteer induction session to become regular

volunteers in the kitchen.

New modern spaces.

The Hard Yards | December 20204

Project Play

The project fills a previously unloved back corner of the St Francis de Sales school grounds, and grew to become an outside teaching space,

rock climbing wall, native garden track, and 13 metre-long tube slide.

Massive thanks to all the volunteers who contributed their time, skills and materials to exceed client expectations and open on time to an enthusiastic stakeholder group.

To quote Campbell, Room 13, ‘Even though 2020 was a poop year, we got one thing out, a new slide! You’ve not just built a slide, but you’ve built fun, friendship and memories.’

With complimentsHi Michael, Ben and Sean

A note to say thanks very much for your outstanding efforts on the slide project.

You guys were very committed and worked many weekends and nights to make sure it was ready.Everyone involved thought you guys were remarkable, not

only for designing the project but also building it.Thanks very much. Hopefully a space many kids can enjoy for a long time!

Did you know that LTM are venturing into playground design and

construction? Check out this side project led by Michael Gould,

Ben Wynne and Sean Fitzgibbon from Wellington.

Powering up at Tākina

A vege garden, basketball hoop and large-scale reindeer aren’t usually found on a construction site, but at Tākina Wellington, the team is doing things a bit differently. December marks an entire year since construction began, and the large curved structure of Tākina is starting to take shape. Driving by, you can see how the curved entryways and canopies have developed into their distinctive shapes – set to become a real feature of the building. LTM and MJH Engineering have powered through the first floor, and made substantial progress on the level two diagrid structure. Despite the interruption of COVID, the project is still scheduled for completion in 2023.

When we return in the new year, new streams of work will open up for the project. The fitout and services will start to gain

momentum on the ground floor. The design features spectacular details such as a stud height of 7.2 metres. Our curved canopy and entryways will continue to advance, requiring a ‘labour of love’ and

top-notch carpentry. We also prepare to start the unique façade, which includes Aotearoa’s first Sefar Mesh curtain wall. In other news, our onsite vege garden has gone gangbusters! We’ve got lettuce, parsley, and strawberries in abundance. Our on-site basketball hoop is providing good opportunities for exercise and every Friday afternoon, teams get together for three on three. Come along if you think you’ve got what it takes.

In Christmas spirit, Rudolph and his reindeers can be seen prancing along our front canopy. Getting them to sign off on height permits has been a real challenge. Needless to say, Dasher, Dancer and Prancer all received red cards.

2020 has been a momentous year for us at Tākina. We are all excited for the break, but also for the new challenges we return to in 2021. From our team to you, wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas. Check out the project time lapse: www.wellington.govt.nz/your-council/projects/wellington-convention-centre

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At Tākina, formerly referred to as the ‘Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre’, LTM are working together to dream up innovative ways to tackle structural challenges and look after the construction team’s wellbeing. Jack McGuinness reports.

Can you spot Rudolph?

Iwi Partners representing Taranaki Whānui and the city council gave the site its new Māori name, Tākina, which means ‘to invoke’. This reflects the purpose of the site - to provide our region with a place where people come together, talk and think.

The Hard Yards | December 2020 5

To mark the ten year anniversaries of David Aldred, Matt Pattinson, David McGrattan and Peter Dynan, LTM share a few words.

Staff Anniversaries

David Aldred

David joined LTM as a quantity surveyor, bringing new processes in quality assurance, health and safety, and environmental documentation. In his 10 years with the company, he has become a highly regarded project director, with organisation skills second to none. In recent years, he has led our expansion into Palmerston North and regularly travels to Massey University to support our team working on the Refectory strengthening and restoration. Along the way he has been helping the Horowhenua economic recovery with his regular investment at the local Levin KFC! David has demonstrated both an ability to carry out multiple roles and his natural leadership. He is a very personable individual who knows how to support and get the best out of people. Cadets often work with him and he has contributed to the development of some of LTM’s top quantity surveyors, site and project managers. He always goes the extra mile to deliver. Thanks for all of your hard work David!

Peter Dynan Pete, also known as the ‘Chris Cairns of LTM’ epitomises everything about our company. He’s hard working, diligent and does everything with a smile on his face. From early in Pete’s time with LTM it was clear he had an eye for quality, and quality assurance quickly became one of his lasting roles. He played a key part in Wellington’s Central Park Flats, One Market Lane and Clyde Quay Wharf. Following his move to Auckland, he worked on East 2, Thomas Building and 30 Madden, all jobs Pete should feel proud to have been a part of. Since his time in Auckland, Pete has developed into a very accomplished and respected manager. Pete you are an asset to our company. Thank you for all you have given to LTM.

Matt Pattinson Matt started with LT’s on the Wharewaka Project as a carpenter and quickly became regarded as an integral member of the project team. He has been part of some significant projects and work fronts, such as the façade management at Clyde Quay Wharf Apartments, his first site management role at the Taranaki Kiosk in Courtney Place, to site managing the historic re-strengthening and refurbishment of St Mary of the Angels church.

Now trying his hand at Project Management with the team down on Site Nine and doing a fine job at that. Matt’s progression in his 10 years of service has been exemplary and we look forward to his next 10. Congratulations Matt and Rebecca, and again thank you!

Brian McGrattan

Brian could be described as the quintessential “Quiet Achiever” and a humble one at that. Apart from his building skills, Brian was a very impressive prop who played 23 games for the All Blacks. Brian demonstrates the All Black standard in all of his work for LTM, from building challenging concrete structures in the underwater carpark at Clyde Quay to high-end finishing at the recently completed St Johns in Willis St. He has also most importantly been a mentor to a number of apprentices at LT McGuinness over the last ten years. Not many apprentices have an ex All Black as a teacher. Can only imagine he probably dished out a few rugby tips too!

The brief was to make the LT McGuinness Plant Yard the best looking facility in Wingate! So...

Over the past couple of months our old mesh fence (with train track steel posts) was replaced with a more aesthetically pleasing fence, complete with three new sliding gates. We even have the luxury of one of them being electric. Things are definitely looking up in what could affectionately be described as the Riviera of the Hutt Valley.

Whilst at it we put down a concrete slab to the last remaining unsealed area which is now a dedicated carpark for seven vehicles, a real bonus given how tight parking is on the street now. Our recently developed Apprentice Training School also has its own entrance so we gain Health

and Safety benefits with less traffic through what is a very busy Plant Yard.

These improvements compliment the interior refurbishments of early 2020 that were highlighted in the March edition of The

Hard Yards. In the new year we will put some finishing touches to the job with some landscaping, new signage and most excitingly – more concrete.

By Rob Dickinson

Yard life

The Hard Yards | December 20206

What is your role within LTM? Honestly I get asked this question a lot and the best answer I’ve actually ever heard was from my wife. She said, “He is a qualified quantity surveyor who likes to believe he is a builder, commercial manager, project manager, number one labourer, site manager and general expert who can do everything and anything; but the truth is I think he just counts stuff haha”. There is definitely a lot of truth and accuracy in the above statement. What is your favourite part about working with LTM? The people really make LTM, the culture is genuinely infectious. Once you see

everyone wearing those Hawaiian shirts on a Friday, you never want not to be seen wearing one. Got a good work story? Taking a few of the cadets out to get some Thai food for lunch at Go Go Daddy in Ponsonby (aka hipster food alley). And getting to witness one Finn Beggs tell me how he eats Thai all the time, but has never seen these burnt bean things before. He then proceeded to eat in one mouthful what was actually a charred dragon chilli. This led to some screaming and begging for a carton of banana milk which he crushed and sprayed in his haste across the table. I don’t think he has ever eaten Thai food since.

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do? Play golf, cricket or hockey. What is something most people don’t know about you? I foster animals for the SPCA and mistakenly never gave back one of the foster cats and decided instead we would keep him. Borislav II is his name and he now lives with us, but since we had a Russian named cat I decided we also needed a Russian named dog. So we also now have a dog called Tatyana to complete the Russian animal collection.

Fidell Nicholson5

Final push for Health and SafetyFor the health, safety and environment team, 2020 started big and hasn’t let up since. We had a number of big incidents at the beginning of the year, prompting us to create our See it, Own it, Fix it campaign. This campaign talks about how, without proper controls in place, small mistakes can turn into big accidents. It brings people’s attention to risk identification and control and encourages people to reflect on what health and safety ownership means to them. We’ve held a number of workshops on this in both Wellington and Auckland and will be going to Palmerston North in the new year. You all did an amazing job responding to Covid-19. LT McGuinness management prepared detailed policies and procedures to get us through, but it was our workers’ understanding and commitment that meant we could continue working well through Level 3 conditions. New Zealand is in the position it’s in because of people like you taking ownership of each other’s health. A lot of big jobs started this year: Madden Stage 2, Bowen 2, Mayfair House, Site 9, Victoria Lane Apartment and Carpark, and Tākina (Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre). Big jobs bring big challenges, and our project management team are doing a great job of planning for health and safety success. The H&S team has changed considerably in 2020. In Wellington we were joined by Andy Gibb, Heather Lamb, Maryanne Roberts, and Michael Bonner. Johannes Kaiser’s QA role expanded to include H&S at Mayfair House. In Auckland, Adam Sadler joined the team at Madden Street, Luke Thompson left One Queen Street and LT McGuinness, Rob Bailey has been working

By Marta Fonseca and Damien O’Connor

Cra

ne

lift

First successful crane lift for the Sacred Heart Basilica in Thorndon, where structural steel work is in progress. Excellent planning by the site team of Matt Pattinson, Sean Reilly and Peter Blang to ensure it was carried out efficiently.

across both 30 Madden sites and started his NEBOSH (Health, Safety and Environment qualifications). Steve Lowe moved into the newly-formed Manawatu division supporting the team at the Massey Refectory. Bryce Hunter and Steve Lowe both completed Level 3 NZQA certificates in Occupational Health and Safety and Daniel O’Connor completed a Postgraduate Certificate at Victoria University. Melissa Campbell and Marta Fonseca completed ISO 45001 Auditor qualifications, which will help enormously for next year’s ISO audits. During the weeks before and after the Christmas break it’s important that we make an extra effort to keep our minds on the work we have to do. Make time to plan and communicate about your work, as even basic tasks can go wrong if we don’t plan for success. See it, own it, fix it. Merry Christmas from the health and safety team. We hope you have a relaxing and safe Christmas and look forward to joining you again in the new year.

Christmas can be a challenging time for many people. Financial concerns, family circumstances and expectations can all cause additional stresses.

If you need support then let us know (Marianne 0292 447 366), or reach out to:

Family, colleagues or friends;EAP: 0800 327 669 Mates in Construction hotline: 0800 111 315

The Hard Yards | December 2020 7

staff

Organised by the social club, the evening sail around the Wellington Harbour was a great success.

Sweet Georgia Cruise

Despite a torrential downpour the night of the final weigh in and testing, participants

still fronted to complete the arduous 12 week competition. Full credit to you! We

had two teams competing, blue and white, formed by the original 27 participants

from Auckland and Wellington. The ‘Biggest Loser challenge’ was conceived after the

rollercoaster months of COVID 19 and lockdown when Kerrin saw a desire from staff

to get active and prioritise their wellbeing. Here’s a few words from two participants:

Winners of the ‘Biggest Loser’ By Kerrin Manuel

What inspired you to take part in the challenge?

What did you have to sacrifice during the twelve weeks?

The hardest part?

What fitness did you get involved in?

What did it feel like to finish?

Will the challenge will have a lasting impact?

Having a knowledgeable trainer kick-start me into a healthier lifestyle.

Aerobic conditioning, along with strength and stability training.

There was a sense of relief to have made good progress, and motivation to keep on the journey.

Morgan from Auckland

I thought we HAD to participate! No honestly, I thought it would be helpful to encourage others.

Waking up at a reasonable hour. Family time.

Wet, cold early mornings and the assault bike!

The ‘add ons’. When you have spent all your energy and the trainer asks for more.

Core training.

Happy!

Absolutely! Hopefully I will retain the learnings around muscle groups and a variety of exercises.

Russell from Wellington

Santa’s sleigh arrives in wellington

Aanmar Ali sent us through this pic of Santa’s new wheels with Matt Kontze driving.

The Hard Yards | December 20208

staff news

Wellington Josh Grundy, Matthew Joyes, Ben Mitchell

WelcomeA warm welcome to new staff:

Follow us @ltmcguinness_constructionGot a good story for Hard Yards? Email: ltm@mcguinness.co.nz

NEW ARRIVALS

Vao Palemene and Megan welcomed baby girl Sophia. Congrats! We think she will look great in her new LTM attire.

Christmas Celebrations

Tim Brodie and his wife Alice welcomed their baby Camille-Gracie.

James Kolbe and Vanessa welcomed their gorgeous baby girl Sylvie.

The Auckland staff Christmas party was held on the scenic Villa Maria Estate.

It was a wonderful evening, complete with a live band. Needless to say, everyone ended up in the dance floor!

Wellington staff partied the night away at The Exchange Atrium on Blair Street. MCs Rob Dickinson and Mitch Aitchison looked dapper in their bow ties and did a splendid job of hosting.

The Kids Christmas party was held

on Sunday 6 December at Auckland

Zoo. Everyone enjoyed their time

with the animals before heading

over to a marquee set up at Western

Springs park for a BBQ lunch. All the

children received a gift

from Santa.

In Wellington, kids’ were

excited when Santa

arrived at Sky Stadium’s

Indoor Sports Centre. It was another

fun-filled event.

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Peter Dynan and Matt McGuinness