In support of the Pink Shirt Day movement, on 21st May, White Associates proudly wore pink and ran a fun raffle which raised over $250 for the Mental Health Foundation. As a company we will continue to take a stand against bullying, be upstanders in our communities and continue to show our support for Pink Shirt Day in the years to come.

When you think about Switzerland, what comes to the forefront of your mind? Is it expensive watches, exclusive banking, cuckoo clocks or chocolate maybe?

Although this is a story about none of those things, it is about something for which the Swiss are also globally renowned: precision. Specifically, the precision involved in assembling a very Swiss factory at the bottom of the world, replicated to the centimetre to accommodate precision machinery that was transported by ship from Langenthal, Switzerland, to Cromwell, Central Otago! And not just any factory – but one that now produces precisely prefabricated timber panels and elements for the residential and commercial construction sectors.

Thanks to the Auckland Property Investors’ Association (APIA) for inviting Director Darin Bayer to speak at the Building & Development keynote event last week.

What a year: what stress, what challenge, what change; what resilience, what teamwork, what an effort.

And what learnings! As we come to the end of this year of all years, a year in which we have all been put to the test like never before, we have paused for thought to examine what we have learned through it all:

We’re delighted to announce that the team who worked on the Mt Eden Correctional Facility Building C project came home with the Hays Interdisciplinary Collaboration Award at this years award ceremony.

Just over a year ago, a temporary symbol of Christchurch’s powerful resilience, creativity and determination became a permanent city attraction when the Riverside Market opened to customers.

Since then, the hugely popular covered market has gone from strength to strength, attracting 30 independent food outlets, 40 fresh produce stalls and 10,000 visitors every day into its welcoming, humming 3,500 sqm space at 96 Oxford Terrace

Covid-19 has affected all parts of our society and sadly had a huge impact on the ability of charities, NGOs and not-for-profit organisations to generate income.

Funding is essential for these organisations to continue to do the good work that they do but now that they are unable to rely on traditional fundraising methods it is difficult for them to raise the much-needed funds to keep them serving the community.

At White Associates we wanted to do our small part and set out to raise $1,500 in the month of September in what we called “Give A Little Month”.

At White Associates we do love it when projects receive awards recognition. One that keeps on giving in this respect is a redevelopment project for Plant & Food Research that has been nominated for the Naylor Love Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award at the upcoming Property Council NZ Awards.

Seemingly involving just about every part of our business, this $40 million series of complex and multi-faceted projects demonstrates the intensive cost management work we do to meet the precision required for work in professional scientific research laboratories.

When working on a project for the New Zealand Police it is important to ensure that every detail is completely locked down – particularly when it comes to cost.

White Associates took on a challenging and hugely rewarding project to manage the costs and budget for the comprehensive redevelopment of Hastings Police Station. Originally picking up the project alongside similar work for Napier Police Station, White Associates provided a range of pre- and post-contract services throughout this $20 million construction project that involved demolishing an existing station and constructing a new three-storey building to exacting seismic requirements on poor ground conditions.

Long ago, in the dim and distant days before Covid, White Associates took an evolutionary leap forward as a company. Inspired by the announcement of the Wellbeing Budget in 2018, and realising the importance of the opportunities offered by the Construction Accord and Broader Outcomes, we created a framework to deliver on these documents and help us start an altogether new journey as a business.

Pioneering. Groundbreaking. Leading edge.

These are often-overused words in the world of construction. However, in the case of Auckland City Mission HomeGround, they are not just an accurate, fair description of ambition in action, but they are the starting point for a truly impressive accomplishment emerging in the centre of Auckland.

At a time when the Rebuilding Together budget shows the Government reaching deep into its economic trouser pocket to stimulate activity in an effort to reduce the Covid shock, at White Associates we anticipate a massive period of unknowns for our industry.

Among our significant learnings over the past seven weeks, this is one that we hope might help you emerge from your bubbles into this new world of rapidly shifting uncertainty..

IT’S NOT THE YEARS OF YOUR BUSINESS,

BUT THE BUSINESS IN YOUR YEARS.

For White Associates, quantity surveying is more than technical project calculations – it’s a promise of seeing the bigger picture, being fully responsive and delivering projects with complete financial confidence.

With the nation in lockdown, those of us fortunate enough to be able to transport our offices home are now getting used to the ‘new normal workday’.

But today is not just a ‘normal workday‘  for us here at White Associates as we celebrate a great milestone: our 15th anniversary as a business.

Your questions answered.

Amid the rapidly evolving environment of the COVID-19 outbreak, at White Associates we are working with our clients to undertake risk analysis on existing and new projects, addressing questions for funders on risks that may impact the construction industry and project funding across procurement, supply chain and resourcing.

At White Associates we often write about the significant – yet all-too often under-rated – value of strong project teams.

Few projects we have worked on have proven the immense value of team cohesion more than the recent and successful completion of the c.$100m Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF): on time, within budget, and relationships enhanced across the board.

Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis MP took a trip to Mt Eden as the VIP guest for the opening ceremony to mark the completion of the Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) Building C.

This c.$100 million project, which has been under construction for about two and a half years, has involved the construction of approximately 200 remand and at-risk cells by Leighs Construction, on time and within budget.

At White Associates we’re setting out on a major new journey in our approach to how we do business. Inspired by the Broader Outcomes put in place by the Government as it seeks to drive better outcomes for more people in New Zealand, we have been digging into the core principles of our business – what we do, how we do it, why we do it, and what we want to leave behind us.

We offer a warm welcome to our latest cadet, Corize Olivier, who joined us at the end of last year.

Arriving into New Zealand from South Africa two and a half years ago, Corize has numbers running through her blood; both her parents are also quantity surveyors.

White Associates is delighted to announce the appointment of Justin Maritz to Director.

Now joining Graham White, Konrad Trankels and Darin Bayer as fellow directors of the business, Justin started at White Associates as a Senior Cost Planner in 2013, progressing to Principal in 2016 and then to Associate Director last year. With over 22 years’ experience working across South Africa, the UK and New Zealand, Justin works closely with all areas of the business, applying his significant expertise in cost planning, estimating, value management and construction cost management across the public and private sectors.

On 28 January 2020 White Associates will open its doors in Queenstown. Led by up-and-coming White Associates Quantity Surveyor Elliot Smith, the new operation will offer our full range of estimating, cost planning, construction cost management and funding representation services, and act as the base for our work from Christchurch down to Invercargill…

Making the move to Queenstown to head up our new operation is Elliot Smith. He’s been racking up a variety of experience and carving his way through a wide range of projects with enthusiasm and skill.

Elliot started at White Associates in 2016 and since then has become a valued team member, working across pre- and post-contract disciplines on numerous projects, and latterly moving into estimating while sharing time between both teams.

We are excited to report that the NZIQS Council has awarded White Associates founder and director Graham White a life membership in recognition of his service to NZIQS and industry.

What do health, wellbeing, The Resilience Institute, laughing yoga, putt-putt golf, and the Auckland City Mission have in common? They were all key elements of our annual company retreat.

Check out this recent article in New Zealand Construction News, in which Graham details the value that strong teams create over multiple projects:

At a time when the Government’s KiwiBuild Programme is coming under increasing public scrutiny, one Auckland developer is defying the critics by delivering quality homes on a budget.

At a time of constant pressure on property and construction project deliverability, it is exciting for us to get involved in supporting the future of our industry by signing up to become a sponsor of the Keystone Trust.

White Associates’ Bank Funding team has been significantly strengthened with the appointment of Jesse-Paul Conradie, who brings a powerful combination of expertise to us across a number of highly relevant disciplines including risk management, dispute avoidance, dispute resolution, construction law, and contracts law.

Congratulations to the many amazing awards winners announced recently, honouring the best projects and architecture in Auckland and NZ. The many successful projects included four we’re proud to be involved with.

Take a look at our new Instagram page to see how we’re alive and well online. We’re posting regularly in an effort to show you a sample of the projects we’re involved with and the challenges involved in the work we do. Come and join us!

white_associates_nz

Jesse-Paul Conradie shares his views on why the current construction environment is unsustainable, and shares his top tips on what can be done to move the dial and prevent disputes from escalating to the destructive extent we have seen over recent months.

Although 2019 has got off to a positive start with an exciting mix of projects underway, fundamental challenges remain in place in this heated market, and borrowers and funders will need to come up with innovative ways to approach project funding if they want to succeed.

Civil works are nearing completion on an inspirational new community housing project at Puhinui Park, Manukau. Find out about why this project is challenging the norms for this type of work.

In a city that has lost so much building heritage since the earthquakes, an innovative central Christchurch project is refurbishing a historic 120-year-old façade while creating a thoroughly modern and multi-purpose structure behind and around it.

There’s a lot of talk in the market about procurement, forms of contract and unfair sharing of risks causing major problems on construction projects for companies. Graham White shares his views about why problems are never about forms of procurement or contracts.

As we approach Christmas, it is not only household budgets that are feeling the strain. The development and construction sectors have been under pressure for a while, and one of the key concerns expressed across both sectors is whether projects are stacking up financially: do they have the financial underpinnings to get to the finish line?

Love caffeine, hate waste? We do. So we’re doing something about it, hooking up with stylish re-usable coffee cups company KeepCup, to cut waste and encourage the use of re-usable cups!

Now, it has been reported that the receivers for Ebert are taking legal action to test the law (Construction Contracts Amendment Act 2015) as they attempt recovery for subcontractors. It is understood that receivers PwC have set aside $9.3m for this purpose, although much of the $36.1 million owed to unsecured creditors will go unpaid, according to the first receivers’ report.

The receivers’ first report on the Ebert Construction Limited (in receivership) has identified some interesting points and learnings.

The pressure is on for construction companies large and small right now – and for their sub-contractors and suppliers.

Business news channels are buzzing with stories of finance and retention payments related cataclysms, such as the Matrix Homes receivership and the circa $30 million owed to Orange H Group creditors, to name only two.

In turn, this will no doubt cause a cash flow crisis or worse for supply chains, as companies have the biggest downward spiral.

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve appointed a new Associate Director and a new Principal as part of two internal promotions.

When one of the most beloved buildings in Christchurch was destroyed, one man took it upon himself to raise it from the ashes.

The end result is something to behold.

Fletcher Building’s woes are well documented but what effects are these going to have on the rest of the construction industry?

Here’s our take on how the ripples will be felt for some time to come…

An exciting new project is underway that’s set to revitalise the western end of Christchurch’s retail precinct.

With homelessness at an all-time high, the Auckland City Mission is on a journey to better serve the city’s most vulnerable people.

What happens when a quantity surveyor tries their hand at boxing? Find out what happened when our very own Justin Bearne stepped into the ring…

White Associates are pleased to announce that they have been appointed to provide QS services during the construction of a new 20-bed unit at Christchurch Men’s Prison under the Department of Corrections’ Prison Capacity Programme.

How do you protect yourself from the black cloud looming over the construction industry?

White Associates Director Graham White, a man with 40 years’ industry experience, shares his views.

Check out Director Darin Bayer’s column in the latest issue of Canterbury Build Magazine (Metropol, Page 74, July 20 2017).

We’re all acutely aware that it costs significantly more to build today than it did a few years ago, or even a few months ago for that matter. We’ve been carrying out insurance reinstatement estimates for some of our commercial clients recently and have unearthed a significant disparity between what a property is insured for compared to what it would cost in today’s market to rebuild. Alongside rising building costs, there are a number of components in the construction process that need to be taken into account.

There have been some exciting new developments on the Prison Capacity Programme with ground now broken at Mount Eden Corrections Facility for the new accommodation block (Building C) for the Department of Corrections.

New Zealand’s prison population is soaring and in the last two years has increased at a rate considerably higher than what had been forecast. Consequently, there is significant pressure on prisoner accommodation which has required the government to increase its prison funding.

White Associates are pleased to announce their appointment as the Department of Corrections’ Cost Advisor for their Prison Capacity Programme.

The media is awash with stories about apartment developments falling over or asking for more money. We’ve all heard about banks shutting up shop and the desperate need for more houses hampered by the chronic shortage of labour, material delays and their fluctuating prices. Residential developments have been hit the hardest but commercial projects are not immune to these pressures.

There’s no escaping the fact that building in this market is going to cost you more money and your margins will be affected. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t deliver a successful, financially viable project.

The pressure is well and truly on for the development and construction community. Developers are seeing rising land prices, material prices are fluctuating, the labour force is stretched, and it’s putting increasing pressure on the feasibility of developments.

We are seeing clients across the development spectrum looking for the return on their investment and this is now largely dependent on early involvement from reputable contractors and the quality of procurement processes being used.

Delivering a high-quality industrial business park for our client Transocean Development, created the opportunity for the White Associates team to show off its expertise in the Christchurch industrial market.

We spoke to White Associates project leader Darin Bayer and Transocean Developments Director Jon Howard to find out more about the new, high-quality industrial development and to get some commentary on the challenges and opportunities of the Christchurch market.

Seismic strengthening may be a necessary evil for heritage building owners, but when done well, it can create new value.

Justin Maritz, a principal of property and construction cost consultants White Associates, says that in order to get better seismic outcomes, building owners need to ask the question: can I do this differently? “The rules have relaxed, but building owners shouldn’t,” he says.

Construction for the project is already underway, and 92% of residences are already under contract despite only being on the market for 6 months.

White Associates’ have worked closely with BNZ and Conrad Properties on Victoria Residences, conducting due diligence on the project, and ensuring BNZ was comfortable to fund it. Now that construction has begun, White Associates is responsible for monitoring the project key deliverables.