Floor Store was a relative latecomer to the Tui Te Ora project, but salesman Gareth Vigis says it was keen from the very beginning.
Floor Store oversaw all floor coverings for the project, sourcing, ordering and storing products, and finally installing them. In a few days, the team did what would have taken one man three weeks.
“Installations involved about eight of us. It’s not often we all work together, but the men really enjoyed it. Some of our wage staff also contributed some time for nothing, which we appreciated,” Mr Vigis says.
“We try to do a lot for groups we have associations with, like putting labour up for nothing, and wanted to support Master Builders. We have done a lot of work for the hospital and it was great this was a combined Master Builders and hospital project.”
Fulton Hogan manager Pat Tinnelly kept his word about supplying all the underfloor fill — even though his offer became far more generous than initially thought.
Using trucks and excavators, the Fulton Hogan team spent two days at the site laying and compacting the fill, sourced from Fulton Hogan’s quarry.
Mr Tinnelly says Fulton Hogan was pleased to be part of the project working with local Master Builders.
“We saw it as a really good community-based project, especially as they had such a lack of funding from the Government. We are a part of the Gisborne East Coast area, and this was a way to put something back,” he says.
Trevor Jukes knew he wanted to help the Tui Te Ora project after reading about it in the paper last year. Having served Gisborne’s building industry for more than 100 years, M E Jukes would have been “nuts” not to get involved, he says.
A letter he sent to Gisborne Master Builders, offering whatever transport or services they needed, became a constant source of inspiration when times got tough on the project, Kath says.
“Trevor worded it so well and really summed up the project. Reading his letter helped remind us why we had taken on such a huge task.”
Mr Jukes says the experience was “absolutely magic”.
“We hope it will keep people out of hospital and provide our friends and family with some peace and tranquility.”
