The ceremony to return the whenua that has been cared for by Taumata School back.
A “significant milestone” has been reached in the construction of a $400 million plasterboard manufacturing and distribution facility in Tauranga - with the first batch of Gib product expected to be distributed next week.
The distribution of the product from Fletcher Building’s Winstone Wallboards facility at Tauriko Business Estate will kickstart the plant’s continuous supply of plasterboard to New Zealand. It comes as the 100 jobs at the facility were almost “100 per cent” filled.
Taumata School students, who have been the kaitiaki of the land since the first sod was turned in 2020, yesterday returned the ceremonial whenua, or soil, marking the near-completion of the project.
Staff, local iwi and hapū, community members and primary school students braved the wind and rain to witness the momentous blessing of the building by Tamati Tata, the unveiling of two pou and the return of the whenua that has been protected by its kaitiaki, Tauamata School.
Chief executive of Fletcher Building’s building product division, Hamish McBeath, told the Bay of Plenty Times the shared moment of celebration and blessing represents a “key” phase of the whole project.
“It’s a significant milestone for us – if you go back to when we started, obviously we took the soil from here to go to the local school and we involved iwi in that process, and to build something like this and to involve the community in that process is really important to us.”
McBeath said that a big part of the decision for the site’s location was due to the support from the local community, iwi and hapū, which is a connection that has continued through the development of the site.
“It’s really key for us to involve the local schools and community - I like to think of a 60-100 year lifespan for a plant like this - so we’ll be employing people in this region for generations to come.”
McBeath said the recruitment process went “really well” with all 100 roles filled “give or take one or two”.
Luka Craig, Hamish McBeath, Luke Gellie, David Thomas and Tony Jackson at Winstone Wallboards' "milestone" meeting. Photo / Alex Cairns
“But we like to say 100 per cent because every plant we have normally has a couple of vacancies,” he said.
“We had two aims really. We wanted to relocate some people from the current plant that is based in Auckland and get them settled in Tauranga, and obviously, we wanted to recruit from the local Tauranga market, not just Tauriko - and we have achieved all those elements too.”
McBeath said Winstone had progressively been recruiting since November and December last year, “well in advance” of the official opening, so it could train staff and “bring them into the culture”.
Winstone Wallboards distribution manager Patariki Wilson said about 30 per cent of the 100 jobs were filled by workers from the soon-to-close Auckland plant, with the rest being from Tauranga.
Taumata School principal Gen Fuller said being asked to be the kaitiaki of the whenua felt “awesome”, and allowed the school to form “strong, collegial” partnerships and networks with the industries and businesses in the area.
“It’s all about connections, it’s all about belonging, it’s about the stories associated with this area, and for us as a kura to know that we’ve got those connections and partnerships in place with the local industry as well.”
Fuller said the school protected the whenua by keeping it in their avocado grove, a site that is connected to one of the school’s play areas, complete with a plaque outlining the significance of the soil.
“It’s so that our children can make that connection as well in the future – it’s part of a legacy I guess that sits with our kura and with this particular industry.”
General manager of Winstone Wallboards, David Thomas, said the company was proud of the facility and the service it would provide to the New Zealand building community for decades to come.
Thomas headed the unveiling of the two pou, which signify the narrative, environment and whakapapa of the land the new site sits on.
The pou on the left of the building was created by artist Whare Thompson and the pou on the right was created by Peter Smith.
Thomas thanked the artists for their “wonderful” contributions and thanked Taumata School for its protection of the whenua and the safe return to the site as the company looked ahead to its official opening in November.
Shania Callender is a journalism student at the Auckland University of Technology.
