Health contract delivers new jobs for company

ON WATCH: New staffers at Alarm Watch are Paul Peek (left), Annie Kotuhi, Alece Mason, Tyla Harper, Ally Archer, Karen Wright, Jonny Buckley, Sean Brown, Jade Johnston (call centre manager), Loren Boreham-Matthews, Natale Hales, Kerri Wilson and Coral Boston. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 131015WCSMALARMWATCH1

It has taken four years but a contract secured by Wanganui company Alarm Watch means work for 12 new staff.

The company, which provides 24-hour monitoring of security systems across the country, has been awarded a contract with a nationwide medical alarm provider.

Wade Coneybeer, general manager of Alarm Watch, said this was a major coup for his company.

Alarm Watch already monitors for other alarm providers and this deal brings the number of people monitored from its Guyton St office to more than 23,000.

"We've been working toward this contract for the last four years and it's finally gone live," Mr Coneybeer said.

"More importantly for Wanganui, it means the company has taken on another 12 full-time employees. It's another quarter of a million dollars a year into the local economy, which we're stoked with."

It's been a good year for the company. It introduced a smartphone app, developed in Wanganui, which lets customers respond to alarm events without monitoring staff having to call them.

Soon after, Alarm Watch was selected by telecom giant Spark to monitor its new security product. "They introduced a new alarm monitoring product. But the thing is Spark chose little old us in Wanganui to provide that coverage."