The Hawkes Bay’s Registered Master Builders and Certified Builders recently came together to take on the enormous challenge of erecting five buildings from the ground up in just six days, all for a very worthy cause.

The ‘Trucking for Hawke’s Bay Child Cancer Charitable Trust’ were overwhelmed by the response from the community in support of the $1.3 million Little Elms Charity House project, which consisted of a house situated behind the Regional Hospital in Hastings, plus three separate units, an office block, three two-unit chalets and a separate respite house. The Little Elms complex will provide accommodation and hospice facilities for children with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses and their families.

The project was a completely cooperative effort between Registered Master Builders and Certified Builders and was the first time the two membership organisations have worked side by side on a project of this kind.

“They all worked extremely well together. At the end of the day, they were all passionate about doing something for a good cause,” says Peter Edwards, Project Manager and Manager of Carters in Napier.

These kinds of projects are a great way for a community to come together and this was no exception, with local businesses and schools giving financial support and also providing much needed nourishment for the building team on-site.

There were a couple of important positive outcomes for this project. Firstly, the entire job was completed within just six days, and secondly, the quality of the work was exceptional, given the short timeframe. “It was a testament to the high calibre and professionalism of the builders involved,” says Peter. “They worked through gale force winds and rain in the first two days to make sure everything was completed on time.”

“The weather was a major issue at first but it didn’t faze them. They did a sterling job throughout and the finished product is second to none,” says Peter.

Semi-retired Registered Master Builder, Nick Meechan was one of the team leaders for the project. “My team of thirty were working on the Administration Block, which was probably the most complicated part of the job,” says Nick. “I was bombarded with questions for the first couple of days so didn’t get my apron on until day three!”

Nick adds that he was amazed by the support the builders gave to each other. “Everybody helped each other out, even if they were working on a different part of the project. To see the number of tradesmen and helpers hard at work was great,” says Nick. “The atmosphere was wonderful and I surprised myself at how much I got out of it on a personal level.”