Tainui Group Holdings
Annual Report
2013
29
Russell Kerr, ISS New Zealand
A high quality job is
important because not
only ISS, but also TGH,
gets measured on the
team’s performance.
“They involved us, the architect and the engineers
in the design and to help find efficiencies to meet the
budget they had inmind. It’s called an open book
process. It’s a good way to do it,” he says.
“TGH’s approach is very
professional. They command
respect fromhow fairly they
treat all their contractors.
Even those who haven’t
worked for thembefore, and
come cold calling, always get a
fair hearing.”
There were some surprises on
the project. Gutry says
’ Directors make a
point of getting involved in
projects, but for him it was a
bit of a double-edged sword.
“My daughter, oldest brother and sister-in-law all work
nearby. So there was no shortage of supervision for the
job, I can tell you!”
Mark Gutry, Watts & Hughes Construction
My daughter,
oldest brother
and sister-in-
law all work
nearby. So there
was no shortage
of supervision
for the job, I can
tell you!
|
It’s easy to take a clean and tidy shopping centre for
granted. At
and
a dedicated team of
thirty, 10 full-time and 20 part-time, make sure people
don’t even think about it.
ISS Facilities Services Limited (ISS), one of the largest
of its kind in New Zealand, and internationally
the world’s fourth largest private employer, won
the contract four years ago. The job has expanded
significantly as
has grown and
has
been built during that time. It’s a cornerstone contract
for
, and TGH is their second largest client in the
region after theWaikato District Health Board.
,
explains that there’s muchmore to the job thanmost
people would imagine.
“The normal daily cleaning is broken into two parts.
The first covers opening hours. Tables are cleared
More than meets the eye
promptly in the foodcourt. Edges are wiped, spills
cleaned up and smears on glass doors rubbed off
quickly. Waste must be dealt with and toilets checked
every 60 minutes. The second is at night. A second
teamundertakes what’s called a deep clean, where
all flat surfaces are dusted and wiped, and floors
scrubbed and polished.”
Over and above the daily routine are what’s known
as ‘periodicals’. These can be weekly, monthly,
six-monthly or yearly. That’s when things like high
dusting, cleaning high windows and washing the
outside of buildings are all tackled.
“The number of staff on at any one time depends on
peaks, such as lunchtimes, weekends, school holidays,
Christmas week and the Boxing Day sales,” he says.
“And that’s not all. Because our staff are wearing TGH
uniforms, they’re often asked questions or directions.
So theymust know the layout of the place, and respond
courteously.”
All this requires special training, careful planning and
lots of communication.
works closely with TGH’s facilities management
team at
on a daily basis to ensure it delivers
the standard of service TGH expects. “A high quality
job is important because not only
, but also TGH,
gets measured on the team’s performance.”
Kerr believes there’s mutual respect between
and
TGH, and is keen to grow the relationship. “I also
personally think iwi will be critically important to the
growth of this country. They’re going to be economic
powerhouses within the economy.”
