Safety is paramount for crews

Tree Truck staff doing what they do best, working high up and in a difficult environment. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Whenever there's a storm and we all take shelter, spare a thought for Richard Te Ngahue and his team.

Mr Te Ngahue owns Tree Truck Ltd which is one of only a handful of companies Powerco uses in the lower North Island to take care of business whenever trees are getting in the way of power lines.

This approval is only granted following an extensive audit of a company's health and safety procedures and extensive staff training. Tree Truck Ltd was established primarily as in independent contractor working with Powerco to clear trees from their network. But Mr Te Ngahue said he soon recognised that Wanganui lacked quality arboricultural work and so the company extended its services to include all aspects of arboriculture.

The company employs six and carries out a whole raft of tree work, from something as small as a camellia bush in the backyard to felling aged trees.

"A lot of our work is around the power lines and that's where I started in the industry," he said.

He was working for a company in Wairarapa in early 2000 and that was where he got his training. From there he went out subcontracting on his own, buying his own elevated work platform - usually referred to as a "cherry picker".

He and his family moved to Wanganui after 2002 to be closer to his family in Patea, and he set up his company that year.

He said the first few years were tough "but it's not as tough now".

What makes Tree Truck Ltd different is the "major approved contractor" status it has with Powerco, and if trees need trimming around "live" lines, Mr Te Ngahue's company is one of two the power supply company uses in the lower North Island.

So, in the wake of a storm and with power lines down, Powerco calls his company. Tree Truck Ltd virtually covers the Manawatu, Wanganui and South Taranaki districts.

Mr Te Ngahue said he always had an affinity for working around power lines. "That's where I learned my craft. I was taken up in a bucket, told to hold on to an insulating stick to keep a live 11Kv wire clear to start pruning. Not everybody is comfortable in that sort of environment, but I just found it was me."

He said training was imperative for the job, and - above all else - he promoted safe work practices.

"I'm very particular and set and demand very high standards of the staff. I think that's why I'm still here. Powerco recognise that and we have a very good safety record and have never failed an audit. Safety is paramount."

Mr Te Ngahue said it was just as important for the team to buy into what standards he was setting. "There are examples of other companies who did not have that sort of structure, and they're no longer around."

It's a small industry and obviously very specialised.

He said the culture in his crews was safety first, stringent training and competence tests to meet what Powerco demands.

"They (Powerco) make no apology for that, just like I don't make any apology for the standards I set. The consequences for me, my business and especially my men would be too severe."

The audits can happen any time and anywhere. "We were audited twice in one week and at two different sites at one stage." Mr Te Ngahue said he always mixed up the environment for his crews too. "There are times when I'll take them off high-pressure work associated with working around power lines and give them something a lot less stressful, like pruning somebody's camellia."