This year at DStevens we have completed beautiful projects, found new ways to do things, and have kept moving forward. Peter Stevens, Managing Director of DStevens, took a moment to reflect on the challenges we faced together and celebrates the good things about 2021 in his annual message to our team.

Tēnā koutou,

It would be fair to say 2021 was momentous – defined as much by its challenges as by its opportunities to see and think differently. We have discovered new ways to connect and collaborate with each other, our clients and industry partners. Thank you for your ongoing support, flexibility and resilience as we navigate this changing environment. As many of us prepare to celebrate the holidays with our loved ones, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the past year and what we’ve achieved together.

Last year, Glenn Stichbury and I reached significant milestones in our anniversaries of joining DStevens – 35 and 45 years respectively. Although we had plans to celebrate last year, the onset of this global pandemic meant we had to delay those plans until we could safely gather together again. It was great to get everyone together in April for a special event to celebrate these milestones and have some fun.

It is clear from ongoing adjustments to Covid-19 Alert Levels that we will be working through a changing landscape in the construction industry for some time to come. This year has created significant challenges and disruption, from lockdowns to the constrained supply of materials, yet I continue to be amazed by the way our team comes together to deliver our best work.

Our workshop teams have displayed incredible attention to detail producing beautiful kitchens, bespoke timber joinery, and stunning aluminium windows and doors. Earlier this year, we took delivery of a new Aluminium Cutting Saw from OMC Machinery. It is exciting to see the finish and precision that can be achieved by our aluminium team using this leading-edge equipment. I am looking forward to how our production and fabrication evolves in the coming years as we continue to invest in new technology and machinery.

The projects we completed in 2021 showcase the wide range of work that we undertake at DStevens. We continued to create new and engaging education spaces across Gisborne for students at Kaiti School, Lytton High School and Gisborne Girls’ High School. Lytton High School’s Cooking and Textiles rooms were transformed into modern learning spaces, complete with a new commercial kitchen and training restaurant. We also delivered beautiful new homes and renovations this year that vary in scale and budget, from the compact footprint of Beach Studio to the complexity of Country House. These projects are great examples of what DStevens can deliver for our clients with our construction, joinery and aluminium teams working together.

It was fantastic to see two of our projects awarded with accolades this year. In August, FAB ONE was awarded a Regional Gold Award and announced the Regional Category Winner for New Homes $450k–$600k in the East Coast and Hawkes Bay House of the Year Awards. The house also made this year’s NZ Top 100 list and was named the National Category Winner at the NZ House of the Year Awards in November. These accolades are an incredible acknowledgement of the hard work and attention to detail involved in the design and construction of FAB ONE.

Eastland Port’s new offices won the Interior Architecture category at the Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA Hawkes Bay / Gisborne Local Architecture Awards. Our team are now working with Eastland Port again on the structural strengthening of Shed 1 with new steel portal frames. This work is progressing with the next phase due to commence in early 2022.

I am proud that our health, safety and wellbeing practices have been independently assessed by Sitewise as a top-performing system – achieving Gold Status with an outstanding 97% safety rating. We have continued to raise the bar in this critical area of our business by supporting and protecting our people in their work. I am keen to hear from you in the coming months on how we can make further improvements.

Finally, while DStevens has had a successful year in a challenging environment, we are hungry to do more. Our industry not only respects craft and tradition, it rewards creativity and innovation. With unprecedented pressure on supply markets and increasing demand for project delivery, this is a critical time for the construction industry – and for us. Our job is to ensure that DStevens thrives in an ever-competitive local market while still staying true to our commitment to creating quality spaces and places.

I know this past year has tested each of us in ways that we never imagined. It’s asked all of us to adapt, it’s added complexity to our work, and it has demanded additional resolve and commitment in areas of our lives that extend well beyond our work. But I also know that what we have each achieved during this time should make us enormously proud. We have a lot to look forward to next year, including some big projects in our pipeline that I think you will love.

Enjoy your summer break relaxing with friends and family.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Peter Stevens
Managing Director