The Rain Gardeners

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The Rain Gardeners is a sister company to Dutton Stormwater and we’ve been proud to collaborate on some great rain garden maintenance projects this spring. We’ve also agreed some regular rain garden mainenance contracts with Dutton Stormwater clients as well maintained rain gardens are essential for great performance wherever they are included as part of a stormwater maintence system.

You can check out the website here – raingardeners.co.nz – and you might see the van out and about with Sonny on board.

Raingarden refurbishment – Onehunga

In the month of September, we helped one of our clients with a major refurbishment of their raingarden. The job spanned 268m2 and we excavated approximately 135m3 of contaminated material out of the garden. We divided the garden into stages and the engineer came to site at various intervals to inspect the media. When she was happy with the depth of material removed, we replaced the excavated contaminated material with fresh, clean raingarden mix. This media was initially shaped by our skilled excavator operator and then finished by Sonny himself.

We then repaired the riprap which ensures there is no scouring of the garden when water flows into it. We laid 75mm of beautiful bark over the garden and planted new plants at 500mm intervals. This raingarden is now in mint condition, and we will be maintaining it monthly to keep it this way.

This raingarden is part of the stormwater system on site and is part of the treatment train for the stormwater the site discharges. We are specialists in servicing these stormwater treatment devices. The Rain Gardeners work closely with Dutton Stormwater to ensure the Raingarden maintenance forms part of the Stormwater Management Plan for the site. This is a more comprehensive service and will ensure your site is complying with your stormwater discharge consent.

If you are unsure about your stormwater management plan for your site, please do not hesitate to contact the crew at Dutton Stormwater to take the worry out of managing your stormwater system.

Mt Albert Rain Garden Rejuvenation

Our Rain Gardeners team also carried out a refurbishment on a rain garden in Mt Albert where there have been years of neglect. The raingarden has had new life breathed into it.  They removed all the litter, aerated all the media, replaced any dead plants, and cut back weeds and overgrown plants. We are happy with the result of this maintenance, and we look forward to keeping this raingarden as it should be.

Facilities Management Conference – Te Pae – Christchurch

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On the 20-21 September Dutton Stormwater attended and exhibited at the FM Summit Aotearoa held at the Te Pae Convention Centre in Otauthai, Christchurch hosted by FMANZ (Facilities management Association of New Zealand).  This was our first time attending a Facilities Management Summit, so we went in with eyes wide open.  The combination of being in the beautiful city of Otautahi Christchurch, the stunning venue of Te Pae right next to the Avon and brought together by the team at FMANZ made for a special couple of days.

For us this was a great opportunity to catch up with many existing customers from the facilities management space, make introductions with potential new Customers and Industry partners.  Whilst the presentations were to a high standard my main takeaway from the event was the obtaining a greater understanding and appreciation for the wide variety of work that goes in by all in the facilities space to ensure the upkeep and progression of the built environment around us.

The winning wheel made an appearance on the last day and as you can expect when cash is being given away the crowd drew closer to see if it was their business card being drawn out of the hat.  Three lucky and very grateful attendees drew their name and walked away with a little extra spending money.

It was also a pleasure to be present at the award’s gala dinner where individuals, teams and companies were acknowledged.

There is no doubt we will be back again for the 2024 FM summit being held in Auckland.

From the Directors Desk November 23

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I’m constantly reminded how lucky we are to have built the amazing team that make up Dutton Stormwater. Great equipment and smart systems can make a business more agile and effective but the people bring the heart to any company.

Appreciation for Foxy and Ben

I treasure the people in our business. I also treasure our bespoke operating system, FOXY. We called it Foxy because it is smart, determined, limitless and fast. It is another asset that sets our company apart from the rest. With humility, Foxy is an operating system I am so proud of. It will ultimately manage our whole business.

To that end, Tracy has taken on Ben McGirr as our full-time developer. Ben is professional and approachable (when his 11-week-old son Charlie gives him some sleep), and I look forward to working with Ben to make Foxy the most beautiful platform in the world.

Congratulations to our new Drivers

We are extremely proud of three men who have taken the time to develop themselves into drivers. Congratulations to Sonny Chan, Peter Rhind, and Lyndon Quiban. Having a versatile crew that can double as technicians and truck drivers is another factor which gives our company extra adaptability. Well done to these three gentlemen, we look forward to seeing you behind the wheel of a Dutton Stormwater truck.

Our awesome accounts team

Our business is blessed to have two committed individuals who manage our finances. From the outset of Dutton Stormwater, I have held true to the mantra of treating people as you wish to be treated. We pay our bills on the 20th of the month or when they are due. We believe this is why our customers do the same for us. It is not always easy. I often receive a text late in the evening of the 20th from young Amy saying all the bills are paid, and that’s a great feeling. Amy has had Evie join her full time this year and there is a happy hum of efficiency that permeates the accounts department – until the last day of the month and ‘claim day’! I wanted to personally acknowledge the effort these two put in for our company and thank them for keeping our business’s finances organised and efficient.