Fletcher Construction

Last updated

Fletcher Construction
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryConstruction
Founded1919
Headquarters,
New Zealand
Area served
New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, American Samoa
ServicesConstruction
Parent Fletcher Building
Websitewww.fletcherconstruction.co.nz

The Fletcher Construction Company Limited is a New Zealand construction company [1] and a subsidiary of Fletcher Building. Together with Higgins Contractors Ltd and Brian Perry Civil it makes up the Construction division of Fletcher Building. Fletcher Construction is widely known in New Zealand, and has delivered various projects including constructing the Auckland Sky Tower.

Contents

It has five main business units:

History

In 1909 James Fletcher senior, a builder and stonemason from Scotland, began a building business along with Englishman Albert Morris. The firm was known as Fletcher and Morris and received their first commission on 1 June 1909. This was for a double bay wooden villa at Broad Bay on the Otago Peninsula and was built for £375 (New Zealand still used British pounds at that time). The house was occupied on 10 November 1909 by local merchant Hubert Green following his marriage to Agnes Galloway. However, they made no profit in this venture. [2] It later became Fletcher Bros. [3] The house, now known as Fletcher House, still stands and is open to the public. [4] However, despite being bailed out by friends their company made a net loss and they had to cease trading in 1910. In January 1911 they revitalised the firm with a bit more financial acumen, building houses in Abbotsford and south Dunedin. In March 1911 they started their first workshop: on Cameron Street next to the railway. [5]

In the summer of 1911 the firm was joined by James' brother William John Fletcher, who was a trained stonemason. He invested $1000 to become an equal partner. On 24 November 1911 they received their first larger (non-domestic) commission: a Coronation Hall for the St Kilda district. This was designed by local architects Mason & Wales. [6]

Dominion Farmers' Institute, Wellington, completed 1918 Dominion Farmers' Institute, Ballance Street frontage from Featherston Street.jpg
Dominion Farmers' Institute, Wellington, completed 1918

The company was renamed Fletcher Brothers in May 1912 after the departure of Bert Morris, who took fright at their first truly large project: Knox College, Otago. This contract was received through James' in-law Rev Andrew Cameron who was chairman of the building committee. [6]

The company was registered as a limited liability company in May 1916.

In 1917 they renewed their link to architects Mason & Wales in the building of the 102 bed Nurses Home for Otago Hospital.

In 1925 the company headquarters was moved to Auckland, and in 1940 Fletcher Construction became a subsidiary of the Fletcher Holdings group, which listed on the share market that year. [3] In 1942, following the resignation of his father to help New Zealand's war effort, James Fletcher junior became managing director of the company. Fletcher junior placed a greater emphasis on the firms building products manufacturing divisions, with Fletcher Construction retaining the core construction business. [7]

In 1981, Fletcher Holdings merged with Challenge Corporation Ltd and Tasman Pulp Paper Ltd to form Fletcher Challenge. Fletcher Building was formed with the split of Fletcher Challenge in 2001.

Major projects

Major projects have included:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Tower (Auckland)</span> Observation and communication tower in Auckland, New Zealand

The Sky Tower is a telecommunications and observation tower in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets within the city's CBD, it is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall, as measured from ground level to the top of the mast, making it the second tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere, surpassed only by the Autograph Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the 28th tallest tower in the world. Since its completion in 1997, the Sky Tower has become an iconic landmark in Auckland's skyline, due to its height and design. It was the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere from 1996 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manapouri Power Station</span> Dam in Fiordland National Park, Southland

Manapōuri Power Station is an underground hydroelectric power station on the western arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland National Park, in the South Island of New Zealand. At 854 MW installed capacity, it is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand, and the second largest power station in New Zealand. The station is noted for the controversy and environmental protests by the Save Manapouri Campaign against raising the level of Lake Manapouri to increase the station's hydraulic head, which galvanised New Zealanders and was one of the foundations of the New Zealand environmental movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland Harbour Bridge</span> Road bridge in Auckland, New Zealand

The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the North Shore side. It is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway. The bridge is operated by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA). It is the second-longest road bridge in New Zealand, and the longest in the North Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Māngere Bridge (bridges)</span> Bridge in New Zealand

Māngere Bridge, officially also called the Manukau Harbour Crossing, is a dual motorway bridge over the Manukau Harbour in south-western Auckland, New Zealand, crossing between the suburb also known as Māngere Bridge and the suburb of Onehunga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiji national cricket team</span> Cricket team

The Fiji national cricket team is the men's team that represents Fiji in international cricket. Fiji has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1965, although the team's history goes back to the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onehunga Branch</span> Branch line between Penrose and Onehunga in Auckland

The Onehunga Branch railway line is a section of the Onehunga Line in Auckland, New Zealand. It was constructed by the Auckland Provincial Government and opened from Penrose to Onehunga on 24 December 1873, and extended to Onehunga Wharf on 28 November 1878. It is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) in length and is single-track only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Busway, Auckland</span> Busway in Auckland, New Zealand

The Northern Busway is a segregated busway that runs along the eastern side of the Northern Motorway, part of State Highway 1, in the north of Auckland, New Zealand, linking the North Shore with the northern end of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. As of May 2022, the busway consists of two-way lanes running between Albany Station and Akoranga Station, and from Akoranga Station a southbound-only lane that joins the harbour bridge approaches just south of the Onewa Road on-ramp system. The busway previously ended at Constellation before an extension to Albany was constructed in 2022.

Transport in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is defined by factors that include the shape of the Auckland isthmus, the suburban character of much of the urban area, a history of focusing investment on roading projects rather than public transport, and high car-ownership rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Harbour Bridge</span>

The Upper Harbour Bridge is a motorway bridge in west Auckland, New Zealand. It is technically two bridges, spanning the Upper Waitematā Harbour, and connecting Hobsonville and Greenhithe. It is an important connection for State Highway 18, and became even more important as a component of the Western Ring Route when the route was completed on 2 July 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Motorway</span>

The Northwestern Motorway, part of State Highway 16, is the major western route and secondary northern route out of Auckland in New Zealand. Twenty-one kilometres in length, the motorway runs from Stanley St in Parnell through the Central Motorway Junction, and west through Central Auckland and West Auckland before continuing northwest and terminating outside of Kumeū. Its western terminus is at Brigham Creek Road in Whenuapai. A large part of it forms the middle section of the Western Ring Route.

Sir James Fletcher was a New Zealand industrialist who founded Fletcher Construction, one of the country's largest firms. His son, Sir James Fletcher Junior, continued to build the corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterview Connection</span> Road in New Zealand

The Waterview Connection is a motorway section through west/central Auckland, New Zealand. It connects State Highway 20 in the south at Mt Roskill to State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier, and is a part of the Western Ring Route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Sugar Refinery</span> Sugar refinery in Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand Sugar Company Limited is a long-established business and landmark in Birkenhead, New Zealand, located on the northern shore of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. The company is also known colloquially as "Chelsea Sugar", taking reference from the company's branded sugar "Chelsea", and the site is also colloquially known as the "Chelsea Sugar Refinery", or "sugar works".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bike Auckland</span>

Bike Auckland, formerly Cycle Action Auckland (CAA) is a pro-cycling advocacy group in Auckland, New Zealand. The predominantly volunteer group aims to improve infrastructure and conditions, as well as perceptions of cycling to encourage more "everyday people" to use bicycles, including for commuting and recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Harbour Crossing, Auckland</span>

The Second Harbour Crossing is the name given to the proposed second transport link across the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. Planners have also referred to new links across the harbour as the Additional Waitematā Harbour Crossing (AWHC) or the Waitematā Harbour Connections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland</span> Metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand

Auckland is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about 1,478,800. It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, and which has a total population of 1,739,300 as of June 2023. It is the most populous city of New Zealand and the fifth largest city in Oceania. While Europeans continue to make up the plurality of Auckland's population, the city became multicultural and cosmopolitan in the late-20th century, with Asians accounting for 31% of the city's population in 2018. Auckland has the fourth largest foreign-born population in the world, with 39% of its residents born overseas. With its large population of Pasifika New Zealanders, the city is also home to the biggest ethnic Polynesian population in the world. The Māori-language name for Auckland is Tāmaki Makaurau, meaning "Tāmaki desired by many", in reference to the desirability of its natural resources and geography. Tāmaki means "omen".

The Western Ring Route is a motorway system being constructed in Auckland, New Zealand. It currently runs along the entire Southwestern Motorway, most of the Northwestern Motorway, the entire Upper Harbour Motorway, and the entire Upper Harbour Highway. When the Upper Harbour Highway is upgraded to motorway status, the route will surpass the Southern Motorway to become the longest motorway in New Zealand at 48 kilometres in length. It runs through Manukau, West Auckland, and the North Shore, bypassing the Auckland city centre and thus providing a second motorway route through the Auckland isthmus.

WSP New Zealand Ltd is a global engineering professional services consulting firm based in New Zealand and owned by Canadian multinational WSP Global. Until October 2019 it traded as WSP Opus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterview Tunnel</span> Road tunnel in Auckland, New Zealand

The Waterview Tunnel is a twin road tunnel in central Auckland, New Zealand. At 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) long, it is New Zealand's longest road tunnel. The tunnel, with three lanes of road vehicle traffic in each direction, connects State Highway 20 in the south at Mount Roskill to State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier as part of the Waterview Connection. Its opening completed the Western Ring Route motorway system.

References

  1. Gibson, Anne (6 March 2006). "Red ink reins in builder Mainzeal". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. Pride of Place: A history of the Fletcher Construction Company, Peter Shaw p.4
  3. 1 2 "University of Auckland Business History Project – Fletcher Challenge". University of Auckland. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  4. "The Fletcher House". The Fletcher Trust. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
  5. Pride of Place: A history of the Fletcher Construction Company, Peter Shaw p.5
  6. 1 2 Pride of Place: A history of the Fletcher Construction Company, Peter Shaw p.6
  7. Graeme Hunt (31 August 2007). "Sir James Fletcher, the mild-mannered man of steel". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  8. Building activity. Evening Post. 2 March 1939.
  9. Te Papa Archived 15 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fletcher Construction website. Retrieved 25 November 2007.)
  10. Sky City Casino Archived 19 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fletcher Construction website. Retrieved 25 November 2007.)
  11. Sky Tower Archived 31 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fletcher Construction website. Retrieved 25 November 2007.)
  12. Westpac Stadium Archived 19 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fletcher Construction website. Retrieved 25 November 2007.)
  13. Manapouri Archived 19 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fletcher Construction website. Retrieved 25 November 2007.)
  14. Upper Harbour Bridge Archived 22 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fletcher Construction website. Retrieved 25 November 2007.)
  15. High-Tech Bridge Buildings Hits Fijie.nz magazine, IPENZ, July/August 2007, Page 21
  16. Manukau Harbour Crossing, January 2009 Archived 10 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine NZ Transport Agency newsletter. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  17. "Waterview Connection". from the Fletcher Construction website. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017.
  18. "Fonterra Building". from the Fletcher Construction website. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017.
  19. "Fergusson Wharf". from the Fletcher Construction website. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017.
  20. "Hobson Bay Tunnel". from the Fletcher Construction website. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017.
  21. "Momi Bay Resort". from the Fletcher Construction website. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017.
  22. "Fiji Four Long Bridges Project". from the Fletcher Construction website. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017.
  23. "NZICC and Horizon Hotel". Fletcher Construction. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

Further reading