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Turf graduates add value for City Care's customers
In September 2005, three City Care staff were the first people in New Zealand to graduate
with a newly developed qualification in the care of amenity turf a Level 3 National
Certificate in Amenity Turf Maintenance.
Paul Richards, Andrew Crozier and Rick Noesgaard, who all work for City Care's Parks
Maintenance division in Christchurch, are now applying their knowledge on the job
in the Garden City's parks. City Care's clients and the public who use the parks are all
reaping the benefits in improved maintenance standards.
"For example, one of our guys who was studying for the qualification correctly identified
a "fairy ring" in one of the Christchurch City Council's parks which indicated the presence
of a turf disease", says Brian Keown, City Care's Parks Operations Manager. "We were
able to alert the Council to the problem, treat the disease and most importantly, prevent
it from spreading."
City Care helped the Sports Turf and the Horticulture Industry Training Organisations
(ITOs) develop the new qualification by providing advice on course content. While there
are qualifications in the care of sports turf already available, this is the first qualification
relating to amenity turf, which has its own specific requirements and challenges.
As well as covering the safe use and maintenance of amenity turf equipment, the
qualification also involved identification of weeds, pests, diseases and disorders, pest
management and control and first aid. There are elective units that focus on establishing
turf successfully, tractor use and maintenance, chainsaw use and maintenance, tree
maintenance, basic gardening techniques, and the safe use of agrichemicals.
our
customers
k e y pa rt n e r s h i p s
northern region
City Care continued to strengthen our partnerships with
existing clients in the North Island.
The New Plymouth District Council won the Supreme Award
at this year's BearingPoint Innovation Awards for its `Real
Service Real Time' service request management system
which is delivered by City Care as part of the underground
services maintenance contract. These annual awards are
jointly sponsored by BearingPoint and the Institute of Public
Administration New Zealand (IPANZ). They aim to recognise
and promote world-class innovation in services to the public,
services to Maori, the use of technology and management
in the public sector.
We were successful in securing additional parks maintenance
contracts from the Tauranga City Council, effectively doubling
our parks operations in Tauranga as of 1 July 2006.
In Auckland we also achieved the roll-over of our
streetscapes maintenance contract with North Shore
City Council and our pumps maintenance contract with
Manukau Water.
southern region
Early in the financial year, City Care was
awarded the contract to maintain the roading
network for the Northern area of Christchurch
City. Won through competitive tender, the
value of this contract is $21 million ($7
million per annum for three years), with the
potential for an extension of the contract for
a further two years, based on performance.
The work involves maintaining all aspects
of the network and includes pavement
repairs and resealing, street sweeping,
vegetation control and maintenance of road
signs and road markings.
