65 years of Excellence

The Blackley Construction journey began in 1960 when Graeme Blackley started doing farm drainage and mowing services in the Wairarapa.  Graeme wanted to be a farmer and contracting was a means of achieving that goal. Graeme stated with a backhoe and a MLC Type “Sturdy British” Bedford.

Graeme and Janice were approached by Kerry Mayo of the Ministry of Agriculture to see if they were interested in moving to the Manawatu to undertake land drainage. Graeme recalls he was told there would be endless farm work due Manawatu  clay soils.

Graeme and Janice moved to Bunnythorpe in 1965. They then moved to the Stoney Creek Road location in 1969. The Stoney Creek “yard”  remains the base of operations. The company was rural focussed in the early years. In the mid 1980s the company “branched out” into civil works to keep staff busy all year round.

For the early years in the Manawatu, Graeme’s brother Elton, worked with him. During this time, they built the HD5 tile machine for doing farm drainage in the workshop at Stoney Creek Road.

At some point along the way all of Graeme and Janice’s six sons have worked in the business. At various times 5 of the grandsons have also joined also been on the tools.

Graeme’s oldest son, Kevin, is the current owner and operations manager of the business. Younger brother, Alan manages the workshop and keeps track of servicing plant, RUC and registration requirements. He also provides needed first line “tech” support. Until very recently Graeme remained involved as a trainer and assessor for the business.

Over 65 years we have gone from fixing and making/inventing specialized plant ourselves in the workshop. These days you’re able to purchase suitable machines for almost any job. Gone from predominantly using shovels to using back hoes and on to using excavators and specialist trenching machines. Lately service technicians come equipped with laptops that plug into plant with diagnostic software that identifies the fault and suggests a solution.

The industry has gone from more informal team discussions to more formal “inductions”, toolbox meetings, skills assessments, continuous assessment and documentation. The words “sign off” weren’t known or used in earlier days. Formal traffic management with appropriate unit standards and road cones have replaced the odd 44-gallon drum on a site.

We’re proud to say we know the names of all our staff. We’re small enough to notice and foster talents. We also small enough to notice where staff may need a bit of support, upskilling or encouragement.