Local builders have been left thousands of dollars out of pocket after a flurry of thefts which have been labelled a sustained attack on people’s livelihoods by those in the industry.
Local Master Builders approached Nelson Weekly after a spate of thefts, fearing that the prevalence of site thefts could become the new norm.
Stonewood Homes managing director Brent Stewart, known by many as Stu, says after a few weeks of increased thefts, tradies are rallying together to increase security in new subdivisions.
He says Berryfields in particular has been hit hard by theft over the past few weeks, with some tradespeople seeing thousands of dollars of tools and materials taken from construction sites.
Inhaus managing director Russell Campbell echoes Stu’s concerns, saying a recent theft from a site of his resulted in around $45,000 worth of products being cut from a steel container. “I know one company had six sites stolen from, another had four, another got hit a number of times over a period of time,” Russell says.
He says the industry is under immense pressure with delays in consents, struggles to get materials in a timely manner, and increasing costs since Covid arrived in the country. Products such as plasterboard are becoming an item that is impossible to replace quickly and as such has become a target for thieves.
They say they have heard of an instance where someone in high-vis clothing, like a tradesperson wears, arrived on a site during the day claiming that they were swapping out an incorrect plasterboard order.
Nothing seemed untoward to other tradespeople on site, so the thief was able to make off with an entire load of plasterboard.
“The likes of gib [plasterboard], everybody knows that there are issues of supply, and undesirables may know that so may be selling it on the black market or using it themselves,” Stu says.
Orders for plasterboard are having to be placed months in advance and to have that stolen creates a flow-on affect that will ultimately end with the consumer.
“The flow-on affect is these clients are having to wait, what can be up to months, it’s holding that job up further which means people who are waiting to take ownership of their new home are needing to find other accommodations longer, which will add to financial pressures.”
Milestone Homes general manager Adam Hills says it has become a sustained attack on people’s livelihoods.
“It’s always been a problem, you’ve got such big developments happening all at once with no residents so there’s an opportunity there for them, knowing that in all likelihood they’re not going to be seen.
“That’s why we’ve seen thefts ramp up in the last few months, coupled with the cost of living being out of control,” he says.
Another item that is being targeted is mains wiring, which is being cut from sites.
“We were the first to get hit with the wiring theft two weeks ago, obviously they got some money for it so they’ve gone back and hit everyone,” Adam says.
The wiring contains copper, which can be sold as scrap metal at a minimal price of around $13 per kilogram.
“The length that they’re taking is of very little value but the time and effort to replace it is significant,” Russell says.
“It’s the time inconvenience, people are booked out weeks in advance so to have to go back and replace those cables, it’s frustrating, we’re all pulling our hair out trying to get things done, there’s enough challenges out there,” Adam adds.
Adam says on one of their developments the three companies involved are paying for a security company to go through a few times every night.
“We’ve got people on camera at 3am trying to, and successfully, getting into containers. They’re professional, they’re not cutting locks they’re cutting hinges and they’re in and out, it’s a real challenge for us.”
Adam says they are exploring full cameras at the entrance as well as full fencing and increased security and locks on their next development.
“It’s going to make life harder for everyone because scumbags think they can rip off the building company who can afford it, but they don’t think about who that affects.”
All three are asking the public to take note of anyone on site at strange times, even if they are in high-vis and look like they should be there.
“Please put in a phone call or take note, I’m happy to be contacted even if it’s another company’s build site, we would much rather check it out if someone thinks something doesn’t look right,” Adam says.
He stresses not to approach people, but simply take note of the time or vehicle.
