How Tree Smiths are winning work on the City Rail Link project
14 December 2020
Tree Smiths is a Cook Island-owned arborist business based in South Auckland that is living proof you don’t have to be a big fish to make it in the mighty ocean.
Well-regarded in their industry, the business operates with a people-centric approach and has garnered a reputation for always getting the job done, no matter what.
As an Amotai supplier member, Tree Smiths won a contract in November with the organisation behind Auckland’s City Rail Link, the Link Alliance.
Being a smaller business, they initially didn’t fulfil all the requirements in the bid for the work, making it difficult to go up against the bigger companies Link Alliance had contracted in the past. But their reputation held them in good stead.
Owner Matty Smith says there were many meetings involved in the bid for the work and he became a gun at highlighting their point of difference.
“As a small company, we really had to sell ourselves. We have a lot of experience in this industry, so it was about bringing all of that to the table. A lot of the big jobs are dominated by European businesses, all we wanted was a foot in the door to show them what we could do.”
During the tendering process there was a pot of choices. Many of the businesses pitching for contracts were known to Link Alliance. Berenize Peita, Link Alliance Social Outcomes Manager, says she had confidence Tree Smiths could do the job and helped to bridge the gap, encouraging her organisation to consider a company they hadn’t worked with before.
As it turned out, venturing into the unknown was the best choice the Link Alliance made, for both parties involved.
Tree Smiths came out of the project highly praised, winning another contract soon after. And Berenize says they will remain high on the list if there is another opportunity in the future.
“I was told by our team that Tree Smiths’ health and safety processes were awesome and their workmanship was unbelievable. They were absolutely pleased, they couldn’t say enough good stuff about them,” she shared.
For Matty, winning that first big contract meant a lot. He says it has created another pathway for his business, helping set them up to continue to bid for bigger contracts.
“Now that we have been through the process, we have everything set up to implement it all the time. We definitely understand the value of this opportunity and if we ever get the chance to go after that type of work, we will.”
It’s also helping the most important part of Tree Smiths - the people - realise their potential.
“It’s good to show our crew that it doesn’t matter if you’re Māori or Pasifika, that you come from South Auckland, we can still get the work that other established companies get.
Matty says one of the company’s points of difference from others pitching for big commercial contracts is their staff are treated as family, and some literally are.
“My older brother subcontracts, my niece is on board and has become qualified and her partner also now works with us. Many of the other guys come through Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), they’re all young fullas getting into the industry and getting their quals.
“On the Link Alliance contract, we were able to have all of our guys, our subbies, everyone there on the same job. It was a great experience all around.”
Matty points to a traditional saying ‘adorn the birth with feathers so it can fly’ when describing their company values.
“We train our young guys up and give them the experience so they can create their own futures. In our industry it's one thing to be qualified, but it's another to pair that with different types of experiences to help you tackle any situation. Being an Amotai supplier member has helped us gain more opportunities to give out guys that experience because at the end of the day, the qualification won’t help you when you’re up the top of a tree.”