Waikato Business News June/July 2023

“Fosters have good people
at all levels, from the
person who coordinates
the design documentation,
through to the in-house
project manager and the
foreman. We all share
similar values – building
a good project and
executing it well.”
David Chafer, Chalmers Properrties
David Chafer sums up his company’s ongoing relationship
with Fosters in one sentence: “We’ve got a good thing
going.”
David is the general manager of property investment and
development company Chalmers Properties, which owns
$600 million worth of property around Aotearoa.
Based on the success of a past collaboration, the
company engaged Fosters again to execute the design
and build of a new 2700m² warehouse project at
Hamilton’s Te Rapa Gateway.
The warehouse was purpose built for IAG, which owns
multiple New Zealand insurance brands, to contain a
high-tech in-house motor vehicle repair facility. It was
completed in 2022.
“Fosters are really good to help at the front end of a
possible project with cost estimations and input and then
through the next phases of the project – documentation,
tendering and the build,” David said.
“They have good people at all levels, from the person
who coordinates the design documentation, through to
the in-house project manager and the foreman. We
all share similar values – building a good project and
executing it well.”
With its innovative design, sleek office spaces and high
quality finish, the new Repairhub impressed not only
David and his company, but the judges at the 2022
Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall
Property Industry Awards.
The project was awarded merit in the Industrial Property
Award category, following an assessment of its design,
construction and sustainability features, how it tracked
against financial estimates, and owner and user
satisfaction.
Property Council chief executive Leonie Freeman said the
awards showcased what could happen “when you marry
courageous vision with the can-do attitude of passionate
people”.
Following that success, Chalmers Properties had no
hesitation in signing Fosters again.
“The execution’s just easy from a client’s perspective,”
David said. “That’s why we’ve played forward with
them; they’re just completing two far larger projects with
construction value of $19 million and they recently started
another two warehouses for us.
“That’s confirmation we find them great to work with.”
FOSTERS.CO.NZ 07 849 3849