Waikato Business News | April 1, 2024

28 APRIL 2024
For Fosters, it’s not just
about winning a project;
they really care about
what happens here at our
school and they want to
see us succeed.
Esré Bezuidenhout,
Operations Executive Hamilton
Christian Schools Incorporated
Hamilton Christian School’s roll has grown hugely, increasing from 440
students in 2020 to more than 900 today.
To cater for this growth, Hamilton Christian Schools Incorporated (HCS
Inc), which owns the state-integrated school’s land and buildings,
launched an extensive campus upgrade in 2020.
Operations Executive, Esré Bezuidenhout, said HCS Inc approached
Fosters based on their reputation for building excellence, and they were
immediately impressed.
“We found we had values that aligned,” she said. “When people walk
through my door, I put everything aside to help them, and I felt Fosters did
the same for us.”
The total project includes the construction of two new blocks (I and J)
featuring multiple classroom spaces, with outdoor learning environments,
playgrounds and a gym to be added later.
Through Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), Fosters was engaged from the
outset.
“It wouldn’t have come together as well if the builders weren’t in the room
from the start,” Esré said. “They knew what we could achieve on the
budget we had, and they brought a lot of pragmatism to the table, which
meant we would never go off on a tangent. They were always looking at
ways to save us time and money.”
Fosters ran the project on an open-book basis to give the board complete
budget transparency.
“There was never a point where we felt we couldn’t ask questions,” Esré
said. “We had full access to all of the invoices throughout the whole tender
process.”
The company also used its expertise to suggest best-fit subcontractors.
“I can’t remember a single time when we pushed back on one of their
recommendations,” Esré said.
“Fosters have all the relationships within the industry; they’re very wellknown
and the tradies enjoy working with them. I was really impressed
with them in that space.”
She feels the company’s biggest strength lies in its client relationships.
“For Fosters, it’s not just about winning a project; they really care about
what happens here at our school and they want to see us succeed,” she
said.
Got a build project in mind?