Need seen to build builders' wellbeing

Otago Daily Times

a day ago

Marti Amos is the New Zealand-based head of The Professional Builder. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
It was the stuff of Boy's Own lore.
Growing up on Stewart Island, business owner and entrepreneur Marti Amos enjoyed a childhood which was "just one big adventure, one after the other".
Fishing, hunting, learning to fire a rifle, bush walks and heading across Foveaux Strait to play schoolboy rugby at Bluff or Waikiwi.
One of his earliest memories was sitting in the rear of a sea-plane as it taxied off the beach and was half-submerged under water. He looked out the window and saw fish.
Following his parents' separation, he moved with his mother to the hustle of Nelson and says it was "jarring" being taken away from everything he ever knew.
From 10, he worked multiple jobs to help his mother out — from a fish factory to a service station, cardboard factory to mowing lawns — and he both inherited and developed a strong work ethic.
All those experiences in his early years helped give him an affinity with the working man — "just the best kind of people to be around".
Mr Amos (Ngāpuhi) spent a decade at the University of Otago, from 1989 to 1999, which he described as some of the best times of his life.
He studied commerce and pursued PhD research on branding. He lectured in marketing and MBA programmes, examined MCom theses and worked as a Māori students tutor and thesis officer in the commerce division.
He then moved to Auckland, where he was marketing director for Honda Motorcycles NZ and country manager for Pirelli Tyres NZ, and where he has lived for 25 years.
Becoming tired of working for someone else, he bought a business-coaching franchise and noted the number of builders among his clients.
He discovered many were great at building but needed help to build a great business, so he decided to concentrate on the construction industry — helping "some of the hardest working, down-to-earth people I know".
Since 2004, Mr Amos has focused on helping residential construction companies to systemise and scale their businesses, take control of their finances, increase revenue and buy back days of their personal time each week.
He and his team at The Professional Builder — which has grown from three to 65 — have coached more than 3000 building company owners in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The business is projected to reach 100 employees within the next 18 months, while revenue is projected to double to $30 million within the same timeframe.
Members have included Deloitte Fast 50 winners, builders featured in television shows The Block and Grand Designs and many Master Builders award winners.
Mr Amos said more needed to be done to address high rates of suicide in the construction industry. Recent research showed New Zealand's construction sector was facing a mental health crisis; suicide rates were 25% higher than other sectors and Māori, Pasifika, women, migrant workers, apprentices and labourers were among those at higher risk.
He attributed that to various factors including financial instability, low pay and poor mental health, saying those issues were amplified by the industry's boom-and-bust cycle, cost-of-living crisis and a training model that prioritised trade skills over business acumen.
"Kiwi tradespeople are trained to excel on site. They are underprepared to manage the multimillion-dollar business aspects of their work, with dire consequences for their mental wellbeing.
"Our construction workers account for about 7% of working-age male suicides — with nearly one worker losing his life to suicide each week and the avoidable burden and impact of suicide in the New Zealand construction industry has been estimated at $1.1 billion per annum," he said.
A radical overhaul of the country's traditional construction model was needed, with greater emphasis on financial literacy being a priority, he said.
"The New Zealand building industry is seeing its lowest levels of annual growth over a decade with a rate of just 0.6% in the second quarter of 2024 — a factor that is likely to exacerbate mental health concerns for many in the trade.
"Kiwi builders have been taught how to create outstanding projects. They're brilliant with the tools — but no-one has taught them how to build a great business.
Without a proper understanding of financial management, many building company owners were left grappling with severe cash-flow challenges, working long hours and sacrificing their personal lives. In many cases, that led to overwhelming stress and deteriorating mental health.
"When you're constantly worrying about how to pay your subcontractors or secure payroll for the next week, it isn't just your business that suffers — it's your whole life," he said.
A business like The Professional Builder could help but it also needed to be part of a wider mandate. A government focus on big projects such as KiwiBuild had not had the desired outcome, he said.
A focus on the likes of reducing red tape in the industry would help significantly at a macro level but not at a micro level, where business owners were "struggling to understand their numbers".
Groups like Mates in Construction NZ and Mike King's Gumboot Friday did some "phenomenal work" and he believed the government could be doing a lot more at grassroots level and also industry body and commercial level.
Last month, Mr Amos launched a book The Profitable Builder's Playbook to help business owners improve their financial management.
The company has launched an expansion programme to grow the market in the US, and there are plans to increase its physical presence there and establish partnerships with hardware wholesalers, similar to its relationships with Carters, ITM and Mitre 10 in New Zealand.
The Professional Builder will be exhibiting at a roadshow in Texas in several weeks, to be followed by six seminars in the state.
Need help?
Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust 027 240-0114
Need to talk? 1737, free 24/7 phone and text number
Healthline: 0800 611-116
Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543-354
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828-865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Samaritans: 0800 726-666
Alcohol Drug Helpline: 0800 787-797
General mental health inquiries: 0800 443-366
The Depression Helpline: 0800 111-757
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