"To date, we’ve built more than a thousand farm buildings, lots of school swimming [pools], New Zealand’s first velodrome in Invercargill and we have more than 450 employees."
Mr Stewart (85) was "surprised" and "very happy" to be recognised in the New Year Honours, being made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to the community and construction industry.
Bruce Stewart met Lance Calder when they both finished their building apprenticeships and were working for a building company in Mataura. They struck up a friendship and, after doing some ‘‘jobbing work’’ around Milton, a local farmer asked them if they would be interested in building a farmhouse.
"Farmers were getting a pound for a pound of wool and we were suddenly inundated with requests to build haybarns and other farm buildings."
In 1955, Messrs Calder and Stewart formed their building company with assets of only £25, a Ford Prefect car and a wooden trailer.
Within two years, they had 40 to 50 people working for them. Over the next two decades, the company matured into a major builder for the agricultural sector, being one of the first to adopt steel into its construction practices for farm buildings.
In 1974, Mr Calder died and the company eventually came under sole management of the Stewart family. Mr Stewart retired as a company director in 1975 and his four sons now run the company. Mr Stewart has also been a board member of the Otago Manufacturers Association, Otago Master Builders, and New Zealand Metal Roofing Manufacturers. He was a Milton Borough councillor for six years and on the Bruce District Council for three years. He has been a member and held leadership roles with the Rotary Club of Milton over the past 50 years.
- Kerrie Waterworth
