It was a proud moment recently attending the official opening of Fonterra’s new Hamilton workplace, alongside Kate Horton.
The official opening was led by mana whenua, Ngāti Wairere. The powhiri included blessing of the mauri stone and cultural artwork, which bring to life the story of Waitāawhiriwhiri, the name gifted to Fonterra’s new Waikato workplace. Together, these elements have created a workplace that is grounded in Waikato and reflects the unique identity, heritage and environment.
North Bloc forms part of Fonterra’s Waikato workplace strategy, alongside South Bloc. TwentyTwo, led by Dean Croucher and Steffi McKeown, have supported Fonterra throughout the initiative, including the initial market engagement, assessing and evaluation of options, commercial and lease negotiations and overseeing the delivery as part of the joint Fonterra and Stark project group.
This project is a great example of adaptive re-use. A dated building has been strengthened and refurbished to an “as new” standard, with a contemporary workplace fitout delivered through the combined efforts of:
- Base Build – Edwards White Architects, Stark Property
- Workplace Fitout – Chow:Hill, Designwell, TBIG, Fonterra
This outcome reflects strong collaboration between Fonterra, Stark Property and key advisers who were able to work together to create a commercially viable modern workplace solution. The collective base building upgrade and stunning fitout show that older assets can be re-purposed/recycled with the right vision, design, and commercial inputs.
In addition to providing independent property advice and governance support, Kate Horton and Katherine Jones also supported Fonterra’s workplace team with tailored change management and communication advice to help prepare staff for the new workplace. Their expertise across change management shaped the programme fronting much of the change effort early on – sharpening ADKAR-based change collateral and leading engagement alongside Fonterra’s own team. Leader sessions, tailored comms, and change champions network helped staff make sense of both shifts together – staff feedback has been great, with real appreciation shown to the project team for how well the move was handled.
Congratulations to the wider Fonterra Property and Workplace teams including Martin Leabourn, Samantha Lochery, Dave Lilley, Diana Deyeva, Riaan Raubenheimer-Schoeman, Anthea Ratana along with many others who contributed to the project.
Also congratulations to the TwentyTwo team that have been part of this journey – Dean Croucher, Steffi McKeown, Kate Horton and Katherine Jones.
