Poutama is proud to support Māori owned and operated Coastbound Construction.
The construction and building services company is owned by Dylan McPhee (Director and Builder) and Kaea Williams (Partner and Accounts Manager). Based in Opotiki, Coastbound operates through the East Coast – as far as Cape Runaway and as North as Matatā. The business partners have been operating their business since May 2019.
Poutama caught-up with Dylan and Kaea recently to check-in on progress with Poutama’s investment in the business and ask a couple of questions.
Poutama: Has your location contributed to the success of your business?
Dylan: Yes it has, with Opotiki developing every day, and the demand for builders growing, we haven’t been left short for work.
Poutama: What did the funding you received from Poutama go towards and how has this funding enhanced your business?
Kaea: It went towards establishing a physical yard space for the business to operate and store more tools and equipment. It has enhanced the procedures of our business by helping it run smoother and enabled us to take on bigger projects within the town which means more work for our team.
We have two young apprentices in our team so we’ve been able to support their learning and development through more variety in projects we can take on. We have managed to create a more secure environment for our business assets, a set meeting place for our staff which has created more efficiency with our business processes.
We have since been able to establish a functional space for our team to connect during and after work, which we’ve seen create both a stronger culture (within the team) and enhanced relationships (with the community). This funding has been an awesome catalyst in establishing our business foundation and identity. We are so grateful for the support Poutama has provided us to enhancing our business. We’ve been able to take a big step forward in our business venture and have a clearer pathway to reaching our business goals.
Poutama: What aspects of the business give you a point of difference in the sector and your community?
Dylan: We are fully Māori owned and operated, all staff are local and Māori. We not only prioritise projects for the growth of our local Iwi and Hapū developments, but also prioritise projects for our whānau, friends and the local community to help provide adequate and safe housing.
