Wayford Labour is shaking up the labour hire industry, with a talent pool of athletes and university students and a focus on social responsibility.
In 2022, Ned Botherway was studying at Te Whare o Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) and representing New Zealand in the Junior Rowing Team when he set up the company to address what he saw as a gap in the market.
“The reason I started the business was to be an alternative to the traditional offerings in the industry and provide exceptional service,” says Botherway.
“While working on construction sites as a student, I saw an opportunity to connect businesses with access to athletes as temporary staff who were hardworking and reliable, so I set up my own business contracting athletes to worksites. It worked well because our clients received high quality workers and our staff had flexible work that aligned with their training schedules.
“Being young and relatively new in the industry, I was able to bring a fresh perspective. From the smallest things, such as making sure staff get to site on time to paying above minimum wage because I want our team to feel valued, I saw a really healthy way to service the industry and make work enjoyable for our team.”
It worked so well that Botherway paused his study to concentrate on the business. He also expanded the company’s talent pool to include skilled tradespeople, such as carpenters and hammerhands, as well as local university students.
As demand was ramping up, Botherway was awarded a scholarship to study International Business – Finance, Accounting and Emerging Markets at Northeastern University in Boston, USA, which necessitated bringing on additional leadership, leading to the recruitment of Ben Kelt, a UC Economics graduate. Kelt initially joined as a labourer, then moved to an operations role before his appointment as a director.
He emphasises the company’s unique market position, saying a key part of the company’s early traction in the market is their ability to tap into the youth workforce.
“Ned and I are both young, so naturally our networks are all young people. This gives us access to a wide range of people that are perfectly suited to physically demanding work that a lot of competitors wouldn’t have easy access to. We have a lot of athletes, including Crusaders from the academy and under-20s team, Junior All Blacks and New Zealand rowers, as well as students, as they tend to be young, fit, driven people.”
Wayford Labour currently has over 200 staff on the books, with offices in Christchurch and Auckland, and clients nationwide. They collaborate closely with Nailed It Safety to ensure health and safety best practice across all work sites and have also achieved Sitewise Gold status.
The company also partners with Horizon Lawn Care and the Cancer Society on a charitable initiative, Hope to Homes, providing a free backyard maintenance service for local families that are impacted by cancer.
“Hope to Homes is about providing a free service for families who are going through a cancer struggle to make over their backyard,” says Botherway. “We know they are going through a tough time and have other things to focus on, so it’s our way of giving back to the community and letting them know they are not alone.
“We all know someone who has been affected by cancer – one of my best mates had cancer when he was 15 – and we wanted to do something with the business that was bigger than just benefiting our key stakeholders. The service we provide is essential maintenance like mowing lawns, pulling weeds and cutting hedges. For families battling cancer, such a simple gesture makes a massive difference. There is also a big feel-good factor for our team.”
As well as a strong social focus, they are also on track to become New Zealand’s first net-zero labour hire provider. “We will achieve carbon negativity through voluntary carbon offsets, reducing emissions in our supply chain and being more conscious in our business practices. As well as making a positive impact, we also hope this will help to set a precedent for other SMEs that it is possible for us all to collectively make a difference by doing our own small part,” says Kelt.
Despite recent economic challenges, including high net migration, recession, inflation, and rising interest rates, Wayford Labour continues to thrive. Botherway attributes this resilience to strong client relationships and ongoing projects.
“The industry as a whole has been hit pretty hard, but we are fortunate to have some amazing clients who have ongoing projects. While it is not an easy time to be starting out, we are focused on growing the company – while keeping it small enough to manage personal relationships – and continuing to make a positive impact for our clients, staff and wider community.”
Image credit: Wayford Labour
