PlaceMakers celebrates excellence at 2026 conference 

PlaceMakers recognised outstanding people, branches and teams from across New Zealand at its 2026 Excellence Awards, with Fletcher Building Chief Executive – Distribution James Peters telling attendees the business is ready to build on the momentum created over the past year 

Held as part of the 2026 PlaceMakers Conference in Christchurch, the awards acknowledged individuals, teams, branches, hubs and joint ventures that have made significant contributions to customers, colleagues and the wider business. 

Opening the conference, Peters reflected on the progress made over the past year and outlined the business’ priorities for FY27. 

“Our Conference theme was Ready to Launch, and it is the right one for where we are,” he said. 

“During the past 12 months, we have been nailing the basics, sharpening how we execute, and building the momentum we take into FY27.” 

Peters said the conference reinforced the importance of delivering consistently for customers across every part of the business. 

“The customer deals with one of us and gets all of us. It’s important to remember that we work as one team, across every link in the chain, or it does not work.” 

Peters also highlighted the role of the Excellence Awards in recognising those who embody the company’s values. 

“A real highlight of the week was celebrating the finalists and winners of our Excellence Awards,” he said. 

PlaceMakers Person of the Year – Michael Smitheram 

Among the individual honours, Christchurch Hub Trade Support Team Leader Michael Smitheram was named PlaceMakers Person of the Year. 

Smitheram was recognised for strengthening connections between branch operations and distribution, while improving planning, customer communication, delivery processes and operational efficiency. The judging panel also acknowledged his willingness to mentor colleagues, solve operational challenges and support customers wherever needed. 

Trade Account Manager of the Year – Ben Moffitt

Trade Account Manager of the Year went to Ben Moffitt, who oversaw strong growth across every category in the face of challenging market conditions. Judges credited his ability to build lasting customer relationships, tailor solutions to customer needs and support the development of those around him. 

Protect Individual Award – Daniel Withers

The Protect Individual Award was presented to Daniel Withers from the PlaceMakers Pukekohe. His ‘Christmas Madness – See it, Fix it’ initiative increased safety reporting by 70%, while reducing injuries during one of the year’s busiest trading periods. Judges said the initiative made safety more engaging and visible and helped to build lasting improvements across the branch. 

Protect Branch / Initiative Award – Garth McInnes, Saxton Road, Nelson

The Protect Branch/Initiative Award recognised Garth McInnes from Saxton Road, Nelson, for simplifying New Zealand Transport Agency trailer load requirements. By creating clear signage that removed ambiguity around loading rules, McInnes helped to improve safety and give team members greater confidence during customer interactions. 

Several branches and hubs were also recognised for their commercial performance and operational excellence. 

Standalone Branch of the Year – Ashburton

Ashburton was named Standalone Branch of the Year after delivering the highest EBIT among finalists, alongside strong sales growth and performance against budget. 

Ashburton also performed well in the balanced scorecard and branch review process, showing broader business discipline and reliable execution 

Branch of the Year in a Hub – Napier

Napier received the Branch of the Year in a Hub award, recording the highest EBIT in its category, while also achieving strong sales growth, excellent performance against budget and the top-balanced scorecard ranking.  

Hub of the Year – Aoraki

Aoraki Hub was named Hub of the Year after delivering positive EBIT, improved sales performance and the highest FBuSay result among hub finalists, alongside the strongest branch review score. 

Joint Venture of the Year – Joe Reece, Whitianga

The Joint Venture of the Year award went to Joe Reece and the Whitianga business, which delivered a strong financial performance, while achieving an FBuSay result of 100 and a high-performing balanced scorecard. 

Sales Excellence Awards

Four salespeople were recognised with Sales Excellence Awards – a significant achievement that reflects the strength of relationships they have built with their customers. 

• Ifraaz Ahmed | PlaceMakers Auckland South 

• Roger McRae | PlaceMakers Queenstown 

• Eli Allen-Harris | PlaceMakers Waiheke 

• Tara Cross | PlaceMakers Waiheke 

PlaceMakers also acknowledged supplier partnerships with awards across three categories:  

Large Supplier of the Year: BBI  

Medium Supplier of the Year: Sika  

Small Supplier of the Year: Delfast 

Collectively, the award winners reflected the conference’s Ready to Launch theme – recognising the people and teams who have delivered strong commercial results while continuing to build customer trust, improve operational performance and strengthen the business for the year ahead.