PlaceMakers out back

PlaceMakers support of the Backcountry Trust has helped the organisation carry out the restoration of 39 huts across New Zealand this past summer – facilitating adventure for the country’s outdoor enthusiasts 

The Backcountry Trust exists to enable and empower communities to restore, maintain and enhance New Zealand’s backcountry huts and tracks, as a living heritage for the benefit of all. 

With the help of PlaceMakers, which supplies products at a discount, Backcountry Trust Manager Rob Brown says the organisation is able to access the materials it needs anywhere in the country. 

“The scope of what the Backcountry Trust is now delivering each year would not be possible without the generous support of PlaceMakers, as well as other Fletcher companies including Diamond Roofing, Fletcher Insulation, Easysteel and Golden Bay Cement,” said Rob. “This year the Riccarton, Nelson, Wanaka and Hawke’s Bay branches were critical to the supply of products for many of the hut projects.” 

Mountains of mahi 

In total, more than 200 volunteers and contractors put in over 8,000 hours of work as they renovated 39 huts over the 2024-2025 summer. 

Major projects for the year included the Brass Monkey Hut rebuild to replace the old Brass Monkey Biv in Lewis Pass National Reserve, Kiritaki Hut, Leon Kinvig Hut in the Ruahine Ranges and Anti-Crow Hut in Arthur’s Pass National Park. 

The new six-bunk Brass Monkey Hut is also set up with a solar-powered monitoring system to measure the building’s performance in its alpine environment over the next 12 months. This project has been sponsored by a retired West Coast scientist and the research into how a modern build performs with airflow and humidity management in the alpine zone will help inform the builds of future alpine huts. 

Following Cyclone Gabrielle, the Leon Kinvig Hut was lifted off its foundations and spun around when the Pohangina River in the Ruahine Forest Park burst its banks. It was left hanging over a 1.5m drop.  

“The hut was moved 500m downstream to a higher terrace above the flood zone,” says Rob. “The hut was moved using Kahu Helicopters’ heavy lift Black Hawk. Work included recladding the hut, installation of new bunks, relining the walls, installing new windows and completing the deck, verandah and woodshed.” 

*Image: Leon Kinvig Hut

Removing harmful substances 

Other Backcountry Trust work includes a largescale re-roofing programme designed to “de-lead” New Zealand’s South Island high country, as lead is a major threat to backcountry kea.  

“Over the past five to seven years we’ve re-roofed around 100 huts throughout New Zealand, which puts us well on our way to de-leading the backcountry,” explained Rob. “Our new partnership with Dimond Roofing will help us continue this work over the next few years until it is complete. Installing modern Colourcote roofs has the added benefit of greatly reducing the future maintenance costs of huts.” 

Rob says that the Backcountry Trust’s support from these New Zealand companies will help ensure the 900-plus huts in the backcountry on a sustainable path for the future. 

“The partnership with PlaceMakers helps create a community feel about the work, with several staff and local builders wanting to get involved, which makes asking for support a whole lot easier. Without their help, we wouldn’t be able to restore huts across the country.  

“On a new build like Brass Monkey Hut, the materials costs were around $50,000 and the discounts from PlaceMakers meant we could work to quite a tight budget. When you are flying materials, gear and people in – at $3,000 per hour for the machine – you only need a few difficult days with weather for the budget to quickly run away. It all requires careful planning and reading on the conditions.” 

“Being right on the main divide of the Southern Alps, Brass Monkey Hut had some unique design challenges. The max wind loads for the zone was more than 280 km/hr, meaning we needed a lot of fixings for the extra engineering, a lot of timber and the best roofing and cladding materials. The hut was built off site with modular panels and these were all flown onto site and reassembled in a day. Within a couple of days, the hut was clad and weathertight”. 

The summer might be over, but that doesn’t mean the Backcountry Trust is going into hibernation. This is an important planning period for the organisation, which will be counting on PlaceMakers help during 2025/2026 to continue making a positive impact on New Zealand’s treasured backcountry. 

For more information on the Trust and its work, visit www.backcountrytrust.org.nz. 

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*Main image: New Brass Monkey Hut