Fencing excellence celebrated
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
The awards recognise the dedication, skill and contribution of people throughout the fencing sector, with a new category for 2026 – the Project of the Year Award, which recognises the workmanship, planning, problem solving and project management that go into a high-quality fencing project.
To make judging as fair and consistent as possible, each entry was de-identified and independently scored against six weighted criteria, with project photographs, client feedback and client scores included in the assessment.
Nick Terry’s Custom Fencing took out the inaugural 2026 FCANZ Large Project of the Year Award, for work valued at $50,000 or more, for its Port Otago MacAndrew Road Boundary Project.
The team received a prize package worth more than $9,000 and a trophy. Runners-up were GB Fencing and Heasley Fencing.
Alongside the new project award, the 2026 FCANZ Fencing Industry Awards recognised trainees, emerging talent and people who have made a lasting contribution to the industry.
The Level 3 Trainee of the Year Award went to Rhodri Pryce, after achieving 100% attendance, actively sharing his knowledge during block courses and consistently submitting merit-level assessments on or ahead of time.
The Level 4 Excellence Award was taken out by Tom Rathgen after consistently producing high-quality assessments that showed excellent knowledge and practical skill, building on his success as the 2025 Level 3 Trainee of the Year.
Three excellent young fencers were shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award, eventually won by Precise Contracting’s Noah Jaunay, with the panel highlighting his practical ability, initiative and problem-solving skills, alongside pride in his work and in his enjoyment of helping others develop.
Industry stalwart Hugh Morrison received the 2026 Industry Contribution Award, recognising more than 30 years in the industry, where he shared best-practice fencing knowledge through workshops for more than two decades, alongside 20 years spent judging national fencing competitions, running a fencing contracting business and serving on the NZ Fencing Competitions committee
Joelene Bouskill was named the 2026 Women of Influence Award winner. She co-runs her family’s fencing business and handles much of the administration, logistics and scheduling that keep it operating. During nine years at Smedley Station and Cadet Training Farm, she also provided pastoral care and support for agricultural cadets developing their rural skills.
Prizes for the 2026 Fencing Industry Awards were proudly supplied by Delfast, Stockade, PGG Wrightson and Farmlands.
Visit www.fcanz.org.nz.
