Accessing the Experts in Property Maintenance

Located in the heart of Wiri, Access | Partners in Property has become a leading name in the property maintenance space. Their head office is on Kerrs Road, and they have regional branches in Hamilton and Tauranga with around 170 staff. We talked to Craig Pearson, General Manager, about how Access | Partners in Property has grown over nearly two decades and their plans for the future.

Founded back in 2005 by Richard Cawson and Lance Pearson, the company started out with a simple goal—taking care of property maintenance in Britomart and Downtown. What began as a small operation quickly grew, thanks to their dedication and savvy business acumen.

Craig joined Access | Partners in Property in 2016 as a Sales and Marketing Consultant. By 2016, Access | Partners in Property was already a major player in the industry, handling everything from building maintenance and exterior cleaning to waterproofing and construction. Over the last few years, Access | Partners in Property has worked hard on acquiring businesses that complement their services.

“In 2017, we made our first acquisition of Gunac, a specialist waterproofing company with 40 years of experience. In 2021, the acquisition of The Building Wash Company (TBWC) complemented our already high performing exterior cleaning business unit. And more recently, we acquired Waikato Property Maintenance to enable us to efficiently service the golden triangle—Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton,” says Craig.

Two years ago, Richard and Lance decided to step back from the business, retaining board positions. Craig stepped into the role of General Manager alongside the senior leadership team.

“It’s through the ambition of the directors, who wanted to create a sustainable, ongoing business that would obviously provide not only for themselves but for the employees that they employ.”

Access | Partners in Property has found Wiri to be a great location for them, having moved to their current office just before Covid.

“Access to motorways is very important to us, our jobs are all over Auckland. We also needed to consider where the bulk of our staff live. Value for money is important—if we wanted to get the equivalent operation in Mount Wellington, we would’ve paid a lot more.”

Sustainability became a big focus under Craig’s leadership. The company started moving towards greener options, such as hybrid and electric vehicles. They have even begun trialling electric water blasters, which are quieter and better for the environment. The senior leadership team is determined to make Access | Partners in Property more eco-friendly, and this is a space to keep an eye on in the future.

“We are working towards ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, the triplicate of quality, environmental and health and safety standards and are aiming to have these accreditations in place during 2025.”

Health and safety are also important to us. Access | Partners in Property knew early on to land larger corporate clients, they had to meet strict health and safety standards.

“We have all the compliance in terms of health and safety that smaller operators might not have in place. Over time, a very simple purpose of People Safe, Customer Satisfied, Job Done has emerged, and we live by that purpose”.

Craig is all about making sure the company’s growth is smart and sustainable. “We want to be a top player in facility services and maintenance, but we need to grow the right way. Growth for growth’s sake isn’t what we’re after. We need to make sure we’re doing it in a way that keeps our standards high,” says Craig.