Cameron Stuart - Envelope tie around a box stay: CG & JM Stuart Fencing

Introducing Cameron Stuart: We caught up with Cameron Stuart of CG & JM Stuart Fencing, who’s been working across Banks Peninsula and Canterbury for more than a decade, to hear about his current projects and a simple trick that keeps his fences looking sharp.

Right now, Cam’s main focus is a large dairy conversion project - the biggest farm out on the Peninsula, he said. “It’s been ongoing for about six months,” Cam explained. “We’ve also had a few Council jobs, fencing off reserve bush, and fencing around new houses for dairy workers.”

Cam started fencing over 12 years ago, after helping out his uncle Chris, who owns CG & JM Stuart Fencing. “Chris needed a hand one day, so I jumped in. I enjoyed it - being out in the hills, hunting while you work, it’s good,” he said.

CG & JM Stuart Fencing works mainly across the Peninsula, but also takes on jobs across the Canterbury Plains and into Tai Tapu. “It’s mostly hill work, but we do the odd flat-land job too,” Cam said. “I just like being outdoors - and when you finish a job, it’s great to look back and see what you’ve done.”

A tidy finish is something Cam takes real pride in - which is why his fencing tip is all about keeping things neat.

His go-to method for netting fences is the envelope tie, a simple but effective way to keep wires separate and the job looking clean. “I just thought it looked a bit different - not a lot of people do it like that,” he said. “It works really well, keeps everything separate from the wire work, and it looks tidy when it’s finished.”

Most of CG & JM Stuart Fencing’s materials come from Goldpine, including the netting, posts, and staples. “They’re pretty durable, they do the job,” Cam said. For the current dairy conversion, he’s been using 2.4m strainers and 1.80m pointed posts and GOFENCE Sheep netting.

“It’s mainly about the look,” he added. “When you line everything up nicely, it just makes the job look that much better.”.