March 25, 2026
In March 2026, Carr New Zealand welcomed Clinton Van Zyl — Leister’s Asia Pacific Geo Tool expert — for a 10-day tour of geomembrane customers across both islands. It was Clinton’s first time in New Zealand, and we made sure he saw plenty of it.
The trip opened in Wellington with a presentation to Jonathan Shamrock and his engineering team at Tonkin + Taylor, covering updated standards for welding geomembranes. It was a session that worked on two levels: a substantive technical update for the senior engineers, and a genuine introduction to the tools and techniques of the trade for the newer members of the T+T team. From there, we worked through the central North Island, visiting a range of membrane-installing companies and giving Clinton a first-hand feel for how the industry operates here.
A 2am ferry crossing took us to the South Island — efficient, if not exactly restful — where the week continued with a visit to Neishy from IS Dam Lining at the Yealands Winery in Blenheim. Clinton even rolled up his sleeves to carry out a running repair on a Geostar unit onsite, getting their second machine back in action beside the impressive scale of the pond under construction. The following week took us over the Lindis Pass in four-degree temperatures to meet Boris from Rooney Earthmoving, working a large pond at a remote sheep station — a sharp contrast to the warmth we’d left behind in the North Island. The trip finished with two productive days in Christchurch with Kelly at Viking Containment and the team at Viking Roofspec.
By the time we were done, we had covered 4,200 kilometres and visited customers across a significant stretch of the country. Our thanks go to everyone who made time for Clinton — your openness, and the conversations it sparked, made this visit everything it was.
Talk to Us About Leister Geo Tools
