Being a well-grounded country boy off a dairy farm in Southland's Myross Bush, hard work wasn't foreign to him. From an early age he had a strong work ethic and was keen to succeed. Building contractors were building hay sheds on the family farm and all Allister wanted to do was get home from school and help the carpenters out, igniting a passion for building. He enjoyed the work, the camaraderie of building (a team game) and the sense of achieving something tangible and permanent. After joining the building industry at 16, he worked as an apprentice carpenter with Melvin L McLellan Builders Ltd of Invercargill. Melvin fortunately was a classic heartland New Zealand resourceful builder who could and did turn his hand to anything and everything. This background and solid foundation in building was hugely appreciated by Allister as pivotal in his career development. He gained valuable experience building new homes, additions and alterations, hay barns, bridges, culverts, and many more challenges. After moving to work on the Clyde Dam for two long years, London was calling so Allister went there for three years and set up a business named Alvenbrooke. Returning to Invercargill, he had a brief stint with a commercial builder as a Leading Hand/Foreman. Work was scarce in Southland and Allister (with wife Diane and a young family) made the move to the Queenstown Lakes area. His career took off with an increasing workload of architecturally designed homes to build, leading ultimately to many entries in the New Zealand Master Builders Federation House of the Year competitions. He now has an array of category wins, Gold Awards, Lifestyle Awards and in 2012 he won the national Sustainability Award, culminating in his fifth national title and the coveted Platinum Builders status. This is reserved for the elite of the building industry, recognising consistent high levels of excellence in workmanship. Only seven residential builders in New Zealand have won this since its inception in 2010. He became a Member of the New Zealand Institute of Building and took an active involvement in the working and understanding of the Green Building Council, believing the planet must be sustained and handed over to future generations. Allister has remained true to his origins as a country boy from Southland and his continued quest, with his highly-experienced team, to build high-end challenging architectural homes for his clients.
