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Ann: ADDRESS: FBU: Fletcher Building Chairman and CEO speeches ASM 2015

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    ADDRESS: FBU: Fletcher Building Chairman and CEO speeches ASM 2015
    
    P a g e | 1
    
    FLETCHER BUILDING LIMITED
    
    Annual Shareholders' Meeting 2015
    
    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Speeches
    
    P a g e | 2
    
    Annual Shareholders' Meeting 2015
    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Speeches
    
    CHAIRMAN
    
    Welcome
    
    Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the 2015 annual shareholders'
    meeting of Fletcher Building Limited.
    
    I advise that a quorum is present and the meeting is duly constituted.
    
    This meeting is being webcast via the Internet and I extend a warm welcome to
    
    those who are watching proceedings online.
    
    Directors
    
    Before commencing the business of the meeting, let me introduce my fellow
    directors.
    
    Tony Carter joined the board in 2010. He was previously managing director of
    
    Foodstuffs (Auckland) and Foodstuffs (New Zealand) and has extensive
    experience
    in retailing, including as a previous director and later chairman of Mitre 10
    New
    Zealand. Tony is chairman of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Air New Zealand, and
    the
    Blues LLP, and is a director of ANZ Bank New Zealand and Avonhead Mall.
    
    Alan Jackson was appointed to the board in 2009. He has been an international
    
    consultant since 1987 and was until 2009 chairman Australasia and a director
    of The
    Boston Consulting Group. He has proven experience at the most senior levels
    of
    international and government business. He is a director of Delegat Group and
    
    Chairman of NZ Thoroughbred Racing.
    
    John Judge has considerable experience in Australasian business including
    most
    recently as the Chief Executive of Ernst & Young New Zealand. He is chairman
    of
    the ANZ Bank New Zealand and the Auckland Arts Festival Trust, a director of
    The
    New Zealand Initiative, and a member of the Otago University Business School
    
    Board of Advisors.
    
    Mark Adamson was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director with
    
    effect from 1 October 2012. He joined the Formica Group in 1998 and became
    
    P a g e | 3
    
    president of Formica Europe in 2004. Mark was appointed chief executive of
    Formica
    Corporation in 2008 and of the Laminates & Panels division in 2011. Mark is a
    
    member of the English Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of
    
    Taxation.
    
    Kate Spargo was appointed to the board in March 2012. She has extensive
    business experience from advisory roles on strategic and governance issues
    following a career in legal practice in both the public and private sectors.
    She is
    Chairman of UGL, and a director of Adairs, Sonic Healthcare and SMEC Holdings
    
    (Australia). She is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Directors.
    
    Cecilia Tarrant joined the board in 2011. She has over 20 years' experience
    in
    international banking and finance in the United States and Europe. Cecilia is
    a
    director of Annuitas Management and Shopping Centres Australasia Property
    Group Trustee NZ, and deputy chair of the Government Superannuation Fund
    Authority. Cecilia is also a member of The University of Auckland Council and
    an
    Executive-in-Residence at The University of Auckland Business School.
    
    Steve Vamos joined the board in July this year. He has more than thirty
    years'
    experience in the Information Technology and online Media industry and has
    lived
    and worked in Australia, the USA and Asia. Steve currently serves as a non-
    executive Director of Telstra and is a member of the Advisory Board of the
    University of Technology Sydney Business School.
    
    Steve joined the board to replace Gene Tilbrook who retired from the board in
    April.
    We welcome Steve to Fletcher Building. I would like to formally thank Gene
    for the
    significant contribution that he has made to the board during his tenure
    since 2009.
    Fletcher Building has benefited from his deep financial and strategic
    experience
    and his knowledge of the Australian market in particular.
    
    On my immediate right is Charles Bolt, our Company Secretary and General
    Counsel.
    
    Meeting Agenda
    
    I will shortly provide an overview of the company's performance for the 2015
    
    financial year. Mark Adamson will then address you and discuss the progress
    in the
    past year against the company's strategic priorities, and outline the key
    areas of
    focus for the year ahead.
    
    At the conclusion of Mark's presentation, I will discuss the trading and
    financial
    outlook for the 2016 financial year, and we will then take the opportunity
    for
    questions and discussion from the floor. I will outline the procedure for
    that part of
    the meeting when we reach it.
    
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    The formal proceedings this year comprise four resolutions, which are
    outlined in the
    notice of meeting. The resolutions will be decided by poll. Any questions
    from the
    floor will be dealt with before they are voted on.
    
    Review of 2015 Performance
    
    Let me now briefly review the financial and operational performance of
    Fletcher
    Building over the past year.
    
    We recorded net earnings of $270 million for the year ended 30 June 2015.
    This
    compares with net earnings of $339 million that we achieved in the 2014
    financial
    year. This year's result included significant items totalling $150 million;
    these related
    to the impairment of goodwill and the costs associated with several plant
    closures
    that we made during the year.
    
    Net earnings excluding significant items were $399 million, which was 10%
    higher
    than the prior year.
    
    Similarly, operating earnings, that is, earnings before interest and tax,
    were $503
    million, compared with $592 million in the prior year. Operating earnings
    excluding
    significant items were $653 million, up 5% on the prior year and in line with
    the
    guidance we provided a year ago.
    
    Earnings per share excluding significant items were 58 cents per share, 10%
    higher
    than for 2014.
    
    Overall, the result was satisfactory and the strong underlying earnings
    growth was
    driven by a number of standout performances amongst our business units.
    
    The significant items included the $78 million impairment of goodwill arising
    from
    acquisitions made over the past decade. This impairment was due to a
    reduction in
    the future earnings prospects of these businesses. These impairments were
    non-
    cash in nature.
    
    In addition, we incurred costs totalling $65 million relating to the closure
    of the Crane
    Copper Tube business in Australia, and site closures in Iplex Australia,
    Stramit,
    Humes and Forman. The decision to close sites is never an easy one, but the
    sites
    we have closed will help to ensure that we have the right footprint for our
    manufacturing and distribution businesses and that our cost base remains
    competitive.
    
    What was particularly pleasing about the 2015 result was a very strong cash
    performance, with operating cash flow up 18 per cent to $575 million. This
    was a
    function of both higher earnings together with lower working capital
    requirements.
    
    The growth in underlying earnings that we experienced was driven by strong
    market
    conditions in New Zealand, offset by a more mixed set of industry
    fundamentals in
    Australia.
    
    P a g e | 5
    
    In New Zealand, operating earnings rose by 24 per cent. We saw continued
    growth
    in residential consent numbers in New Zealand over the year, although the
    pace of
    growth slowed later in the year. Residential consents are now running at 8
    per cent
    above the long run trend.
    
    What has been interesting to observe over the past year has been the shift in
    
    underlying demand drivers. Auckland has recorded strong growth in new housing
    
    demand and was very much the driving force behind the new consenting
    activity,
    while Christchurch growth slowed considerably over the year.
    
    Net migration climbed throughout the year and approached record levels, and
    this
    has clearly impacted demand for housing, particularly in Auckland.
    
    Another trend we have seen in the past year has been the rise in the number
    of
    multi-unit dwellings and apartments consented. In the year to June,
    multi-unit
    dwelling accounted for 29 per cent of total consents, double the number 5
    years
    ago.
    
    Government funded infrastructure activity remained strong, and there was also
    a
    marked increase in commercial activity with the value of commercial consents
    rising
    by over 20 per cent year on year. These activity levels flowed into increased
    
    demand for building materials and we saw excellent growth in volumes for most
    of
    our core product lines.
    
    Conditions in Australia were more mixed, and operating earnings were down 30
    per
    cent. There is no doubt that the residential construction market has been the
    bright
    spot across the industry. Consents have been running at record levels, with
    multi-
    residential consents tracking ever higher, although stand-alone housing
    permit
    levels flattened out.
    
    Beyond New Zealand and Australia, conditions have continued to be more mixed.
    
    Operating earnings were down 7 per cent, with a strong performance from
    Formica
    in North America, but mixed conditions in Europe and a more difficult trading
    
    environment experienced in China.
    
    Dividend
    
    Last year we revised the company's dividend policy to establish a target
    dividend
    pay-out ratio, in the range of 50 to 75 per cent of net earnings. This range
    was set
    with the objective of allowing dividends to be maintained despite variations
    in
    market conditions through the economic cycle.
    
    P a g e | 6
    
    The total dividend for the year increased to 37 cents per share, from 36
    cents per
    share last year. This increase was lower than the 10 per cent growth in
    underlying
    net earnings, and was consistent with our goal of growing the dividend but
    reducing
    the pay-out ratio from the top of our target pay-out range. This pay-out
    ratio for the
    2015 dividend was 64 per cent of net earnings before significant items,
    compared
    with 68 per cent in 2014.
    
    Total shareholder returns
    
    The total return to shareholders for the year to 30 June 2015 was minus 3 per
    cent,
    with the positive return from the dividends paid offset by a reduction in the
    share
    price over the year. While a disappointing outcome for the year, it should be
    seen in the
    context of increased volatility in equity markets that we have observed
    throughout 2015.
    Also, two years ago the return to shareholders was 51 per cent, followed by a
    9 per cent
    return in 2014. If we take a longer term view, and look back over the past 3
    years,
    shareholders have averaged an annual return of almost 17 per cent per annum.
    
    Balance Sheet
    
    Turning now to our balance sheet, we have maintained a strong financial
    position.
    As in prior years, we have continued to target financial metrics that ensure
    we retain
    high quality investment grade credit characteristics and that we remain in
    line with
    our industry peers.
    
    At year end, gearing, measured by the ratio of net debt to net debt plus
    equity,
    remained unchanged at 32 per cent. This was a pleasing outcome given the
    additional investment we made in residential land during the year, and was a
    result of
    the strong operating cash flows generated across the company. We expect to
    continue to maintain a strong financial position in the year ahead.
    
    Health and safety
    
    Fletcher Building's approach to managing safety, health, environment and
    sustainability aspects of our operations is driven by a core belief in being
    a
    responsible business. Our leadership team and individual business managers
    are
    responsible for continuing to reduce risk and improving our performance in
    these
    areas.
    
    Importantly, the board has further extended its oversight of this part of the
    business.
    We have established a board committee dedicated to health, safety,
    environment
    and sustainability governance, with regular structured interactions with the
    
    management team. In addition, we have introduced an external assurance
    programme whose findings on our broad sustainability performance are reported
    
    through to the board.
    
    P a g e | 7
    
    Maintaining a strong focus on health and safety hazards that could result in
    serious
    injuries or fatalities continues to be key for us. Over the last year our
    recorded rate
    of reportable injuries plateaued. The rate of total reportable injuries per
    million
    employee and contractor hours rose for the first time in five years from 6.0
    to 6.4. In
    June 2005 this rate was over 60, so we have made huge advances over the past
    
    decade.
    
    We need to continue this focus on health and safety, and have identified a
    number
    of significant hazard areas for increased focus. These include working at
    height,
    vehicles, materials handling, mobile equipment, and fixed plant and
    equipment. We
    are investing in improved risk management tools, development of standards and
    
    competency of supervisory teams to manage these risk areas.
    
    Progress on Strategic Priorities
    
    Over the past year, the board has worked with the management team in refining
    the
    strategic direction of the company. Late last year, we undertook a review of
    the entire
    business portfolio and the returns that it is generating. This work has
    informed where
    we prioritise our efforts and investment going forward.
    
    We have been clear for some time now about the need to continually evaluate
    our
    portfolio of businesses, to focus on those areas of best opportunity and to
    divest for
    value where we do not see Fletcher Building having a long term position.
    
    We have continued to make good progress in rationalising the portfolio.
    Following the
    sale of Pacific Steel and Hudson Building Supplies in 2014, we announced in
    August
    the sale of Rocla Quarry Products. Rocla is a sound business, with excellent
    sand
    quarry resources across Australia, but has been something of a stranded asset
    for
    Fletcher Building. Without a position in upstream cement manufacturing or
    downstream ready-mix concrete in Australia, we did not have a strategic
    requirement
    to own this business. As such, we have been able to divest the business for a
    full and
    fair value to a strategic buyer. We expect this sale to be completed in
    January.
    
    A further important outcome of the review has been the identification of a
    number of
    opportunities to grow organically through expanding selected existing
    businesses.
    Conversely, we discerned very few areas for investment where we could
    generate
    satisfactory returns through acquisitions.
    
    The organic growth areas we are prioritising include our residential
    development
    business in New Zealand, our civil and engineering construction business, and
    our
    distribution businesses in both Australia and New Zealand. While we remain
    open to
    further investment through acquisitions where we can see strong returns and
    where
    such investments are sufficiently linked to our chosen growth priorities,
    these
    opportunities are likely to be limited in number.
    
    P a g e | 8
    
    Mark will provide further detail on our strategic direction shortly. In
    summary, we
    recognise that we must deliver further value from our existing operations,
    through
    revenue growth and market share gains, and through effective cost control and
    margin
    enhancement. This remains the number one priority for the board and
    management.
    
    Management changes
    
    Over the past year, there have been a number of new appointments to executive
    
    management roles. These appointments have been consistent with our goal of
    building capability and leadership bench strength. A number of the changes
    resulted from the aggregation of smaller business units into larger entities,
    and the
    consequent stream-lining of the company's structure. The board have fully
    supported Mark and the changes he has made.
    
    Let me now hand over to Fletcher Building's Chief Executive, Mark Adamson,
    who
    will address you.
    
    P a g e | 9
    
    CHIEF EXECUTIVE
    
    Thank you Chairman, and good morning ladies and gentlemen.
    
    Sir Ralph has already discussed our 2015 financial performance. What I would
    like to
    do is review some of the operational highlights for the past year, and then
    discuss
    our priorities for the future.
    
    2015 Operational Review
    
    In the past year, we recorded very strong performances in a number of our
    businesses, and real progress in delivering on our strategic growth agenda.
    
    In terms of volumes, we've seen some truly pleasing increases.
    
    We experienced strong volume growth across the NZ concrete chain, driven by
    the
    growth in the construction sector, with cement volumes up 9 per cent and
    ready-mix
    concrete volumes up 14 per cent. In light building products, we enjoyed
    similar
    growth with plasterboard volumes rising 7 per cent and aluminium windows and
    
    doors up 11 per cent.
    
    Another highlight was in our New Zealand Distribution division. A year ago we
    
    combined the PlaceMakers and Mico businesses with our steel distribution
    businesses, and the reinvigorated leadership helped to drive volume growth of
    17 to
    20 per cent. At the same time, PlaceMakers delivered the highest retained
    earnings
    in its history.
    
    In Canterbury, we completed the EQR home repair programme involving 65,000
    permanent house repairs in April. Subsequently we have agreed an extension of
    a
    further year to April 2016 for additional home repairs which were beyond the
    original
    scope of the programme. We are very proud of what we have achieved with EQR,
    
    and the achievements of the EQR team have been borne out by the extension to
    the
    original contract.
    
    Our strategy of expanding our residential development and construction
    businesses
    continued to bear fruit. The number of completed homes sold rose by a third,
    and
    Fletcher Construction won a record level of new contracted work during the
    year.
    
    In Australia, the strength of the residential construction sector helped a
    number of
    our businesses, with insulation volumes up 22 percent, and Laminex' operating
    
    earnings rising 30 percent.
    
    P a g e | 10
    
    Other parts of our Australian portfolio experienced tougher market
    conditions, most
    notably in the mining and energy sectors, but also due to lower state and
    federal
    government spending on core infrastructure programmes. This resulted in
    reduced
    earnings in several of our businesses. Most notable was Iplex, where a steep
    fall in
    demand from the coal seam gas projects in Queensland dramatically reduced
    earnings. What was pleasing, however, was the response of the management team
    
    to reshape the business in these challenging conditions.
    
    FBUnite, the business transformation programme, delivered a further $25
    million in
    cost savings in 2015, bringing the total delivered benefits to $50 million.
    What is
    equally pleasing is the impact the operations excellence programmes have had
    in
    offsetting inflation in our manufacturing and distribution operations. We
    estimate this
    saved a further $50 million in FY15.
    
    Strategic Priorities
    
    I would now like to share with you our future areas of focus.
    
    Fletcher Building has four strategic priorities that are being executed
    across every
    level of the organisation. These are:
    
    1- People: making Fletcher Building a great place to work. This means going
    home safe every day, building leadership and capability and creating
    an engaged, high-performance workforce across the entire business.
    
    2 - Customers: focusing on delivering what our customers value and helping
    them to succeed.
    
    3 - Efficiency: using our scale and expertise to improve the effectiveness of
    our
    operations and drive down costs.
    
    4 - Profitable Growth: investing where we can win, particularly in
    Residential,
    Construction and Distribution.
    
    Let me briefly discuss each of these in turn.
    
    People
    
    In this past year, we have continued to invest in our people.
    
    Our people strategy is built around four pillars - organisational design,
    leadership,
    talent and culture. In the past year, we have simplified our structure to
    focus on our
    customers, with the creation of fewer, larger business units. This had led to
    the
    creation of larger business unit general manager roles, and has provided our
    best
    managers with the chance to build their careers and expand their experience
    base.
    
    P a g e | 11
    
    Over the past several years, Fletcher Building has invested in leadership
    programmes that aim to develop the capability we need to support our business
    
    strategy. Our objective was to create a world class leadership framework, and
    we
    have achieved it. The quality and innovative design of our leadership
    programmes
    have been recognised around the world winning a number of global awards. In
    2015,
    our leadership programmes expanded from Australasia to include our global
    business with great success. We also delivered a learning curriculum to over
    7,000
    employees globally.
    
    At the same time, we have increased our focus on building a deeper pipeline
    of
    diverse talent for internal recruitment. Our focus on talent regeneration has
    created a
    strong succession pool of candidates to fill critical leadership roles across
    the group.
    
    We have a Diversity Council, which I chair, to ensure that we drive continued
    
    improvements. Our diversity strategy is focused on developing a strong
    pipeline of
    diverse talent; working with community and government organisations to
    provide
    employment opportunities to youth; and creating an inclusive work environment
    for
    all our employees.
    
    Women in leadership has been a specific focus over the past three years.
    Since
    2012, there has been a 73% increase in female leaders at general manager
    level.
    Our female leaders have access to specific development opportunities,
    mentoring,
    and network events.
    
    FBuSay, our annual employee engagement survey, available in 15 languages, was
    
    completed by over 17,000 staff. All key engagement indicators improved this
    year.
    To reinforce the importance of building employee engagement all of our
    business
    leaders have engagement targets as part of their short term incentive scheme.
    
    Underpinning all of our efforts are our vision and values. They create a
    shared sense
    of what it means to be Fletcher Building and alignment around a common
    purpose
    and way of working. This year we launched a new vision and set of values for
    the
    company, which we have rolled out globally across the group. Our vision is
    "Building
    Better, Together" and it is supported by four values or behaviours:
    
    o Be Bold
    
    o Customer Leading
    
    o Better Every Day
    
    o Play Fair
    
    P a g e | 12
    
    We knew that to succeed, the vision and values needed to be owned and shaped
    
    with input from a wide range of people across the company. The enthusiasm
    with
    which the new vision and values have been embraced around the world has been
    a
    highlight of the year for me. As I travel around each of our businesses, I
    can sense
    that employees now feel more connected to the organisation, our vision and
    our
    future success. And it is inspiring to see how the values are being embedded
    in
    everyday processes and are guiding Fletcher Building's transformation to
    becoming
    a collaborative, customer leading organisation.
    
    Customer
    
    Fundamental to our future success will be our ability to grow market share in
    a
    profitable and sustainable way. We recognise that this can only be achieved
    by
    delivering superior customer value propositions through innovation in
    products,
    systems and services. Providing complete, seamless end-to-end solutions
    allows us
    to achieve a differentiated customer experience. This is easy to say but
    harder to
    achieve.
    
    Product innovation is a key part of how we will better serve our customers.
    We are
    increasing our use of online tools developed to enable customers to design
    and
    submit their specific requirements. In addition, with many consumers now
    carrying
    out the majority of their pre-purchase research online, we are continuing to
    build
    upon and improve our capability across social media platforms. By way of
    example,
    Laminex Australia now has the largest social media presence in the decorative
    
    services industry for the entire Asia Pacific region.
    
    A new sales and marketing excellence programme is being developed across all
    of
    Fletcher Building to further support the business in delivering our ambitious
    
    objectives. We aim to create increased demand for our products through
    marketing
    strategies, targeted at our main customers and market influencers. Also, we
    are
    increasing collaboration across the group to ensure we maximise opportunities
    to
    provide mutual customers with a more complete product and service offering.
    
    One very visible example of our renewed customer focus can be seen here in
    New
    Zealand in both our Mico and PlaceMakers stores. During the year we launched
    
    customer service promises relating to product availability, collection and
    delivery, in-
    bound calls and invoicing. To reinforce their customer commitment,
    PlaceMakers
    and Mico are making public their customer service scores. Visit any of our
    branches
    and you will be able to see this in action for yourself.
    
    P a g e | 13
    
    Efficiency
    
    The FBUnite programme has successfully established core capabilities which we
    can
    leverage to drive our earnings performance going forward. Having built this
    platform
    and locked in the benefits, the focus for the management team has switched to
    
    scoping out what each business is capable of over the next few years. This
    exercise
    will be key in helping to prioritise capital investment, technology and
    management
    resource.
    
    The scoping process started with a bottom up exercise done by each business
    unit.
    More recently, we have complemented this with an external diagnostic
    "top-down"
    assessment, undertaken to validate the initial results and to help determine
    whether
    there were further opportunities to improve Fletcher Building's performance.
    
    This second analysis, done from a pan-company perspective rather than on an
    individual business unit basis, has identified significant opportunity to
    further improve
    earnings. Specific areas include extending our central procurement operations
    and
    leveraging the low cost country sourcing office we have established in
    Shanghai;
    centralising a wider range of back office and core support functions
    including finance,
    human resources and IT; and driving productivity and supply chain
    improvements
    across our manufacturing, distribution and construction activities.
    
    In essence, this work has identified that we have further opportunity to
    drive value
    from the core capability that we built with the FBUnite programmes, by
    extending
    their breadth and their reach, and the speed with which we execute them.
    
    At this stage we have not accurately quantified the value we can deliver from
    
    accelerating these activities, however, we are of the view that they will
    exceed the
    $100 million that FBUnite is on track to deliver. We see this next phase not
    as a one-
    off programme, rather, a driver of significant culture change in how we do
    business in
    the future.
    
    Profitable Growth
    
    The fourth strategic area is further growing our core business profitably. As
    Sir Ralph
    has already mentioned, the areas we have identified as offering the most
    opportunity
    are New Zealand residential development, construction activities in New
    Zealand
    and the South Pacific, and trade distribution in New Zealand and Australia.
    These
    are businesses where we believe we have differentiated capabilities, cost
    positions
    and customer relationships, and that offer substantial room for growth.
    
    P a g e | 14
    
    Fletcher Living, our residential development business, had a record year in
    2015,
    with operating earnings of $66 million, which were 35 per cent higher than
    the prior
    year. This was driven by the strong increase in the number of homes we sold
    in the
    year, up by a third on the prior year.
    
    We have ambitious plans to further expand this business, with the ultimate
    goal of
    lifting the number of homes we bring to market each year from an historical
    average
    of 300, to 1500. To achieve this, we are working on three fronts.
    
    The first is a continuation of our traditional activity where we buy
    completed lots from
    land developers. The second is where we buy bare land for development, and
    master plan whole new communities. Third, we are partnering with the
    government
    to develop existing land with increased density to cater for a wider range of
    housing
    needs.
    
    During the year, we were pleased to win the tender to develop the East Frame
    in
    Christchurch. This will see up to 900 medium density homes and apartments
    built
    over the next decade and will provide a unique high quality experience for
    people
    wanting to live in the rejuvenated city centre. This is the third project we
    have
    concluded with the government, and is a new model which is going to bring
    more
    homes to the market more quickly, including affordable homes.
    
    The expansion of our residential development business is requiring us to make
    
    substantial investment in land to enable us to meet the goal of delivering
    1500
    homes a year. Last year we invested a further $58 million in land net of
    house sales,
    and expect to invest a further $160 million in the current year.
    
    Fletcher Construction is continuing to build on its outstanding track record.
    With a
    number of new contracts secured recently, its total contracted order book now
    stands
    at a record $3.4 billion.
    
    The third area of growth is in our New Zealand and Australian distribution
    businesses. In New Zealand, we have seen PlaceMakers achieve record earnings,
    
    and Mico plumbing and bathrooms go from loss making two years ago to strongly
    
    profitable this year. In addition, as I have already mentioned, we have seen
    our steel
    distribution businesses flourish sitting within the Distribution division.
    
    In Australia, we have made excellent progress in lifting the performance of
    our
    Tradelink plumbing distribution business. There remains much to be done to
    get that
    business to acceptable returns, but we are clear on our strategy and the
    early signs
    of customer acceptance are encouraging.
    
    P a g e | 15
    
    Across all our distribution businesses, we have identified further organic
    growth
    opportunities, from improving our store footprint, developing complete
    customer
    solutions, expanding our product range into adjacent categories, and
    expanding into
    entirely new but complementary categories. We will continue to invest in
    online and
    omni-channel platforms, and increasingly leverage our procurement
    capabilities to
    further source from low cost countries. We have a portfolio of strong
    distribution
    brands, trusted by the customers they serve, and this provides us with the
    opportunity to drive deeper customer connections through the services and
    products
    we procure or supply.
    
    Thank you for your attention ladies and gentlemen, let me now hand back to
    the
    chairman for comments on the trading outlook for the year ahead.
    
    P a g e | 16
    
    CHAIRMAN
    
    Thank you, Mark.
    
    Let me now provide an update on the outlook for the 2016 financial year.
    
    Outlook
    
    We expect the current strong market conditions in the New Zealand
    construction
    industry to persist through the 2016 financial year, with ongoing demand for
    new
    housing particularly in Auckland and surrounding provinces, an increase in
    commercial construction activity off the back of the significant increase in
    the value
    of consents, and government expenditure on infrastructure to remain at the
    present
    healthy levels.
    
    In Australia, the outlook is more mixed. Residential construction activity
    may slow
    particularly in the multi-dwelling segment, while stand-alone housing should
    be
    more resilient to potential changes in foreign capital inflows. Commercial
    construction activity is unlikely to lift from current levels. Continued
    federal and state
    government fiscal deficits are likely to mean that infrastructure activity is
    further
    constrained.
    
    Residential and commercial construction activity levels in North America are
    
    expected to remain broadly consistent with the past year. European conditions
    are
    likely to remain mixed with a generally weak economic outlook. Further volume
    
    growth is expected in South East Asian markets but market conditions in China
    are
    likely to remain highly competitive.
    
    In terms of financial guidance, we expect operating earnings, that is,
    earnings
    before interest, tax and significant items, to be in the range of $650
    million to $690
    million. This compares with operating earnings of $653 million earned in the
    prior
    year.
    
    In comparing year over year performance, it is important to adjust for those
    
    businesses that we have sold, such as Pacific Steel and Rocla Quarries,
    together
    with other earnings streams which by their nature are set to decline such as
    EQR
    and the Stonefields residential development.
    
    If we normalise operating earnings for the 2015 financial year to reflect
    these
    changes in our business activities, the relevant prior year comparator
    earnings
    figure would have been $610 million. Therefore, operating earnings in the
    range of
    $650 to $690 million will represent solid growth year on year from our
    continuing
    business operations.
    
    P a g e | 17
    
    For those that are interested, we have provided additional comments on the
    expected trading result for the year, and these can be found on our web site.
    They
    have also been lodged with the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges.
    
    General business
    
    On that note I conclude my comments and now invite you to raise any matters
    in
    relation to the activities of the company on which you would like to hear our
    views.
    Mark or I will attempt to answer your questions, but if necessary we have the
    other
    board members, senior company executives and the auditors present.
    End CA:00273548 For:FBU    Type:ADDRESS    Time:2015-11-17 10:15:01
    				
 
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