Demolition duo:

Father-and-son demolition team Peter and Dalton Ward return to Prime this week in the documentary series Demolition NZ. Cass Marrett reports.

The father-and-son stars of a new documentary series.

Dalton Ward regards himself as a bit of a ‘demolition gypsy’. “I like to go where the big demolition is,” says Dalton (above). “Wherever the exciting stuff is happening is where I want to be.”

The ‘wreck-it-Ralph’ types may spring to mind when most people think of the demolition industry, but as a range of contractors show in Demolition NZ, the job is a mixed bag of calculated risk, people skills and precision.

The show is also a continuation of last year’s one-off documentary Demolition Teams.

Dalton Ward was an inexperienced tradie when the cameras started filming him working for his father at Ward Demolition in that particular show.

It’s fair to say, he has hammered out a few issues for this new series.

“I was a pretty difficult teenager back then,” Dalton says. “Going from, ‘I’m Dalton Ward’ to ‘I’m just another operator’ was the biggest thing for me.”

The 24 year old is now a project manager for his father Peter.

He sums up their working relationship in one word – “Hell”.

Despite having some ‘bloody good arguments’, Dalton says his favourite part of the job is working with his dad.

They might have different interests (Dad is a V8 fanatic; Dalton can’t stand the tar seal) but they share a love for the job.

“Work never stops with him so our relationship is our work and our work is our passion and I guess that’s our hobby,” Dalton says.

Wanting to continue the family name in demolition, Dalton has his eye on little brother Tyler to give him a hand.

“He’s a bit of a handful to work with” Dalton says. “He’s going to be exactly like I used to be. It’s like a time machine.”