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Appointment of CEO for Hawkins Group of Businesses

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:53:49 +1200

20 May 2013

Media Release

Geoff Hunt has been appointed CEO Hawkins Group to lead the next phase of growth and development for the businesses.

Geoff recently led the Kordia Group during eight years of major operational and business transformation, and previously led ALSTOM and Electrix through substantial growth and into new business areas.

David McConnell, Managing Director of owner McConnell Group , says that Hunt brings a leadership strength and style that fits well with the Hawkins Group, one that will enable and support the existing leadership teams.

“We are delighted that Geoff is joining Hawkins Group. With 35 years of contracting and construction experience across electricity, telecommunications, rail and energy contracting sectors, both in New Zealand and offshore, his diverse experience and skill-base complements the Group’s existing building and infrastructural industry expertise. He has strategically grown the value and revenue of every organisation he had led and will ably lead the Hawkins Group businesses through the next period of growth,” says McConnell.

Hawkins Group comprises Hawkins Construction, Hawkins Infrastructure and Harker Underground Construction. Each business is a leader in their respective market sectors and is well positioned to take advantage of the accelerated opportunities coming out of Christchurch, the improving building market particularly in Auckland, and in the case of Hawkins Infrastructure, niche offshore markets.

The McConnell Group Board believes that the appointment of Geoff Hunt will extend Hawkins’ capacity to build on its existing strengths and leverage future opportunities.

Hawkins Construction, led by Dan Ashby is a “tier one” New Zealand building business, and Hawkins Infrastructure, led by Brian FitzGerald, is a market leader in the rail, energy, open spaces and increasingly, water sectors. Harker Underground Construction is a specialist trenchless tunnelling business, with significant below ground infrastructure experience and is led by GM Leigh Bishop.

“Geoff joins Hawkins at a very exciting time in the construction and infrastructure sectors; construction opportunities in Christchurch are now turning into real projects and the overall building market in New Zealand is improving with Auckland’s commercial pipeline strengthening. At the same time we are targeting infrastructural projects in open spaces, water and civil sectors and niche projects offshore,” says McConnell.

Having been acting in a capacity as “Interim CEO” of Hawkins, David McConnell will now focus on strategic opportunities for both Hawkins and the other McConnell Group businesses while continuing in his external roles including Chairmanship of ATEED (Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development – an Auckland Council CCO).

Hunt joins Hawkins Group on June 4.

ENDS

Students step up as government endorses Māori trades training

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:03:08 +1200

A new group of He Toki ki te Rika (Māori trades training) students will step forward to start an exciting journey on Wednesday [15 May] in the presence of whānau and special guests at Rehua Marae.

The 68 students will receive scholarships to begin their training in carpentry, welding, painting and decorating, and plasterboard at CPIT’s Trades Innovation Institute.

He Toki is led by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in partnership with CPIT and Hawkins Construction. This unique collaborative model leverages the existing knowledge, experience and expertise of partner organisations to upskill Māori for the recovery of Canterbury.

The model received a ringing endorsement from government last week with the announcement of $43 million of funding for Māori and Pasifika Trades Training over the next four years.

“Ngai Tahu is taking an active role in readying local Māori to meet the skill demands of the Canterbury rebuild,” says Kaiwhakahaere (Chair) Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Tā Mark Solomon.

"We are proud of this programme and the success it has created so far. Government must be commended for their continued support and commitment to helping to develop the Māori workforce. More resource means more of our young Māori will have the opportunity to be trained and supported through to employment here in Canterbury.”

“What sets this initiative apart and makes it successful is the focus on cultural context and practical outcomes,” CPIT Kaiārahi Hana O’Regan said. “We are training people to be successful as Māori, to develop their te reo and tikanga and stand firm in their identity, and also learn the skills they need to contribute to the rebuild of Christchurch and to their own communities and families. This makes the programme essential not only for Māori, but for Canterbury’s development and for New Zealand’s future.”

The scholarships include full fee support, individual support from a Māori support team, help with work placement and an apprenticeship grant. The Work Readiness Passport developed with Hawkins Construction helps students develop the life and work skills that facilitate the transition to the workplace, helping them to know what is expected of them.

Hawkins South Island Regional Manager Steve Taw said, “Hawkins is a community-based organisation and this programme gives us an opportunity to support the local community and iwi for the regional rebuild. This in turn will provide the construction industry with a valuable potential labour pool and opportunities for people in our community.”

CPIT has a proud tradition of Māori trades training. Through the 1950s to the 1980s, thousands of Māori boys and girls from all over New Zealand moved to Christchurch to learn a trade.

Source: He Toki ki te Rika Press Release 15th May 2013

Hawkins applauds award-winning project teams

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:43:35 +1200

Hawkins Construction is thrilled to have won nine awards including the coveted Registered Master Builders Supreme Award at the prestigious New Zealand Commercial Project Awards.

New Zealand’s most impressive commercial buildings battled it out at the national event on Saturday, with Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium beating entries from 40 of the country’s other construction projects to scoop the top award. The 30,000 seat, indoor stadium also picked up the Gold Award in the Industrial section and was named National Category winner.

Other successes include the Gold Award and National Category Award in the Commercial and Civic section for the Christchurch Civic Building; a Silver Award in the Tourism and Leisure section for the Hilton Queenstown; a Silver Award in the Education section for the University Oval’s Temporary Lecture Theatre; and the Bronze Award and National Category Award in the Residential section for the Christchurch Temporary Accommodation at Linwood Park and Kaiapoi Domain.

Hawkins view these awards as recognition of a huge team effort involving all parts of their supply chain.

South Island Regional Manager, Steve Taw, said: “The success of all our projects is largely down to a truly committed team effort and everyone involved deserves to be congratulated on their high level of performance.

“These projects reflect the way we do business and we are privileged to work with high quality sub-contractors who are experts in their field.

“The Supreme Award is particularly satisfying and appropriately celebrates a venue that combines innovative architecture, engineering and construction into a world-class building.

"It was incredibly hard work, requiring the wider Hawkins team to problem-solve consistently and to utilise their entire skillset to deliver such an outstanding result.

“Completing any project on time and on budget is enormously satisfying and even more so when it is as complex and ambitious as the Forsyth Barr Stadium.

"I can't praise enough the talented Hawkins team along with the dedicated sub-contractors who were at the coalface for all the award-winning projects.”

ENDS

List of Awards:

Supreme Award, Gold Award and National Category Award

Section: Commercial Project over $15 Million Category

Property: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Owned by: Dunedin City Council

Click here to view project information

Judge’s comments: The Forsyth Barr Stadium was stated by Hawkins as the very core of their efforts of a number of building projects throughout New Zealand in readiness for Rugby World Cup 2011.

Built on 3.1 hectares of reclaimed land overlooking Otago Harbour, the stadium is purpose-built as a highly versatile facility capable of hosting all kinds of business, entertainment, community and educational conferences and events.

The challenges were enormous and the project was carried out under the relentless gaze of a critical constituency. It could easily have gone very wrong but instead the team has delivered a magnificent result.

Gold Award and National Category Award

Section: James Hardie Commercial And Civic Project

Property: Christchurch Civic Building, Christchurch

Owned by: Joint venture between Ngai Tahu Property and the Christchurch City Council

Click here for project information

Judges’ comments: This project was a redevelopment of a 1970s NZ Post Building fast tracked to allow for occupation some 22 months after construction began. The existing Building was 8 stories high and careful planning was required to allow for partial demolition, considerable re- strengthening and replacement of the external cladding. An additional 8.0m clip on was added to the North face and raised floors were required to install state of the art services.

The redevelopment was complex for the Hawkins team as they also needed to accommodate remedial work to the sustained damage which occurred with the ongoing aftershocks following the major Canterbury earthquake. The judges were impressed by the collaboration between the owners, the consultants and the Contractor. Without this many delays would have pushed out the completion date. The building is now rated 6 star featuring, tri generation technology, solar energy systems and rainwater harvesting and many other green features. This redevelopment has transformed an outdated building to be striking, functional and provide a very pleasant working environment for 1250 Council workers.

Silver Award

Section: Placemakers Tourism And Leisure Project

Property: Hilton Queenstown

Owned by: Hilton Queenstown

Click here for project information

Silver Award

Section: Education Project

Property: University Oval’s Temporary Lecture Theatres, Christchurch

Owned by: University of Canterbury

Bronze Award and National Category Award

Section: Winstone Wallboards Residential Project

Property: Christchurch Temporary Accommodation; Linwood Park/Kaiapoi Domain, Christchurch

Owned by: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Judges’ comments: These little villages were built in two public parks to provide temporary accommodation after the Christchurch earthquakes. They are separate houses, which although built on site are designed to be removed and reused when the need subsides.

The consortium of Hawkins, Spanbild and Fulton Hogan faced considerable challenges – extreme time pressure, a traumatized workforce and a difficult winter with two substantial snow falls during construction.

The 22 homes in Kaiapoi were delivered in just 44 days, and the 42 homes in Linwood in just 67 days, with construction teams working progressively, so that individual houses were built in as little as 10 days.

Revamped awards for commercial projects

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:12:15 +1200

The New Zealand Commercial Project Awards will build on the success of the Registered Master Builders' Commercial Project Awards which were first launched in 2006. The new awards format sets the benchmark for commercial building in New Zealand and in 2013 entries have been welcomed from all commercial contractors for projects completed since 2010.

The awards are open to all New Zealand commercial contractors and their construction partners including architects, engineers and property owners / developers, with the aim to recognise New Zealand’s top commercial buildings and the teams behind them.

Entrants vie for gold, silver and bronze awards as well as national category wins and the prestigious supreme award. Amongst this year’s award nominees are five projects built by Hawkins Construction; the Christchurch Civic Centre, Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, University of Canterbury Oval’s temporary lecture theatres, Hilton Hotel Queenstown and the Christchurch temporary accommodation at Linwood Park and Kaiapoi Domain.

Hawkins is proud to have a strong South Island project presence in the awards this year. Steve Taw, South Island Regional Manager says “alongside the impressive Christchurch Civic building it is encouraging to see Canterbury earthquake recovery projects including temporary accommodation at Linwood Park and Kaiapoi Domain and temporary lecture theatres at the University of Canterbury in the nomination line-up.”

Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium has been nominated in a bid to be named New Zealand’s best industrial building. Hawkins Construction Project Director, Andrew Holmes, said “It’s an outstanding project and the city should be proud of it and certainly we, at Hawkins, are proud of our efforts.”

The hard work and collaboration of the project teams will be recognised when the winners are announced at the awards gala dinner in Auckland this Saturday, 11th May.

40 new homes for Christchurch eastern suburbs

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:16:42 +1200

The Government will spend $12.5 million building 40 new homes to ease the housing shortage in Christchurch's eastern suburbs.

Housing Minister Nick Smith today said 40 new homes will be built at the Rangers Park subdivision in Linwood specifically for families who need somewhere to live while earthquake repairs are carried out on their homes.

Smith said the homes would be used as temporary accommodation for two to three years and after that they would be sold.

The new two, three and four-bedroom homes will add to the 80 units already managed by the Canterbury Earthquake Temporary Accommodation Services at Linwood Park, Kaiapoi Domain and Rawhiti Domain.

"This development of 40 new homes will be used to increase the supply of temporary accommodation for families as the rebuild gains momentum.

It will enable people to maintain their work, school and community links in their local area while their repairs and rebuilds are being carried out,'' he said.

He said the homes, that would be built to a permanent standard, would be sold at an ''affordable market price''.

Hawkins Construction is building the homes with the first ones expected in July and all 40 will be built by November.

Smith said the $12.5m cost would be offset by rent and future sales. Rent prices in the new Rangers Park subdivision would range from $271 to $423 per week.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has today released its report into housing pressures in Christchurch.

The report identifies three main issues in the region - the decrease of housing stock since the earthquakes, the cost of housing and growing demand.

When asked today if Christchurch's housing market was in a crisis Smith said: ''It's a challenge, not a crisis''.

He said the Government needed to ''pick up the pace'' but urged the private sector to do the same.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/8509569/40-new-homes-for-eastern-suburbs

Hawkins Supports Green Building Summit

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:12:50 +1300

MEDIA RELEASE

Date 21/2/2013

Hawkins Construction is proud to support New Zealand’s foremost green building event,Green Property Summit as a sponsor in 2013. The Summit on 20 March 2013 will showcase the latest in green building practices from international and national industry leaders.

For a number of years Hawkins has been supporting the New Zealand Green Building Council with contracting expertise in the development of rating tools and policy development and will continue to assist in promoting sustainable design and construction practices throughout the property industry.

A joint initiative by Property Council New Zealand and the New Zealand Green Building Council, the fourth Green Property Summit explores urban redevelopment, seismicity, sustainability and productivity as key themes.

Keynote speaker David Hobsetter of KMD Architects is prepared to share the challenges of design excellence in earthquake-prone California. As a principal architect of San Francisco’s greenest office tower, the 525 Golden Gate building, Mr Hobstetter will talk about meeting a performance mandate of immediate occupancy after a design basis earthquake (DBE), and how high-performance design contributions saved $10 million and reduced CO2 emissions by 7 million pounds.

Also confirmed is Wade Lange, vice-president of Langley Investment Properties and Portland EcoDistricts, who will showcase how green city redevelopment can be achieved on a neighborhood scale. He will explain how five pilot eco-districts in Portland, United States, can serve as scaled-up models of green innovation by collaboration between residents, researchers and planners.

Property Council chief executive Connal Townsend said the programme is exciting. “Green Property Summit topics continue to reflect market challenges, successes and technological advancements.

“The event has a well-established role in New Zealand’s commercial property industry to educate and encourage anyone involved in the investment, design or building of our urban areas.”

He said the event would also include an update on the IPD Green Property Investment Index, which had been well supported since its New Zealand launch in November this year.

New Zealand Green Building Council chief executive Alex Cutler says the mix of speakers across the programme speaks volumes about where the New Zealand market is going.

“From recognising the business case for certified green buildings in the latest Green Property Index update, through to a strong focus on urban regeneration, with Wade’s input. The opportunity with the imminent amount of change happening in Auckland and Christchurch the opportunity to influence New Zealand’s build environment is huge. It has to be considered with a sustainable lens and the market needs to be ready to deliver it.

“The Green Property Summit has been designed to address these with topical thinking, inspiring ideas and opportunities to connect with innovative thinkers,” says Alex.

Green Property Summit 2013 will be held on Wednesday 20 March at the Pullman Hotel, on the corner of Waterloo Quadrant and Princes Street in Auckland. Registrations are now open, with the full programme to be released shortly.

For more information, please visit www.greenpropertysummit.org.nz or www.sponsorwebsite

END.

Hawkins welcomes closure of SFO investigation

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:14:31 +1300

Media statement - 22 January 2013

Hawkins welcomes closure of SFO investigation

Hawkins Construction says it welcomes yesterday's announcement by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that there are no grounds for criminal prosecution following the closure of its investigation into Hawkins’ substation project for Transpower and Vector in Hobson Street, Auckland.

Hawkins’ Executive General Manager Dan Ashby says: “We have maintained all along that there has been no intent to defraud by Hawkins or its employees, and are pleased that no evidence of wrongdoing was found. The SFO’s view that the issue is one of differing contractual interpretations is consistent with our own view.”

Mr Ashby says the SFO investigation, which commenced on 31 August 2012, has been an extremely challenging time for Hawkins.

“It’s been particularly difficult for our employees involved in the Hobson Street project, and clearly we are pleased it is over. Despite the distraction and stress the investigation has caused, we cooperated fully with the SFO and appreciate that they gave priority to the investigation, given the significant industry and public interest.”

Hawkins continued to work on the Hobson Street project during the course of the SFO investigation and, with the SFO investigation now over, is fully focussed on completing it.

Ends

Supporting the Hobsonville Families

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:01:40 +1300

We have been humbled by your many offers of assistance following the recent tragedy at Hobsonville.

A trust fund - The Hobsonville Tornado Families Fund - has been established to help the three families who lost their loved ones during the tornado.

While we anticipate that the Trust Fund, which is being administered by independent trustees, will remain open for several months, I encourage all of you who want to assist the families to use this to make a donation. For them, Christmas is going to be tough, and every dollar raised will help make their futures a little brighter.

Donations can be made by visiting any branch of the Westpac Bank or by electronic funds transfer to the following account:

Account name: The Hobsonville Tornado Families Fund

Bank / Branch: 031509

Account Number: 0165507

Suffix: 00

We extend our gratitude to everyone and every business that has already made a contribution. If you are able to email Anna Buttar at Hawkins (a.buttar@hawkins.co.nz) we would love to add your details to our list of thanks.

We know that every dollar raised will make the futures of these families a little brighter. And we thank you in advance for your support of the three families.

David McConnell and the McConnell Group/ Hawkins team.

Canterbury Māori trades training programme receives the $1m boost from government

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:28:22 +1300

Media Release

13 December 2012

Canterbury Māori trades training programme receives the $1m boost from government

Representatives from He Toki ki te Rika, the Christchurch based Māori trades training programme, are in Wellington today signing and receiving the $1m funding agreement that government announced earlier in the year.

He Toki is led by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in partnership with Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and Hawkins Construction. This unique collaborative model leverages the existing knowledge, experience and expertise of partner organisations to up skill Māori for the recovery of Canterbury.

Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon thanked government for its support.

“Ngāi Tahu is taking an active role in readying local Māori for the recovery of Canterbury and government must be commended for their commitment to helping to develop the Māori workforce.”

He Toki was launched last June and more than 150 Māori have completed the course, 89 of those students have found work and most of the remaining students have gone into further training.

"We are proud of this programme and the success it has created so far, with more resources and support from the government the results should continue to improve," says Solomon.

The investment from the government includes the support of Māori social services providers to help with pastoral care. It also includes 300 apprenticeship grants and the provisions to employ two new dedicated staff members.

The two new He Toki roles include an apprenticeship coordinator and a skills broker.

"This investment extends our ability to help Māori become trades leaders, which will have long-term benefits for the Canterbury region," says Solomon.

Chief executive of CPIT, Kay Giles says He Toki is one of the ways CPIT has responded to the need for additional trades training in Christchurch.

"At CPIT we strive for Māori and Pasifika achievement. By working with Ngāi Tahu and Hawkins we have developed a very comprehensive and effective programme to train and transition Māori into jobs. With the extra resource and support of social service providers we will continue to do this better and continue to support the recovery of Canterbury."

Over the last year Hawkins Construction has played a key role in connecting He Toki students to the recovery of Canterbury. As well as organising work experience for He Toki trades students, Hawkins has helped to develop the He Toki passport.

The He Toki passport is a unique purpose designed document for every student that shows potential employers how ready, keen and able these students are.

Hawkins worked with the trades industry to define what employers are looking for and turned this into a checklist of skills that the students complete. This includes skills such safety training with Site Safe, preparing a CV, professional behaviour and effective communication at work.

Hawkins Construction South Island Manager, Steve Taw says it is extremely satisfying to be part of a programme which provides direct benefit to the local community and iwi and welcomes the funding from the government.

"The benefit of this approach is that we all work together to widen the potential labour pool for the local construction industry, which can only be good for the regional rebuild."

Ends

For more information, photos or to talk to a He Toki student please contact: Kahu Te Whaiti on kahu.tewhaiti@ngaitahu.iwi.nz or call 021 443 895.

Trust fund launched for Hobsonville tornado families

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:34:14 +1300

Media release

11 December 2012

Trust fund launched for Hobsonville tornado families

A special trust fund has been set up for the families of the three men tragically killed in last week’s devastating tornado in Hobsonville, West Auckland.

The Hobsonville Tornado Families Fund is open to anyone who wishes to make a donation.

Donations can be made at any branch of the Westpac Bank, or by electronic funds transfer to the following account:

Account name: The Hobsonville Tornado Families Fund
Bank / branch: 031509
Account number: 0165507
Suffix: 00

Hobsonville Land Company, together with its partners, is also collecting donations for the trust fund at the Hobsonville Point Farmers Market, Catalina Café and at the Hobsonville Point showhomes.

Hawkins Construction, which operates the building site where the three men lost their lives, is initiating the trust fund supported by George Grant Engineering, Vuksich and Borich and Hays Personnel, the employers of the three men.

Hawkins Construction Executive General Manager Dan Ashby says: “This is an extremely tragic time for the families, particularly with Christmas only two weeks away. A number of people have contacted us with very generous offers of help, so we thought the best way to facilitate this was to set up a special trust fund which everyone can contribute to. The fund will be administered by independent trustees to ensure that all proceeds are distributed to the affected families. We know the families will really appreciate this support.”

Ends

For more information please contact:
Hamish Anderson
Mobile 0274 513 436

Hawkins Media Release - Hobsonville

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:35:41 +1300

Media statement

6 December, 2012

5.44pm

Hawkins Construction says there were fatalities and injuries suffered by a number of subcontractors at its Hobsonville School building site in West Auckland during this afternoon’s devastating tornado.

Police will be releasing further information about the fatalities and injured once their investigations are complete.

Hawkins Construction Executive General Manager, Dan Ashby says the company’s immediate focus is on supporting the affected workers’ families, and its staff and subcontractors on site.

Mr Ashby says Hawkins is also working to assist Police and other services on site.

For further information please contact:

Hamish Anderson

Phone 0274 513 436

Royal Occasion for He Toki Students

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:52:44 +1300

Seven lucky He Toki ki te Rika (He Toki) students and graduates showed off their skills during the recent visit of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to the Re:start Mall as part of their tour of Christchurch. The selected students and graduates competed against each other to build planter boxes utilising the skills they have learned in the He Toki trade training programme. The planter boxes constructed by the students will be donated to local Marae.

He Toki is led by Ngāi Tahu in partnership with CPIT (The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology,) and Hawkins Construction. This unique collaborative model leverages the existing knowledge, experience and expertise of partner organisations to introduce a new era of Maori trade training in Christchurch. Over the next year the aim of the trade training programme is to support a further 200 Maori to contribute to the Canterbury rebuild.

In support of the He Toki initiative Hawkins Construction was also involved in the recent Ngai Tahu led event “Get on the Waka: Backstage Pass” at the University of Canterbury(UoC). Developed with the purpose of promoting tertiary education and training as instrumental to creating positive futures for local Māori, Hawkins Project Manager Martin Edwards arranged for key subcontractors spanning carpentry, electric, plastering, painting and decorating to come along to the UoC site and share their knowledge and skills with the potential students.

It was designed to be an interactive experience. After a full health and safety induction the industry representatives spoke about their specific trade expertise. Then the “real work” began. The students were harnessed up and got on a swinging stage before trying a hand at plastering a wall.

Students said they had great fun and particularly enjoyed being able to have a go at some practical work. Our involvement directly led to a number of local Maori gaining employment in the industry and enrolling for trades training in 2013. And for Hawkins and the industry it was a great opportunity to showcase a taste of the industry.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkinsConstructionNZ?ref=hl#!/photo.php?fbid=390847220990694&set=a.387968681278548.91776.101650289910390&type=1&theater

ENDS

NZIOB 2012 Award Success

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 14:36:11 +1200

It was a great night for Hawkins at the NZ Institute of Building Awards (NZIOB) held in Auckland on the 24th of August, with terrific achievements by Hawkins people from throughout the business as finalists and award recipients.

Grant Thomas took out the Davis Langdon Excellence Award for projects over $50M and then went on to win the Supreme Award, for his leadership of the Auckland Art Gallery team (completing a “clean sweep” of awards for an iconic project and a true Hawkins team)

In announcing the award the Judges commented:

“He showed strengths in significant management performance in all aspects of leadership, organisation, coordination, innovation and safety management - a great young leader for the future. His challenge was not only in the construction of the building but in the management and coordination of over 1,100,000 man hours across multiple subcontractors"

Plus dealing with neighbours, busy arterial roads, existing heritage structures, rigorous resource consent conditions and weekly arborist reports. The design was unforgiving from a traditional builders’ perspective and Grant worked tirelessly to ensure that tolerances were maintained in all stages of construction.”

Hawkins Shawn Cunningham and RCP’s Ant Beale won the Holcim Excellence Award for Projects $25-$50M for the Christchurch Temporary Stadium.

They lived, ate, breathed and dreamed this project from day one to the Crusaders game 101 days later. An extremely tight time frame the challenges were enormous working through Christmas, significant aftershocks, basically 24/7 with the last turf laid at 4am, 39 hours prior to kick-off.

Andrew Holmes and Richard Ogden both received ‘Highly Commended’ Awards for the Forsyth Barr Stadium (Over $50M Projects) and Dulux –Project Firebird ($5-$25M Projects) respectively.

Hawkins also boasted other finalists in most categories:

Under $5m Proejcts Category
Mohan Arumugasamy for Embassy Theatre – Re-strengthening - Wellington

$25M- 50M Projects Category
Gary Nisbet for Viaduct Events Centre - Auckland

Young Achiever Category
Andrew Rowden - Christchurch

Hawkins has enjoyed enormous success at the NZIOB awards in recent years, and again this year had more finalists than any other company - a great accolade considering there were a record 70 entries.

Auckland Leadership Announced

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:53:15 +1200

Hawkins Construction is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Walker as Auckland Regional Manager, effective immediately.

Gary joined Hawkins to lead the pre-construction team in August 2009. When this business unit became part of the Auckland regional structure in 2011 Gary moved to a broader role as Manager - Strategic Projects.

Dan Ashby, Executive General Manager, Hawkins Construction says that Gary has been a key member of the regional team and made a strong contribution to major projects across the national business.

”Gary worked in a wide range of senior construction and design-related roles worldwide. He has significant experience in the leadership of multidisciplinary design teams, multiple stakeholder environments and the management of large construction teams. His experience on large-scale developments from inception to completion using varied forms of procurement contracts and joint venture arrangements have been, and will continue to be, invaluable for Hawkins in the future”, says Dan.

Hawkins Construction also confirms the appointment of Steve Ritchie as Auckland Regional Operations Manager. Following many years with Hawkins as a Project Manager and then Construction Manager, Steve was briefly appointed as Regional Construction Manager in September 2011, prior to temporarily moving to Victoria to be part of the Construction Management team for the Ararat prison.

Other members of the Auckland regional leadership team include:

Mark Katterns Project Director

Clive Smith New Business Manager

Jonathan McKenzie Regional Commercial Manager

Andrew Houghton Interiors Manager

AJ Staples Regional HSE Manager

“I have total confidence in the collective calibre and capability of this team to drive our Auckland regional operations to an exciting future under Gary’s leadership. They are all true Hawkins leaders who will work closely with our business partners and associates to deliver great outcomes for all our customers,” says Dan.

ENDS

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett visits youth hired for the Canterbury rebuild today.

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:29:48 +1200

Written By Olivia Carville - The Press

Two Christchurch construction companies are hiring beneficiaries for the city's rebuild.

Fletcher Building and Hawkins Construction have embedded Work and Income staff members to help recruit unemployed youth for jobs in the rebuild.

The two companies have assisted 86 unemployed Cantabrians into work.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett visited a Hawkins Construction site today and met four workers who had been employed through the Work and Income scheme and a Maori trade training scheme.

One of the workers, apprentice Jesse Neville, 19, said he had been trying to secure a job for four years.

He had been on a benefit for 12 months before Work and Income gave him the chance to get an apprenticeship with Hawkins Construction.

Although life was "easier being on the dole, it's less boring working", he said.

When he was on a benefit he would usually wake up at noon and play Xbox for the afternoon, but now he was "way more motivated".

Neville had applied for about 30 jobs to no avail and said that if the apprenticeship opportunity had not been offered to him, he would still be on the benefit.

He has been employed since October and said most of his wages had gone towards paying off bills, but he was planning to start saving and go travelling in a few years.

"I never wanted a desk job; I wanted to be doing something. No offence, but I do prefer to actually work," he joked with Bennett.

Another worker had been employed at Hawkins Construction through He Toki ki te Rika, a collaborative Maori trade training scheme with Ngai Tahu, the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and Hawkins.

Patrick Kohu, 51, decided he needed to "make a change" in his life after he was released from prison, and he had chosen to get involved with the programme.

"It offers a sense of belonging and purpose, I suppose. It's about rebuilding my past," he said.

Fletcher Building is offering 19 cadetships to young Maori who want a career in construction, and that is being done in conjunction with Te Puni Kokiri.

Bennett said the new scheme was "really exciting" and she was "full of admiration" for the construction companies involved.

"Let's bring more [beneficiaries] through," she said.

Hawkins group national health and safety environmental manager Andrew Confait said the company was committed to the programme, and he did not understand why it had not happened earlier.

Citygate kicks off Hamilton CBD transformation programme

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:20:54 +1200

Hawkins has begun construction work on Citygate, a McConnell Property - five-storey office and retail - development adjacent to Wintec in Hamilton’s central city.

Scheduled for completion in mid 2013, Citygate will be the first new office building in the Hamilton CBD for several years and it will transform a site that has been vacant for almost 17 years.

The high-quality 5,300sqm building, which is to be 4 star Green Star design rated, is set to become the premium business address in the city.

McConnell Property Development Manager Aidan Donnelly says a strong vision and commitment to revitalising Hamilton’s central city, between McConnell Property, the Hamilton City Council and Wintec, have resulted in this progressive development becoming a reality.

“McConnell Property is committed to developing safe, resilient and efficient buildings and environments, and Citygate is a great example of this,” says Mr Donnelly.

The purpose-built office space is future-proofed with access to multiple high-speed fibre connections and, with safety front of mind, Citygate has been designed to best practice structural and seismic standards.

Donnelly credits the significant input of the Hawkins team into the preconstruction phase.

“We have benefitted enormously from Hawkins design management and buildability experience. It’s one thing to read the promo blurb that says you save dollars by getting the builder in early; but the reality is, that in doing this we have been able to refine certain areas of design and construction sequencing which has allowed us to enhance the value and programme. And on top of this Hawkins has pulled out all the stops to mobilise equipment and resources ahead of time,” he says.

In addition to the state-of-the-art office space, the high-profile corner development will create street level retail opportunities and a 735sqm open-space plaza for Citygate users and the public alike.

Mr Donnelly says that Citygate’s strong, visible presence is a key part of the Citygate offer. “The striking building and the sunny north-facing plaza will become a landmark for the CBD. Over 300 Citygate workers, 20,000 Wintec students and staff, and the Hamilton people will be able to enjoy the many benefits of these new and inspiring spaces.”

And Terry Buchan, Hawkins Central Regional Manager, believes that this building will spark the inner city alive.

“So many people are looking forward to seeing this project completed; it has been such a long time since something so regenerative happened in this part of the city,” says Buchan.

ENDS

Dan Ashby appointed Executive General Manager – Hawkins Construction

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 09:20:11 +1200

18th July 2012

Hawkins Construction and parent company McConnell Group, are pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Ashby as Executive General Manager – Hawkins Construction.

Dan will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Hawkins Construction business throughout New Zealand, reporting to David McConnell - Managing Director and CEO of McConnell Group.

He brings 32 years of extensive international and local construction, engineering and business management expertise to the role, and a hands-on understanding of Hawkins Construction, having led the Auckland Region for the past two and a half years, and more recently assuming overall responsibility for Central and Wellington operations.

With the senior and regional leadership teams, Dan will drive continued growth in our operational excellence, building on Hawkins’ established track record and strong market position to develop our aspiration to be New Zealand’s leading construction business.

Dan will be working closely with his leadership team throughout the country, together with partners and associates, as we continue to strive to deliver great construction servicesfor all our customers.

ENDS

More Awards For Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:07:16 +1200

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki has won the International Award for Architectural Excellence from The Royal Institute of British Architects – the first time a New Zealand building has won.

The awards, the winners of which were announced last Thursday, are given to only 12 buildings a year and recognise some of the world’s most imaginative, dramatic and green buildings. Other winners in 2012 include the world’s tallest building, the Guangzhou Finance Centre. From this round of winners, a visiting jury will select the winner of the prestigious Lubetkin Prize.

Gallery director Chris Saines said, “We set out to develop a world class gallery and FJMT+Archimedia’s elegant and considered design has been instrumental to achieving that goal. Judged on the response of the near 600,000 visitors to date, this heritage restored and expanded building has become a flag-bearer for the city’s architectural and urban design future.”

The development of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki was commissioned and project managed by Auckland Council and included a series of emblematic, sculpted tree-like canopies cut from massive Kauri trees that enclose the forecourt, atrium and gallery areas.

This international award comes within a month of the gallery also winning the supreme award, the New Zealand Architecture Medal, at the New Zealand Architecture Awards and the highest accolade as the country’s top commercial property development for 2012 at the annual Property Industry Awards.

Projects such as this reflect the Mayor’s vision to make Auckland the world’s most liveable city and are a strong benchmark for other developments and transformations in the City Centre planned by Auckland Council as part of the City Centre Master Plan.

Full list of awards won by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 2012:

2012 Royal Institute of British Architects

International Award for Architectural Excellence

2012 NZ Museum Awards

Project Achievement Award for Museum or Gallery Development

2012 NZIA Awards

New Zealand Institute of Architects incorporated, New Zealand Architecture Award, Heritage, 25 May 2012
New Zealand Institute of Architects incorporated, New Zealand Architecture Award, Public Architecture, 25 May 2012
New Zealand Institute of Architects incorporated, New Zealand Architecture Medal, 25 May 2012

2012 Property Council New Zealand Property Industry Awards

Education and Arts Property Award - Excellence & Best in Category
Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award - Excellence & Best in Category
Supreme Award

- Ends -

Government Investment in Māori Trade Training in Christchurch is Welcomed

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:46:36 +1200

Media Release – joint statement from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of

Technology (CPIT) and Hawkins Construction

10th July 2012

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and Hawkins Construction welcome the Government's further $1million investment in Māori Trade Training in Christchurch.

In June last year, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, CPIT and industry partners launched He Toki ki te Rika (Māori Trades Training) in response to the projected demand for skilled labour in Christchurch and to upskill Māori for leadership roles in the city’s rebuild.

The iwi-led training/industry partnership model gives students the chance to learn in a cultural environment, involving tikanga and te reo, in a 12 to 14 week Māori pre-trade training programme that leads to employment or further training.

In December 2011, Hawkins entered into partnership with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in regard to creating practical opportunities for building Māori capability and leadership within the trades workforce.

“Ngai Tahu is taking an active role in readying local Maori to meet the skill demands of the Canterbury rebuild,” said Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere (Chair) Mark Solomon. “More resource means more of our young Māori will have the opportunity to be trained and supported through to employment here in Canterbury,”

Solomon says students are responding well to the He Toki ki te Rika partnership model with training and industry. “Increasing investment in enhancing the skills of local Māori will have long-term benefits for the region as well as provide unique leadership opportunities for our young people.”

CPIT Kaiarahi Hana O’Regan said CPIT was well positioned to deliver He Toki. “It was right that we put ourselves forward to support the re-establishment of Māori trade training in Christchurch given our history as a key provider of Māori trade training in the region, and our commitment to whānau transformation through education.”

So far 60 He Toki students have gained employment with local firms. As well as identifying work opportunities, Hawkins has facilitated opportunities for practical learning in the workplace for these trainees to support their work readiness.

“The benefit of this approach is that together we can widen the potential labour pool for the local construction industry, which can only be good for the regional rebuild,” says Andrew Confait, Hawkins’ National Health, Safety and Environmental Manager, who has driven the initiative for the company.

In addition to trades training, He Toki ki te Rika provides students with work readiness preparation including CV writing, gaining site safe certificates and driver’s license preparation, plus mentorship, support through to employment, advanced/leadership training and business development. The programme covers pre-trade programmes in carpentry, painting and decorating, plasterboard, plumbing and drain laying.

The further investment in Māori Trade training in Christchurch has come after a proposal of an a an iwi led model, where iwi, tertiary, industry and government come together to build and support Māori capability for the rebuild of Christchurch was put forward to government.

The financial commitment from the government has been welcomed and all partners look forward to working closer with government to develop opportunities for Māori in the trades industry.

- ENDS -

For further information please contact:

Nancy McConnell - McConnell Group Public Relations Manager

M: 0274 993 466 Email: nancy@hansenmcconnell.co.nz

Kahu Te Whaiti

Kaiwhiri Whakapāpātanga

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu - Assistant Communication Advisor

DDI: 03 371 3904 M: 021 443 895 Email: kahu.tewhaiti@ngaitahu.iwi.nz

Hawkins Projects Dominate 2012 PCNZ Awards

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:36:01 +1200

On Friday evening the 2012 Rider Levett Bucknell Property Council of New Zealand Awards were held in a black tie gala awards ceremony in front of 980 guests at the Hawkins built Viaduct Events Centre; which was wholly appropriate as Hawkins projects came to dominate the evening’s prizes.

The Property Council Awards are New Zealand’s most prestigious property industry awards and have been running for more than 15 years.

The awards attract submissions from the country’s top commercial property developments with entries going through a rigorous three month judging process, that included detailed review of the developments and site visits by the judging panel.

A record 82 properties were evaluated as finalists in this year’s awards, but it was the Hawkins built Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki that took out the Supreme Award for 2012.

The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki project secured Excellence awards for each of the two categories it was entered into: the “Hawkins Heritage & Adaptive Re-Use” category, and the “Coffey Projects Education & Arts” category.

By virtue of these awards the project went onto win the Supreme Award with the judge’s impressed with:

“the total scope of the project, attention to detail, the tireless commitment and co-operation of all stakeholders in the delivery of a unique project incorporating stunning architectural and engineering features and delivering a world class, future proofed facility that will provide tangible benefits to New Zealanders for generations.”

Besides the Supreme Award, Hawkins projects secured 11 out of the 16 excellence awards presented, and an additional five merit awards across projects in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Included in this group deserving of a special mention is the Te Hononga - Christchurch Civic Building project that was presented with three excellence awards, a remarkable achievement for one project.

Only properties selected as the best of the “Excellence” winners in each category were eligible to be considered for the Supreme Award – a change in process to provide better acknowledgement for the most outstanding property among those awarded excellence in each category. With one exception Hawkins projects were awarded the “Best in Category” in each of the categories we had projects entered.

In determining the winning properties, the judges consider the economic viability of the property, design and construction, efficiency of operation, owner and user satisfaction, contribution to the community, potential cultural and social benefits, degree of difficulty associated with the development and environmentally sustainable features incorporated into the project.

Congratulations also to our clients and project partners who we share this great success with. These projects are examples of team collaboration at its best, and we salute their investment, vision and energy in bringing these projects to the market and giving us the opportunity to demonstrate our skills.

Hawkins Winners List

Auckland Council Special Purpose Property Award

Merit Viaduct Events Centre

Coffey Projects Education and Arts Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Excellence BLENNZ (Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ) Homai
Merit University Hall
Merit Papamoa College

Hawkins Construction Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category - Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Excellence - Te Hononga - Christchurch Civic Building

Hays Commercial Office Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category - Westpac on Takutai Square / Ernst & Young Building
Excellence - Te Hononga - Christchurch Civic Building
Merit - Telecom Central

Holmes Consulting Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category - Novotel Auckland Airport
Excellence - SKYCITY Casino
Excellence - Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza
Merit - TECT Arena

Natural Habitats Landscapes Urban Land Developments Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category - Wynyard Quarter Stage 1 (built by Hawkins Open Spaces a division of Hawkins Infrastructure Ltd)

Resene Green Building Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category - Te Hononga - Christchurch Civic Building

Trends Industrial Property Award

Excellence + Best in Category Dulux - Gracefield Site Redevelopment