HIGGINS - Key Persons
Aaron joined Higgins in 2021.
He has 25 years' experience in commercial roles across the civil construction industry in New Zealand and Australia. He is also an experienced board director.
Aaron has a Bachelor of Business Studies, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Chartered Accountant.
Job Titles:
- General Manager
- Member of the Leadership Team
Andrew first worked for Higgins in the 1990s. In 2023 he returned to the Green Team as General Manager.
He has an extensive career in roading and construction, having spent the past 30 years with tier one contractors in New Zealand and Australia. He has wide experience leading substantial projects including Tauranga Eastern Link, the largest project of its kind at the time and the SH1 Northern Gateway Toll Road. Ten years ago, he moved to Australia where he led the Sapphire to Woolgoolga section of the Pacific Highway and the Foxground to Berry bypass on the Princes Highway before moving into a state-wide General Manager role.
Andrew is known as a level-headed and collaborative leader who empowers his teams to succeed.
Job Titles:
- Civil Engineer
- Area Manager - Northern
Damon is civil engineer with 25 years' experience in infrastructure maintenance and construction services.
He's been with Higgins since 2022, following two decades with multiple tier one contractors. He has experience across operational delivery, manufacturing and driving strategic business growth in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji.
Damon is known as a collaborative, outcomes-focused leader. He's built a strong track record in delivery thanks to his strong people values and focus on systems and processes.
In his spare time, Damon enjoys cycling, boating, fishing and spending time with family. He is the Chairperson of the College Rifles Rugby Football Club and the Sacred Heart College Cycling club.
He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), NZCE (Civil), a Diploma of Management and a Diploma of Highway Engineering.
Dion has been with Higgins since 2020.
In his role leading road technology, he's in charge of our bitumen and Approach signs businesses. He has more than 25 years' experience in civil engineering, 20 years of which have been in management roles.
He's known for his expertise and success in developing and delivering strategy. Dion understands the importance of coaching staff and overall team culture. He works closely with customers to understand their needs and deliver the best possible service.
Dion has Diplomas of Managerial Excellence in Engineering & Construction and Highway Engineering, and a NZCE in Civil Engineering.
Graeme has been with Higgins since 2020, when he joined as Area Manager for Auckland and Northland, before moving into his Major Projects and Higgins new business role.
Graeme brings more than 30 years' civil construction experience to Higgins. His career has predominantly focused on delivering work for Waka Kotahi and local authorities. He has been responsible for successfully leading major road civil engineering tenders and projects across New Zealand. He is known as an experienced business leader who brings a wealth of business management and development experience to Higgins.
Graeme has a NZCE (Civil) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration.
Job Titles:
- Head of People & Performance
Greer started with our parent company Fletcher Construction in 2019 as Head of Talent, Learning & Development. She moved to the Higgins team to lead People & Performance in 2022.
She is a strategic senior people leader with experience in the public, private and consulting sectors. Greer is known for her ability to transform business and people outcomes, with a keen focus on talent development, developing leadership capability and driving employee engagement. She is focused on developing and executing strategy to support the delivery of business outcomes.
Greer is a mother and stepmother, and lives in Auckland with her husband John. She loves spending quality time with family and friends, playing and watching sport, and going on adventures.
She holds a Bachelor of Business from AUT.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Health and Safety Manager
Juana West knows what it is like to feel the challenge of being a young female in the construction industry.
When Kylie Wech started working in Civil Construction, she had a role in administration - she was the ‘tea lady' as she puts it. What Kylie didn't realise, was that role would set her up for a lifetime career in civil construction. "In the beginning, I saw the role as a means to an end. Very quickly, I decided I needed to turn my job into a career."
Kylie's made that career happen by working her way up through the industry, trying her hand at a number of different roles, finally landing herself as one of our highly-respected Project Managers.
She's a big advocate for women in the industry, and says anyone keen on trying out civils should give it a go. "This industry has given me so many opportunities to try different avenues and pathways. The civil infrastructure industry has so many options, it will adapt to your needs as you adapt to your role."
You'd be joining other cadets like Levi Muller who recently joined us at Higgins as an Engineering Cadet. Before leaving school, Levi's school approached our Early in Career Programme Lead Sarah McKenzie who organised a one-to-one visit at one of our projects where he was introduced to Tristan Paget, a Project Manager who also followed this pathway. This ignited a genuine spark in Levi and by showing his engagement and motivation, he was welcomed to the Higgins team in February after leaving school.
Levi's been working with the team on the Rangiuru Business Park Interchange and is also studying for his Diploma in Engineering part time. This requires him to attend polytech one day a week which is supported by Higgins. He's even being paid to attend tech, and accessing to our Employee Educational Fund for course costs. Higgins also facilitates a guided programme that enables Levi to learn on the job, whilst contributing to a high-profile project in his hometown.
So far, Levi's loving his new role. "It's really hard to put a pinpoint on what I enjoy the most because I just love my job so much, going to work and seeing my team every day is a highlight."
Job Titles:
- Country Manager
- Country Manager - Fiji
Michael Valente swung wide the door to new opportunities in paradise when he moved country to start a new chapter in his construction career with Higgins, Fiji.
That was back in 2020 when he joined the Fletcher Family from his home country of South Africa, where had had owned a civil engineering company for 19 years, and was later a senior project manager specialising in all aspects of pipeline and road construction.
The opportunity with Higgins as the Suva Manager represented an exciting opportunity for a lifestyle change for his family. The opportunity to step into a bigger role saw the family relocate to Nadi when he became the Fiji Fletcher Higgins Country Manager in 2023.
Based in the head office in Lomolomo, Nadi, Michael oversees just under 700 staff, making Fletcher the biggest construction company in Fiji with a busy pipeline of work that has quickly ramped up post-Covid.
Michael is responsible for maintaining client relationships, sourcing new work as well as optimisation of existing projects. Some of these include refurbishment of the Westin Hotel, four zones of roading maintenance contracts, completion of the Kings Road Upgrade, construction of nine critical bridges and work on the Nadi International Airport runway.
He visits Fletcher Construction's head office in Auckland, New Zealand several times a year for senior leadership meetings and enjoys the close connection with the team there. "There's no challenge too big that we can't find a solution to, whether it's health and safety or technology; we can draw on a wealth of knowledge and the company's deep history and experience," he says.
Michael has been with Higgins since 2020 when he joined as the manager for Suva in Fiji before taking up the role as Country Manager, Fiji Higgins and Fletcher Construction.
Michael brings more than 23 years of multifaceted experience in construction, having previously owned a civil engineering company in his home country of South Africa, overseeing major road, water, and wastewater pipeline projects at multiple companies.
Based in Nadi, Michael leads a team of around 700 staff and is responsible for maintaining client relationships, sourcing new work as well as optimisation of existing projects.
He has been responsible for successfully leading new-build hotels and refurbishment and major roading projects across Fiji.
Michael holds a National Diploma in Construction Surveying from Intec College in Cape Town, South Africa.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys a bit of fishing and watching a great game of rugby.
When Peter Capilitan arrived from the Philippines in 2018, his surveying qualification wasn't recognised in New Zealand. Unable to work in his chosen field, he took a role with Higgins as a grader operator.
Last year, his team encouraged him to use the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) to pay for a surveying qualification that would be recognised in New Zealand. He's rightfully very proud of his achievement!
Fletcher Construction Early in Career Programme Lead Sarah McKenzie made inquiries to help set Peter up with Connexis. "Not only has he been motivated to persevere despite English being his second language, he has really demonstrated Fletcher Values of Better Together and Being Bold."
Peter says getting the qualification helped boost his career and provides a significant advantage in future endeavours. "I am beyond blessed with the opportunities I've been given to reach my dream of becoming a surveyor. I'm ready for more projects."
Sean has held several senior management positions within Higgins since he joined the company in 2016.
Sean has 30 years' construction experience, with more than 20 of those working in leadership roles. He has experience delivering large and complex infrastructure and roading projects as well as regional and branch contracting management.
He puts his success down to his no-nonsense yet compassionate approach to leading teams, and always ensuring their safety and wellbeing is top priority. He is also known for his efficiency and strategic nous.
Sean is a committed family man and enjoys spending time in his new home of Hamilton with wife Fiona, and three young daughters Jessica, Bianca and Hayley.
One year on from the devasting impact of Cyclone Gabrielle, Shayden Taumata remembers trying to clear her way through piles of slash higher than the grader machine she was driving to restore vital road links in the Bay of Plenty. "We came through after the cyclone to clear accessways for families trapped in their homes - it was really cool to play a part in getting the community back on its feet." The 29-year-old machine operator and foreperson from Rotorua was exceptionally proud to play a part in the cyclone recovery effort, where it was all hands on deck to clear the roads and get transport links up and running again. It's extreme weather events like those that keep her team on its toes and doing what it does best; responding to road closures caused by big slips or weather damage, she says. "It's a buzz to go out and open up the roads to keep communities safe." Shayden's career in civil construction began back in early 2018 when she moved to Gisborne and, after contacting a recruitment agent looking for temporary work, started a job in road maintenance with a local company the very next day. Following a stint working as a traffic controller, Shayden progressed to become Leading Hand for a construction crew. Along the way she picked up a Site Traffic Management Supervisor (STMS) qualification, Class One, Two and Three driving licences and a Wheels, Tracks and Rollers endorsement, seizing the opportunity to develop her skills. Completing a Māori leadership programme gave Shayden extra confidence and skills that helped her move into a more senior position, as well as kindling a drive to set her sights on further personal development and study a civil engineering degree in the future. Moving to Rotorua in 2023 saw her take the next step in her road maintenance career by applying for a role supervising a pavement renewal crew with her current employer Higgins, taking on a different role and a set of new challenges in a different region. Shayden says she enjoys the variety of facing fresh challenges every day and constantly learning new skills as it means she never gets bored. "I love travelling the countryside, meeting new people and there always being something new to learn - every job's different." She now leads five road rehabilitation operators in her team plus a traffic management team that provides essential support. Between them they handle earthworks and road repairs throughout the eastern Bay of Plenty, sometimes driving two hours to get to a job. A typical day will start with a morning meeting with all crews involved to discuss the requirements for the job they're working on that day, co-ordinating her traffic management team and getting everyone's input on any safety issues that might arise before setting out on the day's work. Her experience in different job roles, and ability to operate heavy machinery from 30-tonne excavators to graders and trucks, gives her the edge when it comes to leading her team and training them up. After the success she has experienced in road maintenance Shayden encourages more females to get into the industry. "Females can do just as well in the road maintenance industry as males: they're particular about making sure jobs are completed to a high standard, keeping sites tidy and looking after their equipment - it would be great to see more of them come through." She says road maintenance would suit anyone who enjoys learning new skills and likes the idea of being able to develop their career quickly. "You can be whatever you want to be and play whatever role you want in this industry, if you keep going with it the options are pretty much never-ending." Shayden's story courtesy of EPIC Work NZ: https://epicwork.nz/