HEB truck safety

Pictured: Springston School children attending a truck safety session with HEB Construction, run in conjunction with Selwyn District Council.

For the last decade and a half, the multi-disciplined civil engineering company has played a key role in Selwyn's growth, working hand in hand with industry leaders, whānau, and the Selwyn District Council to not just build infrastructure, but to build a lasting legacy of care, community and connection.

Foundations of collaboration

Though the multi-disciplined civil engineering organisation is one of New Zealand’s major infrastructure companies, the HEB group maintains a highly collaborative approach to project delivery and prides itself on its ability to maintain deep connections to the communities it is active in.

That’s clearly on display in the Selwyn region. HEB’s work there - overseeing the Council’s broad road maintenance contract - is deeply grounded in collaboration and community, with about 95% of the staff executing the maintenance contract living within the Selwyn district.

Included in that number is born-and-bred Selwyn resident Harrison Hunt - the man behind HEB’s stakeholder management and broader outcomes projects, and a staunch advocate for the Selwyn area.

“The region has changed so much over my life,” says Hunt. “Just in terms of infrastructure, the district has grown 50 times more than I ever thought it could,” he says.

“I remember the old State Highway 1 sign, ‘Welcome to Rolleston – Town of the Future’ from 20 years ago.”

“We used to laugh about it, but now I look at the growth in Ellesmere, such as Leeston and the surrounding areas, and I think ‘whoever would have imagined that we would have the infrastructure we do now? The businesses we do?”

“If, 20 years ago, you had suggested that we would be launching non-fossil-fuel powered rockets in Tāwhaki or Kaitōrete Spit, you would have gotten laughed at."

No one's laughing now. Latest census data reveals that Selwyn is the fastest-growing district in the country, with one of the highest GDP growth rates. Adding to this, the Kaitorete Spit Aerospace Centre is expected to bring up to a billion dollars to the region.

Building beyond infrastructure: community connections

Central to the District’s rapid growth is its extensive road network, which spans about 2,475 km of sealed- and more than 1,000 km of unsealed-roads. Those roads are crucial for the prosperity of the Selwyn region - and the broader South Island - and it’s HEB Construction’s collaborative partnership with the Council that keeps traffic flowing freely.

“We engage with the Council on multiple levels, from our dedicated ground staff to our engineers, operational management, senior leadership, and governance, collaborating closely with councillors across various catchment areas," says Hunt.

He says that the Council has been careful to balance its support of commercial operations with a deep respect for the community and land, and that’s a space HEB works hard to operate responsibly in.

“HEB is 100 per cent a values-based company,” he says. “Anything and everything we do is about that connection, integrating ourselves with people, with communities, with central and local government, with stakeholders.”

“Everything is about being genuine and intentional in what we're trying to achieve”.

HEB has been family-owned since 1975, and while it’s now a member of the VINCI Construction International Network, the group still holds to those family-centric roots.

"The first thing my manager told me when I started was that HEB is a family-driven business,” says Hunt. “No matter what, it’s whānau is first.”

“They're not just interested in how much money you made or how a certain job is going. They care about you, your family and the wider community.”

“Having that understanding at the forefront lets you know that you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. It makes you want to strive for better and to make sure that whanau is at the forefront of your decision-making."

“It’s a very different approach to what I've seen with other organisations.”

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Navigating together: HEB in partnership with Selwyn

Hunt emphasises that HEB's partnerships are built on mutual trust and respect, especially when working with stakeholders in the Selwyn community.

“It's about being present, aware, and recognising the importance of our wider community and our mana whenua whanau in achieving our goals. These relationships are not formal or financial transactions; they’re about working alongside our community."

An example: When our mana whenua requested help with a clean-up day - clearing harakeke and tidying up around the marae - Hunt took the call.

“I shared the request with our team and within five minutes, 20 people had responded, asking what we needed - did we need trucks? Diggers? The call was answered, and we showed up on the day. That’s genuine engagement."

Supporting youth and leaving legacy

The HEB group actively supports education initiatives across Selwyn, including truck safety sessions with school students, helping local school leavers transition to the workforce, the ‘Girls with Hi-Vis’ programme, and is currently developing a programme with the council that will provide engineering graduates with six months’ work experience at HEB, and another six months with the council.

Additionally, HEB is engaged in projects supporting rangatahi youth, providing wraparound support, services and safe spaces for at-risk youth to develop their careers.

"Our special power is the ability to connect in a genuine way. The way we approach things is person-to-person. We don't really sell it, but we're doing it for the right reasons. We want to leave Selwyn a better place than we found it. We want to leave a legacy of great relationships, of doing what’s right for the community.”

It’s a noble goal, but not one that industry can achieve on its own, insists Hunt.

“It's not about doing it by yourself, it’s about the collaborative approach,” he says. “Walking alongside the Council, walking alongside residents, and walking alongside mana whenua, to produce the right kind of growth in Selwyn.”

“To do that, we have to be open and honest about what we're doing, how we are doing it and why we're doing it.”

“That means real people on the ground, taking a collective approach to what we do. Being able to walk alongside each other to achieve what's in front of us. To do it with aroha and care.”

“That’s why we’re so much about collaboration with the Council and with people in the Selwyn District. That's who we're working for, and that’s why we’re so focused on playing our part and leaving our legacy as an organisation that truly cares about the region.”

Last modified: 21 Jun 2024 2:32pm