Building inclusion – how diversity is reshaping construction

Aotearoa’s construction sector is facing a critical long-term labour shortage. Skilled workers are ageing out, fewer young people are entering the trades and productivity demands are rising. At the same time, the industry is being asked to deliver more – faster, cheaper and with lower carbon impact

To meet the challenges, forward thinkers in construction are expanding their talent pipeline and re-evaluating traditional entry points into the industry.

This article looks at how workforce pressures are driving a shift in recruitment, training and leadership – and why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are becoming practical tools for futureproofing the industry.

New Zealand’s construction workforce at a glance:

• Nearly 20% of construction workers will reach retirement age within a decade.
• The numbers of young people joining the sector can’t keep pace.
• Women make up just 15.8% of the workforce (around 3% on the tools).
• Māori, Pasifika and Asian people are underrepresented but growing in numbers.
• Māori and Pasifika are overrepresented in less-skilled roles.

Turning workforce gaps into opportunity

Dan McGuinness, a director of family-owned construction firm LT McGuinness (LTM), says building a diverse workforce builds a strong and durable company.

“Great projects and businesses are made by a combination of great people working together,” he said.

LTM, which has around 400 permanent employees, actively partners with Māori and Pasifika organisations to create inclusive employment pathways. One of the most successful, Rāranga – Building Careers, a partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is designed to address the skilled labour shortage in construction.

So far, the programme has placed around 80 people into construction and civil projects, with a further eight apprentices currently working for LTM. It combines cultural mentoring from Ngāti Toa with trade training and employment pathways from LTM, supporting participants’ wellbeing, skills development and job placement.

LTM also works with the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) and others to strengthen industry pathways, helping more people access trade qualifications and long-term careers in construction. Laura Torres-Rowe, a Māori wahine from Whangārei, is halfway through a building apprenticeship with LTM through BCITO.

“I’m grateful that LTM has a programme in place for apprentices where once a fortnight we get the opportunity to work and study off site to gain experience in areas that may be difficult to gain on large commercial sites.”

Economic necessity

Sam Sefuiva, Project Manager for Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) in Auckland, says inclusion in the trades “isn’t merely a social goal – it’s an economic necessity.”

With Māori, Pasifika and migrant communities making up a large share of Auckland’s population, he argues, “There’s no way you can have a cohesive and sustainable economy if the biggest part of your population isn’t participating.”

For Sam, the goal is not just labour force participation but “long-term inclusion in the economy through collaborative impact and culturally grounded leadership”.

MPTT Auckland – the largest of 14 consortia nationwide – has helped expand access to priority trades in construction, infrastructure and allied services. Collectively, the consortia have supported 5,000 people into trades, aiming to strengthen small and medium businesses, which Sam calls “the backbone of New Zealand’s construction industry”, and create long-term, meaningful employment.

Around 30% of MPTT Auckland graduates are women and others from non-mainstream education pathways, he says. Their success stories – including a Māori wahine who began as an apprentice electrician and now works at the space company Rocket Lab – show how ‘confidence, support and skills training can open doors far beyond the traditional pathway’.

Tailored support lifts completion rates

Katherine Hall, Executive Director of industry vocational education centre ConCOVE Tūhura, says its research confirms this view, showing that tailored, practical support is key to learner success.

“Across apprenticeships, school-to-work transitions and micro-credentials, needs-based support helps people succeed,” she said.
She’s concerned, though, about the steep fall in those entering formal training – from 73,816 people in 2023 to 30,374 in 2024. While the drop in construction and infrastructure activity undoubtedly contributed to this, she’s more concerned that Māori women are opting out of formal training at higher rates than Pākehā men and Pasifika women.

To improve equity, she says access must expand – not just to hands-on roles, but to professional pathways like construction management, architectural technology and quantity surveying. ConCOVE has piloted degree-level apprenticeships in these areas, allowing people to work while earning a degree.

Employers need support too

Greg Durkin, Director of BCITO, says tailored support for employers enables them to embrace diversity.

“Many employers in construction can be apprehensive when it comes to diversity. They don’t want to get it wrong. I’m often involved in conversations with employers who share these concerns, and part of my role is to help shift perceptions,” he said.

To support the sector, BCITO created four principal advisor roles – for women, Māori, Pasifika and learners with disabilities. They act as bridges between industry and BCITO, helping employers better understand diversity and improve recruitment, retention and qualification outcomes.

One of the most meaningful shifts, Greg says, has been in qualification achievement: “BCITO’s data shows that, 10 years ago, Māori and Pasifika learners were 10–15% behind non-Māori in unit standard achievement. Now, that gap is down to 1–2%.”

Retention is still a major issue

Retention remains one of the biggest challenges for the industry, Greg says. With 37% of workers in construction having been in their job less than a year and 75% less than 4 years, churn is high and costly.

“If replacing a worker costs $20,000 [in recruitment, induction and productivity interruption], the total cost to the industry is over a billion dollars a year.”

Greg urges employers to play the long game.

“When the industry picks up – and it is starting – we’ll be short on skilled workers. Employers need to hire boldly now and train to build diverse teams before the pressure hits.”

Inclusive leadership looks different

For Fletcher Construction’s Tamzin Letele, inclusive leadership looks different to traditional behaviours.

“It’s about meeting people where they’re at. We sometimes still expect people to fit a traditional mould, but values like humility and respect – that are central to Pasifika culture – are leadership traits too, even if they’re not recognised on site.”

Tamzin kicked off her career as a teenage property developer before switching gears during the global financial crisis to study quantity surveying, after spending time on the tools. She juggled study at Unitec with raising her first child and then joined Fletcher Construction as a graduate. After gaining broader experience in consulting and major projects, she was headhunted back to Fletcher to help manage insurance claims following the New Zealand International Convention Centre fire in 2019.

Now a mum of three, she’s Fletcher’s National Commercial Manager (Commercial and Risk) and an active mentor through the company’s Women in Construction governance group and Equality Network.

One thing that would instantly make construction sites more inclusive is to ‘change how communication happens’, Tamzin says.

“Big meetings favour confident voices, and we miss others. Smaller group discussions or sharing ideas as a group to a bigger team make it safer to speak up. It’s about removing that initial fear of being judged.”

Stacey Mendonҫa, co-founder of the National Association of Women in Construction, says the shift to having more women in senior client-side roles, especially on commercial projects, is helping make construction spaces more inclusive.

While numbers of women are still low and some sites feel isolating, Stacey says, support networks like NAWIC are crucial for helping women build lasting careers in construction.

Authenticity is key

Authenticity is non-negotiable for inclusiveness at work, says Byron Roff, Director of Operations at The Building Intelligence Group (TBIG).

“If it’s not part of your culture, it won’t land. People will see through it. We’re passionate about creating an environment where people can grow, where they want to work and they feel valued – regardless of their background.”

He says inclusive leadership is about creating a workplace where people want to be and where they can grow.

“Half of TBIG’s workforce are women. In the central North Island, it’s 70%. That’s unusual in this industry,” he says.

It comes from a commitment to open-mindedness and valuing different perspectives. Culture is the company’s edge, Byron says.

“We can compete on salary and quality of work, but what really draws people in is the environment. One of our core values is ‘as one’ – it’s about teamwork and inclusion.”

Equity is built into how the business runs. Byron says they review pay through the lens of gender and ethnicity to eliminate unconscious bias.

“It has been a factor in the past. We’ve worked hard to close those gaps.”

He’s also upfront about the currently male-dominated senior roles at the privately owned firm.

“The founders own 75% of the business, but we’ve made 25% available for staff. It’s a key mechanism to create pathways into business participation and ownership.”

Staff at all levels now hold shares.

Younger workers see inclusion differently

Maretha Smit, Chief Executive of Te Uru Tāngata Centre for Workplace Inclusion, says younger workers are changing how we think about diversity.

“Older generations define diversity through representation – race, gender, religion. Younger people see it as the blending of different human experiences. They expect inclusive environments by default and are confused when workplaces still frame diversity around categories. Their view is why does it matter? Just help people succeed.”

For the construction sector, this shift means rethinking what talent looks like.
“Diversity isn’t an add-on – it’s already woven into every workplace. People bring a rich mix of backgrounds and perspectives, and that variety is a strength. When workplaces are designed with this in mind from the outset, they become more inclusive, adaptable and better equipped to reflect the world we live in.”

Maretha encourages employers to look at the full employee journey – from recruitment to exit – through the lens of those they want to attract.

“It requires the intent and effort to notice the blind spots we all have and how they might affect people who experience the world differently from us. Even small shifts can make a big difference,” she says.
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This article was first published in BRANZ’s Build December 2025 magazine. www.buildmagazine.co.nz. Words supplied by Julia Anderson.