A bit about you....
I was born and raised on the North Shore in Devonport, where I grew up with an older sister and younger brother and a very supportive mum and dad! I seem to have come full circle now living back in Devonport, married to Lydia Wallis (also a local) and with two wonderful young children. After spending years getting an education in Physical Education and Commerce at the University of Otago, I travelled, worked out what I wanted to do and came back to become a builder. Serving my apprenticeship with Haydn & Rollett Construction (2006), where I am today, and after several different roles and experiences, I am now General Manager of our Property Services division. Work is a very important and enjoyable part of my life, it’s an industry which is very dynamic and interactive, which I enjoy. Outside of work, family is very much the focus and a thrilling journey right now! My two young kids keep both me and Lydia busy and amused … getting time away from the kids is cherished however, where I enjoy being with my wife, friends, keeping fit and playing a bit of golf.

How long have you lived in the North Harbour region
I grew up on the North Shore, Devonport, attending the local schools and playing both cricket and soccer throughout my childhood for the local North Shore clubs. So I am very much a local boy and very supportive of the local community. Sport was a real focus for me as a kid, representing cricket and soccer for North Harbour and Auckland teams; after school I played for the senior clubs, pursuing cricket more so where I had many fun years playing for North Shore Cricket club. My parents still live in the family home in Cheltenham and have been a strong influence on my growing up and directions I have taken; my dad (Bob McGuigan) has always been strongly involved in the community (Rotary and NH Club) and as an engineer somewhat led me into becoming a builder.
I studied away from home in Otago – a fabulous life experience! This seemed to spur me on to see more which led me to live in Melbourne and the UK for several years. I have had many great adventures both alone and with my wife who shares the same enthusiasm for adventure. We can only hope our kids will share the same … regardless they have many trips in front of them.

How long have you been involved with the North Harbour Club?
My dad has been involved in the NH Club for many years and been a strong advocate of it, so I have been aware and interested for a long time. Only recently did it really fit with work and home life, as well its coincided with many contemporaries of mine who are also involved. I joined up in 2020, my main motivation was to join a club that supported the local community, and that was a good fit to my work and home life. I wanted more opportunities to meet other local business members, hear from business leaders and share experiences and networks. I think the NH Club is a good fit with Haydn & Rollett with regards to its values and support of local community, this is why along with some close colleagues we joined as a corporate member; Frank Simons & Ryan Oldham have joined along with me … both good Shore boys! It gives us a chance to keep in touch with the local business community and hopefully share a little about what we do. So we look forward to meeting many more of the members as the year unfolds.

How have you and your team navigated the challenges of 2020/21 and lockdowns and getting back in to ‘normal’ business? Or new Normal!
2020 certainly was one out of the box! We’re really proud of how we managed, and are still managing the lock downs and an uncertain environment. With these, I think we managed our staff very well and have had a really positive open communication channel – the staff reacted really well and kept us going. However, as it has been for many, it’s been at times stressful and most time frustrating. I think one of the most satisfying things coming from the recent crisis has been our ability to hold on to our staff and support them during the lock downs – its resonated well throughout the staff and bodes well for us moving forward. We saw a lot of work stall and shift around, but out of it we have managed to hold on to and secure a good forward looking work load. The majority of our work relies on repeat and close clients; so it’s been important to be able to be flexible and willing to work alongside them. So from a business perspective things are looking ok … we have a great team and the market is pretty buoyant … fingers crossed!

Are there any business and/or lifestyle changes you made during 2020/lockdown that you have continued?
Like many the flexibility of working from home has given us a few new tricks and abilities, but we very much prefer to be in the office or having normal interactions with our staff, clients and consultants. So getting back into normal is what we like and encourage. I think many of us made positive changes to our lifestyles – it encouraged a lot of wellbeing consideration and was a good moment in time to take a rein check on work, life, family etc. There were plenty of funny stories from lock down, most involved kids and their parents rediscovering play time or ways to construct their kids new huts or skateboard ramps!

We’re delighted to have Haydn Rollett onboard as corporate members of the Club, what exciting plans do you have for the year ahead for the business?
Well it’s a big year for Haydn & Rollett, it’s our 75th birthday. So we’ll be having a big party … that’s got to be a highlight above all and will take some recovery . But apart from that we have a busy year (and beyond), and one that will exceed others before. Most exciting is the development we are embarking on in Parnell and is a further extension to a lot of other work we have done in the Stanley St area. Aside from this it will be a challenging year ensuring we perform well in a stressed supplier and trade market.

What interests/excites you about being a member of the North Harbour Club and are there any events that you have particularly enjoyed or are looking forward to this year?
Given we have only just joined, for us it is getting to as many events as possible and meeting many new interesting people. The BEN breakfasts have been interesting so far, but disappointingly we missed out on tickets to see Sir Ben Ainslie! For us it’s a case of getting out of it as much as we put in … should be fun.