66 | Aotea Electric Northland T T Anne Boswell Firm truly a regional powerhouse Aotea Electric Northland has also diversified its services to include Commercial Contracting and Heat Pump divisions. CONTRACTING Aotea Electric Northland started life as Electrical Systems Northland in 2006 – a small electrical services company established by Mike Hodgson with a couple of electricians. “We started doing some work for Aotea Group who needed coverage for national service contracts in the Northland region, and in 2018 they approached us to formally become one of the group members,” he says. “Fast forward to now and we have grown to a team of 18, with offices in Whangarei and Waipapa, and coverage from the top of Northland to Wellsford in the south. Last year, the company fully rebranded to Aotea Electric Northland.” Managing Director Mike, who has over 40 years’ experience as an electrician and electrical inspector, says the service team continues to grow, with work not only for residential households (such as fixing lights, hot-water and power outlets), but also for property management companies, farms, businesses and the national service contracts such as Woolworth supermarkets, Z fuel stations, and various banks. Recently EV super-chargers for the likes of Tesla and Meridian have been installed. Aotea Electric Northland also provides 24/7 on-call service for urgent after-hours break downs. In the last few years Aotea Electric Northland has also diversified its services to include Commercial Contracting and Heat Pump divisions, and Solar is an area they have just recently expanded into. One of the larger construction jobs Aotea Electric Northland has completed was a retirement village care suite in the Bay of Islands, a contract worth over $1m, which took over 12 months and included roof-top solar. Additionally, work in a rural schools programme to upgrade lights to LED and add RCD protection to power outlets has seen the Aotea Electric team visit over 70 schools all across the north, with over 14,500 labour hours worked on the programme. “Our team really enjoyed the opportunity to go and work and stay in small rural communities all over Northland, some managing to get in a bit of surfcasting after work,” Mike says. Taking on and developing apprentices has always been part of the Aotea philosophy. “Some of our senior electricians started with us at the age of 17, fresh out of school,” Mike says. “We have also been part of the Mana in Mahi programme, whereby we have employed youth who would otherwise be unemployed, and they have gone on to get fully qualified as registered electricians with a career in the construction industry ahead of them.” Mike says being part of Aotea Group has been a game changer, providing not only a stream of work but support in many areas such as Health & Safety systems, training and networking with other electricians and managers across New Zealand, as well as gaining access to the considerable resources and experience held by the over 1,600 electricians and 30 businesses involved. “However, being locally owned and managed is an important part of doing business in Northland, working in the communities our families live in, and being able to give back in the way of sponsorship,” Mike says. “It also forms a large part of succession planning, where key staff members have become shareholders in the company, ensuring that when I retire the business will continue to operate seamlessly with the same core values and attention to customer service.” Wetakecareofthedetails youenjoythereturns. 09 438 2054 justrentalsnth@harcourts.co.nz 33/35 Robert Street, Whangarei Signupbetweennowand andwe’ll cover theHealthyHomesAssessment! *Applies tominimum12monthmanagement contract. 31st March2026 We’ve been helping electricians get the job done right since 1935. We have the products and skills for everything electrical. For everything, electrical • Electrical • Lighting • Data Supplier 09 430 0205 whangarei@scottelectrical.co.nz www.scottelectrical.co.nz
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