54 | CONSTRUCTION Hawkins Construction - Auckland � Virginia Wright Recognition for project leadership Hawkins was involved early, contributing to the detailed design phase and shaping the build programme with efficiency front of mind. “It’s a $260 million mixed-use office development for Precinct Properties; 32,000 square metres, including a two-storey basement and 26,000 square metres of leasable space.” Project manager Rhys McKenzie has been working his way up through Hawkins since he joined the company around six years ago. His journey in construction started much earlier, though – on building sites in Whangārei, where he spent school holidays pouring concrete and standing panels alongside his stepfather, who owned a small construction business. After finishing school, he picked up some casual work with another main contractor, who saw his potential and offered him a cadetship in Auckland. Three years later, Rhys completed a National Diploma in Construction Management. “I worked my way up to site manager and did my first job as a project manager on a multi-million-dollar upgrade of a prison facility when I was 24,” he says. Over the next five years, Rhys gained wide-ranging experience across the country, delivering both design-and-build and traditional contracts in sectors including education, corrections, and industrial facilities. In 2019, he joined Hawkins to manage the $124 million Cordis Hotel Pinnacle Tower. Then, in 2022, he took over as project manager on the Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct’s Site 6. “It’s a $260 million mixed-use office development for Precinct Properties; 32,000 square metres, including a two-storey basement and 26,000 square metres of leasable space,” Rhys explains. “It was stage 3 of a 10-year urban regeneration project by Precinct Properties, who also developed Commercial Bay nearby. Site 6 effectively involved four buildings across two separate titles.” Designed for commercial, hospitality and retail use, Site 6 is targeting a 6 Green Star rating. Recently, Rhys won the Projects over $50 million category at the 2025 New Zealand Institute of Building, Building People Awards, recognition that reflects his leadership in T T to page 56 delivering such a complex multi-stage programme under tight deadlines. One of the project’s key stakeholders was engineering firm Beca, who chose Site 6 as the location for their new global headquarters and signed up as anchor tenant. Their tenancy, covering 14,000sqm, was the largest single commercial leasing deal in Tāmaki Makaurau in over a decade, with a fixed move-in date of February 2025. “We were effectively delivering the base build and the Beca fit-out in parallel to meet that deadline,” says Rhys. “It was a win for everyone involved.” Hawkins engaged Savory Construction, whose interior division acted as a super-sub to help deliver the Beca Tenant fit-out concurrently.
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