Construction and Infrastructure is an incredibly important industry, with a lot of varied and exciting options. You can take pride in being a part of building, maintaining and repairing New Zealand from below the ground up.

No matter what your job is you’ll have a variety of different tasks to do, using many different types of tools and machinery. The work can often be physical and active so you won’t need to worry about joining a gym.

If you’re a people person this may be the industry for you. Often you’ll be working as part of a team, collaborating with tradespeople, contractors and clients. The hours can vary, work can be both indoors and outdoors and you’ll move from site to site, which is great if you like to change things up.

Examples of jobs in this pathway include:

• labouring, building, demolition, electrical, excavation, concreting
• landscape architect, interior designer, carpentry, plastering, painting, decorating, joinery, flooring, scaffolding, roofing, tiling, glazing, glass processing, brick-laying, plumbing, gas fitting, drain laying
• drafting plans, quantity surveying, engineering
• installing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
• providing products or services to the industry
• laying pipes, laying drains, road building and repair
• building dams, wharves, airport runways
• building and maintaining telecommunication and electricity networks

Where might you end up?

In this industry, there are a tonne of opportunities to work your way up the career ladder. You could start as a labourer before becoming a foreperson, supervisor or manager. Develop your entrepreneurial skills and you could even start your own business. Becoming an architect, engineer, and project manager are all possibilities in this industry.

It can be exciting and varied – from driving a 30-tonne digger to making something out of nothing. Sometimes what you do changes people’s lives or makes their dreams come true. 

You learn by doing and you have lots of opportunities to hone your skills. There’s always some paperwork to be done, but there’s also an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.

You can earn well and aim high if you want to. You can work for yourself or you can work for someone else. Bottom line: if you like to work hard, respect people, do a quality job, and deliver on people’s expectations, you can earn good money.

Why is this sector important?

Without roads, drainage, water supply, functioning electricity or a telecommunications network at your gate or on your doorstep, you can’t live or run a business properly in today’s world. There is a massive amount of construction and infrastructure needed in New Zealand and this is ongoing – from rebuilding Christchurch to constructing new homes – without the right skills the future growth and efficient operating of our country will be reduced. Be part of an industry that is building, maintaining, and repairing New Zealand – from below the ground up.