After leaving school with no real plan and embarking on an IT course at polytech, it wasn’t until Senior Site Manager Kane Simek started a labouring job that the thought of a career in construction crossed his mind.

“It was thanks to a family member that I originally landed a job with Hawkins. I was then offered an apprenticeship and the rest is history” he says. 20 years history in fact, as Kane accepted his role with us on 18 January 2004!

Now working as Senior Site Manager our Central region, Kane has worked on a variety of projects during his time ranging in size and scope including the Meade centre at Waikato hospital and the Ruakuri caves entry in Waitomo where he was working 20 meters underground, making it accessible for wheelchairs. More recently, Kane worked on the Pa project at the University of Waikato. “I enjoy working with a range of people and love working on interesting projects that stand out or use interesting methods & materials” he says.

Whilst Kane might not have completed his IT course at the Polytech all those years ago, Kane “loves to learn” and during his career at Hakwins has embarked on a number of training and development pathways including completing his apprenticeship, HSE courses, undertaking tertiary education and completing in-house training courses.

With two young children, it’s hard to see how Kane fits it all in “In the building industry there’s a perception of long hours and high-pressure situations” he says, “but the team promote family first and are very supportive of this. I get to go to my kids sports games, make afterschool pickups and the site team promotes good social activity outside of work.”

Having worked his way up from apprentice to Senior Site Manager, Kane still has the same passion for the industry today as he did 20 years ago – and thinks others will love it too “You will learn so much and find it very rewarding. Your career doesn’t have to be linear and you can specialize in a number of different areas ranging from a Zero Harm Advisor and Quantity Surveyor to a Project Director. For me, nothing beats the feeling of successfully handing over a completed project to a client.”

If you’re thinking of joining our Cadet Programme like Kane did all those years ago, or if you’re already qualified and looking to take the next step in your career – check out our vacancies today and you could be part of a team that transforms cities and builds communities!