Double win for Wairoa

Quality Roading and Services’ commitment to Wairoa was celebrated twice in one night when it won the 2024 Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce Social Impact Award, and another accolade at the regional construction awards.

Staff who attended the award ceremonies on Friday 22 November were humbled and proud to have the spotlight turned upon the company and Wairoa.
QRS chief executive Jeremy Harker was joined by 10 staff to accept the Outstanding Social Impact Award at the Hawke’s Bay Business Awards gala event in Napier’s War Memorial Hall.

Meanwhile, construction manager Mike Wilson was joined by 10 staff at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Event Centre to pick up highly commended for QRS’s work on the Te Reinga Bridge demolition and Bailey bridge project.

Mr Harker paid tribute to the Wairoa community for helping make the company what it is today. “Our teachers, our kaumātua, all those people who act as managers, coaches, mentors, or guides… those are the people that make our town special.”

Mr Harker says these leaders have shaped the people who then go on to work at QRS, Wairoa’s second-largest employer with 132 staff. “It’s important that we live up to their standards and enable those coming through to shape the next generation.”

Dozens of successful businesses from Wairoa to Central Hawke’s Bay were celebrated at the business awards which recognised excellence in sustainability, resilience, and leadership, as well as social impact.

QRS won the social impact award in recognition of the security and job opportunities it offers to locals; large financial distributions to its owner; multiple community sponsorships and donations; and its commitment to a safe workplace.

The company employs a diverse workforce, with 77% Māori, 21% European, and 2% Pasifika. Just under half of the staff are rangatahi. In the past year, QRS distributed $1.05 million to its owner Wairoa District Council thereby helping to reduce financial demands on the community, and ensuring public funds are used where they are needed most. The company also contributed $205,000 to support community events, youth initiatives, and local projects.

The award entry also highlighted QRS’s response to the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle and June flooding events. Staff worked tirelessly, clearing roads, removing 600 tonnes of rubbish and 1,500 tonnes of silt daily, and restoring vital infrastructure across 875km of roads and 175 bridges.

“Despite damage to the QRS depot and around 40 employees’ homes, we stayed focused on reconnecting communities and rebuilding Wairoa,” Mr Harker added.

Removing damaged Te Reinga Bridge in preparation for creating a new temporary bridge was one of QRS’s most complex and successful challenges after the cyclone.

The work was entered into the Civil Contractor’s New Zealand Hawke’s Bay East Coast construction awards in the category for projects with a value of more than $3 million. It earned QRS a highly commended with judges recognising the complexity of the project and the challenging environmental conditions.

Specialist contractors including around 60 people, eight excavators, seven tow trucks and four bulldozers, worked collectively over one week to successfully collapse the damaged old bridge into the riverbed, winch it out, and cut it into pieces for recycling.

Later, staging platforms were then constructed on either side of the river to accommodate a 42m Bailey bridge which opened in February 2024.

Mr Harker congratulated all event winners in particular the two companies who took out the supreme awards: Tūpore Infrastructure and Curries Construction.

27 November 2024

Back to News