8 August 2024:

When Hinearoha McAllister left school in 2017 she knew one thing for sure; she wanted nothing more of formal education.

Six years later she is New Zealand’s outstanding female student in the construction sector, winning the 2024 National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Student Excellence Award.

Next year Hinearoha graduates as a civil engineer. She then aims to do Te Tohu Pae Tahi at Waikato University to become fluent in te reo Māori.

It was in working with Fulton Hogan’s asphalt team, after her cadetship, on the Gisborne Port, Huntly Bypass and Wellington Airport Runway projects that she realised how much she loved learning.

“It made me realise how good it is to use my brain to the fullest,” she says.

She’s now in charge of sites, including a pavement construction crew on the Takitimu Northern Link. This involves full pavement construction (lower subbase up to basecourse, ready for seal), subsoil installation, subgrade dig outs and improvement layers (a pumice layer on top of the subgrade excavation), service trenching and installation, footpath and kerb preparation.

National Civil HSQES Manager, Becky Cox, says even as an 18-year-old cadet, Hinearoha was “something special”.

“Hinearoha is a breath of fresh air. She encourages those around her to think differently and to look at things from different perspectives,” says Becky.

“She is forging a path for other wāhine and rangatahi in our industry, breaking down stereotypes and unconscious bias. She is an inspiration to young men and woman working in – or considering entering – our industry.”

Hinearoha is also on Fulton Hogan Bay of Plenty’s accredited Workwell Committee and the region’s Māori Engagement Committee. Her passion for incorporating Te Ao Māori into day-to-day lives extends to volunteering at her marae (Makahae) in Te Puke mowing lawns and landscaping.