The forward-thinking companies embracing Civil Trades

Connecting New Zealand

The forward-thinking companies embracing Civil Trades

25 May 2026

Some people associate Civil Trades certification with big national players and trans-Tasman contractors, but a growing number of smaller and mid-sized companies are quietly building it into their workforce development – and reaping real rewards for doing so.

Utilities Infrastructure New Zealand (UINZ) is a case in point. The Christchurch-based utilities contractor runs a team of 40 people, and a quarter of them – 10 staff – are now Civil Trades certified.

"I've always been pretty keen to get our people through Civil Trades certification," says Managing Director Harley Haywood.

"For the boys it's really good to have that recognition and to feel like you are qualified in something, because if you're not an engineer in our industry, you can be hugely skilled and experienced but go your entire career without recognition."

That drive to reach the 25 per cent target led Haywood to bring in a dedicated training and development lead, Erin Read, to drive the process.

"She has been brought in to help people through the process and make it even easier," he says.
With a quieter period in the market right now, Haywood sees the timing as ideal. As work picks back up, having a more certified workforce helps companies like UINZ position themselves well to compete for it.

He's also hopeful that over time Civil Trades will begin to carry more weight in commercial conversations with the councils and asset managers his company is contracting to.

"We do mention it in our capability statement and work bids, so hopefully that is recognised."

Luke Donaldson, director of Donaldson Civil in Nelson, can speak to the commercial benefits of Civil Trades directly.

The 43-person civil contracting company he co-owns has five Civil Trades certified team members, and Donaldson says the credential has already helped the business land work.

"Sometimes the local council needs at least one level 4 or higher qualified person on site, and Civil Trades is level 5, so our Civil Trades certified team member can be that person," he explains.

"I can think of at least one multi-million-dollar job in the past year that having Civil Trades has helped us to win. If we didn't have anyone certified and we tried to compete with companies that have Civil Trades certified team members, we'd be at a disadvantage."

But for Donaldson, the commercial case comes second to the human one. Civil Trades is, at its heart, a way to recognise people who are brilliant at what they do but have never had a piece of paper to prove it.

"It's one of those certifications that is really good for recognising highly experienced staff.

“It could be a person who started out in the trenches doing drainlaying and he's a bloody good worker but hasn't got any recent certification to show for it. Without Civil Trades, guys like that can just feel like they top out."

He reaches for an analogy to explain the value. "It's a bit like at university you have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. This is a kind of like your master's degree for civil tradespeople."

Both Donaldson and Haywood are clear that Civil Trades is not the sole preserve of large contractors.

"It's definitely for the smaller companies too," says Donaldson. "I would encourage as many small companies to get it as possible. It just gives you more flexibility."

Haywood agrees, and hopes the industry continues to move in a direction where certification carries more formal weight.

"A plumber needs certification to plumb a house, but we install much larger infrastructure without anywhere near as many certification requirements. Councils need to start using it even more as a requirement to work on their infrastructure."

The message from these companies is consistent: Civil Trades is a practical investment, not just a badge. And for the people who earn it, the recognition matters more than most might expect.

Civil Trades Certification is a nationally recognised programme for civil infrastructure tradespeople, managed by Civil Contractors New Zealand. Find out more about becoming certified on our ‘Apply Now’ page.