Caring for the environment and making sure the roads that connect Bay of Plenty communities are maintained to the highest standard are all in a day’s work for Hollie Atarau.
A dedicated professional from Whakatane, Hollie has spent the last 24 years with Waiotahi Contractors, steadily climbing the ranks from reception desk to her current position as Quality and Environmental Manager. Throughout her career, Hollie has been involved in various roles, including traffic management supervisor, engineering assistant, contracts administrator, and project manager. With her efforts focused on road maintenance, subdivisions, and other projects in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, she has embraced the responsibility of caring for the environment while ensuring the roads connecting local communities are maintained to the highest standards.
In the realm of civil construction, where massive projects and extensive earthworks often reshape landscapes, Hollie emphasises the importance of managing environmental impacts. She recognises the collective desire within her team at Waiotahi Contractors to safeguard the Bay of Plenty’s rivers, making them swimmable, and maintaining the overall health of the waterways. When engaged in road or subdivision projects, Hollie and her team prioritise the prevention of any harm to the environment by implementing measures to avoid discharging dirty water, utilising water carts for dust suppression during the summer months and effectively managing erosion on work sites. Hollie also emphasises the importance of daily machinery inspections to prevent potential leaks of oil, diesel, or hydraulic fluids.
Working smarter, not harder
At the forefront of her role as Quality and Environmental Manager, Hollie devotes a significant portion of her time to monitoring road sealing jobs, earthworks in new subdivisions, and quarry excavations. Her primary objective is to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and quality standards while protecting the environment. To streamline this process, Hollie has embraced the use of the Jotform app, empowering Waiotahi team members to upload photos and notes that serve as a comprehensive record of site requirements being met. Through the app’s voice-to-text feature, the team can efficiently complete inspection forms and submit them directly to Hollie. This innovative approach has not only saved time but also facilitated remote quality and environmental checks. Waiotahi Contractors also utilises the app to provide training videos, ensuring the continuous development of their team members.
It was this innovative approach, as well as her commitment to the industry, that earned her ‘highly commended’ in the Excellence in Construction Administration category of the 2022 National Association of Women in Construction Excellence Awards.
Working through Cyclone Gabrielle’s aftermath
Hollie attests that each day in civil construction brings unique experiences, and it is this dynamic nature that captivates her.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, Waiotahi Contractors faced an immense task of cleaning up slips and repairing damaged roads across the Eastern Bay of Plenty. During this time, the team often found themselves in the role of first responders, assisting residents severely affected by the adverse weather conditions. Hollie shares a memorable incident where a couple who had lost their home to a major slip were encountered by Waiotahi’s team on the side of the road in the midst of the storm. Without hesitation, the team drove them to safety, demonstrating their dedication and care for the community. Such stories and the need for quick thinking fuel Hollie’s pride in her work, ensuring every day presents new challenges and opportunities for growth.
She wasn’t always going to work in civil construction, but she’s glad she did
While Hollie absolutely loves her job, she admits her career journey has been far from straight-forward. When she was at high school she was planning to be a teacher but her life changed at 17 when her boyfriend at the time passed away in a road accident.
“I was really lost. My mum encouraged me to find a job and an opportunity came up working on reception with Waiotahi. I pretty much fell into it, but I’ve never looked back.”
Hollie has completed a range of qualifications while on the job, including a National Certificate in Civil Infrastructure, New Zealand Certificate in Infrastructure Works Contract Management (Level 5), and National Certificate in Civil Infrastructure Health, Safety and Environment Operations. She also gained her Wheels, Tracks and Rollers certification to enable her to operate heavy machinery on civil construction worksites.
These qualifications have all been paid for by Waiotahi and they have played an important part in helping her upskill and progress her career over the past two decades.
“I like construction, it’s really diverse. You can study while you’re working, and the industry pays pretty well too.”
More women joining the industry
Hollie is passionate about encouraging more women into civil construction and says it has changed a lot over the past two decades. While some might set their sights on a role as an environmental engineer or environmental manager, others can start out working on the tools of the civil trades and work towards a trade qualification.
“You see a lot of female operators now, and a lot of women working as project managers.
“We have a woman running our cyclic maintenance crew and as the secretary to the Waiotahi Board of Directors, I frequently contribute my perspective during board meetings, which the directors value and appreciate.”
Hollie’s suggestion to anyone considering a career in civil construction is to “just do it”.
“If you’re still in school, go talk to your careers advisor and find out about local careers events in your area. Or you can just get out and talk to a local contractor in your area to see if they have any opportunities.
