Naylor Love beats Hawkins to top spot as 10 busiest builders ranked by biggest jobs started in 2025

This year, Naylor Love tops the list once again.

Ikea at Mt Wellington was built by Naylor Love. Photo / Corey Fleming

The league ranks builders and developer/builders by the total value of projects started in 2025.

The builders work in the commercial, community, industrial, legal, military and multi-residential sectors.

Data is based on Hubexo’s research, as well as submissions from builders.

“We have excluded companies that declined to be listed in the league.

“The civil, infrastructure, transport, utilities, energy, mining, oil and gas sectors have been excluded because these are areas that warrant separate attention,” a statement from Hubexo said.

No 1: Naylor Love, $1.03b of work won in 2025, 103 projects, $10m average project value

Bruno Goedeke is chief executive of construction company Naylor Love. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

This business is headed by Bruno Goedeke, who joined the company in 2005. This builder’s projects are high-profile.

They include Sylvia Park’s popular new Ikea, opened on December 4, and Queenstown’s Skyline gondola upgrade and extensions.

Plans for B230, the giant new Grafton tower on a site between Alten Ave and Wynyard St on the city campus. Image / University of Auckland

Naylor Love’s largest job won in 2025 was the University of Auckland’s $200 million+ B230 project, a 13-level tower replacing the Law Faculty and Maidment Theatre.

Plans for the new 13-level, multi-faculty Grafton building in Auckland, which Naylor Love will build. Image / University of Auckland

The new 20,000sq m block will have a multi-purpose performing arts faculty with retractable seating, replacing the Maidment, demolished in 2016.

The second-largest Naylor Love projects in the $100m-$199m range are:

316 new beds at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison for the Department of CorrectionsA major redevelopment of Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital, including a new acute adult mental health unit

In the $50m-$99m range, Naylor Love won:

Te Puna Hapori Courthouse in Whanganui for the Department of JusticeForte Health’s new private hospital expansion in Christchurch

The New World Stoke in Nelson is in the $20m-$49m league for Naylor Love.

No 2: Hawkins, $592m, 18 projects, $32.9m average project value

Craig Treloar heads Hawkins, which is owned by Downer. Photo / Michael Craig

Craig Treloar is executive general manager of Hawkins, owned by ASX- and NZX-listed Downer.

Treloar heads the transport and infrastructure divisions.

Hawkins was started by a Kiwi, Fred Hawkins, in his garage in the early 1940s.

Hawkins’ top projects won in 2025 are:

Tauranga Moana High and District Courthouse, TaurangaSir Mark Dunajtschik Mental Health Centre, Lower HuttPort of Auckland offices, AucklandTimaru Theatre Royal and Museum project, TimaruCoolpak Coolstores, Christchurch

The company’s workload has been boosted lately after it secured an $800m contract for the new terminals at Auckland Airport.

Hawkins won an $800 million contract for the new Auckland Airport terminal project.

The airport company contracted Hawkins for the delivery of a new domestic jet terminal building, the major structure in Auckland’s terminal integration programme.

That would be an “economic engine”, creating 2500 jobs at peak and supporting many thousands more, particularly in South Auckland, it said last year.

No 3: Classic Group: $569.7m, 20 projects, $28.4m average project value

Classic Group director Peter Cooney pictured in 2021. Photo / George Novak

Classic is headed by Peter Cooney and headquartered in Tauranga.

This is the only build-to-sell residential builder to feature in the top 10 list.

The business was founded in 1996 in the Bay of Plenty by Cooney and Matt Lagerberg.

It specialises in design and build and sells houses as well as house and land packages.

No 4: LT McGuinness, $425.9m, 39 projects, $10.9m average project value

Te Herenga Waka Victoria University’s Nga Mokopuna The Living Building, previously called The Living Pa. LT McGuinness Wellington won a supreme Master Builders award for this in May last year. Photo / Master Builders

This is a third-generation family-owned builder, established about 70 years ago. It has a workforce of more than 350 people.

Its head office is in Wellington.

The exterior of the Intercontinental Auckland, a refurbishment and expansion by LT McGuinness.

Waterfront office refurbishment for Precinct Properties’ InterContinental Hotel was one of the builder’s big projects.

The new $120m Catalina Bay apartments at Hobsonville Point is another of its more high-profile jobs of late.

Inside Te Herenga Waka Victoria University’s Ngā Mokopuna The Living Building. Photo / Master Builders

Some of the major projects LT McGuinness started in 2025 are:

Te Papa Tongarewa biodiversity research centre, WellingtonPalmerston North AirportMinistry of Foreign Affairs head officeWellington City Council officesIreland St development, Freemans BayWork at Sylvia Park, Mt WellingtonHeretaunga House, Hawke’s BayPitt St, ex-Beca office, Auckland sold to billionaires Anne and David Norman

LT McGuinness also won the 2025 Master Builders supreme commercial award for a $10m+ building with Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington‘s Ngā Mokopuna The Living Building, at 42-50 Kelburn Parade.

No 5: Dominion Constructors, $424.6m, 18 projects, $23.5m average project value

Brett Russell of Dominion Constructors. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Dominion Constructors is Auckland-headquartered, family-owned and has been trading for more than 45 years.

“Proud to be a 100% New Zealand-owned and part of the Russell Group of companies, Dominion has expanded from its beginnings as a concrete structures specialist to now employ more than 200 people and operate five divisions,” it says.

Its largest current project is a $190m contract for the East Tāmaki manufacturing research hub for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.

Plans for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s new building at East Tamaki. Image / Supplied

Second-largest is Christchurch’s $96m Sheraton Hotel contract, to refurbish and repair the earthquake-hit ex-Noah’s in the centre of the city.

The Sheraton Christchurch is set to open in mid-2027 after a hotel management agreement was signed with Marriott International by Mainland Capital and Russell Property Group. Image / Supplied

The third-largest is a $50m contract with the Tāmaki Regeneration Company at Pt England. Pirangi comprises 88 public and shared-ownership homes of two to five bedrooms.

Other Dominion Constructor projects are:

$30m contract with Daily Freight, Auckland$30m contract with Concrete Structures, Auckland and the South Island$25m project on Jervois Rd$24m contract with Mainfreight in Hastings Spades at the ready at the Beachlands sod-turning for the development of a multibillion-dollar scheme, November 13, 2025: Billy Brown of Ngāti Tai ki Tāmaki (left), Rob Bassett of Bassett Plumbing & Drainage, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Russell Group’s Brett Russell, Mayor Wayne Brown and Will Goodwin of the NZ Super Fund.

In November, a sod-turning ceremony marked the start of a multibillion-dollar project to develop 307ha in Auckland’s southeast at Beachlands.

The Beachlands South Limited Partnership is Russell Group, the NZ Super Fund and Ngāi Tai Hapai, an investment vehicle for Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and other local iwi.

No 6: Southbase Construction, $381.3m work, 17 projects, $22.4m average project value

Quin Henderson of Southbase.

Southbase is a group of independent specialist companies.

This builder was founded in 2013 as part of the recovery response to the Canterbury earthquakes.

“Since then, we have delivered for a diverse portfolio of public and private sector clients and become known as a proven performer in the New Zealand commercial construction industry,” it says.

Worth the fanfare: Venues such as Te Kaha generate economic activity. Photo / Populous

The business is New Zealand-owned and operated and worked on the new One New Zealand Stadium Te Kaha in Christchurch.

That opened on Friday night.

The biggest Southbase contracts won in 2025 included:

Auckland Airport work package three, thought to be worth $100m+ but confidential. This is part of a $3.9b, multi-year redevelopmentA $105m contract awarded by the University of Canterbury, for the Ilam Road Student Accommodation building, stage twoA $34m contract to build the new Papakura Courthouse for the Ministry of JusticeA $20m Queenstown Airport contract to build new officesA $19.5m contract to rebuild Twizel Area SchoolHNZ Rapid Capacity Expansion Projects – considerable national portfolio of works (dollar value confidential)

No 7: 3Eyes, $331.8m, two projects, $22.4m average project value

This builder was established in 2011 and delivers commercial, industrial and residential buildings.

It is headquartered at Rosedale on Auckland’s North Shore.

3Eyes was founded by director Sean Li, a civil engineering graduate with experience in the building and construction industry since 2005.

The company has grown from a construction-focused business into a full-service provider.

It offers project management, subdivision development, design and construction services.

No 8: Icon, $316m, two projects, $158m average project value

Dan Bosher heads Icon in New Zealand. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Dan Bosher heads Icon in New Zealand.

This company is owned by Kajima Corporation of Japan.

Icon was to finish the $300m Seascape apartment but developer Shundi Customs is in receivership.

Precinct Properties is developing a 638-bed student accommodation project on Auckland’s Queen St. Image / Precinct

Icon’s largest job in New Zealand is a $136m contract.

That is the $201m, 638-unit 32-level student accommodation tower at 256 Queen St in the centre of Auckland for Precinct Properties.

That block will be about 400m from the University of Auckland and AUT University.

Icon also built The Pacifica apartments in Auckland and the new northern Auckland Council headquarters at Albany.

No 9: Simplicity Living, $305m work, two projects, $152.5m average project value

Shane Brealey (left) and Sam Stubbs of Simplicity Living. Photo / Michael Craig

This build-to-rent apartment specialist has not made the top 10 previously, so this is a debut by the company headed by Shane Brealey, working with Sam Stubbs.

Simplicity is transforming tenancies in Auckland, providing new fit-for-purpose, long-term accommodation.

Its 2331 build-to-rent units are planned or under construction on seven sites at:

Ladies Mile, Queenstown: 1083 units, $500m investment planned. 12 Lower Shotover Rd, plannedTe Reiputa: 297 units, 222 car parks, $225m, 80 Mt Wellington Highway, opening tomorrowWaiatarua: 330 units, 172 car parks, $284m, 130 Ascot Ave, ex-Ellerslie Racecourse carpark, under constructionNorthcote: 93 units, 137 Lake Rd, started in NovemberMorningside: 322 units, 10 Morningside Drive, construction started last July, due for completion 2027Ex-Unitec and at Waterview, developing 206 units with Ngāti WhātuaConsidering buying at Maungawhau near the city centre, on land used for the City Rail Link’s laydown yard, yet to purchase

No 10: Haydn & Rollett, $290.4m, two projects, $145m average project value

Haydn & Rollett managing director and majority shareholder Kim Barrett.

Haydn & Rollett is headquartered at 1 Warehouse Way, Northcote.

Kim Barrett is the majority shareholder and managing director of the company that built the $100m+ Costco Wholesale Westgate.

Plans for the big new student tower at 22 Stanley St, Parnell. Image / Reidy & Co

The company’s largest contract is building a $290m, 960-unit student accommodation tower at 22 Stanley St, Parnell for Precinct Properties.

The company started that last June and the tower is due to be finished by 2028.

Carlaw Park Student Village by Haydn & Rollett.

Private developer Greg Reidy teamed with Haydn & Rollett to be a force in the student accommodation sector.

Carlaw Park is a product of this collaboration: stages one and two have 770 beds in 220 units.

The two also developed what is now called Stuart McCutcheon House: the $250m, 203-unit, 10-level block with 753 beds at the Stanley St/Nicholls Lane intersection.

All up, 416 apartments were developed, each with three to six bedrooms, resulting in 907 bedrooms in this block, Reidy said.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

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