“In this age of electronic communication we tend to lose the people skills part of our job. It’s this people contact that I love so much about my job. It’s a skill I believe we should work very hard to maintain.” - Mike Casey

I have been a quantity surveyor all my working life. When I was young I had an interest in the construction industry as well as accounting and law so quantity surveying seemed to encompass all of those interests for me. I love the building and construction finance industry and its colourful characters.

Every project has its issues and we learn from each challenging experience. Terminations and receiverships offer some interesting situations and we have gained extensive knowledge and experience in both, with lessons learned proving invaluable when commencing new projects.

Outside of work my family are very important to me. I am married with four children, which keeps my wife and I pretty busy. Amongst my love of all sports, especially golf and fishing, I have had a long association with rugby and currently coach (as a specialist coach) at all levels of rugby from junior through to international levels.

“After being in the business for a number of years there was the euphoria of bringing a building in on budget.” - John Moore

During my schooldays in the UK I worked for my relatives in the building trade. I was going to be a builder when I left school but a careers teacher pointed me in the direction of quantity surveying. So here I am.

I guess initially the attraction was the money and a career as a professional quantity surveyor. After being in the business for a number of years there was the euphoria of bringing a building in on budget, which is still a force behind my career, together with the need to impart my knowledge to younger staff. We are very fortunate to have a passionate and committed staff.

Early in my career I was given many opportunities to work in other countries, for which I am very grateful. I was given the opportunity to lead our office in Papua New Guinea and also had the opportunity to work in Hawaii and Guam. I relished the challenge of being literally ‘thrown in the deep end’. At this time I was also invited to join the management team.

I believe all of the projects we have worked on have been challenging. One particular one that comes to mind was the fire upgrade to Waikato Hospital, installing some 90,000 square metres of sprinklers, fire doors and fire walls to bring the hospital up to code whilst the hospital remained fully operational. The work had to be done out of hours.

When I’m not working, my hobbies include rugby coaching, fishing and cars.

“We pride ourselves on our ability to handle any type and size of project and are proud of the successful completion of many very large-scale projects.” - Grant Wallace

I have always had an interest in the construction industry. A family friend was a quantity surveyor and he introduced me to the profession.

I have always liked working with numbers, and I also really enjoy dealing with all the different types of people you get in our industry – financiers, developers, contractors, subcontractors. No two jobs are the same. Seeing completed projects, you feel a sense of achievement that you were involved.

Although Kingstons is considered a smaller quantity surveying practice, we pride ourselves on our ability to handle any type and size of project and are proud of the successful completion of many very large-scale projects. Kingstons is a tight-knit group of guys with long service. They’re a good bunch of guys, which makes for a relaxed atmosphere to work in.

I am married with a young family. I enjoy most sports and I’m looking forward to being involved with my own kids’ sports in the years ahead.

“The wonderful thing about the building industry is that no two projects are the same.” - Chris Foote

From a young age I always had aspirations of becoming part of the construction industry in some capacity. I recognised that quantity surveying would provide a career pathway into a diverse range of specialist areas. 

I have the opportunity to work alongside clients and their design teams to achieve the development and completion of their specific projects. We are in a valued position of advising and assisting our clients on all matters that involve the financial feasibility, forecasting and administration control of projects. I enjoy the process of resolving issues as they arise and of meeting the client brief and expectations. 

The wonderful thing about the building industry is that no two projects are the same. Each project is unique and has its challenges, whether it is the location of the proposed development, the design challenges that are required in order to utilise the location effectively, or the complexity of building design.

Quantity surveying is all about people. Every day you are communicating with a colourful range of personalities within and outside the industry. Their requirements are both varied and complex so having an understanding of their specific needs is imperative.

As a quantity surveyor you are part of a greater design or construction delivery team. These teams are constantly faced with challenges. It is important that clear and open communication is shared amongst all the members of the team in order to deliver the project.

A sense of family is pivotal to all that I do and enjoy. Having three wonderful teenage kids, my wife and I are heavily involved in their extra-curricular activities. I am involved in the coaching of my children’s sports teams and support all that they do both on and off the sports field.

“The construction industry is built on communication, from the client conveying their dreams and wishes to the concept architect, through to the builder and quantity surveyor negotiating the final account.” - Anthony Cooper

There’s a lot to be said for doing something that you enjoy for a living and that makes me feel quite lucky and privileged. The industry is full of people with a passion for construction which tends to rub off on us all and with each project having its own unique mix of client, designer and builder it certainly makes for a stimulating industry to work in.

With many summers following my father around the house with a hammer in hand watching his every move, a builder’s life was for me until secondary school where I discovered graphic design. The way forward had to be a career in architecture; however, the decision to leave school a year early meant that architecture had to be suspended for a year whilst I did a gap year of quantity surveying at the suggestion of my lecturers. I’m not sure whether they picked up on my aptitude for the profession or not, but many years later I still wonder what sort of architect I might have made!

To date the most interesting and challenging project in my career would have to be Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton. This not only became my working life for the best part of five years, but continually pushed and developed my skills. Faced with a near impossible budget and difficult ground conditions, this project demanded a continual attention and focus on detail, to ensure that the client’s brief was fulfilled.

My main passion outside of work is cricket, playing both local club cricket and indoor cricket as well as attending the odd game throughout the summer. I also enjoy tinkering around my home – there is always something to modify and improve.

“It is very satisfying working on a project from conception through to completion and delivering it on budget.” - Stuart Mitchell

Stuart is a Director of Kingston Partners Limited and is based in the Auckland office. Stuart commenced his career as a builder and has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Stuart has experience across all sectors of the industry including Residential, Retail, Leisure and Commercial construction, this experience has given him an extensive understanding of all aspects of quantity surveying to enable him to provide sound advice to clients at any stage of a project.

Stuart currently heads up a team of quantity surveyor’s undertaking Contract Administration and Bank Drawdown Roles.

Stuart’s skills and expertise allow him to consistently deliver a diverse range of projects within the clients budget.

“Rory Griffin provides expert service independently and as a member of the wider Kingstons team. Working with the financial institutions as well as builders and developers, Rory manages contract administration, initial reports, progress payments, drawdowns and variance reporting.”

Rory thrives on the diversity of working on a vast array of projects. He has extensive experience working on residential sub-divisions, apartment building refurbishments and commercial developments. He is regularly engaged in team projects working on complex developments throughout New Zealand. He finds great satisfaction in taking a project from Initial Funding Stage all the way through to completion. “I enjoy the daily challenge of running projects and the range of different personalities included within the construction industry - financiers, developers, contractors, consultants etc. No two jobs are the same and every day you are tested. There are many different challenges encountered and you have to be pro-active to resolve any issues that arise.”

Rory is an integral part of the Kingstons team, providing expertise and assistance to clients and staff alike. “I believe that here at Kingstons, we are playing a valuable role in the cost control of both small and large projects and that our contribution is beneficial for all parties involved. As a small to medium sized firm everyone works hard toward a common goal and I really like the unique culture of our company.”

“On bigger projects which span years, there are many unforeseen variables that can impact on a development. Our job is to be proactive about it and find the solutions as the different factors challenge the plan.” - Reinderd Verbeek

Reinderd started his career working on projects in South Africa, Dubai and Morocco. From there he joined Kingstons in 2006 bringing an array of international experience to the KingstonS team which has seen him work across commercial, retail, hospitality, education and industrial sectors. Reinderd is an active member and a Registered Quantity Surveyor of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors. He is also acting as treasurer of the Waikato branch.

His extensive experience extends to the full lifecycle of a development from estimating and budget setting, to contract administration, financial management, financial reporting and value engineering. Reinderd has considerable experience in preparing bills of quantities for tender purposes and tender evaluation reporting, which underpins his experience in bank draw-down reporting and providing financial advice through managing bank funded projects.