Our People

Ko Hikurangi te maunga, Ko Waiapu te awa, Ko Horouta te waka, Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi, Ko O Hine Waiapu te marae, Ko Holmes tōku whānau

Ben (Ngāti Porou) is the Managing Director and a shareholder of Holmes. With more than 20 years experience in the construction industry and at Holmes Construction, he started his career first as a qualified carpenter and then became a project manager. This gave him a strong practical grounding and varied experience that now feeds into his effective leadership of the company.

With strong business acumen and a forward-thinking approach, Ben’s strengths also include his ability to communicate, relate to and build trusted relationships with people at all levels and from all backgrounds. He can also be relied on to get things done!

He has been involved in many of Holmes’ most high-profile projects.

With strengths in budgeting, estimating and cost planning, Marc is renowned for his ability to successfully and accurately price large, complicated projects and for his strong relationship management and governance skills.

Marc joined Holmes in 2008 at as intermediate quantity surveyor and quickly established himself as a vital part of the team. In 2020, Marc took on a directorship and shareholding in the combined Holmes Wellington and Wairarapa businesses.

Together with Ben Holmes, Marc has been instrumental in establishing a culture of high performance and solutions-focused mindset across our project delivery.

Construction runs in Tim’s blood. As the second generation to step into the Holmes management position, alongside his brother Andy Tim ran the Wellington Holmes company from 1996 until handing the reigns over to his son, Ben, and Marc Jurlina.

As a director and shareholder of Holmes, Tim has provided active and effective leadership since the firm began operating as a Main Contractor.

Under his direction and promotion of a strong safety culture, Holmes has successfully completed a wide range of complex projects for local councils, government departments and private clients.

Andy is an experienced director who has multiple decades of construction industry experience. Alongside his brother Tim, Andy successfully ran the Wairarapa Holmes branch from 1996 until handing on the reigns of management to the third generation of Holmes management, Tim’s son, Ben, and Marc Jurlina.

Andy’s expert-level involvement in the running of Holmes Construction NZ has been drawn from a lifetime commitment to the construction industry, gained in New Zealand and South Africa.

Along with his highly developed skills in financial and commercial management, Andy has overseen the growth and development of Holmes Construction by building a culture of professional development. This has enabled the firm to take on numerous apprentices and provide long-term career opportunities.

Wayne is one of our longest-serving employees, having been with Holmes for over 25 years. He is a qualified quantity surveyor with over 30 years of experience in the Industry.

Wayne is highly skilled in tendering, cost estimating, contractual negotiations and contract set-up. As a director and shareholder of Holmes Construction NZ, Wayne is highly committed to working sustainably and collaboratively with clients, particularly by exploring areas for value engineering.

Ben joined Holmes in 2024 and is a Qualified Mechanical Engineer with a Construction Management qualification. Holding over 10 years of experience in the construction industry, his specializations are in Building Services Design and Project Management and has worked on several multi-million dollar projects.

Ben previously worked as a General Manager helping lead the company’s growth into new regions of New Zealand. He wrote bids, managed the tender team, and worked to develop systems and processes to effectively manage both projects and staff as well as to improve safety, quality and programme delivery. More recently, as Business Development Manager, he was tasked to manage the pipeline of workflow and create opportunities for new clients and growth.

Passionate about succeeding in projects and delivering exceptional service, Ben consistently strives to understand and fulfil client needs and expectations and is committed to fostering strong client and contractor relationships. Adept in all elements of Construction Management, his experience covers hotels, apartment complexes, educational institutions, corrections facilities, multi-story offices, and retail developments.

Ko Hikurangi te maunga, Ko Waiapu te awa, Ko Horouta te waka, Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi, Ko O Hine Waiapu te marae, Ko Holmes tōku whānau

Mike Holmes (Ngāti Porou) is a Wellington-based architectural designer/builder. As Founder of Holmes Architecture and General Manager of Holmes Construction NZ, he is known for his unique ability to bridge both the design and construction aspects of the industry. Holding qualifications in both fields, Mike brings a comprehensive understanding of the entire building process: from concept through to completion. His dual expertise enables him to deliver buildings that are not only functional but also elegant, efficient, and buildable.

Mike’s career began with hands-on experience as the third generation of the Holmes whanau to complete their carpentry apprenticeship with the family construction company. Going on to study a Masters of Architecture, his understanding of both construction and architecture allows him to design with real-world constraints in mind, resulting in buildings that are both innovative and achievable within client and site requirements.

Mike is a passionate and committed architect but also a strategic thinker and empathetic leader, whose contributions have significantly impacted the success and reputation of Holmes Group NZ. Through his passion for design, construction, and business management, he continues to inspire excellence and drive positive change within the industry.

Dean has been with Holmes for the last 19 years, starting off his career with us as a contractor. He quickly realised Holmes was where he was meant to be and came on board as a full-time employee within a few months.

He brings to the table fantastic industry knowledge along with a passion for construction and great trouble shooting skills.

His favourite project to be involved in was the Wellington Hotel development. This heritage building involved incorporating the historic Cuba Street front facades with two new multistory buildings for residential apartments and hotel accommodation. Blending the old with the new was both challenging and highly rewarding.

Outside of work, Dean enjoys fishing and hiking the Wairarapa coast line, along with maintaining his personal orchard.

Quintin brings over 33 years of experience in the construction industry, 26 of those with Holmes Construction NZ. He started his career with us as a foreman carpenter, moving into a project manager role before expanding his skillset and undertaking quantity surveying. Using his combined skills in both areas, he provides superb financial management and estimates alongside highly effective project delivery.

Gemma is an experienced and dedicated HR professional, committed to fostering a supportive and thriving environment for the Holmes Group NZ team. With a strong background in the private sector, she brings a wealth of expertise in creating effective people strategies that drives success.

Outside of work, she is a proud mum of two young boys and enjoys being involved in their sport and other activities. In her free time, she loves camping, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Renee manages Health & Safety for Holmes, and has a keen interest in environmental management and sustainability. She brings 10 years relevant industry experience and a highly responsive and conscientious approach to Holmes.

With her ability to relate to staff at all levels of the organisation and her approachable nature, Renee excels at building strong and effective relationships. She believes in the importance of teaching good practice in a way that people who are most at risk can understand.

Her practice is strongly influenced by the principles of hauora (holistic health and wellbeing) and practice of whakawhanaungatanga (establishing connections). She uses these skills to create a positive health and safety culture among Holmes and our wider project team.

Hannah joined Holmes in 2023 and comes from a background working in building services engineering, real estate and embassy environments.

Her positive, calm demeanour, resilience and ‘get the job done’ attitude are crucial in crafting and managing bid submissions.

Marie is our incredible office Manager. With over 25 years of experience in the build industry, Marie is a born organizer with a knack for efficiency who ensures that our office runs smoothly at all times.

When she’s not orchestrating the day-to-day operations of our office, Marie is planning her next adventure. She loves travelling and discovering new places, often with a dram of whisky in hand, shared with her Scottish husband. Whether she’s exploring new destinations or enjoying quality time with friends and family, Marie brings her warm personality, passion for life and meticulous attention to detail to everything she does.

Raewyn is part of our office administration team and is based in Greytown. She is one of our longest-serving employees, having been with Holmes for almost 28 years. When the Wairarapa and Wellington offices merged in 2020, Raewyn joined forces with Marie and Katrina to form our superstar administration team.

Outside of work, Raewyn and her husband love to follow their racehorse around the country, socialise with friends and go on cruises.

Katrina has been an invaluable part of the Holmes team since 2001, bringing over two decades of dedication and expertise to her role as Office Administrator. Her extensive experience ensures the smooth operation of our office, as she manages administrative tasks with efficiency and precision. Katrina’s commitment to excellence and her keen attention to detail are evident in everything she does.

Outside of work, Katrina enjoys tending to her garden, going for long walks, sparring with opponents in boxing class, and unleashing her creativity through arts and crafts.

Wayne has been one of Holmes’ valued employees since 1987. As a shareholder of Holmes, he is highly committed to delivering above and beyond client expectations. Due to his dedicated-to-quality workmanship and experience in project management, Wayne is highly regarded by our team, his clients and their consultants.

Wayne’s ability to work collaboratively with the entire project team adds value to his projects. He is highly committed to the local community, often organising work experience for local college students at Holmes project sites along with sponsorships of local college sports teams.

Brent has over 42 years of experience and currently is a Senior Project Manager, Estimator and Quantity Surveyor for Holmes.

He has significant on-site experience and a practice approach to managing costs. He adds value to every project and as a director and shareholder of Holmes he is highly motivated to deliver the best possible results for our clients.

Brent is extremely well-regarded within the industry. His client focus and open style of communication allows him to work very well with clients, consultants and subcontractors.

Peter is extremely skilled at taking ownership of his projects and building lasting relationships with Holmes staff and contractors. His love for construction stems from no two days being the same. Each project brings new challenges, and therefore thinking out of the box and having the ability to adapt to your surroundings is crucial.

Peter has worked on high value commercial, industrial, residential and retail developments and brings over 35 years’ experience in the construction industry. He has worked for Holmes since the beginning of 2022.

His favourite project to work on was the construction of a remote 5-star lodge in a Big 5 game reserve in Africa. This was an exciting challenge for him, as the project team was housed on site and living and working in the african bush made for an experience of a lifetime.

Paul is a natural leader and excellent communicator. With over 20 years of experience, he has a proven track record of successfully managing multi-million dollar projects from conception to fruition.

He is extremely strong in coordinating trades, building partnerships and working collaboratively with the external project team to ensure timely and budget friendly completion of a project.

Jason began his career with Holmes as a carpenter 18 years ago. As one of our senior project managers, he has exemplary leadership and communication skills. He has contributed to the development of future Holmes carpenters through mentoring apprentices and developing site leaders on their first and subsequent projects.

With experience both as a sub-contractor and a main contractor, Mike has a great appreciation of the issues faced by all sides which supports highly successful project delivery. He enjoys being involved in a diverse range of projects from high-end residential new-builds, to large-scale seismic upgrades on public facilities, through to alterations and additions to health and disability facilities.

Mike has over 30 years of experience in the industry which includes quantity surveying, site management, contracts management and estimating. He trained in the UK and joined the Holmes team in 2010 quickly becoming a vital member of our team.

Collaboration is key with Mike enjoying long-term relationships with many clients as they work together to achieve the desired result.

Ryan began his journey with Holmes in 2017 as an apprentice. Over the years, he has progressed up the ranks to site manager and now project manager.

Justin joined Holmes Construction in 2021 after many years of experience working on residential and commercial projects. He brings extensive hands-on experience, an ability to solve problems, excellent time management and organisational skills. This is backed up by strong proficiency in contract administration, financial management and cost reporting, budgeting and cost control through projects.

A skilled communicator, Justin is respected by clients and subcontractors for being highly knowledgeable, fair and reasonable. He thrives under pressure and enjoys the variety and challenge of site-based work. Working in the construction industry gives him a strong sense of achievement seeing the building come to life

His favourite project to be a part of was the Paddington Development in central Wellington. Justin enjoyed working with a strong project team and this allowed him to further grow in his career.

Dean is a competent and efficient Quantity Surveyor with nine years of experience. He brings cost control insights from a wide range of construction projects ranging from large-scale industrial environments to inner-city developments in Wellington.

In addition to high levels of attention to detail, Dean has skills in scope demarcation, procurement and tender analysis, pre-let meetings and negotiation.

Hayden joined Holmes Construction NZ as a quantity surveyor in 2023, bringing a strong level of understanding of the construction industry from 8 years of experience across New Zealand and London.

Locally based in the Wairarapa, Hayden offers great organisational skills, excellent time management and communication skills and a passion for the projects he works on. His commitment to his projects and his drive to meet the project timeframes is unparalleled.

In his free time, Hayden enjoys a good game of rugby, tending to his farm and swinging a golf club or two.

Michael has four years of experience in the construction industry, beginning his career at a Wellington consulting firm as a PQS before moving to Holmes in 2023.

Beginning his career in Quantity Surveying eight years ago, Charlie joined Holmes Construction NZ in 2024. With a wide array of experience in residential and commercial construction, Charlie has honed his experience over his time in the industry.

Charlie is locally based in the Wairarapa and brings a strong level of understanding of the local industry with great communication, organisational and time management skills. His attention to detail ensures that projects are meticulously planned and executed, while his collaborative nature ensures that he is able to work well with both the internal and external project teams.

Tyler joined Holmes Construction NZ in 2024, bringing with her a stellar career in the construction industry, that began in 2017.

With a wealth of experience on commercial projects, ranging from a few hundred thousand to $70 million, Tyler is a powerhouse of knowledge and expertise. She is responsible for the meticulous management of cost administration for our projects. Her strength in reporting, progress claims, variation pricing, and overseeing subcontractor agreements ensures that every project stays on budget and runs smoothly.

Lachlan is a committed member of our team with a steadfast work ethic and a reputation for unwavering reliability. He is committed to delivering high-quality results, while his proactive approach to challenges reflects his determination to excel in every endeavour.

With a proven track record of dependability and a passion for continuous improvement, he is eager to contribute his steadfast dedication to any team or project, ensuring success and exceeding expectations.

Darrell has over 21 years of experience in the construction industry and joined Holmes as a carpenter in 2010. Through his hard work and attitude, he quickly became a respected member of the Holmes team.

Passionate about construction and continuing his personal development, Darrell recently completed his Level 5 Main Contractor Supervisor qualification with BCITO.

He has led small teams on a number of projects that are complex and challenging – with the end result being a very high-quality completion on time and within budget.

Brendan is a highly valued, experienced and long-serving Holmes team member. He joined Holmes in 1999 as a carpenter and since then has worked as both a site foreman and, for the last 7 years, a site manager.

He is highly capable of liaising with a wide variety of specialist trades and has been a crucial team member for the New Zealand Campus of Sport and Innovation works and the Te Puia project in Rotorua.

Drawing on his 30 years of experience with Holmes Construction, Paul is extremely well-regarded for his ability to work in and manage extremely busy project sites.

Paul is sensitive to client and stakeholder needs and uses his strong attention to detail and planning skills to make sure everything is “just so” throughout a project. He is highly aware and experienced in minimising disruption, ensuring safety and planning ahead to deliver projects successfully.

Cary has worked in the construction industry for more than 40 years, initially as a qualified carpenter and for the last 10 years as one of Holmes’ Site Managers on a variety of residential and commercial projects.

Motivated by every job being different, Cary thrives on the challenges of supervising the construction site. Working well under pressure, he runs sites efficiently and with strong attention to detail.

Cary maintains an impeccable record of health and safety on site. Approachable and pragmatic, he is a strong team player and mentor and is always available to lend a hand where needed.

Josh has over 17 years of experience in the construction industry and has been with Holmes on and off since 2013. His upbringing in a farming family in the Waikato taught him responsibility and encouraged his ‘can do’ attitude which is vital for success in the construction industry.

As a site manager, Josh is strong at maintaining good communication with our clients, subcontractors and site team. He is a very practical thinker, fair, reasonable and approachable.

His favourite project to date has been working on the Kainga Ora development at 175 Owen Street. It was his first large-scale development project and Josh gained satisfaction from seeing the build come to life from his and the rest of the project team’s hard work and collaborative approach.

Joe brings many years of experience in residential buildings throughout New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.

With a collaborative management style, Joe establishes sound working relationships with his team, the client, architects and project stakeholders. His technical skill enables him to assess designs for constructability, identify cost-saving solutions and deliver safe, well-renovated homes.

James has over 13 years of experience in the construction industry, 3 of which he has spent with Holmes Construction.

James enjoys working in the construction industry as no day is ever the same; there are always new challenges to overcome, and the achievement of bringing the client’s vision to life is extremely rewarding.

James has a strong ability to adapt and overcome complex problems that arise on-site with effective solutions and strong leadership skills.

His favourite project to be a part of to date was the Takiri South building at Coastlands on the Kapiti Coast. James thoroughly enjoyed working on this award-winning project as he was tasked with setting out critical building elements over the duration of the project and is proud of what was achieved working alongside superb contracts and Holmes team members to produce a high-quality end build.

An experienced site manager with over 17 years of industry experience, Steve is a confident communicator with a positive and proactive approach. He can build highly effective working relationships with subcontractors and the wider project team. Added to this is his superb attention to detail – including his ability to draw together multiple aspects of a complex project – and his broad range of experience in construction techniques.

A foreman carpenter with over 24 years of experience, Craig is a highly conscientious and competent supervisor with a superb work ethic and a drive to complete everything to a very high standard. Craig started with Holmes in 2017, prior to which he managed his own building company.

From this experience, he is familiar with all aspects of a project, including the importance of on-site crew management, client and stakeholder liaison, contractual responsibilities, resource management and programming and end-to-end quality assurance.

Graham is a highly experienced site manager with over 30 years of experience in the construction industry. Originally from the UK, where he specialised in joinery and fit-outs, Graham has worked in the New Zealand construction industry since the mid-1990s, and with Holmes since 2019. Over this time, he has worked on iconic Wellington projects such as ‘The Rock’ at Wellington Airport and the refurbishment of Parliament in Wellington.

Having employed his own crews in the past of up to 20 staff, Graham understands the importance of having a safety-focused culture throughout the team.

Ultan is an experienced and competent individual with a proven track record of experience in the residential and commercial sectors across New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. He has almost 20 years of experience in the construction industry and has worked for Holmes for 10 years.

Being professional, organised and self-motivated, Ultan brings a wealth of construction knowledge to projects he is involved in. His commitment to client satisfaction is key to the success of projects he is involved in and supports his well-developed communication skills with clients, subcontractors and all at Holmes Group NZ.