In Hawke’s Bay, big steps are being taken to tip the diversity scales and promote women in roles typically filled by men in the engineering and infrastructure sectors.
Mitchell Hageman speaks to some inspiring local wāhine who are spreading a message to the younger generation about taking up the mantle.
Being mistaken for a workman’s wife wasn’t unusual for the new Silvester Clark Hawke’s Bay branch manager and structural engineer Jane Muldowney when she and her team arrived at a construction site.
That was before they tipped the scales and recorded a 60 per cent female staffing ratio.
“It’s the unconscious bias,” Muldowney said.
“Previously, people weren’t used to seeing females on site, but more and more females have different roles as we have, and it’s becoming more accepted.”
Silvester Clark’s branch manager, senior engineer, senior draughtsperson, project manager, office manager, and administration are all female.
She hopes her office can set the trend for others in the male-dominated industry.
“I’ve been passionate about encouraging females into engineering and the construction industry for many years. I’ve provided presentations in schools, and the response from young females has always been great,” she said.
“I figure that we can say that females can be suited to these traditionally male-dominated roles, but by showing them we are — we then become role models for the next generation.”
Project manager Bronwyn Swanson said it was slowly becoming “more acceptable” to have construction decisions made by a female.
She said it was much easier now to get into the construction and engineering fields, predominantly because there were plenty of opportunities to train.
“It’s absolutely easy. There are pathways now for anybody interested in building, design and construction all the way through.”
Qualifications and experience are helpful, but an interest in the industry, a good work ethic, or a desire to succeed may be all that is needed to start.
“Previously, training focused on targeting boys’ schools rather than girls’ schools. Now, schools have become aware that they need to be equal. A lot of it is about exposure and what people see,” Muldowney said.
Hawke’s Bay 24-year-old Lottie van Duin wouldn’t believe you if you told her three years ago that she’d be fixing water leaks for a living.
Now, she’s teaching Hawke’s Bay wāhine how to do it, helping as part of the Connexis Girls with Hi-Vis (GWHV) programme.
The programme sees female secondary school students from around the country participate in industry experience days, working on-site with companies in the civil infrastructure, electrical supply, and water industries.
Fixing leaks was never on van Duin’s radar when she left school and started farming for about three years.
During the pandemic, she got stuck at home and wasn’t sure what to do. A recruitment agency helped her find a role with Fulton Hogan.
“Honestly, I didn’t realise it was a potential career,” she admitted.
“I was quite naive in that I didn’t realise there were major water leaks that needed to be fixed.”
The 24-year-old said she “fell into” her current role as a water technician, working for Hastings District Council through Fulton Hogan to fix leaks.
“I got hired to do some topsoil, then Cyclone Gabrielle happened, and it was basically all hands on deck,” she said.
“Slowly, I got put on with different crews to learn about repairs and then started doing repairs.”
Eight months down the track, van Duin is now in charge of her own truck and actions repairs herself.
“I didn’t realise the opportunity would be there, but I’m glad it is.”
She said she enjoyed the pace and variety of her work and the way she was treated by many of her male colleagues.
“You never get bored in this industry. It can be different every day,” she said.
“I’m very fortunate with the crew that I have. I work with some excellent men who show a lot of respect.”
Connexis executive director Kaarin Gaukrodger said it was still “far too rare” for female construction and infrastructure roles to be presented as viable career options to young women.
“We find that when they learn more about the scale of infrastructure industries and the vast range of careers available, there is a huge level of interest from students who are getting ready to leave school.”
This year Connexis has also partnered with other training providers to extend the types of trades and industries available to experience through GWHV.
EarnLearn, a provider of specialist trades training in areas such as electrical, plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying (PGD), and scaffolding, and BCITO, a training provider for the building and construction sectors, will also participate in GWHV events in 2024.
“There are a lot of different trades out there that recognise the potential in young women to help them address skills shortages, but also to address the need for greater diversity in different industries that are typically male-dominated,” Gaukrodger said.
Van Duin encouraged school leavers not to be afraid and to take advantage of all the opportunities presented to them.
“We need more women to come out here and do it. It could be seen as intimidating sometimes, but when you’re out there and doing it, women can thrive in this industry if given the chance,” she said
“To get girls out and about physically opens up so many doors and opportunities.”
Her advice was simple: “Give it a go; there’s no harm in trying. You might love it, and if you don’t, that’s okay, but give it a try.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
The circumstances around the death are being treated as unexplained.