MEET THE TEAM
THE BOSS
The Builders.co.nz Ltd Director, Andy McRae, was born in rural Southland and moved to Dunedin. After finishing high school he completed an apprenticeship and spent 8 years with ABL (Amalgamated Builders Ltd). Following this he moved to the UK with his wife Angela where he ran a building company in London called Raecox Construction. In 2006, after the birth of their first child, the family moved back to Arrowtown where Angela had spent summer holidays growing up. In June of 2006 Andy founded The Builders.co.nz Ltd and has been running and expanding the company ever since. Andy is a Licensed Building Practitioner, with now over 25 years of building experience, who has a hands on approach to the business.
ANDY
FOREMAN
The Builders.co.nz Foreman, Jock Dunstan, is a "salt of the earth" Otago Kiwi raised in Oamaru. Jock completed an apprenticeship in the late 90’s. After working in Oamaru, Jock moved to the Southern Lakes working in Wanaka for a few years. From Wanaka, he moved over the hill to Queenstown where he has now been working for over 15 years. He loves the Southern Lakes lifestyle especially jet boating and hunting.
Jock is a Licensed Building Practitioner with over 20 years of experience behind him.
JOCK
MARK
CARPENTER
Mark Templeton is a Blenheim local by birth but has now settled in Queenstown. Mark completed a successful apprenticeship with The Builders.co.nz Ltd and was named the NZCB Apprentice Challenge winner in both 2016 and 2017. Prior to his apprenticeship, Mark had several years in the Building industry. Driving our social club, Mark is an enthusiastic team member who brings with him a contagious excitement for the industry.
HARRY
CARPENTER
Harry Nichol hails from the Kapiti Coast North of Wellington. He moved South to Wanaka & completed his last year of schooling at Mt Aspiring College as part of their Outdoor Education program. Enjoying the mountains available in the Southern Lakes region, he competed as a ski racer while becoming qualified as a ski patroller.
Four years ago Harry decided to turn his hand to carpentry & has worked building residential houses and has now completed his building Apprenticeship.
Harry still enjoys spending time in the outdoors skiing, boating, camping & hunting.
PETE
CARPENTER
Pete is a Carpenter from England with over 10years in the industry. Born and raised in Chester in the north west of England, Pete started building in his home town with his fathers business doing bespoke kitchens, bathrooms and vintage renovations.
An avid football player and Manchester United supporter, you won’t find him far from a field or a ‘round’ ball.
Pete moved to Queenstown 5 years ago and has since made it his home, He enjoys camping and exploring in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. He is also a member of the local Queenstown Lakes football team..
THE MANAGER
The Builders.co.nz Ltd General Manager, Richard Mackley, was born in Wellington and raised in the city of Auckland, NZ. After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Auckland he spent 10 years in the hotel industry moving to Queenstown during that time (2000). More recently Richard managed Queenstown’s iconic Kawarau Bungy Centre which underwent periods of significant construction during his time at the helm.
As General Manager Richard oversees a range of activities including Project Management, Sales & Marketing, Health & Safety, Human Resources and Financial Planning.
RICHARD
FOREMAN
BEN
The Builders.co.nz Foreman, Ben Singleton, started his building career in his hometown of Nelson. He has been building since 2008 and is a Licensed Building Practitioner.
Ben relocated to Queenstown and takes full advantage of the activities on offer in the region. As a keen ice hockey player, he is also a staunch Southern Stampede supporter. Ben’s free time is also spent Mountain Biking, Snowboarding, and surfing.
On-site, Ben’s well known for his attention to detail and skilled carpentry work.
CHRIS
Chris Sullivan completed his apprenticeship with Dunedin Polytechnic. He is an avid hunter and backcountry outdoorsman. Chris has a strong community focus featuring volunteer work with Camp Quality. He is a proven, enthusiastic worker who is always willing to give anything a nudge. Since joining The Builders in 2016, Chris has worked across multiple jobs and has always exceeded expectations.
CARPENTER
GREG
CARPENTER
Greg Large comes to us from Oxfordshire in England. Completing his apprenticeship in 2013, Greg worked for a small home building company for a few years. After that, he wanted to fine tune his finishing skills and went into cabinet making & joinery in Reading, England. In 2017, he decided to come to New Zealand for a winter season - and stayed!
In his spare time, Greg is a keen traveler, snowboarder, hiker, 4x4 enthusiast and furniture maker.
LEO
APPRENTICE
Leo joined our team during his apprenticeship and has proven himself a huge asset to the team. He started in the building industry in 2016. Originally from Hamilton, Leo played 1st 15 Rugby at school and is also a keen water skiier, wakeboarder and mountain biker.
He comes from a family of 4 kids and as the only boy his sisters keep him on his toes.
Leo saw his first Queenstown winter in 2018 when he learnt to snowboard. He's now loving the southern lifestyle and we hope to keep him down south for years to come!
BRENDAN
APPRENTICE
Brendan Leonard was born & attended school in Dunedin. In 2016 he completed a Certificate of Carpentry Level 4 & gained practical experience working for Naylor Love Contracting.
Following this he spent 2 years with Mosgiel Kitchens fabricating & installing joinery predominately for new residential houses.
Brendan likes being active & has played basketball since a young age.
He joined The Builders team in January 2020 in the role of Carpentry Apprentice.