Progressive Building Young Achiever Award
Trade Me Wellington fitout, where McGuinness’s role was project construction manager.
McGuinness worked as project site manager on the Chews Lane apartments, Wellington.
McGuinness was involved in the development of Queens Wharf in Wellington.
Matt McGuinness of LT McGuinness, Wellington, won the Progressive Building Young Achiever Award at the 2015 NZIOB and GIB Awards for Excellence, presented at a gala evening in Auckland on 14 August.
Matt began his construction career as a 13-year-old, labouring on building sites during the school holidays. In 2003 he commenced a cadetship with LT McGuinness while studying at Weltec for Diplomas in Construction Technology and Construction Management.
He then trained as a quantity surveyor, gaining his qualifications in 2009. This was followed by three years as a project site manager, based on the 19-storey, 90-apartment Chews Lane development. Matt was responsible for programming and management of the apartment finishes. To ensure each apartment was completed to the owners’ specifications, Matt developed a website for the use of subcontractors and consultants as they designed and fitted out the apartments. This was considered a valuable tool by both tradesmen and purchasers.
On completion of Chews Lane, Matt embarked on a six-month OE, which included a stint volunteering in Zambia. He worked as part of a team to build a school in a remote village one hour out of Livingstone. Matt describes this as one of the most humbling experiences of his life. Upon his return, he undertook a number of upgrade and fit out projects including developments on Queens Wharf and the Trade Me fit out in Wellington, delivering the role of project construction manager. This led him to create, implement and manage a new facilities management business line within LT McGuiness.
Subsequently, Matt moved north to set up an Auckland branch of LT McGuinness, managing the development of two apartment buildings on Auckland’s waterfront. Outside of work, Matt continues to mentor construction management students from Weltec, is heavily involved in the LT McGuinness Emerging Leaders programme and is on the board of the Wellington branch of the NZIOB.
He enjoys fishing and diving and has even found time to renovate his house in Wellington. He is supported in his career by his wife, Anna, with whom he shares a regular mid-week lunch date, where they both get away from their workplaces for quality time together.
For all winners of the 2015 NZIOB and GIB Awards for Excellence see here.
The August issue Progressive Building (issue 112) has full coverage.
