Company Profile

Company Profile

Prepared for Prepared for Water Authority of Fiji

May 2026

Introduction - Recruitment

Introduction - Recruitment

Thank you for considering McConnell Dowell. This short capability statement explains a bit more about the benefits of working with us and showcases our capabilities and some of the interesting projects we deliver.

About Us (typically use first)

About Us (typically use first)

For over 65 years customers have been coming to McConnell Dowell with complex projects that require innovative solutions. That's why we're known as the Creative Construction company.

From remote resources and energy projects to city-shaping infrastructure, we've built thousands of quality assets and facilities.

Engineering-led, our expertise has grown steadily to span building, civil, electrical, fabrication, marine, mechanical, pipelines, rail, tunnel and underground construction..

Purpose & Values (typically use 2nd or 3rd)

Purpose & Values (typically use 2nd or 3rd)

We are a Purpose and Values driven organisation. These define what's important to us, guide our decision making and unite us behind a common goal.

Our Purpose is Providing a Better Life.

We do that through delivering projects that connect, sustain and enhance communities, and through providing career opportunities that challenge, reward and grow our people.

We also have five company values that guide our behaviours and decisions. Our values are:

Our Approach (typically use 2nd or 3rd)

Our Approach (typically use 2nd or 3rd)

We approach every project with a focus on creativity and certainty - seeking the right blend of innovation and safe, proven approaches so we can exceed our customers' expectations.

We also understand that construction today is as much about community and sustainability as it is about concrete and steel. Our unwavering objective and commitment is to deliver what we promise to our customers, while protecting and enhancing our people, the community and the environment.

Org chart - NZP

Our New Zealand and Pacific Islands business is headed by a group of passionate, skilled construction industry leaders who understand their local markets, customers and supply chains.

NZ org chart ext Nov2024 cropped

For more detailed information about our leadership team's experience, click here.

Creative Construction

Creative Construction

Creative Construction at McConnell Dowell is the inspired engineering behind the complex infrastructure we deliver.

It's the technical problems and challenges solved behind the scenes by people empowered to think creatively and work collaboratively. It’s the alternative idea or innovation that saves time, reduces cost, makes us safer, and delivers more value. 

It might not always be evident when you look at the end product, but it's there, inside every McConnell Dowell project.

NZP Intro (typically use 4th to 8th)

NZP Intro (typically use 4th to 8th)

With over 65 years of history in the region, and as the birthplace of the company, McConnell Dowell is well known in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands as an accomplished, engineering-led, multi-disciplined contractor.

We have a proven track record in delivering complex projects in remote and difficult locations, and have extensive in-house resources, specialist plant, and experienced support teams that enables us to self-perform much of our work.

Water & Wastewater Solutions

Water & Wastewater Solutions

We understand what matters most to our water industry customers - uninterrupted supply, minimal disruption, safety, compliance, and positive community engagement.

We've been entrusted with the design and delivery of major metro desalination and water treatment plants, as well as the construction of dams and large-diameter pipeline and pump station networks.

We've delivered approximately $9 billion in new water assets over the last 15 years, including:


Wellington Water Construct Wellington, New Zealand

Barber Grove to Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant Pipe Duplication

Future proofing and improving water quality

We used the optimum mix of tunnelling and trenched construction techniques to deliver the Barber Grove to Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant Pipe Duplication Project for Wellington Water, causing the least impact possible.

The project involved the installation of a new 1.2 km long, 1 m diameter pressurised wastewater pipeline. It services 90% of the residents in Hutt Valley, improving water quality and catering to the region’s growth.

Fast Facts

  • 1.2 km long, 1 m dia. pressurised wastewater pipeline installed up 9 m deep
  • 55% of the alignment installed using micro-tunnelling
  • 4 No. shafts for access tunnel
Barber Grove to Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant Pipe Duplication
Cook Islands Government Design and Construct Rarotonga

Te Mato Vai water infrastructure project

Delivering fresh water to Rarotonga

Working across 10 different work sites, from private land to remote mountain terrain, we delivered a multi-staged upgrade of the water supply network on Rarotonga. Engaging a significant number of locals on the project, we've left a legacy of new skills and world-class water infrastruture for the Cook Islands.

As the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in the Cook Islands, Te Mato Vai (meaning 'source of water') delivers fresh drinking water to all residential and commercial properties connected to the existing network. The project was an integral part of the Cook Islands National Sustainable Development Plan.

Fast Facts

  • 10 intake structures
  • 20 m diameter storage tanks
  • 25 ford / river crossings
  • 12 km of 315 OE PE pipe connects the new facilities to existing ones
Te Mato Vai water infrastructure project
Watercare Services Ltd Design & Construct Warkworth, Auckland, New Zealand

Warkworth to Snells Transfer Pipeline

Enhancing wastewater management for a sustainable future

Drawing on our industry-leading trenchless construction experience, we delivered the Warkworth to Snells Transfer Pipeline for Watercare, continuing our strong relationship with them.

The project was part of Watercare's North-East Wastewater Servicing Scheme, which conveyed wastewater from Warkworth to Snells Beach. The scheme will cater for future growth and enable Watercare to decommission the existing Warkworth Wastewater Treatment Plant, which discharges into the Mahurangi River.

Fast Facts

  • 1.4 km long dual rising main
  • 3.6 km long single gravity sewer
  • 409 steel pipes, each 1219 mm in diameter and weighing 6.85 tonnes
  • Water NZ Project of the Year 2025
Warkworth to Snells Transfer Pipeline
Dunedin City Council Works panel Dunedin/Ōtepoti, New Zealand

Dunedin City Council

Sawyers Bay Renewals, Three Waters Framework Contract & Three Waters Renewals Programme

Through our local office, we've been working with Dunedin City Council to successfully deliver 'three waters' (wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water) upgrades.

As a member of the Council's works panel, we are one of a small number of organisations upgrading the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants through to 2031.

Fast Facts

  • $140 million of upgrades
  • 8 year long panel arrangement
  • 6 water treatment plants
  • 3 wastewater treatment plants
Dunedin City Council
Watercare Services Ltd Construct Queen Street, Auckland

Queen Street Wastewater Diversion Project

For the first time in New Zealand, a Direct Pipe® micro-Tunnel Boring Machine (mTBM) and traditional pipe jacking methods were used to install Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) pipes in a single drive.

We utilised two different tunnelling systems, doubling down on innovation to install a new pipeline for the Queen Street Wastewater Diversion Project in Auckland, New Zealand. On the project, we managed the tunnelling scope for lead contractor Fulton Hogan and client Watercare to construct a 570-metre-long wastewater pipeline in the city centre under Queen Street.

Fast Facts

  • a new 570-metre-long wastewater pipeline
  • 1229 mm diameter, 5.8 m long sections of Glass Reinforced Plastic Pipe (GRP)
  • Installed between three shafts, in a continuous drive
  • 353 m from Mayoral Drive to Wellesley Street
  • and 217 m from Wellesley to Victoria streets
  • up to 14 metres below Queen Street
Queen Street Wastewater Diversion Project

Closing text - with contacts and Video

Summary

Thank you for taking an interest in McConnell Dowell's skills, capabilities and approach. Additional information is available on our website, including additional project case studies.

Contact us through the link(s) at the bottom for advice or assistance with your project.

Contacts

Benoit Midol

Benoit Midol

GM Pacific Islands

+64 220105680

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