About Us

The Woods Way

DECADES NOT YEARS

Woods has been, and will be, here for the long haul

We are a company with a rich history that began 50 years ago. Over that time, we have built on our ability to provide comprehensive, innovative, and cost-effective strategic solutions to fit and meet the most demanding of projects, no matter their complexity and scale.

We now offer a full suite of engineering, urban design and planning, surveying and geospatial services to the land development, building, health, institutional, energy, government, and transport sectors, to name a few.

 

A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE

Founded on sharing knowledge and expertise, our approach is to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients, their stakeholders, and the communities they serve.

Our reputation is built on being a long-term, pragmatic partner trusted for:

  • Being there when you need us
  • Talking in layman's terms
  • Going above and beyond
  • Nothing is too hard

Our clients include private and public sector land developers, iwi, property owners, government & local authorities, retirement village operators and schools.

 

The Woods story

The Woods story is very Kiwi, organic and unplanned. It’s about survival and “never giving up”, being innovative, and going above and beyond. Most of all though, it is about people.

Over 50 years ago, two Kiwi brothers – a surveyor and an engineer – decided to start a company. Sharing a pre-First World War cottage with an architect, they got stuck into projects across Auckland.

With a “never give up” attitude, Woods survived multiple chances to fold. Instead, unassumingly, we got on with the job – solved problems, delivered projects, and left our mark across Auckland and New Zealand.

1970

1973

Mid-late 1970’s

1980's

Early 1990’s

Early 2000’s

Mid 2010’s

2020's

Photo of one of the Woods brothers
1970

Humble Roots, Where it All Began

When life looked vastly different in 1970 to what we know now, two brothers named Don and Antony (Tony) Woods took a chance and established the company under the name ‘DL & AW Wood’ at 72 Grafton Road.

Man with old surveying equipment
1973

The First Major Challenge

With three extra team members on board – John Locke, Graham Rice, and Laurie Edmond – the team experienced their first hurdle when the oil shock recession impacted Kiwi shores.

Old photos of Pyramids of Egypt in background
Mid-late 1970’s

Woods Members Go International

The oil crisis saw work dry up to a large extent. So, faced with dire circumstances, the Woods team temporarily split and fragmented around the world to work. Hello Fiji and Egypt.

Man using survey equipment on street
1980's

Back on Home Soil

Developers in New Zealand slowly got underway again with new land developments, so the Woods team returned home and undertook the consultancy work for Green and McCahill.

Groundwork development
Early 1990’s

Changes Within the Market

After being heavily impacted as a result of developers shutting down off the back of the ’87 stock market crash, entering the 1990s saw a mixture of changes within the business.

Estuary shot with houses in background
Early 2000’s

An Unprecedented Frenzy

The hysteria of Y2K in the lead up to 2000 hurt us at Woods. But, as the world realised the world had not ended, confidence grew in the market, and Woods experienced a sustained period of growth.

Urban playground with swing
Mid 2010’s

A Once in a Generation Project Begins

After we combined our Auckland offices to work out of one premise in Grafton, projects ticked along nicely – Stonefields neared completion, and Paerata Rise began. The once-in-a-generation project as part of the LEAD Alliance also began. 

Woods social gathering
2020's

Woods Thriving in a World That Stands Still

Having gone through multiple recessions and the hard lessons in earlier years, Woods withstood the challenges of 2020 and continues to grow and deliver better communities. 

Sustainability and wellbeing

Since Woods started more than 50 years ago, we have never accepted the status quo and have continually looked for better ways of doing things. We believe we have an important role to play in the sustainability of New Zealand’s future, which is why holistic wellbeing is at the centre of our approach.

Social wellbeing

Woods is extremely proud to have been recognised as one of New Zealand and Australia’s best employers in the 2018 and 2017 Aon Hewitt’s Best Employer accreditation process. We’re proud of our team and the culture we have built at Woods and are humbled by this accreditation. We work hard to ensure our employees enjoy working for us and focus on making sure we have a safe, fair, and inclusive workplace.

Read our social wellbeing policy here.

Cultural wellbeing

Our cultural diversity at Woods includes 18 nations, and our culture is built on the approach that we want our employees to be able to bring their full selves to work, which includes their culture. Cultural sensitivity and respect are also an important part of our process.

We engage with Mana Whenua groups during the consenting process to:

  • Prioritise Tikanga Māori values
  • Observe the Te Mana o te Wai and National Policy Statement - Freshwater Management 2020
  • Employ the six principles of mana whakahaere, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, governance, stewardship, and care and respect in our design considerations
  • Observe Accidental Discovery Protocols of iwi for the unearthing of artefacts or kōiwi tangata
Economic wellbeing

We are committed to developing and nurturing the next generation of engineers and surveyors. Under our Graduate Programme, we usually employ up to five engineering graduates and up to six survey graduates annually, in addition to summer/holiday interns.

Environmental wellbeing

Each Woods team plays a role in designing and delivering better communities. Sustainability and environmental wellbeing is a core focus of this approach. For example, we focus on preventing adverse environmental effects/damage when managing earthworks, designing streets that encourage active transport modes, considering climate change impacts in stormwater designs, designing energy-efficient buildings with passive solar strategies, and choosing environmentally-certified materials.

We are certified to ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems), and our Environmental Committee defines, targets, and monitors our environmental systems and performance.

Read our environmental and sustainability policy here.

Certification & Membership