Supporting Education

The heart of any community is its schools and their educational effectiveness. In 2007  McConnell Group formed a partnership with Auckland’s Papakura High School, the overall objective to raise student achievement at the school. 

The ‘Building Better Schools through Business Partnerships’ is an initiative which has grown from the Committee for Auckland’s Future Leaders Programme establishing a model for successful relationships between schools and their communities.

Nancy McConnell, who after nine years as a trustee of the City of Manukau Education Trust (http://www.comet.org.nz), was co-opted onto the Papakura High Board of Trustees to provide strategic advice and support.

Four years later the school has gone through significant changes.  The Board has taken re energised under the Chairmanship of Peter Goldsmith, former deputy Mayor of Papakura, and is very focussed on the strategic  outcomes required.  A new Principal, Peter Heron, was appointed in May 2011 to lead the change required to ensure the aspirations and learning needs of students are being met.

Over the past few years employees across McConnell Group - Hawkins, McConnell Property, and Steelpipe have also been involved in the school from respresentation on the property committees; to 'Principal for a Day"; and active facilitation of a large scale community engagement exercise across students, staff whanau and community which lad to the development of a new school charter.

 

 

So who is McConnell Group?

McConnell Group is made up of a group of complementary businesses - Hawkins Construction, Hawkins Infrastructure, McConnell Property, Steelpipe, Harker Underground Construction and Element NZ.  As one of New Zealand's largest privately owned construction, property and infrastructure groups our passion is 'creating and building project based businesses.'

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Who leads McConnell Group?

The leadership of McConnell Group is made up of the combined leadership resource of Hawkins Construction, Hawkins Infrastructure, McConnell Property and Steelpipe. Chris Hunter, CEO Hawkins Construction; Peter Alexander, CEO Steelpipe and Commercial Manager McConnell Group; Nigel Richards, General Manager McConnell Property; Brian Fitzgerald, Executive General Manager Hawkins Infrastructure and David McConnell Managing Director McConnell Group; are part of the McConnell Group leadership team.  They see value in being part of a group, sharing and learning from each other through the complementary 'project and service focused' nature of the businesses. John McConnell is Executive Director and Mike Wardle Chief Financial Officer.

What is the role of McConnell Group?

The role of McConnell Group is to support and strengthen the operating businesses ensuring that targeted resources are put in place to support and strengthen the operating businesses.