Dante Sutch-Coleman’s love for trucks and machinery made his career switch a no-brainer. After just one year in retail, he jumped into road maintenance. “I started as a labourer and worked my way up to foreman, handling everything from signs and street furniture installation to drainage, asphalt, and emergency response. I’ve been in the industry for 13 years.”

When an opportunity came up to work with Higgins on the Kāpiti City District Council (KCDC) road maintenance contract, Dante grabbed it. “I began as the footpath renewals foreman and also served as the heavy maintenance foreman, filling in with the cyclic team doing signs.”

Now, Dante is the Road Maintenance Supervisor, overseeing the cyclic and heavy maintenance crews and managing the roading asset management data for the contract. “I love the variety in my role; no two days are the same, especially in maintenance. One day might involve asphalting, while the next could be clearing slips. Higgins has given me chances to upskill and work on other projects, like the Pekapeka to Otaki motorway and the Te Awa Kairangi transformational project for Lower Hutt.”