Moana Tarei swapped coffees for road signs, leaving her job as a head barista to pursue a new career path in traffic management with Higgins.

“I needed a change from being in the same place every day and this is a job that keeps me on my toes, working in a different place every day and with different people.”

She became a qualified site traffic management supervisor (STMS) in 2024 and now you’ll find her working between road maintenance and construction sites as a lead STMS for Higgins Wairarapa.

“We are constantly on-the-go and I love that, and I love the people I work with in all our crews. You do come across some angry people, but generally the residents and the public we interact with are great,” Moana says.

“The weather makes it challenging and it can be tough out there in the rain and the heat, but you just have to come out prepared for it and have the right gear ready,” she says.

“When I first joined Higgins there were only a few other women working on the road, but now there are quite a few of us and it’s cool.

“It’s up to you and how far you want to go in this industry. You must be prepared to put in the work to get to where you want to go.”