Three decades building Auckland's most demanding architectural projects.

WG de Gruchy Construction was founded by Willie de Gruchy in 2009.

Willie grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Hawkes Bay, where the work taught him early how to operate tools and machinery, how to work efficiently, and how to keep going when the job got hard. He started out as a rural fencing contractor, then built and ran a fencing and forestry business — first in Canterbury, then in Sussex, England, while playing rugby there. The pattern was set early: work under good operators, learn the trade properly, then go out on his own.

He brought the same approach to construction. Qualified as a builder and confident in his ability, he started WG de Gruchy Construction in 2009 with the same intention — to do the work himself, properly, and to a standard he could stand behind.

Fifteen years on, what Willie is most proud of isn't the awards. It's the apprentices and builders the company has trained — young men given the room, the tools, and the standards to become confident, well-rounded tradespeople. The same opportunity Willie was given by the men he worked under in agriculture and construction, now passed on to the next generation.