What Clearwater Construction does

Clearwater Construction is a New Zealand privately-held construction firm founded in 1984 by Mike Sullivan, headquartered in Auckland with a regional office in Christchurch. The company provides design-build, main contractor, specialist structural contractor, and commercial interior fitout services to commercial, industrial, residential (apartments and hotels), healthcare, retail, and public-sector clients across New Zealand, with project values ranging from NZ$0.5 million to NZ$100 million.

The company operates a vertically integrated delivery model built around its sister-company network — D&H Steel Construction (steel fabrication), Metal Decks NZ (proprietary ComFlor flooring systems), Composite Profiles, Seitech, and the Countrywide Property/Residences developer group — enabling control of design, fabrication, and construction timelines on a single programme. Its technical approach uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) for clash detection, services coordination, and 3D layout, and the firm holds multiple industry safety accreditations (Site Safe, Worksafe Safe Plus, ACC WSMP Tertiary Level).

Clearwater makes money through negotiated and competitively tendered one-time construction contracts across four service lines, predominantly in design-build procurement. Its go-to-market relies on a project portfolio website, client testimonials, and industry awards (including Master Builders Gold, Property Council Excellence, and the 2025 WELL for Residential certification — the first in Oceania). Repeat clients such as Countrywide Properties, Westfield NZ, and Christchurch City Council are a meaningful share of activity, while newer work in healthcare (Kakariki Hospital) and hotels (Wyndham Christchurch) signals vertical diversification within a New Zealand-only footprint.

Name

Clearwater Construction

Legal name

Clearwater Construction

Website

https://clearwaterconstruction.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clearwater Construction is a New Zealand privately-held design-build, main contractor, structural, and interior fitout firm founded in 1984, serving commercial, industrial, residential, healthcare, and public-sector clients with projects ranging from NZ$0.5M to NZ$100M via an integrated sister-company ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Design & Build Contracts: Full design and build services providing single point of accountability, controlled design within budget parameters, and an over-arching programme that meshes all design, consenting, approvals, construction and compliance activities.
2. Main Contractor Services: Construction services as main contractor where clients bring their own designs. Clearwater mobilises all technical expertise and experience to deliver projects as agreed.
3. Specialist Structural Contractor Services: 'Super Sub' service offering unique to Clearwater providing integrated delivery of coordinated combined structural solutions in partnership with sister companies D&H Steel Construction and Metal Decks (NZ).
4. Interior Fitout Services: Complete commercial interior fitout solutions integrating tenancy design and interior fitout into construction contract with seamless project delivery between base structure, services installation and end-user fittings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clearwater Construction provides four integrated construction services in New Zealand: Design & Build (single point of accountability for design through construction), Main Contractor Construction (for client-designed projects), Specialist Structural Contractor (a "Super Sub" integrated structural delivery with sister companies), and Interior Fitout. Projects span commercial, industrial, warehouse, retail, residential apartments/hotels, car parks, public buildings, and healthcare facilities, with project values from NZD $0.5M to $100M.

Product overview

Clearwater Construction is a New Zealand-based construction company offering four core services: Design & Build, Construction, Specialist Structural Contractor, and Interiors. The company operates as a unified service portfolio where projects can engage one or multiple services. The Design & Build service provides single-point accountability from design through construction. The Construction service acts as main contractor for client-designed projects. The Specialist Structural Contractor service ('Super Sub') leverages sister companies D&H Steel Construction and Metal Decks for integrated structural delivery. The Interiors service handles commercial fitouts, often integrated with other services. The company serves commercial, industrial, warehouse, retail, residential (apartment/hotel), car park, public buildings, and medical sectors, with projects ranging from $0.5M to $100M.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design & Build Comprehensive design and construction service providing single point of accountability for commercial, warehouse, and apartment projects. All design options are tested for value, buildability, sustainability, whole-of-life cost, and risk reduction, with an over-arching programme meshing design, consenting, approvals, construction, and compliance activities.
• Construction (Main Contractor) Main contractor services for client-initiated design projects, mobilising Clearwater's technical expertise and experience to deliver construction as agreed. Utilises Building Information Modelling (BIM) and partners with specialist subcontractors and supply chain members to deliver quality construction for commercial, industrial, and apartment clients.
• Specialist Structural Contractor A "Super Sub" service offering unique to Clearwater, providing integrated delivery of coordinated combined structural solutions including insitu concrete placement, formwork and ComFlor metal decking installation, reinforcing steel supply and installation, precast erection, and structural steelwork fabrication and erection. Delivered in partnership with sister companies D&H Steel Construction and Metal Decks (NZ) for clients such as Westfield NZ.
• Interiors Complete commercial interior fitout solution integrating tenancy design and interior fitout into the construction contract with seamless project delivery between base structure, services installation, and end-user fittings. Utilises BIM modelling to coordinate fittings, fixtures, and service layouts, and includes adaptive reuse projects such as the Kakariki Hospital fitout ($32M).

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects completed ahead of schedule - e.g. Outlook Mission Bay delivered 6 months ahead of time
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• D&H Steel ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company - NZ's leading steel fabricator. Close relationship provides immediate advantage in project delivery with integrated delivery of structural solutions including fabrication and erection of structural steelwork.
• Metal Decks (NZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company - proprietary flooring system installer. Works with Clearwater and D&H Steel for integrated delivery of coordinated combined structural solutions including ComFlor metal decking installation.
• Countrywide PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of high quality and functional commercial, industrial and apartment buildings in Christchurch. Regular repeat client with multiple design-build projects including One St Stephens, Elm Apartments, and 22 Karori Cres.
• Countrywide ResidencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper in the urban redevelopment of Auckland specialising in high quality upscale apartment living. Regular client on design-build residential projects.
• +MAP ArchitectscoreTechnology or IntegrationArchitecture firm used extensively across multiple projects including One St Stephens, Elm Apartments, 22 Karori Cres, Wairua Apartments, Outlook Mission Bay, The Spire, and Thompson Park.
• DHC ConsultingcoreTechnology or IntegrationEngineering consultancy used across the majority of projects for structural engineering services. Appears on virtually all major projects as the engineer of record.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haydn & Rollett Construction: NZ commercial builder with deep Christchurch presence delivering apartments, retail, healthcare, and industrial builds. Comparable to Clearwater in project type, regional concentration, and design-build orientation.
• Livingstone Building: NZ-based construction firm delivering commercial, apartment, hospitality, and fitout projects across Auckland and Christchurch. Mid-sized direct peer with overlapping customer segments and project types.
• Naylor Love Construction: Christchurch-headquartered NZ general contractor delivering commercial, industrial, healthcare, and residential projects via design-build and main contracting models. Closely comparable in size, regional focus, and service mix to Clearwater.
• Calder Stewart Construction: Nationally operating NZ builder with strong tilt to industrial, commercial, and design-build projects including warehouses and apartments. Direct competitor for many of the same mid-to-large project sizes Clearwater pursues.
• Russell Group Construction: NZ construction firm operating across commercial, residential, and heritage sectors with design-build capability. Comparable in size, markets served, and project delivery models to Clearwater.

Broad incumbents

• Fletcher Construction: New Zealand's largest general contractor offering commercial, institutional, and infrastructure construction across the country. Broad incumbent with full-service capability that overlaps with Clearwater's design-build, main contractor, and interiors offering but at materially larger scale.
• Hawkins Group (Acciona NZ): NZ commercial and institutional builder now operating under Acciona, delivering hospitals, apartments, and large commercial builds. Competes with Clearwater on larger healthcare and civic projects, with materially deeper resourcing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clearwater-construction-ltd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clearwater Construction