IR GROUP

What IR GROUP does

Ruruku, originally founded as IR Group in 1998 by Ian Rattray, is a privately held New Zealand construction professional services firm headquartered in Wellington with a secondary office in Upper Hutt. Operating for over 25 years, the firm delivers four integrated service lines: project management, architectural design, quantity surveying, and strategic consulting, with notable emphasis on stakeholder consensus-building ('building consensus') embedded in its delivery model.

The firm primarily serves education institutions (primary, secondary, and specialist schools), local and central government agencies managing public property assets, commercial property owners and developers, and selected residential clients in the Wellington region. Named project work includes seismic upgrades, performing arts centres, gymnasium and administration block upgrades, multi-unit residential developments, and civic infrastructure projects such as the Pātaka Spine Seismic Upgrade for Porirua City Council and the Wellington College Memorial Hall redevelopment. Revenue is generated on a project-based professional services engagement model with bespoke quoting; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The firm differentiates through an in-house, multi-disciplinary team led by founder Ian Rattray (30+ years experience), Managing Director Frank Bourke, and a roster of registered architects, project managers, and quantity surveyors. The business has been recognised with a Wellington Architecture Award for the Sacred Heart College Mission House rebuild. Marketing and distribution are minimal and direct, relying on the firm's website portfolio, personal relationships, referrals, and word-of-mouth within the NZ construction industry; no public paid marketing, social channels, or app-based products are evident.

Name

IR GROUP

Legal name

Ruruku

Website

https://irgroup.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ruruku (formerly IR Group) is a privately held New Zealand construction professional services firm providing project management, architectural design, quantity surveying, and strategic consulting to schools, government agencies, commercial property owners, and residential clients across the Wellington region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Project Management: Project management services for construction projects from early feasibility through to completion and close-out. Services are provided to schools, commercial property owners, government agencies, and residential clients. Revenue is project-based, typically scoped per engagement.
2. Architectural Design Services: In-house architectural documentation for building consent and construction. Covers new builds, upgrades, extensions, refurbishments, and staged redevelopments. Billed as part of integrated project delivery or as standalone design service.
3. Quantity Surveying Services: In-house QS capability providing cost planning, pre-construction budgets, final accounts, and cost advice. Can be standalone or integrated with project management. Revenue is service-based, scoped per project or engagement.
4. Strategic Consulting Services: Property strategy consulting including condition assessments, portfolio strategies, property needs assessments, development and disposal strategies, and procurement planning. Provided to schools, commercial property owners, and government agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

IR Group provides construction project management, architectural design, quantity surveying (cost management), and strategic property consulting services to property owners, schools, government agencies, commercial developers, and residential clients. Engagements are typically end-to-end, taking projects from feasibility and design through procurement, construction administration, and final delivery. The firm is structured to deliver these services in an integrated, in-house model led by senior practitioners.

Product overview

Ruruku (formerly IR Group) is a construction project management company offering an integrated suite of four core services: Project Management, Design, Quantity Surveying, and Strategic Consulting. These services work together to guide projects from early planning through to completion, with the company specializing in aligning stakeholders and managing complex construction delivery across education, commercial, and residential sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Project Management End-to-end management of construction projects from feasibility and design through procurement, construction administration, and final delivery, for schools, government agencies, commercial property owners, developers, and residential clients in New Zealand.
• Architectural Design Architectural design services for education, commercial, government, and residential property projects, delivered in-house and coordinated with project management and quantity surveying teams.
• Quantity Surveying and Cost Management Cost planning, estimating, and cost management services for construction projects, including education facilities, government buildings, commercial property, and residential builds.
• Strategic Property Consulting Strategic consulting on property and construction matters for property owners, schools, government agencies, and developers, complementing the firm's project management, design, and quantity surveying practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects delivered on time and within budget (specific examples include Porirua City Council Pātaka Spine Seismic Upgrade delivered on time and within budget)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Turner & Townsend: Global construction and project management consultancy with NZ operations serving government and education clients. A larger incumbent offering overlapping PM/cost services though broader in scope.
• BECA: Large NZ-headquartered engineering, architecture, and project management consultancy operating across infrastructure, buildings, and public sector. A broader incumbent in the same NZ construction advisory space.
• AECOM: Global design, engineering, and project management firm with NZ presence across public infrastructure and buildings. Provides overlapping PM/QS advisory services at a much larger scale.

Others

• Hawkins Group: One of NZ's largest construction contractors, frequently partnered with project managers on education and commercial builds. Adjacent rather than directly competing with Ruruku but operates in the same delivery ecosystem.

Direct peers

• RCP (Resource Co-ordination Partnership): New Zealand-based project management consultancy serving construction and property clients across education, government, and commercial sectors. Directly comparable to Ruruku in service offering, scale, and NZ-market focus.
• Jasmax: New Zealand architecture and design studio with significant education and civic-sector work. Overlaps with Ruruku on architectural design, project management, and NZ public-sector delivery.
• Rawlinsons: Long-established NZ quantity surveying firm providing cost planning and advisory across construction. Comparable to Ruruku's QS service line and NZ education/commercial client base.
• Warren and Mahoney: NZ architecture and integrated design firm with a strong education and public-sector portfolio. Comparable to Ruruku's design arm and shared client base in schools and government.

Regional players

• Davis Ogilvie: South-Island-based NZ consultancy offering project management, quantity surveying, and engineering. Comparable in service mix but primarily competes in Canterbury rather than Wellington.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 IR GROUP