McConnell Dowell’s supplier diversity journey built on providing a better life
27 June 2026
Key stats
- Engaged 62 Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses in FY24
- $11.7 million spend with Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses in FY24
- Social and Broader Outcomes Adviser created in 2022
- Cultural capability training embedded in business
When McConnell Dowell was announced as the winner of Amotai’s Buyer of the Year Award 2025, the team at their table could barely believe it.
“We were sitting there thinking, it’s not us,” recalls Social and Broader Outcomes Adviser, Donna White. “Then as they started reading out what the winner had done as a business, we thought maybe it is us. When our name was announced, I was overwhelmed.”
Donna still gets emotional reflecting on the moment almost a year later.
“I couldn’t even read my speech. Sara Paris, our GM of HR, had to get up and read it for me because I knew I would cry throughout the whole thing. Gareth Redman, our Procurement Manager, was equally shocked too. We were all so proud because we knew how much hard work had gone into it.”
For McConnell Dowell, the award represented far more than strong procurement figures or successful reporting metrics. It reflected years of work embedding supplier diversity into the way the business operates across projects, procurement, leadership and community engagement.
It also reflected their deeper purpose as an organisation.
“Our purpose is ‘providing a better life’ and that sits with me both inside and outside of work,” says Donna. “That’s why I’m proud to work here. It’s not just about supporting businesses. It’s also about supporting people, youth coming into the workforce, people coming off benefits, and communities we work in. Seeing people get opportunities and build better lives for them and the next generation is what this work is really about.”
McConnell Dowell has been part of the Amotai whānau since the early days of He Waka Eke Noa in 2018 and has continued to grow its commitment ever since. Today, supplier diversity is embedded within the company’s environmental, social and governance framework, supported from senior leadership level and integrated into procurement planning and project delivery.
In FY24, McConnell Dowell spent more than $49.8 million with social procurement businesses, including $11.7 million with Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses. The company engaged 62 Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses during the year across areas ranging from traffic management and health and safety through to steel processing and civil works.
Behind those numbers are relationships built over time. Donna joined McConnell Dowell four years ago and leads the company’s social and broader outcomes work nationally. The role itself was created in 2022, reflecting McConnell Dowell’s commitment to making supplier diversity part of business as usual.
“I get involved right from tender stage,” Donna explains. “There’s no point putting commitments into a tender if we’re not actually going to deliver them. So I work across projects looking at supplier diversity, iwi engagement, employment opportunities and community outcomes from the start.”
That practical approach has helped shift internal culture across the business.
“At first, sometimes the hardest part was getting buy-in and changing people’s perceptions,” she says. “But once people start seeing the benefits and understand what it means to provide a better life, they get there. Now project managers are coming to us asking which Amotai suppliers they can work with.”
McConnell Dowell’s approach goes beyond simply awarding contracts. The team actively works to help suppliers grow their capability and confidence, particularly when navigating the complexity of large infrastructure projects.
“Sometimes suppliers just need support understanding our systems and requirements because for a smaller business it can feel overwhelming,” says Donna. “We try to explain things in plain English rather than technical jargon and help them understand what’s needed.”
That support can have a lasting ripple effect.
One supplier who stands out for Donna is Dave Ruha from A & O Steel Processing.
“He’d already been working with our mechanical team for years, and the guys wanted to encourage him to join Amotai. We talked through what Amotai is and the opportunities it could open up.”
Within months of joining, Dave was attending Amotai buyer events and building new connections across the sector.
“You can actually see the growth happen,” Donna says. “You see where someone starts, then the doors that open for them afterwards.”
The same pattern has played out with other suppliers including Active Safety, Pacific Steel Fixing and Eco Pristine, businesses that have all grown through opportunities created via McConnell Dowell projects and networks.
“When Māori and Pasifika businesses succeed, their whānau succeed and we all succeed. It has that flow-on generational effect because once someone gets in the door, it opens them up to more opportunities.”
McConnell Dowell has also invested heavily in strengthening internal understanding and capability. In 2024, the company introduced cultural awareness e-learning modules covering Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga, te reo Māori, hui and karakia, alongside social procurement training for employees and project managers.
The business has also participated in Amotai’s Tere ki Tai supplier diversity maturity framework, an experience Donna says was both challenging and valuable. “When we first got our results back, we realised we still had a lot to learn. But having that framework helped us understand where we needed to improve. We’ve come a long way since then and we’ve just submitted again to see where we’re at now.”
“We do a lot in this space but we don’t really broadcast it. We just plod along and do the mahi. I think that also comes from being Māori. You don’t brag about what you do, you just do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Looking ahead, McConnell Dowell plans to continue building on its supplier diversity work through more buyer events, stronger supplier support, and ongoing partnerships with organisations like Amotai.
Donna hopes other businesses will continue stepping forward too.
Donna White (left) and the McConnell Dowell team
“If you’re not already with Amotai, join up,” she says. “The support and guidance they provide in helping organisations work with Māori and Pasifika businesses is incredible and it’s working.”
As proud as the team is of the award itself, Donna says the recognition ultimately belongs to the suppliers too.
“We’re grateful and honoured to have won, but none of this is possible without our suppliers doing a good job and succeeding. A huge mihi to all our suppliers because without them, none of this happens.”