Clear Site Demolition Ltd is an Auckland-based company owned and managed by Rocky Haddon. They specialise in residential deconstruction, also known as sustainable or green demolition. It’s essentially the unbuilding of a house or structure piece by piece, salvaging all building materials that can be donated or reused for other projects.

Passionate about helping others, Rocky has built his award-winning small business on integrity and strong values. Giving back to the community, fair pricing, and staying true to people is important to him. With the experience of hundreds of homes and other structures demolished in the Auckland area, Rocky and his team have gained a reputation for reliability and a can-do attitude.

Clear Site Demolition is an Amotai verified supplier, and when the opportunity came up to tender for a government contract, Rocky received the support and assistance he needed to put forward a strong tender document to the Ministry of Education. It landed Clear Site Demolition the contract for a demolition project at Henderson Intermediate School.

Moving forward, Rocky wants to band together with other small businesses to tender in collaboration for more large-scale and government projects. He is also passionate about supporting and mentoring other Māori and Pasifika business owners to help them grow.

From flying high to clearing sites

Hailing from West Auckland, Rocky worked in the family business for a few years after finishing Mt Albert Grammar. Whilst there are plenty of trades people in his family, Rocky initially took a different path.

“For the main part of my life, about 20 years, I was flying around the world delivering horses. I’d fly to Melbourne, pick up a load of horses and take them to Dubai. Then I’d go to the Philippines and take horses down to Thailand, then off to Canada,” he says.

“The job title was Flight Coordinator, but I was basically the Load Master. I was responsible for getting all the livestock onto the plane. Fly with them, do any vet work that was required on the flight, then unload them at the other end.”

When he and his wife became parents, Rocky decided to go back to his roots and work in construction. He bought some land, developed it, then moved a house onto it. That’s when he was introduced to a contractor who did demolition work, and Rocky decided to invest in the business. A few years later, he bought his business partner out.

“That’s about 7 years ago and we’re doing well. We easily demolish 120 houses each year plus a few other structures. Stepping forward into more government work is a great progression,” he says.

“We've had the opportunity to tender for government work before, but like many smaller businesses, we were hesitant at first. It can be really time consuming but with Amotai’s support, we were confident in taking on this tender,” he says.

Recognition for outstanding results

The demolition project at Henderson Intermediate School was the Ministry’s first engagement with an Amotai-verified supplier. The demolition of 6 classrooms and a partial demolition of some other structures was a big job at the time, but it was well within Clear Site Demolition’s capability.

Although he didn’t question his team’s capacity to deliver, Rocky did question if his company was too small to secure a contract with a government agency.

“We've had the opportunity to tender for government work before, but like many smaller businesses, we were hesitant at first. It can be really time consuming but with Amotai’s support, we were confident in taking on this tender,” he says.

“We passed the Impact Prequal health and safety assessment easily, as our documentation and processes were a lot better than required. We came out with a 5-star rating which was huge.”

Clear Site Demolition impressed with their quality service and work ethics, which led to the safe and timely completion of the demolition project at the school. Shareena Denny, the Ministry of Education’s Delivery Manager, said it was a pleasure working with Rocky and his team, starting from the tender stage all the way through to project completion.

Henderson Intermediate School principal Wendy Esera was also pleased. She said the work was completed to high standard and within the required school holiday timeframe. She also mentioned that the team’s professionalism, tidiness and can-do attitude were greatly appreciated, and that the communication throughout the project was excellent.

Finding balance and connection

Although he is extremely busy running the business and rarely has time to take a break, Rocky has recently also started exploring other passions. He is on a journey to reconnect with his Māori whakapapa and says that as he gets older, he’s becoming more spiritual.

“My mother was reluctant to tell the story about her history when we were growing up. But now she is getting older, and the children are asking more questions. They want to know where we come from and little by little, we’re getting more clarity,” he says.

“We got all the family down for Matariki and had a bonfire. For years, I thought my mum couldn’t speak te reo Māori but during this get-together she blessed the food with a karakia. It was the first time in my life I’ve heard her speak Māori. As I come to learn my history, who and what I am, my culture is becoming more prevalent.”

Up until recently, Rocky used to work until late at night almost every night. Now he has a business mentor and says this helps with finding more balance in his life. Since then, he has put different systems and processes in place which has made a real difference.

“In Auckland you just seem to push hard and put yourself under so much pressure, especially when you’ve got staff. But you can only do that for so long. Streamlining processes can really help with time management and balance, while still growing the business,” he says.

Strong values and connections

“In New Zealand and Auckland especially, it’s hard to start and run a business. But if you build it on the basics of doing a great job, have fair pricing and stay true to people, it can be successful. If you have decent values, build strong relationships, and put the right systems and processes in place you can grow regardless of what industry you’re in,” Rocky says.

He registered Clear Site Demolition with Amotai about 3 years ago, and although the work with the Ministry of Education was the first contract his business secured with Amotai’s assistance, they have done government work before with Watercare.

Rocky says that the connections from Amotai are hugely valuable, and he is hoping to encourage small Māori-owned businesses he knows, to register.

Going the extra mile to help others

Rocky is known as a straight shooter in the industry who treats his staff well and never hesitates to go the extra mile to help others. His core ethic is to help people and he has developed relationships with others who utilise what the demolition business can recover, including marae and community groups.

“Clear Site Demolition is a small company that sticks to a core way of doing things, and recycling is an important value. When we started, we did all demolition by hand. We’d turn up with a crowbar and chainsaw, and we’d recycle everything and sell or give away anything we could. Native timber and flooring were saved, and the joists and any scrap metal got recycled,” he explains.

“I still run the business with a strong focus on salvage, sustainability and recycling. A lot of the building materials are still usable. Aluminium joinery and timber is either donated to a marae in the Far North or sent to the Pacific Islands for re-use.”

Amotai’s Supplier Diversity Lead, Eddie Te Paa acknowledges this and references the added social value that buying from Māori and Pasifika businesses can create in our communities.

“With his active generosity and support for others, Rocky is living those values of manaakitanga. Recycling materials and donating them to those in need and also encouraging other small businesses in their growth, it’s fantastic to see,” says Eddie.

"It was a pleasure working with Rocky and his Business Development Manager Brent Davies to help them identify and articulate their strengths, and to set these foundations for beyond.”

Eddie Te Paa - Amotai Relationship Manager, Tāmaki Makaurau