The late Sir Neil Isaac was born and educated in the South Canterbury town of Timaru. He worked within the construction industry until the outbreak of World War II, when he volunteered to join the New Zealand army. He served overseas with the New Zealand 21st Mechanical Equipment Company and the British Royal Engineers. Lady Diana Isaac was born in Devonshire, England, and also served in the British Army during the World
War II.

The Isaacs met onboard a troop ship bound for India shortly after the end of the war. They were married in Delhi in 1946, and as contractors they built irrigation dams in remote parts of India. They settled in New Zealand in 1950 and established the The Isaac Construction Company Limited.

Having grown up in the English countryside, Lady Isaac wanted to have a house with some land out in the country. Sir Neil and Lady Isaac fell in love with a house in Harewood but after digging a lake to irrigate their garden they discovered the property had what Lady Isaac describes as “the worst land in Canterbury” comprising mostly of shingle. However, the shingle was found to be a very high quality and was used in the construction of Memorial Avenue. Commercial quarrying on the property commenced in 1965 and continues to this day.

The 1950s was a time of substantial development in New Zealand and Isaac Construction prospered, quickly growing into one of Canterbury’s leading contracting firms.

Over the years Sir Neil and Lady Isaac purchased adjoining properties, cleared it of gorse and expanded the quarrying operations. By introducing topsoil and planting the quarried areas with new Zealand natives they created an environment with sheltered areas and shallow waterways, forming an ideal habitat for native birdlife. The Peacock Springs Conservation Park dream began.

The Isaac Group Today

Today over 150 staff are based at the company’s Harewood depot. Considerable emphasis is placed on personal development with all staff encouraged to further their skills with both on and off the job training.

The company is also a strong supporter of numerous Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) actively promoting the Modern Apprenticeship Programme, which brings young people into the Civil Engineering industry. They are also a partner with the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology in their ‘TradeFIT – Trade Future In Training” programme.

Awards

The Isaac Construction Company has been pleased to receive the following awards recognising to their commitment to excellence.

• 2005
  Canterbury Contractor of the Year – Eagle Equipment Company Training Award
• 2004
  Canterbury Contractor of the Year – Mico Pipelines Most Progressive Company
• 2002
  Canterbury Contractor of the Year – Category D for contracts over $500,000
  Canterbury Contractor of the Year – Category C for contracts between $250,000 - $500,000
• 2001
  Canterbury Contractor of the Year – The Press Innovation Award for pioneering the use of Site Vision and GPS control systems at the earthworks plant at Clearwater Golf Course.

Our desire to continually improve our business has seen us achieve;

• ISO 9001 Quality Assurance for all operations
• ACC Tertiary accreditation for Health and Safety in Employment
• EnviroSmart NZ Bronze
• IANZ accreditation for Laboratory Services