Community sponsorships

Downer has developed a number of successful partnerships and programmes with local businesses and non-for-profit organisations to help drive high performance and deliver premium results for our communities.

Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

In February 2022, Downer has announced a three-year sponsorship with the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. The goal is to support the mental health and wellbeing of Downer employees, and to enable the Mental Health Foundation to do more of their great work and reach out to more people. This partnership will include workshops to give our people more tools, plus guidance on how to speak about mental illness and mental health issues safely, accurately, and respectfully.

Downer is also a Gold Mental Health First Aid First skilled workplace, recognised by the Mental Health First Aid Australia and New Zealand.

Tour of New Zealand

Downer has sponsored the bi-annual cycling tour of New Zealand since 2015. The Tour of New Zealand has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable organisations across the country.

Downer’s support for the Tour includes route planning and traffic management to ensure the hundreds of participants are kept safe during the tour. In addition, our people and customers take part in the Tour and help to raise awareness for a select group of charities.

National Association of Women in Construction

Hawkins is a platinum sponsor of the National Association of Women in Construction NZ (NAWIC). NAWIC is a voluntary, non-profit organisation of women who work either in the construction industry or in business organisations who provide services to the construction industry.

NAWIC encourages women to pursue, establish and sustain successful careers in the construction industry. Our vision is to be the leading voice for women in the sector. Hawkins has been contributing to regular events, with a focus on both technical and professional development, to inform and up-skill women in construction and to promote networking and information sharing for the betterment of the construction industry.

At the NAWIC Excellence Awards 2021, Nancy McConnell was a of finalist of the Helen Tippett Award and Roimata Maihi won the Special Merit Award in the Professional Woman of the Year–site based.

Industry support

Downer works across several industries and supports industry-based events and initiatives. This includes the Diversity Agenda Accord with Engineering New Zealand, the Construction Sector Accord and the Climate Leaders Coalition. In addition to this, our people are actively involved in governance roles with industry bodies like CHASNZ and the Green Building Council. We also sponsor several events throughout the year, including the Water Conference, the Rail Conference, the Climate Change and Business Conference and Building Nations.

The New Zealand Masters Games

Downer is proud to sponsor the New Zealand Masters Games, held every second year in Whanganui. The Downer New Zealand Masters Games is a key event for the local community, and we work alongside the Whanganui District Council to help ensure an engaging event with a focus on active lifestyles and participation for the whole community.