Leading Hand

About the Role: Leading Hand, Wānaka

Cook Brothers Construction is growing across the Southern Lakes, and we’re looking for an experienced Carpentry Leading Hand to join our team in beautiful Wānaka.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a qualified carpenter who knows how to run a site, support a team, and keep projects moving. Working closely with Site Managers, Foremen, and Build Teams, you’ll help deliver high-quality commercial and residential builds safely, efficiently, and to an exceptional standard.

You’ll lead by example, on the tools, solving problems, coordinating trade partners, and ensuring communication flows clearly between Site Management, Trade Partners, and your team.

About You

You’re a skilled, qualified carpenter ideally with some experience leading a team. You enjoy mentoring others, taking ownership, and creating a positive, productive site culture.

To thrive in this role, you’ll bring:

• A recognised NZ or Australian Carpentry qualification (essential)
• Strong commercial construction experience and solid structural knowledge
• Proven experience leading teams on site
• Confidence in constructive conversations and clear communication
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• A proactive approach to health, safety, and wellbeing

Experience in high-end residential or holding an LBP is a strong advantage.

About Us

At Cook Brothers Construction, we back our teams to take ownership, make smart calls, and deliver with pride. Our strength lies in our people and their drive to continually raise the bar. This has led to a legacy of 20 years of dedication and teamwork. We value hard work, celebrate achievements, and take pride in the results we create and the connections we form.

From our Dunedin roots to growth across Auckland, Canterbury, Southern Lakes, Wānaka, and Otago, we’ve built a reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading construction firms.

Our foundations are clear: innovation, quality, sustainability, client satisfaction, health, safety and wellbeing.

If you’re looking to contribute to a company that values trust, collaboration, and growth, Cook Brothers is the place to be.

Why Join Us?

This is an exceptional chance to join a supportive, high-performing construction team with culture truly comes first. At Cook Brothers Construction, you will be part of a business that thrives on collaboration, celebrates achievements, and empowers people to grow and succeed.

We provide a competitive hourly rate, depending on experience with health insurance, an active social club and real opportunities for professional development – giving you the platform to make a tangible impact on meaningful projects.

If you live outside of the Wānaka region, please confirm your intent to relocate and timeframe in your covering letter.

At Cook Brothers Construction, health, safety and wellbeing are our top priorities. As part of our commitment to a safe workplace, successful applicants will undergo a pre-employment medical, including drug and alcohol testing.

Please note, we are not accepting applications from external recruitment agencies for this role.

Please submit your application via Seek