International contract secured in the tropics

The New Zealand Government has awarded Leighs Construction Ltd the contract to design and construct its new Embassy and residence in Dili, Timor Leste.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs short-listed Leighs Construction based on the successful completion of a number of key projects at Scott Base for Antarctic New Zealand. With these projects Leighs Construction proved that design, building and project management in remote environments is one of its areas of expertise.

Leighs Construction has teamed with Warren and Mahoney for the design component of the Dili project, which will include an Embassy building, a three-bedroom residence, a pool and pool house, guard houses and installing completely self-sufficient services – all of which are located within a secure compound.

Work will begin in April and is expected to take five months to complete. A team of three to four key New Zealand staff will travel up to Timor to work on the project, alongside specialist staff from the region and labourers from Dili.

Heavy-lift equipment and machinery will be shipped to Dili for this remote project, while materials are currently being sourced from Southeast Asia and Darwin. 

The remote and potentially volatile location makes this project more challenging but the skills, systems and experience which Leighs Construction possess will ensure the project is delivered to the company’s high standards.