More and more women are forging careers in the construction industry.
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) has 1000 members and represents women in a diverse range of professions within the sector – quantity surveyors, project managers, architects, engineers, tradespeople, lawyers, and many others.
Abby Ley is the secretary of the Canterbury branch of the NAWIC, a champion for women in the industry and owner of Christchurch company,
Bird Built.
“The membership is for anyone in steels or heels, as we say. In our company, we have a woman apprentice and interest from others who want to get into the industry,” says Abby, who traded her travel agent job for one in construction, working alongside her partner Cameron Bird.
She knew she didn’t want to be “that faceless wife on the accounts”, so she did four months working on site.
“I still have my turn on the tools sometimes. It’s the only time Cameron gets to tell me what to do.”
The Bird Built team pride themselves on planning their new builds well in advance and have contingencies in mind, just in case. Call Cameron on
021 453 953 or Abby 027 247 9947.
