Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
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:slow art THE SENIOR Diana Stil A ���diamond in the rubble���, Diana Stil is a leader in the building and demolition industry and is known for her heartfelt approach, focus on safety and pledge to challenge the way women are viewed in the male-dominated arena. Based in Christchurch since the February quake, Diana���s company, Nikau Contractors which has a projected turnover of $30 million in 2013, has done extensive unbilled work in the city. With great respect for victims, Diana instigated a ritual of karakia (prayer) on worksites. Diana first started Nikau Contractors with her husband in the late 70s initially offering contracting work and later graduating into site work and demolition. ���My training has been the school of hard knocks,��� says Diana who has had no formal education in this industry. She has however, been instrumental in reinforcing the systems and processes that currently exist in her field. ���When we first came into the industry, besides the fact that there were not any females in this field, there was a huge lack in health and safety practices. Demolition and contracting were at the bottom of the barrel in terms of construction work which allowed us to put protocols into place. During the past 20 years we have been instrumental in compiling a comprehensive training system based on hazardous demolition and structural work.��� Today there are two parts of her business: Nikau Environmental Ltd focuses on project remediation, contamination removal and consulting for environmental protection. Nikau Construction is the main machine that runs everything. ���It was necessary to separate the two ��� the building up and the tearing down.��� Since 2006 Diana has served as President of the New Zealand Demolition and Asbestos Industries. In this role she has been instrumental in mending and developing 24 | www.h e rmagaz i n e . c o. n z guidelines for the industry and helping the Government with revised reviews to the regulations to demolition work and asbestos removal. ���One of my key successes so far is upskilling throughout the industry and introducing procedures that protect the workers as well as the public.��� Diana also counts developing the ���bible��� for the industry ��� the best practice guidelines for demolition and asbestos removal ��� as one of her monumental career highlights. ���As an industry leader, this is where our responsibility lies because it is not my generation but my children���s generation that we are working for.��� Diana���s four children play a major role in the business and growing up with the industry has given them first-hand knowledge as well as additional education. ���We���re in the middle of restructuring our company as the next generation moves up through our succession plan. Janine, the administration director and Michael Snr, the Estimator, Sales and Contracts Manager, oversee North Island operations while Helina, HSE Manager and John Paul, Snr Project Manager & Estimator, take care of the South Island from their Christchurch base. This succession will be completed no later than February 2013. ���With over 100 staff throughout the country John and I work hand-in-hand and as we pass the business over to our children we will take on governing roles, moving the company forward while our children manage the day to day operations. I���m the type of person that works with vision. I had always planned to achieve this level of success with the business. I would say I still have another 20 years of working left in me but we are now moving into the next stage of the business.��� Diane counts her work after the February, 2011 earthquake in Christchurch as one of her most rewarding projects to date. ���My primary role after the February earthquake, when we realised they needed more specialist equipment and operators, was to make any and all resources that we had available. I saw the machinery unable to perform the necessary work that needed to be completed there. We met with our members that had the right equipment and mobilised them to help. We were also able to utilise Nikau���s resources and we donated our services. ���Participating in the visions that Christchurch has, sustainable building is certainly the way to go. Albeit that land is of value, buildings need to have a niche between what is commercially and what is environmentally viable. The future of buildings in New Zealand maximise hindsight and build for the future.��� Nakita Ardern www.nikau.org