GROWTH STORY

Southbase Construction, led by CEO Quin Henderson, has established itself as a leading force in the New Zealand commercial construction industry, with an impressive track record built on a decade of delivering over $2.5 billion in projects of national significance.

Their deep-rooted history in the South Island has solidified a reputation for integrity, excellence, and a determination to deliver. The company's unique value proposition is its fully integrated approach, combining in-house expertise across the entire construction lifecycle to deliver sustainable value.

However, as Southbase looked to expand its influence beyond its southern stronghold, a significant challenge emerged: how to translate its regional reputation and market leadership into a powerful national brand, particularly in the competitive Auckland market? Given Auckland's economic importance and unique market dynamics, building brand equity there was critical to the company's long-term growth aspirations. This required a sophisticated, strategic approach that went beyond simply opening an office and bidding on projects.

To address this challenge and accelerate their ambitious growth plans, Southbase engaged Plato to build a commercial partnership based on a shared commitment to a single, bold vision: to build a Tier 1 national brand with an annual revenue of $1 billion and to transform the construction sector for good by 2030.

One business’ answer to whole-of-sector issues

The vertical construction sector in New Zealand is grappling with significant challenges, including widespread project delays, cost overruns, and a lack of transparency, often stemming from traditional procurement methods. To address these industry-wide issues, we collaborated with the Executive Leadership Team of Southbase to develop a comprehensive commercial strategy and a clear brand positioning that directly tackles these challenges.

Our approach was to educate the market from an industry standpoint, clearly articulating the value that a managing contractor model brings to the table, as well as the importance of early contractor involvement, alongside the benefits of procuring work through a design and construct (D&C) model. To support this, we have clearly defined Southbase as a leader in the industry with specific skills that have become widely topical over the last 12 months, especially under a National government and New Zealand's desire to plan critical infrastructure beyond three-year government terms.

Raising communication frequency and standard

Plato's role in this collaboration is multifaceted. Our engagement includes working with the ELT and senior leaders across the business to build profiles across all major government sectors, emerging sectors, and key stakeholders throughout the entire construction lifecycle. We manage and facilitate all brand and marketing communications through traditional, PR, and digital media channels, support large tender bids, and play an active role in business and strategy planning.