About

If there is one thing you need to know about us, it’s that since 1999 we have been trusted by the major players in the New Zealand economy: organisations such as KiwiRail, Wellington International Airport, the National Library of New Zealand, CentrePort, the Ministry of Justice, Fairfax, Unisys and PSIS.

We are experts in our field, providing independent project management services to corporate and government clients, specialising in planning and managing building and infrastructure developments. Our service ethos is a great client experience, whether it is a short-term commission to solve a major problem like a generator to power Wellington’s Dock Wharf temporarily while 4 x 11,000-volt cables are turned off whilst maintenance is carried out to the wharf, or the long-term delivery of a new international passenger terminal for Wellington Airport.

These projects are delivered by our passionate people, who are driven and ambitious and come to work at Impact because of the quality of the projects and the team environment. Our culture is about outstanding client service, learning from each other and having fun in the process. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but our projects are our passion and we take their successful delivery as a personal and collective goal.

When Impact becomes part of your team, you get an independent service; we don’t design, construct or supply. We lead your project to provide you with the best and most cost-effective outcome using the most appropriate method of delivery.

Impact has been in business for 11 years. Contributing to Impact’s success in project management are our level and breadth of experience in quantity surveying, architecture and building.

“It’s people and their experience that deliver successful projects, not spreadsheets, drawings or programs. People who are experts in project management join Impact to be part of a team who are passionate about delivering successful projects for their clients.”

• Meet the Directors
• Client testimonials
• Memberships and associations

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Meet the Directors

Garth Palmer – Co-director

Born in New Zealand, Garth moved to Brisbane, Australia in the early 1980s where he completed his secondary and university education. The boom and bust cycle of Queensland provided many opportunities for big project experience, including as assistant project manager for Central Plaza, a 40-storey high-rise, programming for the $1 billion Hope Island Resort, and numerous shopping centres throughout southern Queensland.

However, the pull home to New Zealand was too great, and in 1992 Garth and his Kiwi wife moved back to Wellington – with no job, no house, no car and a depressed construction market. Within three days of arriving back, there was also a new baby on the way.

Te Papa beckoned, and programming $125 million of separate contracts in nearly four years resulted in the completion of Wellington’s biggest international tourism draw card.

As project manager for the conversion of the historic MLC Building in Lambton Quay to apartments, Garth received a Highly Commended Award in 1997 from the NZIOB (New Zealand Institute of Building).

But the desire to ‘do his own thing’ resulted in the start-up of Impact in 1999.

Watch Garth’s interview on TVNZ’s AMP Business programme on 26 September 2011.

David Weir – Co-director

David’s journey to Impact has been exciting and in hindsight has lacked very little planning or management… Born and bred in Durban, South Africa, he grew up in an era of successful change, which saw the dismantling of apartheid and the re-building of a country. After university and briefly working in Durban, David went on his OE to London. Five years of living and working on London resulted in exponential growth in his professional career, partly due to the scale and complexity of the projects on which he worked. But more significantly for his journey to New Zealand, he met his future wife – a Kiwi. After five years in the ‘rat race’ of London, David moved to Wellington, the home town of his wife. Whilst the pace of life and scale of Wellington can’t be compared with those of London, it is here where opportunities have been the greatest. Within two years of working at Impact, David was appointed a Director and shortly after announced another major milestone, the birth of his son.

Professionally, David brings international experience working in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany and South Africa. David began his career as a quantity surveyor and quickly moved into a project management role. He has an eye for detail and is passionate about achieving the best for his clients.

In the UK David completed projects for various blue-chip clients including Marks & Spencer, Hard Rock Café and Rank Group Holdings. David worked on numerous Marks & Spencer stores, including a new central London store. This £36 million project involved the construction and fit-out of the store and office tower above. As a project manager for Hard Rock Café, David was responsible for the management of sites as part of a new café rollout throughout the UK and Europe. Responsibilities included the development of all new sites as well as alterations and additions to existing cafés. Programme and cost were key deliverables and were achieved with considerable savings per project.

In New Zealand, projects have included the Boulcott Village Apartments, various Wellington Airport projects and projects for Fairfax. Boulcott Village Apartments was an $18 million development in central Wellington comprising the construction of 30 townhouses and 24 apartments in a nine-storey tower block. As project manager for Fairfax’s Manawatu Standard re-development and Petone press installation, David reported directly to the General Manager of Fairfax. Most recently David has worked with the Ministry of Justice, delivering extensions to its District and High Courts in Whanganui and Gisborne.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to see a project through from conception to completion. The challenging parts can be the most rewarding; you are seeing clients realise dreams that may have been years in the making – and our leadership plays a massive role in successfully turning those dreams into reality!”

Nick Regos – South Island Chief Executive

Nick commenced his career in this industry from a practical perspective at the end of a shovel whilst at University, since then he has spent over 20 years working in numerous locations around the world refining his leadership and project management skills.

Following post graduate studies in Project Management in Australia Nick has advanced from humble beginnings to senior management roles that have seen him leading teams of multi-skilled professionals, from conceptual stage through to delivery, on complex and challenging projects. He has also specialised in training current and future senior managers in; the correct application of project management skills and practices, and leadership training/employee engagement.

A large amount of projects fail due to poor communication and Nick has relied on his experience from the ground up to be able to effectively communicate with all types of people. This has been assisted by working in diverse cultures with cross cultural workforces from different generations.

Nick has spent the last five years in the Middle East leading the strategic planning and delivery of multi-billion dollar projects such as the Capital District project in Abu Dhabi (USD$54b) which covered a 49 km² area, being the first master planned capital city in the world in the last 50 years. See Abu Dhabi Capital District Project footage here.

In 2010, Nick and his family chose to return to New Zealand, the birthplace for two of their daughters, and the country they consider home, for the quality of life and opportunities it provides.

He trusts that the experience he has gained working with numerous clients in Australia, Switzerland, Qatar, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will complement Impact and has joined Garth, David and the team primarily because of the independent client focused services they provide combined with their honest belief in making a positive difference.

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Client testimonials

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Memberships and associations

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