Mike Jeffery

Mike started out as a civil engineer, designing the horizontal end of construction, landfills, marinas, roads and subdivisions, before moving into construction project management and then client-side work. Having worked all three sides of the triangle, as designer, contractor and client, he is good at putting himself in other people's shoes.

He is at his best on the projects where the usual rules do not apply and the answer has to be worked out from first principles. That suits his specialism, land contamination and complex demolition and deconstruction, where much of his focus is on recycling materials and keeping waste out of landfill through smart on-site strategies, and it runs alongside a deep commitment to health and safety, which he champions across RCP.

That combination proved its worth after the Christchurch and Wellington earthquakes. Mike played a critical part in the Christchurch CBD demolition programme, which set and achieved a target of zero fatalities across the red zone, and his expertise later took him to Nepal to help train police, engineers and army personnel in safe demolition after the 2015 earthquake. Today he brings that experience to major health projects, including the new Dunedin Hospital.