Creating, conserving, and caring: Isaac Group
A surprising legacy is being built by a local civil construction group.
Imagining 40 tonne excavators alongside endangered bird species, whose very existence is as fragile as glass, is difficult, yet that’s the reality of the Isaac Group, a family of three contracting businesses with unique ownership.
It started in the 1950s with Isaac Construction, whose roots were firmly established in roading construction and surfacing on many South Island roads. These included the Homestead Road deviation from Domett to Cheviot, Memorial Avenue in Christchurch, several West Coast Roads, and parts of the Dunedin motorway. Today they specialise in civil construction, infrastructure works and earthmoving.
Simcox Construction is well known around Marlborough, Tasman, and North Canterbury. Established in 1984, it made its name laying much of the drainage for the Marlborough District Council. The company secured the initial Rivers Maintenance Contract with Marlborough District Council, and has been trusted to hold it ever since.
The most recent addition to the group, Liddell Contracting is one of the South Island’s most diverse contractors. Hailing from the West Coast; its offers unique skills in bridge construction, engineering, civil construction, crane operation and hire, blasting, coating, and more.
Since the early 1990s, Liddell has been making its mark on the region with such projects as the Otira Viaduct, Candy’s Bend upgrade, and also the Cass Bridge. 
The Isaac Group was officially formed with the initial acquisition of Simcox Construction in 2018, and then with Liddell Contracting in 2020. Collectively the brands bring more than 130 years of experience, and their combined capabilities and capacity stands them apart from many others. A genuine ‘one-stop-shop’ for any project, scale and complexity are no object.
The group has teams established across the South Island, as well as a rapidly growing presence in the North Island, and into the Pacific.
Making a difference
What makes The Isaac Group unique is the good cause driving its work.
Owned by the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust since its 1977 formation, the group’s conservation and protection of endangered species has seen the creation of Peacock Springs. A unique, 1100ha wildlife habitat, on the outskirts of Christchurch, it is highly regarded as one
of the best examples of quarry restoration in the world.
Peacock Springs is home to numerous species, including kakī (black stilt),
pāteke (brown teal), kākāriki karaka (orange fronted parakeet), tūturuatu (shore plover), and whio (blue duck).
Isaac Construction and its Wildlife Trust are a national partner of the Department of Conservation. The Peacock Springs species are managed through recovery programmes, and bred and reared to be released into the wild for future generations to enjoy.
“We’re proud to do work that has long term benefits for our communities, the environment, and our people,” says
Isaac Group Surfacing Divisional Manager Kim Masina.
