Who we are
Where we come from and our dedicated team.
Civil Services (HB) Ltd, a Hawke's Bay civil engineering company, was founded in 1995 by Niels Nikolaison. Rooted in family values and a strong work ethic, the company has grown steadily over the years.
The leadership expanded with Elwyn Smith joining as a director in 2017, and Brendan Nikolaison also joining as a director in 2024.
With a combined experience of over 80 years in engineering, project management, and surveying, our dedicated team of hard workers has successfully served clients both locally and across New Zealand. We take pride in our Hawke's Bay roots and bring our commitment to excellence and personal touch to every project we undertake.
Client experiences
Andy Pomfret - Initia LTD
I found the team at Civil Services to be professional, efficient, technically competent, a pleasure to work with and they get the job done within timeframes. I would happily recommend them.
Bob Morey - Kenny Road North LLC and Kenny Road South LLC
The team at Civil Services (HB) Ltd were engaged as earthworks testing consultants in conjunction with the geotechnical engineers for Te Awa Estates
They were a one-stop shop for subdivision consulting and project management
Kate and Nigel Somerfield
Civil Services designed the cut/fill, water management and other services on our site. This included creating and certifying building platforms, driveways etc and working with our preferred contractor to make it all happen.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Civil Services team for any size project, and if we need further engineering in future will definitely look to engage their services again.
Civil Services
(HB) Ltd
About us
Our Team
Civil Services (HB) Ltd boasts a team of dedicated professionals. Our experts bring skill and commitment to every project, ensuring high-quality results that consistently meet and exceed client expectations.
Niels has 30+ years of civil engineering and construction experience, assisting developers, contractors, government (central and local), and other clients in building their projects. His extensive project management & contract knowledge covers earthworks, 3 waters, pavement construction, and contract liaison helping to deliver large and small projects to a high standard. With his excellent problem-solving skills, he has successfully managed projects which have not been attempted previously.
Niels is a team player who can lead a team to success.
Niels Nikolaison
Managing Director/Senior Project Manager
Elwyn's background is in physics and electrical/electronic engineering, and he has since brought his technical expertise and attention to detail to a wide range of civil engineering and surveying roles over the last 20 years. His skill range includes civil design, engineering surveying, drawing production, data management, and quality testing. His thorough approach contributes significantly to any project, from small earthwork sites to major public infrastructure. While primarily involved in projects in Hawkes Bay, he has worked on projects in New Zealand from Waikato to Wairarapa, and as far afield as Fiji and Micronesia.
Elwyn Smith
Director/ Senior Engineer
BE PhD
Brendan holds 10+ years of professional knowledge, including skill sets encompassing various areas, including civil engineering design and modelling, geometric design, soil and rock logging and testing, survey set-out (both topographical and as-built), CAD drafting, and construction management. His proficiency in these domains ensures that he brings a comprehensive and well-rounded approach to each project he undertakes. Brendan's wealth of experience and involvement in these projects attests to his expertise and ability to deliver high-quality outcomes in various civil engineering endeavours.
Brendan Nikolaison
Director/Senior Civil Engineer
NZDE (Civil) MEngNZ
From South Africa, Marius has 24 years of mining and 5 years of civil and construction survey experience in New Zealand, liaising with clients and other professionals on surveying and development projects.
Managing a range of projects from the planning stage to completion. Utilizing a variety of survey techniques, such as drone surveying and GPS in conjunction with conventional surveying methods, he provides high-quality work. With his experience in CAD drafting with 12d model and Civil 3d, he can provide various survey plans
Marius Van Zyl
Senior Surveyor
Jerram is a Senior CAD Designer with 25 years of experience in civil engineering and 10 years of experience in geographic information systems (GIS). He has worked on a wide range of projects across New Zealand, The Pacific Islands and The United Kingdom. These projects have involved computer-aided design (CAD) work, GIS database input, land development, airport investigation, civil infrastructure design, landslip analysing, retaining wall inspection, geotechnical investigation, site survey, and project management.
Jerram Hollis
Senior CAD Designer
Nate has 10+ years of experience in welding and fabrication in the agricultural sector, specialising in MIG welding. Nate also has 5+ years of experience in mechanical engineering
Nate has completed a Nuclear Density Meter Training course. Their primary roles are on-site quality assurance and laboratory management and testing.
Nate Galey
Engineering Technican
Mike has 2 years of experience in civil construction, project management and quality assurance. Mike has been a key member in the construction of roads, parks and other civil construction projects, allowing a keen eye for details and constructability.
Mike excels at in-situ field testing and laboratory quality assurance.
Mike Rewi
Engineering Technician
Mateus has a Diploma in civil engineering from the Southern Institute of Technology, Invercargill, New Zealand. He has over one years of experience, working as a civil engineering/survey technician in Christchurch, using survey GNSS, Total Station and AutoCAD Civil3D
Mateus Macedo
Civil Engineering Techncian
NZDE (Civil)
Civil Services is always looking for new talent, whether you have a Civil or Geotech Engineering or surveying background please email your cover letter and CV to admin@civilservices.co.nz, or fill out the form below!
This Could Be You!
Careers expressions of interest
Cristian completed a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in Argentina. He has a background as a Site Engineer for contractor companies.
He gained valuable experience in construction management, where he learned about steel and fibre-reinforced concrete, kerbing, formworks, asphalt, soil stabilisation and earthworks. During his experience in New Zealand incorporated skills in soil logging, material testing, stormwater modelling, land development and drafting including as-builts.
Cristian Berdini
Civil Engineering Techncian
BEng
With 2+ years of experience of civil engineering, Dhruv brings adept proficiency in using 12d software to model, and produce drawings, and also managing infrastructure projects. Dhruv's expertise includes creating detailed site plans, performing accurate earthworks calculations, and optimising 3 water solutions to ensure project success. Adept at translating client requirements into practical designs, Dhruv has also worked on various big-scale projects as an engineering site/laboratory technician.
Dhruv Chokshi
Civil Engineering Techncian
BEng
Chantal is our Office Assistant (Mum) with many years of experience. She takes pleasure in supporting her team and is enjoying the challenge of learning new skills in this environment having spent 15 years in the accounting field. Chantal values strong connections with her colleagues and takes the lead in organising social events.
Chantal Westman
Office Assistant