OUR STORY

TE GROUP has been providing versatile aluminium and steel engineering services for 30+ years.

TE Group is a Māori-owned company, with the managing director tracing his whakapapa to Ngai Tahu. Matt and Claire purchased Takanini Engineering late 2019, adding Beachcroft Bins mid–2021 to form TE Group, and Westgate Welding in early 2022. This was at a time when Covid lockdowns were introduced, and the industry went through some challenging times. Matt and Claire used this time to upskill the team and look at the business strategically.

Since then, they have grown the business to what it is today and have developed both their on-site and office-based teams to meet new opportunities and developments. The group comprises two specialised, yet complimentary, engineering businesses—TE Steel and Beachcroft Bins. Proactively working with qualified engineers, their team provides pragmatic solutions to complex situations and prides themselves on having the ‘world’ in their workshop.

MEET OUR TEAM

MATT CROSS
Owner / Director

  • Owner and Managing Director Matt Cross has always been drawn to leading people. He started his career as an officer in the army where he honed his leadership skills as a platoon leader in Timor-Leste. After leaving the army, Matt had his introduction to the construction industry as Business Transformation Lead for Fletcher Building. This role gave him invaluable exposure to the commercial world and a taste for business development. From here, Matt took a Business Development role with HEB, playing a pivotal role in setting up the Auckland Systems Management Alliance. Looking for a new challenge and the opportunity to set his own course as a business owner, Matt purchased Takanini Engineering in late 2019, adding Beachcroft Bins to form TE Group in mid-2021, and Westgate Welding in early 2022. Matt gets great satisfaction seeing his team and business grow and evolve to take on new challenges. He is a firm believer that business is personal and in the power of relationships. He is also a passionate cyclist, enjoying both road and mountain biking in his spare time.

CLAIRE CROSS
Managing Director / Beachcroft Bins

  • Claire has a busy and varied role as Managing Director for TE Group’s subsidiary company Beachcroft Bins. She looks after every aspect of the business, from marketing and business development, customer relationship management, inventory, and accounts. Her team includes a foreman and four fabricator welders. Since taking on the role in late 2023, Claire has put her organisational skills to use, generating significant operating efficiencies and reducing their lead time from weeks to days. Starting her career in administration and vendor management with Fletcher Building, Claire worked her way up in brand and marketing roles, before moving into Business Development for Fletcher Construction, Beca and Downer. These roles have given her great exposure and a comprehensive understanding of the construction sector. Juggling a busy job and two young boys does not leave much down time, but when she is not ferrying kids between after school activities, you will find her out enjoying nature.

LEE WEST
Senior Project Manager

  • Senior Project Manager Lee West gets great satisfaction in seeing a project through from conception to delivery. His role sees him involved at every stage, from tendering, fabrication, delivery, and installation. His career began with eight years in the Royal Marines, before taking a pivot to teach scuba diving in the Caribbean. Lee returned to the UK to take on a Team Leader role with Can Construction where he worked on high-profile projects including the Millenium Dome (now O2 Arena). From there he worked in geotechnical rock stabilisation, spending 12 months on the rock of Gibraltar, before moving to Vector-Foiltec where he was a Site Manager/ Project Manager working on the Eden Project in Cornwall following on to many high-profile projects in Europe, Australia, Singapore, and NZ. He subsequently held roles in a rope access company and a tensile fabric structures company, before accepting the role of Operations Manager on the Dunedin Stadium Build and Eden Park refurbishment. Lee’s varied background has given him great resilience, problem solving and people leadership skills, as well as a broad industry knowledge which he puts to effective use in his current role at TE Group. Lee loves the ocean and is a keen surfer and fan of all board sports.

STEVE HALL
Fabrication Manager

  • Fabrication Manager Steve is responsible for the smooth running of the workshop. His day to day includes coordinating inventory control, handling logistics for shipping and receiving, and overseeing the workshop team. He works with the team to deliver efficient operations that meet production demands and pass the quality test before going to site. He takes his responsibility for health and safety very seriously and takes pride in being able to mentor the inexperienced staff and watch them develop and advance their skills. Steve started his career with an apprenticeship in boiler making and has worked in the industry ever since. He was Workshop Manager for Westgate Welding for 12 years before the company was purchased and became part of TE Group in February 2022. When he’s not at work, you will find Steve putting his practical skills to use working on his property.

PAUL LEGGETT
Technical Manager

  • Paul has held the role of Technical Manager since mid-2014. He is involved at each stage, helping with pricing, drawing and design work, as well as managing the site teams and problem solving with clients on site. Paul first honed his skills working on a farm before moving to the structural roles. As a former Welding Tutoring, Paul has the technical and training skills to ensure the team is constantly pushing themselves to grow and develop their skills. Paul moved to New Zealand in 2005, picking up a role as Project Leader for Papakura Engineering which subsequently became Calibre Engineering. Across all his recent roles, Health and Safety has been a constant, a responsibility he does not take lightly. Paul loves thinking creatively and has particularly enjoyed some of the more creative projects, including developing a Waharoa for New Windsor School with Moriki Designs. A keen hunter and fisher, Paul has impressive clay bird shooting skills.

LONG NGUYEN
Quantity Surveyor / Estimator

  • Long is a qualified estimator with almost 20 years of industry experience. His responsibilities include reviewing tender documents to prepare bills of quantities and tender letters. He coordinates with the wider team to build estimates of labour costs and works post-tender to prepare variation orders and manage material costs to remain in budget. Long holds a Master of Civil Engineering from the University of Canterbury. He has impeccable attention to detail, and strong quality control skills, both of which are essential for this role. Before joining TE Group, Long worked as a Civil Design Engineer/Estimator, Structural Engineer/Estimator, and a Technical Manager across several organisations in Vietnam. Beyond his professional skills, Long is also an accomplished pianist and enjoys reading and spending quality time with his kids when he is not at work.

LOOKING FOR WORK?

We are always looking for good people.

Interest is welcome in the following areas for potential upcoming positions across various sites:

Welder / Fabricator | Leading Hand | Team Lead | Site Supervisor | Project Manager—Junior / Senior | Quantity Surveyor | Estimator | Commercial Administrator | Office / Accounts Administrator

Great team, competitive pay, opportunities for development and career progression, immediate start is possible. Qualifications are nice to have but not necessary.

Sound like you? Please get in touch! Fill out the form below or contact us directly.