Meet The Team

Eru Tuhakaraina - Managing Director
Owner and Managing Director, Eru Tuhakaraina, built a solid reputation as a roading contractor while working for a large national organisation from 2002 to 2010.

After spending some time working as an independent contractor in the Bay of Plenty, Eru was invited to join a start-up business in Australia which he grew into a very successful operation.

In Dec 2015, Eru decided it was time to return home to the Bay of Plenty with his wife, Erin, and their four young children. And in January 2016, they established and started Acon Industries.

"We deliver the smoothest and highest quality asphalt and chip seal surfacing services to commercial construction companies, businesses and homeowners throughout the Bay of Plenty and Waikato."

Damien Hayes – Business Manager
As our Business Manager, Damien is a master at pulling together all the facts and figures to ensure all our projects are planned and managed smoothly through our business systems - from booking to billing. Damien works in partnership with Eru for quoting and booking all projects then with Jarrod on the delivery of our projects. It really is a central role to our business which is why he is called our Business Manager.

Damien has an impressive background in geo-technical soil, aggregate and asphalt laboratory testing as well as management & overseeing major infrastructure projects in the civil construction industry in both Australia and New Zealand.

Also a family man, when he's not helping to keep our team running smoothly here, Damien is at home caring for his young family.

Jarrod Haigh - Operations Manager
Jarrod is one of the most experienced members of our team which is what makes him the ideal person to be our Operations Manager. A highly experienced machine operator, Jarrod’s main area of expertise is in earthworks and sub-grades having spent previous years working for Fulton Hogan and, in particular, on the Tauranga Eastern Link project.

Now, as supervisor of our asphalt & construction crews, Jarrod takes care of organising all our gear and subcontractors for each project while also working in partnership with our Business Manager, Damien, to schedule projects and ensure everything is running on time, to specification and on budget.

“For me, this is a job that comes naturally because I’ve been doing it most of my life,” explains Jarrod. “I jumped at the chance to work with Eru again when I heard he was setting up his business here.”

“It’s a real privilege to be involved in starting a small business and getting it up and running. We have a good bunch of guys here and a good team spirit.”

Erin Tuhakaraina - Administration Manager
As co-owner, admin manager and mother, Erin is a master at wearing many hats and juggling multiple roles.

While Erin is the first person everyone calls for administrative or small project enquiries, she is also mother and primary caregiver to her & Eru’s four, primary school-age children.

Having been a bar supervisor for five years before having children, Erin is used to multi-tasking and keeping everyone organised. She was also the main admin person in their previous roading contracting businesses during their four and five year stints in Australia.

Now as the Admin Manager for Acon Industries, Erin keeps us all running smoothly here too.

“I really enjoy the family culture we have created and the fact that our business is family oriented. I like the day-to-day challenges too, you never know what is going to come up.”