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."

David Lett - Contract Manager
David is responsible for the day-to-day running of jobs from quoting and management, right through to invoicing. With over 7yrs experience in the construction/roading industry, running multiple projects at any given time, David has strong planning & programming skills and is driven to meet clients' expectations.

“I’ve really enjoyed the move from a tier one corporate business to working in a family-owned and operated business. The team culture here is something to be admired - everyone has a mutual understanding of where the business is going and what it takes to deliver for the client. It’s a fun environment to be part of."

Jarrod Haigh - Foreman
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 foreman of our asphalt & construction crews, Jarrod works closely with our operations manager to ensure all projects are completed safely, on time and as specified.

“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.”

Tina Leigh - Accounts Administrator
Our awesome, part-time accounts administrator, Tina, is also a mum so she fits in well with our family-oriented team and culture.

Tina calls balancing general ledgers her "hobby" because she enjoys it so much and it helps that she is really good at it too. Aside from general ledgers, Tina keeps all our accounts well organised and running smoothly right through to weekly and monthly cashflow forecasting.

When she's not working with us, Tina also looks after the accounts for her mother's cleaning business and her husband's cafe but she especially enjoys the friendly environment at Acon Industries.

"The people here are really easy going and easy to talk to. Everyone is so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do which makes it an enjoyable place to work."