Alright 2025, that'll do.

Let's wrap this year up.

Hello from Ailsa & Beccy

We’re rolling into the end of the year, and the holiday buzz is definitely here. Before everyone heads off for a breather, we’ve got one last bit of good news to share.

Key Skills has been selected as a labour hire partner for the Te Awa Kairangi programme! It’s a major, multi-year project that will reshape the river corridor, strengthen flood protection, and finally sort out the Melling interchange. It’s a big win for the region and even better news for local workers.

Over the next few years, this programme will bring steady, close-to-home jobs across labouring, traffic management, machinery, trades, and site support. And when local people are in local work, the whole community benefits.

We’ll start sharing roles from January, so if you or your crew are keen to see what’s coming up, keep an eye on our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages as recruitment ramps up.

For a full rundown of what’s being built and why it matters, we’ve put together an explainer on our website here.

This is the very definition of what we love. Getting good work for people who live in our own community. We’re proud to be part of it.

With that on the horizon, we want to look back on our highlights of 2025.

Here’s some of the things that stood out for us, and people who made the year.

The people (our favourite part every year)

First up, Josh hitting 15 years with us. Fifteen!
You don’t get loyalty like that everywhere. He knows this place inside out, keeps us laughing, keeps us honest, and he even made it to the Beehive this year. And no, he’s not running for office. Yet. Though he does run the touchline for the Parliament Rugby Team.

We welcomed Ally, who joined Josh’s construction team and slotted in straight away. She brings great energy, a big heart, and friendly vibes that everyone appreciates. Every team needs someone like Ally.

Jo also came on board as our Onboarding Specialist, and from her first call with Ailsa it felt like it was meant to be. She hit the ground running, keeps everything organised and everyone on track, and it feels like she’s been here forever.

And then there’s Muss, who returned this year to lead our manufacturing desk. It honestly felt like the universe was fixing something it never should have changed in the first place. We are stoked to have Muss back!

We also can’t end the year without a bit of friendly chaos.

This year’s annual Key Skills Challenge is underway, with a strength comp. December is a heavy month in recruitment, and mental health can get stretched on all sides, including our own. So rather than just talking about wellbeing, we made a conscious call to do something together that actually builds it.

The whole office has been swinging kettlebells, squeezing in lunchtime lifts, and pushing to beat their own numbers. Turns out the girls are miles ahead on improvement. The boys are… coping. There’s been plenty of sore muscles, a fair bit of Deep Heat in the air, and some next-level team bonding along the way.

It’s been hard work, good fun, and a reminder that looking after mental health is about connection, shared effort, and knowing what you’re capable of when things are full-on.

Crews smashing it

We handed out a couple of Key Skilled moments this year, and they were absolute highlights.

Jakob worked hard, showed up, and proved exactly why he deserved it. His boss Antony even splashed the news on his social media.

Malcolm moved over from Australia this year and hit the ground running. Quick learner, hard worker, and a real asset wherever he goes.

Accreditations that actually mean something

We are not in the business of collecting stickers. If we earn a badge, it is because it lines up with who we are and how we work.

This year, we got three that we are really proud of:

Tōtika – recognising we run tight, safe, trustworthy systems.
Amotai – formalising our commitment to partnering with Māori and Pasifika businesses.
Buy NZ Made Services – proof we are local through and through and put our money back into our own backyard.

Each accreditation means something different, but together they tell the same story that we are here for our people, our partners, and our place.

And one for our partners…

A big one for us this year was hitting 15 years with J&D McLennan, a family-run Lower Hutt engineering firm that over the years has quietly become a legend. They do a bit of everything across manufacturing and engineering, but the airport air bridges are the work people recognise instantly - excellent work, built by great people.

We have backed them with everyone from welders and machinists to designers and office crew, and marked the milestone with a BBQ at their new facility. Fifteen years does not happen by accident in this industry. It happens when both sides show up, do the mahi, and treat each other right. We are proud of this partnership. Properly proud.

Looking out for each other

We got behind the MATES Longest Lap again this year, and for us it’s never just another fundraiser. It’s personal. In 2012, we lost Damon, one of our own. He started with us at 16, full of spark and potential, and losing him changed how we think about this industry and what we owe to the people in it.

So when we walked for MATES this year, we walked for him. Mental health isn’t optional in construction. It’s the difference between someone finding a way forward or feeling like they’ve got none. Everyone at Key Skills has done the Connector training, and we’ll keep showing up every year, because looking out for each other is part of the job.

AI, the theme of the year (and our take on it)

If 2025 had a mascot, it would have been a robot.
AI this, AI that. Job ads written in seconds, cover letters polished to perfection, global firms building private AI clouds and talking about “redefining talent ecosystems” (whatever that means).

But when every CV starts to look and sound the same, how are you supposed to work out who someone really is? Keep going like this and the CV becomes redundant, just another piece of polished content. Human recruiters who know what to look for, who can read past the “grammar glaze,” and who actually talk to candidates will matter more than ever.

Tech is handy. People are everything.
And while we’ll happily use AI to speed up the admin, our edge stays where it belongs, in relationships, not software. Read more on our take here.

As we wrap up 2025…

Get some proper rest.
Switch off the emails.
Sit in the sun.
Drink some water.

Look after your people and yourself. We want everyone back in January safe, rested, and in one piece.

Thank you, genuinely, for sticking with us this year.
Your loyalty means a lot.
Your trust means even more.

See you in 2026, rested, steady, and ready to crack on

Need extra hands on site? Get in touch - we’re here to help.