Meet The Team
Sam Rutene Owner/Director
Sam has been in the building since 2007 and has a wealth of experience in an array of building work.
Outside of work Sam enjoys diving for kaimoana, classic cars, taking his nieces & nephews fishing, building lego & the odd reno project.
Alex Tate
Alex has been building since 2010 and has an array of experience in a variety of work including architectural new builds, renovations & insurance repairs. With over 12 years experience in the industry he prides himself of the work he does and is always looking for the next challenge.
Alex recently relocated from Christchurch to the beautiful Wairarapa with his partner. In his spare time he loves the outdoors including fishing, diving & surfing - even making his own surfboards.
Willie Kerr
Willie joined Ihaka Construction in June 2022 having been building for 4 years. Prior to entering the building industry Willie worked in the window joinery industry which gave him some good experience to enter the trade.
Outside of work Willie spends time with his partner & kids, and enjoys going the beach for fishing & diving.
Travis Edwards
Travis started his adult apprenticeship with Ihaka Construction in 2023. Prior to this he has a vast amount of experience in the trade industry including fly in/fly out work in the Australian mines and rigging & scaffolding for the movie sets in Wellington.
Travis is kept busy with his 3 young kids and enjoys jetboating, drifting & spending time with his family in Taupō.
Neo Broomhall
Neo starting building in 2021 and joined the Ihaka Construction team in early 2023. He brings with him experience in residential new builds and renovations across the Wairarapa region.
Outside of work Neo enjoys camping, diving and having some beers with the boys.
James Cox
James joined the team in early 2023 as a foreman, bringing a vast amount of experience in running sites for residential new builds & renovations. He has previously worked in the Wellington region where he developed his skills on high end jobs.
James enjoys the outdoors and is a keen surfer. He also plays rugby and you'll usually find him with his dog Fletcher in tow who is often seen on Ihaka sites.
Josh Redfern-Olsen
Josh started with the team in early 2023 after completing his last year of highschool doing work experience with Ihaka Construction. During this time he developed a good relationship with the team who were happy to have him on board in a full-time capacity.
Josh has an array of hobbies that keep him busy in the Wairarapa including horse riding, rugby, fishing & surfing.
Lewis McLean
Lewis has more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry. Completing a qualification in Hard Landscaping in Wellington. He moved on to residential building. Working on a range of projects with a balance of new build and renovation work. Lewis became qualified in late 2020 and since then he has run a wide variety of jobs including building a tennis court, bespoke pole sheds and his own High Performance Home.
Lewis's strongly believes in making sure the clients journey through a project as enjoyable and smoothly as possible.
In his spare time. Lewis enjoys listening to music and podcasts, cooking and spending time with his wife and tending to his lifestyle block.
Charlie Gain
Charlie started with the Ihaka team at the beginning of 2025 as an apprentice builder.
He attended Wairarapa College and played a variety of sports.
Charlie enjoys surfing, diving, basketball, rugby, travelling & camping with mates.