A Career Built in Horticulture

Victoria Sutherland has more than 30 years of experience in the horticulture industry. She began her career as a gardener, gradually moving into roles as team leader and supervisor before becoming Area Manager for Citycare Property’s southern open space maintenance (OSM) team. Today she oversees the delivery to the southern areas of the Auckland City Council’s Rima contract, covering Manurewa, Māngere, Ōtāhuhu, Ōtara, and Papatoetoe.

She joined Citycare Property eight years ago as a team leader and now leads the delivery of high-quality open space maintenance for the community. Based in Pukekohe, she continues to bring her passion for horticulture and her eye for detail to every aspect of her work.

“After I got my horticulture certificate, I worked for the contractor that looked after the former Manukau City Council area. Some of those sites are the same ones we look after now. Sometimes when I’m out with the team, I’ll tell them, ‘I used to look after this site.’”

One of those sites is Nathan Homestead in Manurewa, which holds special meaning for her. “Nathan Homestead was one of the first sites I looked after when I was on the tools. I really love that site. It would probably be one of my favourites on the whole contract,” she shares.

Nathan Homestead, a historic brick mansion built in 1925, sits within 3.7 hectares of landscaped gardens, native forest, and community spaces. Victoria takes pride in the fact that she is still involved in maintaining this landmark, many years after first working there as a young gardener.

“I loved gardening, loved plants, loved anything where you could be creative with colour. I always wear lots of colour. Gardens give you that same vibrancy. The more I learned during my certificate, the more I enjoyed it. I loved knowing the botanical names, how plants grow, all the detail of it.”

Now, as Area Manager, Victoria ensures her team delivers to Auckland City Council’s expectations and Citycare Property’s standards. She also conducts critical risk and health and safety observations, works closely with Auckland Council’s facilities management team, and uses tools like PowerBI to track progress and support teams that need a hand. She is proud of her team’s diligence and encourages a culture of looking out for one another. “I want the team to back each other and look after each other. That’s how we succeed.”

Having worked her way up in a male-dominated industry, Victoria has developed resilience and confidence. “Nothing fazes me anymore,” she says with a smile. Her leadership is grounded in experience, passion, and a commitment to the communities she has been connected to since her earliest days in horticulture.