Caring for the spaces that bring Waikato communities together

For the past decade, Citycare Property has been proud to serve the Waikato District, delivering open space maintenance services that support community wellbeing, protect the environment, and uphold the mana of the Mighty Waikato. As a New Zealand-owned company with a national footprint, a fully local Waikato workforce, we are committed to contributing to the local economy and community. 

Our mahi is grounded on our purpose of enhancing the wellbeing of our communities. We are proud to be maintaining the community spaces that shape everyday life across the district, where people live, work, and play. 

Ten years ago, Waikato District Council entrusted us with the Open Space Maintenance contract. From day one, we chose to embed ourselves in the community by establishing a depot in Ngāruawāhia. 

Today, a team of 33 Waikato locals, supported by a handpicked network of local subcontractors, deliver services across Ngāruawāhia, Taupiri, Tamahere, Raglan, Tuakau, Port Waikato, and Huntly. Their work ensures that parks, reserves, sports fields, playgrounds, and public spaces remain safe, welcoming, and well cared for. 

Our Waikato team is a true reflection of the community we serve. 

• 33 kaimahi, all living within the Waikato District.
• 50% Māori workforce, strengthening cultural connection and representation.
• One-third of the workforce identify as female, demonstrating our commitment to equity and opportunity. 
• Age diversity from 18 to mid-70s, ensuring a blend of experience and fresh energy. 
• Five team members have remained with us since 2016, and several who have grown into leadership roles. 

This diversity, experience, and local knowledge mean our people care for Waikato's spaces as their own, because they are. We invest in training, upskilling, and leadership pathways so our kaimahi can grow their careers while contributing to the wellbeing of their own communities. Their passion and commitment are the backbone of our service.

Jaime Tupaea leads one of our Waikato gardening crews with the same determination and care that shaped her 20-year career as a dispensary technician. After seeking a new direction, she joined Citycare Property as a temporary staff member and quickly found her calling in horticulture. Five years on and having completed a certificate in horticulture, she now leads a team of eight who maintain and restore green spaces across the district. 

For Jaime, the most rewarding part of the job is seeing neglected areas come back to life. "You go into a space that hasn't been looked after, and after a bit of care and hard work, it's transformed. That's what all the gardeners get to see. It is a job that makes a real and visible impact."

One of her favourite sites is a tricky valley with unstable slopes. "It's a challenge, but I love it," she says. "We've replanted with natives, the drains are clearer, and you see tui and pigeons coming back. It's about putting the good stuff back in."

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As a Good Kiwi Company, Citycare Property operates in a way that contributes to the social, environmental, and economic wellbeing of the communities we serve. 

Our subcontractor network is also made up of Waikato businesses, ensuring that most of our spending stays within the district to support the local economy. 

Over the years, our economic impact includes:

• 66% of total spend annually stays in Waikato through local subcontractors, suppliers, labour and other business costs.
• 19% of spend supports New Zealand-owned national subcontractors and suppliers. 
• 85% of total spend stays in New Zealand. A small portion supports international suppliers where required, though we prioritise local wherever possible. 

Our Waikato Open Spaces Maintenance team continues to enhance community spaces across the district through ongoing planting and beautification projects. From stabilising the Horotiu Bridge abutment and improving the Te Awa Cycleway, to creating welcoming entrances at Bob Byrne Reserve and establishing new native gardens at Gordonton Tennis Club, each project contributes to stronger local amenity and biodiversity.

At Pukeiaahua Paa in Ngāruawāhia, our team has been working alongside Ngāti Tamainupō to plant native shrubs, restore eroded banks with harakeke, and enhance the historic site's entrance. Further north, our revegetation work along Munro Stream in Pōkeno has seen more than 15,000 plants added as part of a multi-stage ecological restoration programme. 

Supporting community-led aspirations from installing new park furniture, sponsoring and applying anti-graffiti coat to a well-loved mural, revegetating streams, and organising rubbish clean-up, our team remains committed to continually improving the spaces where Waikato communities gather, play, and connect. 

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Citycare Property is a New Zealand-owned organisation dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing of communities across Aotearoa. As a Good Kiwi Company, our purpose is clear:

We enhance the wellbeing of our communities — Te Whakamarohi i ō Mātou Hapori.

We honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by embedding partnership, respect, and equity into the way we deliver services. Our national capability is grounded in local delivery, ensuring that our work is community-centred. 

We are proud to be: 

• Employers of local people, providing meaningful jobs and career pathways.
• Partners to local subcontractors, keeping investment in the Waikato economy. 
• Kaitiaki of the environment, maintaining spaces sustainably. 
• Contributors to community wellbeing.

Together with our customers, partners, and communities, we are committed to creating places that uplift wellbeing, reflect local identity, and support thriving futures. 

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