Stan Hickey and his wife, Sonja, were the driving forces behind Hickey Contractors during its heyday. They sold the business more than 25 years ago. Photo / Kelly Makiha

Rotorua company Hickey Contractors has folded one month before it would have celebrated its 50th birthday.

The company, based in Te Ngae Rd, wound up at the end of June, seven months after a new Auckland-based owner took it over.

Twelve full-time employees and an estimated eight sub-contracted workerslost their jobs.

The company’s founders, Stan and Sonja Hickey, sold it more than 25 years ago, but Stan continued working there until about seven years ago, when he turned 70.

Stan Hickey told the Rotorua Daily Post he would still pop in from time to time over the past few years.

While it was sad to see the company go, it was probably for the best, he said. His views were taken into consideration before the closure, given his name was associated with the business.

“It’s a sign of the times. It is tough out there.”

Hickey Contractors, which specialised in infrastructure development, subdivisions, site works and commercial and residential contracting, had its boom periods in the 1980s and 1990s.

Stan and Sonja Hickey – key figures in Rotorua’s successful speedway scene – were involved in big developments such as Countdown and Novotel Rotorua, as well as knocking down buildings such as the Majestic Theatre.

Stan Hickey said that, in its heyday, its success was built on great relationships, including a solid contract with the Rotorua Lakes Council.

He credited his wife as the driving force behind the business.

Hickey said the beginning of the end came when out-of-town contractors started moving into Rotorua when their work dried up, undercutting the locals.

“I believe that’s a lot of the problem. They come in and take the work off the local contractors.”

Most people still associated him with the business, despite him not being the owner for many years, he said. He continued to own the land and buildings at Te Ngae Rd until about seven years ago.

Subsequent owners of the business have included former managing director Andrew Shrimpton and Te Puke businessman Seth Pardoe.

Pardoe, who took over in 2018, sold it to Auckland-based Mark Long in November last year, according to New Zealand Companies Office records.

Long, who has a doctorate in business administration, is linked to troubled company Du Val Property Group as a high-performance coach and observer.

He was reportedly set to become a director of that company not long before it went into receivership in 2024. Du Val Property Group was reported in 2025 as owing $268 million.

Long told the Rotorua Daily Post that Hickey Contractors had a great team and it was never easy to put people out of work.

His options were to sell the business to someone who wanted to keep the name, or sell the branding and plant separately.

He spoke to Hickey about what he wanted to do, “out of respect”.

It was Hickey’s preference to sell the plant separately and therefore wind up what was known as Hickey Contractors, Long said.

The loss of “a couple of people quite close to us” was also a factor in the decision.

“My priority was to be with my family and prioritise other businesses.”

Former manager Geoff Kitson, who was with Hickey Contractors for more than seven years, said the market was tough and Long could not sustain running the business how it was.

“Once I knew he was trying to sell it again, I resigned. I could see the writing was on the wall.”

He said the staff’s mood went from that of a close-knit business family to one of disappointment.

Kitson had now set up another contracting business with a former Hickey Contractors staff member.

Another former staff member, who asked not to be named, said some of the workers had found work elsewhere while others were now unemployed. He said about 20 people were left out of work, including full-timers and what he estimated were about eight sub-contractors.

Property owner Mark Rendall said the site on Te Ngae Rd was now for lease.

“We have an interested party. It’s set up as a contractors’ yard so it appeals only to a certain group.”

Rendall, who bought the land and buildings from the Hickeys around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, said it was sad that the 50-year-old business with such an attachment to Rotorua would no longer exist.

Speedway win

Meanwhile, Stan Hickey is proving he’s still got what it takes on a bobcat after playing a large part in a team that won a major speedway track award at the weekend.

Paradise Valley Speedway was named Speedway of the Year in the Private or Professionally Promoted Venue category announced at the New Zealand Speedway Awards at the Christchurch Town Hall on July 18.

Rotorua also won the award for National Event of the Year with the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Championships.

Hickey again credited his wife for the club’s success.

He said he was a proud member of what was affectionately known at the track as “Dad’s Army”, which was a group of people like him who helped to build and maintain the speedway track.

Given the family’s passion for speedway in Rotorua, it was a proud moment to come away with the awards, he said.

“We were really proud of winning those awards. I have spent all my life up there [at Paradise Valley Speedway].”

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.