Putting eight years of experience to the test
Joe Hagley joined Southern Landmarx soon after leaving school. Around eight years later, he’s the company’s head foreman and preparing to find out how his skills stack up at Young Landscaper of the Year
Joe Hagley | Landscape Foreman | Southern Landmarx | Otago
Joe’s first job after school was in landscape maintenance in Invercargill but, after a few months, he moved to Queenstown and joined Southern Landmarx. He quickly found the industry suited him.
“I’ve always been practical and liked to use my hands. Plus, working outside’s pretty nice,” he says. “The good days outweigh the bad days.”
Joe has since completed his Level 3 qualification in landscape construction, through Primary ITO, and recently started Level 4. In many respects, his responsibilities have already progressed ahead of his qualifications.
“I’m the head foreman at the moment, so I’m just getting the paperwork to kind of go with it,” he says.
Despite the senior role, Joe remains predominantly on the tools. His work spans hard landscaping, block walls and paving through to irrigation and earthworks, giving him broad practical experience heading into Young Landscaper of the Year.
One project near the top of Lake Wakatipu stands out as an important step in his career. It was one of the first jobs Joe was largely responsible for delivering himself, taking a blank canvas and working from the landscape plan to bring it to life.
The finished property included extensive lawns and irrigation, large planted mounds and trees, all set against the backdrop of the lake.
“We also put in a really cool bar leaner that overlooked the water! It was a pretty all-round job,” he says.
Time for a new challenge - Young Landscaper of the Year!
Joe doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. Southern Landmarx’s Tama Ritter won the New Zealand Young Landscaper of the Year title in 2021, and his experience encouraged Joe to put himself forward.
For Joe, the main attraction is the opportunity to benchmark the skills he has developed during his time in the industry.
“It’s just challenging myself really – seeing where my skill level is compared with others,” he says.
He also hopes the competition will expose him to different approaches and ideas he can take back to his work in Queenstown.
Looking further ahead, Joe’s immediate focus is straightforward: complete his Level 4 qualification, continue developing as a foreman and see where his career with Southern Landmarx takes him.
Young Landscaper of the Year will be held at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on 19 September, with 10 finalists competing across a range of practical and professional challenges.
