About · est. 1990

Run by engineers who still do the engineering.

Owner operated industrial engineering consultancy specialising in practical plant solutions. A team of thirty across Auckland and Rotorua, working directly with clients nationwide. No account management layer, no siloed disciplines, no hand-offs.

Dobbie engineers in conversation at the ACE New Zealand SME Summit in Auckland — **Dobbie at the ACE NZ SME Summit**

Story 36YRS 1990 → 2026From a one-man practice to about thirty people

From one man, to a thirty strong practice.

Dobbie exists to ensure process industries have safe, reliable and productive plants.

Founded by Jim Dobbie in 1990 with one engineer and one office in Rotorua, on a clear idea: the engineer you meet does the work. Jim built the practice around industries where the plant is the business, dairy, meat, forestry, pulp and paper, and geothermal. The kind of jobs where the engineering is the difference between a plant that runs, and one that doesn't.

Since Jim's retirement in 2019, Hamish Bennett and Greg Moore have led the business. Both remain working, billable engineers. Hamish leads industrial process, dairy, meat and refrigeration from Auckland, and Greg leads pulp and paper, geothermal, and industrial building services from Rotorua. The shape of the practice hasn't changed. Senior engineers carry their own scopes, and both directors remain practising engineers.

Values 6 Words on the wallthat we actually use

Leadership that leaves a legacy.

The values that matter:

Passion for the quality of the work
Integrity when things get hard
Respect for the people you work with
Communication that builds trust
Curiosity that keeps us learning
Leadership that leaves the firm stronger than you found it

Locations 2 Offices · Auckland & RotoruaOne firm, two front doors

Auckland and Rotorua.

The Auckland office is based at Khyber Pass Road in Grafton, after a move from Takapuna in 2024. The Rotorua office remains at Amohia Street, the original home of the practice, right by the lake. While we're in two locations, we operate as one team. Senior engineers move between them, projects go to whoever has the right history with the plant, and the directors are in both buildings on a regular cycle.

Auckland leans towards industrial process, dairy, meat, refrigeration, forestry, and building products manufacturing, while Rotorua focuses on pulp and paper, geothermal, and industrial building services. Most projects draw on both.

Specialist standing DV Engineering New Zealand registeredPressure Equipment Design Verifier in-house

Externally audited, internally accountable.

ISO 9001:2015, audited by Telarc. Toitū Net Carbon Zero certified. Having the Design Verifier on staff means pressure equipment design is verified at design stage, inside the project team. Every project runs on the same Business Management System, and our engineers use it every day.

Members of ACE New Zealand, Carbon and Energy Professionals New Zealand (Silver), the Bioenergy Association of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Geothermal Association.

The engineers our clients meet are the engineers who deliver.

Owner operated, with directors actively involved in technical delivery. Senior engineers deliver their own projects. Graduates work on real plant from day one, paired with seniors who answer questions and coach in person. No siloed disciplines, one fully integrated team.

CREDENTIALS

What stands behind the work.

REGISTRATIONS

CPEng and CMEngNZ registrations sit on the Engineering New Zealand register.

Hamish BennettCPEng · CMEngNZ · IntPE(NZ)
Chris MacindoeCPEng · CMEngNZ · IntPE(NZ) · Design Verifier, Pressure Equipment
Stuart du PreezCPEng · CMEngNZ
Patrick DempseyCPEng · CMEngNZ
Christian AranasCPEng · CMEngNZ

MEMBERSHIPS

The professional and technical bodies behind the work. Company memberships are the firm's; professional-body memberships are held by our engineers individually. The certification and partnership marks sit in the strip below.

Professional bodies · our engineers are individual members