Technical Depth.
Practical Sense.
About Earthtech
The people, the history, and the thinking behind Earthtech's work across New Zealand.
A Specialist Consultancy, Built on Relationships
Earthtech is a specialist engineering consultancy based in Pukekohe, working across geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, hydrogeology and hydrology. Our team supports clients right across New Zealand, from individual landowners through to councils and major infrastructure partners.
We've never chased scale for its own sake. What's kept clients coming back for over three decades is straightforward: sound technical work, direct access to the person handling your project, and a team that treats every job, large or small, with the same level of care.
Founding Story
Three and a Half Decades on the Ground
Earthtech was founded in 1989 by Philip Kelsey, who set out to build a practice grounded in hydrogeology and engineering geology, disciplines that sit right at the heart of how land and water are understood and managed.
Geotechnical engineering followed in 1991 with Aidan Nelson (no longer with Earthtech). Michelle Willis joined the team in 2007, bringing the same solid technical thinking applied practically, project by project, that has come to define the practice. More recently, Samuel Kelsey has introduced hydrology, rounding out the four core disciplines Earthtech works across today. In 2025, Michelle became Director, continuing to lead that approach.
Relationship-led, and Built to Adapt
Earthtech's approach hasn't changed much since 1989. We work relationship-first, which means picking up the phone, understanding a project properly, and staying involved once the report's been handed over.
Every client gets a bespoke approach. A house site consent and a highway project call for different things, and our team adjusts accordingly, without cutting corners on either. That adaptability, paired with deep technical grounding, is what lets us work confidently across such a wide range of projects.
We're proud of our roots in the Pukekohe and wider Franklin growing community, and we bring that same local, practical mindset to every client we work with, wherever they're based.
No Gatekeeping.
Just the Right Specialist, Direct.
Earthtech has built its reputation on word of mouth, and that's still where most of our work comes from. Clients get straight through to the specialist working on their project, not a callcentre or an account manager standing in the way.
Our team's technical depth runs across geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, hydrogeology and hydrology, giving us the in-house capability to handle complex, cross-disciplinary projects without bringing in outside consultants. Whether it's a small agricultural irrigation project, a large municipal groundwater take or regionally significant piece of infrastructure, the same team and the same standards apply.
Meet the team
The People Behind the Work
Earthtech's team brings together specialists across geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, hydrogeology and hydrology, along with the support staff who keep every project running smoothly behind the scenes. Get to know the people you'll actually be working with.
