About HD Geo

Smart thinking for projects. Safe ground for people.

HD Geo's History

HD Geo was founded in November 2014 by Andrew and Emily, who shared a vision of building a geotechnical engineering company that did things differently. They wanted to create a boutique consultancy that focused not only on technical excellence but also on strong relationships with clients and practical, thoughtful solutions.

In the early days, the company operated from Emily’s home. As the business began to grow, they moved into their first small office down the service lane in Te Rapa, Hamilton. HD Geo quickly gained momentum, with many clients choosing to work with Andrew and Emily because of their strong reputations and trusted relationships within the industry. Within six months, the company had grown enough to hire its first employee, and it soon became clear that the Te Rapa office would not be large enough for long.

As the business continued to grow, so did the team. What began as a small two-person venture has developed into a company of nearly 30 employees. Although HD Geo team members are now based across four locations in New Zealand, the team works closely together. The company values the diverse backgrounds and expertise that each team member brings, and collaboration across the team plays an important role in delivering the best outcomes for clients. At HD Geo, people are considered the most important part of the company’s culture.

In 2018, Andrew and Emily expanded the services offered by the company to include environmental consulting, particularly in the area of contaminated land. This broader scope of work led to the company being rebranded from HD Geotechnical to HD Geo, reflecting the wider range of expertise the team could now offer.

In 2024, Ben and Paul were appointed as Directors, joining Andrew and Emily in leading the company.

Today, the acronym GEO represents Geotechnical, Environmental, and Observation. Over time, HD Geo has continued to invest in new capabilities and technology to better serve clients. This includes the introduction of drone technology, with the company now operating a fleet of drones used for aerial surveys and visual site assessments.

From its humble beginnings in a home office to a thriving and expanding consultancy, HD Geo remains guided by the same values that inspired its creation: delivering high-quality work, building trusted partnerships with clients, and continually evolving to meet the needs of the industry.

Our Directors

Emily Cleland

Andrew Holland

Emily is HD Geo’s Managing Director. Emily has 15 years of geotechnical experience and is the co-founder of HD Geo. She holds a BSc degree in Earth Science and specialises in land development projects and project management. Emily’s understanding of geotechnical issues and project management has led to her unique approach to geotechnical projects. Emily’s focus is on building strong and enduring relationships with our clients and aims to understand their business, goals, and challenges.

Andrew is a specialist geotechnical engineer with over 19 years of experience in consulting engineering.  Andrew has practiced for the last 14 years in the Waikato and surrounding areas and in this time has gained extensive knowledge of the often variable and challenging geology that the region has.  Andrew has worked as Technical Director on numerous earthworks contracts across the Waikato. 

Paul Gibbins

Ben Smith

Our Purpose: smarter projects and safer ground for people.

At HD Geo, we specialise in geotechnical engineering and contaminated land management, helping ensure the ground beneath your project is safe, reliable, and ready to build on.

But we are more than geo-professionals—we are practical problem solvers and trusted partners who care about the success of your project. From the roads we drive on to the buildings and communities we live in, every development starts with one essential foundation: safe ground.

Ground conditions can be complex and constantly changing, which is why we approach every project with smart thinking and practical solutions.

Be Human

We believe that humans are human 100% of the time, at home as well as at work. And so, we drop the waffle and cut the crap, because real talk builds trust and relationships. We show up as real people and have each other’s back. We care about each other and the outcomes for our clients. Always do and always will.

Our Values

Be Smart

We're specialists, but we always take a broad view when we come up with solutions. We're pragmatic, holistic even. When we’re smart, we’re effective. We find better outcomes, reduce risk, create more value, and everyone goes home happy (and smart).

Paul is a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) with 13 years of work experience in Australia and New Zealand in the civil construction industry and as an environmental consultant. Paul specialises in managing and executing complex contaminated land projects, including facilitating investigations, remediations and supervising construction works through to validating that sites are suitable for their proposed final land use. Paul’s experience and exposure to a wide range of projects have given him expertise with many contaminants, including heavy metals, nutrients, acid sulphate soils, hydrocarbons, pesticides, and asbestos in buildings and in soils.

Ben is an Engineering Geologist. He has over 10 years of experience in Consulting Engineering.  Ben has been based in the Waikato and the surrounding areas, and during this time, he has gained extensive knowledge of the challenging geology that the regions have.  Ben’s expertise includes industrial and infrastructure development (foundation, liquefaction, settlement, and slope assessment). 

Evolve

We're always curious, asking, is there a better way? If there is, we take it. That’s how we improve. So, we reflect, we critique, we push, we learn. We evolve.

Here’s what sets us apart:

  • We focus on you. We take the time to understand your goals and challenges because great outcomes start with great relationships.

  • We’re smart, not complicated. We bring technical expertise and big-picture thinking to create solutions tailored to your needs—and we make sure you understand what we’re doing every step of the way.

  • We deliver. Clear communication, no surprises, and results you can trust are part of how we do things at HD Geo.