While the 1970s were a time of growth and opportunity, for Max Lissette they marked the beginning of a lasting legacy. Starting with fewer than 10 employees, he founded M.W. Lissette Ltd., specialising in forestry, general earthworks, and landfill development.
Over the past 45 years, the company has grown into one of Hawke’s Bay’s best-known earthmoving businesses, employing around 50 staff while remaining committed to the values on which it was built.
M.W. Lissette is a true family business. Max’s son, Bruce, eventually took over the company before it was purchased by Max’s grandson Warrick and his wife Annie in 2008. More recently, the business has welcomed long-serving employee Kayne Warner as a business partner - a natural progression for a company that has always invested in its people.
Kayne’s journey with M.W. Lissette began through a connection with a mate’s father, starting at ground level as an excavator operator. Over time, he developed his skills across a range of machinery, progressing to graders and bulldozers before moving into leadership roles.
Warrick Frogley, the current Managing Director, understands this pathway well. Having started his own career straight out of high school operating excavators, he has been involved in all areas of the business for more than 30 years.
Warrick recognised similar qualities in Kayne and approached him several years ago about becoming a foreman. From there, Kayne progressed into a supervisory role before becoming Co-Owner and Operations Manager, supported by Warrick and Annie’s belief in providing opportunities for people to grow.
“My main role is to coordinate the day-to-day operations for our business here in Hawke’s Bay, along with our supportive management team and the Managing Director, Warrick Frogley,” Kayne explains.
What attracted Kayne to the business was its strong family culture, and after 13 years with M.W. Lissette, he is focused on continuing to embed those values into the future of the company.
The company’s commitment to its people is evident through its investment in training and development. M.W. Lissette regularly provides opportunities for employees who may not have previous experience or qualifications, instead focusing on attitude, willingness to learn, and long-term potential.
Through on-site training and career progression opportunities, employees are encouraged to build their skills and develop their careers within the business.
Attach2 recently spoke with Kayne about the evolution of the business and what lies ahead.
Forestry Roots and Long-Standing Partnerships
M.W. Lissette is predominantly a forestry earthworks company, operating throughout Hawke’s Bay from Tikokino through to Wairoa. Managing multiple projects at once, the company specialises in forestry infrastructure, including new construction, maintenance, and ongoing operational support.
The company’s reputation for being reliable, safe, and efficient has resulted in long-standing partnerships with two major organisations in the region: Pan Pac Forest Products and Hastings District Council.
Pan Pac is a specialist provider of sustainable forest products, including lumber, pulp, and fibre supply.
M.W. Lissette provides Pan Pac with a comprehensive range of forestry earthworks services, from new landing construction through to ongoing maintenance and operational support. The company also manages Pan Pac’s quarries throughout Hawke’s Bay and processes the materials required to support its extensive forestry operations.
A significant milestone for M.W. Lissette has been securing and maintaining its position as Pan Pac’s principal roading and quarrying contractor.
This achievement reflects the company’s proven capability, reliability, and long-standing commitment to delivering high-quality results in a demanding operating environment. Being selected as the principal contractor demonstrates the trust M.W. Lissette has built with Pan Pac and recognises its ability to consistently meet the scale, complexity, safety and environemetal requirements of one of Hawke’s Bay’s largest forestry operations.
With Pan Pac managing approximately 35,000 hectares of forest across the region, the scale of work is substantial. M.W. Lissette plays a key role in maintaining this network, developing infrastructure, and supporting Pan Pac’s harvesting programme to ensure operations continue safely and efficiently.
“It takes a bit of managing, but thankfully enough, we’ve got a really good team of management and operators behind us to cover that,” Kayne explains.
M.W. Lissette has also maintained a long-standing relationship with Hastings District Council, including holding the plant maintenance contract at the Ōmarunui Landfill for the past 35 years.
This work includes new developments, site maintenance, valley development, and rubbish compaction.
With around 50 employees, the team operates in highly coordinated groups. Day-to-day operations often involve pairs of operators working together, with bulldozers and excavators preparing sites before other crews complete supporting works such as pavement construction.
“There’s a lot of K’s to cover when you’re all over the region, so with our great management team and people on the ground, it’s blimin’ good,” Kayne says.
Work Hard, Be Safe
Maintaining the family values that have underpinned the company since its inception remains a priority for Warrick and Kayne. A key focus has been building a strong team culture and ensuring the right people join the business.
“Some challenges we’ve had in that space are to really tighten up our recruitment process - making sure we are getting the people that they say they are, and making sure they come in with good attitudes and can be part of what we promote.”
With forestry being a major part of the business, health and safety is fundamental. The company’s slogan, “Work hard, be safe,” reflects this commitment.
Recently, M.W. Lissette has embraced digital technology to improve health and safety processes, including digital reporting systems and machine inspection tools.
“We are trying to add in some youthful values, I suppose, and we’ve had to bring in things like digital health and safety systems as well as digital machine inspection systems, just trying to keep up with the times.”
Operators can now complete digital sign-ins, machine inspections, and visitor inductions through mobile systems, ensuring everyone on site understands potential hazards and safety requirements.
Rebuilding After Cyclone Gabrielle
Currently operating at Pan Pac’s Whirinaki site, approximately 20km north of Napier, the M.W. Lissette team is undertaking quarry stripping and development work at the Pan Pac Mill Block.
The project is supporting the production of material required for stop bank protection following the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.
“We are stripping the overburden off the top of this operational quarry that’s been in operation for about 30+ years. We are processing that into a 40mm and below product to supply Hawkes Bay Regional Council with for the Whirinaki Stop Bank Project.”
The cyclone caused significant damage throughout the region, including flooding at the Pan Pac Mill. The recovery effort has required extensive rebuilding and infrastructure protection.
“A lot of people lost their homes, and some people lost their lives. The Pan Pac Mill itself was flooded, and they put a lot of money and effort into rebuilding that and the stop banks to protect that infrastructure and the surrounding community. There’s a lot of people that were affected by that in this community and it’s good to be part of the rebuild.”
Like many businesses, M.W. Lissette has faced challenges with staffing, training, and workforce availability. However, the company has responded by investing in people with the right attitude and willingness to learn.
“It’s not always about the most experienced person; it’s about getting keen people with a good attitude to come in, wanting to learn, and then you can build them into your business.”
The Right Gear for Demanding Country
The company’s success also relies heavily on having the right equipment for demanding forestry environments.
M.W. Lissette operates a substantial fleet including approximately 25 excavators, around eight bulldozers, motor graders, articulated dump trucks, rollers, front-end loaders, and quarry processing equipment.
The excavator fleet ranges from 13-tonne machines through to 50-tonne excavators, allowing the company to tackle everything from forestry infrastructure through to quarry operations.
Recently, the company added two new excavators: a Sumitomo 210-6 and a Hitachi ZX210-7.
Having established long-standing relationships with CablePrice and AB Equipment, M.W. Lissette chose to continue equipping its machines with Attach2 products, including couplers, buckets, rippers, and Chubb Thumbs.
For the new machines, M.W. Lissette selected Attach2 SureGrip Couplers, Twin Ram Tilt Buckets, Rippers, and Chubb Thumbs.
“We’ve decided to go with the Attach2 SureGrip Coupler and the Attach2 Twin Ram Tilt Buckets, as well as an Attach2 Ripper and an Attach2 Chubb Thumb. This suits our operation and what we do with our fleet.”
Kayne says reliability, ease of maintenance, and operator feedback have been key factors in choosing Attach2 products.
The partnership between M.W. Lissette and Attach2 has now continued for eight years.
“Every time we have a problem, Attach2 always comes to the party, and they’ve always got parts. They’re always on the phone and here within the next day.”
For a business where machinery downtime directly impacts productivity, this level of support is invaluable.
“It absolutely reduces the downtime. In our case, we want these machines running, and with Attach2 on board, they know what our goal is.”
Operators have also embraced the equipment, particularly the Chubb Thumb, Tilt Buckets, and SureGrip Couplers.
“The difference with Attach2 is the reliability. It’s been second to none. And the backup service that we receive from the team back at the depot.”
Built on Three Generations
While M.W. Lissette continues to evolve, the team remains proud of the history that has shaped the company.
“1979 was a wee while ago. Seeing that history on the photo board and the old D2 back in the workshop, it’s quite cool to see that and then come to something like what’s behind me now and see how much things have changed over time.”
Built on three generations of hard work, M.W. Lissette’s journey from a small earthmoving company in the 1970s to a trusted contractor for major organisations is a significant achievement.
With long-standing relationships spanning decades - including around 30 years with Pan Pac and 35 years with Hastings District Council - the company’s reputation has been built on reliability, relationships, and doing the job right.
As Kayne proudly puts it, “It’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of.”
Looking ahead, the focus remains on maintaining key partnerships, continuing to provide high-quality service, investing in people, and adapting to the changing needs of the industry.
With 50 years of business approaching, M.W. Lissette has plenty to celebrate - and plenty more ground to cover.
