The Firstborn, But Never the Heir
From the moment Jenika could walk, she was thrust into the gritty world of construction. As the eldest in a lineage of drain layers, her childhood playgrounds were active job sites, where she mastered operating diggers and lowering pipes into trenches before most kids learned to ride a bike. This was her normal—a life steeped in the rhythms of manual labour and the unspoken rules of a male-dominated industry.
“Dad always banked on having a son to pass on the family business someday,” Jenika recalls. “It was what his father had drilled into him from an early age, and he never stopped to question it. The messaging seemed simple in our household: the men went to work, and the women looked after the house.”
Despite her early immersion and undeniable skill in the trade, Jenika was never seen as the rightful heir. She was a placeholder, a set of hands until the “real” successor—a son—would arrive. This unspoken expectation was a constant undercurrent, shaping her self-perception and future aspirations.
“I didn’t realise it at the time, but I had already absorbed the idea that construction wasn’t really for me,” she reflects. “That no matter how well I did, my time here had an expiration date. Eventually, I’d need to step aside and find something else.”
Big Dreams That Didn’t Fit the World She Lived In
For years, that something else was rugby league.
The New Zealand Warriors were everything to her. She wanted to wear the jersey, run onto the field, and play at the highest level. But there was no NRLW back then, no pathway for girls like her.
So she adjusted.
“If I couldn’t play for the Warriors, maybe I could work with them. I decided I’d become their physiotherapist.”
She started a double degree in Business and Health Sciences, planning to transition into physiotherapy. But as she moved through university, she realised something unexpected.
She wasn’t just good at business. She loved it.
“I found myself drawn to the strategy side of things. The numbers, the logistics, the way everything fit together. Slowly, I let go of the Warriors dream and leaned into something I never saw coming.”
Falling Into Construction Again By Chance
For years, construction wasn’t even on her radar.
She was working in the utilities sector when an old colleague reached out.
“Hey, I know a guy looking for a COO at an asphalt company. You’d be great at it.”
She didn’t know much about asphalt. She wasn’t actively looking to switch careers. But something about it felt exciting.
“I went to the interview and got the job. And that’s how I found myself in paving by accident. But I’ve learned that’s how most of us end up here.”
Once she was in, she started seeing the industry for what it was.
The same outdated mindsets she grew up with were still everywhere.
Women and non-binary people weren’t just struggling to get hired. They were struggling to stay.
“I saw so many people take a chance on this industry, only to be met with constant resistance. They had to prove themselves over and over again. They had to work harder just to be seen. And for what? Just to be pushed to the sidelines anyway?”
Women eager to work in the field faced skepticism. Men assumed they wouldn’t understand the work. If one woman on a crew had an issue, it became an excuse to stop hiring more.
“It wasn’t just frustrating. It was infuriating. And at some point, I realised I had two options. Accept it or change it.”
The Same Fight, A Different Field
This wasn’t the first time Jenika had seen women underestimated.
Years earlier, she had played in a mixed touch footy comp, where game after game, she saw talented women barely get a pass.
So she did something about it.
“We recruited all the best female players, built an all-women’s team, and entered the mixed comp. Everyone assumed we’d lose. We won.”
That moment stuck with her.
“We weren’t supposed to succeed. But we did. Amarapave is the same thing, just on a bigger scale.”
Building What Didn’t Exist
Jenika wasn’t interested in just talking about change. She wanted to create it.
“I saw people coming into this industry with hope, only to be ground down by outdated stereotypes until they eventually gave up. And I thought… why should they be the ones to leave? Why not change the system instead?”
That’s what Amarapave is about. Not just opening doors but making sure they stay open.
“That’s why ‘Breaking Stereotypes, Empowering People’ isn’t just a tagline. It’s the foundation of everything we do. People should be able to show up, do the work, and know that’s enough. They don’t have to become someone else to be taken seriously.”
The Moments That Matter Most
For Jenika, the biggest wins aren’t about contracts. They’re about people.
“I do a lot of hiring, and the most common thing I hear from women is, ‘I’ve got my tickets. I just need someone to give me a shot.’”
That moment when someone finally gets the opportunity they’ve been fighting for is everything.
“The industry isn’t just missing out on talent. It’s actively pushing it away. Amarapave is about proving that there’s a different way. And when we put our own crew on projects, we’re not just talking about change. We’re showing it.”
Leading From the Front, Not From a Desk
For Jenika, leadership has never been about titles. It’s about action.
“You can call me a Managing Director, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t mean much to me. What matters is being the kind of leader I always needed when I was starting out.”
She’s not interested in sitting behind a desk, making decisions from a distance. She’s out there, on-site, in conversations, and in the work, side by side with the people she’s fighting for.
“I don’t ever want to be the kind of leader who’s disconnected from what’s happening on the ground. I want to know our people. I want to hear their struggles, their wins, their frustrations. Because how can you change something if you’re not in it?”
That’s the heart of Amarapave. It’s not just about breaking stereotypes. It’s about building something better. Jenika isn’t waiting for permission to do it. She’s leading the charge, shovel in hand, making sure the path forward is clear for everyone coming next.
Lessons, Advice, and The Next Generation
If she could go back and talk to the kid in the digger, the young woman second-guessing herself, or anyone standing on the edge of something that feels impossible, she’d say this.
“You belong here. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. You don’t have to wait for permission. You just have to start.”
And if you’re thinking about a career in paving, construction, or any space where you feel like you don’t quite fit?
“Back yourself. Have a crack. Find your people, the ones who see your potential before you do. And if you can’t find them, build something of your own.”
Because the future of this industry doesn’t belong to the people who want to keep things the way they are. It belongs to the ones willing to change it.
And if Amarapave is proof of anything, it’s that when people, purpose, and progress come together, extraordinary things don’t just happen. They’re built.
Written By: Ash MacMahon - Co-Founder & Field Director