First Nations Telegraph

Nyoongar Traditional Landowner and Marawar Director, Gerry Matera and Lloyd Clark, Managing Director of M/Group. Image: supplied

In a first for the Australian reconciliation movement, Indigenous building company Marawar is taking the lead in a merger with M/Construction.

The move will effectively increase the company’s capacity to rival Perth’s construction heavyweights.

Marawar was introduced in 2018 in response to the Federal Government’s policy initiatives to build strong relationships, respect, and opportunities for Indigenous communities. It was formed in partnership with Perth property company M/Group, the parent company of M/Construction, on a plan to transfer skills that would assist Marawar to independently build capabilities and enable growth across the operation, its staff and project portfolio.

Nyoongar Traditional Landowner and Marawar Director, Mr Gerry Matera, said the twocompany merger is a perfect representation of what true reconciliation is about.

“It was never about creating a ‘them and us’ divide between cultures, nor was it aimed at encouraging tokenistic Indigenous gestures. It has always been about standing together as a strong and capable force. This is what has been achieved at Marawar,” he said.

“Over the last four years, both companies have grown from working closely together, and Marawar is now a sophisticated building resource backed by a string of awards and accolades for its work.

“This merger will place the company in a new building category and give us the capacity to compete for higher value projects. What this means is that Perth will soon see an Indigenous-led company take on large construction projects, sending a strong message to business and setting an example to emerging Indigenous industry.”

Marawar was recently named the 2021 Supply Nation Registered Supplier of the Year Award and continues to grow a strong client base. The merged company will retain Marawar, meaning ‘West’ in Nyoongar, as a brand and will integrate a unique business model established to identify, and address the needs of the Indigenous workforce. It will be the first time an Indigenous business model will be elevated to a position of authority within a multi-cultured organisation.

Mr Lloyd Clark, Managing Director of M/Group, said the partnership has delivered much more than anticipated.

“Our association with Marawar has provided a depth of appreciation for Indigenous cultures, with shared learnings that have resulted in a highly productive and successful work environment that not only reflects the company’s values, but that of its clients and the broader objectives,” he said.

“This merger signals a new era for the Australian construction industry and gives larger companies a sound and reliable vehicle to meet their own reconciliation targets. It is what Reconciliation really looks like and we are all very proud of the part M/Construction and M/Group have played.”

M/Construction was established in 2010 and has won numerous awards for its work across luxury homes to multi-storey commercial developments. Marawar has worked on large-scale Government and private sector projects, including Bunnings in Albany, Match apartments in Parry Street, Fremantle, Armadale Emergency Health Service, Department of Finance, Fremantle Ports and ongoing maintenance contracts