Founder of Terra Consultants

Mark Andrew Kearney

1958

2022

Remembering Mark

This page was created in memory of Mark Kearney. Founder of Terra Consultants.

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OUR FOUNDER

Mark Kearney started his own development advisory and project management service company for Council and Land Developers in 2002 - he did this from the front seat of his car. Today this is now known as Terra Group. Mark's son Shaun joined the firm in 2010 and they worked together on his vision until Mark's passing in 2022. Shaun and our team continue to work towards and uphold Mark's original vision and we remember him as a leader, friend, mentor and man.

Mark was a Civil and Structural Engineer and the Director of Terra Group for two decades. His specialist fields of expertise are business development and management, strategic planning, project management, and planning for the design and implementation of large scale residential, commercial, industrial, and Local Government infrastructure.

Mark had 40 years experience in land development consultancy engineering in NZ, USA, Canada, Mexico, and South East Asia. He was a certified, Independent Hearings Commissioner for RMA hearings, and was often called on to act as an independent technical expert witness in the High Court for earthquake-related structural damage insurance claims. He was a member of the Academic Advisory Board Sc.& Tech, at Unitec and during that period assisted Unitec in gaining IPENZ accreditation. He had also been a guest lecturer at Unitec over a number of years, lecturing in engineering economics. He was a Chartered Professional Engineer, a Fellow of IPENZ, an accredited International Professional Engineer, and a past Chairman of the Auckland Branch of Engineering New Zealand.

He really liked snapper fishing too!

Mark you have made a thorough impression on me from when you first hired me as an undergraduate.

I will always remember you as an inexplicably selfless person despite the many demands on you.

The world is all the more poorer for you not being in it. I am grateful to have been a part of your life and I thank you for your many kindnesses, your belief in me and your support throughout the years.

Mark has been to me: a Boss, a colleague, a mentor, but most importantly a friend.

Never once gave me wrong advice and was always there when I needed him. Mark took me fishing for the first time in New Zealand and we managed to go together a few times always having a good laugh. I really loved his sense of humour.

My life is better for knowing Mark and all of his family, he will forever hold a special place in my heart. If my boys end up being half the man Mark was I'll die a happy man.

One of the main reasons that we worked together in so many different ways was that I very much valued Mark's good civil engineering and management skills but even more important was that I enjoyed working and being privileged to be called a friend by Mark. Mark was very capable in technical, management and strategic thinking but most of all I appreciated, how he valued and cared for people (whether they worked for him or not). This example of true leadership that Mark showed is not that common these days and I have very much appreciated and enjoyed Marks friendship and care for others (often at the expense of himself).

Mark, a kind, wise, active leader of Terra and mentor or staff, is also a person that I am respecting & adoring.

When I first met him in Terra's office, he came and welcomed me in person and asked me about my first-day feelings as well as my plan for the future. That's when I started realizing he is a warm-hearted man who really cared about the people around him.

Mark, I learned more principles of living a good life, not from a book but from the encyclopedia of walks, talks & texts with you over the years.

Your calming nature will stay with me forever my friend. You taught me to speak less & listen more which kept me out of trouble for sure. You were never hesitant in sharing your wisdom, always allowed me to operate with freedom, never reluctant to let me make mistakes & find my way to correct them. I thank you for your patience, for guiding me, supporting me & sometimes just showing me the way, always encouraging me to be my best.