Naylor Love has served the property industry in New Zealand for over 100 years. We are proud of our heritage, which has been built around a commitment to building long-term relationships and a policy of continuous improvement.
Early History
Naylor Love started as two independent building companies in Dunedin in 1910, WH Naylor and Love Brothers Construction, which for over six decades played a major part in the development of southern New Zealand.
A remarkable number of our early buildings are still standing today, and you can see the emphasis on quality buildings and long-term partnerships emerging very early with both of our founding families.
WH Naylor
Hugh Naylor was born in Clyde in 1884, and began his carpentry apprenticeship there before moving to Dunedin then Wellington. He built his first house in Portobello, Dunedin in 1910.
Initially specialising in building and repairing houses, Hugh Naylor’s reputation for quality building saw him awarded a contract to build the Bank of New Zealand building in Mosgiel in 1917. The projects got progressively bigger, but Hugh Naylor’s strategy of personally overseeing every aspect kept the company fairly small.
Hugh Naylor’s son Ben joined the company in 1948, and headed WH Naylor then Naylor Love from 1957 until 1987, then sat on the Board until his retirement in 2006. Ben Naylor’s son Christopher Naylor is still on the Board at Naylor Love.
Love Brothers
Love Brothers, later the Love Construction Company, was formed by brothers JY, Bob and Bill Love in Port Chalmers in 1910, with £60 of borrowed capital. JY Love led the company for 58 years. Their first contract was the building of a waterside workers’ shelter at the port.
Love Brothers ran a remarkably diverse operation, including cabinetmaking, undertaking and goods deliveries. The company grew very quickly, with around 100 staff by the outbreak of WWII.
Post-war specialties included pre-fabricated housing, but the 1950s saw Love Construction take on increasingly large projects in the health, civil, education and commercial sectors in the South Island.
1969 – Present
In 1969, the Love Construction Company and WH Naylor merged to form Naylor Love.
The new company could boast an impressive list of achievements, a formidable resource and skill base, and a reputation for top performance and fair dealing.
This has been strengthened over the intervening years and continues today. We’ve steadily spread nationwide over the years, with offices in Dunedin, Queenstown, Christchurch, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Tauranga and Nelson.
View a timeline of Naylor Love’s history – since 1910!
Read more about Naylor Love’s history in Under Construction Magazine:
