Our Holmes Story starts with Lyall Holmes—a brilliant New Zealand engineer who established Holmes in 1956.

Holmes was a hugely talented man, with a passion for great engineering and boundless energy for new ideas and possibilities.

While Lyall Holmes tragically passed away at just 49, the power and depth of his legacy was such that the business went from strength to strength after his untimely death.

We’ve expanded our skills and grown the business across product testing, development and licencing, and pushed fire engineering forward with innovation and intelligence. At the same time, we’ve consolidated our position across civil and structural engineering, as well as geotechnical now too, picking up countless national and international awards along the way.

From humble beginnings in New Zealand, we’ve travelled a very long way in our six decades. We’re firmly established in Australia and the USA, with an ever-growing pool of talented people bringing the Holmes way of thinking to the world. We’re also well set in the Netherlands, with plenty of runway to expand into Europe. In New Zealand, we’re stronger than ever—and still growing fast.

Now, Holmes has 15 offices across four countries, engineering excellence on behalf of great clients all over the world. And 65 years has flown by.