Scholarship Recipient: Behind the Numbers: How Asking 'How?' Built a Career in Construction

For CGF General Scholarship recipient Bjanka Christiansen, the road into quantity surveying has not been a straight line. It has been a long, deliberate one, followed at exactly the pace her life allowed. 

Bjanka completed an accounting degree in 2012 and spent much of her career in accounts, always drawn to the construction and manufacturing world. Her roles spanned bathroom and shower supply, wardrobe shelving, timber processing and civil construction. But the numbers were never the whole story. 

“The numbers didn’t interest me as much as the story that the numbers told,” she says. 

That instinct runs in the family. Her poppa worked for many years at James Hardie, and Bjanka inherited a strong Kiwi DIY spirit. As a child she drew house plans for fun, and while studying a Certificate in Interior Design she designed her father’s kitchen for his own new build. 

Finding the Right Fit 

In her late thirties, just after Covid and following a redundancy, Bjanka’s younger brother mentioned he was studying quantity surveying. She had never heard of the role. But once she realised it would combine her accounting with her creative and DIY heart, she knew it was worth investigating. 

She enrolled in the Diploma in Construction (Quantity Surveying) in 2020 and quickly realised this was where she wanted her career to head. She has been working through the two-year full-time qualification part time ever since, with two papers left before she graduates. 

Early government funding covered part of the study, and her employer at the time, Downer NZ, contributed too. When both ran out, a colleague pointed her towards the CGF General Scholarship. It was, she says, perfect for exactly what she was doing. 

Learning Through Life, and On the Job 

Studying slowly has meant her qualification has had a front-row seat to years of change, including three jobs across three construction sectors, a divorce, a first home and becoming an empty nester. Through all of it, the reward has stayed the same. 

“I absolutely love the aha moments I get all the time when I finally understand a concept,” she says. “I love seeing how things fit together.” 

Her learning has flowed straight into her work, and back again. While studying tenders, quotes and programming a job in MS Project, she was able to fill a skills gap at Downer when the estimating team was stretched. That led her to help prepare and submit tender documents for large civil projects, and to understand government procurement and how road works are decided. Today she works in flooring across residential and commercial builds, where a clearer grasp of programme timing and sequencing means she can estimate when her team is needed. The overwhelm of not knowing what people were talking about is gone. 

“I can have an impact,” she says. “When I’m at a mall or a playground or a high-rise hotel complex, my eyes are open.” 

A Bigger Picture of the Sector 

The training has broadened Bjanka’s view of construction. She once assumed everyone in the industry spoke the same language; instead, she now understands how many specialist skills must work in careful balance to create a cohesive result. That balance, she says, is why planning matters. 

What the Scholarship Made Possible 

Practically, the CGF scholarship kept Bjanka studying. The alternative was a student loan, but with repayments coming out of a salary she was already relying on, that was not affordable. The scholarship removed that financial burden and let her keep moving forward. 

Looking Ahead 

Every career choice Bjanka has made in recent years has been aimed at one goal: a full-time quantity surveying role once she graduates, ideally with a medium to large Christchurch firm that values mentoring and career progression. She is realistic about being an older entrant to the field, and no less passionate for it. 

Her advice to anyone weighing up further study or a scholarship is refreshingly clear. 

“You don’t have to be the best or the worst at something to take on further study or apply for a scholarship. Just take a chance. You never know. I’ve proved you can go as slow or as fast as your life allows.” 

CGF is proud to be one of those people, and to support the next generation of construction professionals who are committed to building something better for Aotearoa.

Interested in applying for a CGF scholarship?