From Test Matches to Technical Briefs

When Hamish Rutherford walked away from a 16-year international cricket career, he left behind stadiums and scoreboards for a new world defined by strategy, structure and steel.

Today, as part of RCP’s project management team on the Dunedin Hospital redevelopment, Hamish brings a rare mix of elite performance experience and grounded humility that’s helping shape New Zealand’s built environment.

His entry into the profession wasn’t conventional. A few years ago, Hamish began a loosely structured internship with RCP; three days a week at first, testing the waters while still contemplating a return to the game. But the decision to retire from cricket came swiftly, spurred by both the toll on his body and a realisation: it was time for something new.

“I knew I was done. And the beauty of the internship was that it let me quietly walk into a world where no one cared about cricket. That was actually humbling; and exactly what I needed,” he says.

Adjusting from the intensity of top-tier sport to the pace of large-scale infrastructure wasn’t easy. “In sport, your feedback loop is hourly. You’re performing constantly, under lights, under scrutiny. Here, it’s slower. You’re a passenger at first, not the driver. But I’ve come to appreciate that too.”

At RCP, Hamish quickly found that the so-called “soft skills” he had developed in sport; resilience, strategic thinking, public accountability, and dealing with high-stakes teams; were his most powerful tools. Whether engaging with contractors or sitting across from senior consultants, Hamish brings a natural confidence and clarity that only years of high-performance competition can instill.

His ability to communicate under pressure was further sharpened during his time as a live commentator for TVNZ’s coverage of the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 cricket competition. Articulating the nuances of the game to a broad audience; many watching cricket for the first time; required clarity, adaptability, and a deep understanding of both the sport and the viewer. Whether interviewing players live on air or responding to producers mid-broadcast, Hamish developed a calm, responsive style that now serves him well in high-stakes project environments.