Hawke's Bay's Herbert Construction Company has been awarded a $150 million contract to build Fiji's first casino.
The project consists of a casino, a 480-room hotel, pools, a convention centre, landscaping and restaurants adorning the beachfront of Denarau, on the main island of Viti Levu.
The company is also tasked with fitting out the bars, furniture and joinery.
The complex is for One Hundred Sands Ltd, an American multi-millionaire owned company that was awarded an exclusive gaming licence by the Fijian Government late last year.
Work will start on June 1 and is expected to be completed by September 31, 2013.
Herbert Construction is based in Napier but has a subsidiary company that operates in Fiji.
Director Malcolm Herbert said his company was used to building hotels. They had built several other large hotel projects in Fiji but a casino would be new to them.
"We have been shortlisted for about the last four weeks and we were told on Tuesday we were the builders," he said. "We've never built a casino before but you always like a new challenge in life, don't you?"
He said he was thrilled the company had received the contract.
"We're delighted on winning the project, we've got the skills and the people already around to use to do that job. The staff are readily available to pick up because there hasn't been much work on there."
He expected the project would require about 400 people and there would be some New Zealand staff used, as well as Hawke's Bay suppliers. "This is one of the biggest hotels done in Fiji in the last 20 years."
Herbert Construction's subsidiary company in Fiji is well established. It recently completed a $25 million refurbishment of the Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort.