Pera Te Amo will be remembered by those who knew him as an "irreplaceable" member of the country's construction industry.
He died after falling into a 3m-deep trench and being buried by collapsing soil on Saturday.
Emergency services were called to the scene in Papakura around 1pm and crews and on-site workers attempted to free him with shovels.
Te Amo was freed from the trench and taken to hospital in a critical condition but later died from his injuries.
The 45-year-old subcontractor made headlines in 2014 after he ripped up a supermarket car park in Christchurch because he had not been paid.
Te Amo and his crew destroyed the car park outside Countdown Ferrymead when the lead contractor, Watts and Hughes Construction, failed to pay for the work.
Following a lengthy court battle which concluded last year, the High Court at Wellington awarded him $306,077.23.
Matt Prescott, a worker in the construction industry, told the Herald Te Amo was an important cog in New Zealand's construction scene.
"Pera should be remembered by all NZ subcontractors as being irreplaceable to the civil/construction scene," he said.
Elsewhere, his loved ones have taken to social media to pay tribute to Te Amo, many thanking him for everything he had done.
"Yesterday I lost a brother suddenly to a workplace accident in Papakura," one person wrote on Facebook.
"Rest In Peace our bro, it's time to let someone else run the site, we will see you on the other side."
"Thank you Pera Te Amo for everything you've done for us... words can't explain how grateful we are!" another said.
"Taken too soon man! Rest In Peace homie much love."
Te Amo also teamed up with the Vodafone Warriors and the Tu Kaha Foundation which commissioned a state of the art mobile classroom.
Sitting on a 23-metre truck and trailer unit, the classroom is focused on taking its values programme to decile one schools with a specific focus on rural areas.
The 600hp Mack Super-Liner truck, branded with Warriors colours and logos, parked up at Mt Smart Stadium for a day game against Cronulla in 2017.
Te Amo believed education was key and the truck was used to deliver the message to children who needed to hear the message most.