Jay Vaai is the founder and Managing Director of Vaai Ltd, a Wellington design-build practice operating at the intersection of construction and digital delivery.

Born in Samoa and based in New Zealand since 17, Jay has spent 15 years working across the full construction lifecycle; from Carpentry Apprentice through to Qualified Builder, to Site Engineer and Engineering Manager on some of NZ's most complex civil and commercial projects, as well as building multiple high spec Architectural Homes.

Jay holds a Masters in Building Science with Merit from Victoria University of Wellington, is a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP AoP1), and is the 2014 NZIOB Helen Tippett Supreme Award recipient for his thesis on 4D BIM and Augmented Reality in Construction Management. As a builder he contributed to The Peep House, winner of the Canterbury Regional Award for a New Build home.

His focus now is simple: if it's drawn, it has to be buildable. Vaai Ltd exists to close the gap between design and construction, delivering smarter and more meaningful outcomes for contractors, developers, and homeowners.