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 in Auckland, to constructing multiple high spec Architectural Homes in Christchurch.

Jay holds a Masters in Building Science with Merit from Victoria University of Wellington, is a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP AoP1), member of NZ Certified Builders, and was the 2014 NZIOB Helen Tippett Supreme Award recipient for his thesis on 4D BIM and Augmented Reality in Construction Management. As a Carpenter he has worked as part of the team constructing The Peep House, winner of the Resene Canterbury Regional Award for a New Build home.