In 1927, Ivan Lavas arrived in New Zealand, from Korcula Island on the Dalmation Coast, and established Auckland Stonemasons Limited. With him he brought generations of stonemasonry experience and knowledge from the Adriatic. Now the third generation of the New Zealand family continues the tradition, upholding the best of the stonemason's tradition from early Europe.

From Auckland's Tamaki Drive sea walls built in the late 1920s, to Mount Cook's Hermitage, to many residential and commercial walls, stone pillars, fireplaces, monuments and buildings throughout New Zealand, the craftsmanship and quality of Auckland Stonemasons’ work is unsurpassed.