News & insights

News and insights from ACE New Zealand. 

 

An authentically inclusive workspace promotes and celebrates all forms of diversity – with David McDonald

David McDonald is a project manager with the water team at Stantec in Wellington. He's also a member of the Asia Pacific Inclusion and Diversity Council and co-coordinates their office..... Continue Reading

Auckland City Centre project wins major sustainability award

The Access for Everyone (A4E) project received a sustainability award at the 55th ACE Awards held in Auckland on 25 November 2020. .. Continue Reading

Major award for Canterbury flood protection project

The Waimakariri Flood Protection project has claimed GOLD at the 55th ACE Awards held in Auckland on 25 November 2020... Continue Reading

A further accolade for the Nelson Airport Terminal

The highly acclaimed Nelson Airport Terminal has been awarded GOLD at the 55th ACE Awards held in Auckland on 25 November 2020. .. Continue Reading

Nelson Airport building project wins major sustainability award

The Nelson Airport Terminal project received a sustainability award at the 55th ACE Awards held in Auckland on 25 November 2020. .. Continue Reading

World-leading Kiwi space radar structure wins major award

The world-leading LeoLabs Kiwi Space radar structure in Naseby, Central Otago has picked up GOLD at the 55th ACE Awards held in Auckland on 25 November 2020. .. Continue Reading

Many of us seem good at hiding our pain – with journalist, Jehan Casinader

Jehan Casinader harboured a secret during his celebrated TV career. He was struggling with depression. In his new book, "This Is Not How It Ends", he explains how he found a way through...... Continue Reading

People have different passions and desires, and we must learn to accept these differences – with Sulo Shanmuganathan

Sulo Shanmuganathan is a structural engineer and Technical Director at Holmes Consulting. We caught up with her to find out what drove her to choose engineering as a career and how..... Continue Reading

We have to build more diverse role models – with Emily Afoa

Emily Afoa (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) is an environmental engineer who became a partner at Tektus Consultants Limited in 2018. We talked to Emily about her career and her experience being a Māori woman in the sector... Continue Reading

There's no point in turning up with a hammer looking for a nail when a client wants to bake a cake – with Steve Abley

Steve Abley is the founding director of Abley, a firm who designs, develops and implements transportation plans and infrastructure. We caught up with him to discuss how technology has always played a big..... Continue Reading

Our building code allows us to build unhealthy houses, legally - with Katheren Leitner

Katheren Leitner is the CE of Asthma New Zealand. The standard of homes is a subject that's close to her heart as nearly 600,000 people in New Zealand use asthma..... Continue Reading

New Zealand is an innovative country when it comes to health and safety – with Daniel Hummerdal

Daniel Hummerdal is WorkSafe New Zealand’s Chief Advisor Health and Safety Innovation. He has vast experience in the development of new approaches to improving health and safety performance in a work environment. We caught..... Continue Reading

COVID-19 was a 'real-life trial' of what it's like to work from home - with Matt Harris

Matt Harris is the Associate Principal – South Island Business Manager for Babbage Consultants based in Christchurch. He is also the ACE Regional Chair for Otago and Southland and a Board member of Engineering..... Continue Reading

The product often hidden - with Sheet Pile New Zealand director, David Broad

As consultants and engineers, you'll probably know that sheet piling was used in the City Rail Link project in Auckland to line a vertical hole for the boring machine to..... Continue Reading

Returning to the workforce after parental leave – with Rebekah Fraser

Returning to work after taking care of a baby is fraught with a range of emotions like feeling daunted, exhausted, overwhelmed and even excited. We spoke with Rebekah Fraser, founder..... Continue Reading

You can't sit back and wait for things to happen - with Maryam Razz

Maryam Razz moved to New Zealand from Iran seven years ago after feeling curious about other cultures and wanting to live somewhere different. She now works for Pedersen Read in Christchurch..... Continue Reading

Client Choice Awards are a chance to convert clients from critical to being a fan

Dr George Beaton is the Executive Chairman of Beaton Research + Consulting (beaton) with offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Sydney. The company organises and presents the annual Client Choice Awards, which attract entries..... Continue Reading

Mental health in the consulting & engineering industry - with Calibre's Bruce Vincent

The John Kirwan Foundation provides young people with the skills and knowledge to recognise and respond to mental health issues. By supporting school-aged children, they're building a more resilient workforce for the future. It..... Continue Reading

We can't go on doing things in the same manner that we always have and expect the result to be different - with Adrienne Miller

Adrienne Miller is the New Zealand General Manager for Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). We caught up with her to discuss ISCA’s work and sustainability in our sector. .. Continue Reading

Construction industry's high suicide rate

This Mental Health Awareness Week, we spoke with Victoria McArthur, CEO of Mates in Construction about the high suicide rates amongst construction workers in Aotearoa and how the suicide prevention programme is..... Continue Reading

Without fear, there can be no courage - with Tony Matthews

Tony Matthews lives life to the fullest. A successful project manager for AECOM, an aspiring triathlete, football player and father of three, Tony was recently diagnosed with type 2 bipolar...... Continue Reading

Become an ACE New Zealand Regional Chair

Do you want to develop your leadership skills? Do you want to get exposure to upper and senior management?  .. Continue Reading

Health and safety needs to be a constant focus of the conversation - with Francois Barton

Francois Barton is the Executive Director of the Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum. We spoke to Francois about the Forum and how health and safety leadership is impacting the..... Continue Reading

Kathryn Musgrave - dealing with burnout

Kathryn Musgrave was moving positively along her engineering pathway until she realised something wasn't right. She had become mentally exhausted and wasn't functioning in her usual manner. Kathryn talked to us about how she suffered burnout and the..... Continue Reading

The unconventional engineer – with Chad Williams

Chad Williams didn't embark on a career in engineering the conventional way. He started on the tools and proved he's a natural leader and engineer. Find out more about Chad's..... Continue Reading

Calling all Auckland young professionals

We're looking for someone to join the ACE New Zealand Auckland Young Professional Committee. Could this be you? .. Continue Reading

10 Māori words every consultant or engineer should know

Troy Brockbank (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) is a Kaitohutohu Matua Taiao/Senior Environmental Consultant with WSP. We caught up with him during Māori Language Week to learn how easy it is to incorporate Te Reo into our working life. .. Continue Reading

Transparency and certainty needed to close $75B infrastructure deficit

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to one of the biggest economic shocks in modern history. Our government is unleashing massive fiscal stimulus to soften the blow, which will lead to..... Continue Reading

My digital transformation job didn't exist five years ago - with Rekha Kharbanda

Rekha Kharbanda is Digital Transformation Leader at Tonkin + Taylor. She has a background in software development and a broad understanding of digital, innovation, transformation and technology. We caught up..... Continue Reading

Being a regional chair exposes you to commercial activity outside of your 9-5 role – with Hugo Bosman

Self-professed cycling fanatic, Hugo Bosman, uses and designs cycling and walking tracks all over Aotearoa. A civil engineer and project manager, Hugo talked to us about his new gig at..... Continue Reading

What lays beneath Commercial Bay – with Chris Mackenzie

The new 39-storey Commercial Bay development in downtown Auckland opened to the public in June 2020. It includes a 39,000-square-metre office tower and 18,000 sqm of retail space. We caught up with..... Continue Reading

Designers have to step up when it comes to warmer, drier and healthier homes – with Peter Raimondo

Peter Raimondo is a senior Building Enclosure Engineer and podcaster at Oculus Architectural Engineering. We caught up with him to discuss his passion for developing warm, dry, and healthy buildings. .. Continue Reading

Working with iwi – with John Blyth

John Blyth is the Māori  Business Advisory Lead for Beca, helping them to take the next steps in building iwi relationships and collaboration. We spoke to John about his role and how..... Continue Reading

Farewell to Harold White (ACENZ Director 1982 – 1993)

Harold White passed away at Sprott House on August 31st 2020, aged 91... Continue Reading

ACE New Zealand has a role to play across the full range of challenges - with Ian Fraser

Ian Fraser is the Executive General Manager - Asia Pacific for GHD and was recently elected President of ACE New Zealand. He gave us his thoughts on how he would..... Continue Reading

A love of Lego led Alice to engineering – with Alice Ying

Hanyu (Alice) Ying is one of three 2020 ACE New Zealand Student Award recipients. Alice sat down and talked to us about her love of Lego, Denmark and Geotechnical Engineering.  .. Continue Reading

University can only prepare you for so much - with Githmi Amarasekera

Civil engineering student Githmi Amarasekera is a 2020 ACE New Zealand Student Award winner. We caught up with her to see how her study and career is progressing and why she chose to work as..... Continue Reading

Forensics in engineering - with Devina Shedde

Devina Shedde fell in love with art history and old monuments from a young age. So much so that she studied engineering and art history at the University of Auckland. Devina is one of our 2020..... Continue Reading

Student Awards 2020 finalists announced

The AECOM Student Award winners for 2020 have been decided. The award recognises engineering students who've completed a practical work requirement with an ACE New Zealand member firm and submit an outstanding Practical Work..... Continue Reading

We've launched our new website

We're proud to announce that our new website is now live and features a modern design, improved functionality and easy to access information to help you with your consulting and engineering..... Continue Reading

Deltek Clarity Report findings - with Megan Miller

Megan Miller is the Senior Product Manager for Deltek – a global provider of software and solutions for project-based business. We caught up with her to delve into the background and results of..... Continue Reading

COVID Alert Levels 2 and 3 – What they mean for consulting and engineering businesses

Businesses should be complying with the relevant restrictions as Auckland continues life under COVID Alert Level 3 and the rest of the country is at Alert Level 2 until at..... Continue Reading

Smart Seeds empowers emerging leaders

Luke Krieg is Digital Innovation Manager at GHD and also oversees the operation of the Smart Seeds innovation programme. We caught up with him to find out how the programme is empowering emerging leaders. .. Continue Reading

The prime minister's approach as we recover from COVID-19

ACE New Zealand's Finance Manager, Janet Ziegler, shares her outtake of the Prime Minister's speech on the government's approach as we recover from COVID-19. .. Continue Reading

How to win government work – with George Hulbert

George Hulbert is a director of The Clarity Business. We talked to him about why businesses should place a greater focus on improving your procurement outcomes. .. Continue Reading

Taking a research and evidence-based approach – The Helen Clark Foundation, with Ian Blair

The Helen Clark Foundation is an independent, non-partisan think tank taking an evidence-based approach to stimulate public policy debate and action on issues facing our society. WSP New Zealand is..... Continue Reading

Artificial intelligence in engineering – with Matt Ensor

Matt Ensor is Beca's Business Director for Beca.ai engagement, a service that uses the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in public consultation and engagement. Matt talks about what this product..... Continue Reading

Australia versus New Zealand - with Kiri Parr

Kiri Parr is the immediate past president of Consult Australia, the founder and owner of her Kiri Parr Pty Ltd in Brisbane and is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne..... Continue Reading

We are all the same people trying to do the best we can – coming out, with Frank MacDonald

Frank MacDonald is the Workgroup Manager-Occupational Hygiene for WSP New Zealand. Recently he realised that being someone different (but still the same as everyone else) was causing him anxiety and fear at..... Continue Reading

Develop a more sustainable business - DETA Carbon Roadmap to 2050

One of the most pressing concerns for businesses is sustainability and how it fits into their current operations. Companies all around the world are seeking opportunities that will allow them..... Continue Reading

Emerging Leader Award 2020 finalists announced

We've selected our three finalists for the 2020 Emerging Leader Award... Continue Reading

The new normal - with Ceinwen McNeil

CEO of BVT Engineering, Ceinwen McNeil, looks at how the business is changing post COVID-19. .. Continue Reading

There's real power in the collective voice - with Susan Freeman-Greene

In the five years that Susan Freeman-Greene has been Chief Executive of Engineering New Zealand, a lot has changed. She has seen real value in the collective voice when organisations pull together for the betterment..... Continue Reading

It's time for change - with Sina Cotter Tait

Director of Collective Success in Christchurch, Sina Cotter Tait would like to see more equity in our sector for Maori and Pasifika. When she's not championing diversity, she's studying for her PhD and sitting on several boards...... Continue Reading

Cities need to change to cater for people with disabilities - with Bridget Burdett

Chartered engineer and researcher with MRCagney, Bridget Burdett is a leading thinker in inclusiveness and human-centred planning in transport. We caught up with her to talk about inclusiveness in the workplace and how..... Continue Reading

Building your personal brand

Ben Paul helps professionals create and grow their personal brand. He says who you are, what you do and what you stand for is essential for any successful consultant. We sat..... Continue Reading

We must ensure we're inclusive during the decision-making process - with Troy Brockbank

Troy Brockbank (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) is a Kaitohutohu Matua Taiao / Senior Environmental Consultant with WSP. We caught up with him to get his views on diversity and inclusion in the consulting sector. .. Continue Reading

Headscarves and hard hats - with structural engineer Atiqa Rashid

New Zealand welcomed Atiqa Rashid with 'open hands' when she and her family moved from Pakistan five years ago. As the first female civil engineer in the 61-year history of Pakistan Railways,..... Continue Reading

We need to continue to be vigilant with health and safety on the worksite post COVID-19

CHASNZ GM of Health and Safety Innovation, Jon Harper-Slade says we must continue to be vigilant in adhering to health and safety on the worksite. We can't only focus on COVID-19. .. Continue Reading

Encouragement is vital for women working in the engineering and consulting sector says Ida Dowling

When Ida Dowling was elected President of ACE New Zealand, she became the first woman to hold the position. We caught up with her to find out what makes her tick and..... Continue Reading

Flexi-time makes staff more engaged, more motivated and have ownership of their role at Harrison Grierson - with Glen Cornelius

Staff at engineering and design consultancy Harrison Grierson are encouraged to negotiate their working arrangements with management. We caught up with Managing Director Glen Cornelius to see how the system..... Continue Reading

Who is the ACE New Zealand Board?

Our Board provides governance for ACE New Zealand as well as monitoring our performance. They also set our strategic direction, and importantly, protect the integrity of the organisation by ensuring..... Continue Reading

We're proposing changes to the way we appoint our board - here's why

Based on member feedback, ACE New Zealand has been placing a strong focus on ensuring greater transparency around the nomination and election process for our Board. .. Continue Reading

Director at 28 years old after showing an interest in the business of engineering – with Marlo Bromley

Marlo Bromley became the director of DTCE Structural Engineering at the age of 28 after showing an interest in the business side of engineering.  .. Continue Reading

The effect of COVID-19 on HEB Construction with CEO Derrick Adams

Derrick Adams became the CEO of HEB Construction in 2007. We got his take on how COVID-19 has affected the construction industry and how things are likely to change as..... Continue Reading

3D Visualisation helps communities, clients and the consultant with Callum Smith

Callum Smith is a Geospatial and Digital Delivery Consultant with Aurecon. We caught up with him to look at his work in the digital and geospatial area, and how he..... Continue Reading

Design our cities for all with Emma McInnes

Emma McInnes is an Urban Designer at Resilio Studio and co-founder of Women in Urbanism Aotearoa. We spoke to her about what we can do to improve the design of our streets..... Continue Reading

Professional Indemnity Insurance - Market Challenges

We've worked with CEAS to develop a report on the professional indemnity (PI) insurance market, the challenges ahead and the things we must urgently address to ensure that PI insurance..... Continue Reading

Looking after your mental health as we return to work after the COVID-19 lockdown

COVID-19 is having a significant impact on how we interact with others and how we go about our lives and work. A combination of stress and uncertainty can have a..... Continue Reading

COVID-19 Alert Level 2 - returning to work and the office

Aotearoa will move to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 at 11.59 pm on Wednesday 13 May... Continue Reading

COVID-19 has created temporary urbanism on New Zealand streets - with Ellie Craft

Ellie Craft is a keen cyclist, which is fortunate as she designs cycleways for a living at MRCagney - amongst other things! We caught up with Ellie to find out which Auckland..... Continue Reading

What COVID-19 Alert Level 2 means for you

On Monday 11 May, the Prime Minister will announce when Aotearoa moves to Alert Level 2. Until then, we remain in Alert Level 3 and must comply with all relevant..... Continue Reading

Protecting your data with Paul Ramsbottom

Data breaches cause a massive impact on businesses. We caught up with Paul Ramsbottom, the Managing Director of Advanced Solutions International (Asia Pacific) in Melbourne to find out how companies..... Continue Reading

16 April e-News

Our economy is already struggling under COVID-19. So, it's a massive concern to me that some local government entities are taking an austerity-based approach, by slashing projects and spending.  ..... Continue Reading

What makes the ACE Awards different - with the convenor of judges David Bridges

The ACE Awards are one of our most important events of the year. We spoke to the convenor of judges, David Bridges, as he begins the awards deliberation process. .. Continue Reading

Don't be afraid. Take the first step of a thousand miles and embrace it - with Quin Henderson

Tūranga is the five-storey central library located in the heart of Christchurch's Cathedral Square and is now the most important public library in the South Island. The project was the..... Continue Reading

Returning to work with COVID-19 level 3 protocols

Many businesses in our sector have been able to return to work this week after the government lowered the COVID-19 Alert Level from four to three. However, returning to the..... Continue Reading

30 April e-News

In April we surveyed ACE New Zealand members to understand: the immediate impacts of COVID-19, what is driving these impacts, as well as member attitudes regarding the future of our..... Continue Reading

COVID-19 Alert Level 3: What travel is permitted

One of the consistent questions I have been getting is what travel is and isn’t allowed under Alert Level 3... Continue Reading

Monday to Friday, 8 - 5 doesn't get the best out of employees with Tony Harrison

Urban Connection Director Tony Harrison joined us to look at how a good work-life balance for staff and managers contributes to improved business outcomes. .. Continue Reading

How to return to work in the construction industry during COVID-19 with Jon Harper-Slade

We caught up with Jon Harper-Slade, GM Health and Safety Innovation for CHASNZ to look at the implications of the new COVID-19 protocols on the construction industry... Continue Reading

COVID-19 Alert Level 3 - what it means for consulting and engineering businesses

We now know the exact date that we will reduce to COVID-19 Alert Level 3... Continue Reading

An online quiz led Mathew Waghorn to engineering

ACE New Zealand 2018 Student Award winner Mathew Waghorn talks to us about the benefits of winning the award and what life's like as a recent engineering graduate. .. Continue Reading

Raye Powell believes we now have a more sophisticated understanding of the value of women in engineering

Waitangi Wharf on the Chatham Islands was near the end of its structural life and required a significant redevelopment. Raye Powell was part of the team which constructed a 163m..... Continue Reading

Fast track: a year’s worth of digital change in three months with Andrew Maher

We caught up with Aurecon's Chief Digital Officer, Andrew Maher about how COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation at an alarming pace. .. Continue Reading

Two key components for a new way of doing business - people and work, with Andrew Read

Many businesses are currently defining what "business as usual" means as New Zealand battles with COVID-19. Christchurch-based electrical engineering firm Pedersen Read director Andrew Read shares the lessons he learned..... Continue Reading

Making the best out of working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown - with Kathryn Jackson

Kathryn Jackson supported businesses as they returned to 'normal' after the Christchurch quakes. A performance coach at Careerbalance and author, Kathryn says, like the quakes, the COVID-19 lockdown means almost..... Continue Reading

Covid-19 wage subsides for businesses

Since moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 4 in Aotearoa, the government has changed the way employers apply for a wage subsidy. .. Continue Reading

Miguel Montalla loves engineering's unsolvable problems

We sat down and talked to recent graduate and 2018 Student Award winner Miguel Montalla about his new career at Beca. .. Continue Reading

University can’t teach you everything – with recent graduate Sheryl Wong

ACE New Zealand 2018 Student Award winner Sheryl Wong discusses her leap from university to the professional industry and what it meant to win the Student Award.  .. Continue Reading

2 April e-News

It is an unprecedented time for the construction and infrastructure sectors in Aotearoa. There's already much talk of construction and infrastructure playing a pivotal role in our economic recovery. .. Continue Reading

It’s physical distancing, not social isolation

While we move into the reality of the COVID-19 lockdown, we are hearing more stories about how social isolation is becoming a real burden for some teams... Continue Reading

Caring for your staff in times of stress

The longer the Covid-19 lockdown continues, the more critical staff care will become... Continue Reading

Chris Maguire takes nothing for granted

We caught up with Chris Maguire, winner of the Emerging Leader Award at the 2019 ACE Awards. At the time of winning the award, Chris was Stantec’s South Island Group..... Continue Reading

Strategic Masterclass with Alicia McKay

Eloise Angus is our Digital Communications Specialist at ACE New Zealand. She attended the one-day Strategic Leaders Masterclass with Alicia McKay. .. Continue Reading

Tips for managing a remote team

The way we manage a remote work team has never been so important as now as Aotearoa works through the early stages of Covid-19 lockdown... Continue Reading

26 March e-News

Last week the Government announced the COVID-19 Leave Payment Scheme and Wage Subsidy Scheme to support people who should self-isolate but might be deterred because of financial reasons.  .. Continue Reading

19 March e-News

On Tuesday the Government unveiled a $12.1 billion support package for the New Zealand economy, with almost half of the cash to be spent on a wage subsidy package for..... Continue Reading

How ACE New Zealand is preparing for Covid-19

It’s a time of considerable uncertainty. No one knows what the best way to respond is, but undoubtedly we must take this seriously. So, with that in mind, I am..... Continue Reading

Covid-19 for your workplace

Now that we're in Alert Level 1, the construction industry has published a revised standard and protocols for ongoing operations. View the Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) standard and protocols..... Continue Reading

12 March e-News

Covid-19 is still a topic of much discussion, with cases and deaths rising worldwide. In times like this, it’s easy to panic. With that in mind, I’d recommend following articles..... Continue Reading

5 March e-News

The focus, both locally and globally on Covid-19 (AKA Coronavirus) has ramped up over the last week, particularly with the announcement of New Zealand's first confirmed case. In short, it's..... Continue Reading

27 February e-News

We are excited about the ACE New Zealand conference later this year. Here are a few of the details so you can diary the date: Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5..... Continue Reading

20 February e-News

Today, together with Engineering New Zealand and Te Kāhui Waihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, we launched the Diversity Agenda Accord at parliament. Thanks to Minister Julie Anne Genter for..... Continue Reading

13 February 2020 eNews

Diversity Agenda member Aurecon has launched an industry-first with their new parental leave scheme, Shared Care. The scheme provides financial incentives to support secondary carers who play a more active..... Continue Reading

7 February e-News

How much do we need to fill the infrastructure deficit? The Government’s infrastructure investment occupied the headlines last week. It has been billed the single most significant capital expenditure on..... Continue Reading

30 January 2020 e-News

Construction Sector Transformation Plan launched The Government has announced a new action plan to help lift the workforce and productivity to build houses, schools, roads, rail and hospitals throughout the..... Continue Reading

We've rebranded

Exciting news. Just as people and companies evolve, so do brands. We’ve grown ours over many years and we’re now taking a bold step forward with a new name. The Association..... Continue Reading

The Construction Sector Accord requires total commitment

This blog post is written by Paul Evans, ACENZ Chief Executive The Construction Sector Accord was launched earlier this year to transform the industry. The shared initiative between the government..... Continue Reading

Document Automation Pilot for Short Form Agreement

ACE New Zealand, Engineering New Zealand and LawHawk are working together to test automation of our common industry documents, such as the Short Form Agreement (SFA). Early indications are that..... Continue Reading

Heritage EQUIP announcement

Heritage EQUIP is a nationwide programme that provides funding and advice to the private owners of heritage buildings that require earthquake strengthening, and, as you may already know, the Government..... Continue Reading

Construction Directory open to new entrants

The Construction Directory is the Ministry of Education’s national panel of 100 pre-qualified main construction contractors for capital works projects over $500,000. The Directory was originally released to the market in mid..... Continue Reading

Temporary Works Procedural Control: Good Practice Guideline (GPG)

The newly established Temporary Works forum (TWf) have developed the following draft guidance document to the New Zealand Construction Industry, providing a consensus view on how to execute good procedural..... Continue Reading

ACE New Zealand elects first female president

ACE New Zealand has appointed Ida Dowling as its first female President at its Annual General Meeting in Hamilton on Friday 3 August. Ms Dowling replaces outgoing President Mike Kerr... Continue Reading