Aotearoa New Zealand’s Top Engineering Consulting Talent Celebrated At Prestigious Awards Ceremony

New Zealand’s leading engineering consultants were celebrated at the 2023 ACE Awards Gala in Wellington last night, part of ACE New Zealand’s Futurespace conference.

An industry calendar highlight, the awards recognise the consulting excellence that underpins some of the country’s most impactful projects – from shared pathways that provide low-carbon transport options to restorations of culturally significant buildings and equipment repairs to ensure business continuity.

ACE Chief Executive Helen Davidson says the event is the pinnacle of achievement for the outstanding talent that exists within the country’s professional services consulting sector, especially at a time when these consultants are operating in a very complex environment.

“We’re living in extraordinary times. On the one hand, the government is investing in infrastructure to rebuild and revitalise the economy so there’s a lot of work in the pipeline, but on the other hand there’s also a massive skill shortage. It’s a real challenge for businesses to attract and retain the highly skilled people they need to deliver these vital projects.”

Davidson also cites this year’s severe weather events throughout the country and the industry’s technological advances as having a significant impact on the sector.

“There’s a drive to build back better, considering the ever-present challenge of climate change. Clients have growing expectations around social and environmental outcomes, as well as diversity and inclusion, and they are increasingly considering what a consultancy firm stands for. There are some immediate challenges as well as big picture issues to ensure an organisation can deliver for the future.

“Layer that with advances in technology like AI that are no longer on the horizon, they’re here – and firms are having to think carefully about how to incorporate them into the business.”

This year’s ACE Awards saw more than 20 entries evaluated and 14 awards presented across a range of categories, including Gold for exceptional consultancy service that sets a new industry standard, Silver for great consulting service that demonstrates great achievement and service to client, Merit for consulting service that exceeds expectations, and an Emerging Leader accolade.

Other special awards included a Client award which celebrates a client who’s made a noteworthy contribution to the outcome, and a Sustainability award for consulting services with outstanding sustainability elements.

The judging panel evaluated the submissions, conducted client interviews and toured project sites.

Davidson adds it is important now more than ever to celebrate the sector’s triumphs.

“If we want to attract and retain our best critical thinkers and ensure New Zealand is a world leader in designing sustainable futures for our communities, it’s vital that we celebrate and nurture our talent and everything this sector offers to Aotearoa and beyond.”

The 2023 ACE Awards recipients are:

GOLD Award winners

• Northern Corridor improvements – Design Services by Jacobs and WSP in alliance with Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction and Waka Kotahi NZ for Waka Kotahi

Transport improvements on Auckland’s North Shore saw a new Western Ring route connecting SH1 and SH18, and the extension of the Northern Busway that has created better access to public transport. Additionally, a shared path provides 10km of low carbon transport options for people on foot or bicycle.

• Press building and front-end automation by Aurecon for Constellation Brands NZ

A major expansion to Kim Crawford Winery’s processing capacity to meet international demand for its Sauvignon Blanc. The expansion, which was done between vintages, included reconstruction and automation to the winery’s operation, resulting in processing increasing from 30,000 tonnes to 40,000 tonnes per year.

This project also won the Client Award.

• St James Theatre and Ballet Building by Beca for Wellington City Council

Wellington’s iconic 1912 St James Theatre and Counties (Ballet) Building were sympathetically strengthened and upgraded, bringing one of the region’s most important arts venues back into use, and revitalising Wellington’s Courtenay Place arts and entertainment heart.

• Cathedral stabilisation by Holmes and Naylor Love for Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement

The Canterbury earthquakes of 2011 caused significant damage to the historic Cathedral. Stabilisation presented significant technical engineering, construction and health and safety challenges given the site constraints, biohazards, and the badly damaged structure. At the same time the work had to preserve the historical character and facilitate the Cathedral’s restoration phase.

• Te Mato Vai by GHD for the Cooks Islands Government

Te Mato Vai is a water management project that brings clean, treated water to Rarotonga and sets the foundation for the future development of its water infrastructure. GHD developed a concept for a treatment plant design focused on providing a robust, long life, simple technology solution, aligned with current capacity and capability. This project was part of a tripartite agreement involving the governments of the Cook Islands, NZ, and China.

• Lime Kiln failure and emergency repair by Index Engineering for Oji Fibre Solutions – Kinleith Mill

When a lime kiln suffered a catastrophic failure causing it to overheat, burn and collapse, an urgent repair was required. While overseas experts indicated it would take months to resolve, Index Engineering successfully completed the project in 3.5 weeks.

SILVER Award winners

• Kauri dieback mitigation in Northland's walking tracks by Frame Group for Northland Regional Council
  Phytophthora agathidicida (PA) is a fungus-type pathogen that damages a Kauri root system, reducing the tree’s ability to take water and nutrients from the soil and transport it throughout the plant. Frame Group developed the National Kauri Dieback Track Infrastructure guidelines, managed, and delivered track upgrades, and trained and upskilled communities for infrastructure maintenance and upgrading.

This project also won the Sustainability Award.

• Auckland Harbour Bridge emergency repairs by Beca for Waka Kotahi
  In 2020, a freak wind gust caused two trucks travelling on the bridge to topple, causing critical structural damage and reducing its capacity to carry the more than 177,000 vehicles that use the bridge daily. Beca repaired the damage quickly and accurately during limited night closures, delivering an elegant, structurally sound solution in just 18 days.
• Wellington network operational readiness for Transmission Gully opening by Aurecon for Waka Kotahi

As construction of Transmission Gully neared completion, it was essential to ensure that the transport network was ready for transition and the wider network integration. Aurecon helped prepare the stakeholders and transport network for this transition with the delivery of a suite of services including performance assessments and operational planning.

• Speeding up electrification – the transportable switchroom journey by Electronet for Transpower NZ

A predicted 70% growth in annual electrical energy demand from now until 2050 as part of achieving NZ’s goal of net zero carbon has seen a critical need to speed up project delivery. To accelerate vital projects, Electronet led a collaborative initiative with Transpower to develop a transportable modular switchroom that dramatically cuts site construction time.

MERIT Award winners

• Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre – Observatory Hotel by Holmes for The Arts Centre Trust

The Arts Centre’s F Block, which was structurally compromised during the 2010-2011 earthquakes, was restored to preserve the building’s heritage, strengthened, and repurposed to house the luxury hotel, bringing a vital revenue stream for the Arts Centre.

• Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai shared path – Section 2 by Stantec for Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport

A 7km long shared pedestrian and cycle path connecting Auckland’s eastern suburbs to the CBD. The path traverses challenging terrain including steep ground and ecologically sensitive areas, and the design pays respect to the heritage of the route.

EMERGING LEADER Award winner

• Victoria Mills, Associate Environmental Engineer and Water Team Leader at Beca in Tauranga.

Victoria has over nine years’ experience in three waters engineering, specialising in stormwater design. She is currently leading major deliverables in the stormwater design for Takitimu Northern Link, one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the Bay of Plenty. She also leads a team of 13 professionals in the local water team.

Victoria is an exceptional stormwater engineer, demonstrating strong technical ability and a holistic approach to understanding how communities and environments are affected by projects. She volunteers in the Cook Islands and was seconded to Waimakariri District Council after the region’s flood event. She is an advocate for the engineering industry and people and a role model for young engineers.

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