Engineering Talent On Display At AWF Auckland Branch Awards

The biennial awards for the Auckland Branch of Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau took place last Thursday 23 May at the prestigious Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, celebrating the remarkable achievements of Auckland’s local engineers.

The event showcased an array of entries reflecting the high calibre of engineering talent in Auckland. The judges and selection panels faced intense deliberations, often finding the difference between winning and highly commended entries to be a matter of minor details.

“It was great to celebrate the environmental and social impacts of these projects, as well as acknowledge some of the best talent in our profession here in Auckland,” said Auckland Branch Chair Dave Brierley. “We’re proud of Auckland’s engineering community. The number and remarkable quality of entries is testament to their efforts in tackling challenging problems.”

The following awards were presented on the night:

Outstanding Emerging Professional Award sponsored by Grada Recruitment

This award honours an engineer who has shown exceptional leadership qualities, career excellence, and community contribution. The winner, Vensel Margraff from Auckland University, impressed the judges with his dedication to community service and technical growth in disaster management.

Highly Commended: Libby Porter, Henry Rowden

Luminary Award sponsored by Fulton Hogan

The Luminary Award recognises a Branch member who significantly contributes to the community and the profession, serving as a leader and inspiration among peers. Recipient Geoffrey Farquhar was honoured for his extensive mentorship and contributions to the wider engineering community.

Highly Commended: Arthur Amputch, Sam Best

GT Murray Award sponsored by Humes

This competition among the five Auckland universities awards the best student presentation on an engineering research or design project. Dylan Maurice from UNITEC captivated the judges with his innovative design of a micro hydro turbine generator for a self-sufficient leak detection system for water pipes.

Runner-up: Michelle Delves

Arthur Mead Awards sponsored by AWF

The Arthur Mead Awards acknowledge significant contributions to environmental sustainability and improvement involving Members of the Engineering New Zealand Auckland Branch.

Project Less than $10M: The award was given to Fulton Hogan and Auckland Transport for the SH16 Speed Table project. This innovative project used a modular precast design to overcome traditional construction constraints, completing installation overnight and minimising carbon emissions, safety hazards, and waste.

Highly Commended: GHD – Campbells Bay School

Project Greater than $10M: The winner, Link Alliance with North Auckland Line CRL Works, demonstrated outstanding excellence in design and construction. The project was noted for its safety in design and community engagement.

Highly Commended: Aecom – Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai – HomeGround, Jacobs – Auckland Zoo

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Engineering New Zealand is New Zealand's professional body for engineers, with some 22,000 members. We represent – and regulate – our members. We also act as the Registration Authority for Chartered Professional Engineers.

The Auckland Branch is one of 17 branches throughout New Zealand and one in the UK. Run by volunteers, the branches help connect members at a local level, across all disciplines and career stages. Branches also hold events, from networking to site visits and technical talks.

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