14 August 2018 - The Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand (ACENZ) Innovate Awards gala dinner on Friday, 3 August was an especially proud occasion for Aurecon. The prestigious ACENZ President’s Award went to the company’s Legal Manager New Zealand, Tristan Meo. In addition, Aurecon was the recipient of two Silver Awards of Excellence project awards.

The President's Award is the only award that cannot be nominated by members of the Association: the recipient is an individual which the current ACENZ President chooses, with the endorsement of the ACENZ board. The Award recognises outstanding service to the Association and the consulting industry at large.

“Tristan’s contribution to ACENZ has enabled the Association to move forward with sound guidance on a number of critical industry issues, and he continues to give invaluable service to the mission, vision, and goals of the Association,” said Mike Kerr, President of the ACENZ.

“He has been providing ACENZ with input that includes the review of the Conditions of Contract for Consultancy Services (CCCS). More recently, he has chaired the newly-formed Commercial Advisory Forum, an informal group of in-house solicitors. This team has already provided much-needed insight in a number of areas.”

Aurecon’s Regional Director, Carl Devereux, said “I was delighted to hear that Tristan was awarded the ACENZ President’s Award. What no one sees on a daily basis is the work that Tristan does behind the scenes for our business and the engineering consultancy industry. He is held in very high regard by everyone in the New Zealand industry and this award is fantastic recognition for all of his hard work,” continued Carl.

The two ACENZ Silver Awards of Excellence recognised Aurecon’s outstanding involvement in Auckland’s Western Ring Route Operational Integration project, and the Pita Te Hori District Energy Scheme (King Edwards Barracks) in Christchurch.

The Western Ring Route Operations Plan

The Western Ring Route is the largest and most complex infrastructure project the NZ Transport Agency has ever embarked upon. Aurecon was closely involved in a variety of roles culminating in being Owner’s Verifier to the Agency for delivery of the project.

Aurecon ensured all six component projects of the Western Ring Route were integrated with the Agency’s interfaces. One of the key projects was the Operations Plan. Aurecon was the first consultancy to manage this type of project for the Agency and soon became deeply embedded in all facets of the process. Developing the Operations Plan required an intense level of engagement and collaboration with stakeholders.

Proof of Aurecon’s success in this capacity was that all of its projects were delivered on time ensuring that the Operations Plan was ready for the opening of the Waterview Tunnel in July 2017 (the first stage of the Western Ring Route).

Pita Te Hori KEB District Energy Scheme

The Pita Te Hori KEB development was conceived as a mixed-use precinct that would set the benchmark for Christchurch as a future-ready city. Aurecon provided structural and mechanical engineering services, and proposed the idea of an innovative sustainable commercial District Energy Scheme (DES) in response to Ngai Tahu Property’s key value of Kaitiakitanga (stewardship) and Rangatiratanga (leadership).

The first of its kind in New Zealand, the DES was imagined and brought to life by Aurecon’s Building Services team as a high-quality, efficient and cost-effective centralised energy supply solution to replace traditional distributed building services systems for an entire city block. The DES utilises ground source artesian water to provide heating and cooling with much greater future flexibility, longevity and control/comfort than alternative lower capital cost systems, whilst significantly reducing operational costs.

“It has been an honour for our engineering teams to receive such highly-regarded recognition for their innovative solutions and skilled management of two more major projects,” said Carl.