AFR names Aurecon one of Australia and New Zealand’s best places to work
Aurecon wins AFR's 'Integrating' award, recognised as one of ANZ's best places to work for its culture, The Aurecon Way, and initiatives to help employees thrive.
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Asia Pacific design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon has been recognised for both technical and individual eminence at the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand’s (ACE NZ) annual awards.
The awards celebrate consulting excellence by recognising the top consultants working in the built and natural environment and the exceptional work being undertaken both here and overseas. They highlight consultants going above and beyond business as usual to deliver projects and initiatives.
This year, Aurecon received four awards at the gala dinner event – Gold, Silver, Merit and the Sustainability Award. Sam Mackay was named Emerging Leader, while Erica Jeon was named a finalist in the Diversity & Inclusion category.
Aurecon New Zealand Chief Executive, Tracey Ryan, says, “The awards were strong recognition of both Aurecon’s project teams and emerging leaders.”
“Sam is an inspiring young leader who is leading one of the key practice areas in our Aotearoa New Zealand transport team, as well as delivering ground engineering solutions on some of New Zealand’s largest and most complex infrastructure projects. Erica is leading a range of initiatives to increase participation of women in infrastructure and championing a more inclusive industry, both within Aurecon and our broader sector. I am extremely proud of these rising stars.
“It’s also exciting to see a real growth area of Aurecon’s business – our energy and manufacturing teams – being recognised. Together with our clients, these teams are at the forefront of the industrial decarbonisation process that is so crucial to New Zealand's future. We speak a lot around how to make our core infrastructure last the distance: the Temporary Decant Ward and the two boiler decarbonisation projects are true examples of resilient, future-proof assets,” Ryan continued.
Sam MacKay is Aurecon’s Ground and Underground Engineering Practice Leader in New Zealand and was awarded the Emerging Leader Award. She is passionate about advocating for, and engaging with, emerging professionals as well as cultivating inclusive teams.
ACE NZ award judges highlighted Sam’s leadership impact including her significant investment in face to face time and relationship development with her team as one of the key factors to her excellence.
"I am incredibly honoured to have received the award and am so grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented and inspiring ground engineering team who continue to push the boundaries in ground risk management and design,” MacKay said.
The 2024 Sustainability Award was jointly won by Mataura Valley Milk (MVM), Aurecon and Thermal Chemistry for Project Recharge. Aurecon was also awarded Gold for their excellence in delivering services to client MVM on this project.
Aurecon supported MVM to achieve a New Zealand innovation; the installation of a fully grid-integrated High-Pressure Electrode Boiler, the largest (20 MW) and first high pressure (45 bar g) electric boiler in Australasia. MVM is the first dairy site in New Zealand that has 100 per cent of its steam supplied from a boiler running on green electricity.
The two awards reflected a number of key aspects for this market-leading project. The Sustainability Award recognised a collective commitment by the combined team to a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system for a low-emissions economy. The Gold Award recognised Aurecon for its excellence in identifying and de-risking the application of the technology, the development of the business case and the delivery of client-side project management and governance support during construction and commissioning.
Replacing core infrastructure within a working facility is challenging at the best of times, even more so when that facility is one of New Zealand’s largest public hospitals, the Capital & Coast District Health Board’s Wellington Hospital.
Aurecon and project partner, Kensway Consultants, were challenged to deliver a solution for temporary ward accommodation during a large-scale refurbishment project underway at the hospital. The combined project team took a collaborative approach, designing a pre-fabricated ward which was then craned in to be installed on the top of an existing four-storey building, right in the heart of Newtown, central Wellington. Aurecon was recognised for its innovative problem solving, collaboration and engagement with stakeholders and regulators, and its 'make it happen' approach.
Fonterra initiated the Waitoa Biomass Boiler Project as part of its journey of decarbonisation, with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050, a 50 per cent reduction in absolute emissions by 2030, and to cease coal use by 2037. Included was the construction of a new 30 MW bubbling fluid bed biomass boiler at Fonterra’s Waitoa site, which replaced an existing coal boiler and reduced emissions by 48,000 tonnes of CO2e per annum.
The project required delivery within a tight timeframe. Aurecon's Manufacturing team took on the role of technical consultant and project manager, including technical teams in the geotechnical, and civil design of the new plant along with the mechanical, electrical, and structural design to integrate the Windsor Energy turn-key boiler scope into existing site infrastructure.
ACE NZ recognised Aurecon for its innovative design and construction methodology, as well as excellence in project delivery and collaboration.
Erica Jeon is a Chartered Civil Engineer and was made a finalist in the Diversity and Inclusion Award category. She is a strong champion for diversity, equity and inclusion both at Aurecon and in the wider infrastructure sector.
Alongside her day to day role delivering major transportation projects, she has led initiatives to implement gender diversity strategies as the Gender Diversity Lead, and founded Te Rōpū Wāhine o Aurecon, Aurecon’s women’s network. She advocates for a greater representation of women in the wider STEM and infrastructure sectors through her involvement with industry networks such as Women's Infrastructure Network, universities and the wider community.
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Aurecon wins AFR's 'Integrating' award, recognised as one of ANZ's best places to work for its culture, The Aurecon Way, and initiatives to help employees thrive.
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Four Aurecon leaders honoured as Engineering New Zealand Fellows for their outstanding leadership and impact on major infrastructure projects.
