Soltice Morrison appointed to Maori Advisory Group Taumata Arowai
Aurecon's Soltice Morrison joins Te Puna to advise The Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai on Māori interests and knowledge in water services.
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Asia Pacific design, engineering and advisory company, Aurecon, is delighted that three of its leaders will help shape the future of Aotearoa New Zealand’s water sector with recently announced appointments by Water New Zealand to its Board and Special Interest Groups.
Soltice Morrison, Aurecon’s Pou Rautaki Māori – Māori Strategy Lead, has been appointed to the Water New Zealand Board. Water Industry Leader, Dr Deborah Lind will Chair the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Special Interest Group and David Romilly, Associate Engineer, will be part of the Wastewater Special Interest Group.
“Now is the time to be looking at the challenges the water sector is currently facing as opportunities,” says Deborah Lind, Industry Leader – Water.
“Yes, we will need to do more for less, however how do we embrace the upcoming Local Water Done Well legislation to seek better ways of doing things and therefore driving efficiencies and productivity. For that, we need to come together as a sector and that is where the Water New Zealand membership play a vital role for the future of water in Aotearoa New Zealand,” she continued.
As Aurecon’s Pou Rautaki Māori – Māori Strategy Lead, Soltice provides leadership to the integration of Te Ao Māori values and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships across design, engineering, and advisory projects at Aurecon. Her technical background as a Geologist, Contaminated Land Practitioner, and Environmental Research Scientist enables her to navigate both technical and cultural complexities.
Recognised as a Next Generation Leader finalist at the Infrastructure NZ Building Nations Awards in 2023 and one of ‘25 Trailblazing Women’ by YWCA Aotearoa NZ, Soltice also contributes to Iwi and Māori advisory boards and advocates for environmental protection.
“From a young child I was fascinated with our environment, and particularly our water ways. This sparked my interest in environmental science and geology, and I therefore went on to pursue a career in the field. More recently, I’ve worked to understand how I can weave my understanding of the natural environment with scientific knowledge,” Morrison said.
“I’m really excited to bring a new diverse perspective to the Water New Zealand Board.”
As a past member of the Water New Zealand Board and chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, Deborah is looking forward to once again supporting Water New Zealand and its membership. As Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Special Interest Group, her focus will be on fostering an inclusive environment where diverse voices and perspectives are welcomed and actively integrated to drive meaningful outcomes for the water sector.
“We are making great inroads on our journey to achieve gender balance in our sector, which is fantastic. However, when you look at the work we do around the three waters, the sector provides a vital service to our communities. We need to look at ourselves in the mirror and see people that are representative of our communities looking back at us,” says Deborah.
"Then we need to focus on inclusion. You know the old saying 'Diversity is being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance,'” she continued.
With over 23 years’ experience in civil and environmental engineering, David has been on both the client and consultant side to plan, design and deliver multi-disciplinary wastewater projects throughout the treatment train for clients in United States, New Zealand and Australia.
The Wastewater Special Interest Group aims to provide a focal point for Water New Zealand members wishing to share knowledge and provide thought leadership on wastewater challenges and solutions.
“There is a huge opportunity to help shape the future of wastewater regulations and sensible spending for communities. For me, it’s about bringing an engineering mindset to one of my passions since I was at an early age – giving back to the community in an environmentally focused manner,” David Romilly states.
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Aurecon's Soltice Morrison joins Te Puna to advise The Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai on Māori interests and knowledge in water services.
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