Roading Awards Recognise Industry Excellence

MEDIA RELEASE
28 May 2009

Roading Awards Recognise Industry Excellence And Leadership

Significant recent investment in New Zealand’s land transport infrastructure should lead to a record number of entries in this year’s Roading Excellence Awards.

Entries are now open in the annual awards, which recognise best practice in the provision of land transport infrastructure and promote the collaboration and transfer of innovation within the roading industry.

Roading New Zealand chief executive Chris Olsen says he is optimistic about entry numbers for this year’s awards, despite the tough economic climate.

“We are hopeful that numbers will be up on last year’s record level of entries, particularly as a number of significant roading projects have been completed recently,” Mr Olsen says.

The Government’s recent announcement of a $1 billion boost for road construction highlights the importance of the national roading network to the country.

There are five entry categories in the competition this year: three Infratrain New Zealand Industry Best Practice Awards – People Procurement and Environmental Sustainability; the Shell Bitumen Excellence Award for a Major Road Project; and the Goughs Excellence Award for a Minor Road Project. Out of the five category winners, one project will take out the Roading New Zealand Supreme Award.

Mr Olsen expects there will be strong competition for the awards.

“Of particular interest could be the Infratrain New Zealand Industry Best Practice Award – People. I would strongly encourage organisations that have developed innovative ways of retaining staff during the recession to enter. Also of interest will be the Best Practice Award – Procurement, given the number of new procurement methods recently adopted,” he says.

Fletcher Construction Company was the winner of the 2008 Roading Supreme Award for Stage 1 of the Northern Busway in Auckland, having also won the Shell Bitumen Excellence Award for a Major Road Project.

Mat Tucker, project manager – engineering for Fletcher Construction, says his team is extremely proud of its success at last year’s awards, and that it provides important validation when bidding for new work.

“We believe this type of industry recognition provides significant weight to our future marketability,” Mr Tucker says.

Entries for the 2009 awards close on 10 July, with the finalists announced on 5 August. The winners will be announced at the Roading Excellence Awards gala dinner in Wellington on 7 September.

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