Finalists in the Z Energy People Awards

21 July 2011

Nine outstanding young members of the civil construction industry have been named as finalists in the Z Energy People Awards 2011, organised by the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation

The awards, which recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals within the industry, have two categories, the Leader of Tomorrow and Trainee of the Year.

The finalists for the Leader of Tomorrow 2011 title are Kimberley Jupp, Ryan Hickey, Mark Thomson, Dean Elder and Geoff Clayton. Finalists for Trainee of the Year are Thomas Powell Dan Roughan, Sarah Kerwun-Boulton and Steven George.

Kimberly Jupp, 25, from Hoon Hay, Christchurch, a site engineer/environmental manager, with McConnell Dowell, said she sees strong relationships with the client, sub-contractors and regulatory bodies as vital to her work, leading to progress and successful outcomes.

“Some people might say that a female working in a male-dominated industry is challenging but I enjoy it,” she said. “I have found my colleagues great to work with and have been told by many of them that they respect my can-do, give everything a go approach.”

Ryan Hickey, 27, from Huntly, a project engineer with McConnell Dowell, leads from the front, sharing knowledge and information with his teams.

His citation for the award says, “Ryan has demonstrated a commitment to successful project outcomes. He is not afraid to challenge others’ ideas and confront issues to achieve the best results.”

Mark Thomson, 24, who grew up in Dunedin and is now living in Clyde and working as a project engineer with Delta Utility Services, said the key to inspiring a sense of purpose and direction with employees was to ensure that they have an appreciation of how their role fits into the bigger picture.

“If someone has an understanding that the work they complete is vital to the success of the team as a whole then it is able to promote quality work and satisfaction for a task completed,” he said.

Dean Elder, 24, from Dunedin, a construction manager with Southroads, said to be a good leader it was important to be able to influence a group of people or individuals towards the achievement of a goal.

“Consequently, you must have strong personal drive, professionalism, integrity and be able to encourage these standards in others.”

Geoff Clayton, 29, from Sandringham, Auckland, a project engineer, with Brian Perry Civil, said he enjoyed the challenge of leading a team.

“I’m grateful for the opportunities to lead that have been presented to me in my career to date,” he said. “Engaging a team and successfully completing projects with them is extremely rewarding.”

Sarah Kerwun-Boulton, 29, from Nelson, a contracts engineer/health and safety manager, with Ching Contracting, is the only female Trainee of the Year finalist this year.

She said: “I am fortunate in that my employer has always supported my training through making time available to work on my studies and ensuring that I obtain the relevant practical experience. My training has demanded significant investment from myself and my employer but I am pleased with the career path I have chosen and look forward to building on this further in the future.”

Thomas Powell, 23, from Auckland, a site engineer with Fletcher Construction Engineering, completed a diploma in civil engineering between 2007-10, studying part time while working.

He said: “My employers were very supportive of my study and closely monitored my results. I attended classes in a block course format. This was good as I found it less obstructive to my work than having lectures every week.”

Dan Roughan, 20, from Queenstown, a machinery operator with Base Contracting, said he would like to see more formal training in the industry.

“I believe there is still a large gap in regards to formal training in our industry and, with time, continued progress of what I have witnessed in the last four years, and participation of employers to strive to continue training staff, then the benefits for our industry will come through strongly so we can all have a safer and more rewarding working environment.”

Steven George, 25, from Whangarei, who works for United Civil Construction, said the attraction of his work was being able to apply the technical aspects of engineering to practical situations.

“When time permits I still try to sneak out on to the machines,” he said. “I really enjoy the work and challenges that this career has to offer. My long-term career goal is to combine my current, past and, hopefully future, overseas experiences to own and fun my own civil construction company.”

The award winners will be announced on August 5 at the NZCF and Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand annual conference in Rotorua.

ENDS

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