Two Wellington finalists heading to Excellence Awards

Two Wellington finalists heading to the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards

Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington Cable Car Limited are among 19 finalists nominated from around the country in various categories for this year’s New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards.

“We’re thrilled to be selected as a finalist in the awards. These are the premier awards for engineering; it’s fantastic to see such a strong showing on behalf of Wellington engineers,” Angus Gabara, Manager Rail Operations and Director of the Matangi Project for Greater Wellington explains.

“Our nominations are not only examples of excellent engineering innovation and creativity, but also signify the impact engineering has on our daily life – it not only increases the availability and efficiency of our public transport but also makes the city a safer place to be,” adds Simon Fleisher, CEO for Wellington Cable Car Limited.

Greater Wellington were nominated for an award following their introduction of the new Matangi trains, which have replaced the city’s previous fleet of increasingly unreliable, 30 year old units and greatly improved performance and customer satisfaction. The units had to be adapted to manage Wellington’s difficult terrain and the nature of the original railway design. They received a second nomination in the Community Engagement category for their redevelopment of the Tawa Railway Station.

Wellington Cable Car Limited were nominated as a result of the Trolley Bus Overhead Protection (TBOP) system they developed for Wellington’s overhead electrical network. The system provides 21st century levels of electrical safety protection in the event of an incident. These can be caused by a number of events including vehicle accidents, extreme weather events and high loads travelling through the capital city’s streets accidentally touching the contact wires. WCCL have virtually eliminated the possibility of accidental injury should anybody come into contact with the live wires after an incident.

The awards take place on Friday, 28 November 2014, with winners being announced that evening at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland. Wellington Cable Car Limited and Greater Wellington Regional Council will be competing in different sub-categories against 17 other finalists from around New Zealand for the Engineering Excellence Awards. They’re also in with a chance of winning the overall award for 2014, which is extremely prestigious.

“The New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards are a great opportunity to acknowledge outstanding leadership and innovation in the field of engineering,” explains Kieran Devine, Interim Chief Executive of IPENZ, one of the eight partner organisations hosting the awards.

“The awards have been running since 2005 and being selected as a finalist is a great achievement in itself. This year we have 19 finalists in the Projects, People, and Practice categories of awards and six other finalists for community engagement and safety in engineering. It’s going to be tough on the judges!” Kieran adds.
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