Blog Post #3
My first week…
…and I haven’t displayed any sunburn! Despite temperatures actually reaching 33degrees when I arrived, the weather has been your typical Wellington weather; there is also a cyclone on the way (more on that later..)!
The first day featured the inevitable meetings, greetings and desk seating. I must say it has been a seamless transition into working here, both in terms of being set up on the systems, but more so how accommodating people have been. A nice working environment makes all the difference, as does a healthy dose of banter! Anyway time to get serious. At 1100 hours I facilitated a ‘Kickstart Workshop’, to ensure everyone involved in the project was on the same page, to be clear about scope, and to set expectations.
Following this I began exploring the depths of the Council’s information management system searching for any data, documents and information relevant for the performance assessment. On Tuesday I was asked to provide training later that week for staff on how to inspect flood protection assets. Thursday came round and I delivered training consisting of an hour of theory followed by an asset inspection exercise in the field.
The theory session provided a background on asset inspection and how it relates to the over-arching performance assessment. It also covered asset inspection methods and procedures, as well as exploring specific asset types in detail including their failure modes and what performance features to look out for in the field. It was also essential that we covered appropriate health and safety practices, not only because this aligns with my own Health & Safety Policy, Plan and Procedures, but foremost because staff health and safety is of the most fundamental importance above all else.
On Friday a colleague took me on a site visit to see a stopbank construction project, part of a $multi-million scheme upgrade program. After we were inducted on to site we spoke with the foreman about how the construction was going. What I need to consider is whether this current upgrade project is included within the performance assessment whilst construction in ongoing as as-built details are not yet available. Food for thought over the weekend perhaps. Speaking of the weekend, what should I do? One of my colleagues has offered up his mountain bike so I think I’ll take that for a ride and make the most of the weather before the cyclone arrives! Based on the current forecasts, including swell and tides, I’ve been told I should get myself down to Mahia Peninsula (1hr south) on Tuesday because the swell is going to be impressive, and apparently something of this size typically happens once every 3 years. Certainly won’t be learning to surf on Tuesday that’s for sure…
