Blog Post #14
As my time down South draws to an end…
…the compass points North.
The year began deep into Contract #7 where I was providing support to a client in developing their Infrastructure Strategy (IS) for Flood Protection, Drainage and River Management assets. Prior to Christmas the client was very short on resources, hence Asset BowManagement Ltd were engaged primarily to re-write and update the IS. Following a strategic restructure in the client’s department prior to Christmas, I was introduced to a new team in the new year, a very strong team at that. This turned the pressing deadline into a less stressful, more productive infrastructure voyage! As the end of my availability approached in mid-January the new and very capable team took over the reigns, and keeping up to date with developments, I can see great progress has been made.
To supplement the 50-60pg Strategy, I transformed the document into an electronic dashboard. This has multiple benefits such as being far easier to navigate and read efficiently and forms an effective tool to present information to Council, communities and other stakeholders. A snapshot is presented below. Note: the content and information in the image has been used for example only and should not be used for any other purposes. I look forward to hearing feedback on the IS and witnessing how the Strategy progresses going forward.
As I near the end of a 6-week break, or mini-retirement as I call them, I am eager and excited to delve back into more contract work. Yes, another professional tiki-tour of the North Island begins as I leave the beloved Alpine town of Wanaka this week and make my way to the ferry at Picton. Albeit sad to leave Wanaka, my flatmates, the dogs and the abundance of adventure behind, this is offset by the exciting tiki-tour, more of which I discuss further below. As I will be away for nearly 4 months, I have decided it’s best to move out of the house I am currently in, and have begun to pack up my car-load of life. It’ll be me, my things, and the Outback on the road. Maybe I need a campervan!
I have really enjoyed my time here in Wanaka and suspect I’ll be making a return for the next mini-retirement! In just the last 6 weeks I have completed 2x paragliding courses and am halfway through my 3rd, just 5 days away from holding my personal licence, my wings! I went on a 9-day hiking trip from Wanaka to Te Anau, and in addition to this I spent a couple days in the Fjordland National Park completing the Kepler Great Walk. I went on my 1st bikepacking trip spending 4 days and riding 180km across Central Otago. I spent 3 days rock climbing in the Matukituki Valley in Mount Aspiring National Park, spending 1 night camping high up in the Alpine playground of Cascade Saddle (see bottom image). I headed off on a spontaneous multi-day roadtrip following the Southern Scenic Route for 550km from Queenstown to Balclutha via one of my favourite parts of the country – the Catlins. So yes I really do love this bottom part of the country. As Arnie once said, I’ll be back!
So the upcoming Tiki-Tour! Where am I heading? Who will I be working with? What will I be doing?
1st stop = Where it all began for Asset BowManagement back in January 2020 – Gisborne. I will spend 2 weeks supporting the Rivers team of Gisborne District Council with some river scheme performance assessments. I will be revisiting the Waipaoa River and reviewing scheme performance using newly available information. I will also work with the team to review the performance of the smaller Te Karaka scheme just upstream of the Waipaoa scheme.
2nd stop = Bay of Plenty. Having completed a 6-week contract for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council during October and November last year, I will be returning to the Bay for a further 10-11 weeks. The initial contract saw me undertaking asset condition assessments across 100+km of floodbank network across 3 different river schemes. This contract will see me inspect a further 215km of floodbank network. This was a contract I thoroughly enjoyed so I am very much looking forward to getting back out into the field and on the e-bike. They’re a great team to work with up there so I am stoked to be spending more time with them.
3rd stop = The ‘Naki! Can’t wait to return to New Plymouth. Certainly an underrated part of the country in my eyes. The district has a lot to offer and the centre itself has some great vibes. Not least to mention the beautiful Maunga (if it’s visible!). I will most likely be spending 1 week or so with the Taranaki Regional Council as we look at finalising the Flood Protection Asset Management Plan and continue progressing priority items on the Asset Management Improvement Strategy I put together for the client in 2020. Considering I currently have no work secured beyond this contract, I think I may spend some additional time exploring the region. I have my eyes set on visiting Syme Hut on Mt Taranaki, should the right conditions prevail. I’m a sucker for a sunrise and a sunset, and at this hut you can be blessed with both! Hopefully Ranginui puts on a show!
I’d like to finish this post by discussing a couple other exciting topics of late.
Firstly, I alluded to this in a recent LinkedIn post so thought I would share some more detail here. A few weeks back I was approached by an international consultancy who were seeking a Flood Protection Asset Management Specialist to join their bid for a contract as part of an $88M flood protection project planned for the Terai region in Nepal. The role would be based in Kathmandu for a total of 6 months, over a 2-year period. The project is due to commence in late May 2021, which coincidentally would time well with the completion of my tiki-tour around the North Island!
The purpose of the role is primarily to provide support to the Government of Nepal in developing an asset management system for flood protection, developing and training government staff in asset management, and improving business processes for flood protection asset management. The team would consist of a further 3 international consultants, a team of around 5 national consultants, and an in-house project management and delivery team. I reviewed the Terms of Reference for the role as well as numerous other project documents, and decided there was no harm in submitting my CV and Cover Letter for review. A couple weeks have passed and I have yet to hear their final decision…
Lastly, very recently I have begun approaching various leaders in Public Works across New Zealand, asking for participation in a leadership interview. A simple 15-question interview that will explore the various tools, methods and routines of the various leaders. The intention is to provide insights and guidance to both current and aspiring leaders in Public Works. At the end of each interview, the leader will nominate another leader in their network. Ultimately the long-term goal is to collate an invaluable and downloadable leadership resource for anyone interested. Providing this initiative takes off, as the interviews start building up I will start publishing the interviews here on my Blog and via my LinkedIn. Watch this space..!!
For now I bid you farewell and look forward to the next update…
