This year’s recipient of the Resolve Group Engineering Scholarship is Joanna Jarvie, who is entering her final year at the University of Auckland in 2015, studying for a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).

Joanna has a particular interest in, and passion for, transport engineering, and says, “I have found it easy to be enthused in this topic due to its relevance to our daily lives… as it provides an opportunity to have an impact in bettering New Zealand communities.” She has been awarded the Scholarship for her consistent academic work, experience in project management and a variety of leadership roles, and her well-rounded extramural interests.

The $5000 scholarship is open to third year Civil and Environmental Engineering students at The University of Auckland. As well as academic excellence, the Scholarship was established to recognise and reward excellent project management and problem solving skills, leadership potential, communication skills, community involvement, and the potential to contribute to the roading industry.

Resolve Group Scholarship Winner, 2015

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) NZ Procurement Symposium was held in Wellington on November 27 and was attended by Rob Lorden. He found the advice from Bernard Cuttance (NZTA) on the importance of reviewing your long term procurement in terms of strategy, contract price adjustment and standard documents useful.

Caleb Johnstone, from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) outlined the 5 Principles in the Government’s new procurement policy established in October this year: Plan and manage for great results, be fair to all suppliers, get the right supplier, get the best deal for everyone and play by the rules. The objectives of the policy are to create an environment for NZ businesses to succeed, increase performance, add value, maximise results, and unlock cost savings.

There were also presentations of specific procurement situations, such as Dukessa Blackburn-Huettner’s example of Stormwater Operations & Maintenance Contract Procurement and the Alliance Maintenance Contracts currently in place in the Southland District, presented by Ian Marshall. Peter Higgs of the Gisborne District Council gave a local government perspective on changes in procurement, and Peter Cunningham of the MBIE looked at delivering the Canterbury rebuild.