About IPWEA NZ
Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia – New Zealand (IPWEA NZ) is the industry association for professionals who deliver public works and engineering services to communities in New Zealand. IPWEA NZ provides services to its members and advocacy on their behalf.
To help practitioners maintain the high level of competency the community demands, IPWEA NZ provides regular continuing professional development, conferences, technical publications, and the chance to be involved in special interest groups (SIGs).
IPWEA NZ provides members with networking opportunities at Branch meetings, forums and our annual conference. IPWEA NZ provides savings and additional benefits to members including training, networking and exchange of specialist expertise. Â
Our Vision
Sustainable communities enabled by public asset management excellence.
Mission Statement
We will represent, develop and enhance the public asset management profession for Aotearoa.
Our vision and mission underpin our Board’s three strategies to 2023:
- Sustainable communities – drive public asset management as part of Aotearoa’s solution for climate adaptation, decarbonisation and waste minimisation.
- Reform support – lead the public asset sector through reforms to shape member valued outcomes and promote public asset management excellence.
- IPWEA NZ evolution – Ensure relevance through member value and sector engagement.
The IPWEA NZ Rules were last updated in September 2021 and can be downloaded below.
Our Objectives
- Uphold and improve the status of engineering and management of public assets in New Zealand.
- Promote and encourage appropriate engineering and asset management standards for all public assets.
- Be the principal engineering and asset management advisory body for local government.
- Foster the sharing of knowledge among:
- Members
- Engineers, asset managers and others working with public assets
- Local government elected members
- Associations and organisations with similar objectives within New Zealand and overseas.
- Encourage, sponsor and promote research into all aspects of public asset engineering and management.
- Provide benefits for members, including opportunities for education, networking and personal development.
- Take any other action which the Board believes will be of benefit to members, local government or public asset engineering and management generally.
Annual Report
Check out our progress in achieving our vision, mission and objectives by reading our Annual Report for 2021-22.
Find our previous Annual Reports below:
IPWEA NZ Board
The Board is a dedicated and experienced group well regarded in our industry, who lead and advise on matters relevant to public asset engineering and management.
Priyani de Silva-Currie
IPWEA NZ PresidentPrincipal -Â Asset Advisory
Beca
Priyani was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in June 2019.
Priyani has nearly 10 years experience as the National Asset Management Leader within an NZ consultancy with a background in Buildings and Property and a broad Asset Management base spanning all public infrastructure sectors.
Priyani trains in asset management and procurement, is an assessor for the New Zealand Diploma in Infrastructure Asset Management and New Zealand Certificate in Infrastructure Procurement.
Priyani has co-lead the development of the BTechEng degree for Asset Management with Weltec and Massey University, in her spare time Priyani also guest lectures at Massey in Leadership.
T: +64 274 99 4472
E:Â Priyani de Silva-Currie
Gary Porteous
IPWEA NZ Vice-PresidentClient Director, Asset & NetworkÂ
Performance, WSP
Gary was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in June 2018.
Gary is a chartered Professional Engineer in both NZ and Canada. Gary has over 20 years’ experience in highway maintenance, operations and asset management in both the private and public sectors.
Gary is an expert in the development and procurement of highway maintenance contracts, having worked in this industry sector for the last 20 years, in New Zealand, the UK and Canada.
In his role at WSP, Gary is responsible for providing technical leadership and direction to the transportation sector within WSP.
E:Â Gary Porteous
Cushla Anich
Northern Branch ChairDirector
Morrison & Low
Cushla was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in June 2019.
Cushla is an experienced infrastructure manager and a chartered professional engineer.
In her role as Director at Consultancy Morrison Low, she provides strategic advice to clients in central and local government sectors in New Zealand and Australia across a diverse range of assets. She enjoys helping clients build their internal asset management capability.
Cushla’s recent experience includes strategic practice reviews, infrastructural health checks, asset management improvement programmes, and procurement advice. She is a recognised strategic manager in the water industry.
E:Â Cushla Anich
James Thorne
Upper South Island Branch ChairSenior Water Engineer & Asset Manager, WSP
James is Branch Chair for Upper South Island. He's a civil engineer and asset manager from Christchurch.
For most of his 16-year career, James has been supporting Councils in the South Island with water sector infrastructure decision-making. He wants to ensure that the region remains active at a local level and is well represented at a national level. He'd like to see infrastructure professionals embracing and stepping into asset management and sharing their collective wisdom and practice. James loves the challenge of solving complex problems (technical, social, financial, environmental, etc.). He also loves how our public infrastructure is making communities better.
E:Â James Thorne
George Bowman
IPWEA NZ Board memberDirector
Asset BowManagement LtdÂ
George was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in September 2021.
Since George gained his BSc (Hons) in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of the West of England in 2015, his career has moved from strength to strength. He worked in Flood & Coastal Risk Management for the UK’s Environment Agency before moving to New Zealand, where he worked as a Flood Risk Engineer at Greater Wellington Regional Council for 2.5 years, before setting up his own consultancy, Asset BowManagement Ltd.
George will inject a new energy to the group and unleash his passions to help strengthen existing and new initiatives of IPWEA NZ, including:
- Growing the IPWEA tribe;
- Countering the public works skills shortage, particularly engineering and asset management; and
- Raising the profile of Flood Protection and River Management (commonly under-represented as the 4th water). There is room to create stronger relationships with this sector, provide more sector-specific training where there is currently gaps, and convert more tamariki into river practitioners.
George has previously served time as the Branch Secretary for Wellington/Taranaki, and is part of the IPWEA Training Working Group providing support for the AM Digital Badges.
E:Â George Bowman
Steve Browning
IPWEA NZ Board memberDirector
Strategic Asset Solutions
Steve was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in September 2021.
Steve is an asset management specialist with extensive experience working with infrastructure assets in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada. HE enjoys providing strategic advice to asset owning organisations, utilizing technology to assist optimized decision making and securing funding by helping tell the infrastructure investment story.
He has worked on all sides of the infrastructure management process and has a robust understanding of construction and maintenance, data modelling and forward works planning. Steve was the client-side Lead Asset Management Advisor for large scale PPP contracts in Canada and was the Technical Director of Asset Management for TRL in the UK.
Steve is a skilled negotiator and an experienced communicator, who has delivered asset management training to staff at all levels of organizational seniority. He is passionate about raising the profile of infrastructure asset management and is currently leading the IPWEA NZ training working group to develop the next generation of asset management training.
He has supported clients to create industry leading activity management plans and is an experienced investment logic mapping and business case developer. Steve has worked across the infrastructure spectrum, specializing in the transport, property and water sectors, and enjoys cross pollinating best practice from each sector.
E:Â Steve Browning
Nicola Chisnall
IPWEA NZ Board memberAsset Manager Three Waters
Department of Corrections
Nicola was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in June 2019, and is Asset Manager Three Waters at the Department of Corrections.Â
Nicola has been working in and around local goverment in the three waters area for 20+ years, with the last 18 in asset management.Â
Nicola has been working in an environment with multiple council shareholders for the last 10 years and was Team Leader Investment Planning at Wellington Water until 2021.
Kristina Hermens
IPWEA NZ Board memberBusiness Director
Three Waters
Kristina is a Business Director (Three Waters) at Beca. She has worked in asset and project management roles in consultancy and local government for the past 20 years.
Kristina is passionate about helping our communities to prosper and thrive by providing public infrastructure which is tailored to meet their needs.
Kristina finds this an exciting time to be working in the government sector and as the sector transforms over the next few years. Sound asset management practice by well-trained and experienced practitioners will be of utmost importance. IPWEA has the opportunity to lead and support the industry to take asset management practice to the next level and she looks forward to being part of this journey.
E:Â Kristina Hermens
Raveen Jaduram
IPWEA NZ Board memberConsultant
 Â
Raveen was first co-opted to the IPWEA NZ Board in 2020.
Raveen is on the Board of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission – Te Waihanga – and has been an independent director of Wellington Water, President and Chairman of the Water and Wastes Association (now Water New Zealand), Chairman of the Water Sector Senior Executives Forum, on the board of the Committee for Auckland, on the Steering Group of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum, and chair of the Centre for Infrastructure Research, University of Auckland.
Raveen completed post graduate studies in business at Stanford, Macquarie and Auckland Universities, and has also attended INSEAD. Raveen has been Chief Executive of Watercare Services Limited and has been the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Australian private water company Murrumbidgee Irrigation Limited. He has held numerous senior executive roles within the water industry in New Zealand and is regarded as a global water leader.
Quinton Penniall
Otago / Southland Branch ChairEnvironmental Engineering Manager, Central Otago District CouncilÂ
Quinton was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in September 2021.
Currently living in Cromwell with my wife and our two dogs, I am passionate about public infrastructure – it is instrumental in helping communities prosper and thrive now and into the future, mindful that it’s my future too.
I have understood IPWEA’s value since I presented as a graduate at an Otago Southland Branch meeting. I have been an advocate for the network throughout my career, including in my current role as Environmental Engineering Manager at Central Otago District Council.
It is in that context I seek your support to represent you as Otago Southland Branch Chair.
I will bring a combination of youth, passion and pragmatism. My private and public sector experience has taught me successful relationships will be critical to advancing our objectives and effectively participate during a time of unprecedented change.
As we enter the most significant reforms in a generation my focus will be on enabling all members (young and less young!) to share knowledge and engage, ensuring we keep challenging ourselves and the industry we’re responsible for as it transforms. We will celebrate successes and create a safe space to talk about mistakes too, because that learning is a major component in getting things right.
E:Â Quinton Penniall
Natalie Rooseboom
Bay of Plenty / East Coast Branch ChairManager: Asset Planning and Information, Tauranga City Council
Natalie was elected as Branch Chair for Bay of Plenty / East Coast in November 2021.
Natalie is Tauranga City Council’s Manager for Asset Services and looks after teams that cross over the entire lifecycle of assets. These teams include infrastructure development code, land development engineers, and monitoring advisors who focus on the detail, design and construction phase of assets, and the asset information and planning teams that support activities in operation, maintenance and renewal planning.Â
Natalie is a civil engineer with more than 20 years local and international experience and with a master’s degree in engineering studies, specialising in sustainability, from Auckland University.
Raj Suppiah
Wellington / Taranaki Branch ChairGroup Manager
Corporate, Tararua District Council
Raj was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in June 2019.
E:Â Raj Suppiah
Fleur Tytheridge
IPWEA NZ Board memberThinkproject
Fleur was appointed to the IPWEA NZ Board in September 2021.
Fleur is the Regional Sales Manager at Thinkproject, a member of the IoD and a Massey University alumna of the Executive MBA with First Class Honours. Fleur is a technology enthusiast specialising in digital innovation, with over 17 years’ experience in public and private sectors across multiple industries, in a variety of governance, leadership and operational roles.
Fleur began her leadership and governance career as IT Manager & Governance Lead for an organisation of England’s NHS, and was also founder and chair of the region’s IT Forum.
Fleur brings broad expertise, paired with specialist knowledge and experience with local government agencies and their service providers in the AECO industry to the Board. She fosters an environment of collaboration and thought leadership, and values strong ethics and robust, independent thinking.
E:Â Fleur Tytheridge
IPWEA NZ Staff
We’re a team of seven, based in Wellington.
Training Administration
Finance and Accounts
e: accounts.nz@ipwea.org
m: +64 22 428 5896
Membership Administration
e: nz@ipwea.org
IPWEA NZ Branches
IPWEA NZ Community
The IPWEA NZ community consists of four Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and our independent subsidiary company (IDS). IPWEA NZ is also a member of ELF, the Engineer Leadership Forum.
Each SIG’s committee of asset management practitioners is talented and passionately focused on their specialist areas of interest. Our SIGs provide IPWEA NZ with technical, operational and strategic expertise and experience to guide and contribute to the development of our professional development programmes, products and events.
LDEG
The Land Development Engineering Group (LDEG) provides leadership and strategic advice on best practice to the New Zealand Land Development Engineering industry.
RIMS
Roading Infrastructure Management Support Group (RIMS) is New Zealand’s authoritative voice on road asset and information management.
NAMS
National Asset Management Support (NAMS) provides technical guidance and support for anyone managing community and infrastructure assets in NZ and worldwide.
Wai Kotahi
Wai Kotahi (embracing water as one) focuses on best practice asset management for water infrastructure and services, and on supporting practitioners through the water reform transition.
IDS
Infrastructure Decision Support (IDS) provides evidence-based strategic support to asset infrastructure management professionals and councils around the country.
ELF
The Engineering Leadership Forum (ELF) provides an opportunity for the CEO and senior executives of member organisations to discuss current issues and where possible coordinate activities and assist one another.
