Why did you join Transpower?
I’ve worked at Transpower for the last 20 years, and the thing that continually inspires me is the crucial role we play in keeping the lights on for Aotearoa New Zealand. There's a real sense of purpose that comes with ensuring our country’s energy infrastructure is safe and reliable. It helps that there is no shortage of colleagues ready to offer help or advice. It’s the sort of supportive culture that keeps a lot of people coming back to Transpower if they’ve left and wanting to put in their best.
What about your role makes you proud?
I’m proud of the impact my team has within Transpower and for Kiwis. Maintaining the integrity of Transpower’s 23,500 odd towers is a big role that I don’t take lightly. A specific achievement from the past couple years that I’m proud of was organising a workshop to improve safety and quality during maintenance switching, a key task that enables outages on the grid. The workshop was well attended, and I believe it contributed to stronger communication and higher standards for our staff and service providers.
What is your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of the job is getting to work closely with an awesome team of people. We collaborate to overcome the obstacles that come our way and get to see the results of that collaboration and work when we’re out onsite. It’s super satisfying. It’s always interesting to learn about the challenges and successes our service providers are having, and it means I can ensure I’m giving my team the tools they need to do an excellent job for Kiwis.
Darren’s work to lead a team of project managers ensures our 23,500 transmission towers that move bulk electricity around New Zealand are kept in good condition. Good practice asset management and strong project management capability are essential for Transpower to deliver reliable, safe electricity supply to homes and businesses.