14 Oct 2026
A project that has helped prevent equipment failures and loss of supply, uncovered previous safety and reliability risks and avoided $33 million in unnecessary expenditure now and in the future, has won the Supreme Award at Transpower’s 2026 Engineering and Technology Excellence Awards.
The project was delivered in collaboration by Downer, Northpower, Omexom, Transpower and Ventia.
Invisible risk to managed risk – redefining asset management, was first announced as winner of the Innovating for Outcomes category, before coming out on top at the end of the night winning the Supreme Award.
With a focus on substation structures and buswork, the project team developed an end-to-end asset management framework linking inspection, condition assessment, defect identification, project development, and investment decision making.
Chair of the judging panel Dr Richard Templer said despite the high quality displayed by all the category winners, this was a standout, exemplar nomination.
“No other project delivered a bigger impact to the bottom line. It’s where everyone who manages infrastructure wants to be – managing things before something goes wrong,” he said.
After two years in operation, the project has improved safety, strengthened grid reliability, and established an enduring, risk-based approach to managing critical national infrastructure.
Transpower’s Engineering and Technology Excellence Awards take place every second year. They are designed to spotlight the engineering and technology specialists working in transmission, for or with Transpower.
The highly collaborative nature of the work is reflected in the number of businesses contributing to winning projects across the five categories: AECOM, Aurecon, Do Consulting, Downer, ElectroNet, Hayes Metals, Macaulay Metals, Niko Engineering, Northpower, Omexom, Phoenix Recycling, Transpower, Value at Speed, Ventia and XIS Graphic Design.
Transpower Chief Executive James Kilty commended all 15 finalists, selected from the 66 entries received.
“Tonight we heard some fascinating stories of remarkable innovations, incredibly complex challenges and significant achievements in safety, efficiency and performance.
“That's why events like this are so valuable. They give us a chance to recognise achievement, and to learn from one another while we celebrate what can be accomplished when talented people work together.”
Read about each story in more detail on our website and find short videos from each finalist here.
Full list of winners, judges’ commendations and project summaries
Supreme winner
Selected from the five category winners
Substation structures and buswork is one of the most complex and difficult-to-manage asset classes on New Zealand's transmission network. Comprising of tens of thousands of interconnected components with diverse failure modes, these assets are difficult to access; requiring climbing, temporary access systems, or major outages for inspection. Historically, fragmented information, inconsistent condition data, and limited visibility of risk meant the portfolio could not be managed systematically at a national scale. This was a known problem for over 10 years and previous attempts made to solve it, weren’t successful.
To address this challenge, Transpower developed and embedded the first integrated asset management system for structures and buswork. Through a whole-of-system review and close collaboration with service providers, grid delivery, and asset managers, we created an end-to-end framework linking inspection, condition assessment, defect identification, project development, and investment decision making. The introduction of drone-based inspection technology enabled safe, repeatable assessment of previously inaccessible assets.
After two years in operation, the new asset management system has created approximately 24,000 managed assets, 65,000 condition measurements, and 1,500 defect work orders. It has prevented failures and loss of supply; uncovered previously hidden safety and reliability risks; enabled data-based planning for 31 substations; supported $43 million in newly planned projects; cancelled $11 million of unnecessary expenditure and deferred $22 million of expenditure.
Engineering for value
Challenging long-standing tertiary containment approaches has shifted engineering practice and identified a new approach to in-bund oil containment. This approach is expected to save a minimum of $500k per transformer and more than $25 million over 10 years. The solution maintains desired performance and compliance while significantly reducing complexity and construction impact.
Innovating for outcomes
Substation structures and buswork are notoriously complex and difficult-to-manage asset classes. By developing an end-to-end framework, linking inspection, condition assessment, defect identification, project development, and investment decision making, Transpower has uncovered previously hidden safety and reliability risks, cancelled $11 million of unnecessary expenditure, and deferred $22 million of expenditure.
Commendation - Transpower: Safer, scalable digital switching execution in Transpower control rooms
DSM Switch Execution transformed switch execution by replacing paper-based, manually coordinated switching with system-driven, real-time digital execution. Since go-live, switching-related control room incidents have reduced to zero. The project represents the most significant control room transformation since SCADA was introduced in the early 1980s, establishing a platform for field mobility, analytics, and future automation.
Investing in our industry’s future
Winner - ElectroNet Consulting: Graduate programme
ElectroNet Consulting’s Graduate Programme provides a structured pathway for developing future engineers. Through tailored two-year development plans and six-month rotations across technical and operational teams, graduates gain practical experience and build professional networks. The programme has strengthened technical capability, improved engagement and retention, and become the organisation’s largest source of new appointments.
Northpower has developed two specialist transmission network inspection capabilities. The first is acoustic partial discharge inspection, utilising new-generation acoustic technology. The second is drone-based inspection. A recent programme covered 667 km and captured more than 148,000 images at approximately 60% of forecast cost. Together, these capabilities deliver a scalable, condition-based inspection model that enhances data quality and improves asset visibility.
Partnering for success
Transpower, its service providers and specialist recyclers established a national metal recycling panel to consolidate recycling activities and improve safety, quality, environmental performance and reporting. The partnership has expanded recycling pathways beyond metals to include batteries, concrete, glass insulators and relays. The outcome should see Transpower recover approximately $19 million of materials through to 2035.
Solving complex challenges
Winner - Transpower: Building a resilience capability to mitigate solar flares impacts
Transpower has developed an innovative monitoring and predictive analytics capability to strengthen the industry’s resilience against solar storms. The solution uses machine learning to provide operators predictions on storm impacts across multiple regions. It enables proactive mitigation, protects assets, reduces customer disruption and supports coordinated industry-wide response.
Transpower and its partners have developed a repeatable methodology for rebuilding marine foundations in a highly sensitive environment. This has enabled foundations to be rebuilt while maintaining tower support and network security. Four of the five have been completed to date with no unplanned outages, significant injuries or concrete releases.