Here are the winners of the 2023 Transpower STAR Awards. The Awards took place at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, where the gala dinner event drew a full house.
The STAR Awards recognise and celebrate those who demonstrate the highest standards of health, safety, and wellbeing within Aotearoa New Zealand's electricity transmission industry.
STAR Supreme Award
Craig Moore – Ventia and Dialog Fitzroy (tie)
In a first for the STAR Awards, our judges announced not one, but two, STAR Supreme Winners – Craig Moore from Ventia, and Dialog Fitzroy.
Our judging panel couldn't choose between these two outstanding entries, finding both captured the core values of the STAR Awards with their wholehearted commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing.
Craig also won the Thought Leadership category award, and Dialog Fitzroy picked up the Hauora Wellbeing Initiative award.
Frontline Leadership
Evan McKenzie – Ventia
Evan demonstrated a commitment to health and safety in the face of some truly treacherous conditions. He led his team through snow, sub-zero temperatures, and gale force winds to complete a technically difficult repair without a single safety incident.
Thought Leadership
Craig Moore – Ventia and Gene Peters – Omexom (tie)
Craig has been described as the epitome of an industry role model and safety thought leader. He has been recognised because of his extensive experience across many facets of the transmission industry, and the contagious passion for safety he carries in his role as a trainer, technical procedure author and reviewer.
Gene is one of Omexom’s youngest supervisors, but always demonstrates a genuine commitment to safety that has inspired others to lift their own standards when it comes to focusing consistently on safe practices.
Future of Safety
Harry Baker – Omexom
Harry is a third-year electrical apprentice based in Maungatapere who made an impression on his team due to the pride he takes in ensuring a safe workplace, his significant contributions to projects across Aotearoa, and enthusiasm for learning new skills.
Hauora Wellbeing Initiative
What's My Why? – Dialog Fitzroy
Dialog Fitzroy's 'What’s My Why' programme takes a holistic approach, helping people identify the alignment between their personal values and the organisation’s values. It also aims to drive positive behaviours around health and safety, physical and mental wellbeing, pride, and identity.
Safety Innovation / Safety by Design
Northpower
Northpower won for their ladder anchor system with fall restraint technology. This innovation mitigates the need to climb an untethered ladder by securing it at ground level prior to climbing.
Team Safety
Ventia, Omexom, Downer, Northpower and Transpower
Working together, these five companies undertook continuous improvement initiatives that have delivered new processes, systems and methodologies that resulted in a 700% reduction in protection technician human element incidents.
Judges' Commendation
Lumen
This year our judges also awarded a single commendation, in the Safety Innovation / Safety by Design category. Lumen has been commended for developing a new fleet of double-circuit poles. These poles were designed to be as safe and contractor-friendly as possible, with a key improvement being a new ladder design that makes the pole erection process much safer.