The Āpōpō Upper South Island Branch had a fantastic face-to-face event in September, hosted by Christchurch City Council. The format was a midday meeting with technical presentations and networking, with close to 50 people attending.
As the Branch Chair, I kicked off the meeting with an update on the recent developments at Āpōpō; pointing to the training and professional development options on offer, making people aware of the newly launched accreditation programme, and reminding everyone of the Āpōpō Guide and next year’s Congress.
Next up, Brent Smith (General Manager City Infrastructure, Christchurch City Council) gave an overview of his Council’s strategic asset management work programme to improve consistency, manage risks and build capability. Christchurch’s current asset management priorities include data standards, policy updates, and reporting on maturity and improvement plans. They are specifically looking forward to partnering with Āpōpō in their goal of capability building.
Liam Foster (Technical Principal – Water, WSP) was the first of our two technical presenters. Liam’s presentation on “Embracing Sponge Cities” is based on research conducted by the Helen Clarke Foundation and was the winning 2024 Hynds Paper of the Year at the Āpōpō Congress earlier in May. He shared an overview of the challenges urban cities face, particularly in relation to climate conditions, and presented a range of nature-based solutions where using “Sponge Cities” principles helps manage and make room for rainfall. Liam invited the audience to think about the difference they can make in their own roles, and challenged us all to be imaginative, collaborative and think long-term.
Mark Mullaney (Project Manager Stormwater & Waterways Delivery, Christchurch City Council) was the final technical presenter. Mark presented on Council’s “Mona Vale Weir Fish Passage” project that was a finalist in the sustainability category of Āpōpō’s 2024 Asset Management Excellent Awards. His project was all about restoring biodiversity through improved fish passage, particularly for native ika (fish), in the upper reaches of the Ōtākaro-Avon River. He took us through the origin story of the Mona Vale weir, originally built in 1861 to raise the water level and power an adjacent flour mill. Mark explained the various design options available for improving fish passage at the weir, before unveiling the chosen solution of a “rock ramp fishway” which mimics rock riffles found in nature. The time lapse construction video and photos of affected ika species helped convey how the site and habitat has been transformed.
Both presenters fielded several great questions from the crowd before we divided into groups around tables for a facilitated discussion about nature-based asset management solutions. There was a great vibe in the room with people eager to hear from our distinguished speakers, meet together with like-minded people, and be challenged in their thinking around infrastructure asset management.
Thanks to Paul McKeefry (Christchurch City Council) and Emily Liddell (Āpōpō) for their help in organising this impactful branch event.
By James Thorne – Āpōpō Upper South Island Branch Chair
(Strategic Asset Management Advisor, Waimakariri District Council)
