Our Carbon Equation – RIMS Forum 2022

How can Aotearoa’s roading infrastructure industry address our collective obligation to reduce carbon? The realities of climate change are a stark reminder that solutions are needed now if we are to be successful in minimising negative impacts. The RIMS Forum is your chance to hear the latest thought leadership from those who are intent on making a positive and practical difference.

IPWEA NZ and RIMS are delighted to bring you the RIMS Forum 2022, ‘Our Carbon Equation‘ on 28-29 July 2022. Join us in Palmerston North to connect with over 140 roading industry peers from central and local government, as well as consultants and contractors.

Roading Infrastructure Management Support Group (RIMS) is New Zealand’s authoritative voice on road asset and information management. We provide leadership, strategic advice and promotion of best practice to ensure consistency and efficiency across New Zealand roads. RIMS is an IPWEA NZ Special Interest Group.

Registrations closed…

This event was held at the Palmerston North Conference & Function Centre, 354 Main Street, Palmerston North, on the 28-29 July 2022.

Forum Information

Speakers

Forum information

9:00	Welcome and opening
9:10	Welcome by Tangi Utikere – MP for Palmerston North
9:15	Prianyi de Silva-Currie – IPWEA NZ President
9:40	Keynote: Mainstreaming Climate Mitigation into Roading Programmes, Theuns Henning – Auckland University
10:25	Morning Tea proudly sponsored by
11:00	Keynote: Lisa Rossiter, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
	Under 35 Presentations
11:30	Pathways for the future – Supplementing typical footpath asset management with A.I, data visualisation & operations research, Shahaanan Arulgnanapragasam, WSP
11:43	Greener outcomes – through smart planning, innovation, and collaboration. Manukau Road – A case study, Niro Satkunarajah, Downer
11:56	Smarter resurfacing programming to reduce carbon emissions, Willy Silcock, Fulton Hogan
12:09	Putting the boot to climate change, Rashmi Perera, Fulton Hogan
12:25	Lunch proudly sponsored by
13:15	Building a net-zero economy: the New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy, Nadine Dodge, Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga
13:38	Assessment of sustainability in infrastructure asset management, Alfred Weninger-Vycudil, Deighton
14:00	RIMS update, Alison Hermes and Alison Tomlinson
14:10	IDS update, Gemma Mathieson
14:20	IPWEA NZ training update, Jodie O'Doherty
14:35	Optimising carbon footprints, Dr Phillipa O’Shea, Downer NZ
14:55	Baselining carbon emissions – how much carbon does it take a year to operate Auckland’s Motorway network? Michaela Williams, WSP and Gemma Wadworth, ASM NZTA
15:20	Afternoon Tea proudly sponsored by
15:45	Rapid Downloads
16:50	Keynote: Transport, climate change, and equity: the uncertain future of asset management, Bridget Doran - Chair, Engineering New Zealand Transportation Group and Principal Researcher - MRCagney
17:30	Wrap up for the day
17:30	Happy hour
19:30	Networking Dinner Function – RIMS around the world (optional)
22:30	Close of evening

Happy Hour

When: Thurs 28 July 2022
Where: Around the trade, Forum venue
Time: 17:30 – 18:30
Cost: included in registration fees
Includes: Beverages and canapés

RIMS around the World

When: Thursday 28 July 2022
Where: Conference room, Forum venue
Time: 19:30 – 22:30
Cost: $87.00 + gst
Includes: Substantial walk n fork food, two beverages (thereafter cash bar) and interactive fun activities.

7.30	Breakfast - Proudly sponsored by
8:15	Welcome
8:20	Keynote: Setting up for success - Where to start? Suzanne Watt, National Sustainability Manager, Downer NZ
	Stream 1 - Tactical	Stream 2 - Strategic	Stream 3 - ODM sponsored by Waugh
9:15	Balancing the maintenance carbon equation - Peter Mortimer and Shane Browne, Downer NZ	Rapid prototyping solves road testing problems fast - Luke McGregor, Company X	The promises and perils of machine learning in Infrastructure Asset Management - Fritz Jooste, Lonrix Ltd
9:35	Auckland's road to electric public transport; why so bumpy? Anna Percy, Auckland Transport	Minimise your innovation - Scott McIntryre, The Datastack	Application of a pavement wear maintenance cost tool under HPMVs - Bruce Steven & Hannah Bennett, Beca
9:55	Computer vision and AL integrated with renewal and maintenance planning - Sean Rainsford, Lonrix	The Rise of IoT and Big Data in Rail – the European perspective, Pam Fletcher, Downer	How far are we stretching our assets? - Craig Reed, Fulton Hogan
10:07	Improved forward works programming outcomes through effective data driven shortlisting - Kevin Dunn, Beca	Partnering for a sustainable transport supply chain, Ian Porter, Fuso New Zealand	What if? The road maintenance task force ten years on - Grant Holland, Waugh
10:19	Q&A	Q&A	Q&A
10:30	Morning Tea proudly sponsored by
11:00	To Maintain or rehabilitate? That is the question - Stephen Wormald, Geosolve	Why is it so hard to create real change? - Simon Gough, GHD	Multi-objective investment optimisation in a TCFD landscape: performance modelling, carbon pricing and the Paris Agreement - Claire-Louise Bode and Cal Roughan, WSP
11:20	Renewal of structured road markings – and its carbon impact - Obinna Aka and Damien Douglas, WSP	Gore project - Erik Teekman and Peter Standring, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency	Modelling maintenance costs successfully: A significant step change in performance - Mike Tapper and Lucien Zhang, Beca
11:40	Ticking the boxes to quality sustainable roads or are we? Emile Van Zyl, Fulton Hogan	Managing carbon & climate information - Rowan Dixon, WSP	Modern tools for modern data, implementing the CSA - Scott Verevis, presenting on behalf of NTA
11:52	NZUAG - Code Review 2022, Dawn Inglis, NZUAG	From rules to objectives - Sikander Singh, Tauranga City Council
12:04	Q & A
12:15	Lunch proudly sponsored by
13:15	Consistent condition data collection Creating opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint - Tony Lange, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
13:30	Waka Kotahi’s Asset Management data standard - Elke Beca, WSP
13:45	RIMS pavement and pathways fault assessment standard - Shahaanan Arulgnanapragasam, WSP
14:00	ONF Project - Caroline Dumas
14:15	Q&A
14:25	Afternoon tea proudly sponsored by
14:55	Awards and Exhibitor Draw
15:00	International Framework, Local Models – the IDS Approach to GHG Modelling, Dr Ian Greenwood, Greenwood Associates Infrastructure Consultants
15:20	Keynote: People first - higher competency leads to lower carbon emissions - Roger Brady, REG and Jeremy Hughes, Company-X
16:00	Wrap Up \| Event Close

If you would like to discuss packages or sign up for a sponsorship /exhibition stand, then please contact Joanne at The Conference Team at 03 359 2600 or joanne@conferenceteam.co.nz.

Platinum Sponsor

Thinkproject is an international technology group providing integrated software solutions across the entire asset lifecycle from design and build to operation. This year we are launching two group solutions to New Zealand, CEMAR and Conclude CDE, to provide global-leading digital solutions for Contract Management and Common Data Environments. The RAMM Solution Suite is delivering digital innovation to enable predictive maintenance and asset optimisation capability. To achieve real data visualisation, RAMM combines asset data with 2D schematics to easily identify and interact with assets in complex structures, and will soon provide the ability to import BIM data and 3D models, convert schematics into intuitive 3D models, and ingest real-time data to support the use of Digital Twins in RAMM. Make Intelligence Your Asset.

Gold Sponsors

A diverse and multicultural business providing New Zealand with a holistic approach to Asset Data. When we work with you, we will leave you with a legacy of ownership, great asset management decisions, fully enable and functioning contracts, establish resilience with all clients and suppliers, increase knowledge transfer and standardise and produce year on year consistent outcomes. Roading Logistics wishes to remove all risk and present a solution whereby all activities can be accomplished.

Higgins delivers a comprehensive range of civil construction and road maintenance services across urban and rural areas. With a team of 1700 people across New Zealand and in Fiji, we have a ‘Customer No.1’ focus to provide only the very best in service, product and solutions. The foundation of the business is our values which shape our behaviours and make us a great place to work and good people to work with.

Silver Sponsor

Waugh Infrastructure Management is a niche consultancy that assists governments and councils with the full range of infrastructure asset management planning, from strategic planning and policy development, through to operational service delivery.

Waugh provides industry leadership within the New Zealand local government infrastructure management field, developing widely used guidance and templates designed to meet legislative and industry requirements. Waugh are infrastructure management specialists with wide domain expertise, who enjoy being part of your team and assisting in delivering the outcomes you require.

Waugh sponsor the IPWEA NZ Excellence in Asset Management Award.

Company-X’s reputation is built on providing world-leading software savvy teams to clients.

Co-founded by Jeremy Hughes and David Hallett in 2012, Company-X is renowned for building highly-skilled, tightly-knit, self-managed, and co-located teams that stay with projects from beginning to end and deliver software quickly.

The team of more than 50 software specialists include analysts, architects, designers, developers, testers and project managers with a can-do attitude.

Company-X built REG Insights, the world’s first national roading quality assurance web portal, in partnership with Local Government New Zealand and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency initiative the Road Efficiency Group.

Company-X helped the Asset Management Data Standard (AMDS) design team with data mapping and data migration advice for the AMDS pilot implementation project.

Other transport sector clients include the CityEdge Alliance comprising Beca, Coffey, Fletcher, Hick Bros, Higgins and Waka Kotahi who benefited from the Waikato Expressway Testing Application built by Company-X.

Bronze Sponsor

It started with the first ‘talking telegraph’ trial in 1877 which led to the formation of the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department in 1881. What followed was 130 years of communications evolution that saw telephones in nearly every home, the privatisation of the network and birth of Telecom in 1987, and the arrival of the internet and mobile phone technology.
Now optical fibre ushers in a new era. Chorus was formed in March 2008 as a Telecom business unit operating at arm’s length from the rest of the organisation, to give all service providers access to the local fixed line network.
In December 2011, Chorus reached a major milestone, formally becoming a separate entity and listing on the New Zealand stock exchange.
Today, as New Zealand’s largest telecommunications infrastructure company, Chorus continues its long heritage of building and looking after the country’s fixed line telecommunications network for present and future generations.

WSP are the premier design, engineering and environmental consultancy of Aotearoa, creating what matters for future generations.

Bringing the very best local and global expertise to help our clients see the future more clearly and design for it today.

Our 2,000 talented people in 40 offices across New Zealand design future ready solutions in Property & Buildings, Transport, Water, Power and Environment, as well as provide project delivery and strategic consulting services.

We are the local experts with over 150 years in Aotearoa
We harness the know-how of WSP's 55,000 specialists to solve our local challenges
We design with and for the communities in which we work and live

wsp.com/nz

General Sponsors


	Deighton Associates Limited (Deighton) has established itself as one of the world leaders in providing asset management systems and asset management expertise at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels for agencies around the world. Recognized as the premier software product for infrastructure asset management, dTIMS® is used to manage large infrastructure networks in Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States. These infrastructure networks include hundreds of thousands of miles of pavements, thousands of bridges, and millions of wastewater, storm water, and fresh water distribution pipe assets.
	IDS (Infrastructure Decision Support), is owned by the civil engineering industry for the industry, ensuring access to leading edge deterioration modelling is kept within reach of all New Zealand Local Authorities and asset owners, regardless of size or in-house technical expertise. The organisation provides a range of solutions for the industry to maintain, improve and protect their infrastructure networks whether it's pavement, unsealed roads, water, or footpaths. IDS has been set up as a registered charitable entity for the purpose of ensuing sustainability of the New Zealand intellectual property for road and water renewal and replacement decision making. The company is wholly owned by IPWEA.
	Data Collection Ltd specialises in collecting accurate, reliable and relevant pavement condition data. Whether you require information on a small section of road or the whole network, we have the resources to help you make sound engineering decisions. And we don’t stop at roads, with many of our capabilities expanding into the airport, ports and railway industry. Do not hesitate to contact us if you require: High Speed Data Surveys Roughness Surveys Video Surveys FWD & HWD Testing
	Fulton Hogan delivers high-quality infrastructure to improve the lives of people in Australia and New Zealand, every day. Our 7,700 strong team works in every kind of weather, creating, connecting, and caring for communities. After nearly 90 years in business, we believe resilient infrastructure will help tackle the challenges of a changing world, and we will continue to invest and innovate to play our part.
	Lonrix Limited is an agile, dynamic team of civil engineers, software engineers and data analysts. We are passionate about building products that make a positive and lasting impact on the day-to-day operations of clients across the globe. As a team, we have more than 50 years of combined experience in software development and asset management systems. Our team members have extensive international experience, having worked on projects in Australia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Malaysia, and New Zealand. As such we bring a wide perspective and considerable experience to each project that we undertake. By utilising our extensive library of tools and algorithms, we can cost-effectively develop web-based applications for the smart phone age.
	GHD recognises and understands the world is constantly changing. We are committed to solving the world's biggest challenges in the areas of water, energy and urbanisation. We are a global professional services company that leads through engineering, construction and architectural expertise. Our forward-looking, innovative approaches connect and sustain communities around the world. Delivering extraordinary social and economic outcomes, we are focused on building lasting relationships with our partners and clients. Established in 1928, we remain wholly owned by our people. We are 10,000+ diverse and skilled individuals connected by over 200 offices, across five continents – Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America, and the Pacific region. Find out more about us at ghd.com
	Onsite Developments Ltd was formed in 1995 to perform routine road asset inspections for North Shore City as a sub-contractor to Fulton Hogan Ltd. Since our beginning we have developed our own inspection software enabling us to perform this niche service with efficiency and accuracy. We specialise in data collection and asset inspections for the road maintenance and asset management industry.
	beforeUdig is a FREE online service which enables anyone undertaking excavation works to obtain maps and safety information on the location of cables, pipes and other utility assets in and around any proposed dig site, helping to protect themselves from harm and avoid damaging valuable assets during these works. In most cases, it provides a 'one stop shop' for contractors to communicate about their planned activities with member utilities and authorities. If you want to be safe, it is crucial to reinforce the importance of following the Safe Excavation guidelines to reduce the chances of striking underground networks - Plan, Prepare, Pothole, Protect and Proceed. Take care of yourself and the others around you. Request a set of utility network maps for free and online at www.beforeUdig.co.nz or by using our iOS and Android app on your phone or tablet.
	Fuso New Zealand is a local family-owned business and authorised distributor of FUSO trucks, buses and genuine parts in New Zealand. FUSO is one of the best-performing and most popular brands in the country, with a proven pedigree in a wide range of applications. In 2021, FUSO was NZ’s top selling truck brand. FUSO offers an industry-leading range, from the heavy-duty Shogun and medium-duty Fighter, to NZ’s favourite light truck, the Canter. FUSO also leads in sustainability, offering eCanter, the first series-manufactured electric light truck. FUSO has an established reputation for dependability, cost-effectiveness, sustainable solutions and advanced safety. Our passionate team has a wealth of collective experience – from detailed technical knowledge to an innate understanding of what makes transport operators tick and, more importantly, what they expect from their trucks and after-sales support. We’re not bound by corporate red tape. We’ll work fast and with flexibility to find the right solutions and make them happen for you. www.fuso.co.nz
	The InQuik modular bridge system is an innovative, patented Australian designed and manufactured product that solves the challenge of ageing infrastructure. We address cost, complexity and compliance issues to accelerate the bridge construction process. This enables Governments, Councils and road authorities to upgrade or construct infrastructure cost-effectively and efficiently. www.inquik.com.au
	Shaw’s Consulting Services Ltd is a privately owned New Zealand company started in 2003 by Chris & Helen Shaw. SCS have operated profitably and successfully as a family based company with a culture of direct communication with clients and a desire to provide a high quality service delivered at the agreed time and at a reasonable price. www.shawsconsult.co.nz
	Our intelligent platform helps deliver a safer more efficient road network. With next generation technologies our streamlined, efficient asset management process helps Clients manage their road networks in smart, innovative ways, delivering significant productivity gains. www.assetvision.com.au/

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Day 1 Speakers

Tangi Utikere, MP for Palmerston North

Day 1 Welcome

Bio

Tangi is passionate about social justice, equality of opportunity and fairness. With a professional background which combines Local Government and Education, Tangi’s connection to the community is wide and his understanding of the issues that affect the lives and livelihoods of New Zealanders is vast.

Prior to his election as the Member of Parliament for the Palmerston North Electorate in 2020, Tangi served 10 years on the City Council, and was the city’s first elected member of Pasifika heritage. Tangi was appointed Deputy Mayor in 2016, a role he relinquished upon his election to Parliament.

Whilst a member of the City Council, Tangi made it his priority to work with people from right across the political spectrum. Combined with his focus on policy and practice, Tangi made a significant contribution to the areas of multiculturalism, education, resource management and racing. With a keen interest in justice and fairness of process, Tangi has been extensively involved in the criminal justice system as a Judicial Justice of the Peace, Visiting Justice and was an inaugural Commissioner with the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

During the current parliamentary term, Tangi has been a member of the Governance & Administration and Environment Select Committees. He is the current Chair of Parliament’s Health Select Committee.

Tangi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Triple Major in History, Political Science and Social Policy, along with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) from Massey University.

Tangi’s commitment to his community is also reflected in his being a marriage celebrant and a Justice of the Peace. Tangi lives with his partner, Te Rei, and their Papillon, Reichen.

Priyani de Silva-Currie, IPWEA NZ President

Day 1 Keynote

Bio

Priyani has over 25 years’ experience in governance and infrastructure asset management across multiple sectors including transport, waters, property and buildings, energy and utilities, telecommunications and infrastructure. Priyani specializes in public infrastructure asset management for local and central government throughout Australasia and the Pacific. Priyani has recently joined Beca as their Principal Asset Advisory.

Prior to joining Beca Priyani was the Acting National Infrastructure Property Manager for Waka Kotahi. Previous roles include Regional Leader Central and New Zealand Asset Management Leader with Calibre; Partner, Business Manager and Principal Asset Management Consultant at Opus International Consultants (WSP); and Business and Community Assets Advisor and Energy Manager at Nelson City Council.

Within the governance sector Priyani is the President of IPWEA New Zealand and a Director of IPWEA Australasia. Priyani has held various community and industry roles including the President of Multicultural NZ (MNZ), Chairperson and Life Member of Carbon and Energy Professional (EMANZ). Within local communities Priyani was the President of the Manawatu Multicultural Council and Nelson Multicultural Council.

Priyani is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland and guest lectures at Massey University, Otago Polytechnic and Weltec in leadership and asset management practice, is a qualified Assessor of NZ Diploma in Asset Management and NZ Certificate in Procurement. Priyani is also an Accredited Better Business Case Practitioner BBC ®. Priyani has undertaken formal leadership and coaching training through Calibre, NZIM and Opus Leadership Academy and also within her sporting passion of Netball where she has coached NPC, Representative and Premier teams in the Manawatu, Central Zone and Nelson. When Priyani is at play she loves to go boating, fish, spend time with her family, and occasionally take her 1975 Thunderbird out for a burn.

Theuns Henning

Mainstreaming Climate Mitigation into Roading Programmes

Bio

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Dr Theuns Henning holds many roles within the civil engineering industry, drawing on his academic background and industry experience.

A Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland, he is also a founding member of the Climate Adaptation Platform, specialising in Asset Management, Performance Monitoring, Climate Adaptation, Performance Based Contracts and Benchmarking.

Passionately committed to ensuring the betterment of the industry, Dr Henning is the Chief Executive Officer at Infrastructure Decision Support (IDS), which comes under the umbrella of The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA). IDS provide industry leadership in the development, advocacy, and implementation of evidence-based decision making for infrastructure.

In his role at IDS, Dr Henning was part of the original implementation of dTIMS (asset management modelling software) into New Zealand and continues to manage the national distribution and implementation of this tool.

Dr Henning has worked with many large organisations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. In this capacity, his focus has been on Performance Based Contracting, Climate Adaptation, Asset Management and the development of design and decision-making guidelines.

Dr Henning is a published author of 42 international journals, Six Road Infrastructure Management (RIMS) Body of Knowledge Guidelines and is the primary author of four World Bank Guidelines for developing countries. He holds a Master of Engineering (Transportation) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and completed his PhD at the University of Auckland in 2009, where he was the recipient of the Foundation for Research and Technology Bright Future Scholarship.

Presentation

Mainstreaming Climate Mitigation into Roading Programmes

Limited are the days for undertaking investment analysis and road maintenance programming solely based on economic principles. The pressures on transport services increasingly include customer service expectations, resilience to natural events and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In New Zealand, the Transport Sector accounts for over 40% of the CO2 emissions and over 19% of the total Greenhouse Gas emissions (Source MoE).

Arguably there are great expectations for addressing the high CO2 through a widescale adoption of electronic and hybrid vehicles. However, the transitions of a total vehicle fleet will take time and relying on that alone will not achieve our ambitious carbon footprint targets. The road construction sector also has a significant role to play. Good progress exists in understanding the carbon footprint of different road construction material techniques and some elements of life-cycle considerations.

New Zealand, however, is not a world leader for embedding carbon principles into our renewal and maintenance programmes nor in any of our asset management processes. Some developing countries have made more progress, mainly due to donor organisations applying pressures towards achieving greener outcomes. For example, in their Climate Change Action Plan (2021–25), the World Bank requires every investment proposal to include a minimum of 35% climate benefits that include mitigation and adaptation. This keynote will explore mechanisms and processes to mainstream climate mitigation into asset management planning and delivery of road transport programmes.

Shahaanan Arulgnanapragasam

Pathways for the future – Supplementing typical footpath asset management with A.I, data visualisation & operations research

Bio

Shahaanan is an Asset Management Engineer with WSP. With a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Engineering Science, Shahaanan’s strong background in programming, data science and mathematical modelling has allowed him to tackle a variety of complex data analysis projects.

Shahaanan’s time at WSP has specifically seen the application of his optimisation and statistical modelling skills in developing pathway and roading forward work programmes for multiple Councils across New Zealand.

Presentation

Within the New Zealand’s Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan is a target to reduce light vehicle VKT by 20%. Micro-mobility and mode shift are clear responses to meet this target however expanding our walking and cycling infrastructure is only one part of the problem.

To ensure commuters have confidence that their pathways network provides adequate level of service, we as operational asset managers must ensure that our processes are saleable to meet the demands of a rapidly growing network. Adopting and embedding new technology to make existing processes more efficient is one such way.

This presentation will be an overview of WSP’s approach to a footpath condition assessment and forward work programming and will specifically look at processes that have been augmented by the use of smarter technology such as:

Artificial intelligence in fault collection
Operations research in generating candidate site lists
Data visualisation in inventory and FWP management

Lisa Rossiter

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

Bio

Lisa is a lawyer turned strategist with a passion for improving social and environmental outcomes. She leads multi-disciplinary teams who develop and embed strategic direction on critical issues.

Lisa began her involvement with the transport sector as Environmental Director for Transit New Zealand and has held various roles since, including Chief Advisor Safety Directions and National Strategy Manager, during which time she was instrumental in introducing the safe system approach to New Zealand. Passionate about vehicle safety and the role it plays in saving lives, Lisa is a Director of ANCAP Ltd.

In her present role, Lisa and her team are responsible for leading a step change in the way the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency cares for the environment, including shaping the response to the climate change. An advocate of multi-outcome initiatives, Lisa is currently ensuring Waka Kotahi steps up to the challenges in the Emissions Reduction Plan and the Carbon Neutral Government Programme.

In her non-working moments Lisa is a proud mum to two busy youngsters and enjoys contributing to her local community through voluntary governance roles, including Chairing the Trinity Schools Trust Board.

Nirosana Satkunarajah

Greener outcomes – through smart planning, innovation, and collaboration. Manukau Road – A case study

Bio

Niro is a Design Engineer working for Downer Technical Services. She provides pavement, drainage and geometric design solutions for Auckland Transport, Waka Kotahi and various district council projects across the country. Niro has a keen eye for driving sustainable designs in each build. She is particularly interested in innovation around sustainability and has been involved in the development of a tool to capture carbon emissions of asphalt paving activities.

Presentation

In July 2021 as part of the Auckland Transport Central Road Corridor Maintenance Contract, Downer was tasked with resurfacing 31,000m2 of asphalt on Manukau Road, one of Auckland’s busiest and most heavily congested roads. Done traditionally (at night) the project was expected to take between 4 to 6 weeks depending on weather delays to complete and create at least 18 days of disruption for over 170 local business and stakeholders including schools, medical facilities, places of worship and a shopping mall, not to mention the risk created by having 28 transverse joints as a result of paving over 18 shifts.

This presented Downer and Auckland Transport with an opportunity to push the boundaries of a traditional approach, rethink the methodology and create a solution that would maximise efficiencies, minimise disruption to our stakeholders, and importantly reduce our overall carbon emissions. The final solution was to complete the project over 2 weekend blocks during school holidays with an additional 2 nightshifts.

The new methodology reduced the project duration and stakeholder disruption by 70% when compared with the traditional solution.

Aside from the great outcome itself one the biggest benefits of the new methodology were the overall reduction seen in carbon emissions over the duration of the project. The project has identified the impact operational planning can have on the total emissions of a project as well as highlighting the impact on emissions from asphalt production.

Using data collected from vehicle monitoring technology and the plant machine hours onsite the project has shown that through innovation, collaboration, and willingness to challenge the status quo maintenance contracts can have a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions and even go some way to helping offsetting the emissions from asphalt plants.

Willy Silcock, Fulton Hogan

Smarter resurfacing programming to reduce carbon emissions

Bio

Willy is an Asset Engineer within the Engineering Solutions Team at Fulton Hogan.

Willy’s extensive road maintenance and asset management knowledge has been developed through the Fulton Hogan Graduate Programme, Contract Manager for the Banks Peninsula Maintenance Contract and as a National RAMM Resource. Willy leverages his operational and technical knowledge to support the Fulton Hogan business through his current role, National Contract Delivery Engineer. Developing innovative and practical solutions to common maintenance problems is central to Willy’s role.

Presentation

The cost to implement our resurfacing programme and the associated carbon footprint are significant.These activities contribute to the work and therefore the carbon footprint:

Extracting and processing the aggregate
Transporting the aggregate to stockpile
Transportation from stockpile to site
Transportation of construction equipment to site
Constructing the resurfacing
Traffic management
Traffic delays
Disestablishment of construction equipment.

Smart data analysis and application of these performance insights into operational decision making can significantly reduce the carbon footprint by:

Robust analysis of treatment selection, and treatment and aggregate performance to minimise travel time, reduce traffic delays and reduce carbon emission (these vary depending on the treatment solution).
Optimising the total km of resurfacing (and the number of sites) achieved each day by looking at adjacent sites, which are due for resurfacing within the next 1 – 3 years, and bringing that site(s) forward so that 2 or more sites can be combined and sealed within the same day
We have developed a process to calculate the emissions and therefore we are able to determine the associated carbon savings.

Rashmi Perera, Fulton Hogan

Putting the boot to climate change

Bio

Rashmi is an Asset Management Technician working on the West Waikato Network Outcomes contract (NOC). Based in Hamilton for the past 2.5 years, Rashmi has worked on various assets, using data to build programs of work. These programs support the annual plan submission and operational teams across the West Waikato NOC. Rashmi has a passion for collecting and providing data so the Fulton Hogan and Waka Kotahi team can make the best decision for their network.

Rashmi belongs to the Centennial Generation, (or iGEN ), this means she will deal with the very real impacts of climate change throughout her career, and understands the actions she takes now will not only benefit her, but future generations to come.

Presentation

Over the next 20 years we can expect dramatic changes in our weather patterns, increased temperatures, rainfall events and sea level rise will wreak havoc on New Zealand’s infrastructure and road networks. Maintaining our road networks is a critical task which provides lifeline access to New Zealand citizens but will also be a major influencer in reaching our Carbon reduction targets.

Rashmi’s presentation outlines

How Rashmi is using data to better understand Fulton Hogan maintenance patterns and practices.
Discovering the factors which increase the carbon foot print of our heavy maintenance works.
Bringing the carbon equation into treatment selection practice.

In 20 yrs time Rashmi will be in the engineering driving seat, how bumpy her ride is depends on how we act now!!

Nadine Dodge, Te Waihanga

Building a net-zero economy: the New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy

Bio

Nadine Dodge is a senior economist at Te Waihanga, which is a crown entity that seeks to co-ordinate, develop, and promote an approach to infrastructure that improves the well-being of New Zealanders. She has a particular interest in reducing carbon emissions from transport, and completed a PhD which looked at the impacts of housing choice on transport emissions. She has a background in transport at the local government level, including preparing two transport asset management plans at Wellington City Council.

Presentation

Climate change is the defining challenge of this century and our infrastructure is a key part of the solution. The New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy highlights that we are in a fortunate position in many respects: We have abundant potential sources of low-emission energy that can be used to decarbonise our economy while growing economic opportunities. However, we also need to reduce or manage the emissions we produce when we build and operate our infrastructure, which often means changing how we plan for, build, operate, and maintain infrastructure.

Strategic challenges facing the infrastructure sector, including roading investment, include:

The increasing need to take a whole-of-life perspective and balance emissions from construction, operation, and use of transport infrastructure
‘Hard to abate’ emissions that are embedded in materials like steel, cement, and asphalt
Costs and capacity pressures, which mean that our budgets aren’t going as far as they used to.

The New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy outlines some opportunities to transform how we approach these issues, including things like:

Improved asset condition data to allow us to focus investment and maintenance where it can make the most impact
Better consideration of non-built solutions, including transport pricing and changes to how we plan cities and regions, to lift outcomes without lifting emissions
Unlocking innovation and technology change in materials and infrastructure design
Better forward planning to signal investments, build workforce capacity, and head off cost pressures before they occur.

Download Presentation

Nadine Dodge

Dr. Alfred Weninger-Vycudil

Assessment of sustainability in infrastructure asset management

Presentation

The assessment of road infrastructure assets from the sustainability point of view is a big challenge for many public and private road administrations around the globe. Due to the fact that sustainability includes ecological, economical and further social aspects, the solutions must address all dimensions (columns) and enable the asset managers to see the effects of their decisions from a holistic point of view.

dTIMS Environmental Management Solution (EMS) addresses all three columns of sustainability, including the (standard) economic assessment, but extending the procedure using environmental indicators (e.g., GWP–global warming potential) and social aspects (e.g., effects on users and neighbours). Different maintenance strategies and scenarios can be additionally compared from the ecological and the wider social point of view. Especially the savings on e.g., CO2 (GWP) when applying a different technology, construction solution or strategy needs to be displayed to the User and presented in an understandable format for decision making.

With our presentation we would like to show how sustainability can be practically implemented into Asset Management and what options for decision makers are already available for the assessment of maintenance strategies. Using this extended approach will help to underline the necessity for investments into road infrastructure assets, especially when showing the potential of saving GHG and energy due to better or improved road condition.

Bio

Dr. Alfred Weninger-Vycudil started his technical career at the Technical College for Civil Engineering in Vienna 1985 and gained his MSc in traffic and infrastructure engineering in 1997.

In 2001, Alfred completed his PhD with a thesis in ‘Development of system elements for an Austrian PMS’ – for this he was awarded the Ressel and FSV awards. Whilst working at the Vienna University of Technology, Alfred started working with dRoad and dTIMS, developing the Austrian Pavement Management System for the federal road network.

In 2015, Alfred’s engineering firm, PMS-Consult, became part of the Deighton Group where he is now Technical Director for Europe, focusing on dTIMS Implementation as well as the execution of asset management research projects.

Through his research, Alfred has published many technical and scientific papers and presented to organisations and conferences around the world. He is a member of the World Road Association Technical Committee for Asset Management and Austrian and German Road Research Associations.

Outside of work, Alfred teaches road and traffic construction at the University of Applied Science and has supported many students through their Master theses. Alfred is married with two teenage boys and lives in a small town east of Vienna.

Phillipa O’Shea, Downer NZ

Optimising carbon footprints

Bio

Phillipa is the Principal Asset Strategy Engineer for Downer. She has been with Downer for nearly 15 years and was previously involved the with rail and water industry in the asset management space. She is responsible for supporting the Downer Asset Management Community with their predictive analytical needs and supporting the teams and systems delivering asset management services through their Asset Management Improvement Plans.

Presentation

In April 2016 New Zealand was one of 185 countries that signed up to the UNFCCC agreement to reduce global warming by 2^oC by reducing carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO₂e).

In 2013 to 2014 New Zealand’s gross emissions increased by 1% to 81.1 million tonnes CO₂e. In the year 2018-2019 the emissions have decreased by 4.2% to 78.9 million tonnes CO₂e, but much more needs to be done. The energy sector, including transport and electricity production, is the second largest contributor at 40% of total emissions with agriculture being the largest. The transport sector will be key to meeting NZ’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The decision to sign up to this commitment will have an impact on all Road Controlling Authorities (RCA’s) and what policy requirements the roading industry will have to implement.

As an environmentally conscious organisation, Downer tracks and reports on its energy consumption and CO₂e emissions and have introduced a range of initiatives to reduce their impact. Their annual energy consumption is in the region of 1,493.08TJ, with the largest contributor being diesel used in their Infrastructure Services division.

5 years ago, Downer started to assess the CO₂e emissions for road maintenance activities to understand their carbon footprint and impact over the life cycle of each treatment method. An example of initial findings suggested that Stabilisation has 10% lower impact than a Digout. However, looking at the whole life cycle Stabilisation has double the CO₂e impact.

The calculation of these carbon footprints is reliant on accurate data. The project’s aim was, through field data capture, to validate the data collected through our plant system to see whether it could be relied on to quantify CO₂e emissions for maintenance activities in the future. In short, the answer is yes it can. Now to take this thinking to the next level.

Michaela Williams, WSP

Baselining carbon emissions – how much carbon does it take a year to operate Auckland’s Motorway network?

Bio

Michaela is an Environment and Sustainability Advisor in the Auckland System Management Alliance. Michaela prepared ASM’s first GHG inventory and is the lead coordinater for implementing the ASM’s Energy Efficiency Strategic Priority Action Plan and is concurrently undertaking a Masters in Urban Planning (Professional).

Presentation

Co-presented with Gemma Wadworth.

Topics:

Measuring carbon
Collaboration to reduce our impact on the environment
Are decisions driven by data?
Technology supporting the changes in road asset management

Measuring carbon is critical for the Road Infrastructure Maintenance Industry to understand how asset maintenance activities contribute to road transport emissions and identify opportunities for energy and emissions reductions. Auckland System Management Alliance (ASM) deliver the Operation and Maintenance Contract for the Auckland Motorway Network and has undertaken a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory during the first year of the contract to provide a baseline to drive emission reduction initiatives. It is important for ASM to align with Waka Kotahi’s sustainability objectives and focus to achieve ‘reduced energy and carbon’, outlined in their Resource Efficiency and Waste Minimisation Strategy released in 2021.

ASM maintain a variety of assets which seven departments are responsible for the management, delivery, and operation of. Due to the complex nature of the Project, it was important to maintain a collaborative process with teams, so multiple workshops and interviews were held at the outset of the Project to delineate the scope of the GHG inventory and to ensure the establishment of robust data reporting lines.

The outcome of this process is that ongoing engagement and systems have now been embedded in the organisation to enable emissions data to be collected through the duration of the contract. The prioritisation to transform ASM operations to reduce GHG emissions by incorporating it into the strategic priorities and KPIs will facilitate decision making around carbon reduction efforts.

Using existing organisational structure processes results in reporting of data becoming streamlined and BAU. A leadership-driven process is also critical to incorporate GHG reductions into ASM’s strategic priorities and KPIs.

The resulting consistent data reporting and leadership driven implementation encourages ideas to be developed organisation-wide and enables analysis of new initiatives to identify those that are high impact and cost effective to prioritise and deliver on emission reduction targets.

Gemma Wadworth, ASM, NZTA

Baselining carbon emissions – how much carbon does it take a year to operate Auckland’s Motorway network?

Bio

Gemma is an Environment and Sustainability Advisor in the Auckland System Management Alliance, and part of the team implementing the Energy Efficiency Strategic Priority.

Gemma has experience working on Infrastructure Sustainability Rating tools, including on the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth Motorway PPP Project and is a Greenroads® Sustainable Transport Professional.

Presentation

Co-presented with Michaela Williams.

Topics:

Measuring carbon
Collaboration to reduce our impact on the environment
Are decisions driven by data?
Technology supporting the changes in road asset management

Measuring carbon is critical for the Road Infrastructure Maintenance Industry to understand how asset maintenance activities contribute to road transport emissions and identify opportunities for energy and emissions reductions. Auckland System Management Alliance (ASM) deliver the Operation and Maintenance Contract for the Auckland Motorway Network and has undertaken a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory during the first year of the contract to provide a baseline to drive emission reduction initiatives. It is important for ASM to align with Waka Kotahi’s sustainability objectives and focus to achieve ‘reduced energy and carbon’, outlined in their Resource Efficiency and Waste Minimisation Strategy released in 2021.

ASM maintain a variety of assets which seven departments are responsible for the management, delivery, and operation of. Due to the complex nature of the Project, it was important to maintain a collaborative process with teams, so multiple workshops and interviews were held at the outset of the Project to delineate the scope of the GHG inventory and to ensure the establishment of robust data reporting lines.

The outcome of this process is that ongoing engagement and systems have now been embedded in the organisation to enable emissions data to be collected through the duration of the contract. The prioritisation to transform ASM operations to reduce GHG emissions by incorporating it into the strategic priorities and KPIs will facilitate decision making around carbon reduction efforts.

Using existing organisational structure processes results in reporting of data becoming streamlined and BAU. A leadership-driven process is also critical to incorporate GHG reductions into ASM’s strategic priorities and KPIs.

The resulting consistent data reporting and leadership driven implementation encourages ideas to be developed organisation-wide and enables analysis of new initiatives to identify those that are high impact and cost effective to prioritise and deliver on emission reduction targets.

Bridget Doran

Transport, climate change, and equity: the uncertain future of asset management

Bio

Bridget Doran is a Chartered Engineer in transport with a doctorate in cognitive psychology. Her PhD was an investigation into the roles of mind wandering and autopilot in everyday driving, and their links with road safety.

For the last three years Bridget has worked at MRCagney where she is a Principal Researcher, based in Hamilton. She works on transport research, policy, and practice for a variety of government, university, and private sector clients around New Zealand. Bridget regularly presents on inclusive access and road safety to audiences of transport professionals and community, with a focus on challenging us all to think about what ‘best practice’ means for the people we work with, and those we serve.

Bridget is Chair of Engineering New Zealand’s Transportation Group. The Transportation Group has 1,200 members, comprising professionals with a wide variety of backgrounds who work on transport policy, planning, and engineering. In her role as Chair Bridget is an advocate for uncovering inconvenient truths in the links and gaps between policy rhetoric, and what actually happens in transport policy, planning and investment.

Bridget is known as a provocative and engaging speaker.

Presentation

Transport’s contribution to carbon emissions is a complex product of embodied and emitted carbon. The trailpipe emissions from vehicles are just one consideration. Building new road lanes perpetuates the myth that personal car travel is an efficient and sustainable way for people to move freely around their local communities – so why do we need to change that story, where should we start, and what does infrastructure management have to do with it?

In this presentation Bridget will discuss the systems levers involved in carbon emissions for the transport sector. It will include the more obvious connections to carbon dioxide, and less obvious but nonetheless powerful drivers of ongoing overconsumption in the transport sector. She will also discuss the role of habit and effort in decision-making, with critique of the ways our investment decisions perpetuate the status quo.

Bridget will also discuss recent work on the place for equity and consideration of the needs of disabled people in transport planning, with a focus on pedestrian and public transport infrastructure. The risks of worsening inequity as climate change starts to impact everyone’s lives directly will be presented.

Day 2 Speakers

Suzanne Watt, Downer NZ

Setting up for success - Where to start?

Bio

Suzanne joined Downer NZ from Worksafe New Zealand where she has spent the last 2+ years working collaboratively across New Zealand to deliver key initiatives for the Construction, Utilities and Facilities sector including the Good Practice Guide for Road and Roadside Workers and Whakaiti Kino (a project engaging with Industry to develop utility strike reduction strategies).

Suzanne has previously worked for Downer in Dunedin and prior to that had 13 years working for the Otago Regional Council. She brings a strong background in environmental resource management across a variety of disciplines including air and water quality, waste management and strategic planning and delivery. In addition, she has working knowledge of the transport sector from central government through to small contractors and understands the climate change challenges we face as a sector.

Her collaborative work across the Otago region driving behaviour change is a key element of her role as National Sustainability Manager at Downer. She holds a Master of Science with Honours and is currently studying with the Institute of Directors and at the University of Cambridge in Sustainability Leadership.

Presentation

Carbon reduction is the Construction sector’s biggest challenge for the next 13-30 years. This challenge isn’t simply how many electric cars we can roll into our light vehicle fleets, it’s about how we push, challenge, and collaborate as a sector to create the changes we need in how we do business. It’s about using the leverage of our demand to drive both supply and technological advances that will enable and support us on our journey.

Our leaders must set us up for success through their partnerships and understanding of how to make change happen in our own organisations, but it’s you who will be delivering the changes that give the essential results. It’s going to take foresight, understanding, and speed of action – so where do we start?

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Suzanne Watt

Peter Mortimer, Downer NZ

Balancing the maintenance carbon equation

Bio

Peter is the National Asset Manager, Transport for Downer. He has been with Downer for 20 years and was previously involved in design engineering, design management, road surface engineering and asset engineering.

He is responsible for supporting the people and systems delivering Asset Management services across Downer transport sector contracts.

Presentation

Co-presented with Shane Browne

As New Zealand moves towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, selecting appropriate maintenance treatments will be an important part of the solution for reaching that target. Improvements to the way we select maintenance treatment will help by:

Better understanding the impact of maintenance treatment life, and
Incorporating the estimated emissions of maintenance treatments over a lifecycle analysis period.

Downer’s maintenance treatment selection tool aims to tackle both issues. The tool uses a combination of traffic, pavement depth and pavement performance data (Traffic Speed Deflectometer) to estimate the life of maintenance treatment at a patch level. The results are visualised onto a GIS mapping tool and mobile field application, allowing users to quickly assess the impact of various maintenance treatments in the context of estimated life and carbon intensity. In addition, the output categorises each treatment option allowing users to quickly compare each treatment.

By adding the outcome of previous work completed by Downer in 2017 in calculating the carbon footprint of maintenance activities, we can now calculate the estimated carbon intensity of maintenance treatments over any analysis period.

Monitoring the actual life of each treatment selected by the maintenance treatment tool against the estimated life will increase the accuracy of the forecast in the future.

The key learnings from the development of the tool are:

Maintenance treatment life expectancy is highly dependent on pavement thickness, subgrade strength, deflection curvature, loading and treatment performance characteristics.
Selecting the correct visualisation tool is critical in helping key stakeholders digest big data and help decision-making.
Adding the carbon intensity calculated provides another perspective to consider when making treatment selection decisions. How the carbon intensity profile is valued over time will become more important.

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Peter Mortimer and Shane Browne

Shane Browne, Auckland Transport

Balancing the maintenance carbon equation

Bio

Shane is a Senior Asset Planning Analyst, for Integrated Networks at Auckland Transport. He has been working with Auckland Transport for last 4 months having previously worked for Downer NZ for the last 3 years. He has 10 years of experience in the civil/asset engineering industry having previously being involved in civil/structural design engineering, project management, and asset inspection & engineering.

He is responsible for supporting the asset planning team and wider asset management teams in Auckland Transport, helping to develop insights and consistent reporting from asset data.

Presentation

Co-presented with Peter Mortimer

As New Zealand moves towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, selecting appropriate maintenance treatments will be an important part of the solution for reaching that target. Improvements to the way we select maintenance treatment will help by:

Better understanding the impact of maintenance treatment life, and
Incorporating the estimated emissions of maintenance treatments over a lifecycle analysis period.

Downer’s maintenance treatment selection tool aims to tackle both issues. The tool uses a combination of traffic, pavement depth and pavement performance data (Traffic Speed Deflectometer) to estimate the life of maintenance treatment at a patch level. The results are visualised onto a GIS mapping tool and mobile field application, allowing users to quickly assess the impact of various maintenance treatments in the context of estimated life and carbon intensity. In addition, the output categorises each treatment option allowing users to quickly compare each treatment.

By adding the outcome of previous work completed by Downer in 2017 in calculating the carbon footprint of maintenance activities, we can now calculate the estimated carbon intensity of maintenance treatments over any analysis period.

Monitoring the actual life of each treatment selected by the maintenance treatment tool against the estimated life will increase the accuracy of the forecast in the future.

The key learnings from the development of the tool are:

Maintenance treatment life expectancy is highly dependent on pavement thickness, subgrade strength, deflection curvature, loading and treatment performance characteristics.
Selecting the correct visualisation tool is critical in helping key stakeholders digest big data and help decision-making.
Adding the carbon intensity calculated provides another perspective to consider when making treatment selection decisions. How the carbon intensity profile is valued over time will become more important.

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Peter Mortimer and Shane Browne

Luke McGregor, Company-X

Rapid prototyping solves road testing problem fast

Bio

Company-X software architect and senior developer Luke McGregor was technology lead on City Edge Alliance Waikato Expressway Testing Application.

Luke has 17 years’ experience and is passionate about developing successful software. Cutting edge technology’s potential to facilitate innovative, simple and seamless solutions to complex problems excites Luke. He gets energy from working alongside other talented developers who take pride in their work. Pride in performance with quality, timely results reflect his values of integrity, achievement and expertise.

Since joining Company-X in 2017, Luke has worked on a variety of projects from large multinationals to small start-ups. This has meant working with many technologies, platforms and people to solve problems ranging from designing complex technical systems, to beloved user experiences.

Presentation

CityEdge Alliance manufacturing engineer James Higgins and process manager Vicky Wells looked to Waikato software specialist Company-X for help because of its experience in the sector building the Road Efficiency Group Insights tool.

Company-X solutions architect Luke McGregor did some rapid prototyping and explored the different ways that the data could be visualised. Company-X gave CityEdge Alliance its first prototypes to look at in less than a week and the solution was iterated from there.

CityEdge came to Company-X with a hosted system in mind, but instead Company-X designed and developed a web browser-based application that did not store data on a server. This solved the problem with reduced build time and cost.
The final solution was ready for use three months after work began and used daily by about 50 CityEdge Alliance users.

Three Key Points of Learning:

What you really need, isn’t always what you think you need when it comes to building software. Come to the table with the problem in mind, rather than the solution.
Rapid software prototypes can be spun up quickly, to ensure the project starts on the right foot.
The Agile approach to software development is the best. Split the work into short, fast bursts and review development progress as you go.

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Luke McGregor

Fritz Jooste, Lonrix Ltd

The promises and perils of machine learning in Infrastructure Asset Management

Bio

Fritz Jooste has been working in the field of pavement design and asset management for more than 25 years. He earned his PhD from Texas A&M University in 1997 and since then has been involved primarily in research and with the development of systems related to pavement design and asset management.

Fritz is a founder and director of Juno Services Ltd and Lonrix Ltd.

Presentation

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have, over the last decade, become familiar words for most engineers involved in infrastructure asset management.

Although most of the ML algorithms were first published several decades ago, it is only now, in the era of massively parallel computers and large data sets, that the science of ML and AI is coming into its own in infrastructure asset management. ML and AI are promising technologies, and the potential for them to transform aspects of the asset management landscape is significant. However, these technologies also bring new challenges to the asset management domain. Some of these challenges are technical (e.g., how to incorporate them into older legacy systems), and some of them affect the human aspects of the asset management workflow.

This presentation will provide an entertaining and colourful look at the potential for ML and AI technologies to transform aspects of the asset management landscape (with a focus on deterioration modelling). Using both practical experience as well as established theory, the presentation will then look at the perils and limitations of these technologies.

In particular, the presentation will discuss what a widespread implementation of these technologies may mean for engineers and for the inherited knowledge base that currently forms the basis of much of the asset management domain.

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Fritz Jooste

Anna Percy, Auckland Transport

Auckland's road to electric public transport; why so bumpy?

Bio

Anna’s career has combined a passion for sustainability with an emphasis on looking after existing assets. She joined AT in 2015 and has worked on the Regional Land Transport Plan and the Asset Management Plan for 2015, 2018 and 2021. Anna is currently contributing to the development of AT’s 2024 Business Case Asset Management Plan.

Presentation

Electric vehicles are an important response to climate and local air quality issues, but they are very heavy. This paper will present new research undertaken in Auckland to understand the impact of the additional weight of electric buses on road pavements on an urban, a suburban and a semi-rural bus route.

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Anna Percy

Scott McIntyre, The Datastack

Minimise your innovation

Bio

Scott is the Founder & Principal Consultant at The Datastack; an asset information management and digital solutions consultancy. He is fuelled by a serious amount of coffee, and he loves doing cool stuff with data and technology.

Presentation

Wait …. minimise your innovation? Surely minimise is a typo!

This talk is all about the philosophy of minimum innovation.

At times the thinking for a project can lean towards maximising innovation in an attempt to maximise the potential benefits. Well, that is not always the best approach.

Integrating the minimum innovation philosophy can be a really good fit for some projects, to deliver the outcomes you need in a sustainable and cost-effective way.

One challenge is that minimum innovation can at first sound like an oxymoron or appear to be somewhat counter intuitive. So to explore this idea further, we will look at what minimum innovation really means, how it can benefit the way you work, and why you don’t always need that super flashy new solution.

We will then look at minimum innovation in action with some real world examples including RAMM projects and more.

Bruce Steven and Hannah Bennet

Application of a pavement wear maintenance cost tool under HPMVs

Bio

Bruce is a Senior Associate in the Beca Transport & Infrastructure team based in Christchurch.

He is a Civil Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in all things pavement related in both New Zealand and the USA.

Bruce has provided pavement design, construction and performance support and advice to numerous New Zealand local authorities, Waka Kotahi and commercial clients with a focus on pragmatic and constructable pavement solutions.

Hannah Bennet is an Asset Engineer from Beca, located in Tauranga. She has been at Beca for 2 years following completing her Engineering degree specialising in Engineering Science at the University of Auckland. While Hannah’s work is primarily in the road asset management space, she is especially interested in statistics and data analysis.

Presentation

In 2018 the Greater Wellington Regional Council retendered a number of public transport bus contracts, including routes that specified the introduction of high-capacity diesel and electric double decker buses.

To utilize the full capacity of these new double decker buses, the vehicles are required to operate under a HPMV permit. Wellington City Council (WCC), as the roading asset owner, was concerned about the potential increase in pavement maintenance costs resulting from the increased axle loadings.

WCC commissioned IDS to assess these additional costs on the roading network. IDS used a network performance/cost prediction tool that had been previously developed for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to assess the pavement wear costs of various HPMV scenarios.

The prediction tool uses historical pavement maintenance costs, pavement structural condition, HVKT, bus axle load distributions (derived from passenger loadings) and number of bus trips for specified routes to estimate the additional pavement wear costs when the axle loads of the buses are operating above the General Access (GA) limits.

The initial cost predictions were based on the pre-double decker pavement maintenance costs (extracted from RAMM Contractor records) and estimates of the passenger loading distributions and expected timetable for introducing the new buses to the network.

After two years of operation, the model was updated with the most recent maintenance costs and actual passenger numbers extracted from the ticketing system.

The outputs from the most recent modelling showed that the estimated costs were marginal when compared to the overall maintenance costs. Reasons for this low cost increase were put down to the low number of BVKT of the double decker buses compared to the network HVKT and the low percentage of time when the buses were operating with axle loads above the GA limits.

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Bruce Steven and Hannah Bennet

Sean Rainsford, Lonrix

Computer vision and AI integrated with renewal and maintenance planning

Bio

Sean has been working within the road asset management industry for over 20 years. He has been involved with pavement modelling and road data, along with supporting maintenance contracts and delivery. Through this work he has seen the linkage of data being used to support and guide asset managers throughout New Zealand and around the world in making better decisions.

Presentation

“What is the condition of my road network, and how much work is required?”. These are some common questions heard from all road asset managers around the world. Within New Zealand there are various techniques to capture such details, such as High-Speed data capture, visual rating surveys or detailed asset inspections. Within some agencies, visual ratings of distresses play a critical role in the creation of an optimal works programme. However, visual distress ratings, as traditionally done, pose three serious challenges: a) they seldom cover the entire road network, b) they do not always provide data that is useful for maintenance and renewal planning, and c) the subjective nature of visual surveys result may result in in-consistent outputs.

With the uptake of mobile phone and camera technology in place around the world, including the improvement in global positioning capability, putting the various technology pieces together with Computer Vision neural network techniques can potentially solve some of these issues. This presentation will explain the basis of how network videos are used in conjunction with other data types to determine road pavement performance and distress. The presentation will then specifically focus on how this data can be linked to maintenance and network level planning. The methods have been applied to 3 different road networks in New Zealand, with the key findings being that using the outputs and post-processing techniques play the greatest benefit of achieving usable data.

By gaining more data more consistently for any given network, combined with historic knowledge on maintenance and renewal planning, the road asset managers can be informed on both the condition, and performance, of the road network. The outputs are then used to quantify the level of investment in requiring maintaining the network to the agreed levels of service requirements. This process will result in less visits to site and enhance the maintenance planning to ensure efficiencies are achieved.

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Sean Rainsford

Craig Reed, Fulton Hogan

How far are we stretching our assets

Bio

Craig worked for WSP as a Senior Asset Manager, then moved into the NOC space as Contract Manager for 5 years and now is actively pursuing his Asset Management career with Fulton Hogan.

Presentation

This presentation will investigate some of the surfacing lives on the state highway networks of New Zealand.

Using historical surface life achievement, when compared with expected design and expected life (by linking to the forward work programme), we can see some interesting insights of our asset management processes in place within the NOCs. Linked to the use of best practice maintenance management plans (MMP) and collaboration with planning our renewal treatments, we will provide some interesting commentary on the tensioning and expectations that are in place for the surface assets on the network.

The outcome from this investigation has been used with refining and reviewing the MMP process and methods that are applied on Fulton Hogan managed networks. We believe this investigation and analysis could benefit the wider industry with more evidence-based knowledge of the surface assets on the state highway networks.

The analysis will make you think about the improved construction/maintenance practice perspectives required to be able to achieve the realistic lives that we are expecting from our surfacings, and hence programming of work becomes efficient and effective.

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Craig Reed

Kevin Dunn, Beca

Improved forward works programming outcomes through effective data driven shortlisting

Bio

Kevin is a Senior Associate and Team Lead in the Beca Asset Management team based in Tauranga.

He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years’ experience in Asset and Network Management in both New Zealand and the UK.

Kevin has provided asset management support and advice numerous New Zealand local authorities, Waka Kotahi and the Road Efficiency Group with a focus on data driven and evidence-based investment decision making.

Presentation

Renewal Forward Works Programmes are developed all Road Controlling Authorities with the goal of optimising the level-of-service outcomes in the most financially efficient way. Developing programmes that apply the right treatment at the right time can involve significant effort and resources to determine the optimum programme within the constraints we operate. But the question is…..are we doing this effectively and efficiently?

This presentation will share the general approach, learnings and benefits from our experience in generating a data driven FWP candidate site list. An approach we have successfully applied on a number of local authority networks. Our improved process uses a combination of asset performance, risk and criticality for shortlisting pavement or surfacing renewal within the constraints a RCA is operating. The presentation will particularly focus on the outcomes this approach has achieved and how it was done.

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Kevin Dunn

Ian Porter, Fuso New Zealand

Partnering for a sustainable transport supply chain

Bio

A leading technical expert in future-focused sustainable commercial transport, Ian is currently highly active in the delivery of zero-emission commercial transport in New Zealand, including the FUSO eCanter – the world’s first series-produced fully electric light truck.

Presentation

FUSO, NZ’s number one truck and bus brand, shares valuable insights into the roadmap towards achieving zero-emission commercial transport in New Zealand.

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Ian Porter

Grant Holland, Waugh Infrastructure Management

What if? The road maintenance task force ten years on

Bio

Grant is an Asset Management Specialist and Infrastructure Advisor with Waugh Infrastructure Management.

He has worked for a range of clients across NZ and overseas. Grant was a co-author of the Road Maintenance Task Force – Better Asset Management, Planning and Delivery Report. Following that report Grant assisted REG with ONRC development and other REG workstreams.

Grant has been part of the RIMS Conference for many years.
He has chaired the Optimised Decision-Making stream and presented regularly.
He is always keen to encourage and challenge conference participants.

Presentation

In 2012 the Road Maintenance Task Force reported its findings to the Minister of Transport and the sector. This was in response to revenue flatlining, costs increasing and the demand for transportation services outstripping our capacity as a nation.
That was ten years ago.

Three National Land Transport Programmes have been developed since then and the challenges continue to mount. Climate change and emission reduction were barely on the radar then.

What if we really had run out of money? What if we had taken a different approach?
Have we learnt enough to lead us through then next ten years?

As a sector how do we address the challenges ahead; what might meaningful leadership and response look like?

In the presentation Grant will bring together the challenges the sector faced ten years ago and revisit them in today’s context.

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Grant Holland

Stephen Wormald, Geosolve

To maintain or rehabilitate? That is the question

Bio

Stephen Wormald has been in the pavement industry for over 30 year involved in network evaluation and the management of roads and airports networks throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East and Far East.

Stephen is the CEO Pavements for Geosolve Limited

Presentation

In the absence of reliable pavement structural information, the decision to maintain (ie. localised repairs or re-surface) is solely based on surface observations provided either by visual inspections or by surveillance of long-term surface condition trends including rutting, shoving, cracking, roughness and texture. Rehabilitation/renewal, due to its higher up front capital cost, is typically avoided unless structural information is obtained to confirm its need or historical maintenance records indicate that ongoing maintenance exceeds the cost of renewal.

The Multi Speed Deflectometer (MSD) is an economical non-destructive traffic speed pavement testing method used to benchmark the structural capacity of entire networks of roads. Data is averaged to 10 or 20m intervals providing near continuous structural data useful for defining structurally homogenous sections and to indicate the location of reduced capacity within the pavement cross section (ie. Is the lower or upper pavement layer critical?).

MSD data has been collected over the last 4 years all over New Zealand. When paired with HSD data, a comprehensive understanding of the pavement can be considered including both the surface and the structure. Examples provided by clients (with their permission) will be shared to show this process. Pavements with a poor surface condition can be cross checked against the structural condition to verify whether there is an underlying structural issue. These sites can then be flagged for project level testing and renewal. Sites with poor surfacing condition and no structural issues can be flagged for maintenance or re-surfacing treatment. The right solution for the right problem at the right time and over the right extents can be readily identified, providing the least net present value cost for the future utilisation of that road.

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Stephen Wormald

Simon Gough, GHD

Why is it so hard to create real change?

Bio

Simon has over 25 years of experience in the roading industry including all aspects of asset management, maintenance and operations. With previous roles including the Roading Asset Manager at Whangarei District Council and the Asset Systems Team Leader at Auckland Transport, Simon is currently a Principal Asset Manager for GHD. Simon’s main focus these days is on business improvement and transformation using his wide industry knowledge and his experience in business process design and the use of systems and data to support business activities and outcomes.

Presentation

In reviewing old conference presentations, I was struck by how many good ideas were presented that have not become part of the normal way we work across the industry in subsequent years.

Why is tangible and lasting change so hard to achieve in our industry?

There are a large number of initiatives and good work that occurs in our industry and yet the rate of improvement would not seem to reflect the amount of effort being put in.

This presentation will dig in to some of these perplexing challenges, identify some successes that have stuck and spread as well as answering some of these challenging questions:

What are the barriers to implementing change and making it last?
Do centralisation and standardisation have a role to making this easier or more achievable?
What makes more difference, having the right people or having more budget?
Are we trying to create too much change all at once?
Why is it that the more advanced analysis we do the worse our end FWPs seem to become?
What role does leadership have to play and what level of leadership can make the most difference?
Are some improvement initiatives too theoretical and not pragmatic enough?

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Simon Gough

Claire-Louise Bode, WSP

Quantitative embodied carbon reporting and investment optimisation in a TCFD landscape: performance modelling, CAESAR, and the Paris Agreement

Bio

Claire-Louise is a Senior Asset Manager and works in Asset Management & spatial analytics for WSP. Her interests and background cover an extensive range of data management, asset health, and climatology. By combining these, she is trying to couple together the world of asset management life cycles with climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation.

Presentation

Co-presented with Cal Roughan

The Ministry of Transport has targeted a 41% reduction in transport emissions by 2035 outlined in the first Emissions Reduction Plan. Recently we have witnessed the introduction of the Zero Carbon Act and TCFD disclosures in line with New Zealand’s commitments to the Paris Agreement. In late 2021, WSP followed suit and publicly pledged to halve the carbon footprint of infrastructure designs and advice provided to clients by 2030.

Transport is responsible for 17% of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and has been identified as a pivotal industry for decarbonisation at a national scale. At present, there is no accessible and accountable way for road controlling authorities to report baseline emissions or to optimise future investments to reduce their networks’ carbon footprint. While New Zealand’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 may seem like a distant goal, this is but one pavement life cycle away from the present day. If we are to collectively achieve this, it is critical that today’s renewal activities and investments are made with an understanding of the embodied carbon content at each stage of an asset’s life cycle.

This presentation will introduce CAESAR, which is a framework to quantify whole-of-life carbon of an existing road network over a multi-decade timeframe. Rather than taking a top-down approach, CAESAR calculates carbon per treatment length, per year, before aggregating this data up to a network level. This is challenging to model as each road controlling authority may require a unique strategy given the non-uniform distribution of aggregate, concrete, and other material sources as well as region-specific preferred pavement design practices.

This presentation will outline a roadmap that will be followed after CAESAR’s development has been completed such as the integration of its logic into performance modelling tools to facilitate investment decisions to be made through a decarbonisation lens. This goes beyond the stage of reporting on carbon to one of optimising by carbon. By introducing carbon into the investment models used nationally, road controlling authorities will be able to balance asset condition and performance against carbon expenditure to achieve their respective CO2 emissions targets.

Cal Roughan, WSP

Quantitative embodied carbon reporting and investment optimisation in a TCFD landscape: performance modelling, CAESAR, and the Paris Agreement

Bio

Cal works in Asset Management for WSP and is a recent graduate of the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland. He is primarily interested in machine learning, data visualisation, and optimisation algorithms for large-scale infrastructure investments relating to decarbonisation.

Presentation

Co-presented with Claire-Louise Bode

The Ministry of Transport has targeted a 41% reduction in transport emissions by 2035 outlined in the first Emissions Reduction Plan. Recently we have witnessed the introduction of the Zero Carbon Act and TCFD disclosures in line with New Zealand’s commitments to the Paris Agreement. In late 2021, WSP followed suit and publicly pledged to halve the carbon footprint of infrastructure designs and advice provided to clients by 2030.

Transport is responsible for 17% of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and has been identified as a pivotal industry for decarbonisation at a national scale. At present, there is no accessible and accountable way for road controlling authorities to report baseline emissions or to optimise future investments to reduce their networks’ carbon footprint. While New Zealand’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 may seem like a distant goal, this is but one pavement life cycle away from the present day. If we are to collectively achieve this, it is critical that today’s renewal activities and investments are made with an understanding of the embodied carbon content at each stage of an asset’s life cycle.

This presentation will introduce CAESAR, which is a framework to quantify whole-of-life carbon of an existing road network over a multi-decade timeframe. Rather than taking a top-down approach, CAESAR calculates carbon per treatment length, per year, before aggregating this data up to a network level. This is challenging to model as each road controlling authority may require a unique strategy given the non-uniform distribution of aggregate, concrete, and other material sources as well as region-specific preferred pavement design practices.

This presentation will outline a roadmap that will be followed after CAESAR’s development has been completed such as the integration of its logic into performance modelling tools to facilitate investment decisions to be made through a decarbonisation lens. This goes beyond the stage of reporting on carbon to one of optimising by carbon. By introducing carbon into the investment models used nationally, road controlling authorities will be able to balance asset condition and performance against carbon expenditure to achieve their respective CO2 emissions targets.

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Cal Roughan

Obinna Akaa and Damien Douglas, WSP

Renewal of structured road markings – and its carbon impact

Bio

Obinna PhD (Civil), DPEng, CMEngNZ, MIPWEA

Obinna is a senior asset manager at WSP New Zealand. He leads the asset management of Wellington state highway infrastructure delivered through the (Capital Journeys® (WSP & Fulton Hogan) joint venture network outcomes contract with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Obinna has a proven reputation as a reliable and collaborative asset manager with a strong work ethic in the delivery of asset management services to benefit clients and the community. His current role as part of the Capital Journeys team has seen him develop award-winning processes, methods, and tools to shift the asset management of high-value non-pavement assets from core to advanced levels.

Damien BE, CPEng (Aus), CEng (UK), CMEngNZ

Damien has 14 years of experience working in infrastructure asset management consulting in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. Between 2017-2020, Damien was a member of the Contract Management Team and the least Asset Manager for Capital Journeys® (a WSP and Fulton Hogan joint-venture), who are the Wellington Network Outcomes Contract supplier to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Damien now leads WSP’s Pavements & Surfacing service line. This includes leading a team of pavement experts based in the main centres of Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch, as well as maintaining connections with WSP’s Regions business and Research Centre in Petone.

Presentation

The renewal of road markings after pavement resurfacing may require like-for-like remarking of the resealed road sections. However, there are cases where sections in between planned reseal (infills) may be left – untouched or are not required in the renewal contract regardless of the infill markings’ service life and condition. This gives room for poor marking continuity, a potential reduction of the markings service level, increase in carbon footprints and other stakeholders’ risks. As the asset management of high-performance structured markings includes a duty of care regarding planned maintenance, asset owners/mangers need to consider infill sites at the same time as renewing structured markings on resurfaced sections. We designed the infills method to help resolve marking continuity, efficiency, and sustainability issues to prevent returning to the same road shortly, thereby reducing customer delay and carbon impacts, and realising value-for-money without compromising road safety. Our presentation will discuss the infills method and demonstrate its application considering various assessment merits, lifecycle, and customer costs in solving the road asset management problem. The method has been used successfully to justify funding for the renewal of State Highway Road markings in the current 21-24 NLTP.

Key learnings

Carbon footprint reduction is feasible through well-justified road markings renewals
‘Do nothing’ just justified ‘infill sites’ is an antithesis to managing our carbon equation
The infills method supports value-for-money outcomes and can be part of a broader MCA for sustainable road infrastructure management decisions

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Obinna Akaa and Damien

Erik Teekman and Peter Standring, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Achieving Community & Climate Outcomes Through Maintenance & Low Cost Interventions

Bio

Erik is a Principal Advisor within Waka Kotahi’s Urban Mobility team. He is a Chartered member of Institute of Logistics and Transport and has 17 years’ experience in the field of transport planning.

Presentation

Gore District Council as part of the Innovating Streets programme sought to trial how modest changes to a road network could deliver a range of community benefits. Our presentation looks at some of the network changes installed, the theory behind their design and how they could contribute towards behavioural change and how the transport system was viewed. While the project succeeded in providing a broad range of transport and community outcomes, we will discuss how application of the project approach could support an enduring reduction in carbon emissions from both the transport asset and its use.

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Erik Teekman

Mike Tapper, Beca

Modelling maintenance costs successfully: A significant step change in performance

Bio

Mike is a Senior Technical Director with 30 years’ experience in road asset management and network management.

Mike is the Beca practice lead for Transportation Infrastructure asset management and sits on the Higgins consolidated NOC Board. Mike recruits’ people like Lucien who know what a random forest classifier with oversampling methodology is.

Presentation

Co-presented with Lucien Zhang

A key problem for road deterioration modelling has been the lack of a reliable maintenance cost model.

The biggest indicator of future maintenance spend on a treatment length was past spend. The problem with spending large amounts historically was it either tended to fix the problem or was a sign of more spending to come.

Past maintenance cost models struggled to be able to predict the difference and ended up with a compromise in the middle, an answer that was neither.

We have developed a new maintenance cost model with very strong correlations with the field. The model uses a random forest classifier with oversampling methodology using 21 parameters including basic inventory information such as surface type, age, seal layers, pavement age, and current and cumulative ESA’s. It also takes a variety of condition parameters including deflection, curvature, roughness, rut depth, rut progression, rut depth, recent pavement and surfacing costs.

It combines all these for each 100m section within a treatment length to predict whether future pavement and surfacing maintenance costs will be in a high, medium or low band.

The results show over 75% success rate for predicting high maintenance cost sections, effectively a 75% success rate for predicting which 100m sections will incur 90% of the maintenance costs on the network. It has over a 90% success rate for predicting low-cost sections.

This data can be used to optimize maintenance strategies, identify high risk corridors, optimize renewal strategies and prioritize renewal programmes for budget changes. The process provides the opportunity to shift from the current condition-based programming to a more sophisticated risk-based approach. A more optimized maintenance and renewals program provides more efficient use of resources and improved sustainability and improved safety through less unnecessary work.

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Mike Tapper and Lucien Zhang

Lucien Zhang, Beca

Modelling maintenance costs successfully: A significant step change in performance

Bio

Lucien is an Asset engineer with three years’ experience with Beca, prior to those three years as a data analyst and research engineer in China.

Lucien specializes in computer algorithm design and automation, programming in a number of languages, mathematical modelling and data analysis.

Lucien knows a whole lot of really complicated and smart stuff which is why Mike hired him.

Presentation

Co-presented with Mike Tapper

A key problem for road deterioration modelling has been the lack of a reliable maintenance cost model.

The biggest indicator of future maintenance spend on a treatment length was past spend. The problem with spending large amounts historically was it either tended to fix the problem or was a sign of more spending to come.

Past maintenance cost models struggled to be able to predict the difference and ended up with a compromise in the middle, an answer that was neither.

We have developed a new maintenance cost model with very strong correlations with the field. The model uses a random forest classifier with oversampling methodology using 21 parameters including basic inventory information such as surface type, age, seal layers, pavement age, and current and cumulative ESA’s. It also takes a variety of condition parameters including deflection, curvature, roughness, rut depth, rut progression, rut depth, recent pavement and surfacing costs.

It combines all these for each 100m section within a treatment length to predict whether future pavement and surfacing maintenance costs will be in a high, medium or low band.

The results show over 75% success rate for predicting high maintenance cost sections, effectively a 75% success rate for predicting which 100m sections will incur 90% of the maintenance costs on the network. It has over a 90% success rate for predicting low-cost sections.

This data can be used to optimize maintenance strategies, identify high risk corridors, optimize renewal strategies and prioritize renewal programmes for budget changes. The process provides the opportunity to shift from the current condition-based programming to a more sophisticated risk-based approach. A more optimized maintenance and renewals program provides more efficient use of resources and improved sustainability and improved safety through less unnecessary work.

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Mike Tapper and Lucien Zhang

Rowan Dixon, WSP

Managing carbon & climate information

Bio

Rowan manages the sustainability and social outcomes programs for some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and most complicated built environment projects. He is responsible for working alongside Mana Whenua to integrate sustainability and climate resilience across the built environment, from business cases and planning to projects and programmes.

This includes ambitious carbon emission reductions, social outcomes, training, and supply chain development, improving environmental value of water, zero waste to landfill and best practice climate risk assessment and treatment. Key mega-project examples include the City Rail Link, iReX Picton, Manawatū Tararua Highway and the Mt Messenger Bypass which each target sustainability ratings under the Infrastructure Sustainability Council Australia (ISCA).

Presentation

This presentation is a thought piece that looks at the opportunities available for the integration of Carbon & Climate data into current asset information systems.

In 2022 the Government will release its first emissions reduction plan which sets the foundations of a low-emissions Aotearoa New Zealand. With the expectation of sector-based emissions budgets it’s crucial that we as a sector and discipline can accurately report at any given period our embodied emissions from construction, maintenance, and operational activities.

With the ongoing Asset management Data Standards project there is already a focus on what data we require for the future. This presents a great opportunity to begin embedding carbon into our base asset & data information systems including collection, maintenance, and analysis.

We can’t change what we can’t see, however with a consistent and granular carbon component built into our daily systems we can:

Measure our current policy emissions against proposed climate change pathways
Identify assets or operations that have heavy carbon emissions
Report over time how our assets are performing in the sustainability space

This presentation is a thought piece that looks at the opportunities available for the integration of Carbon & Climate data into current asset information systems. The following will be discussed:

Are we collecting the right information?
Where and when should we consider carbon
Climate risk incorporation

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Rowan Dixon

Scott Verevis, on behalf of NTA

Modern tools for modern data, implementing the CSA

Bio

Scott has worked within the civil infrastructure industry for over 29 years with experience ranging from civil contracting through to professional consultancy. This experience spans green field subdivision development, road maintenance through to major capital infrastructure works.

From 1996 to late 2010 Scott worked within road network management teams for Opus International Consultants where he further developed his professional engineering skills in Project and Network Asset Management on both state highway and local authority networks.

Currently Scott’s focus is working closely with several RCA’s undertaking a range of services focused on infrastructure asset management including maintenance contract development and performance management, asset valuation, pavement modelling, activity management plan development and data implementation.

Self-employed and running an asset management business since 2010, he is engaged with several local authority clients providing asset management services and advice including working on number of REG working committees.

Presentation

Problem – supporting the evidence-based approach to renewal sites for consideration, harnessing captured data, is this a stable renewal programme of work

Solution – utilise the CSA algorithm, with as many data parameters available, reality check and review logic fit of the network

Benefits – Network level planning of sites within the short term aligned to budget requirements, test and improve the CSA logic and feedback to industry, testing the data captured by the NTA

Carbon – reduction in field visits and better planning for programming of sites for operations thought the use of smarter tools

One of the challenges a rural road controlling authorities face is the maintaining a stable forward works programme. Programmes are created at the last minute resulting in inefficient planning and changes to the programme. For the Northern Transportation Alliance (NTA), a modern tool was required to assist with using the volume of data help determine suitable candidate sites for input into a 1–3-year programme.

With the recent development of the Candidate Selection Algorithm (CSA) for New Zealand, this presented an opportunity to trial this for the NTA. A key part to support this initiative is the consistent approach to road condition data collection across the networks. Gaining the full use of this condition data, combined with the improved asset inventory data, was the perfect fit for using a modern logic approach such as the CSA. To undertake this work, the CSA logic was created within the JunoViewer modelling framework. This also provided the opportunity to benchmark CSA against the current programmes that have been developed over the last few years based on strategic approach using long-term decision tool the NZ Pavement Performance model.

The key learnings provided many benefits, such as – determining what data was needed in the renewal planning for the network, was the data being collected by the NTA fit for purpose, understanding of the pavement service levels could be applied, modification of the logic to align with key characteristics of the road networks. Based on the process followed, and using the JunoViewer application, significant time savings and reduced field trips have been undertaken, therefore staff safety and carbon savings have been achieved with current programme being further tested in terms of stability. With the key outcome being that the programmes developed are further anchored in an evidence-based approach linked to our business case principals.

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Scott Verevis

Dawn Inglis, NZUAG

NZUAG - Code Review 2022

Bio

Dawn Inglis has recently joined the NZUAG Board as the representative for Rural and Provincial (small) Territorial Local Authorities. Dawn is currently the Group Manager Service Delivery with Waipā District Council, a role she has held for two years. Prior to this Dawn was the Manager of RATA – the Regional Asset Technical Accord in the Waikato. RATA is a business unit across ten councils in the Waikato Region providing strategic asset management planning support in the transport sector. Dawn has also previously been involved in the Road Efficiency Group since 2014, particularly with the Evidence and Insights Work Group and the Asset Management Data Standards project steering group.

Presentation

This presentation will provide attendees with information around the upcoming review of the National Code of Practice for Utility Operators’ Access To Transport Corridors, allowing an opportunity for feedback on issues, challenges and opportunities to improve Code effectiveness. The review happens every three years, so this is the time to get involved!

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Dawn Inglis

Sikander Singh, Tauranga City Council

From rules to objectives

Bio

Sikander works for Tauranga City Council as a Team Leader – Transport Asset Management. He has a bachelor’s in civil engineering and a master’s in Transportation Engineering from the University of Auckland.

For the past 10 years, he has been involved in the roading industry in New Zealand, initially with engineering consulting and since 2017 with the Tauranga City Council.
Sikander has proven experience in asset management and planning, asset deterioration modelling, data analysis, asset valuation, forward work programme (FWP), network condition survey and project planning.

He also has a role in the Road Efficiency Group (REG) as a member of the Evidence and Outcomes workgroup to support other road controlling authorities and Waka Kotahi to develop, enhance and standardise asset management in the field of Transportation with data improvement and performance measuring tools/projects.

Presentation

Road Controlling Authorities (RCA) in New Zealand often have multiple objectives to meet with managing the road networks. This can include things like the One Network Framework, customer needs, budget constraints, variability in road use and pavement types, etc. The current approach to accounting for these various objectives is usually a combination of processes, such as determining network need, balancing this with budgets, customer feedback and project conflicts, and then determining where to plan works over a 3 to 5 year period. The Tauranga City Council (TCC) is a 5^th largest city with a growing population, which provides another dynamic and challenge to account for. TCC has centralised the Asset Management process within the council, which provides the ability to manage the approach with the renewal planning meeting these objectives.

To gain a clear understanding of the road network performance, the TCC has undertaken extensive condition data collection over the past 5 years. Previous methods have been applied to use trigger-based approaches and outputs; however, these were not found to meet the various objectives and challenges faced by the TCC team. Some thought was required on how to develop a short-term tactical FWP development tool that would handle these various objectives of TCC. The process started with having clearly defined objectives and moving away from subjective engineering rules requiring tedious and ongoing adjustment. Development was undertaken within the Juno Cassandra (JCass) model framework which facilitates multi-objective optimisation (MOO). This presentation will describe the lessons learnt along the way to developing and implementing the MOO model for TCC. We will discuss key elements such as defining objectives (including those potentially related to carbon savings), details of the methodology, lessons learnt and how we assessed the outcomes.

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Sikander Singh

Elke Beca, WSP

Waka Kotahi’s Asset Management Data Standard

Presentation

The Asset Management Data Standard (AMDS) is a collaboration between Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, The Road Efficiency Group (REG) and the wider sector, to improve the management of land transport infrastructure asset information that supports best decisions about New Zealand’s land transport assets. AMDS is a data standard that informs activity management decisions for transport so we can plan and implement activities which deliver services as expected for the cost expected. It is a common language that describes the service, impact and asset lifecycle across the transport system and partners. The standard will prepare the foundations for the land transport sector to enable digital engineering and BIM. This presentation will provide an overview of the Asset Management Data Standard programme including Data Standard development, implementation approach and sector alignment.

Bio

Elke is Technical Director – Asset Management for WSP. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in the asset management industry, supporting local and central government organisations. With a background in analytics and over a decade embedded in road network contracts, Elke brings a real life context to our evidence-based and digitally enabled future.

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Elke Beca

Tony Lange, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Consistent condition data collection. Creating opportunities to reduce carbon footprint

Presentation

Consistent condition data is increasingly important in the New Zealand transport sector’s approach to lifecycle asset management, benchmarking, performance management and investment decision making.

In the five years to July 2020, approximately $500 million per annum was invested in local road pavement maintenance, rehabilitation, and resurfacing.
The quality and consistency of the condition data is a crucial component of the evidence-based investment management and optimisation of the whole of life asset cost.

In addition, condition data is a critical indicator for maintenance programming, monitoring performance, managing maintenance contracts, comparative reporting, research, and fatal crash investigations.

The current approaches used for assessing network condition are outdated, leading to variable and inefficient collection of surfacing and pavement condition data across New Zealand.
Establishing a consistent condition data collection programme would improve asset management system outputs for both local and national decision making.
REG is developing a consistent approach to collect pavement and surfacing condition data for all local authority sealed roads.
The Consistent Condition Data Collection (CCDC) project is being undertaken collaboratively by a team of sector representatives from councils and Waka Kotahi, supported by industry subject matter experts.
The expected benefits of CCDC include:

better lifecycle management and performance
enhanced safety and asset management decision making
quality assured condition data
value for money data collection
health and safety risk elimination
freeing up crucial sector capacity.

This presentation will focus on how the three desirable outcomes will be achieved:

Specifying the pavement and surfacing condition data to be collected for measuring, analysis, reporting asset and network conditions.
Establishing the means to consistently collect the condition data and implementation across New Zealand.
The right condition data is consistent and is available to all councils by July 2025.

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Tony Lange

Shahaanan Arulgnanapragasam

RIMS pavement and pathway's fault assessment standard

Bio

Shahaanan is an Asset Management Engineer with WSP. With a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Engineering Science. Shahaanan’s strong background in programming, data science and mathematical modelling has allowed him to tackle a variety of complex data analysis projects.

Shahaanan’s time with WSP has specifically seen the application of his optimisation and statistical modelling skills in developing pathway and roading forward work programs for multiple Councils across New Zealand

Presentation

This presentation will be an overview of the RIMS Pavement and Pathways Fault Assessment standard to update the sector on the future of data collection
Premise:

There is currently no sector standard for the description of pavement and pathway faults. State Highways and Local Authority RCAs specify their own requirements meaning there is no consistency in the frequency of inspections, language used, the severity rating system, the data structure and intervention level.

With condition data being such a vital input into many of our asset management systems including forward work programming, CRM and performance monitoring. It is essential that we as a sector take this opportunity to agree on the form of our data libraries.

Solution:
The Pavement and Pathways Fault Assessment standard is a RIMS(IPWEA) project delivered by WSP alongside Waka Kotahi and REG, feeding into the greater Asset Management Data Standard. The standard is developed through sector engagement, compilation of existing sector materials. key stakeholder workshops to negotiate a consensus for language, descriptions, categorisation, and rating of the various pavement and pathways assets.

Key Learnings:

Where these guides apply
Fault assessment definitions
Condition rating and reporting

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Shahaanan Arulganapragasam

Caroline Dumas, Waka Kotahi

One Network Framework

Bio

Caroline Dumas is the One Network Framework Programme Lead for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Caroline’s career spans over 18 years of experience with strategy development and implementation, project and programme management, and operational risk management from around the world including the UK, Nigeria and New Zealand. Caroline has worked with a range of industries and functions in the private and public sector including transport, aviation, three waters and oil and gas. She is a qualified Benefits Management Practitioner and she was also a commissioned officer in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. Caroline holds an MBA and a BSC in Earth Sciences.

Caroline is passionate about making a difference and improving systems, and sees the land transport system as a vital component to a successful Aotearoa New Zealand.

Presentation

The One Network Framework is Aotearoa New Zealand’s new national classification system. It will be used to determine the function of our roads and streets, and to help inform decision making for the 2024/27 National Land Transport Programme. The One Network Framework evolves the One Network Road Classification to a two-dimensional classification focused on movement and place. The One Network Framework recognises that shared, integrated approaches between transport and land-use planners will result in better outcomes.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a detailed overview of the One Network Framework, including the work to date and the next steps, but also to promote discussion and thought to the application of movement and place from a transport network perspective.

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Caroline Dumas

Dr Ian Greenwood, Greenwood Associates Infrastructure Consultants

International Framework, Local Models – the IDS Approach to GHG Modelling

Bio

Ian is a Chartered Professional Engineer who has been the recipient of multiple awards for his infrastructure asset management expertise both in New Zealand and internationally. These awards include the 2009 award for Technical Excellence in Asset Management at the International Public Works Conference; and in 2016 the Institute of Asset Management (UK) presented Ian with the Individual Achievement Award for his global leadership role in enhancing asset management. Ian was elected a Fellow of Engineers NZ for his “contribution to the advancement of engineering knowledge” in the field of infrastructure asset management.

Ian has worked across a diverse range of infrastructure types – from transport to social housing, and from prisons to universities. His countries of work experience extend to over 25 nations – from developed to developing – with extensive work in the areas of performance-based contracting, climate resilience and associated activities.

Ian has authored (or co-author) a number of global guidelines on infrastructure asset management including the 2011 International Infrastructure Management Manual; guidelines on the implementation of performance-based maintenance contracting; implementing climate change into asset management; and leading the authoring of the World Bank geohazard risk management for road networks.

Ian’s PhD research in the mid-1990s was on the modelling of traffic congestion and the impacts on fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. In 2021 the Asian Development Bank engaged Ian to build upon that earlier research to develop a full life-cycle greenhouse gas emission model for road investments – covering both vehicle emissions, and those associated with road works. A prior Technical Manager of IDS for a period of almost a decade, IDS have engaged Ian to lead the modelling of greenhouse gas emissions for the Waka Kotahi National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) modelling work.

Presentation

Following international commitments aligned to the Paris Accord and the more recent COP21 event held in Glasgow, Multi-lateral Development Banks (MDBs) such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and others have made commitments to ensure that they are only investing in projects that align with a reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions – or in other words they seek to answer the question of “is this project Paris aligned?”. Projects are considered Paris aligned if they are screened using a joint methodology agreed by Multi-lateral Development Banks (MDB) and found to be consistent with both the mitigation and adaptation goals of the Paris agreement.

On the back of that commitment, the ADB engaged Ian to lead the development of a comprehensive GHG analysis framework for road investment projects. This analysis was built around the HDM-4 analysis model and took a holistic view to the estimation of GHGs, regardless of where those GHGs are ultimately reported. The HDM-4 models include detailed relationships on how fuel consumption and emissions vary as a result of different road conditions; how vehicles wear out as roads deteriorate; and the quantity of physical works each year of the analysis. Combined with a small number of external parameters, this makes the overall calculation of GHGs relatively straight forward.

After this work, IDS Ltd have engaged Ian to lead the development of the GHG model that will be used for the modelling of the Waka Kotahi National Land Transport Plan (NLTP). This NLTP model is being implemented in two main phases – the first being the ability to report on all the various components of GHGs; and the second being the ability to optimise on GHG minimisation. A key feature of the NZ reporting requirements is that not all emissions associated with the transport system are actually reported under the Waka Kotahi umbrella, however for completeness of understanding a full analysis is still being produced.

In addition to work by Waka Kotahi and other government bodies on GHGs, there has been significant endeavours by industry across a range of initiatives in the GHG sphere. Collectively these NZ based tools and initiatives provide a means to create a local GHG model that can be used to both assess the impact of different investment levels on GHGs, but also to consider higher level policy decisions on both the vehicles using the road network and the way the road network is managed. Essentially creating a NZ equivalent of the international models.

Ian will talk through the findings of the international work he has completed, including the associated case studies. He will then discuss the direction of the NZ work, and how the existing NZ based GHG tools and industry initiatives will be worked into the NLTP analysis.

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Ian Greenwood

Jeremy Hughes

People first – higher competency leads to lower carbon emissions

Bio

Jeremy Hughes is a co-founder and director of software specialist Company-X. Jeremy has more than 30 years’ experience in IT development consulting, delivering high quality software. Jeremy has a track record of delivering industry-wide efficiency gains through the application of IT processes and technologies. Jeremy is a University of Waikato graduate with a Bachelor of Management Studies degree.

Presentation

Co-presenting with Roger Brady.

The Road Efficiency Group, a collaboration between Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency and Local Government New Zealand, and software specialist Company-X will focus on how the Asset Management Competency Framework (AMCF) can help the transport sector contribute to the Government’s carbon neutrality goal.

The key to reaching this goal is not technology or smarter design; it is people. The people in the New Zealand transport sector who engage with the AMCF online portal will help raise competencies and efficiency in the sector, and lower carbon emissions across the sector.

The launch of the AMCF self-assessment portal and reporting will lead to improved evidence-based decision making.

AMCF comes after REG identified capacity gaps across the spectrum of activities necessary to plan, design and deliver the transport system. The current phase is bringing the AMCF into the sector proven REG Insights.

The world’s first national roading performance measures reporting tool, REG Insights was a finalist in the New Zealand Excellence in IT Awards and Reseller News Innovation Awards.

Company-X has built the AMCF portal into REG Insights after collecting requirements from REG. Development started after designs were approved, and AMCF is being rolled out in small iterations or phases.

The key, again, is people as they engage with AMCF and the technology.

From proof of concept, to elastic cloud computing, the next iteration of AMCF is on the way in Phase 2.

Three Key Points of Learning from REG:

Phase 1 of the Asset Management Competency Framework portal has been launched.
REG invites the sector to log in and engage with the competency framework by March 31.
Phase 2 is on the way.

Three Key Points of Learning from Company-X:

Small software releases allows for targeted feedback from people and a more refined product.

The iterative approach allows people using the system to engage with core features before more are added. It’s a journey.
No software perfectly survives engagement with people using it. The user helps perfect the end product.

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Roger Brady and Jeremy Hughes

Roger Brady

People first – higher competency leads to lower carbon emissions

Bio

Roger joined Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as the Bay of Plenty System Manager in September 2021. This change has enabled him to return to an operational role where he can combine his passion for activity management and empower people.

Prior to this Roger was Group Manager, Engineering and Assets for Ōtorohanga District Council and he has accumulated over 40 years of industry experience consulting, contracting and project managing civil engineering projects.

Roger is an enthusiastic member of the Roading Efficiency Group (REG) Whānau and for the last couple of years has chaired the sector excellence working group. Currently top of mind is the continued impact of climate change and the associated climate adaptation, combined with the resource and fiscally constrained operational environment which present a huge challenge, one that Roger is dedicated to help overcome.

Presentation

Co-presenting with Jeremy Hughes.