The 2024 Āpōpō Awards finalists

The 2024 Āpōpō award finalists have been announced

The Āpōpō Awards celebrate the pinnacle of achievement in infrastructure asset management in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The calibre of entries was outstanding across all five award categories with 19 submissions all carefully considered by the Judging Panel. After much deliberation and a robust selection process we can now announce the top two entries for each category! Congratulations to our ten esteemed Āpōpō Awards finalists!

The category winners will be announced at the Āpōpō Awards Gala Dinner on 22 May. Just one of these winners will then be awarded the Supreme Asset Management Excellence Award for 2024 and become the kaitiaki of Kōmata o Te Rangi – a taurapa (the carved stern of a war canoe) representing infrastructure asset management excellence.

Kōmata o Te Rangi is passed on each year to the Supreme Award winner, enhancing the mana of its custodian as much as the excellence of the award-winning entry enhances the mana of this prestigious taonga.

Below are the finalists in each of our award categories. The categories are Community, Improvement, Innovation, Leadership, and Sustainability.

Community Award finalists:

Redclyffe Bridge Temporary Structure

WSP, Hastings District Council, Concrete Structures Ltd, Fulton Hogan, Holmes Group, Jurgens Demolition, McNatty Construction Ltd

After Cyclone Gabrielle struck Hawke's Bay in 2023, a collaborative team worked together to demolish the old bridge and construct a temporary one. Our efforts reconnected the community, easing strain on the transportation network. This project demonstrates our commitment to resilience and community well-being in times of adversity.

Kāeo Bridge Upgrade

Fulton Hogan, WSP, Waka Kotahi, and Aurecon

Northland's Kāeo Bridge Upgrade has delivered an overdue asset to a community in need. With community at its heart, this bridge will enhance safety, the local economy, growth and prosperity. Along the way, project teams have brought community members with them, presenting unique opportunities to connect with the project, and generating a legacy that stretches far beyond the asset itself.

Improvement Award finalists:

Transmission Gully ISO55001 Certification

Ventia

Our journey towards ISO 55001 certification was a strategic initiative aimed at bolstering our commitment to asset management principles. Commenced in January 2020 and completed in December 2021, The Transmission Gully Team put together a multidisciplinary team including asset managers, operational staff, and external experts. This project highlights asset management excellence due to its holistic approach towards improving asset lifecycle management, optimising asset performance, reducing operational costs, and maintaining compliance with the highest industry standards.

Asset Management through a Kaupapa Māori Lens

WSP and Nelson City Council

This project required a bespoke Kaupapa Māori Asset Management Framework and assessment methodology. WSP developed it in collaboration with Te Tau Ihu Iwi and Nelson City Council. The Framework paves a path for continuous improvement and successfully brings people together on a journey finding new ways to work together.

Innovation Award finalists:

The Innovation Award is proudly sponsored by IDS

PIPE-I: Revolutionizing Confined Space Exploration

Beca Limited

Discover the power of innovation with PIPE-I: Beca's cutting-edge robot, entirely developed in New Zealand, that navigates dangerous confined spaces, capturing detailed spatial survey information with LiDAR, video, and images. With faster, more economical, and objective data outputs and results, PIPE-I helps keep our important assets in good condition, maximizing public funds. Experience the future of confined space surveying.

SH25A Taparahi Slip Remediation

McConnell Dowell and Fulton Hoga n Joint Venture (JV), on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, with Beca Limited and Tonkin+Taylor

McConnell Dowell and Fulton Hogan's JV put the traditional rule book aside to conceive and deliver an innovative response to a major road rupture for NZTA. With designer support from Beca and Tonkin+Taylor, completing it in seven months and under budget. Lateral thinking and a one-team approach achieved the holy grail of reduced timeframe and lower operational risks and cost.

Leadership Award finalists:

This award is proudly sponsored by Waugh Infrastructure Management

Wellington Transport Alliance: Collaboration & Asset Management

WSP, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Fulton Hogan

The Wellington Transport Alliance (WTA) is an industry-leading eleven-year alliance between NZTA, WSP New Zealand and Fulton Hogan, operating and maintaining the state highway network assets in the Greater Wellington Region. As the leading Maintenance and Operations project in New Zealand, WTA successfully connects the Wellington region so the network's users can get where they're going safely and reliably.

Waikirikiri Selwyn – Leadership in Wai Pipe Network Renewals

Selwyn District Council, Infrastructure Decision Support (IDS), and Waugh Infrastructure Management

Waikirikiri Selwyn District Council is a national leader in evidence based wai (drinking water and wastewater) networks renewals. Through a progressive, determined approach, it has achieved one of the most comprehensive programmes. It continues to demonstrate the principles of Te Mana o Te Wai with a One Water, ki uta ki tai approach.

Sustainability Award finalists:

This award proudly sponsored by Morphum Environmental

Mangamuka Gorge Slips and Rehabilitation (Emergency Response)

CLL Solutions ltd., WSP, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Stellar Projects

This project embodies the harmonisation of diverse components; the intricacies of narrow work areas, the precision of heavy machinery, the complexity of piling works, and the reverence for iwi, hapū, and the environment. It is a narrative of adaptability, innovation, and stewardship, where challenges have been metamorphosed into opportunities, all while building resilience on State Highway 1 in Northland.

Mona Vale Weir Fish Passage

WSP and Christchurch City Council

Over 9 km of new fish habitat has been restored to the upper branches of the Ōtākaro/Avon River in Central Christchurch through the Mona Vale Weir Fish Passage project designed by WSP. The replacement of an historic weir with a riffle ramp and emergent rock edge is a case study for improving native fish and invertebrate habitat practices nationwide.

View previous winners