THE ENVI.ED JUDGING PANEL.
2021 ENVI judges
Our judges have a broad range of diverse backgrounds and expertise. Two judges are allocated to each award category, with the final decision being made by the wider judging panel.
Derrick Adams
A civil engineer with more than 35 years’ experience in the engineering and construction sector. He was CEO of HEB Construction for the last thirteen years and continues to play a significant role as Chairman of the Board. During his time as CEO, HEB completed many major projects including the Hobsonville Motorway, Kopu Bridge, Cambridge Bypass, Tauranga Eastern Link, Huntly Bypass, Mangere BNR with HEB currently working on Northern Corridor Improvements, Port of Napier Wharf, Manawatu Bypass and Transmission Gully
Priti Ambani
Priti is the Director of New Business and Innovation at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in digital, IT and business services, where she is helping to grow and support New Zealand businesses and communities through Tata’s global capability. An engineer by education and training, Priti has held various roles, globally, across engineering, business, strategy, consulting and education. Prior to joining TCS, Priti was the Director of Innovation at Tech Futures Lab in Auckland, where she launched, built and grew their Corporate Innovation Practice enabling innovation capability within large NZ businesses, teams and Boards. Priti is co-founder and host of Moonshot:City, a podcast and blog exploring the big questions around what makes a resilient and regenerative city. Priti sits on the Boards of Auckland Chamber of Commerce and Super-diverse Women.
Matt Bishop
Matt is an engineer and entrepreneur, and has been working in the New Zealand construction industry for 11 years. He is an expert in interiors construction and construction technology, and is currently combining these to create New Zealand’s leading interiors engineering firm.
Dorenda Britten
Dorenda Britten is a challenger of the status quo and a future-thinker. Dorenda was originally trained in design and has carried that discipline throughout her varied entrepreneurial business background.
Her consultancy is focussed on helping people and businesses see the reality and the opportunities within the big and changing picture. Alongside the consultancy she operates a professional mentoring practise, helping her clients to understand and integrate environmental ,social and financial factors into their product, service or system development process.
Dorenda has been a Judge of the annual NZ Hi-Tech Awards for over a decade, is currently a judge of the Food, Fibre and Agritech Super node and is a guest lecturer at the University of Canterbury Master of Engineering Management and the MBA program.
Her consultancy is focussed on helping people and businesses see the reality and the opportunities within the big and changing picture. Alongside the consultancy she operates a professional mentoring practise, helping her clients to understand and integrate environmental ,social and financial factors into their product, service or system development process.
Dorenda has been a Judge of the annual NZ Hi-Tech Awards for over a decade, is currently a judge of the Food, Fibre and Agritech Super node and is a guest lecturer at the University of Canterbury Master of Engineering Management and the MBA program.
Alistair Cattanach
Director of Dunning Thornton, Wellington with over 25 years’ experience consulting in NZ and the UK. He has a passion for heritage buildings and challenging architecturally expressive structures, and is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand. He has been an innovator in PRESSS and other Low Damage Design techniques in concrete, steel, timber and masonry in New Zealand, and has held advisory/professional consulting roles in many of his areas of interest.
Sina Cotter Tait
A proud graduate of the University of Canterbury, Sina has over 18 years' experience in consulting engineering as a Chartered Professional Engineer (Civil). She also holds an MBA and is partway to completing a PhD in construction management. A former member of the Engineering NZ Governing Board, she's currently serving on the board of the CEAS, the Engineering NZ Foundation and the Engineering NZ Competence Assessment Board - she's passionate about giving back to the profession. She's also a member of the Institute of Directors and ACENZ.
Warner Cowin
The founder and CEO of Height – a business which helps Government departments win and deliver world-class projects and contracts in Australia and New Zealand. He also has strong skills in Tikanga Maori and Iwi facilitation. Height is contracted to NZ Trade and Enterprise to support their clients entering overseas markets.
Geoff Dangerfield
Former Chief Executive of the NZ Transport Agency and also the Ministry of Economic Development, including a period as Chair of the Leadership Development Centre. Geoff now works as an independent company director and consultant for a range of private and public agencies, from infrastructure to the performing arts.
Dr Michelle Dickinson
An award-winning, passionate researcher and teacher with a love of science and engineering. She has made it her life mission to make science and engineering accessible for all. Her background in biomedical and materials engineering have combined her interests to give her a unique insight into how nature and technology can learn from each other for scientific developments. She is the founder and Director of Nanogirl Labs and is also an honorary academic in engineering at the University of Auckland.
Susan Freeman-Greene
Susan leads LGNZ after nearly six years as Chief Executive of Engineering New Zealand where she led the transformation of the organisation into a modern inclusive outward-facing organisation dedicated to engineering better lives for New Zealanders. Before Engineering New Zealand, Susan was Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Standards Authority. She’s also held leadership positions at the Human Rights Commission, as Chief Mediator and Strategic Policy Manager. Susan is on the Board of Vital and Tawhiri, the creative force behind the New Zealand Festival of the Arts and is passionate about celebrating the creativity and innovation that is abundant within the engineering profession.
Anne Gardner
Associate Professor Anne Gardner is Head of the School of Professional Practice and Leadership in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney and President of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE). Her research interests are engineering education and practice, which has encompassed understanding collaborative and ?ipped learning environments, the innovative use of self and peer assessment and the provision of feedback for developing professional judgement. She has received national recognition for her research and development including a National Learning and Teaching Fellowship.
Dane Hart
Chief Executive of Engineers Without Borders New Zealand. Dane is passionate about making sure that access to engineering capability and leadership is universal across New Zealand and the South Pacific. Since starting in the role, he’s led a change within the organisation to focus on delivering opportunities for engineers to learn the skills required to take a people-centred, strengths-based approach to improving community health, well-being and opportunity.
Andy Kensington
A founding partner of Pure Design & Engineering – a New Zealand based engineering consultancy specialising in the design of advanced composite structures, with a focus on the marine industry. He joined Team New Zealand in 2001 where he was involved in the structural design of the America’s Cup Class racing yachts and the FE Analysis of their structures.
Mike Kerr
Leader in the engineering profession, having worked in the public health, transport and building sectors for the past 30 years. He has strong sector leadership experience – he led Beca’s Central Region for over 12 year, has been President of ACENZ, is active in Engineering New Zealand, chaired the WelTec Industry Advisor Group and was a director of the New Zealand Board of Engineering Diplomas. Mike is also currently the Chief Engineer, a significant leadership role within MBIE.
Dean Kimpton
A consulting engineer who runs his own infrastructure advisory business Tuhura Consulting. Until recently, Dean was Auckland Council’s Chief Operating Officer. He is Chair of QuakeCoRE, Eastern Busway Alliance and chairs the Bay of Plenty transport programme initiative. He also chairs the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Building Advisory Panel and is Transformation Director for the NZ Construction Sector Accord. He was previously Managing Director of engineering consultancy AECOM NZ.
Sarah Lang
Director of Strategic Partnerships at Infrastructure NZ, New Zealand’s peak infrastructure body, Sarah is a driving force for the advancement of diversity in the infrastructure sector. In 2016 Sarah established the NZ Women’s Infrastructure Network and has led the growth of the WIN network to over 2000 members spread over seven chapters nationwide. In 2018 she received the Women of Influence Diversity Award and was a nominee for the 2019 New Zealander of the Year Award. She has also contributed to the establishment of many M?ori employment initiatives. In addition Sarah has her own company, Lang Consulting, where she specialises in policy and strategy work, and working with government and iwi on post Treaty Settlement initiatives.
Lisa Lawrence
National President of the National Council of Women New Zealand. Founded by Kate Sheppard, NCWNZ is an umbrella group leading the Gender Equal NZ campaign. Lisa Lawrence (Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Ruapani) is the first M?ori woman appointed to this role, and has served as Vice President since 2017. Lisa fills numerous leadership roles across the region and nationally including with NZ Psychology Board and Pharmac. Previously she has worked for an iwi-based health and social service, NZ College of Midwives, St John, Family Planning NZ, and was a governor of Nelson Bays Primary Health. She is currently Kaiwhakahaere of the Motueka Family Service Centre. Lisa is passionate about gender equality and indigenising mainstream areas while ensuring it not seem as tokenism.
Dr David Prentice
Currently Chief Executive of Trustpower, David was previously Chair of the Interim Committee for Climate Change – an independent organisation tasked with providing analysis and recommendations to Government regarding emissions from agriculture and electricity generation. Prior to these positions he was Chief Executive and Managing Director of Opus International Consultants. He had a number of other senior roles at Opus including General Manager, Business Development and Director of Opus’ UK operations before his appointment as CEO in 2010
Craig Price
Chief Technical Officer for the Beca Group. Craig is responsible for leading the professional practice of Beca and guiding the development of their technical capability across eight countries, 23 offices and more than 3,500 staff. In addition to overseeing the development, implementation and execution of Beca’s project delivery systems Craig is accountable for the project risk framework for the business.
Andrew Read
Director of Pedersen Read Ltd, a consulting electrical engineering firm based in Christchurch. Andrew’s been a consulting engineer for over 30 years and is a Fellow and Chartered Member of Engineering New Zealand, and a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng). He is presently Chair of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Business Practice Committee.
Annette Sweeney
A qualified and experienced Environmental Engineer and Resource Management Planner, Annette specialises in the consenting and delivery of infrastructure projects for local authorities and industry. She is experienced in leading multidisciplinary teams, providing an integrated approach across the design, consenting and construction phases of projects.
Annette is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand with just under 20 years’ experience in consulting to local authority clients. Her experience includes detailed design of water and wastewater schemes, water conservation and management strategies, design and implementation of compliance monitoring programmes including reporting on environmental effects, resource consenting and community consultation and communications.
Annette is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand with just under 20 years’ experience in consulting to local authority clients. Her experience includes detailed design of water and wastewater schemes, water conservation and management strategies, design and implementation of compliance monitoring programmes including reporting on environmental effects, resource consenting and community consultation and communications.
Richard Templer
Chief Executive of Engineering New Zealand since November 2020. Richard is an experienced leader who has developed good relationships with mana whenua and key stakeholders and has delivered results for the customers and communities. He holds a PhD in engineering and has a background in science and innovation. Richard was formerly CEO of Manawatu District Council and has held senior leadership roles at Industrial Research, Meat & Wool New Zealand, the Ministry of Science & Innovation and Callaghan Innovation.
Helen Trappitt
Helen is a Director of Lewis Bradford, a Fellow of Engineering NZ and a Director of Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited. She is also a current board member of the University of Canterbury Civil and Natural Resources Engineering Industry Advisory Board. She specialises in the structural design of sculptures and art installations.
Helen has been involved in the transitional city movement in Christchurch following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. She has provided pro bono engineering services to FESTA (the Festival of Transitional Architecture), GapFiller, CoCA and SCAPE Public Art.
Helen has been involved in the transitional city movement in Christchurch following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. She has provided pro bono engineering services to FESTA (the Festival of Transitional Architecture), GapFiller, CoCA and SCAPE Public Art.
Tania Williams
General Manager of Engineering Leadership at Engineering New Zealand. Tania joined Engineering New Zealand in 2017 after a long career at engineering and management consulting firm MWH, where she was General Manager of Water and Waste. Tania currently takes care of professional engineering practice and policy, a continuing professional development portfolio and fostering relationships with 30 plus technical groups and societies. Tania was made a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand in 2017 in recognition of her contribution to the profession.