Calling for nominations for Water New Zealand 2017 awards - Deadline Extended

Taking home the award for the CH2M Beca Young Water Professional of the Year at last year’s Water New Zealand Conference and Expo has helped motivate Jules Scott-Hansen to continue striving to do her best for the industry and her community.

“Getting recognition was really special,” she says.

As an engineer with Opus International, Jules impressed her associates and colleagues with her professionalism, communication skills and passion for how engineering can make a difference to people’s lives.

“As a new person in the industry you’re not always told if you’re doing well, so it was great to be nominated by my Business Manager and really nice to have the recognition of my peers and colleagues for the work done early in my career.”

Jules was one of more than a dozen industry professionals to receive recognition for their contribution to the sector through the Water New Zealand awards.

“Every year we run these awards because the conference provides a great opportunity for our members to show our appreciation of the work of our colleagues and the professionalism of the water sector,” says Water New Zealand Chief Executive John Pfahlert.

“These awards do mean a lot to those who have been nominated and support the professionalism of our sector. So I strongly encourage all our members to look at the awards on offer this year and ensure you get nominations in.”

Other key awards include the Ronald Hicks Memorial Award which is given for innovative work on water pollution and sewage treatment in New Zealand. Since 1985 some of the many creative leaders of the association have been recognised through receiving this award.

Chair of the Ronald Hicks Memorial Trust, Mark Milke says the award helps communicate new knowledge and important innovations and he’s asking for more nominations now.

“Today’s society continues to be challenged to solve or better understand its water pollution and sewage treatment problems. We do not have all the answers, but we do have many people contributing to important innovations,” he says.

Go to our website www.waternzconference.org.nz for more information on awards and criteria.

Key awards include:

  • Hynds Paper of the Year - recognises the best technical and presented paper at the Water New Zealand Annual Conference & Expo based on written content and quality of presentation
  • Ronald Hicks Memorial Award - made to the author(s) of an article or paper considered significant in solving or clarifying sewage treatment or water pollution problems in New Zealand
  • CH2M Beca Young Water Professional Award- acknowledges and rewards one young water professional who has made a significant contribution to the water industry and the general community, and has demonstrated exceptional achievement in the early stages of their career
  • ProjectMax Young Author of the Year- complements the Hynds Paper of the Year Award and encourages participation of young authors
  • Poster of the Year - entries are welcome on any topic of relevance to the water industry, with entries from students particularly encouraged. Poster summaries must be 250 words or less and submitted in word document format.
  • Opus Trainee of the Year – open to any trainee currently involved in an NZQA approved course applicable to the water and wastes industry
  • IXOM Operations Prize – seeking examples of best practice in the industry and nominations are welcome for individuals, an operations team, or a particular project that had a strong operations flavour
  • Veolia Health and Safety Award will acknowledge and reward a corporate entity or individual who has developed an innovation which eliminates or minimises a health or safety risk in the water industry
  • YWP Conference Attendance Award - gives the opportunity for recent graduates to attend the Water New Zealand Annual Conference or the Water New Zealand International Stormwater Conference, in order that they may broaden their knowledge and gain greater appreciation of the water environment, water management, water engineering and the water industry at large
  • Project Award provides recognition of excellence, not only in the delivery of a project, but also the contribution of various parties to the final outcome. Members are invited to nominate projects primarily associated with addressing water, wastewater and/or stormwater issues that highlight the projects technical expertise and the service applicants have provided to its clients.

Non-members of Water New Zealand are eligible for some of these awards.

Criteria and Scope for Awards

The definition and scope of each award, the criteria for selection, along with the nomination processes and timelines for submission can be found under Awards section on the conference website www.waternzconference.org.nz

Nominations this year will close Friday, 25 August August 2017, and the awards will be presented at this year’s Annual Conference in Hamilton.

Water New Zealand