New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards

Royal treatment for King’s Wharf

12 October 2007

With Suva’s King’s Wharf facing a rapidly increasing amount of cargo with diminishing structural integrity and facilities incapable of supporting current and future growth needs, a project was launched to rejuvenate the site. The resulting work has been named as a finalist in two categories in the 2007 New Zealand Engineering Excellence (NZEE) Awards.

Constructed in 1963, King’s Wharf in Suva is the largest port in Fiji and the ‘lifeline’ to the capital and surrounding region in the event of a natural disaster. Multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Beca, assisted by sub-consultants Maunsell Australia Pty Ltd, and Erasito Consultants Ltd, completed upgrades on the wharf to: cope with increasing outgoing cargo; replace an aged wharf apron with an increased structural capacity to support future developments. This work has been recognised in the Roads and Transport Category.

Beca and contractor Fletcher Construction upgraded the wharf to internationally recognised seismic standards; provided soil stabilisation; increased load bearing capacity of the wharf to support cranes and large forklifts, provide bridge links to the container yard; and improve operational flow and container yard activity. This work has been recognised in the Building and Construction Category.

The project and upgrades were completed all while keeping the terminal in operation, using a staged construction sequence that reduced the impact on terminal operations.

The third New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards are the premier awards for New Zealand engineering professionals. The awards are presented in two major areas: Individual Awards, that recognise leadership, entrepreneurship, and our young engineers; and Category Awards, that recognise achievement in the various industry areas, together with a Supreme Award for the best of the Category winners.

David Elms, Convenor of the Category Awards judging panel said that the calibre of finalist projects highlighted the contribution that professional engineers make to New Zealand on a social, economic and environmental scale.

“These projects are finalists because they each are outstanding examples of engineering innovation”, says Mr Elms. “This year’s finalists impressed the judges by demonstrating how their projects contributed to economies, the international reputation of New Zealand engineering and improved the quality of life in communities”.

Winners of both individual and category awards will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner at Te Papa, Wellington on Wednesday, 21 November 2007.

The New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards are hosted by a consortium of five partners and 10 contributing organisations. The partners are: Centre for Advanced Engineering (CAE); Association of Local Government Engineering New Zealand Incorporated (INGENIUM); Electricity Engineers Association of New Zealand (EEA); Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand (ACENZ); and the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand Inc (IPENZ).

Media enquiries contact:

Verona-Meiana Putaranui, NZEE Awards Media Co-ordinator

Email: media@ipenz.org.nz

Phone: +64 4 473 2028 or Cell: +64 21 479885