2022 Master Electricians Awards winners
Gary Roxburgh, Master Electricians Board Chair, pictured with Bruce Dalton of Dalton Electrical, the Excellence Awards overall winner.
Ika Rere an electric boat by McKay in partnership with Wellington Electric Boat Building Company (WEBBCo). Winner of the Excellence Efficiency Award.
Ben Haselden (left) received the Excellence Energy Efficiency Award for Ika Rere on behalf of McKay.
This mobile seed cleaner allows for seed to be cleaned onsite, dramatically reducing the carbon emissions typically required to complete this process.
Sponsor Ronan Bowles, National Business Manager for Energizer pictured with Dalibour Jordanovski of Des Scott Electrical, winner of the Excellence in Innovation Award for the mobile seed cleaner.
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. KME Services won the Lighting Design Award for this project.
Sponsor Tony Tavita, National Lighting Manager for Legrand, pictured with David Shepard, Construction Manager of KME Services, winner of the Lighting Design Award for Te Pae.
Villa Maria in Hawkes Bay was the project that won Buzz Electrics one of the night’s Project Awards.
Sponsor ABB’s Duncan Baker Vice President of Marketing and Sales, with Buzz Berham of Buzz Electrics, winner of the Project Award for a project between 1-5 million.
KiwiRail’s Waltham Station by Aotea Electric Canterbury won the company a Project Award for excellence.
Aotea Electric Canterbury’s Gordon Tovey, pictured with sponsor, Ideal Electrical’s Managing Director, Roger Edgar.
The Emerging Business Award was given to Peter Simpson of Simpson Electrical (left), pictured with Milan Kumar, Sales Director of simPRO.
The Industry Champion Award for the night went to Buzz Barham of Buzz Electrics (right). Pictured here with sponsor Ray Dunn, Executive General Manager of Schneider Electric New Zealand.
To top off being named Industry Champion, Buzz Barham got down on one knee and proposed to his spouse Maria Hooper while on stage.
The winners of this year’s Master Electricians Excellence Awards (in association with Etco) and of this year's Apprentice of the Year have been named. Winners were announced to a packed audience at a ceremonial awards dinner at the Pullman Hotel, Auckland, on Friday evening,14 October.
Auckland industrial electrical company, Dalton Electrical, scooped the top excellence award at the 2022 Master Electricians Awards.
“Dalton Electrical is an outstanding example, leader, and innovator in the industrial electrical contracting sector for its approach to training, team culture, organisational values, and in its delivery of unique projects and customer-focused solutions,” says Bernie McLaughlin, Master Electricians’ Chief Executive Officer.
Five other electrical companies were declared winners of the six Excellence Award categories: Energy Efficiency, Innovation, Lighting Design, and three Project Awards. The winners of the Emerging Business Award and the Industry Champion Award were also announced.
“These awards were not won lightly. We had sixty-three entries from across New Zealand – twice as many as in the last competition in 2019 – and the quality of all was impressive,” says Bernie.
“…The innovation in some of the entries was beyond belief including a couple of projects that have garnered international interest.”
“It is clear that our members are the current experts in energy efficiency for the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors,” says Bernie. “We herald their approach in these days of increased concern about the impact of energy use on our environment.”
Energy Efficiency Award:
McKay Group won the Excellence in Energy Efficiency Award for its key role in developing the southern hemisphere’s first electric passenger ferry Ika Rere, a 26-tonne, 19-metre, carbon-fibre, twin-hull, fully electric ferry capable of carrying 132 passengers at 20 knots.
McKay delivered – in partnership with Wellington Electric Boat Building Company (WEBBCo) — the electrical engineering design and installation, vessel automation electric propulsion, energy/battery storage design and installation and onshore charging integration and design. Ika Rere was launched in March 2022 and regularly ferries passengers across Wellington harbour, between Queens Wharf and Days Bay.
Excellence in Innovation Award:
The creation of a mobile seed cleaner that takes the seed from a farm-based silo through the truck to be cleaned and treated and then repacked into sacks for re-distribution around the farm, earned Des Scott Electrical 2008 Ltd the Excellence in Innovation Award. This innovation dramatically reduces the time, cost, and carbon emissions of a process that usually involves trucks transporting seed from farm to factory and then back to farm and has the potential to transform the seed-cleaning process worldwide.
Excellence in Lighting Design Award & Excellence Award for a Project (over $5 million):
KME Services took the Excellence in Lighting Design Award as well as the Excellence Award for a Project (over $5 million) for its design, installation, and commissioning of the electrical supply and reticulation, general and emergency lighting, and control and lighting protection systems (seismic restraints) of the new Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. Energy efficient measures were taken, such as the use of a central lighting control panel to efficiently control lights, fitting most rooms with occupancy sensors, and the use of dimmable LED lighting and local lighting control.
Excellence Award for a Project ($1 to $5 million):
Buzz Electrics took the Excellence Award for a Project ($1 to $5 million) for its work on Villa Maria’s new winery build in Hawkes Bay. They created an automated electrical systems package that would cover the whole site operation from product delivery, services control and winery monitoring, through to the finished wine product.
Excellence Award for a Project (under $1 million):
Aotea Electric Canterbury was awarded the Excellence Award for a Project (under $1 million) for developing a fully automated wash system for train carriages at KiwiRail’s Waltham service centre.
The Service Centre is where KiwiRail’s South Island trains (the TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific lines) come before and after each journey for servicing, maintenance, and cleaning. Septic tanks are emptied, brake systems checked, diesel topped up, and each train is washed and dried before setting off on to pick up passengers for the next scenic journey.
Excellence Award for an Emerging Business:
Simpson Electrical Ltd was awarded the Excellence Award for an Emerging Business – for outstanding achievement in the new business space within the last seven years. The Auckland-based company’s number of employees, trainees, and work projects has grown substantially since it was set up in early 2016, and was heralded by the judges for its focus on training, building team morale and culture, and looking to move more into the green energy/EV space.
Industry Champion Award:
The Industry Champion Award was presented to Buzz Barham of Buzz Electrics (Hawkes Bay).
“Buzz Barham has quadrupled his team at Buzz Electrics over the last few years thanks to the great work his team has been doing,” says Bernie. “Buzz is respected by all his peers within the industry, and he also makes sure his own team is well looked after, even opening his own home to employees over the years when they are struggling, to help them get back on track.”
To view a complete list of winners as well as this year’s finalists head to Master Electricians Excellence Awards. The biennial competition, held in association with Etco, aims to identify and recognise excellence within the electrical contracting industry.
Sponsors of the Master Electrician Awards 2022 are Etco, ABB Active Electrical Suppliers, Ideal Rexel Group, Legrand, simPRO, Powerbase and Schneider Electric.
