Supreme Award Winner, Farzam Farzadi, on stage accepting his award with the Minister for Building and Construction, Hon Poto Williams (far left); General Manager Winstone Wallboards, David Thomas (third from right); NZIOB National Board Chair, John Hemi (far right); and his colleagues and supporters from Beca.
The winners of the 2021 New Zealand Building Industry Awards were announced on Friday, 13 August at a gala evening at the Cordis Hotel, Auckland. With 680 guests in attendance, it was the biggest ceremony ever held in the 28-year history of the Awards. The Dixon Nacey band provided smooth background jazz for the pre-function drinks and during the dinner break, while the MC for the evening, Geoff Sewell, entertained everyone with songs to start each half of the awards ceremony.
View the full list of Winners
Download the Finalists and Winners brochure
View photos from the Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner
NZIOB Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming said, “The NZIOB congratulates all this year's winners and finalists. These awards showcase and celebrate the commitment of those working in construction to excellence, thereby contributing to the NZIOB's goal of raising standards across the building industry. A key feature of this year’s entries was the degree to which entrants had embraced new technologies and the impact such technology has had on construction programmes. For the first time this year, an entry in the Innovation category won the Supreme Award. That reflects a global surge in technology adoption across construction, driven by the considerable investment in companies developing construction technologies, as industry outsiders have formed a view that we are the last large industry to undergo digital disruption in a meaningful way. The 2021 Supreme Award winner is an example of the project upside that such innovation yields.”
The GIB® Supreme Award was won by Farzam Farzadi from Beca for Digital Delivery Processes on the Waikato River to Redoubt water supply programme. This project encompassed the design and construction of infrastructure to deliver an additional 50 million litres of treated water per day from the Waikato River to Auckland. Farzam used innovative technology to compress a three-year design and build to one year, delivering the water supply infrastructure project within the critical and non-negotiable one-year timeframe. This innovation helped the client, designers, and the construction team coordinate continuously, providing rapid and efficient feedback on the practicality and constructability of the design information each day. The judges commented that this is an exceptional result, that they had not seen competency like this for a long time.
This year the judges awarded the BCITO Young Achiever Award to Michael Xu from Aurecon NZ. Michael’s construction industry career began with a summer internship at Aurecon. Upon completing his Bachelor of Engineering at Auckland University, Michael joined Aurecon as an electrical engineer. After working on various projects and achieving his Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) accreditation, he progressed to project leadership roles. The judges commented that Michael is highly motivated and committed. Five years into his career, he leads a team of multidisciplinary building services engineers on some of New Zealand’s most technically challenging healthcare projects.
This year the judges again identified a Category Winner for each of the Award categories:
Resene Projects Under $3M Award
Highly Commended & Category Winner: Simon McMullen, NZ Strong Group
Project: Waitematā DHB Diagnostic Breast Service, Auckland
FC International Projects $3M-$10 Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Mitch Aitchinson, LT McGuinness
Project: Wesley Methodist Church Seismic Strengthening & Heritage Restoration, Wellington
Steel Construction NZ Projects $10M-$35M Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Scott Caruth & Richard Wheeler, Aspec Construction
Project: Auckland War Memorial Museum – Te Ao Marama South Atrium Precinct, Auckland
Carters Projects $35M-$45M Award
Excellence & Category Winner: James Sutherland, CMP Construction
Project: Neo Apartments, Auckland
GIB® Projects $45-$75M Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Matt Primm, CMP Construction
Project: 59 France Apartments, Auckland
BBD Projects Over $75M Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Gary Nisbet & Blake Hogarth, Icon Co
Project: AUT Student Accommodation at 35-39 Wakefield Street, Auckland
James Hardie Innovation Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Farzam Farzadi from Beca
Project: Digital Delivery Processes (Water Sector), Auckland
Site Safety & CHASNZ Safety Excellent Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Matt Hutchinson and Ricky Ciobanu from Ryman Healthcare
Project: Vertical Panel Storage Device (VPSD)
Thermosash Consultants Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Ben Tomason from Griffiths and Associates
Project: Mokau Marae Rebuild in Whangarei
Hays Interdisciplinary Collaboration Award
Excellence & Category Winner: Jordan Gregory, NZ Force Construction; Sam Walton, Downtown Joint Venture; Angus Newsam, TSA Project Management; Paulo Costa, Isthmus Group; and Ashley Smith, Structure Design
Project: Ferry Basin Redevelopment – Canopy Project, Auckland
Malcolm Fleming said, “The standard and number of entries in this year’s awards was again particularly impressive, and the projects they have delivered have made a significant contribution to the quality of our built environment. Furthermore, many of those who received recognition are still in the early stages of their careers. This fact demonstrates the rapid career advancement that is possible in the construction industry. The winner of the GIB® Projects $45M to $75M category, Matt Primm, graduated from university in 2013 and has just completed running a $55M project; and Michael Xu, the BCITO Young Achiever, is leading a team of multidisciplinary services engineers for Aurecon NZ, a mere five years after graduating with an engineering degree.”
In the coming weeks, we will be profiling all Highly Commended and Excellence/Category Winners on our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).
