Two Invercargill City Council projects have been named as finalists in the IPWEA NZ Asset Management Excellence Awards 2023.

The Invercargill Speed Management and Stead Street Stopbank Upgrade projects have been recognised in the awards, held by the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia – New Zealand (IPWEA NZ). IPWEA – NZ is the industry association for professionals who deliver public works and engineering services to communities in New Zealand.

Council Chief Executive Michael Day said recognition at this level reflected the quality of work being produced by teams at Council.

“These awards are also industry-based, so you’re being validated by your peers. It’s a great feeling.” he said.

“We’re hoping for a win, but it really is nice to be a finalist. Both climate change and road safety are important issues with real-world, immediate effects for our community and it’s really inspiring to see our people recognised for their work in these spaces.”

Invercargill Speed Management is a finalist project in the Road Safety category for the Invercargill Road Network speed limit review, which was designed to reduce the number of killed or seriously injured people within the Invercargill area.

It aligned with Road to Zero, New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy. Infrastructure improvements and speed management is the first of the five key focus areas and has a direct impact on the severity of all crashes, Day said.

“We’ve reduced speeds on our rural roads, inner CBD and key shopping areas Windsor, South City. We’re now looking at speed management outside schools to keep tamariki safe,” he said.

The Stead Street Stopbank Upgrade is a finalist project in the Environment & Sustainability category.

The Stead Street Stopbank project focused on improving Invercargill’s climate resilience through the strengthening and raising of seawall and stopbanks along Stead St and Cobbe Rd.

Partially funded by Kānoa, the Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, the project provided regional economic stimulus during the pandemic as well as strengthening community and cultural relationships, he said.

“It was immensely gratifying to work alongside mana whenua on this project and the beautiful artwork that has been put in on Stead St and by the airport is a reminder of this growing relationship.”

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner as part of the Te Whakaohooho i ngā Rangatira o Āpōpō | Inspiring Our Next Generation Conference in Rotorua on June 22.