Last week, Programmed Facility Management held its annual Electricity Sector Conference at our Henderson Support Office, bringing the entire Programmed Facility Management Transpower team together for three days of training, workshops, collaboration and team building.
The agenda was packed with content tailored to the different roles across our team, with several breakout sessions running concurrently on specialist topics.
Several of our key suppliers delivered workshops. NZ Safety Blackwoods covered hard hat safety, ladder safety and hearing protection. KiwiCare provided a refresher on agrichemicals and pest control, including the importance of applying pre-emergent residuals at the right time of year and selecting the correct chemicals for target weeds and regions. Norwood, which supplied our Kubota mowers, provided further training for our Facilities Services Technicians on basic mower repairs, maintenance and servicing.
The Facilities Services Technicians also took part in several practical training sessions, including door-closer repairs and fault identification. Glazing basics were covered so the team could accurately measure broken windows and board them up to make the area safe.
Alongside the Facilities Services Technician training, dedicated sessions were held for Project Managers and Operational Support staff. There were also several national contract sessions covering topics relevant to the wider team, along with team-building exercises.
Transpower delivered several presentations, including an excellent session from its South Island Service Delivery Manager. The presentation explored the importance of raising defects and capturing clear, accurate and detailed information, as well as how this information feeds into asset planning and our renewals projects.
Naturally, HSEQ featured strongly throughout the conference, with a focus on waste reduction and reporting, a review of the past year and the team’s key focus areas for the year ahead.
The conference was also an opportunity to recognise outstanding achievements across the team at our awards ceremony during Wednesday evening’s Team Dinner.
This year’s Major Award winners were:
- The Health and Safety Award: Martin Wickham, for leading the way with behavioural-based safety.
- The Leadership Award: Tara McGarry, for stepping up, displaying Programmed values and establishing herself with mana.
- The Customer Service Award: Martin Wickham, for consistently going above and beyond.
- The Good for Morale Award: Victor Howe, for making a positive contribution to team morale.
- Project of the Year: Kaylah Lawrence, for the outstanding delivery of the Ōtāhuhu Crane Building project.
- The Great Mate Award: Jenny Eckersley, for being there for her teammates and providing exceptional support.
Congratulations to all our winners. These awards reflect the professionalism, leadership, teamwork and care our people bring to their work every day.
Overall, the conference was extremely valuable. The learnings, collaboration and camaraderie demonstrated a strong return on investment and made the event a huge success once again.
This year’s conference also provided an opportunity to celebrate Programmed’s 75-year history. Since 1951, our success has been built on our people, strong partnerships and commitment to delivering great outcomes for our customers and communities.
As we recognise this significant milestone, events like the Electricity Sector Conference demonstrate how we continue to invest in our people, share knowledge and strengthen the relationships that will take Programmed into the future.
