MWH Global’s Christopher Maguire has come away from the 2015 Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia International Conference (IPWEA) last week in Rotorua, New Zealand with the 2015 HYNDS Paper of the Year Award!

Christopher’s paper was titled “Standardising Standards and creating ‘best practice’” and in his paper he explored the inefficiencies around the way in which standards differ from district to district in New Zealand.

This is a major source of frustration for engineers around New Zealand creating economic inefficiencies in both construction time from ‘learning time’ and non-standard components and management standards. While there may be reasons for differing standards normally such as different ground conditions, coastal versus landlocked.

Chris laid down the challenge to local government organisations around the country to lay their cards on the table in order to collaborate and work toward creating true engineering standards and to promote any great ideas they may have. The paper goes on to illustrate how we can create sustainable communities and knowledge sharing by creating a veritable ‘one stop shop’ for New Zealand Council Engineering Standards, as a first step to creating a more standard, standard.

Adrian Hynds (left) Managing Director of HYNDS with MWH Global’s Christopher Maguire winner of the 2015 HYNDS Paper of the Year Award