What's your job about?
I work for Fulton Hogan Auckland in the contracting space as a Site Engineer. Currently, I am working across Watercare Enterprise Model projects looking after the installation of new Watercare assets. My job involves managing the daily running of pipe laying projects; looking after the health & safety, quality and productivity of site works. For example, today I am working on three projects: one at the completion stage, one at the investigative design stage and another at the pre-construction. I am starting my day with a site visit to a job connecting a water main to a reservoir. I will capture photos, carry out quality checks and check up on the progress of the work. This involves chatting with the team, checking their risks for the day and ensuring everyone is abiding by the health and safety rules. I will upload the information I gather from the site to a sharing system so the Fulton Hogan and Watercare team can check that the pipeline has been constructed as per design and specification. Then I move on to the investigative design project, I review the findings of service location works to confirm there won’t be any clashes in the design route of a future pipeline. I identify which underground services may be a risk to the construction stage and what further information is required. Once this task has been completed, I spend the remainder of my day preparing for a project which is about to kick off by creating work instructions that detail the construction processes for the tasks required.
What's your background?
I was born in England and spent my childhood years in a small town called Kesgrave. At the age of 11, my family and I immigrated to New Zealand and settled in Orewa, just north of Auckland. This move greatly impacted my life and changed me from a timid young girl to someone who was quickly gaining confidence and putting myself out there. I fell in love with academics, particularly Maths and Science in year 8, and was driven to be the top of the class by a healthy competition with my older brother. By the end of secondary school, I knew I wanted to follow a career involving Maths & Physics and decided Engineering would be the best fit. I joined The University of Auckland Engineering programme in 2016, where I spent the first year learning the basics of all the engineering specialities. I went into university picturing myself ending up in the medical field of Engineering, but by the end of 2016 I knew civil was the right fit for me – I loved the technical side and being able to see the results of your work physically. I made a strong network of friends in the Civil Engineering programme; with people who had the same interests as me which created a big support network to help me complete the program. Work experience required during my degree put me in contact with Fulton Hogan and over a 3-month summer break I worked alongside many road maintenance crews learning the ins and outs of the business. The way I was welcomed into the company during my short stint drove me to want to work at Fulton Hogan when I completed my studies; ultimately landing me where I am today.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes definitely. Having a variety of backgrounds, cultures, interests and strengths within a team makes for a successful project. Having people with different abilities and mindsets brings light to situations or details that may be missed if a team lacked diversity or difference. The biggest skill required is communication, and this doesn’t mean you need to be loud and out there. In construction, you need to communicate with many different people and adapting to different forms of communication is essential.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
My favourite thing about my job is being able to witness change first-hand due to the effort and time my team and I have put in. Being able to physically see the results of your work brings a lot of satisfaction and after a few hard weeks of work, seeing a new road, roundabout, bridge or critical infrastructure completed brings a great feeling of pride.
What are the limitations of your job?
The biggest limitation of my job is that once a project begins, you are always thinking about it in some capacity. In construction, you are always working to deadlines and budgets, which means every detail needs to be considered. It’s when the Sunday morning thought pops in your head of ‘bugger I forgot to book the concrete’ you know that the project is always on your mind!
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Say yes and put your hand up for as much as you can. Even the undesirable tasks have a learning experience and normally result in lessons that aid you in the future.
Ask questions, I cannot stress this enough. You are not supposed to know everything when you start out and everyone around you will carry information that will benefit you in some way.
Know your limitations and know that it is okay to ask for help. Overloading yourself leads to poor performance across all the tasks on your plate.