As 2021 draws to a close, and New Zealand finishes a rocky year of Delta, lockdowns and traffic lights, Neo’s senior leadership team reflect back on the year that was. Though many are quick to wish away the blurred months of lockdown and Covid, there are many lessons that have been learnt and achievements that have been met – which Neo are very grateful to have been part of.
Thinking back to the second half of 2021, Auckland was thrust into a world of lockdown longevity it had not experienced previously. The city and its people were forced into new social and psychological situations that most are keen to see the back of – and rightly so. However, it’s important to take key learnings with you, so here the Neo senior leadership team – Nigel Stevenson, Scott Wilson and Richie Murray – share their reflections from the year that was.
What was a big accomplishment that you are proud of Neo achieving this year?
After a successful 2020, we have continued to grow and enhance our people and systems. This has shown us that 2020 was not an anomaly, but a new normal. Despite the difficulty of a three-month lockdown, the team have collectively remained strong and positive. The support provided across all levels of the business through this time is something we can all be proud of.
2021 also saw the continuing implementation of the NZ Water Reforms which has facilitated massive investment into the sector. We have been able to support multiple proactive councils with auditing, road mapping and managing the upgrade of their SCADA systems to support future amalgamation.
Our continued growth into other industries, as well as deepening relationships with new clients, has secured our footings and provided stability for us throughout 2021. The level of engineering opportunities ahead in 2022 and beyond is a hugely exciting prospect.
What really made a difference for the team this year, and what was it?
Checking in on each other was a huge part of 2021. It has been a stressful year and very isolating with the work-from-home mandate. Everyone on the team has made the effort to check in with
each other and provide support when and if needed. This was an incredibly caring act, which
helped alleviate some of the issues surrounding being cut off from our workmates. We believe that growing good engineers over a long period of time who live our vision and values provides consistency, efficiency, and quality to our deliverables for our clients.
In addition to growing great people, we also have been expanding the use of drawing automation systems to improve the speed and accuracy of the work we can produce for our clients. This digital approach not only supported remote working, but significantly enhanced our quality systems and reduced our print requirements, with drawings receiving multiple updates digitally through the design life cycle.
Industry or business-wise, what are you most looking forward to in 2022?
We are all looking forward to having the team back together in the office and continuing our journey of fun, reward, and people growth. It appears in 2022, many sectors have major plans for growth and therefore engineers will be in high demand and key to delivering those plans. We are looking forward to undertaking new and exciting projects and growing the team to match the needs of our clients through training, on-project experiences, and mentoring. It’s a great time to be an engineer!
From the team here at Neo, we’re wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday break, and a prosperous 2022. We are grateful to have earned a well-deserved break, but look forward to a new year filled with plenty of exciting work and opportunities. It is a pleasure working with our clients, colleagues and associates – thank you for your continued support.
