Making a difference every day
At the Transport Agency we create transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand. Here, you can meet some of our people who are passionate about making that happen.
Jenny
Principal Regional Advisor | Southern Region
We’re ramping up safety for visiting drivers
Jenny is the Principal Regional Advisor for the Southern Region which covers all of the South Island (except Nelson, Blenheim and Marlborough). Armed with a law degree and a BA Honours in History from Otago, she started in a policy position at the Ministry of Transport. She has also worked at Parliament for former Transport Ministers Mark Gosche and Paul Swain. She then moved to Christchurch when her first child was 18 months old to be closer to wider family – ‘it was good to get back to the mainland’.
Jenny’s house is in a damaged area of the city, but was fixed relatively quickly.
‘Obviously the rebuild challenges Christchurch residents every day. A lot of people moved North and South post-earthquake – but we decided to stay put. There’s a lot going on in Christchurch.
Jenny is part of a core team of four who work with many external partners including local government, the NZ Police, the AA and industry associations across the tourism, rental vehicle and freight sectors. The job involves quite a bit of travel to Wellington, Dunedin, the West Coast and Queenstown.
In her role she is the Project Manager for the Transport Agency’s Visiting Drivers Project. This project aims to improve the safety of international and domestic visitors travelling in Otago, Southland and the West Coast. It’s an exciting project that is delivering tangible new safety measures such as laying centre line rumble strips between Haast and Hokitika, and painting white ‘tourist arrows’ on the left-hand side of the road to remind drivers where they should be driving.
Jenny is also involved in developing the Draft South Island Freight Plan which spans all the Transport Agency’s business groups, KiwiRail and other freight companies.
‘We’re forecasting a lot more freight will be moving across the South Island. Demand for goods is up and increased productivity is expected especially in Canterbury. More land is being irrigated for dairy farms and further afield, a lot of trees are due for harvest.
‘In developing the draft plan we came up with an agreed and shared action plan that includes focusing on land use around ports, supporting a new supply of drivers coming through the industry and a number of roading network improvements to assist the movement of freight.
‘Right from the beginning I felt supported in my role here and people were welcoming and forthcoming. I very much enjoy the role. It has flexibility and a wide range of work. I have the ability to analyse data, critique and communicate my ideas, in written and verbal ways and I get to work with a wide range of people. I’m not constrained.’
Tam
Senior Business Analyst | Organisational Support
‘I like what the Transport Agency does. The environment’s pretty cool.’
Tam is a Senior Business Analyst who has been with the Transport Agency for four years. He’s based in Wellington and is currently seconded to the InfoHub project (the Transport Agency’s document management system) as a trainer.
Tam came to New Zealand at the age of 10, and is fluent in Vietnamese and English. He got a commerce degree in Valuations and Property Management (BCom–VPM) at Lincoln University in 1996, then had a career change studying at Massey Wellington for a Diploma in Business Computing (2001). Tam once said he’d never live in Wellington. ‘It’s hilly, windy, rainy and you have to pay to park in front of your house.’ He finally made the move in 1998 and has been here ever since. Tam has now completed over 60 mountain bike rides – so the hills are obviously working their charms!
After graduating, Tam worked for the Housing New Zealand Corporation before he was headhunted to join Unisys. ‘I was a software tester at Unisys (for the LTNZ account). I saw it as really good training. I wanted to become a really good business analyst and it was good training – it got me here.’
‘I like what the Transport Agency does. The environment’s pretty cool. I have a great team and good leaders who give you a level of trust and autonomy. I like the semi-flexible hours. I go riding at lunchtime, get home early and do more work at home. That’s become more important because I have two young children now so work life balance is a big deal for me. The Transport Agency has that understanding.’
Ben
Manager Evidence, Insight and Geospatial | Planning and Investment
We owe it to New Zealanders to make the best out of transport
Ben regards his role in the Transport Agency as a simple but valuable one.
‘I’m here to make it as easy as possible for people in our organisation to get their work done, so we can make the biggest possible difference to New Zealand.’
Ben has a degree in Geography and Economics with a Masters in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Leicester, and was brought in four years ago to coordinate the wealth of information that guides the Transport Agency.
‘I immediately found this place is full of really smart, experienced people. There’s never a dull moment and we enjoy some robust mental sparring.’
He leads a team that provides Transport Agency people with the hard evidence needed to meet the continually growing needs of our transport networks and keep both the process and the solutions as simple as possible. As a people leader, Ben makes sure that simplicity begins in his own team.
‘It’s all about getting rid of unnecessary complexity and joining together different things we might be doing. Seeing the big picture in a wall of noise and actually showing people there’s a better way, and encouraging them along.
‘It’s great to work here because transport is so complex. It’s one of those things that you can never solve so there’s almost a limitless range of interesting and complex work to get involved in, and try and help with.
‘It really matters to make travel easier for people – from how they get to work, to how they get their kids to school, to how we get the things we buy to our homes.
‘We owe it to New Zealanders to make the best out of transport…because it’s really important to the lives of everybody.’
Robyn
National Delivery Manager | Access and Use
Our work impacts every New Zealander
Robyn joined the Transport Agency just over three years ago from ANZ. She’s directly responsible for the team delivering all of the Transport Agency’s compliance services (such as road user charges and licensing). They work alongside the associated organisations that deliver services for the Transport Agency’s customers (such as the AA, VTNZ, and New Zealand Post) to make services as efficient, useful and as customer-friendly as possible.
‘I chose the job firstly because it was all about making our business easier for customers to use. And I really liked the team here. I’m at the stage in my career where I’m a bit choosy about who I work for.
‘It’s the first time I’ve ever been with a government organisation. I’ve got a strong commercial background and I felt I could add value with that.’
The delivery team is large – more than 300 people, grouped in five different areas: the call centre, road user charges, customer access (how customers interface with the Transport Agency), technical services and contract relationships.
‘It’s a big leadership role. I had no idea about the breadth of the Transport Agency’s work and the expertise involved before I joined. We impact the lives of every New Zealander. I look out the window and I see all those cars and now know the effort that goes into ensuring their journey is safe and predictable – it’s amazing.’
Working with VTNZ, Robyn has just completed a rethink of the delivery of the practical driving test to ‘take the fear away’ for people sitting the test.
‘People were getting worried and anxious and this has an effect on their performance in the test. We also wanted the whole experience to not only be fair but also transparent. We wanted to replace anxiousness with a good experience. So, for example, we now focus on giving a really full debrief on why the person passed or failed.’
Growing up in Turangi, Robyn wanted to be an actor, but she left Massey University in Palmerston North with a BA majoring in Religious Studies.
‘My degree couldn’t be more different to what I do and I never thought decades later that I would end up doing weekly trips back to Palmerston North. When I think about career it is like a pyramid – the wider your base of skills and experiences, the higher up you can go. For me, the Transport Agency is a great place to build your base. There are lots of different opportunities to grow your skills, all of which make you a really strong candidate for future roles.
‘Very few people have a linear career path these days. Building my experiences and aligning with my values is what the Transport Agency is to me. You can grow your knowledge and strengthen your skills in an environment that’s really supportive and allows you to be the best you can be.’
Julie
Manager Public Transport Investment | Planning and Investment
We’re helping to deliver ‘world famous in NZ’ public transport
Julie has been at the Transport Agency for three and a half years. She has a degree in Environmental Sciences from the UK and a background in working for local government here and in England.
‘New Zealand was a change of scene for a young family from London – an adventure really. We love living in Wellington – the whole family enjoys the outdoors and of course, it’s a much easier commute from home into central Wellington than from suburbia to central London!’
Julie’s been in New Zealand for 11 years and particularly enjoys her role at the Transport Agency. ‘I manage the Public Transport Investment team and we work closely with many other teams across the business and with others who deliver public transport services, for example regional councils and public transport operators. We do this to try to get the right public transport systems in place for communities all around New Zealand. We’re making it easier for people to move through our towns and cities and also giving them a choice about how they travel, especially if they don’t have a private vehicle. Working for a “delivery organization” lets me make a difference.
‘We want public transport in New Zealand to be “world famous in New Zealand” for all the right reasons. Most bus, rail and ferry services are funded by the government, local communities and fare paying passengers, so we need to provide services that people want to use and are prepared to pay for. We strive to make sure every dollar invested in public transport really delivers for local communities.
‘I also enjoy my role because I get to work with talented people every day and there are plenty of opportunities and lots of support for developing my career.’
Jon
Zero Harm Advisor | People and Capability
There’s no such thing as an average week here
‘I started as an explosives engineer in the military. During this time, I supported the police in bomb disposal, and I also had tours of Northern Ireland, the Balkans and the Middle East. Then I retrained as a pavement engineer.’
Jon was originally from the UK, where he was working for the Transport Research Laboratory – an international research organisation – as Global Head of Safety, Health and Environment. A chartered member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Jon is one of 18 certified members of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM).
When he started to look at moving to New Zealand in 2014, there were only seven certified NZISM members – now there are 18. This demonstrates how rapidly the safety industry is growing in New Zealand. ‘We need to set the bar higher in New Zealand and there are real benefits associated with professional accreditation. It means that those who engage with us as safety professionals can trust that we know what we’re doing, and we’re personally committed to being the best at what we do.
‘I’m a relatively new Kiwi, and new to the Transport Agency too. I started my current role last February, working with the Zero Harm team. Together we’re working towards improving our health and safety performance as an organisation and industry so that all our people go home safe from work every day – no exceptions. We’re really passionate about creating a Zero Harm culture – a systemic risk-based (or “real world”) approach to health and safety.
‘We’re always looking for smart ways to make safety easy. Working with key industry partners, we recently developed the Zero Harm Reporting App that makes it easy for people to tell us about health and safety incidents in real time. It’s not just for our own people, but we’ve made it free for our wider industry too. That’s pretty cool. The reporting app won best significant health and safety initiative by a large organisation at the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2015, which is something that I’m really proud of.
‘The Transport Agency is a really forward thinking organisation – you’re enabled and encouraged to be creative and innovative. We’re also big fans of collaborating with our industry partners, which is really important in the world of health and safety.
‘We’re big on responsibility and accountability. You are allowed to fail because that’s how you learn, but you can’t be reckless. You use your professional judgement and you take ownership of your decisions. You’d never get told to go away and mind your own business. That wouldn’t work for me – I poke my nose in everywhere.’
AndrewMANAGING COUNSEL | ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT
You can’t bottle up what we have here and sell it
Andrew is a lead legal counsel for the Transport Agency based in Dunedin. He heads a team of lawyers who are based in Wellington and Auckland and is part of a broader national team of lawyers.
He qualified with a BA in History and Bachelor of Laws from Otago University, and started with the Land Transport Safety Authority in 1994. ‘Back then, I admit there was an element of “walkshort-wearing and sandals and cardigans” but over the years things have really changed at the Transport Agency. It’s intellectually stimulating and you can stretch without being left to flounder in the deep end. It also provides flexibility. For six years I was able to take up a part-time job as a Disputes Tribunal Referee for two to three days a week and the Transport Agency was very supportive of that.
‘There’s never a dull moment here. It’s not just a 40 hour a week job for many of us and the legal team are all well engaged in our work. The Transport Agency has over 1400 people from Whangarei to Invercargill, any of whom might ask for legal advice. As well as day-to-day legal advice, the legal team works on a range of matters, including significant infrastructure projects involving multi-billion dollar contracts. I get a kick out of being in the public service and enjoy having managers who take a genuine interest in me both personally and professionally. They make real efforts to keep people engaged and happy. It’s about being authentic and genuine every day of the week. I’m here because of the people, as well as the interesting opportunities.’
Andrew enjoys the informality and close social networks formed in a regional office. ‘Quite frankly, it would be hard to beat Dunedin. It’s got the excitement and vigour of a university town but it’s small enough to avoid some of the drawbacks of large cities. In the legal team and the Dunedin office we enjoy good humour, camaraderie, compassion and having regular chats. Everyone seems to be having “conversations” these days – I prefer to have a chat.’
Mercedes
PROJECT MANAGER | HIGHWAYS & NETWORK OPERATIONS
Driving through the Waikato Expressway
When she was 25, Mercedes came to New Zealand from Buenos Aires.
With her engineering qualifications, she was drawn to the Transport Agency because of the size, importance and complexity of the projects. ‘Initially I really just liked the type of contracts but then I fell in love with the values and culture of the Transport Agency. I like all the things we do.
‘Right now, I’m working on the Waikato Expressway – reshaping development around Hamilton and integrating it as a whole. I see the expressway as developing the Waikato as a centre of production; infrastructure supports economic development. We’re looking at how we can incorporate walking or cycling also – it’s not all about big roads. Sure, big flash projects make a difference, but some projects are not the sexy projects but they make substantial improvements to people’s lives too – that feels good.’
She loves the New Zealand lifestyle. When she first arrived, Mercedes couldn’t swim. ‘I’d never swum, not even in a pool. Now I’ve completed 10 ocean swims, including King of the Bay and Paihia to Russell. In Buenos Aires I commuted for two hours each day – here I swim and run in the mornings and I carpool or drive to work.’
She’s involved in the Transport Agency’s Graduate Development Programme and mentors a graduate in Tauranga. Her advice to graduates: make sure you have a mentor in the organisation – it’s invaluable.
Luke
GRADUATE ENGINEER | HIGHWAYS & NETWORK OPERATIONS
Fresh out of university, you get to experience everything
Luke did Civil Engineering at Canterbury University and is completing the Transport Agency’s Graduate Development Programme. ‘Fresh out of university, you get to experience everything. Leaving high school l thought engineering was for me, but I wasn’t super-keen on getting into the nitty gritty of developing steel. Rotating around the Highway & Network Operations group you get the big picture. It’s the best of all worlds. I’m working with the project managers, dealing with people, working on tenders, getting client experience, hearing from customers, getting to know our audience, learning the financial side of things.
‘Transport planning is a growth area – it’s one place where things are really happening – particularly in Christchurch now. I’m already project managing small projects. We’re working on a new roading programme. It’s really dynamic. I’ve taken the State Highway 73 improvement project on – doing a road safety audit, working with the design team and putting out to tender.
‘I always had aspirations to be a leader. When I was a kid I wanted to be President of the United States – obviously that wasn’t going to fly! Here, I’ve been identified as leadership material and I do see myself as a future leader.’
Dougal
NATIONAL CYCLING MANAGER | PLANNING AND INVESTMENT
It’s all about the bike
Dougal has been at the Transport Agency for six years. His background is as an urban planner, programme manager and change leader, with a degree in town planning from Massey University, Palmerston North.
Within the Transport Agency, his national role (since December 2014) has been to lead the cycling priority. ‘It’s a massive step up for the whole sector, with big challenges. I lead a small core team of people in Wellington – and the Transport Agency’s wider programme for cycling, which involves over 50 people across the whole organisation. We’re lining up a $400 million investment programme in cycling between 2015 and 2018. We have extremely strong leadership supporting a whole of organisation approach. We’re strongly encouraged to innovate and collaborate and make a real difference.
‘We want to build a great cycling culture in New Zealand and are working hard to bring about different types of behaviours in road users to reduce barriers for cycling. We want more people riding bikes focused on transport purposes – like getting to work, school and shopping. We have the backing to make this happen.
‘We have a huge challenge and there’s an opportunity to line up transport with collaboration across many groups invested in making a difference in people’s lives and making them better. We’re constantly looking at best practice and swapping emails with people all over the world.
‘I’ve worked and cycled all around the world and this is definitely the best job I’ve ever had.’
Sara
GROUP MANAGER | PEOPLE AND CAPABILITY
Growing a cool culture and knocking over barriers
Sara looks after People and Capability. Her role is about creating a place where our people can be great performers and help New Zealand to thrive.
‘High-performing organisations only come from high-performing people. I have the privilege of leading the People and Capability team. Our job is essentially thinking about how we can help our people to perform even better, every day. How we knock over barriers and put in place enablers. It’s pretty cool.
‘When you’re looking at a potential new employer, one of the obvious things to think about is remuneration – we all work for money. So I’m the right person to comment on that. We pay competitively with the market, regularly collecting data about what the various sectors in New Zealand are paying and making sure that we’re in line with that and we can recruit and retain smart, talented people.’
Money is only part of the equation though right? When you’re thinking about working somewhere new, you want to know they offer flexibility in working styles and times, support people to get away on holidays, have great technology and really skilled people leaders who are committed to providing great direction, support and development to their people. ‘We are very focused on all of those things,’ says Sara. ‘We know it’s a competitive employment market but I’m determined that we offer a place where our people can genuinely say, “The Transport Agency is a great place to work.”’
Sara is also a member of the Senior Leadership Team, made up of the Chief Executive and the other group managers and regional directors, who are accountable as a team for the planning, performance and success of the Transport Agency. ‘As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, one of the things we spend a lot of time thinking about is how we can continue to make the customer our priority. For example, a key focus over the next couple of years is small businesses. We start with insights and then build capability to achieve outcomes to make things easier for those businesses to be successful. Things like tolling, tracking, how people pay their bills, helping people earn their driver licence – particularly for young people where it’s critical to employability – while still maintaining high safety standards. All of these pieces come together to make it easier for our customers to do what they need to do. Let’s not overcomplicate it.
‘Life is short, so you’d better enjoy it. I think about that from a work point of view,’ says Sara. ‘We all have a “stink day” now and then. If it’s one in a 100 that’s okay, but if it’s 20 in a 100, you need to think about that. If you’re thinking that maybe it’s time to make a move to somewhere better, the Transport Agency is a place where we do big projects: complicated, interesting work that makes a difference to the success of New Zealand. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?’
Lynne
PRINCIPAL ADVISOR STRATEGY | STRATEGY, COMMUNICATIONS and PERFORMANCE
Pushing a tea trolley and the envelope
Lynne takes and talks initiative. She moved from Christchurch in early 2015 and now lives in Nelson. She’s currently involved in the #giveitago initiative, which is all about making it easier for our people to try new ideas and improve ways of doing things.
She led an enthusiastic and creative team in the great ‘tea trolley campaign’ of 2014, which was based on the public service tea trolley of days gone by, and having informal conversations and sharing ideas over a cup of tea. Our Chief Executive wheeled the first #giveitago tea trolley around the office and asked people to text or email him about what innovations they’d seen or been part of in their workplace. ‘We were making the point that the Transport Agency is genuinely a place that encourages innovation. To be an agile, high-performing organisation delivering new or improved services, you’ve got to be open to new ideas and take some risks. The culture here cares for people and also pushes and extends you.
‘I love the diversity of this job and particularly the people. Right now I’m working on other #giveitago initiatives that will make it easier for people across the Transport Agency to take the initiative and share their innovative ideas.’