26 | Multi-disciplinary approach the key T T Richard Loader “Many of our staff are in their late 30’s/early 40’s and have plenty of scope for further career development.” Taranaki - BTW Company REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Grant Aitken has been part of BTW Company’s journey since 2003 and says the multi-disciplinary approach that encompasses surveying/engineering/ planning, and environment services offers real benefits to customers. With a heritage in technology and advanced survey techniques, BTW Company has offices in New Plymouth and Hamilton, offering professional services throughout New Zealand. BTW’s journey began in New Plymouth in the early 1970s during the Muldoon era ‘Think Big’ projects, which included the offshore Maui natural gas field. Three enterprising hydrographic and land surveyors by the names of Buxton, Tudor and Waugh teamed up to provide surveying expertise for the project including the positioning of the rigs at sea and pipelines on the seafloor. With a heritage in technology and advanced survey techniques, the business continued to evolve taking on the inclusive areas of surveying, engineering, planning, and environment. At the helm of the business since 2016, Grant says he was drawn to the company because it was always looking to lead the way with the latest technology, best equipment and investing back into its staff. Four years ago, the decision was made to open a new office in Hamilton, in part to mitigate against any uncertainty in the energy sector, but also to provide BTW’s staff with additional growth and leadership opportunities. “Many of our staff are in their late 30’s/ early 40’s and have plenty of scope for further career development,” says Grant. “Waikato provided opportunity for staff to get involved in significantly larger scale land development projects than experienced in Taranaki.” As a multidisciplinary company, BTW is involved throughout a land subdivision’s lifecycle including stakeholder engagement, feasibility, and due diligence with the developer, consenting through to engineering and surveying through the construction phase to title. “We design the roads and assist councils with the three waters infrastructure - stormwater, sewer, potable water. “We work for developers and Councils helping them with their infrastructure solutions. We might help an energy company that needs an independent consultant to look at soils, water quality or consent compliance. “And we work with local Iwi helping to develop and manage their whenua.” Reflecting on Covid, Grant says a large portion of the BTW team work predominantly in the field as geotech engineers, field surveyors or environmental scientists and the five-week lockdown period presented a few challenges when movements were restricted. “We managed things by spreading work over a period of time. We did not lose any staff — we just shared the work we had. We did have a couple of quite large subdivision projects so we started working on things that would be required in the future with the hope they would come to fruition down the track.” BTW Company’s multidisciplinary approach also enables team members to become involved in a diverse range of projects, often outside their specific area of expertise. “Having transferable skills is key for us in being able to resource projects for our clients. When we are recruiting, we look for talented people who are prepared to get involved in other parts of the business. “That flexibility is what pulls you through times like Covid — people prepared to roll their sleeves up and do something different for the greater good of the team.”
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