The Master Electricians Excellence Awards is a biennial competition, which aims to identify and recognise excellence within the electrical contracting industry.
Wellington electrical company, Seven Electrical, won the top excellence award at the 2024 Master Electricians Awards ceremony attended by the Minister of Housing and Construction.
In addition to scooping the Master Electrician of the Year Award, Seven Electrical took the Excellence Award for a Project (over $5 million) for its work on the purpose-built Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tākina is a multi-architectural award-winning building with an iconic design brought to life by customised LED strip lighting.
“Seven Electrical has demonstrated all-round industry leadership and mastery in its electrical contracting,” says Alexandra Vranyac-Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer of Master Electricians New Zealand. “Their work on a project of national significance responded to a series of demanding challenges that included technical and design complexity, resource scarcity, innovation, management demands and timing pressures.”
Electrical companies were declared winners across this year’s other Excellence Awards categories – Emerging Business, Lighting Design, Sustainability, Innovation, and the other two Project Awards: $1 to $5 million and under $1 million. The winner of the Industry Champion Award was also announced, along with Apprentice Challenge winners.
“We had a record-breaking 85 entries for the 2024 Master Electricians Excellence Awards,” says Ms. Vranyac-Wheeler. “This was our largest event to date and our judges had their work cut out for them by the exceptional quality of entries. The judges undertook an intensive three -week journey across New Zealand and were impressed by the innovation, leadership and commitment to sustainability that was demonstrated in many of the projects.
“The level of work sends an encouraging signal as the electrical industry in New Zealand navigates rapid change – from technological advancements and sustainability imperatives through to regulatory shifts and evolving consumer demands. The industry is taking centre stage as the way we live in the energy transition becomes more dependent on electrician solutions and as sustainability and smart homes comes to the fore.”
Kinetic Electrical was awarded the Excellence Award for an Emerging Business – for outstanding achievement in the new business space within the last seven years. The Wellington-based company set up in mid-2018 inspired the judges with its business planning and bold commitment to growth through multiple challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing business and stakeholder turbulence.
The Sustainability Award went to Planet Electrical, which embeds environmental sustainability in every aspect of their operations, ranging from hiring process and training to community support, a fully electric fleet, and sustainable products and materials. Sustainable solutions are their core business: installing solar panels and smart EV chargers.
Industrial Controls South Canterbury won the Innovation Award for a turnkey design build project for Road Metals Ltd at its Rolleston quarry. Interlinking fully automated installations and design work included the installation of a 1.15 kilometre overland conveyer system delivering 10 tons of pit gravel per minute to the crushing plants bulk storage area.
Davco Electrical secured the Lighting Design Award for its Mahurangi Riverbank lighting art installation for the Te Hokinga Mahara (Collection of Memories) project. This complex electrical lighting installation with cultural and ecological dimensions had challenging civil, health and safety, and technical parameters.
A project for AgResearch Lincoln earned Aotea Electric Canterbury the Excellence Award for a Project ($1 to $5 million). This encompassed electrical installation of two adjoining buildings and a separate Dangerous Good Store – one office block and the other comprising of PC2 and PC3 Labs.
The Excellence Award for a Project (under $1 million) went to McKay Electrical for the NIWA Kingfish Aquaculture Recirculation Project, which required an extensive electrical scope to support efficient operations and sustainability impact.
Tim Kennedy, Contracts Manager for Aotea Electric Canterbury, won the Industry Champion Award. Highly respected within the industry, Tim’s valued contribution to industry and the Master Electricians brand has included governance roles at the local and national level.
The sponsors of the 2024 Master Electricians Excellence Awards are Simpro, Ideal Electrical Suppliers, Marley, Halcyon, NHP, Powerbase and Active Electrical Suppliers. The Industry Champion Award is sponsored by JA Russell.
Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge winners were also announced at the ceremony. The 2024 Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge, in association with Etco, was held from July to October at 12 locations across New Zealand with a record 340 apprentices registered
Sparks flew nationwide and over two intense days as five finalists in each of two categories – Domestic/Commercial and Industrial – battled for electrical apprentice supremacy.
Along with the awards, this month Master Electricians launched Trade Master, a one-stop CPD shop for the electrical industry to keep pace with the adoption of new technologies, products, and concepts that will drive the electrification of New Zealand.
At the awards dinner, Vranyac-Wheeler also announced that next year Master Electricians will host New Zealand’s first ever electrical conference, a must-attend event for industry stakeholders as electrification and supply / demand issues gain prominence in the green energy transition.
The Silver and Bronze winners of the Excellence Awards were:
The Excellence Award for an Emerging Business – for outstanding achievement in the new business space within the last 7 years – Sponsored by Simpro
Silver – Illuminex, Wellington
Bronze – SEA Electrical, Waiheke Island
Sustainability Award – Sponsored by Ideal Electrical Suppliers
Silver – EMF Electrical – Reuse and reuse again
Bronze – Industrial Controls South Canterbury Ltd
Innovation Award – Celebrating innovative thinking with new initiatives to the industry – Sponsored by Marley
Silver – Aotea Electric Southern for University of Otago, Science III Building – Passive Optical LAN (PoL) Installation
Bronze – Elektron Group Ltd for Hamilton Boys High Cricket Dome
Lighting Design Award – Demonstrating the use of the latest advanced lighting technology, with energy efficiency and lighting – Sponsored by Halcyon
Silver – Caldwell & Levesque Ltd for The Pullman Hotel Fitout – Auckland Airport
Bronze – Pretty Sweet Lighting for Queensberry Residence
Project Award $1-$5 million – Sponsored by NHP
Silver – Team Cabling Ltd for Te Arai Links Project
Bronze – Industrial Controls South Canterbury Ltd for Road Metals Co Ltd – Conveyor System
Project Award Over $5 million – Sponsored by Powerbase
Silver – Millars Electrical for Whitmore St – BNZ Tower
Bronze – ICE Electrical Ltd for Frimley Park and Eastbourne Water Treatment Plants
Project Award Under $1 million – Sponsored by Active Electrical Suppliers
Silver – Aotea Electric Cromwell for the Rock House
Bronze – Simpson Electrical Ltd for Herne Bay Residential Project
