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ACE New Zealand

ACE New Zealand

2024/25 Annual Report

The voice for consulting and engineering in Aotearoa

Who we are

ACE New Zealand is the voice for consulting and engineering in Aotearoa. We represent more than 270 firms employing around 16,000 engineers, project managers, planners, scientists, architects, surveyors and other technical disciplines who provide specialist services across the built and natural environment.

We raise the profile of professional services consulting and build trusting relationships, so our members have an influential voice and are ready to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.

A message from our president Andrea Rickard

As I reflect on the past 12 months, I am struck by both the profound challenges, and opportunities at this time. We live in a world marked by global instability and volatility—a world that demands resilience, innovation, and solutions grounded in science, engineering, and consulting expertise. In this context, our sector has never been more important. We are all about delivering practical solutions based on facts—solutions that make a tangible difference to the environment, to people, and to the communities we serve. That work matters. We matter. Our industry is essential, and the value we bring cannot be overstated.

This year has not been without its trials. Many of our members have faced significant challenges, with some firms seeing their teams shrink over the past year. This reality weighs heavily on all of us. Yet even in the face of these difficulties, ACE has remained steadfast in its mission: ensuring your voices are heard at the highest levels. Through targeted advocacy and forging strong partnerships with industry bodies and allies, we have elevated the profile of our sector and amplified your voice where it counts most.

The current government increasingly seeks out our expertise—a testament to deliberate efforts to position ACE as a unified voice for organisations of all sizes. More importantly, we are recognised as solution-oriented leaders who approach challenges with positivity and purpose. Together, we continue to advocate for a thriving industry—one that delivers outcomes benefiting all New Zealanders. There is a lot more to do over the coming year.

Our influence extends beyond Aotearoa New Zealand through international collaboration with FIDIC, where Helen Davidson’s leadership as Chair of the Directors and Secretaries Advisory Council continues to shine on the global stage. This engagement connects us with global trends, research, and shared initiatives that strengthen our collective capability.

Closer to home, I am immensely proud of our work championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). At a time when DEI is being questioned internationally, we have leaned in harder than ever before—because building an inclusive industry is not optional; it is essential for our future success. Under Holly Barnard’s leadership as our new Programme Director for The Diversity Agenda, we’ve expanded member events and strengthened our commitment to this critical kaupapa.

We’ve also celebrated milestones together. Futurespace once again proved itself as a platform for elevating member capabilities—this time in Ōtautahi Christchurch—while the SME Summit reaffirmed our dedication to empowering smaller firms as a cornerstone of our strategy.

Yes, these are challenging times—but they are also times filled with potential. What inspires me most is the spirit of collaboration within ACE: a collective optimism that fuels innovation and drives us forward together. Being part of this whānau energises me.

To our Board members and regional chairs across the motu who volunteer your time so generously: thank you for your support – for me personally and for the ACE team. Your dedication makes everything we achieve possible.

Andrea Rickard – Photo

Andrea Rickard, ACE President

Managing Director NZ at Beca

A message from our chief executive Helen Davidson

Many of you, our members, have experienced an extremely tough 12 months navigating economic uncertainty and the Government’s shift in direction for infrastructure planning and delivery.  Yet, amidst these challenges, the rapid pace of change, and global unrest and unpredictability, you have remained resolute in your commitment to doing what you do best – making a tangible difference to our communities, people and the environment.

During such demanding times, it is even more important that ACE, as the voice for consulting and engineering in New Zealand, continues its work to drive change and ensure that we are heard on vital issues and decisions impacting our members to enable our sector to operate at its fullest potential, now and in the future.

Our advocacy efforts gained momentum throughout the year as we strove to ensure our members’ voices were heard at the top level. We attended multiple meetings and engagements with ministers and senior officials, and spoke boldly to media about the economic environment, current business sentiment and people losses.

We also wrote to Government ministers inviting them to engage with members on key issues, made numerous submissions, and supported members to push back against unfair and unreasonable procurement practices and contracting terms.

One of the most powerful pieces of work we did was to gather data from you, our members, on current business sentiment and how you were responding to the slowdown in work. Evidence-based advocacy is powerful, and your contributions to this data gathering have made a difference.

Our efforts are many and increasingly varied and entirely reflective of the dedication and value our members bring to our clients and Aotearoa. Celebrating and showcasing members’ contributions though our communication channels is critical to shine a light on what may otherwise go untold, and this year’s ACE Awards had a record number of awards and attendees, exemplifying the far-reaching impact and essential nature of our members’ work.

Ensuring our sector is future ready in a rapidly changing environment is also front of mind and looking after your people – your greatest asset – has never been more critical as many depart our industries. The importance of creating and promoting mentally healthy workplaces to foster belonging and enabling our talent to flourish cannot be overstated. Our award-winning Mindspace programme offers great tools and resources to help you look after your people, as does the Diversity Agenda, another award-winning programme and movement, that helps engineering and architecture firms become more diverse and inclusive and of which we’re a founding member. We’re so encouraged by our members’ steadfast support of the Diversity Agenda in light of confronting international actions, which shows the high value you place on inclusion for a successful future.

We continued to help our members’ action change around key issues, adding more resources to our online Knowledge Hub, completed the final draft of our updated Quality Management Guide, released guidance and resources to support members with their approach to supplier diversity and progressive procurement, and launched our first ever member video to help tell our story and value proposition.

We also supported our members’ professional development with the release of The Pillars Competency Framework – a roadmap to assist consultants in building the non-technical skills needed to succeed – and helped our firms to benchmark how they are doing in comparison to others with the publication of our first ever Business Insights Report.

We are stronger together and connecting members so they can share, learn and support each other to grow our collective capabilities is at our core. Our inaugural SME Summit – an action-packed day of workshops, presentations and discussions on topical matters to support smaller firms – showed just how much you, our members, value this too. We also encouraged connections through our transport, legal, and large firm forums and our new practice managers and sole traders forums; our support to the Māori leadership forum; webinars and other events; and our annual Futurespace conference, always a calendar highlight and held this year in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

It’s critical in these times that we also look above and beyond New Zealand’s borders and understand our global context and opportunities. This year we continued to foster our global connections and collective competence through the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), leading the task force reviewing its membership fee model, resulting in a significant reduction and a much fairer fee for ACE’s membership of FIDIC. We worked with the Chief Executive of Engineers Australia to establish a trans-Tasman forum for industry bodies, and welcome strong relationships with our equivalents in Australia, the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, exchanging ideas and resources for the benefit of our members and the global engineering consulting sector.

It has been a huge year on many levels, and the challenges are ongoing, but the ACE team and I are optimistic and committed to walking alongside you, our members, helping to pave the way for a bright future together in which our sector and people thrive. The work you do is invaluable.

Thank you all for your unwavering support. Great things come from adversity, and you continue to inspire and enhance your communities and people with the passion and dedication you bring to your work.

Let’s continue striving, collaborating, and connecting so that we can harness our full potential, embracing the opportunities that come our way and moving forward together.

Helen-Davidson

Helen Davidson

ACE New Zealand Chief Executive

Our strategy

We ensure our members have a valued and trusted voice, that they’re prepared to face the challenges of today and tomorrow, and that we grow our sector to be the best it can be. To bring our strategy to life, we focus on advocacy, leadership and enablement.

We advocate for our members so they have a voice on issues and decisions that impact them, to strengthen the sector.

  • We are fearless advocates for fair and insurable terms of engagement for our members. This year we did a significant amount of work supporting members to push back against unfair and unreasonable contracting and procurement terms, including Waikato Local Authority Shared Services Panel RFP and the Property Consultancy Services panel from the Government Property Group (via MBIE). In addition to this front-facing advocacy, we also responded to numerous member queries regarding different contract terms and conditions, which was supported by the publication of our Contract Checklist and education sessions for members on its use.
  • Members had input into our submissions on: The draft Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 (GPS 2024); the Temporary Traffic Management Credentials Framework; the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill; the recommendations made in the Infrastructure New Zealand paper on Developing and refining the public private partnership model and other infrastructure financing tools in New Zealand (submissions to the Infrastructure Commission and the Treasury); the Accredited Employer Work Visa, Review – Phase 2; the National Infrastructure Plan – Discussion document; the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill; the NZS3917 Conditions of contract for building and civil engineering – Fixed term; the NZS3916 Conditions of contract for building and civil engineering – Design and construct.
  • ACE New Zealand representatives participated on a number of policy and review working groups, representing the voice of the consulting sector, including the NZTA Standards Committee, Waihanga Ara Rau Construction and Infrastructure Steering Group, HERA – BRANZ Sustainability Research Industry Advisory Group, NZTA Road Worker Safety Governance Group, Industry Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) Steering Group, TTM Competency Working Group, Waka Kotahi Standard Method of Measurement and Waka Kotahi Cost Estimation Manual Review, Auckland Council Customer Advisory Group, FIDIC Directors and Secretaries Advisory Council, FIDIC Sustainable Development Committee, Chartered Professional Engineers Council, review of NZS3916 and NZS3917, Waka Kotahi Industry Liaison Meetings, Society for Construction Contract Professionals Management Committee, and the Construction Sector Accord / MBIE Review of the AOG CCCS.
  • We wrote to Government ministers inviting them to engage with members on key issues affecting them, such as the Government’s ambitions for infrastructure delivery and the delay in starting new programmes of work. We requested a stimulus renewal package from the Government to help address the challenges and put the sector in a better position to deliver on the Government’s infrastructure plans, and suggested ways in which the public and private sector can together plan and deliver infrastructure efficiently and effectively.
  • We met with Government ministers to discuss key issues affecting the sector, which included a meeting with Minister Erica Stanford in June regarding engineering education and immigration challenges; hosting an exclusive member Boardroom lunch with Treasury in November; a member event with Minister Chris Bishop in November to discuss critical issues such as the Fast Track Approvals Bill, the National Infrastructure Plan, the National Infrastructure Agency and the new PPP framework, and their implications for the consultancy sector; a meeting with Minister Bishop and Minister Simeon Brown to discuss the need to bring work to market and what we can collectively do to bring efficiencies in the way we procure and deliver infrastructure; and a meeting with Minister Bishop, Engineering NZ and Civil Contractors NZ in February 2025 regarding the impact of infrastructure work being slow to get to market. Overall, we had five meetings and engagements with ministers, giving members the opportunity to discuss key issues with ministers.
  • We had 13 media releases (ten relating to our 2025 ACE Awards) and engagements, and three media interviews.
  • To help support members’ concerns about the ongoing challenges presented by economic uncertainty, the delay in getting work to market and the loss and departure of valuable talent, we developed The Workforce Skills Shortage Report with Engineering New Zealand and Waihanga Ara Rau, which was finalised in March 2025. It forms part of our workforce pipeline initiatives.
  • We released our most recent How’s Business? report in late 2024, following our October survey, and shared this with key officials and Minister Bishop’s office to help inform the sector and Government about the current business and economic uncertainty and related concerns. We also released two other How’s Business? reports earlier in the year following surveys in April and July.
  • We continued to celebrate and promote the business of consulting through our annual ACE Awards – which this year enjoyed a record number of awards – and communication channels, proudly telling the world about the remarkable work our members do every day to help their clients and communities.

We help ready the sector for the future by providing an understanding of issues that member consultancies are facing and a starting point for action.

  • We shared news, information and resources that are market-focused and brought a whole-system perspective, such as our annual Remuneration Survey and Remuneration Pulse Survey with Strategic Pay, which this year had a record participation of 110 ACE member organisations, and our fortnightly eNews Let’s Talk.
  • As a founding member of the Diversity Agenda – the award-winning programme and movement that aims to help engineering and architecture firms become more diverse and inclusive – we supported the programme by providing an operational home and leadership, communications, and financial support. The Diversity Agenda aims to make better professions for all – women, Māori, Pacific Peoples, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodiverse and other minority groups.
  • Four new members were appointed to the Diversity Agenda Steering Committee, and two new appointments were made to the Diversity Agenda following the resignation of Programme Director Charlotte Downes in October. Holly Barnard was appointed Programme Director and Craig Watson joined the team as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Lead.
  • The Diversity Agenda made steps towards growing the movement by signing on Air New Zealand, Fonterra and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare as partners, and presented keynotes at the WasteMINZ conference in June and at Digital First 24 (the Australian Arm of AuSAE) in Sydney. It also provided valuable assistance to the Ministry for Women on their gender pay gap toolkit, held several further workshops (Inclusive Leadership, Mobilise and Te Tiriti), and is in conversation with Consult Australia and Engineers Australia about expanding into Australia.
  • We continued to promote mentally healthy workplaces through our award-winning Mindspace, an initiative launched in 2023 and supported by the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum, with the sharing of articles, tools and resources to help the professional consultancies in our sector understand how workplaces and the work we do influence wellbeing, and encourage them to make improvements so their people flourish.
  • We created structures, agreements and guidance to help members’ action change around key issues, such as templates, practice notes and guidance documents. We continued to increase the resources available in our Knowledge Hub with the issuing of further guidance documents and resources, including PS4 guidance and The Pillars Competency Framework. We also added five policy templates: Time off in Lieu; Travel; Return from Parental Leave; Flexible Working; Wellness Benefit; Progressive Procurement Policy.
  • We published our Contract Checklist and Contract Reporting Portal and supported their launch with the delivery of in-house education sessions and a webinar.
  • We completed the final draft of our updated Quality Management Guide and released a new section on our website with guidance and resources to support members with their approach to supplier diversity and progressive procurement.
  • We completed the final draft of our updated Quality Management Guide and released a new section on our website with guidance and resources to support members with their approach to supplier diversity and progressive procurement.
  • We commenced a Strategic Partnership Programme and are rolling out a new strategy to ensure our partnerships are aligned with our values and priorities, and bring the highest benefit to our members.

We enable professionalism in the sector through creating connections and upskilling around relevant consultancy skills and larger issues that will create more effective consultancies.

  • We provided relevant training and development for our members, guidance documents, and opportunities for members to connect with ACE New Zealand and each other, such as our breakfast events and forums.
  • We launched The Pillars Competency Framework, an authoritative framework setting out the core skills, competencies and behaviours of a successful consultant to help businesses identify how to develop their people, and where to best invest resources to ensure people are the best they can be and aligned to industry best practice. The competency framework was launched along with a workbook to assist people in creating their own development plan.
  • We developed a prototype digital companion – a digital workbook – to the competency framework. This tool is intended to support members’ use of the competency framework to assess their competencies and to use AI to develop corresponding development plans. Our next steps are to create a video explaining the tool and how it can be used, and to provide links to resources and options for members to develop their competencies aligned to the framework.
  • We held our inaugural SME Summit in May in Auckland, which attracted 76 registrants covering 45 different member firms. The summit showcased valuable insights, which were presented in a practical and targeted manner catering effectively to the audience’s needs.
  • We held our annual Futurespace conference in October in Christchurch, attracting 145 attendees, which was successful considering the tough economic climate our members are operating in. The conference brings together members and stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities in engineering and consulting leadership, with a focus on helping them work on their business, not just in it.
  • We recognised our members’ work at the annual ACE Awards Gala, which celebrates consultants at the top of their game, and this year we had a record number of attendees and award winners.
  • We released our People Survey, which helps us understand the make-up of our membership and calculate member fees for the next financial year.
  • Our ACE Awards Review Committee commenced its review of the annual awards. This resulted in recommendations to overhaul the current awards, which were endorsed by the Board. An implementation plan for the new ACE Awards is underway with the support of a working group made up of members and clients to develop the new awards in accordance with the approach approved in October and December 2024.
  • ACE Chief Executive Helen Davidson was heavily involved in work with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and led the task force reviewing its membership fee model. She also worked with the Chief Executive of Engineers Australia to establish a trans-Tasman forum for the chief executives of each of our engineering professional bodies, ACE’s, property councils, green building councils, contractor associations and infrastructure associations. The forum is investigating possible areas for collaboration on trans-Tasman initiatives.
  • The Diversity Agenda Accord Summit was held in June at Parliament and celebrated Accord signatories closing the gender pay equity gap this year. This was followed by a half-day workshop with the diversity, equity and inclusions leads.
  • Our ACE team focused on growing its cultural competence and all staff worked through an online te reo programme. All Board members also went to or were offered tickets to the Diversity Agenda’s Te Tiriti workshops.
  • We completed a system and needs analysis for a new association management system for ACE, and into our next year will be using that to determine a new platform to move to for enhanced member management and engagement.
  • We completed and provided our inaugural Business Insights Report to participants in March 2025. The report, which captured business indicators to enable our firms to benchmark how they are doing in comparison to other firms, was the culmination of an intensive process with a provider, including the support of a member working group to develop the survey that informed the report.
  • We supported our forums, which connect members around specific consulting areas to help grow a stronger sector, including in transport, legal and large firms. We also continued our support of the Māori Leadership Forum that connects Māori leaders from across our member businesses and introduced two new forums (the Practice Managers Forum and the Sole Traders Forum).

Celebrating our members

ACE New Zealand members do great things every day. We celebrate their achievements at the annual ACE Awards.

Our

AWARD WINNERS

Gold Awards
Jacobs // Auckland Zoo: South East Asia Jungle Track Project
Artifex Engineering // Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Projects – Pan Pac and Ravensdown
DC Structures Studio // Manganui Gorge Suspension Bridge
Aurecon // Project Recharge
Tonkin + Taylor and Beca // Project SH25A Taparahi Bridge
WSP // Wellington Rail Operations Centre: Preliminary Design and Advisory

Silver Awards
GHD // Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant
Beca and GHD // Defence Estate and Infrastructure Alliance
Stantec // Marlborough Roads Recovery Programme
Holmes // Omāroro Reservoir
AECOM // Retail Quarter
Initia // Sleepyhead Estate Geotechnical Engineering Services
Commute Transportation Consultants // Tairāwhiti Wairoa and Hawke’s Bay Resilience Strategic Responses
Aurecon // Temporary Decant Ward Wellington Hospital
Stantec // Vanuatu Energy Access Project
WSP // Wellington Rail Corridor: Slope & Structural Health Monitoring

Merit Awards
Holmes // Invercargill Central
Aurecon // Project Kahikatea: Fonterra Waitoa Biomass Boiler
Abley // The Power of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery

Sustainability Award
Mataura Valley Milk, Aurecon, and Thermal Chemistry // Project Recharge

Special Award
Kaitiaki Group (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Hauā, Waikato Tainui), Community Liaison Group, GHD, Waikato Regional Council and Waipā District Council // Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant

Client Award
Defence Estate and Infrastructure, New Zealand Defence Force // Defence Estate and Infrastructure Alliance

Community Award
EDC / Mount Somers Walkways Society // The Tāhekerua/Sharplin Falls Walkway Bridges

Emerging Leader Award
Aurecon New Zealand // Sam MacKay

Diversity and Inclusion Award
Beca // Sarah Lang

Futurespace Award
GHD // Asem Zabin

President’s Award
Charlotte Downes, Diversity Agenda – for her exceptional efforts to further the reach of the award-winning programme and movement and being tireless in her willingness to extend its boundaries beyond the initial target audience.

Our volunteers

Thank you to everyone who volunteers their time to the professional consulting sector. Here’s a snapshot of a few volunteers who’ve made an impact to ACE this year.

CHAD WILLIAMS
ACE Regional Chair for Taranaki

Chad Williams

ACE Regional Chair for Taranaki
Manager – New Plymouth Infrastructure & Industrial; Associate – Project Management, Beca

For the last four years, I have had the privilege of being ACE Regional Chair for Taranaki. This role has provided many opportunities to connect with other firms around the motu through conferences, webinars and membership interviews. Interviewing potential members from other regions has been very insightful and helped me understand the different types of work, clients, and how industries are going in other parts of the country.

I have really enjoyed being involved in the development of The Pillars Competency Framework, which was released in late 2024. The framework resonated with me as I hold fewer qualifications than many, so it provides a welcome acknowledgement of my achievements to date. It will be a valuable tool to help businesses develop their people, and, importantly, where to best invest resources to ensure their people are the best they can be.  

Another project I’ve taken on is developing our regional chair briefing pack to empower our regional chairs to connect with members, build relationships and raise ACE’s profile in their region.

It is very rewarding contributing to the hard mahi that ACE does for its members, and I am grateful to my employer, Beca, for supporting me in my regional chair role, which has also helped me build internal relationships.

ALEX HAZLEDINE
Chair of ACE Legal Forum

Alex Hazledine

Chair of ACE Legal Forum
Principal Counsel, Beca

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of chairing the dedicated group of in-house legal representatives who make up the ACE New Zealand Legal Roundtable. This cohort of talented lawyers generously contributes their time and expertise to support ACE's advocacy efforts and collectively champion one of ACE’s core principles: that fair and insurable terms of engagement are fundamental to the success and sustainability of a thriving engineering consultancy sector.

The Roundtable has accomplished several significant milestones in recent years, which highlight its commitment to empowering and educating ACE members. Notable among these achievements is the development of the ACE Contract Checklist, an invaluable tool which helps members identify terms of concern within non-standard contracts. Other member contributions include input into practice alerts and ACE submissions on wider industry consultations.

The group is a relentless advocate for industry-standard contracts, such as ACE’s Conditions of Contract for Consultancy Services (CCCS) and the Short Form Agreement, while working collaboratively with Government clients—including Kāinga Ora and Health New Zealand—to encourage a more consistent approach to special conditions. Recently members of the Roundtable agreed the AOG Crown Conditions with MBIE, a set of CCCS special conditions that we hope will gain widespread adoption across the public sector.

The collective expertise and dedication to advancing the interests of our industry based on a fair and insurable allocation of risk, make it a privilege to collaborate and drive meaningful change with this forum.

ANDREW CLARKE
ACE champion on Auckland council

Andrew Clarke

ACE champion on Auckland Council building consent processes
Managing Director, Mitchell Vranjes

Over the last year, I was fortunate to be asked by ACE to represent a number of Auckland structural engineering consulting firms to help resolve issues relating to Auckland Council’s regulatory review process and high author risk approvals. This involved meeting and collating the key issues in our sector and then presenting them to Auckland Council with representatives from ACE and Engineering NZ. At the meeting, not only was I able to present our collective issues but also better understand the issues Auckland Council has with the structural engineering community in Auckland. Hearing these issues was sobering and inspired me to ensure they were not happening in our company or the firms we work with. It was rewarding to hear recently that some of the regulatory review issues have been resolved.

Throughout the year ACE also provided me with the opportunity to share how we are attempting to navigate these tough times in a panel forum, and what Mitchell Vranjes has done to help its team’s mental health and minimise conflict.

Through volunteering with ACE on these issues over the last year, I’ve enjoyed gaining a better understanding of the big picture issues affecting our industry, actively contributing to solutions for challenges I am passionate about and benefiting from ACE’s support and encouragement throughout the process.

JULIET HYATT-BROWN
ACE Working Group member

Juliet Hyatt-Brown

ACE Working Group member – quality management guidance
CEO and Director, Lautrec Technology Group

I have had the pleasure of becoming involved in the great work being undertaken by Julia, Sarah and experienced volunteers on the quality management guidance documentation.

As a structural engineering consultancy, we are acutely aware of the importance of a robust quality management and review system for all projects to minimise the risk of errors and to ensure we can deliver a high-quality service to our clients. For all consultancies, no matter the size, a manageable, relevant and current QMS is invaluable, and the benefits extend well beyond high quality outputs and satisfied clients. Hopefully this comprehensive guidance publication will assist many organisations and make a strong QMS more accessible.

It has been rewarding to work alongside the ACE New Zealand team and other motivated consultants on this worthwhile project and especially satisfying to have the opportunity to share our experience as a smaller consultancy. Getting involved in even this small way is highly recommended and is a great chance to contribute to an organisation that provides so much for us.

KUMEROA PIHAMA
Supporting ACE with its cultural competence

Kumeroa Pihama

Supporting ACE New Zealand with its cultural competence
Pou Whanake Technical Director Māori, Tonkin + Taylor

Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside ACE on its haerenga toward deeper cultural competency. Through the annual Futurespace conference, we’ve been able to weave elements of Te Ao Māori and tikanga into the fabric of the programme—creating space for connection, cultural awareness, and a sense of belonging. This has been central to ensuring that the learning environment is not only seamless but also uplifting for all who participate.

The Māori Leaders Forum, hosted by ACE, continues to build on this kaupapa. It’s been encouraging to see how these values are now being reflected in industry initiatives, submissions and broader conversations across the sector.

My mahi sits within engineering and business advisory, but this voluntary role with ACE has been especially fulfilling. The intimate nature of the conference, and the deliberate curation of its audience by home organisations, creates a safe and focused space—one where ideas can be nurtured and cross-sector kaupapa can be championed. It’s a kind of thought incubator, where I’m able to both grow my own understanding and contribute meaningfully alongside technical leaders and influencers.

This spotlight is also an acknowledgement of my Iwi for their unwavering support throughout my career, my whānau and kaiako for the gift of growing up immersed in Te Reo Māori, and kaitiaki from across the motu for enabling this kind of activity. I see myself not as the owner of these teachings, but as a holder of knowledge that belongs to a wider collective. Any contribution I make is a reflection of that shared strength, and for that, I’m deeply grateful.

Supporting our members

enews
0
events
0
submissions
0
member forum meetings
0
engagements with ministers
0
webinars
0
practice alerts
0
media engagements
0
guidance and resource documents
0
page views of resource documents
0

Watch our Futurespace 2024 highlights

Our members

Being a member of ACE New Zealand is a commitment to excellence in engineering and professional services. We’re proud to be your partner in this important mahi, building a better Aotearoa together.

member firms
0
staff employed
0 +

Technical staff

Engineers (7,035 ) 51%
Architects (210) 2%
Project managers (870) 6%
Planners (419) 3%
Land surveyors (267) 2%
Scientists (514) 4%
Geologists (310) 2%
CAD operators / draftsperson (683) 5%
Technicians (579) 4%
Quantity surveyors / valuers / cost managers (174) 2%
Contract engineers / others (496) 3%

Technical staff

84%

No Data Found

Gender diversity of technical staff

No Data Found

Ethnicity of technical staff

No Data Found

Non-technical staff

Directors & management (390) 3%
Administration (579) 4%
Finance (263) 2%
Human resources (172) 1%
Other / legal / health, safety & wellness (822) 6%

Non-technical staff

16%

No Data Found

Gender diversity of non-technical staff

No Data Found

Gender diversity of directors

No Data Found

Ethnicity of non-technical staff

No Data Found

Ethnicity of directors

No Data Found

Does your organisation self-identify as a Māori business/organisation?

No Data Found

membership increase
0 %

Most member firms are sole traders or less than 100 staff

Firms are based mostly in Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington regions

No Data Found

No Data Found

Map of NZ

Firm size / number of staff employed

No Data Found

Age of staff employed

No Data Found

New members since April 2024

Arc Infrastructure Advisory Ltd
Artifex Engineering Ltd
Initia Ltd
Vert-X Ltd
Development Nous Ltd
The Engineering Collective Ltd
Cpdt Consulting Ltd
Viridis Ltd
Wyreframe Ltd
ZB Evers Ltd
Connetics Ltd
Geoworks Ltd
Stradegy Planning Ltd

Retired/resigned members

Beale Consultants Ltd | April 2024
NZ Geotechnical Consultants Ltd | April 2024
FIL Engineering | April 2024
Jackson Clapperton & Partners Ltd | June 2024
AR & ASSOCIATES Ltd | July 2024
Neo Consulting | September 2024
SoBeer | March 2025
MC Consulting Engineers Ltd | March 2025
Envivo Ltd | March 2025

Terminated members

May and Partners | July 2024
Kaizon Engineering | August 2024

To become an ACE member email letstalk@acenz.org.nz

Revenue

  • 2024/25
  • 2023/24

Membership fees

$1,402,182 - 61%
$1,276,130 - 60%

Commercial activities

$753,442 - 33%
$727,867 - 34%

Interest, dividends and other investments

$30,418 - 1%
$25,799 - 1%

Other income

$108,465 - 6%
$99,512 - 5%

No Data Found

Expenditure

  • 2024/25
  • 2023/24

Employee remuneration and other related expenses

$1,250,237 - 56%
$1,171,438 - 59%

Expenses related to commercial activities

$533,280 - 24%
$407,482 - 21%

Other expenses related to service delivery

$130,652 - 6%
$71,780 - 4%

Other expenses

$305,753 - 14%
$335,666 - 17%

No Data Found

This is the first year the Association is reporting under the new Reporting Requirements for Tier 3 Not-for-Profit Entities issued 18 May 2023. The grouping and presentation of revenue, expenditure, assets and liabilities are different to those used in prior years. Prior year comparatives have been restated accordingly.

See financial statements

Our people

The ACE New Zealand Board provides governance for ACE, setting strategic direction and overseeing our performance.

Our

BOARD

Andrea Rickard

Andrea Rickard

President

Managing Director NZ
Beca

Chris Short

Vice President

Chief Executive
CGW Consulting Engineers

Penny Kneebone

Penny Kneebone

Board Member

Chief Executive
Tonkin + Taylor

Jo Orr

Board Member

Technical Director – Advisory
Mott MacDonald

Siobhan Hartwell

Siobhan

Board Member

Regional General Manager NZ Pacific
GHD

Byron Konia

Byron Konia

Board Member

Senior Mechanical Engineer
and Māori Advisor
Stantec

Brad Rooney

Brad Rooney

Board Member

General Manager
ElectroNet

Blake Mitchell

Blake Mitchell

Board Member

Partner Project Controls
Frequency

L’Rey Renata

L’Rey Renata

Board Member – Emerging Director”

Water Engineer
GHD

Victoria Mills

Victoria Mills

Board Member - Emerging Leader

Environmental Engineer
Beca

Our Regional Chairs are the voice for ACE New Zealand in their region. They play a critical part in onboarding new members, making local connections and sharing key regional challenges with management and the Board.

Our

REGIONAL
CHAIRS

Liz Richardson

Auckland

Techincal Director
Beca

Kākati Royal

North Shore

Kaihautū - Principal Māori Lead Projects
AECOM

Friso Roest

Northland

Water Engineer
WSP

Mary Wood

Mary Wood

Bay of Plenty

Civil Engineer
GHD

Luke Price

Luke Price

Gisborne/Hawkes Bay

Structural Engineer
Strata Group Consulting Engineers

Bryan Chen

Bryan Chen

Waikato

Director
G.Deco

Chad Williams

Taranaki

Senior Project Manager
Beca

Campbell Ogilvie

Manawatu

Infrastructure Team Leader
WSP

Thabit Shams

Thabit Shams

Wellington

Client Lead
GHD

Steph McLeod

Steph McLeod

Nelson/Blenheim

Project Management and Commercial Leader - Water NZ
Stantec

Andrew Davidson

Canterbury/West Coast

Head of Structures
WSP

Scott Bosworth

Scott Bosworth

Otago/Southland

Senior Associate
Frequency

The ACE New Zealand team bring our strategy to life.

Our

ACE TEAM

Helen Davidson

Chief Executive

Hannah Bryce

General Manager Engagement

Julia Byers

General Manager Strategy and Government Relations
Sharon

Sharon Jansen

Finance and Administration Manager

Michelle Sloan

Membership and Digital Manager

Suzie Hart

Communications Manager

Nicole Seadon

Executive Assistant
Yasmin Rudman-Cruse

Yasmin Rudman-Cruse

Team Administrator
Sarah Fahy

Sarah Fahy

Communications Specialist
Holly Rausch

Holly Barnard

Diversity Agenda Programme Director
Craig Watson

Craig Watson

Diversity Agenda DEI Lead

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou

ACE New Zealand is grateful to the many members who freely give their time and energy to contribute to the success of the organisation – without you, we wouldn’t be able to achieve all we do for our members and sector:

Board members
Regional chairs
Awards judges
Legal Forum members
Transport groups – Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
ACE representatives on industry working groups and review committees
Contributors to our guidance notes and resources
Contributors to our submissions
Members who have committed time to articles, advocacy, policy and webinars

A K Engineers
Abley
Abstel Glyde
ABuild Consulting Engineers
Acoustic Engineering Services
Adam Mackenzie Consulting
AECOM New Zealand
Airey Consultants
All Civil Engineering (ACE)
AMX Structures
Aqualinc Research
Arc Infrastructure Advisory
Ari HVAC Design & Drafting Services
Arrive
Artifex Engineering
Arup New Zealand
Aspire Consulting Engineers
Aurecon New Zealand
Avail Pacific
Babbage Consultants
Barnett & MacMurray
Batchelar Mcdougall Consulting
BCD Group
Beca
BG&E Consulting
BGT Structures
BlackYARD Engineering
Bloxam Burnett & Olliver
Blue Barn Consulting
Blueprint Consulting Engineers
BPL Group
Brevity
Brown & Thomson
BSK Consulting Engineers
Byrne & Wanty Consultants
C & H Consulting
Cameron Gibson & Wells
Cato Bolam Consultants
Celsius Consulting
Certa Engineering
Chambers Consultants
Chapman Sanders Consultants
Chester Consultants 
CivilPlan Consultants
Civix 
CLC Consulting Group
Clendon Burns & Park
CMW Geotechnical
Cognition
Collective Success
Commute Transportation
Concepsus Consulting
Connetics
Constructure
Cook Costello
COR Associates
Cosgroves
Cpdt Consulting
Crang Consulting
Create
Cribb Consulting
Cutfield Consulting
Damsafety
Damwatch Engineering
Darlo New Zealand
DCL Consulting
Davidson Group
Davis Ogilvie & Partners
DC Structures Studio
Design Engineering (SI)
Design Management Consultants
Deta Consulting
Development Nous
DHC Consulting
DJY Design
Dobbie Engineers
DTCE
Dunning Thornton Consultants
Eastern Consulting Engineers
eCubed Building Workshop 
EDA Consulting Engineers 
Edison Consulting
EFI Global 
Egis NZ 
Electronet
Eliot Sinclair and Partners 
ENGCO 
EngDevnz 
Engenium
ENGEO 
EDC
Engineering Geology
EngPro
Enovate
Ensor Consulting
Ensor Partnership
Envelope Engineering
EPE Consulting
Eq Struc
Ergo Consulting
Essen Engineering
Finesse Consulting Engineers
Flow Transportation Specialists
Fluid Hydraulic Design + Consultancy
Focus Engineering Consultants
Frame Group
Fraser Thomas
Frequency NZ
Gaia Engineers
GDC Consultants
Geoff Kell Consulting
Geologix Consulting Engineers
Geopro
GeoSolve
Geoworks
GHD
GNA Consultants
Good Earth Matters
Graeme W Robinson
Gray Consulting Engineers
Grit Engineering
Ground Engineering Consultants 
Ground Projects 
Grounded Consultancy
GRS Consulting Engineers
GWE Consulting
Hadley & Robinson 
Hadley Consultants
Haigh Workman 
Hanlon & Partners 
Harrison Grierson 
Hawthorn Geddes
HD Geo 
Height Project Management
Hight Consulting Engineers 
Holmes Group 
Hyland Fatigue & Earthquake Engineering
Ina Consulting Engineers 
Index Engineering
INFIR
Inhabit New Zealand
Initia
Innovus 
Jacobs New Zealand
John H Klimenko & Associates
K Design Group
Kaiuru Consulting
Kerslake & Partners
KGA Geotechnical
KGW Engineers
Kirk Roberts 
Kotahi Studio 
Landworks
Lautrec Technology Group 
Lawrence Jones Partners 
Lewis & Barrow
Lewis Bradford & Associates
LGE
Living Breathing Buildings 
Lumen 
LWT structural
MacDonald Barnett 
Macky Engineering Services 
Malcolm Nielsen Consulting Engineer
Manktelow Consulting Engineers 
Mark Kiryakos – Geotechnical Engineer
Markplan Consulting 
Marshall Day Acoustics 
McKenzie & Co C
McNaughton Consulting Engineers
McNulty Engineering Management 
Meinhardt (NZ) 
MEL 2020
Meredith Solutions 
Meyer Cruden Engineering 
MFB NZ 
Mitchell Vranjes Consulting Engineers
Miyamoto New Zealand 
Modus Project Management 
Mott MacDonald
MRCagney 
MSC Consulting Group 
MTLNZ 
Navig8 
Nelligan Consulting Engineers
Nigel Harwood Engineering Consultant
Niko Engineering 
Norman Disney & Young 
Northside Structural 
Novacon Consulting
NZ Consulting Engineers
O’Callaghan Design
Oculus Architectural Engineering 
Origin Fire Consultants 
Orogen
Pacific Commissioning & Coordination
Panton Consulting
PDP 
PDV Consultants 
Pedersen Read 
Pinnacles Civil 
Plumb 
Potis Consultancy Services 
Powell Fenwick Consultants 
Proconsult
ProjectMax 
Pyramid Engineering
Quoin Structural Consultants
Randall & Associates
reNature
Resolve Group
Resonant Consulting 
Resource Development Consultants 
Richards Consulting Engineers 
Riley Consultants 
Rimmer Engineering
RoadLab 
RS Eng 
Ruamoko Solutions 
Sawrey Consulting Engineers 
Sigma Consultants
Sigma Consulting Engineers
Silvester Clark Consulting Engineers
Smart Alliances
SMEC New Zealand
Soil and Rock Consultants
Southern Civil Consulting
Spectrum Consulting Engineers
Spencer Holmes
Stantec 
Stephenson & Turner
Stiles & Hooker
Stradegy Planning 
Strata Group Consulting Engineers 
Structex 
Structural Concepts 
Structus Consulting 
Subsurface Consultants 
SYSTRA 
Tactical Group
Tailor Engineering NZ 
Task Consultancy
Te Miro Water Consultants 
TEG Risk and Sustainability 
Tekton Consulting Engineers
Tektus Consultants 
Terra MDC 
Terrane Consultants 
Tetra Tech Coffey
TH Consultants 
The Structural Firm
The Engineering Collective
Thorburn Consultants 
Tiaki Engineering Consultants
Titus Civil Consulting Engineers
Tonkin + Taylor
Torlesse
Traffic Engineering Solutions
Urban Connection
Vecta
Vert-X
Viden Consulting Engineers
Viridis
W2
Woods Engineering
WSP New Zealand
Wyreframe
Xfire
ZB Evers

Thank you to our partners and supporters

To become an ACE partner email letstalk@acenz.org.nz

AECOM
AON
Beaton
Beca
Boardpro
Haines Attract
Morgan Coakle
Orchestra
Tonkin + Taylor
UC
Waihanga Ara Rau
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Unless otherwise stated, the services featured on this website are only available within New Zealand, or in relation to postings from New Zealand. You are solely responsible for evaluating the fitness for a particular purpose of any downloads, programs and text available through this site.

Although ACE New Zealand makes all reasonable efforts to ensure this website runs smoothly, we do not warrant that the service from this website will be uninterrupted, timely or error-free.

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We do not monitor or review the content of other parties’ websites that are linked to from this website, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites.

You should evaluate the security and trustworthiness of any other site connected to this website or accessed through this website yourself, before disclosing any information to them. We do not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from your disclosure of personal information to third parties.

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Unauthorised copying, reproduction, republishing, reuploading, posting, transmitting or duplicating of any of the content is prohibited.

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ACE New Zealand has several different email addresses for different enquiries. These and other contact information can be found on our Contact Us link on the website acenz.org.nz.

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If any of these terms and conditions are deemed invalid or unenforceable for any reason, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be severed from these terms, and the remaining terms will continue to apply.

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