Award-winning Electrical Contractors With Projects Ranging From Seed-cleaning Truck To Electric Passenger Ferry

Auckland industrial electrical company, Dalton Electrical, scooped the top excellence award at the 2022 Master Electricians Awards (in association with Etco[1]) ceremony[2] in Auckland on Friday evening, 14 October.

“Dalton Electrical is an outstanding example, leader, and innovator in the industrial electrical contracting sector for its approach to training, team culture, organisational values, and in its delivery of unique projects and customer-focused solutions,” says Bernie McLaughlin, Master Electricians’ Chief Executive Officer.

“They excel in every part of the industry from the way they run their apprentice training with internal coaches assigned to each and every apprentice throughout their apprenticeship to their innovative way of completing projects.”

“Bruce Dalton and his team at Dalton Electrical were deservedly deemed by our judges as outstanding in their field.”

Five other electrical companies were declared winners of the six Excellence Award categories – Energy Efficiency, Innovation, Lighting Design, and three Project Award. The winners of the Emerging Business Award and the Industry Champion Award were also announced.

“These awards were not won lightly. We had 63 entries from across New Zealand – twice as many as in the last competition in 2019[3] – and the quality of all was impressive,” says Bernie.

“A number of businesses submitted more than one entry and this year for the first time we have recognised individuals within some of the companies for their commitment to the success of the projects they worked on. The innovation in some of the entries was beyond belief including a couple of projects that have garnered international interest.”

“Our two judges – who travelled across New Zealand visiting all contesting companies/contractors on site – were very impressed at the quality of apprentice and employee training and projects engaged in, but also the emphasis on energy efficiency.”

“It is clear that our members are the current experts in energy efficiency for the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors,” says Bernie. “We herald their approach in these days of increased concern about the impact of energy use on our environment.”

The Mckay Group won the Excellence in Energy Efficiency Award for its key role in developing the southern hemisphere’s first electric passenger ferry Ika Rere, a 26-tonne, 19-metre, carbon-fibre, twin-hull, fully electric ferry capable of carrying 132 passengers at 20 knots.

McKay delivered – in partnership with Wellington Electric Boat Building Company (WEBBCo) – the electrical scope for the ferry including electrical engineering design and installation, vessel automation electric propulsion, energy/battery storage design and installation and onshore charging integration and design. Ika Rere was launched in March 2022 and regularly ferries passengers across Wellington harbour, between Queens Wharf and Days Bay.

The creation of a mobile seed cleaner that takes the seed from a farm-based silo through the truck to be cleaned and treated and then repacked into sacks for re-distribution around the farm, earned Des Scott Electrical 2008 Ltd[4] the Excellence in Innovation Award. This innovation dramatically reduces the time, cost, and carbon emissions of a process that usually involves trucks transporting seed from farm to factory and then back to farm and has the potential to transform the seed-cleaning process worldwide.

KME Services took the Excellence in Lighting Design Award as well as the Excellence award for a Project (over $5 million) for its design, installation, and commissioning of the electrical supply and reticulation, general and emergency lighting, and control and lighting protection systems (seismic restraints) of the new Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. Energy efficient measures were taken, such as the use of a central lighting control panel to efficiently control lights, fitting most rooms with occupancy sensors, and the use of dimmable LED lighting and local lighting control.

Buzz Electrics took the Excellence Award for a Project ($1 to $5 million) for its work on Villa Maria’s new winery build in Hawkes Bay. They created an automated electrical systems package that would cover the whole site operation from product delivery, services control and winery monitoring, through to the finished wine product.

Aotea Electric Canterbury was awarded the Excellence Award for a Project (under $1million) for developing a fully automated wash system for train carriages at KiwiRail’s Waltham service centre.

The Service Centre is where KiwiRail’s South Island trains (the TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific lines) come before and after each journey for servicing, maintenance, and cleaning. Septic tanks are emptied, brake systems checked, diesel topped up, and each train is washed and dried before setting off on to pick up passengers for the next scenic journey.

Simpson Electrical Ltd was awarded the Excellence Award for an Emerging Business – for outstanding achievement in the new business space within the last seven years. The Auckland-based company’s number of employees, trainees, and work projects has grown substantially since it was set up in early 2016, and was heralded by the judges for its focus on training, building team morale and culture, and looking to move more into the green energy/EV space.

This Industry Champion Award was presented to Buzz Barham of Buzz Electrics (Hawkes Bay). 

“Buzz Barham has quadrupled his team at Buzz Electrics over the last few years thanks to the great work his team has been doing,” says Bernie. “Buzz is respected by all his peers within the industry, and he also makes sure his own team is well looked after, even opening his own home to employees over the years when they are struggling, to help them get back on track.”

“Buzz is a valued contributor to industry and the Master Electricians brand, encouraging participation from his team in the Apprentice of the Year awards and the Excellence awards. This year’s success in the awards illustrates how successful he has been in instilling and encouraging the skills of his team.”

The Master Electricians Excellence Awards is a biennial competition, held in association with Etco, which aims to identify and recognise excellence within the electrical contracting industry. The winners of the annual Master Electricians Apprentice of the Year awards were also announced at the awards ceremony held at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland on 14 October.

[1] The Electrical Training Company

[2] The winners of the Master Electricians Apprentice of the Year Challenge were also announced at the ceremony.

[3] The biennial Excellence Awards competition was cancelled in 2021 because of Covid.

[4] Based in Waimate

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