SPPEEx Profiles Manu Burkhardt-Macrae
Manu Burkhardt-Macrae
Engineer / Project Manager
Opus International Consultants Ltd
BE, CPEng, MIPENZ
Projects of interest involved in:
Whangarei District Council Slip Repairs - In 2007 there were several major storm events that affected the Whangarei District, this resulted in over 100 slips all over the road network. Since mid 2007 I managed a team that investigated, designed, tendered and supervised the repair of over 50 of these slips. We utilised a a wide range of repair methods, from cantilever and tied back timber walls to gabion baskets, shear keys and reinforced fills.
Whatuwhiwhi WWTP Upgrade - Whatuwhiwhi is a coastal settlement on the Karikari Peninsula on the east coast of the Far North. Because of its coastal situation, in recent times there has been a lot of new development in the area. To cope with this new development the local waste water treatment plant is having to be upgraded. I am currently supervising the construction of the upgrade which utilises a treatment technology called Aquamats, the system is new to New Zealand and this will be only the third aquamat plant in the country. The upgrade will help reduce the impact of development on the local environment.
What do you enjoy best about your job?
The variety of work I do keeps me interested, I am always busy and I get to work on projects all over Northland, so I get to know lots of different people and places. The people I work with are really good engineers and are nice people, so going to work is never a drag, and every day I learn something new.
I enjoy that the work I do has tangible outcomes that directly benefit the communities I work in and it's nice to drive past something you've had a part in creating and to be able to point that out to your family and friends.
Why did you choose engineering?
When I started studying Engineering I didn't really now why I was doing it. Like a lot of people, when I left high school I didn't really know what an engineer was or did. But since then I have learnt that all kinds of engineers make a major contribution to every aspect of our society and I know that having more engineers can only be a good thing! I was born and raised in Kaitaia, from the Ngati Kuri and Te Rarawa Iwi. More Maori and PI engineers are especially important because engineering skills are crucial to future Maori and PI development. Engineering suits the way I think and I enjoy the problem solving aspects of my work.
After graduating with BE Environmental from the UoA in 2003 I worked for two years for the Faculty of Engineering as Maori Student Mentor and as a tutor for the Department of Civil 7 Environmental Engineering. Since 2005 I have worked for Opus in Whangarei & Kerikeri. In my current role I Project Manage Civil and Environmental Engineering projects for mainly local body clients in the Far North. I work in a variety of fields, at present I am involved with projects ranging from Roading, to slip reinstatement, to waste-water treatment and reticulation.
My job requires to me to manage tasks such as:
design investigations, for example arranging surveys or geotechnical investigations;
preparing or managing the preparation of designs;
preparing tender documents and managing tendering processes;
preparing schedules of quantities and physical works estimates;
carrying out contract management and construction supervision;
For my job I need to have a good understanding of a wide range civil engineering processes and principals, but it is most important for me to be able to effectively communicate with all sorts of different people and at a range of levels. What is also very important in my job is to maintain good relationships with my clients, colleagues and contractors, as in the end this is what determines whether the projects I work on are successful or not.