the-way-we-move-kit-who we-are

WHO WE ARE

IMPROVING PEOPLE’S LIVESProject Manager, Mercedes traded a two-hour a day commute for a leisurely swim and carpooling when she joined us from Buenos Aires. At the time, she was most excited about the projects she’d be taking on but a few years later, it’s our values and culture that have made the biggest impression and led to Mercedes becoming a volunteer mentor for new graduates and an engagement coach.

‘If you have a good experience, you have to give it back. Everyone wants to be in a good environment. As an engineer, I’ve gone through the graduate process, I know what’s required and I’ve had mentors help me – it’s important to do the same. The mentoring and engagement work I do now is another way I can help with that – to pay it forward.’

Mercedes SantosProject Manager

PUTTING THE CUSTOMER AT THE HEART OF EVERY PROJECTSeven years after joining the Transport Agency, Janeane is still incredibly passionate about her role. She’s currently focused on understanding our customers’ journeys and how we can improve them. After spending 18 months designing and implementing an entirely new approach, she’s back on the ground making it happen.

‘We spend a lot of time on technical research which is important for our decisions, but I also love just talking to people and finding out what they really value in their journey. For example, when people travel throughout our country, what experiences are they looking for – and how can our planning and investment decisions help achieve that? We’re just starting to touch the tip of what’s important to them and I want to run with that.’

Janeane JoyceOrganisation Improvement Manager

CONNECTING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITIESTam’s career path reads a little like the mountain bike tracks you’ll often find him riding in his lunch breaks. He started with commerce, shifted to business computing and worked as a systems tester before coming on board with the Transport Agency – all of it providing valuable training for his role as a business analyst – or, as Tam describes it, a translator who happens to sit within Information Services.

‘People come to us because they’ve got a business problem or need, but I see us as the human bridge to a solution that’s going to help them do what they do best. What I love most is that it’s tangible – I can see the difference we’re making. We’re trusted. And it helps that the people are really cool.’

Tam CaoSenior Business Analyst

BEING PART OF INCREDIBLE THINGSBehind every project is a fantastic team of people dedicated to making it happen. One of those people is Tauranga-based Denys, whose job has evolved over the last six years to provide support in everything from meeting coordination within the Highways and Network Operations team, managing tenders, to getting behind the social club and arranging fun events.

‘We’re a smaller region, so in my role I’m not just wearing one hat. That’s what keeps it challenging and interesting. We’ve built some incredible projects and it’s fantastic to be part of that, from the sod-turning to the ribbon cutting. I’ve only lived in the Bay of Plenty for eight years and it’s impressive to see the difference we’ve made. I am immensely proud of what we are achieving’

Denys TaylorSenior Administrator

KEEPING IT SAFEAsk Jon how he got into health and safety and he’ll admit it’s not an industry he set out to work in. He’ll tell you he ‘fell into it’, like so many others. In his case, it was a start in engineering and a stint supporting the police in bomb disposal that ultimately led him to the Transport Agency’s Zero Harm team, where he’s helping to transform the way our entire industry views safety.

‘What joined the dots for me was I was involved in a situation where there were fatalities. I felt powerless to do anything. When I was offered the position in health and safety I saw an opportunity to do something, and to make up for that situation. I get incredible fulfilment out of what I do.’

Jon Harper SladeZero Harm

MANAGING THE JOURNEYManaging journeys is a fairly huge task, because each one is so different. That’s part of the attraction for mainlander Jenny, whose role as a regional advisor sees her travelling the country and working with many different partners across a number of projects. One project aims to improve the safety of visiting drivers when they take to our southern roads, while another focuses on freight and the next generation of supply drivers.

‘Right from the beginning I felt supported in my role here and people were welcoming and forthcoming. I very much enjoy the role. It has flexibility and a wide range of work. I have the ability to analyse data, critique and communicate my ideas, in written and verbal ways and I get to work with a wide range of people. I’m not constrained.’

Jenny DickinsonPrincipal Regional Advisor

14-197 2015