Water Resource | Williamson Water & Land Advisory | Auckland

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river and bank

Williamson Water & Land Advisory

ADDING VALUE THROUGH SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT USE OF NATURAL AND RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Established in January 2015. WWLA has built an enviable reputation as a high quality technical service provider in hydrological, hydrogeological, contaminated land, rural infrastructure, RMA planning and remote sensing services.

Williamson Water & Land Advisory is a New Zealand based, employee owned niche environmental consultancy offering water and land related science, planning, engineering and contamination services. We pride ourselves on our client focus, extremely high standard of specialist technical expertise and achieving our aim of becoming long term trusted advisors.

We would be pleased to discuss our service offering to meet your requirements, so please do not hesitate to make contact with us.

Projects

Otawere Water Storage Reservoir

Otawere Water Storage Reservoir

WWLA successfully obtained resource consent from Northland Regional Council to authorise the Otawere Water Storage Reservoir ...

Pukenui Solar Farm

Pukenui Solar Farm

WWLA has been involved in a range of solar farm consenting projects across New Zealand. This includes preparing preliminary planning assessment, ...

Ruahuwai (Upper Waikato) Catchment Model

Ruahuwai (Upper Waikato) Catchment Model

WWLA were commissioned to develop and calibration a MODFLOW, MT3DMS and MODPATH models for flow, nitrate-N and ...

Community

WWLA are proud to share our success by giving back to the communities we live and work in.

Newspaper

News

Lauren Windross - 5 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Lauren Windross who has recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary of working at WWLA. Lauren is a Senior Environmental Consultant, a Shareholder and also the Contaminated Land Team Leader. Lauren is an experienced and efficient manager of contaminated land investigations and her reports demonstrate her commitment to providing reports suitable for all audiences. In addition to her contaminated land expertise she enjoys tackling a wide array of environmental challenges. She provides pragmatic and practical earthworks advice and effective erosion and sediment control plans, works with clients to develop comprehensive environmental management plans, and supports several clients with stormwater monitoring and trade waste management. Her mentoring of staff in the contaminated land team and more widely is key to the team’s success and our consistent, pragmatic and responsive delivery of advice and documentation to our clients. We would like to thank Lauren for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and look forward to working together for many more years.

WWLA Welcomes Benjamin Laeuchli

WWLA would like to welcome Ben to the Auckland office. Ben joined WWLA in August 2024 as a Contaminated Land Scientist, with a PhD in Earth Science from the University of Auckland. Ben has over seven years of experience gained from consultancies in Munich (Germany), where he focused on contaminated land and groundwater. He came to NZ in 2017 to study and loved NZ so much that he decided to relocate permanently with his family. Welcome to the team Ben!

Lake Puketirini Stratification Investigation

On 4 July 2024, WWLA embarked out to Lake Puketirini in Huntly for a boat survey. Their mission was to dive deep into the lake's temperature and water quality, especially within the top 20 meters. Equipped with two Solinst LevelLoggers, the team measured pressure, temperature and conductivity at various depths. Using a game fishing rod and a heavy sinker, they sent the loggers down to approximately 60 meters and recorded data on their way back up. They mixed up the ascent speeds for each deployment to ensure sensor had time to adjust to the varying pressure, temperature and conductivity, and ultimately obtain a thorough profile. For water quality, they took samples from 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters down using a Van Dorn sampler. These samples covered a wide range of factors like metals, nutrients, and general water quality indicators. What did they find? The surface temperature started at 13.3°C and dropped quickly to 12.55°C at 24 meters. Between 24 and 40 meters, it decreased slightly to 12.5°C, then rose a bit to 12.6°C near the bottom. Therefore, the temperature variation over the full depth of the lake was only 0.8°C. Conductivity at the surface was 222.4 µS/cm, reducing steadily to 218.1 µS/cm at 27 meters, then stabilizing before increasing again near the bottom. The variation in conductivity was minimal, only about 5 µS/cm over the depth. Even with some minor boat swings due to wind, the data showed consistent trends. These preliminary results gave great insights into the lake's temperature and chemistry stratification (or lack thereof). WWLA's approach ensured accurate data collection, setting the stage for more detailed analysis.

WWLA Welcomes Brooke James

WWLA would like to welcome Brooke to the Tauranga office. Brooke joined WWLA in July 2024 as a Graduate Hydrologist, with a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Waikato. Whilst studying Brooke worked part-time at Genera Ltd as an Air Quality Monitor, and at Waikato Regional Council in the role of Data Management. She enjoys working as a team to solve problems and using her practical skills in the field or behind the computer. Welcome to the team Brooke!

WWLA Welcomes Jack Breitowich

WWLA would like to welcome Jack to the Kumeu Office. Jack moved from Chicago to New Zealand in June 2024 and joined WWLA as an Intermediate Environmental Scientist and Geospatial Analyst. He has a Master’s degree in Geospatial Intelligence from the University of Southern California (2024), and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Colgate University (2022). Jack has spent 2 years working at a consultancy in Chicago, specialising in electrical and civil design using GIS and CAD software. He has experience using geospatial intelligence and remote sensing techniques and will work across the water resources and the contaminated land teams. Welcome to the team Jack!

Thanks to all our volunteers!

This week is National Volunteer Week. The theme for 2024 is ‘ Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together’. We would like to recognise all the amazing volunteers who work at WWLA and thank them for their support and the difference they make in our communities. A huge thanks to: Laila Alkamil – Kumeu Volunteer Fire Brigade Shane Moore – Kaipara Coastguard Lauren Windross – Pest free Kumeu-Huapai and Predator Free Muriwai Steve Tyson – Experiencing Marine Reserves and Project Jonah Jon Williamson - National Equestrian Centre Taupo

Laila Alkamil – NZPI Full Membership

Congratulations to Senior Planner Laila Alkamil who has recently achieved her full membership with the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI). To become a full member Laila needed to undergo a panel interview and assessment of previous practice. Full members must demonstrate competency in several different areas which include Professionalism, integrity and ethics, Communication and engagement, Critical evaluation skills and Contribution and ongoing commitment to the profession. It also includes Understanding and working with NZ planning frameworks and Māori values and perspectives. For WWLA clients, Laila says that achieving full NZPI membership translates to trust and an assurance that the company’s planning services are adhering to a high standard. “For me, having full membership means I am backed by the institute to navigate complex regulatory frameworks and provide sustainable and innovative solutions for our clients”. Laila is a very dedicated planner and a highly valued member of the WWLA team, and becoming a full member is a testament to this. Congratulations Laila, it's great having you on the team!

WWLA Shortlisted for 2024 Best Places to Work Awards

WWLA are excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for the 2024 Best Places to Work Awards. This is a huge achievement for us, as it recognises our commitment to making WWLA a positive and engaging place to work. Being a small tight-knit consultancy, we are aware of how important people are both internally within the team and to our clients. We believe that creating an awesome place to work means that our people go that extra mile and provide exceptional service to our clients. Job satisfaction, engagement, and merit-based appointments, rewards and promotions are key to our success and growth. We have various initiatives in place to cultivate a rewarding workplace for our team. We foster wellbeing with flexible working, an Employee Assistance Programme and free annual flu vaccinations. We recognise people for their long service to the company and are proud to have many staff who have achieved this, which we love to celebrate with a good morning tea or BBQ lunch. These occasions are always a great way to get everyone together and celebrate achievements and our successes. The company has a very inclusive profit-sharing scheme, whereby a percentage of the company profits are shared amongst employees on a 2-monthly basis. It is great for everyone to be a part of this scheme and share the rewards of their hard work. The amounts increase as your service increases therefore promoting and rewarding longevity. One of the great things about the company is that it is employee-owned. There are currently 10 shareholders (~40% of staff) – which reflects how committed our people are to the company and its growth. We would like to thank our team for all their hard work and commitment and eagerly await the final results. https://www.bestplacestowork.nz/awards

Aimee Wansbone – 5 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Aimee Wansbone, who has recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary of working at WWLA. Aimee is a PhD chemist working in the Contaminated Land Team, with experience in investigation, analysis, remediation and monitoring associated with potentially contaminated sites. Aimee has a particular interest in geochemistry and contaminant mobilisation research and has recently been working on some interesting projects in this area. Aimee has also been providing technical environmental science support in the climate adaptation space as applied to land development and the buildings green star certification process; providing a high level of rigour to adaptation design alignment with climate risks. We would like to thank Aimee for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and for brightening up our office every day. We look forward to working with her for many more years.

Cherise Martin – 3 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Cherise Martin, who recently celebrated her 3-year anniversary of working at WWLA after returning from maternity leave in September 2023. Cherise is a Contaminated Land Specialist working from our Kumeu office and has recently become a Shareholder in the company. Cherise is an integral part of the team, and specialising in the investigation, analysis, remediation, and monitoring of contaminated sites. She is highly experienced at recognising and investigating contaminated land and has particular expertise in monitoring construction activities and managing remediation projects. She is responsible for undertaking the more complex assignments, as well as training and mentoring our Graduates in fieldwork procedures and protocols. We would like to thank Cherise for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and look forward to working together for many more years.

Congratulations to Becki Williamson and Mya Mobberley

WWLA would like to congratulate Becki Williamson and Mya Mobberley, who graduated from the University of Auckland yesterday. They both graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Becki majoring in Earth Science (Geology) and Mya in Earth Science and Marine Science. The classmates – and now workmates, enjoyed their graduation ceremony at Spark Arena, which was attended by their family and friends. It was a great event, which recognised all the hard work they both put into the last 3 years of study. We are very proud of them and fortunate to have such hard-working and ambitious graduates at WWLA. Well done team!!

Shareholder Announcement April 2024

We have great pleasure in announcing Laila Alkamil and Jennie Haines as new shareholders to the company effective 1 April 2024. Laila is a Senior Planner based in our Auckland office, having been with WWLA for three years. Laila’s recent professional experience includes large-scale infrastructure consenting projects around New Zealand including renewable energy, contaminated land remediation, reservoir and water abstraction and cleanfills. She also provides hearing support, policy advice and plan change reviews. Laila enjoys working across multi-disciplinary teams to develop ideas and solutions for her clients. Laila has demonstrated an impeccable work ethic and commitment to the company and her clients, which she manages efficiently alongside her commitment to serving the community through her role as a senior fire fighter for the Kumeu Voluenteer Fire Brigade. Jennie is the Administration Manager in our Auckland office and joined WWLA in 2022 Jennie has spent 20 years working in a variety of financial and operational roles both in the UK and in New Zealand. Jennie has both practical and leadership experience across various industries and has worked in engineering consultancies for 5 years prior to joining WWLA. She has a thorough understanding of financial management and the importance that efficiencies play in a business. Jennie is also experienced in payroll, human relations, promotional social media and thrives on keeping the office running smoothly. Our Managing Director, Jon Williamson, said “Jennie does the work of half a dozen administration people in large corporates and has made my role far simpler since she joined WWLA, which is hugely appreciated”.

Lauren Windross - 5 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Lauren Windross who has recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary of working at WWLA. Lauren is a Senior Environmental Consultant, a Shareholder and also the Contaminated Land Team Leader. Lauren is an experienced and efficient manager of contaminated land investigations and her reports demonstrate her commitment to providing reports suitable for all audiences. In addition to her contaminated land expertise she enjoys tackling a wide array of environmental challenges. She provides pragmatic and practical earthworks advice and effective erosion and sediment control plans, works with clients to develop comprehensive environmental management plans, and supports several clients with stormwater monitoring and trade waste management. Her mentoring of staff in the contaminated land team and more widely is key to the team’s success and our consistent, pragmatic and responsive delivery of advice and documentation to our clients. We would like to thank Lauren for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and look forward to working together for many more years.

WWLA Welcomes Benjamin Laeuchli

WWLA would like to welcome Ben to the Auckland office. Ben joined WWLA in August 2024 as a Contaminated Land Scientist, with a PhD in Earth Science from the University of Auckland. Ben has over seven years of experience gained from consultancies in Munich (Germany), where he focused on contaminated land and groundwater. He came to NZ in 2017 to study and loved NZ so much that he decided to relocate permanently with his family. Welcome to the team Ben!

Lake Puketirini Stratification Investigation

On 4 July 2024, WWLA embarked out to Lake Puketirini in Huntly for a boat survey. Their mission was to dive deep into the lake's temperature and water quality, especially within the top 20 meters. Equipped with two Solinst LevelLoggers, the team measured pressure, temperature and conductivity at various depths. Using a game fishing rod and a heavy sinker, they sent the loggers down to approximately 60 meters and recorded data on their way back up. They mixed up the ascent speeds for each deployment to ensure sensor had time to adjust to the varying pressure, temperature and conductivity, and ultimately obtain a thorough profile. For water quality, they took samples from 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters down using a Van Dorn sampler. These samples covered a wide range of factors like metals, nutrients, and general water quality indicators. What did they find? The surface temperature started at 13.3°C and dropped quickly to 12.55°C at 24 meters. Between 24 and 40 meters, it decreased slightly to 12.5°C, then rose a bit to 12.6°C near the bottom. Therefore, the temperature variation over the full depth of the lake was only 0.8°C. Conductivity at the surface was 222.4 µS/cm, reducing steadily to 218.1 µS/cm at 27 meters, then stabilizing before increasing again near the bottom. The variation in conductivity was minimal, only about 5 µS/cm over the depth. Even with some minor boat swings due to wind, the data showed consistent trends. These preliminary results gave great insights into the lake's temperature and chemistry stratification (or lack thereof). WWLA's approach ensured accurate data collection, setting the stage for more detailed analysis.

WWLA Welcomes Brooke James

WWLA would like to welcome Brooke to the Tauranga office. Brooke joined WWLA in July 2024 as a Graduate Hydrologist, with a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Waikato. Whilst studying Brooke worked part-time at Genera Ltd as an Air Quality Monitor, and at Waikato Regional Council in the role of Data Management. She enjoys working as a team to solve problems and using her practical skills in the field or behind the computer. Welcome to the team Brooke!

WWLA Welcomes Jack Breitowich

WWLA would like to welcome Jack to the Kumeu Office. Jack moved from Chicago to New Zealand in June 2024 and joined WWLA as an Intermediate Environmental Scientist and Geospatial Analyst. He has a Master’s degree in Geospatial Intelligence from the University of Southern California (2024), and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Colgate University (2022). Jack has spent 2 years working at a consultancy in Chicago, specialising in electrical and civil design using GIS and CAD software. He has experience using geospatial intelligence and remote sensing techniques and will work across the water resources and the contaminated land teams. Welcome to the team Jack!

Thanks to all our volunteers!

This week is National Volunteer Week. The theme for 2024 is ‘ Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together’. We would like to recognise all the amazing volunteers who work at WWLA and thank them for their support and the difference they make in our communities. A huge thanks to: Laila Alkamil – Kumeu Volunteer Fire Brigade Shane Moore – Kaipara Coastguard Lauren Windross – Pest free Kumeu-Huapai and Predator Free Muriwai Steve Tyson – Experiencing Marine Reserves and Project Jonah Jon Williamson - National Equestrian Centre Taupo

Laila Alkamil – NZPI Full Membership

Congratulations to Senior Planner Laila Alkamil who has recently achieved her full membership with the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI). To become a full member Laila needed to undergo a panel interview and assessment of previous practice. Full members must demonstrate competency in several different areas which include Professionalism, integrity and ethics, Communication and engagement, Critical evaluation skills and Contribution and ongoing commitment to the profession. It also includes Understanding and working with NZ planning frameworks and Māori values and perspectives. For WWLA clients, Laila says that achieving full NZPI membership translates to trust and an assurance that the company’s planning services are adhering to a high standard. “For me, having full membership means I am backed by the institute to navigate complex regulatory frameworks and provide sustainable and innovative solutions for our clients”. Laila is a very dedicated planner and a highly valued member of the WWLA team, and becoming a full member is a testament to this. Congratulations Laila, it's great having you on the team!

WWLA Shortlisted for 2024 Best Places to Work Awards

WWLA are excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for the 2024 Best Places to Work Awards. This is a huge achievement for us, as it recognises our commitment to making WWLA a positive and engaging place to work. Being a small tight-knit consultancy, we are aware of how important people are both internally within the team and to our clients. We believe that creating an awesome place to work means that our people go that extra mile and provide exceptional service to our clients. Job satisfaction, engagement, and merit-based appointments, rewards and promotions are key to our success and growth. We have various initiatives in place to cultivate a rewarding workplace for our team. We foster wellbeing with flexible working, an Employee Assistance Programme and free annual flu vaccinations. We recognise people for their long service to the company and are proud to have many staff who have achieved this, which we love to celebrate with a good morning tea or BBQ lunch. These occasions are always a great way to get everyone together and celebrate achievements and our successes. The company has a very inclusive profit-sharing scheme, whereby a percentage of the company profits are shared amongst employees on a 2-monthly basis. It is great for everyone to be a part of this scheme and share the rewards of their hard work. The amounts increase as your service increases therefore promoting and rewarding longevity. One of the great things about the company is that it is employee-owned. There are currently 10 shareholders (~40% of staff) – which reflects how committed our people are to the company and its growth. We would like to thank our team for all their hard work and commitment and eagerly await the final results. https://www.bestplacestowork.nz/awards

Aimee Wansbone – 5 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Aimee Wansbone, who has recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary of working at WWLA. Aimee is a PhD chemist working in the Contaminated Land Team, with experience in investigation, analysis, remediation and monitoring associated with potentially contaminated sites. Aimee has a particular interest in geochemistry and contaminant mobilisation research and has recently been working on some interesting projects in this area. Aimee has also been providing technical environmental science support in the climate adaptation space as applied to land development and the buildings green star certification process; providing a high level of rigour to adaptation design alignment with climate risks. We would like to thank Aimee for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and for brightening up our office every day. We look forward to working with her for many more years.

Cherise Martin – 3 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Cherise Martin, who recently celebrated her 3-year anniversary of working at WWLA after returning from maternity leave in September 2023. Cherise is a Contaminated Land Specialist working from our Kumeu office and has recently become a Shareholder in the company. Cherise is an integral part of the team, and specialising in the investigation, analysis, remediation, and monitoring of contaminated sites. She is highly experienced at recognising and investigating contaminated land and has particular expertise in monitoring construction activities and managing remediation projects. She is responsible for undertaking the more complex assignments, as well as training and mentoring our Graduates in fieldwork procedures and protocols. We would like to thank Cherise for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and look forward to working together for many more years.

Congratulations to Becki Williamson and Mya Mobberley

WWLA would like to congratulate Becki Williamson and Mya Mobberley, who graduated from the University of Auckland yesterday. They both graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Becki majoring in Earth Science (Geology) and Mya in Earth Science and Marine Science. The classmates – and now workmates, enjoyed their graduation ceremony at Spark Arena, which was attended by their family and friends. It was a great event, which recognised all the hard work they both put into the last 3 years of study. We are very proud of them and fortunate to have such hard-working and ambitious graduates at WWLA. Well done team!!

Shareholder Announcement April 2024

We have great pleasure in announcing Laila Alkamil and Jennie Haines as new shareholders to the company effective 1 April 2024. Laila is a Senior Planner based in our Auckland office, having been with WWLA for three years. Laila’s recent professional experience includes large-scale infrastructure consenting projects around New Zealand including renewable energy, contaminated land remediation, reservoir and water abstraction and cleanfills. She also provides hearing support, policy advice and plan change reviews. Laila enjoys working across multi-disciplinary teams to develop ideas and solutions for her clients. Laila has demonstrated an impeccable work ethic and commitment to the company and her clients, which she manages efficiently alongside her commitment to serving the community through her role as a senior fire fighter for the Kumeu Voluenteer Fire Brigade. Jennie is the Administration Manager in our Auckland office and joined WWLA in 2022 Jennie has spent 20 years working in a variety of financial and operational roles both in the UK and in New Zealand. Jennie has both practical and leadership experience across various industries and has worked in engineering consultancies for 5 years prior to joining WWLA. She has a thorough understanding of financial management and the importance that efficiencies play in a business. Jennie is also experienced in payroll, human relations, promotional social media and thrives on keeping the office running smoothly. Our Managing Director, Jon Williamson, said “Jennie does the work of half a dozen administration people in large corporates and has made my role far simpler since she joined WWLA, which is hugely appreciated”.

Lauren Windross - 5 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Lauren Windross who has recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary of working at WWLA. Lauren is a Senior Environmental Consultant, a Shareholder and also the Contaminated Land Team Leader. Lauren is an experienced and efficient manager of contaminated land investigations and her reports demonstrate her commitment to providing reports suitable for all audiences. In addition to her contaminated land expertise she enjoys tackling a wide array of environmental challenges. She provides pragmatic and practical earthworks advice and effective erosion and sediment control plans, works with clients to develop comprehensive environmental management plans, and supports several clients with stormwater monitoring and trade waste management. Her mentoring of staff in the contaminated land team and more widely is key to the team’s success and our consistent, pragmatic and responsive delivery of advice and documentation to our clients. We would like to thank Lauren for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and look forward to working together for many more years.

WWLA Welcomes Benjamin Laeuchli

WWLA would like to welcome Ben to the Auckland office. Ben joined WWLA in August 2024 as a Contaminated Land Scientist, with a PhD in Earth Science from the University of Auckland. Ben has over seven years of experience gained from consultancies in Munich (Germany), where he focused on contaminated land and groundwater. He came to NZ in 2017 to study and loved NZ so much that he decided to relocate permanently with his family. Welcome to the team Ben!

Lake Puketirini Stratification Investigation

On 4 July 2024, WWLA embarked out to Lake Puketirini in Huntly for a boat survey. Their mission was to dive deep into the lake's temperature and water quality, especially within the top 20 meters. Equipped with two Solinst LevelLoggers, the team measured pressure, temperature and conductivity at various depths. Using a game fishing rod and a heavy sinker, they sent the loggers down to approximately 60 meters and recorded data on their way back up. They mixed up the ascent speeds for each deployment to ensure sensor had time to adjust to the varying pressure, temperature and conductivity, and ultimately obtain a thorough profile. For water quality, they took samples from 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters down using a Van Dorn sampler. These samples covered a wide range of factors like metals, nutrients, and general water quality indicators. What did they find? The surface temperature started at 13.3°C and dropped quickly to 12.55°C at 24 meters. Between 24 and 40 meters, it decreased slightly to 12.5°C, then rose a bit to 12.6°C near the bottom. Therefore, the temperature variation over the full depth of the lake was only 0.8°C. Conductivity at the surface was 222.4 µS/cm, reducing steadily to 218.1 µS/cm at 27 meters, then stabilizing before increasing again near the bottom. The variation in conductivity was minimal, only about 5 µS/cm over the depth. Even with some minor boat swings due to wind, the data showed consistent trends. These preliminary results gave great insights into the lake's temperature and chemistry stratification (or lack thereof). WWLA's approach ensured accurate data collection, setting the stage for more detailed analysis.

WWLA Welcomes Brooke James

WWLA would like to welcome Brooke to the Tauranga office. Brooke joined WWLA in July 2024 as a Graduate Hydrologist, with a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Waikato. Whilst studying Brooke worked part-time at Genera Ltd as an Air Quality Monitor, and at Waikato Regional Council in the role of Data Management. She enjoys working as a team to solve problems and using her practical skills in the field or behind the computer. Welcome to the team Brooke!

WWLA Welcomes Jack Breitowich

WWLA would like to welcome Jack to the Kumeu Office. Jack moved from Chicago to New Zealand in June 2024 and joined WWLA as an Intermediate Environmental Scientist and Geospatial Analyst. He has a Master’s degree in Geospatial Intelligence from the University of Southern California (2024), and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Colgate University (2022). Jack has spent 2 years working at a consultancy in Chicago, specialising in electrical and civil design using GIS and CAD software. He has experience using geospatial intelligence and remote sensing techniques and will work across the water resources and the contaminated land teams. Welcome to the team Jack!

Thanks to all our volunteers!

This week is National Volunteer Week. The theme for 2024 is ‘ Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together’. We would like to recognise all the amazing volunteers who work at WWLA and thank them for their support and the difference they make in our communities. A huge thanks to: Laila Alkamil – Kumeu Volunteer Fire Brigade Shane Moore – Kaipara Coastguard Lauren Windross – Pest free Kumeu-Huapai and Predator Free Muriwai Steve Tyson – Experiencing Marine Reserves and Project Jonah Jon Williamson - National Equestrian Centre Taupo

Laila Alkamil – NZPI Full Membership

Congratulations to Senior Planner Laila Alkamil who has recently achieved her full membership with the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI). To become a full member Laila needed to undergo a panel interview and assessment of previous practice. Full members must demonstrate competency in several different areas which include Professionalism, integrity and ethics, Communication and engagement, Critical evaluation skills and Contribution and ongoing commitment to the profession. It also includes Understanding and working with NZ planning frameworks and Māori values and perspectives. For WWLA clients, Laila says that achieving full NZPI membership translates to trust and an assurance that the company’s planning services are adhering to a high standard. “For me, having full membership means I am backed by the institute to navigate complex regulatory frameworks and provide sustainable and innovative solutions for our clients”. Laila is a very dedicated planner and a highly valued member of the WWLA team, and becoming a full member is a testament to this. Congratulations Laila, it's great having you on the team!

WWLA Shortlisted for 2024 Best Places to Work Awards

WWLA are excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for the 2024 Best Places to Work Awards. This is a huge achievement for us, as it recognises our commitment to making WWLA a positive and engaging place to work. Being a small tight-knit consultancy, we are aware of how important people are both internally within the team and to our clients. We believe that creating an awesome place to work means that our people go that extra mile and provide exceptional service to our clients. Job satisfaction, engagement, and merit-based appointments, rewards and promotions are key to our success and growth. We have various initiatives in place to cultivate a rewarding workplace for our team. We foster wellbeing with flexible working, an Employee Assistance Programme and free annual flu vaccinations. We recognise people for their long service to the company and are proud to have many staff who have achieved this, which we love to celebrate with a good morning tea or BBQ lunch. These occasions are always a great way to get everyone together and celebrate achievements and our successes. The company has a very inclusive profit-sharing scheme, whereby a percentage of the company profits are shared amongst employees on a 2-monthly basis. It is great for everyone to be a part of this scheme and share the rewards of their hard work. The amounts increase as your service increases therefore promoting and rewarding longevity. One of the great things about the company is that it is employee-owned. There are currently 10 shareholders (~40% of staff) – which reflects how committed our people are to the company and its growth. We would like to thank our team for all their hard work and commitment and eagerly await the final results. https://www.bestplacestowork.nz/awards

Aimee Wansbone – 5 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Aimee Wansbone, who has recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary of working at WWLA. Aimee is a PhD chemist working in the Contaminated Land Team, with experience in investigation, analysis, remediation and monitoring associated with potentially contaminated sites. Aimee has a particular interest in geochemistry and contaminant mobilisation research and has recently been working on some interesting projects in this area. Aimee has also been providing technical environmental science support in the climate adaptation space as applied to land development and the buildings green star certification process; providing a high level of rigour to adaptation design alignment with climate risks. We would like to thank Aimee for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and for brightening up our office every day. We look forward to working with her for many more years.

Cherise Martin – 3 years at WWLA

Congratulations to Cherise Martin, who recently celebrated her 3-year anniversary of working at WWLA after returning from maternity leave in September 2023. Cherise is a Contaminated Land Specialist working from our Kumeu office and has recently become a Shareholder in the company. Cherise is an integral part of the team, and specialising in the investigation, analysis, remediation, and monitoring of contaminated sites. She is highly experienced at recognising and investigating contaminated land and has particular expertise in monitoring construction activities and managing remediation projects. She is responsible for undertaking the more complex assignments, as well as training and mentoring our Graduates in fieldwork procedures and protocols. We would like to thank Cherise for all her hard work and commitment to WWLA and look forward to working together for many more years.

Congratulations to Becki Williamson and Mya Mobberley

WWLA would like to congratulate Becki Williamson and Mya Mobberley, who graduated from the University of Auckland yesterday. They both graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Becki majoring in Earth Science (Geology) and Mya in Earth Science and Marine Science. The classmates – and now workmates, enjoyed their graduation ceremony at Spark Arena, which was attended by their family and friends. It was a great event, which recognised all the hard work they both put into the last 3 years of study. We are very proud of them and fortunate to have such hard-working and ambitious graduates at WWLA. Well done team!!

Shareholder Announcement April 2024

We have great pleasure in announcing Laila Alkamil and Jennie Haines as new shareholders to the company effective 1 April 2024. Laila is a Senior Planner based in our Auckland office, having been with WWLA for three years. Laila’s recent professional experience includes large-scale infrastructure consenting projects around New Zealand including renewable energy, contaminated land remediation, reservoir and water abstraction and cleanfills. She also provides hearing support, policy advice and plan change reviews. Laila enjoys working across multi-disciplinary teams to develop ideas and solutions for her clients. Laila has demonstrated an impeccable work ethic and commitment to the company and her clients, which she manages efficiently alongside her commitment to serving the community through her role as a senior fire fighter for the Kumeu Voluenteer Fire Brigade. Jennie is the Administration Manager in our Auckland office and joined WWLA in 2022 Jennie has spent 20 years working in a variety of financial and operational roles both in the UK and in New Zealand. Jennie has both practical and leadership experience across various industries and has worked in engineering consultancies for 5 years prior to joining WWLA. She has a thorough understanding of financial management and the importance that efficiencies play in a business. Jennie is also experienced in payroll, human relations, promotional social media and thrives on keeping the office running smoothly. Our Managing Director, Jon Williamson, said “Jennie does the work of half a dozen administration people in large corporates and has made my role far simpler since she joined WWLA, which is hugely appreciated”.

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