October 16, 2020
On Friday 17th May hundreds gathered in Auckland for the anticipated annual New Zealand Commercial Project Awards. The event saw some of New Zealand’s most prestigious and innovative companies come together to celebrate the very best in commercial and industrial construction, with McKay scooping up a Silver Award in the Industrial Category.
The skill and technicality of the Hawaiki Cable Landing Station project certainly turned the judge’s heads, landing McKay in a front running spot in the Industrial category. The electrotechnology provider narrowly missed out on the gold, with Foster Construction Limited’s cardboard manufacturing facility taking first place in the category.
Nonetheless, the complexity, craftmanship, excellent engineering capabilities and teamwork required to deliver the Hawaiki Cable Landing Station was highly commended by the judges and highlights McKay’s ability to deliver complete turn-key solutions alongside highly skilled partners, Hawthorn Geddes and Trigg Construction.
McKay was head contractor on the project and delivered full electrical and data systems installation whilst managing a full team of contractors to ensure that all aspects of the project were delivered on time and to specification. The 15,000km Hawaiki submarine cable system, linking New Zealand to Australia and the United States, has started commercial service in July 2018 and received global recognition and multiple industry awards – with these factors positioning McKay as a key contender in the industrial award category.
Lindsay Faithfull, Managing Director at McKay was pleased with the result. “The electrical complexity and technical nature of the Hawaiki Cable Landing Station meant that effective project management was key, enabling us to bring together our best engineers and contractors to ensure project success. Our teams delivered some exceptional work and we are delighted to have this recognised at this year’s Commercial Project Awards. We will continue to work at the forefront of the electrotechnology and construction industry and have some exciting projects in the pipeline. For next year, we definitely have our eye on the gold.”
The project’s success was also recognised by Remi Galasso, CEO of Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP. “The final solution demonstrates McKay’s ability to manage a large stakeholder group successfully to deliver both an aesthetically beautiful and engineering advanced product that is being talked about within the global subsea industry as a stunning example of what a cable landing station can be.”
The Commercial Project Awards are all about celebrating the completed construction project (big or small) and the team relationships that accomplish them and the Hawaiki Cable Landing Station certainly embodies these achievements.