You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Meet Steve Hutchison
Job:
Chief Advisor, Wastewater.
Job description:
I provide technical leadership across Wellington Water for wastewater matters.
Work background:
Environmental Engineer with MWH consultancy for 20 years.
Favourite part of job:
Completing projects that make real improvements to the environment.
Least favourite part of job:
Meetings.
What I am working on now:
Helping the regional council Whaitua group understand how we could reduce wastewater overflows during heavy rainfall.
A quick story about a job well done:
I was helping Hastings District Council repair part of their outfall pipe a few years ago. The pipe had corroded from the inside and looked like it needed replacement. The operator suggested I call a fibreglass company to see if they could help. They were really helpful and working together we developed an approach to repair the pipe from the outside so we could keep the pipe operating live and save ratepayers money.
A (humorous) story about a job that went badly and what you learned:
Once, when I was a young engineer, I was tasked with getting a sample from the sludge thickening tank at Paraparaumu. I dropped the sample container in the tank and was really embarrassed so didn’t say anything. The next day the operator came to me with the sample container and asked if it was mine. The container had blocked the pump. I learnt to not be embarrassed and speak up when I make a mistake.
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from Massey University.
Interests outside work:
Mountain biking, tramping and helping with my kids Scout group.
Steve Hutchison is the Wastewater Chief Advisor with Wellington Water. Image: Wellington Water.