It started on the tools.

Waitemata Electric Power Board team for liney comp in Whakatāne— 1986

On the tools circa 1989

In 1985, I started as a trainee lineman with the Waitemata Electric Power Board.

I learned the industry from the ground up — line construction, maintenance, fault response, leading crews and the realities of getting work done safely in the field.

Those early years still shape how I think about work, risk and organisations today.

From the field to leadership.

After the storm: Contractors work 18-hour days to get power back (NZ Herald article July 2007)

Sharing industry learnings, 2024

The years that followed took me from frontline work into supervision, contracting, business ownership and increasingly senior operational leadership roles.

I have led field operations, emergency response, national service delivery and business support functions, managed large workforces and contracts, and worked across the operational, technical and people systems that support electricity businesses.

For the past 17 years I have been part of the Omexom/Electrix Distribution senior management team, with responsibilities spanning HSEQ, operational and technical risk, business systems, investigations, workforce capability and industry engagement.

That breadth of experience has given me an understanding of organisations from both sides — how work is imagined and designed, and how it is actually delivered.

The best solutions connect the two.

Contributing to the industry.

LineFit, an award-winning initiative to improve workplace health

lineman.co.nz sponsoring the annual Line Mechanic and Cable jointers competions circa 2008

My involvement in the electricity industry has always extended beyond the organisations I have worked for.

Since 2010 I have been actively involved with the Electricity Engineers’ Association, including chairing the Safety Standards and Procedures Group and contributing to the National Committee for Live Work.

That work has included developing and reviewing industry standards and guidance, contributing to industry qualifications, examining and assessing line mechanics, investigating and sharing industry learnings, and working with people across New Zealand and internationally to improve electrical safety and operational practice.

I have also had the opportunity to develop and champion initiatives such as LineFIT, contribute to improved approaches to low-voltage work and bonding, judge and sponsor the Annual Connection Line Mechanics Competition, and present to industry groups and conferences in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

Recognition from the industry.

In 2025, I was honoured to receive the Electricity Engineers’ Association Meritorious Service Award, recognising contribution to New Zealand’s electricity supply industry.

The recognition reflected many years working alongside people across the industry developing and improving safety standards, sharing knowledge, strengthening work practices and helping build capability.

But industry improvement is never the work of one person.

It comes from people being prepared to share experience, challenge existing thinking and work together to make things better.

The award represented that collective effort far more than an individual achievement.

Safer. Smarter. Stronger. Together.

What that experience means today.

More than four decades in the industry has taught me that lasting improvement isn’t just about finding the right solution.

It has to work in practice.

People need to understand what is expected, be able to apply it in practice and, importantly, understand why it matters.

When people understand the WHY, a procedure becomes more than a set of instructions and a control becomes more than something they are told to do. It creates understanding, ownership and better decisions when the situation isn’t exactly as someone imagined it on paper.

That means listening to the people who do the work and the people responsible for leading it, asking better questions and turning sometimes complex issues into practical improvements that people can understand and implement.

Understand the WHY. Make it practical. Make it work.

Why the name LINEMAN

LINEMAN Consulting might be a new business, but the name, the experience behind it and the connection to the electricity industry aren’t.

lineman.co.nz first started in 2005 as a way to help connect people across the electricity industry, share information and build a stronger community through an online presence and, later, social media.

The name has stayed with me because it reflects where my career started, the people I’ve worked alongside and an industry that has been a significant part of my life for more than four decades.

LINEMAN Consulting is a natural continuation of that connection — bringing practical industry experience, independent thinking and a willingness to share knowledge into a new chapter.

It is also a reminder of something I don’t want to lose as LINEMAN Consulting grows:

Stay connected to the work. Stay connected to the people.

Let’s talk.

If you’re dealing with an electrical safety, operational, investigation or capability issue or simply want an independent view let’s have a coffee and conversation.

No obligation. No predetermined solution. Start with the issue.