Head of Strategy, National Transition Unit, Three Waters Transition Unit, Department of Internal Affairs

Marlon Bridge is currently working for the Government on the Three Waters Reform Programme within the National Transition Unit, which has responsibility for delivery of the programme.  He is currently on secondment from Watercare, Auckland’s water and wastewater supplier, where he holds the position of Deputy Chief Executive.  Watercare is New Zealand’s largest water and wastewater provider with revenues in excess of $750m per annum on an asset base of $12 Billion. Marlon has been in the Water industry for 16 years in various Executive roles including as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Customer Officer.  He was involved in the 2010 ‘super city’ integration where he was one of three people that led the delivery of the amalgamation of the 6 Councils into the Watercare we know today.  His role in the Three Waters reform programme is as Head of Strategy, responsible for delivery of 4 water service entities by 1 July 2024. There are currently over 70 entities providing three waters services for New Zealand.  The Government’s proposal to reduce this to 4 water service entities is based on scale and what that will provide in terms of efficiencies and affordability into the future.  Ultimately, the objective is to improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.  

Operations Lead, National Transition Unit, Three Waters Transition Unit, Department of Internal Affairs

Tim is the Operations Lead in the 3 Waters National Transition Unit (NTU) in the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). He has worked in and around the water sector for a number of years and was the CEO of Metrowater, the former Auckland City Council water utility, and led that organisation through the super city merger of the Auckland Councils in 2010. For a large part of his career Tim worked in the oil industry, involved in oil refining, supply chain and trading activities across NZ, Australia, the UK and USA for a number of years. Since Metrowater, Tim has been involved in a variety of business consulting and civil contracting work across both the private and public sector. This work includes setting up and then running InfraCore, a contracting CCO business, established by Rotorua Lakes Council, providing operations and maintenance services in the three waters, parks and refuse sectors. Tim’s role in the NTU is focused on transitioning the existing 3 waters operational activities of Councils into the new water entities being formed by the 3 waters reforms. This includes responsibility for leading the work to transition current trade waste arrangements into the new entities. 

Fonterra

Wastewater Programme Manager, Fonterra

Mayor, Hutt City Council

Mayor Campbell Barry was elected to the Wainuiomata Community Board in 2010 and served as Wainuiomata’s ward councillor for two terms before being elected Mayor in October 2019. 
He was born and raised in Lower Hutt and attended the local primary, intermediate and high school in Wainuiomata. He lives there with his wife Laura and is actively involved in the local community – playing club cricket and refereeing rugby.
As a Councillor, Campbell advocated for a range of issues, including the implementation of the Living Wage, ensuring effective spending of public money, and genuine engagement with local communities in decision making.
Upon being elected Mayor in 2019, Campbell said that he would lead a Council that got back to basics – investing in the assets and services that support all of Lower Hutt’s people to thrive. His priorities include improving transport in the Hutt, fronting up to the housing crisis, building infrastructure required for growth, and protecting the environment.

Senior Research Fellow, Health, Environment and Infection Research Unit, University of Otago, Wellington

Tim is a Fulbright Scholar (Harvard University) and a Senior Research Fellow in the Health, Environment and Infection Research Unit at the University of Otago, Wellington. His research interests include environmental health and infectious diseases. Tim’s current research investigates the potential health burden of drinking water contamination, with a focus on nitrate contamination. Tim has also contributed to the Covid-19 response through his work on digital contact tracing for multiple Government agencies.
Dr Chambers uses spatial and quantitative research methods to understand the connections between place, space and health. Tim’s research also uses innovative technological solutions – such as wearable cameras, GPS devices and Bluetooth tracking devices to understand complex human behaviour. Tim’s research agenda also has a strong equity and policy focus.Dr Chambers completed his PhD in public health at the University of Otago in 2018.
Dr Chambers also has degrees in Physical Education and Classical Studies. Tim was a research associate at Imperial College London before returning to the University of Otago in April 2020.

Talk: The public health case for Three Waters reforms 

Public discourse on the Three Waters reforms has been dominated by anti-co-governance rhetoric and concerns around privatisation. This debate has drowned out the fundamental problem statement justifying the reforms. Primarily that the management of drinking water resources is currently inadequate to protect public health and promote health equity. The talk covers the current burden of water-borne disease in Aotearoa, potential public health issues associated with emerging threats and highlight weaknesses in drinking water management.  

Mayor, Palmerston North City Council

Grant Smith is the 29th Mayor of Palmerston North City, elected in 2015 and is proactive in supporting international and global relationships. Grant has had an extensive business background in advertising and marketing before becoming Mayor, and has also served on the boards of several regional and national cultural and sporting organisations.

He has championed the international programme Palmerston North city runs, which supports key city sectors of Logistics, Distribution & Transportation, Food Research, International Education, Defence, and Trade.

Environmental Compliance Officer, Napier City Council

Caitlin (or Caity) has been working as an Environmental Compliance Officer at Napier City Council for nearly 4 years. Originally from the UK with a background in Chemistry, Caitlin worked in the energy industry in Australia before moving to Napier to enjoy the easy life in Hawke’s Bay. She is passionate about what she does mostly because of how much time she spends submerged in the Ocean, so has good reasons to want it clean, and believes education is the most important tool to initiate positive change.

Topic: The role of Science Communication in Three Waters and Environmental Management

Trade Waste Consultant and Sampling Technician, BPO

Born and raised within the Waikato, his childhood obsession with dinosaurs might have led you to think he would become a palaeontologist; Jared always had an interest in the natural world.  This would lead him to obtaining a BSc.(Biology) from the University of Waikato and a sense for all manner of things considered nerdy and slightly esoteric, from the tiny to the immense. Jared has spent 20ish years in the water and wastewater industry, with beginnings in the Hamilton WWTP laboratory, water and waste-water treatment operations and then trade waste officer for Waipa DC before joining BPO. With varied work in field monitoring, trade waste sampling and reporting as well as consulting on trade waste applications and improvements, he is also happily found in gumboots, gloves and overalls assisting peers in BPO group projects, H&S permits for confined space, and avoiding the unimaginable cosmic horrors lurking within the unending tunnels which lie unfathomably beneath our feet. And occasionally, when the stars align, he enjoys work on TV and film sets as a background extra (such as Epic NPC Man, Ash vs Evil dead, Letter for the King, and a Bud Knight superbowl commercial).

Topic: Inside the wretched scribblings from the lab: A beginner’s guide to interpreting trade waste results 

Senior Process Engineer, BPO

Stephan Heubeck is a Senior Process Engineer with BPO, based in Hamilton. He has an Agricultural Science degree from the University of Applied Science Weihenstephan – Triesdorf in Germany as well as a Masters in Environmental Engineering from Massey University / Palmerston North. Stephan has 20 years practical and theoretical experience in researching, planning, building, operating and optimizing industrial and municipal wastewater treatment systems, as well as anaerobic digestion systems for agricultural and industrial wastes. Stephan’s work scope has been broad, encompassing a wide range of high-tech and low-tech waste treatment configurations, as well as associated areas and processes, ranging from AD substrate logistics to biogas purification and from wastewater nutrient recycling to optimising the Greenhouse Gas impact of waste treatment systems. Beyond a range of scientific publications, Stephan has over the years contributed to and co-authored numerous guidelines and regulatory documents pertaining to waste management and GHG emissions in New Zealand and Australia. Stephan is a member of the Bioenergy Association of NZ (BANZ), the BANZ Biogas Interest Group (BIG), the Sustainable Energy Forum (SEF) Inc. and Methanet/NZOnet - the MPI scientific advisory group for the agricultural sections of the NZ GHG inventory. Stephan’s overarching goal is to help establish fit-for-purpose and future-proof waste and wastewater management systems throughout New Zealand, that follow closed loop recycling principles, maximise co-benefits, help to reduced fossil fuel use and contribute to the sustainability goals of municipalities, industry, agricultural and the whole country. 

Stormwater Ingress occurs much too often without consideration from Industrial sites into its impact on the sewer network and the final receiving waters in flood conditions.  A robust management plan on site would lead to reduced, recycled or reused stormwater in process applications rather than being discharged into sewer networks as contaminated stormwater.

Tauranga City Council Tradewaste team is working with Tradewaste industries in the city to mitigate stormwater ingress and this paper discusses the proposals it has taken to industries. We will look at few case studies of how these initiatives have resulted in improved management of stormwater onsite.

Trade Waste Specialist, Tauranga City Council 

Indran has been with TCC for the past 3 years, employed as a Trade Waste Specialist.  Originally from South Africa, Indran and his family emigrated to Aotearoa 3.5 years ago. He has 20 some odd years’ experience in the industry, having worked as a WWTP operator, Sampling Officer, Trade Effluent Technician and presently a Trade Waste Specialist. Work experience in the industry included operating extended aeration and biological nutrient removal WWTP’s, sampling and monitoring potable water, wastewater, rivers, dams, boreholes, and landfill leachate. Industrial trade waste experience included working with and monitoring Aluminium smelter/processing plant, Leather tanneries, Vegetable oil refineries, Paper and Pulp industries, electroplating and Food & beverage manufacturing industry. He has a postgraduate diploma in Environmental Engineering from the University of KwaZulu Natal. Interests are wide and varied and include lots of sport, tinkering with cars and motorbikes, woodworking, worm farms, plant growth towers. 

General Manager, MacTrap Ltd

Steve trained in Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control which resulted in a broad engineering background including electronic, pneumatic, and software controlled processes. He worked in Pulp and Paper and Petrochemical industries before becoming involved in the associated technologies of Information Technology and Telecommunications. More recently Steve was resident in the USA and was responsible for the International Business Development of a NZ developed SaaS product. After returning from the USA Steve found his way back into an engineering aligned field with the purchase of Mactrap in 2020.

Topic: From Telecommunications to Grease Traps 

Topic: Random Foaming Events Investigated in New Plymouth 

Topic: Trade Waste Across Boundaries