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NZ Army Engineers Honoured
22 August 2006
The New Zealand construction industry has acknowledged the “highest standards of professional competence, logistical excellence and vital role”, of the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers by bestowing them with a Special Award for their humanitarian and developmental construction work around the globe.
The corps was presented with a New Zealand Institute of Building Special Award at the construction industry’s annual awards dinner on 11 August.
The award, the first of its kind in New Zealand, was presented in recognition of their “commitment to excellence” and continuing achievements in the field of humanitarian and development construction, particularly in East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan and the south-west Pacific”.
New Zealand Institute of Building Awards for Excellence in the Building Professions are considered the industry’s highest honour. They are presented to individuals or teams who have pushed the boundaries and achieved exceptional accomplishments beyond the “norm”.
The commanding officer of 2 Engineer Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Phil Morrison; Lieutenant Keri Anderson; and Captain Neville Mosley travelled to Auckland to accept the award on behalf of the RNZE. LT Anderson and CAPT Mosely deployed to Niue to conduct cyclone recovery work during Ex Tropic Twilight last year, and both have led construction teams in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Chief of Army, Major General Lou Gardiner, commended the engineers: “The engineers are a vital asset to the New Zealand Army and the humanitarian work they conduct overseas makes a real difference to people affected by unrest and hardship. To be recognised by the New Zealand Institute of Building for this work has shown New Zealand that the Army Engineers are at the top of their profession.”
The president of the NZIOB, Bob Hall, told guests at the awards dinner that the building industry rarely gets a chance to pay tribute to the work of construction professionals in the New Zealand Defence Force.
“The work of the men and women of the NZ Defence Force sees a special group of New Zealanders perform to the highest standards of professional competence in high stress and often personally dangerous situations. Deployed overseas and equally highly relied on in times of domestic emergency relief operations, personnel of the NZ Defence Force are synonymous with logistical excellence and the development of practical solutions for humanitarian emergencies worldwide, as evidenced by their key role in a number of United Nations theatres of assistance.
“The NZIOB wishes to pay special tribute to the work of construction professionals within the NZ Defence Force. In doing so we state our appreciation, on behalf of our members and the broader New Zealand construction industry community, and dedicate this special award to celebrate the vital role the New Zealand Defence Force undertakes in the national and international community.”
Image caption: Engineers honoured. Presenter Hilary Barry, LT Anderson, CAPT Mosley and LT COL Morrison with the New Zealand Institute of Building Special Award. Download high-res image for print purposes [.jpg 596kb].
This page was last reviewed on 15 September 2006 and is current.
