This week we are Ringing the Bell with Yaldhurst School Tōtara Tūkaha!

The students and teachers are enjoying the two new, modern open-plan teaching spaces, replacing three demolished classrooms.

Inovo was initially engaged by the Ministry of Education in an Engineer to the Contract role. As the project progressed, Inovo was further entrusted with project management responsibilities, guiding the delivery through all phases of the project’s delivery.

This $4.5 million Design and Build project had to be completed in stages to ensure continuity of school operations. Working in a live school environment meant that we had to meticulously plan to ensure the health and safety of the staff and students at the school. The creation of the teaching spaces will futureproof Yaldhurst School Tōtara Tūkaha for enrolment growth and modern teaching practices.

It will also set the scene to allow the school to proudly celebrate its 150th anniversary in two years time.

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Inovo has welcomed the opportunity to engage some new talent to the team in surveying and civil engineering. The new recruits have been brought in to support our busy Land Development team based out of our Christchurch offices, and also as Inovo expands Land Development services into our Auckland market.

Sanna Soederlind has joined Inovo in a newly created role of Land Development Lead, Auckland. While Inovo have had an Auckland-based Project Management and Project Planning team since 2018, the business saw the opportunity to lean into our highly skilled and experienced civil engineering, surveying and planning Christchurch teams, and offer our Land Development services to the Auckland market.

A Chartered Professional Engineer, Sanna has an excellent working knowledge of the Auckland Unitary Plan and Engineering codes of practice.

She is extremely competent in three waters and site access design, with an excellent understanding of the overall development process, project management and client deliverables. She comes to Inovo having spent nearly five years as Civil Engineering Team Lead and Associate at a well-respected Auckland Civil Engineering firm. “I’m looking forward to what this new chapter will bring” says Sanna.

Meanwhile, two graduates have joined the Inovo Christchurch office as they commence their careers in Land Development.

Linda Bos has joined us as a Graduate Civil Engineer, having just completed her degree at Canterbury University and has decided to stay on in Christchurch post-degree. Linda chose civil engineering as she’s always enjoyed sciences and maths and wanted a job where she can really make an impact and help people.

Josh Taylor has graduated with a Bachelor of Surveying from Otago University and has joined us as a Graduate Surveyor. Josh grew up around construction, which led him to a career in surveying. He grew up in the Wairapapa, and moved to Christchurch after finishing Uni. He says Christchurch is a great place to live, he’s got good mates here, and that there seems to be lots for young people in the region.

Both Josh and Linda join several others in the Inovo team who started as graduates and have had the opportunity to grow their skillsets, experience and roles through our graduate programme.

We’re excited to have Sanna, Linda and Josh in the Land Development team – they will soon be engaged in some of the interesting and varied projects that Inovo works on.

The Inovo Team was honoured with not one, but two, Excellence Awards at last Friday’s Property Council Awards evening in Auckland. The properties received awards in two different categories and are set in two diversely different environments - testament to the comprehensive range of agile services that Inovo is able to offer its valued clients.

FLOCKHILL Homestead received Excellence in the Tourism and Leisure category. As a luxury accommodation tucked against the Southern Alps in the Craigieburn Valley, environmental considerations were at the heart of this project. This included how the building and landscaping integrated with the surrounding landscape, building and ongoing resource use, future-proofing, embodied carbon and operational performance. The project drew on services across Inovo including resource consenting, surveying, civil engineering and project  planning & management.

Te Mātāwai (Greys Ave), a multi-building, multi-unit urban apartment complex in the heart of Auckland city was designed as a diverse, supportive and connected community where residents can build positive social networks and have accessible services that will support their health, well-being and personal development.

Inovo has been involved with both of these projects since inception, guiding redevelopment plans, establishing robust project plans, governance, stakeholder management and best-practice project management resulting in solutions that exceeded the clients’ expectations.

With 141 nominations across 11 categories, the Property Council Awards are representative in the very best of design, innovation, sustainability, construction and financially sound projects completed across New Zealand.