meet your executive committee - michael whaley

Congratulations on your 2024 Engineering New Zealand Fellowship Award! What would you say are the greatest changes you have seen over your years in the industry?

I think the industry commercialisation that occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s has had a huge effect on how we do things. These changes brought needed amalgamations in the distribution sector and provided development opportunities for many people, but they also resulted in the industry-led training establishments being closed down. They impacted the capex-opex tradeoff – I recall as a young engineer arranging to extend some 60-year-old, pitch filled switchgear and we had the skilled people that could do it – I doubt anyone would even contemplate that nowadays. Yet I perceive many people in our industry are still motivated more by service to the community than by commercial ends.

You have been a member of the EEA Executive Committee since 2007. What is the unique value the EEA brings to the sector?

One of the EEA’s strengths is that it brings people together from all sectors of the electricity supply industry. It is well trusted by government agencies, the EEA has successfully pushed for industry-led guides as an alternative to regulation. The EEA is involved in so many things, much more than organising a good annual conference. It took me several years to appreciate the vast array of issues and stakeholders with whom the EEA is involved.

What are the greatest challenges EEA members face in meeting the objectives of the EEA 2050 transformation strategy?

One challenge is about effective communication. The EEA gets involved in some quite complex things that can significantly affect industry operations. It is not uncommon for a five or 10-year time lag between publishing an EEA guide and its contents becoming well embedded within the industry. Through involvement in working groups and forums, EEA members can have a greater appreciation of the content of guides, and the context within which they sit. How the EEA transforms itself into something new without losing its strong pedigree will also be challenging.

What areas of the industry are you most passionate about and why?

One of my passions is about people capability and training. With increasing asset renewal and electrification amidst an aging workforce, I think the capability of our people, particularly technician engineers, substation maintainers, cable jointers and line mechanics, needs more strategic focus than it is currently getting. We established the Capability Development Group within the EEA, (read more here) to try to raise the profile of people capability.

Now that Waihanga Ara Rau’s Strategic Reference Group has been established, we are considering what roles EEA should take. Ideally the electricity supply industry would be taking its own accountability for the training of its people, setting the curriculums and properly financing it without the vagaries of political cycles and government funding. Seeing pockets of that happening is encouraging (such as Northpower and Connetics), but we do need to be working from a common data pool, coordinating our action and building our collaboration to ensure we can meet the needs of the future. The EEA has a key role to play here and the resources to drive this forward.

On a different note as I have been reviewing the new version of the EEA’s Power Quality guide. (Get your copy from the Knowledge Network!). It has been interesting to appreciate that new inverters and vehicle chargers with supra switching speeds can create some quirky power quality disturbances for electricity consumers. I foresee these new devices will mean our fault switchers need more access to specialist engineer support.

What motivates you personally and resulted in you taking this leadership role for the industry?

Really it comes down to believing I can make a difference. Initially I was seconded onto the committee thinking I could follow in Bryan Simmonds’ footsteps after he resigned. Since then I have really enjoyed serving on the committee. Either I or others around me have seen opportunities to get into something new that could improve the way the industry does things, such as when we created the Asset Health Indicators guide (You will find it on our Knowledge Network). I have never been bored in our industry - there is always something new to get involved in.

We are talking to you as the 2023/2024 summer is in full swing – what do summer holidays bring for you and your family?

Recently I have been getting into some bikepacking. There are lots of country roads to explore around Taranaki. My plans to do a bikepacking tour this summer are taking a backseat to help my mum to sell her property in the Hokianga. Last summer, I took my daughter to central Otago for a “just left school” combination of tramping, cycling, kayaking and horse trekking which was thoroughly enjoyable. Before Christmas, my wife and I did wine tasting and lavender visiting in south Wairarapa, a lovely part of the world.