Over the past few months, a taskforce of technical experts with a variety of engineering experience has been assembled by Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca to look for cost-saving solutions for Whakatāne district’s water services.

The Mayor’s Taskforce For Water had its first meeting in April and has since been familiarising itself with various aspects of Whakatāne District Council’s Three Water services, with support from chief executive Steven Perdia.

The six highly skilled individuals have volunteered to contribute their time, energy and skills for the benefit of the community.

In a report to Whakatāne District Council on Thursday, Dr Luca said the purpose of the taskforce was to “assist council to look outside the box for cost-saving solutions for meeting engineering challenges associated with water services’ delivery in Whakatāne district”.

“The team will contribute critical thinking, creative problem solving and sound advice, and act as a sounding board for council engineers.”

Among the aspects that make providing water services in Whakatāne district challenging is its large geographic area and that the district is comprised of a number of relatively large satellite communities; some quite geographically isolated.

Specific technical challenges facing the nine water supplies, six wastewater and eight stormwater schemes includes failing on-site wastewater systems, environmental compliance and network issues, poor location and resilience of some treatment plants, water intake and raw water quality issues, and network and servicing constraints.

The possible future integration of the Whakatāne-Ōhope and Plains-Otumahi water supply schemes was one of the suggestions that was discussed by the group.

Members of the Mayors Taskforce For Water

■ Derek Caudwell - Chemical engineer

Dr Caudwell was appointed Trust Horizon manager in January 2021, having previously been the general manager of Horizon Networks.

He has a PhD in chemical engineering and 15 years’ experience in the energy industry in New Zealand and overseas.

He also holds a diploma in financial management as well as a doctorate and honours in engineering.

■ Tyrone Newsom - Civil engineer

Chief executive of Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Mr Newsom has been a director at Te Kuaka, which provides project management and engineering services across health, commercial and mixed-use construction.

He was previously a development manager at Kiwi Property. He has worked for international companies Beca, McConnell Dowell and Ikea Malaysia.

He was the chief executive and then a board member for Te Puna Topu o Hokianga Trust and has served as a chairman for the Ritimana Kohanga Reo.

In 2007, he was named Young Engineer of the Year by the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand

■ Peter Minten - Process engineer

Dr Minten was born in The Netherlands and relocated to New Zealand in 2009. He has a Bachelors degree in Process Engineering from Amsterdam College for Marine Engineering – Ship power and Propulsion systems and a Masters in pulp & paper technology from HAN University, and a PhD.

Dr Mintenr has seven years of work experience in commercial marine and held several positions within the paper industry in The Netherlands and New Zealand, where he has held technology, operational and project management positions.

He retired from a position as a paper mill manager at Norske Skog Kawerau after 34 years. He has been a lean manufacturing specialist, according to Toyota Lean (The Toyota Way), since 2006.

■ Graeme Weston - Technical draftsperson

Mr Weston is a retired mechanical and infrastructure design specialist with over 40 years of experience delivering large-scale industrial and utility projects across New Zealand, Australia, and internationally.

His career spans pulp and paper, wastewater treatment, and renewable energy, with a focus on 3D plant modelling, piping design, and asset integration using advanced engineering tools.

Mr Weston is now based in the Eastern Bay, where he contributes to the Mayor’s Task Force for Water by advising on practical, cost-effective solutions for upgrading ageing infrastructure, improving asset data, and supporting long-term resilience planning.

■ Suzanne Naylor - Water & wastewater engineer

Ms Naylor is a chartered environmental engineer with extensive experience in water and wastewater management, both within municipal authorities and industry. She started  at Watercare in 2002, responsible for source/raw water management, dam safety, as well as water and wastewater networks and reticulation.

She also led the specialist environmental/water quality and technical support team, playing a pivotal role in compliance management and strategic leadership.

In 2023, she became general manager Water & Environment at Fonterra and has continued to champion sustainability initiatives  and has been a key figure in managing water and wastewater across Fonterra’s 30 manufacturing sites.

■ Dr Steven Northrop - Water engineer

Dr Northrop has a PhD in Water Resource Engineering, a Masters in Engineering Science, a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Hons) and a Diploma in Project Management.

He has significant experience in the industrial, chemical, water, waste and environmental sectors.

His PhD developed low-cost processes to minimise environmental impacts from wastewater and solid residuals on land, marine and freshwater discharges. Dr Northrop has managed water (process and potable), wastewater and solids residuals handling assets with a strong track record of process improvement.