MWH Global Engineer wins Pre-eminent Award at Water New Zealand Awards 2015

Rainer Hoffman, Asia Pacific chief process engineer, has been chosen as the Ron Hicks’ Memorial Award winner for 2015, for his paper on the Solar Drying facility MWH developed, designed, and delivered for the Selwyn District Council’s Eastern Selwyn Sewerage Scheme (ESSS) at Rolleston. MWH Global also previously also won the 2014 New Zealand Engineering Excellence Award (Water, Waste and Amenities) and the 2014 IPWEA Engineering Excellence Award (Projects over $10M) for this project.

The Ronald Hicks Memorial Trust Fund was established in 1984 to recognise and commemorate the contribution that Ron Hicks made to water and wastewater management in New Zealand from the mid-1950s until his death in 1983.

Ron joined the Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Board from the UK as Chief Chemist at the time when the Manukau Sewerage Purification Works was under development.
He became widely respected as an international authority on domestic and industrial wastewater treatment practices, and it was through his efforts 1957 to 1959 that the NZ Sewage and Industrial Wastes Association, the forerunner of Water New Zealand, was formed.

Ron Hicks legacy is remembered annually through the Ronald Hicks Memorial Award made to the author(s) of an article or paper considered significant in solving or clarifying sewage treatment or water pollution problems in New Zealand.

Rainer’s award tops off a highly successful conference for MWH in New Zealand, with Water NZ the largest water conference in New Zealand. There was an extremely well-attended client dinner and a strong technical representation by staff presenting papers.