When we reflect on a year past, we typically remember the highs and the lows, the successes, the challenges and the learnings. 2022 has had many of these, yet we also need to look at the in-between consistent foundation that has kept us resilient and moving forward – our people and relationships.

With the Soccer World Cup coming to an end, we are reminded that a successful team consists of players and staff with many different skillsets, disciplines and responsibilities – a good arrangement for when a team is charged to perform their work under ever-changing conditions, much like all of us had to do over the past few years.

A Champion Soccer team succeeds by applying a mindset that recognises a mutual dependency between its staff, coaches, and players, applying their joint skillsets and ultimately resulting in true collaborative teamwork – a pathway to success (and maybe a World Cup, or even better, some great environmental outcomes!).

In the Stormwater sector we pay tribute not only to our extraordinary internal team, but also to our leadership, partners, our suppliers, Consultants, Councils, Iwi, Civil, Drainage & Maintenance Contractors and everyone else who continue to work tirelessly towards doing the right thing by the environment.

At the end of 2022, Stormwater360 can accurately state that we are stronger than yesterday, because of our people, including you. We have built some excellent relations with like-minded individuals and entities and can truly say that the sum of the whole is larger than the total of the individual components combined. Through this collaboration, we are collectively now treating 10’s of thousands of m³ of stormwater treatment flows per second, throughout Aotearoa before it discharges into our waterways.

On the technology front, we’re excited about the way green infrastructure is getting more and more traction in water sensitive urban design, large roading projects and larger scale subdivisions. The Filterra and Filterra Bisocape with its small footprint continues to be at the forefront of proprietary green infrastructure, and we’re thinking large stormwater parks treating vast catchments and targeting complex contaminants such as nutrients (amongst others).

The” Enviropod” Littatrap continues to roll out internationally, and while it is challenging accessing the global market, their strong regulatory frameworks create a platform for best practices and good environmental outcomes – a space where Littatrap thrives.

We will continue our local pursuit of such regulatory standards as we learn from abroad and look with interest (and a readiness to contribute) at the upcoming reforms and how they will address this important topic. There can be no compromise to the standards we set ourselves, even more so to how we manage, operate and maintain these.

We have recently rolled out our formal Maintenance Contractor Training Certification programme to address the big elephant that is maintenance, and we congratulate those who have taken this up within their own responsibility to the environment.

No doubt the challenges will continue into 2023, yet we will overcome these by working together in thought-leadership, providing innovative technological solutions, and acknowledging and respecting our mutual responsibility to our environment within our respective disciplines.

As always, our passion burns strongly, and we look forward to working with you in the next year.

Kia kaha!