Our team
Learn more about our team and the people behind Northpower's transmission services.
As part of Northpower’s wider team of 1,250 staff, our transmission team comprises 180 transmission specialists located across the North Island in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Wellington.
We have specialist skills and capability to offer the full spectrum of HV and LV services for generation assets including:
- Transmission/distribution line mechanics (live line and de-energised)
- Underground cable installers
- Electrical/protection and commissioning technicians
- Communications and fibre optic technicians/jointers
- Electrical fitters
- Substation maintainers
- Cable jointers (up to 220kV)
- Tower painters
Introducing: Alissa Lacey
Alissa is an Estimator and Project Manager for our Central Transmission team and has worked at Northpower since 2012. Her career started when she studied electrical engineering at the completion of high school.
Alyssa began a holiday job with a local contractor assisting one of their project managers but enjoyed the work so much she stayed on with them as an engineering cadet, finishing her studies through distance learning.
The role of Estimator and Project Manager sees Alissa working on bids and planning upcoming work, as well as closing out jobs. “I enjoy seeing through the whole process of a project – from pricing, planning and seeing the final finished product. I work with a good group of people too,” she says.
There are some key skills involved in working as an Estimator and Project Manager says Alissa. "You have to have good planning and time management skills to keep on top of things, especially if you have multiple tenders and jobs on the go.”
Despite having worked on many projects over the years, there are a couple that stand out for Alissa. “The refurbishment of the Te Kaha substation was basically a rebuild of the whole site, replacing original equipment that was near the end of life expectancy,” she says.
“There were many stakeholders involved and a remote site, so it involved a lot of planning and coordination. I had a great team and they did an excellent job of delivering the works. It was very satisfying to see the plans come to fruition”.
More recently, Alissa enjoyed working on the Kawerau Substation upgrade, a substantial project that involved multiple stakeholders with a lot of planning and co-ordination involved to work with customer requirements. “We managed to complete the project almost to the original programme despite Covid-19 restrictions towards the end of the job.”
In the early days of her career, Alissa says the industry was very male-dominated. “It wasn’t unusual for me to be the only female on site. Initially it made me work harder to be better at my job and put more effort into understanding the work we do, to prove I should be there,” she says.
“Thankfully there were guys who were very supportive and accepting, helping me get to where I am today. The industry has changed a lot since I have been in it and it’s great to see more females choosing this career path.”
Introducing: Ezekiel Bidois
Ezekiel Bidois was a 16-year-old student at Hamilton Boys High when he first heard about Northpower’s Electricity Supply Level 2 programme in 2020.
After gaining a cadetship, Ezekiel worked throughout the year and graduated in December 2020.
He then secured a role at our Hamilton depot working in the Transmission substation team, where he’s learning about the electricity transmission network and is helping to maintain transmission substation equipment in the Waikato.
“Northpower is an awesome company to work for, and people are always happy to help”, says Ezekiel. “My advice to anyone considering applying for the cadet programme is to go for it!”
Ezekiel is an example of the commitment Northpower has towards creating career pathways within our industry, and facilitating the growth of new talent to our industry.