Mercury NZ

We’re delighted to be signing the Pride Pledge 🏳️⚧️ (https://pridepledge.co.nz/) joining a network of over 300 other organisations who have also taken this step.  With this visible commitment, we will expand our network and create more opportunities for our rainbow community, including our internal Pride Network, to connect with businesses across the motu. This pledge underscores our genuine dedication to the safety, visibility, and inclusion of our rainbow communities. Rainbow inclusion is an ongoing journey, not a destination. This pledge marks a significant milestone for Mercury on this path. 👣 🌈

Watch this time-lapse video. 🎥 Another critical task has been completed by our delivery partner ANDRITZ Hydro. After 75 years of service, the generator rotor from Karāpiro G3 has been removed for the final time. Its replacement is already in the loading bay, ready for installation next year. 🚧🔧 The full project to upgrade our Karāpiro hydro power station is on track for completion by the end of 2025. This upgrade will extend the station’s lifespan by another 50 years and boost its efficiency in generating renewable electricity. 🌱⚡ The station’s output will increase by 17%, providing enough new renewable power for approximately 19,000 New Zealand homes! 🏡🌏

We’re thrilled to share that our friends at @BigStreetBikers have just launched their Whangārei Network, installing 10 Locky Docks at popular spots across the city! 🚴♂️🔒 This expansion brings the Locky Dock footprint to over 70 stations in 9 cities across the motu. 🌏 Our Executive GM Sustainability Lucie Drummond says, “Mercury has been a cornerstone supporter of Big Street Bikers since day one. We love the positive impact Locky Docks have on towns and cities. We’re excited to see more Whangārei locals use bikes, e-bikes and scooters, as convenient and cleaner ways to get around.” Councillor Cr Scott McKenzie, a Whangārei District Councillor and member of the Walking and Cycling Advisory Group added, “I'm thrilled to see Locky Docks being installed around Whangārei. It's fantastic to have such high-quality bike parking infrastructure in our city, with minimal cost to the council, thanks to a public-private partnership with Locky Dock. “Just like drivers, cyclists need safe, convenient parking in town. These docks provide secure storage for all bikes and are ideal for e-bike riders who might otherwise worry about the risk of theft when parking. The Docks are accessible from the shared path network and are thoughtfully placed to avoid disrupting pedestrians or taking up any car parks. It's a win-win for everyone.” 🌟 🚴♂️🔒 📸 Pictured: (L-R) Nick Vile (oOh! Media), Andrew Charlesworth, Mayor Vince Cocurullo, and Cleve Cameron

We’ve had an awesome week hosting Te Hemi Polkinghorne from Tarawera High School at our Kawerau geothermal power station! 🌋⚡ A big part of our community engagement around our power stations and wind farms is building a positive presence. While that often means getting outside the fence, meeting, and supporting our neighbours, it’s also about welcoming local people into our operations to meet us and see what we do. At Kawerau, we’ve been in discussion with Maria Puutu (Careers Advisor) to set up a work experience placement for Tarawera High School students. During his work experience, Te Hemi got hands-on with power distribution board checks, motor disconnections & re-connections, and instrumentation checks & calibrations. His enthusiasm and eagerness to learn were truly inspiring. Te Hemi is aspiring to become an electrician, and he shared, “Working alongside the team at Kawerau has given me a fantastic insight into how everything operates.” In the photo, you can see Te Hemi with our Site Lead at Kawerau, Jeremy Rapana, who had this to say: “Te Hemi is a very driven young man who knows where he wants to go. He’s respectful, diligent, and keen to be involved.” We’re excited to see where Te Hemi’s journey takes him next! 🚀

We’re bringing a whole new level of buzz with our new brand platform, which showcases the buzzworthy things Kiwis get up to when they’re connected to our energy, broadband and mobile services. Our Brand Strategy and Experience Manager Michaela Chilton says, “We have transformed significantly over the past two years, expanding our services and integrating new offerings as we work towards our ambition of being New Zealand’s leading home service provider.     “This new platform captures the optimism and energy that has always been at the heart of our brand and continues to drive us forward as we deliver on our brand promise of ‘Accelerating the Power of Connection’ for Kiwis now and into the future.” A big thank you to our creative and media partner, FCB Aotearoa, NZ, for their support in bringing this new platform to life.

🛠 We’re proud to be helping support the next generation of engineering talent, some of whom we hope will one day be working in this awesome sector! The First Year Engineering Design Challenge at the The University of Waikato in Hamilton was a fantastic showcase of the innovative spirit we cherish in our future engineers with a boat race to rival the excitement of the America’s Cup. Senior Lecturer Rob Torrens more about this invaluable learning experience, which sees students go from planning to building and testing their designs. 🚤 #Mercury #UniversityofWaikato #Engineers

It’s International Control Room Week – a perfect time to celebrate our incredible colleagues across the country whose mahi keeps the lights on and power flowing to New Zealand homes and businesses. 🌟 In August this year we opened our new, custom-designed Central Control Room at the Ngā Awa Pūrua geothermal power station which delivers remote operations capability for our Ngā Awa Pūrua, Rotokawa and Ngā Tamariki geothermal sites. Designed and delivered in partnership with Honeywell, our operators, engineers, and maintainers played a crucial role in shaping the technical and spatial design requirements. Their insights were invaluable, especially during the critical review of Geothermal Controller tasks, ensuring we meet the complexities of both normal operations and emergency scenarios. Our Centralised Operations Team now enjoys a world-class workspace, complete with advanced Human Machine Interface (HMI) screens that allow seamless monitoring of all sites from one central control desk. The ergonomic design, lighting, and sound systems are top-notch, creating an environment that fosters efficiency and well-being The Central Control Room is a massive achievement for Mercury, that delivers on our strategic objectives by unleashing our people’s full potential in a modern and safe environment – enabling them to deliver operational efficiency and maximise the performance of our assets.

🌟A big shout out to our project team working on the addition of a fifth generating unit at our Ngā Tamariki geothermal station. On site, the Air Cooler Condenser structure is rising, and our current focus is on prepping the foundations for the major equipment (heat exchangers, turbine, feed pumps, and more) which set sail 🚢 in September and is expected to arrive in Tauranga by the end of November. The new transformer is being manufactured and will be shipped from Indonesia at the end of December In the meantime, our sub-contractors, Connell Contractors, are hard at work on its foundations, while Ventia is diligently installing the T3 Protection and Revenue Metering Panel and preparing to lay the cable tray in the ducting for the 11kV connection. 👷🚧 A big thanks to Seays Earthmovers, who have already completed 90% of the cable ducting that will connect the new unit to Bay 3.👷♂️    Once operational this new unit will boost renewable energy generated at the station by 46MW, enough power for around 55,000 households annually 🌍💡

Have a read of this interview with our Executive GM Sustainability Lucie Drummond - as part of Powrsuit's Partner Spotlight series. https://lnkd.in/gd__GuaW

We’re proud to support the communities where we generate electricity and where many of our team members live and work. Our community funds are designed to back local groups and their projects, helping to care for people, places, and the future. We have community funds for Taupō, Kawerau, Manawatū, Tauranga, Oamaru, Kaiwera Downs (near Gore) and Waipipi (between Waverly and Patea). Each fund opens for applications at different times of the year. For instance, applications for the Waipipi wind farm fund and the Manawatū fund are open now, while Oamaru and Tauranga funds will open on November 1st. Discover more about each fund, including past grant recipients, on our website here: https://lnkd.in/gMpbFDGA