Contact Energy (Contact) was thrilled to win two awards at the 2023 NZ Energy Excellence Awards held in Christchurch on Wednesday 30 August. These annual awards celebrate achievement across our country’s energy sector.

We were thrilled and humbled to win the Well-being Award for our ‘Growing your Whānau Policy’. This award celebrates energy sector excellence in caring for employees. Judges said our entry was a standout in its focus and impact.

“The policy is extraordinary in its empowerment of whānau. It enables flexibility and choice for families to design a support system that works for them. It also seeks to address the stigma and potential career implications for women choosing to have kids.”

Our Chief People Experience Officer, Jan Bibby accepted the award on behalf of Contact and said it’s a huge acknowledgement of our trail-blazing policy. “Introducing this policy is just one way we’re working towards being one of the most sought-after workplaces.”

Contact’s Head of Wind and Solar, Matthew Cleland won the Young Energy Professional of the Year award, much to the pride of the business. Judges said they were impressed with Matthew’s contribution and leadership across Contact’s business - from negotiating electricity swaption agreements, closure of Otahuhu B, negotiating PPAs for Tauhara, involvement in the establishment of the Dryland carbon partnership, and heading up Contact’s wind and solar development group.

“Matthew is viewed as an empathetic, motivated, and intelligent leader by his colleagues, peers, and external partners.”

In his acceptance speech, Matthew said, “One of the great things about these awards is that we get the chance to dig beneath the surface, and hear the stories of innovation, passion and hard mahi that fuels our nation.

“Our CEO, Mike Fuge often reminds us that we are at the start of a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a meaningful difference for New Zealand through the work we do. That’s something I don’t take lightly and provides the context to make sure my decisions and the decisions I have input into strike the right balance across environmental, economic, social and reliability outcomes.”

Contact was also finalist for the second year in the Energy Retailer of the Year, which reflects the incredibly hard mahi that goes on behind the scenes across the retail business.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners!

Read more about the awards here on Energy News.

Media enquiries

Jody Bowman
Senior Communications Advisor
+ 64 210 295 3732
jody.bowman@contactenergy.co.nz