Article written by Charlie Sherratt – Business Leader Tauranga
We are proud to put the spotlight on Karly Shields, a dedicated mum and Chartered Professional Civil Engineer based remotely in Tairāwhiti, Gisborne. Karly has been a valued member of the Vitruvius team for three years and in early 2024 she returned to her hometown of Gisborne with her young family.
Karly moved away from the region for university in Christchurch and after completing her Civil Engineering degree, she worked in Wellington, London and Tauranga before the opportunity to move into the homestead she grew up in presented itself. Vitruvius were fully supportive of the move and welcomed the opportunity to connect into one of the most remote regions in the North Island.
Gisborne has had its fair share of challenges over the last couple of years including the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 followed by a further extreme rain event in June 2023. This was the perfect opportunity for Vitruvius to provide local support and considering three other team members in the Tauranga office (including myself) are from Gisborne, there was a particularly keen interest in seeing the region bounce back and flourish.
One of the challenges for Gisborne is its ability to attract skilled engineers, mostly due to its remoteness. Karly being a Chartered Professional Engineer specialising in Three Water Infrastructure Design brings much needed skills with experience in not only engineering design, but leading, procuring and providing contract administration and construction supervision on projects.
Over the past few months, Karly has been actively building relationships with the Gisborne District Council (GDC) which has resulted in her leading and delivering a number of three waters projects in the area.
We are proud to put the spotlight on Karly Shields, a dedicated mum and Civil Engineer based remotely in Tairāwhiti, Gisborne. Karly has been a valued member of the Vitruvius team for three years and in early 2024 she returned to her hometown of Gisborne with her young family.
Over the past few months, Karly has been actively nurturing relationships with the Gisborne District Council (GDC) which has resulted in her leading and delivering a number of three waters projects in the area. This isolated region has had its fair share of challenges over the last couple of years including the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 followed by a further extreme rain event in June 2023.
While our work hasn’t been directly related to the repair and resilience clean-up work, Karly’s local presence and support have been crucial for the GDC. Our pipeline of work is expected to increase into FY25.
Here are some of the key projects Karly has been leading;
- FY25 Water Main Renewals Karly is handling the preliminary and detailed design for the renewal of 7 separate sections of Asbestos Cement watermains throughout Gisborne. The total length of renewals and realignment is approximately 1.5 km
- Shelley Road Stormwater Karly is conducting assessments, optioneering and preliminary designs to address significant flooding issues on Shelley Road. Stage 1 of this project has received funding for construction with Vitruvius currently preparing for the detailed design and MSQA support.
- Graham Road Stormwater Upgrade Peer Review The GDC has sought Vitruvius’ expertise to peer review a $2M stormwater upgrade project. Karly and team are evaluation the cost effectiveness of the proposed solutions and considering alternative options.
Vitruvius is a relationship-based company and Karly’s proactive approach to building strong relationships and delivering well has laid a solid foundation for Vitruvius in the region. We are committed to strengthening our presence in Gisborne and the broader East Coast region, and our building our track record and reputation with other council organisations over the next few years.
Karly Shields, Civil Engineer