New Zealand Security Awards celebrates industry excellence

A glittering gala dinner event at Auckland’s Hilton Hotel witnesses stories of inspiration and heroism as this year’s awards celebrate Aotearoa’s finest security professionals.

It was in many ways a return. A much anticipated return to the traditional in-person format after two years of lockdown-necessitated online offerings. A much appreciated return of the one-and-only Te Radar to the MC role. And, importantly, a return to the past as we acknowledged the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NZSA.

With 270 guests in attendance, this was a highly anticipated event, and it didn’t disappoint. NZSA CEO Gary Morrison had earlier commented on the number and quality of award nominations received, and the calibre of finalists and winners amply demonstrated that 2022 was going to be a big edition of the awards.

The judging process The judges independently score each candidate based on their alignment with the criteria specified in the nomination documentation and the scores are then subjected to a moderation process that ensures any abnormally high or low scores are challenged before being aggregated to determine the winner by category.

Where any judge has a potential conflict of interest, they are removed from judging that candidate and the average score from the remaining judges is applied. The highest score over all the categories is then put forward for the Ian Dick Memorial Award for the Security Professional of the Year.

The winners

Security Trainer or Workplace Assessor of the Year Sponsored by Skills, this award celebrates those who have made a difference to improving security practiced via training and recognises the individual who has consistently promoted outstanding performance and produced quantifiable results that have benefitted the organisation and its workers and customers. The finalists were: • Bailey Gaines, Red Badge Group • Michael Rowland, Allied Security /

The Learning Place • Senio Alai-Stowers, Platform 4

Group Senio has worked for over 20 years in the security industry and has a natural talent in understanding the importance of individuals learning styles.

He is described as “not only being a great security trainer, but also a fantastic people trainer. His enthusiasm to learn is contagious. His delivery style develops quality staff. Leadership, mentoring, training, workplace assessing – if only we had more people like him the security industry would be much better off.

A venue manager commented “working with Senio has always been a pleasure, he is always professional, and task focused and continually delivers best practice”.

Michael Pepper Award for Outstanding Security Training Initiative Sponsored by Skills, this award recognises the organisation that has made a difference to improving the uptake and outcomes of industry training through the introduction and support of innovative and effective security training initiatives.

The recipient organisation will have demonstrated a commitment towards enabling staff to use the NZQA national qualification framework as a means towards personal and professional development and growth and in achieving positive outcomes. The finalists were: • Red Badge Group • Tātaki Auckland Unlimited • The Learning Place

The winner of the Michael Pepper Award for Outstanding Security Training Initiative is Red Badge Group.

This award recognises the Red Badge Academy initiative – an online and app-based learning management system. This has allowed the organisation to integrate all learning and development onto a single platform to support in-person training sessions and to allow team members nationwide access to learning opportunities from the palm of their hand.

The availability of the Level 3 course on the platform has allowed increased accessibility to both managers and learners. Additionally reporting functions to support learners through their development journey has been extremely beneficial in encouraging users and increased visibility in tracking progress.

Cash Services Professional of the Year Sponsored by Skills, this award recognises the excellence, commitment and professionalism of those working within the Cash Services sector and including those involved in providing the cash-in-transit and cash-floor services.

The award will be presented to the individual that has gone beyond what could have been expected of them in providing a level of service that exceeds the customer and/or managers expectations. The recipient will be a person who inspires others within the team and sets the highest standards. The finalists were: • Anton Britts, Armourguard

Security • Temo Vakasausau, Armourguard

Security

The winner of the award for Cash Services Professional of the Year is Temo Vakasausau.

Temo always goes above and beyond to help develop an outstanding Cash Floor tram. She worked as a night processor before transferring into the Cash Supply/ATM team where she is thriving and constantly looking to improve.

Temo has introduced a number of initiatives that have improved operational performance and is now involved in training new staff. She is a vital member of the Dunedin Branch and is always willing to go the extra step and her strong work ethic continually motivates those she works with.

Electronic Trainee of the Year Sponsored by e-tec, this award recognises an individual who has made outstanding progress in professional development and training in their role in the electronic sector of the security industry.

The winner is an individual who has displayed commitment towards training and achieving results through the NZQA national qualification framework. The recipient is a person who inspires others and always leads by example. The finalists were: • Brad Williams, Watchu Security • Nicholas Kirk, Advanced Security

Group Ltd • Tipene Henare, Optic Security

Group

The winner of the award for Electronic Trainee of the Year is Tipene Henare.

One year into his training, Tipene has exhibited all the traits one would hope to see in a star trainee. These include: (i) His enthusiasm and willingness to learn new skills, (ii) A mature and impressive level of professionalism, (iii) Ability to develop positive relationships with his peers, and (iv) Excellent communication skills.

Tipene’s ability prompted his Regional Manager to state “This kid was born to be a security technician – he lives and breathes it. He’s just turned 21 and is a technical genius! He’s doing 5th to 6th year work technically that you would expect from a qualified and experienced security technician. A star in the making!”

Outstanding Skills for Industry Employee of the Year Sponsored by the Ministry of Social Development, this award recognises an individual who has gained full-time employment through the MSD/NZSA Skills for Industry initiative and has excelled in their role, be it in protective security or electronic security related.

The recipient is a person who will have displayed those attributes valued by employers and identified themselves as deserving of a long-term and successful career in the security industry.

The singular finalist was Alex Xia of Allied Security, who was also named winner of the award for Outstanding Skills for Industry Employee of the Year.

Alex commenced employment in February this year and was originally placed in a customer focused role with a DHB. His ability to communicate, establish relationships and demonstrate situational awareness saw him quickly promoted into a demanding core security role within the hospital security team.

Alex has continued to impress with his ability to communicate and de-escalate situations and has become a valuable asset to the customer and wider Allied security team.

Security Administrator of the Year Sponsored by simPRO, this award recognises excellence, commitment and professionalism for those who provide the vital administrative functions that support every business. The individual will have demonstrated not only excellent technical skills but also outstanding customer service, high levels of innovation and superb time management.

The recipient will be widely respected and valued as a critical cog in the success of the organisation. The finalists were: • Claire Moore, Armourguard

Security • Joanna Marsh, FIRST Security

Guard Services Ltd • Judith Paterson, Armourguard

Security

The winner of the award for Security Administrator of the Year is Joanna Marsh.

Joanna is recognised as the go to person by the First Security sales and operations teams and their customers.

According to FIRST’s General Manager Sales Jemima Briggs “Jo is hugely committed and exudes professionalism. She is that unsung hero that enables everything from operations to client relationships to run smoothly. The level of support Jo gives to the sales and operations teams allows everyone to be more effective in their own roles”.

A key customer says ”Jo exemplifies consistently superior levels of time management. She is exceptional at replying to emails and keeping in touch. She consistently fulfils our operational requests and always advises of any information we need to be aware of.”

Design and Support Electronic Sector Professional of the Year Sponsored by Rothbury Insurance Brokers, this award recognises the excellence, commitment and professionalism of those providing design and support services to the electronic sector of the security industry.

This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated not only technical expertise but also exemplary customer service and continually meets or exceeds best practice. The recipient is a person who provides a valuable role within the business and sets high standards. The finalists were: • Hennie Lombard, Gallagher • Jonathan Welsh, Advanced Security

Group Ltd • Lee Ashton, Optic Security Group

The winner of the award for Design and Support Electronic Sector Professional of the Year is Lee Ashton.

As Optic’s Senior Design Engineer,

Lee is responsible for the design and technical scope of a range of projects. Lee brings a deep understanding of complicated solution builds and integration, having worked on some of the most secure and complex sites in New Zealand where there is little room for error and sound design and decision making is paramount.

Lee’s nomination was supported by a number of customer referees who consistently highlight his amazing technical skills, his ability to deliver solutions to scope and on time and his exemplary customer skills.

Install and Service Electronic Sector (SME) Technician of the Year Sponsored by Gallagher, this award is specific to SMEs with five or less technicians in their employment and recognises excellence, commitment and professionalism of those operating as Security Technicians and providing installation and/or service duties.

The award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated not only technical expertise but also exemplary customer service and continually meets or exceeds best practice. The recipient is a person who provides a valuable role within the business and sets incredibly high standards. The finalists were: • Linda Halverston, Matrix Security

Group • Melisha Mar, BC Security Limited

The winner of the award for Install and Service Electronic Sector (SME) Technician of the Year is Melisha Mar.

Over the last seven years Melisha has developed exceptional expertise and know how in terms of designing, developing and delivering IT Security Network projects on time and within budget.

She has a unique ability to completely understand a project from beginning to end as well as the ability to explain it to others where required, including the client. A key customer states “Melisha has always been an absolute pleasure to work with and goes out of her way to deliver projects to the highest standard and in a timely manner.” Communication Centre Operator of the Year Sponsored by Gallagher, this award recognises excellence, commitment and professionalism within the “Communications Centre Operator” sector of the industry.

The individual(s) will have demonstrated a high degree of technical competence and an outstanding level of service delivery that consistently exceeds customers (be they internal or external) expectations. The recipient is a person(s)who inspires others and sets incredibly high standards. The finalists were: • April Tanga, Watchdog Security

Group • Iaana Tawha, FIRST Security

Guard Services Ltd • Leanne Larkins, Matrix Security

Group Ltd

The winner of the Communications Centre Operator of the Year is Leanne Larkins.

Leanne has worked in the Matrix Security Communications Centre for 14 years. She is dedicated, efficient and unfailingly punctual.

She has the highest degree of technical competence in the Comms Centre and delivers training for all new starters on monitoring signals and emergency procedures. Leanne also steps into the Despatch role which requires accurate and timely response with frontline staff.

Leanne has on many occasions demonstrated the ability to resolve issues and handle difficult situations with remarkable patience and admirable tact. In the team she is trusted and respected for her teamwork, always making a difference by going over and beyond what is expected. She is a well- respected

Security Consultant of the Year Sponsored by Gallagher, this award recognises the Security Consultant who has demonstrated outstanding performance in their role. Consultants often play a key role in offering expertise and insight that can transform the quality and effectiveness of service, product or system that is offered.

It recognises the existence of distinct skill sets and crucially, the way they are harnessed and managed, to make a substantial and quantifiable difference to the security strategy and/ or practice of their customers. The recipient will be a strong proponent of industry best practice, will be suitably qualified and experienced and be a person who inspires others and sets incredibly high standards. The finalists were: • Jo Lloyd, Straif Security Specialists • Matthew Wood, October

Protection • Ravina Ram, Matrix Security

Group Ltd

The winner of the award for Security Consultant of the Year is Jo Lloyd.

Jo co-owns a small Wellington based security consultancy. She operates as a principal consultant providing expert threat-driven and risk-based advice and assistance to government agencies, local government and private sector entities.

Her nomination states “Jo has never shied away from taking responsibility for a task, volunteering for difficult or short-notice operational requirements, including conducting a security review programme for the MIQ quarantine facilities when they were first established. Where Jo has really stood out is her willingness to support her colleague’s development through mentoring and the provision of technical advice and assistance.

Customers all comment favourably on Jo’s wealth of knowledge and practical experience in protective security requirements and bringing the requirements into day-to-day operational delivery.

Outstanding New Product or Service of the Year Sponsored by Optic Security Group, this award celebrates an organisation that has locally developed and delivered technical innovation and excellence in the security sector. The product or service must have been developed in New Zealand and be recognised as “best in field” and “market leading” and provide clear differentiation over competitor offerings. The finalists were: • Crosbies Security Limited – Smart

Solar Towers • FIRST Security Guard Services Ltd – WelfareFirst • Gallagher – SMB Key Tags

The winner of the award for Outstanding New Product or Service is Crosbies Security Limited for their Smart Solar Towers.

Crosbie’s are a family-owned solar security company based in Pukekohe. The Smart Solar Towers are the pillar of the businesses success and are designed and built by the Crosbie’s team in Pukekohe and in excess of 70% of componentry is manufactured in New Zealand, along with in-house software development.

The Smart Solar Towers provide high quality camera coverage and are packed with software features including people detection, luggage removal analytics, alarming capability and more. To date there are 288 Smart Solar Towers in operation across the nation.

The focus of the Towers is to stop the crime occurring in the first instance and in the last 12 months, in excess of 350 calls have been made to Police to alert them to suspicious activity occurring on sites. When a genuine activation occurs, the spotlights come on and the 110 decibal siren thunders a spoken warning at the offenders instructing them to leave the site. It sends them running!

Security Integrator of the Year Sponsored by Hikvision, this award recognises an individual or an organisation who has embraced the role of integrators in bringing together security subsystems into a whole and ensuring those subsystems function together effectively.

The recipient will have demonstrated technical expertise, sound knowledge of security risk and needs assessments, exemplary customer service and consistently delivers a physical security programme that is supportive of a healthy enterprise. The finalists were: • Advanced Security Group Ltd • ARC Security team - Andrew

Chuter, Rachel Chuter, Jayne

Wright, Kyle King, Matt Watts,

Carlos Timms, Brocke Reti,

Herman Sevenster, Rodney Ward and Devon Philpott • Optic Security Group team - Lee

Ashton, Karl Philbin, Bartho

Huyser and Sam Xie

The winner of the award for Security Integrator of the Year is Advanced Security Group Ltd.

Advanced Security has been part of the electronic security landscape since 2002 and has seen tremendous growth during this time. The company now has 16 offices around New Zealand meaning that they are located where their customers are.

The company values its people, capability, customers and growth. That means that people and communities are the first building block of the business. They ensure the team has the capability they need to deliver the technical requirements of their customers to the highest degree.

As a demonstration of their capability, the nomination for Advanced Security Group Ltd provided overviews of landmark projects including the Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch.

Customer Champion of the Year Sponsored by Hikvision, this award recognises an individual in the role of Business Development Manager, Sales Consultant or Sales Manager who has demonstrated outstanding performance in their role. These roles require a high degree of operational skill and knowledge together with demonstrated empathy towards understanding their customers business needs and meeting the required outcomes.

The recipient is an individual with a history of developing close and long-standing relationships with their customers and is viewed as providing a substantial and quantifiable benefit to the customers business operations. The finalists were: • John Dumelow, Gallagher • Karl Philbin, Optic Security Group • Richard Sissons, Advanced Security

The winner of the award for Customer Champion of the Year Category is John Dumelow.

A true customer champion for Gallagher, JD has been with the business for over 25 years, managing sales for different parts of New Zealand – and at one point, the whole country – at various times throughout his career.

One of the things that JD is best known for is his phenomenal relationship building skills. Over his many years with Gallagher, he has built long-lasting and established relationships across the industry with customers, Channel Partners, and Gallagher staff alike. He has an outstanding memory for people’s names, their role, and – where applicable – all the previous roles they have held while he has known them.

Customers describe JD as “infectiously upbeat” and state “JD understands how to communicate in an approachable and authentic manner, he has never claimed to be a technical guru but always makes the connection to the right people within his team. He is passionate and loyal to his brand and his customers”.

Outstanding Staff Retention/Staff Development Programme Sponsored by New Zealand Security Magazine, this award celebrates an organisation that has implemented a staff retention or developmentbased programme that has delivered quantifiable and measurable outcomes and placed that organisation as both a preferred employer and provider for customers. The initiative will have become embedded in the culture and operations of the organisation and provides clear differentiation over other providers. The finalists are: • Advanced Security Group Ltd • Rachel Rust, Tātaki Auckland

Unlimited

The winner of the award for Outstanding Staff Retention/Staff Development Programme is Advanced Security Group.

Advanced Security wants staff to bring their whole selves to work, and actively supports them in doing so. They are committed to empowering, engaging and recognising their teams, helping them to achieve greatness every day.

As part of this, the company provides a broad package of initiatives that includes mentoring, staff awards, staff perks, mental health support, unlimited sick leave in specific circumstances, learning and development including internal leadership scholarships.

Patrol Officer of the Year Sponsored by Mobilcard, this award recognises excellence, commitment and professionalism within the patrolling sector of the industry, including service to customers and outstanding acts.

The award is presented to the individual that has gone beyond what could have been expected of them in providing a level of service that exceeds the customers and/or managers expectations. The recipient is a person who inspires others within the team and sets incredibly high standards. The finalists were: • Mark Sopoaga, Armourguard

Security • Sone Filoa, Matrix Security Group

Ltd • Vea Tetevano, FIRST Security

Guard Services Ltd

The winner of the award for Patrol Officer of the Year is Vea Tetevano.

Well respected by her colleagues, Vea stands tall in embodying the qualities and values that those involved

in the profession of physical protection aspire to. She shines incandescently as an example to those who work with her.

Her Service Manager comments “Our clients are very happy with her as they find her exceptional in her duties, appearance and demeanour. She always shows up on time and no matter if it a day or night shift, she will always lend a helping hand to cover for any shift requested. She is always ready, willing and able to complete all tasks before her”.

A customer commended her for her actions last December when on duty at Wynard Quarter, Vea observed a teenage girl standing on the tidal steps at the waters’ edge and shouting that she was going to kill herself. Vea acted quickly, running to the girls aid and when the girl entered the water, Vea followed her in, talking to her calmly and consoling her whilst Police and Coast Guard were called.

The arrival of the Police boat agitated the girl further. Vea remained with her in the water, talking her down in her calm and reasonable manner and eventually the girl allowed Vea to pull her back to the shore and safety.

Guarding Sector Trainee of the Year Sponsored by SkillsVR, this award recognises an individual who has made outstanding progress in professional development and training for their role in the guarding sector of the security industry. They will have displayed commitment towards training and achieving results through the NZQA national qualification network.

The recipient is a person who inspires others and always leads by example. The finalists for Guarding Sector Trainee of the Year were: • Amanvir Singh, Armourguard

Security • Kayne Greenwood, Red Badge

Group

The winner of the Guarding Sector Trainee of the Year is Kayne Greenwood.

Whilst Kayne has been in the industry for approximately 7 years in a casual capacity, it wasn’t until December last year that he took the leap from Property Management to being a fulltime Coordinator with Red Security.

Kayne quickly identified that he wanted to become a CoA Trainer, so while learning a new role and dedicating time to new clients and staff development, Kayne has successfully enrolled in and completed his Level 3 National Certificate in Security. Kayne has also recently completed the Train the Trainer course enabling him to train Red Badge staff in their mandatory CoA unit standards.

Security Officer of the Year Sponsored by Strategic Defence, this award recognises excellence, commitment and professionalism within the guarding and cash-in-transit sectors, including service to customers and outstanding acts.

This award is presented to the individual who has gone beyond what can reasonably be expected of them in providing a level of service that exceeds the customers and/or managers expectations. The recipient is a person who inspires others and sets incredibly high standards. The finalists were: • Keith Forster, Armourguard

Security • Simon Jamieson, Millennium

Services Group • Vinay Nair, Matrix Security Group

Ltd

The winner of the award for Security Officer of the Year is Keith Forster.

It is not often that a Security Officer gets to save a life – much less doing it twice in 2 weeks.

The dramas involved Security Officer Keith Forster saving a young woman from serious injury or death near an Auckland railway station on two separate occasions.

He was on duty in the early hours of 7th December 2021 when he noticed the woman behaving erratically on an overhead footbridge. Concerned, he engaged her in conversation, where it became clear that she was in a suicidal state of mind. Keith continued to talk to her whilst discreetly calling emergency services for assistance.

Before support could arrive, the woman climbed on top of the footbridge’s safety rails, so Keith leapt into action, pulling her back of the ledge, holding and reassuring her until the emergency services arrived.

Two weeks later Keith was involved in a near identical situation where he again prevented the same woman from jumping off a bridge. In that case, Keith asked a nearby member of the public to call 111 whilst he ran onto the bridge and grabbed the young woman, who had climbed up and over the railing. He also asked the bystander to get a nearby security guard and both Keith and the second guard managed to hold and restrain the woman until the Police arrived.

Keith’s efforts were recognised by a Police Commendation.

Install and Service Electronic Sector (Corporate) Technician of the Year Sponsored by Alarm Watch, this award is specific to larger corporates who have in excess of five technicians in their employment and recognises excellence, commitment and professionalism of those operating as Security Technicians and providing installation and/or service duties.

This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated not only technical expertise but also

exemplary customer service and continually meets or exceeds best practice. The recipient is a person who performs a valuable role with the business and sets incredibly high standards. The finalists were: • James Shearer, Watchu Security • Louis Crafford, Evotek

Technologies • Nikki Sutherland, Optic Security

Group • Thomas Lancaster, Advanced

Security Group Ltd

The winner of the Install and Service Electronic Sector (Corporate) Technician of the Year is Thomas Lancaster.

Thomas Lancaster transferred from the Auckland office to the Rotorua Branch of Advanced Security in February 2019 as a Junior Security Technician.

Thomas has quickly demonstrated his huge potential as a technically competent technician and as such was taken under the wing of the Senior Security Engineer and mentored through his Level 3 Security Technician Certification. Thomas successfully completed the qualification and is now progressing through the Level 4 Project Management qualification.

Over the last two years Thomas has been heavily involved in a large project for a government client and has taken a leading role in ensuring the success of the project, which was originally beset with cost blowouts and delays.

The clients’ testimonial noted “we were very impressed by the installation quality and workmanship on the project and believe it would be one of the best, if not the best, they have seen”. Security Supervisor/Operations Manager of the Year Sponsored by Dahua Technology, the Security Supervisor/Operations Manager of the Year recognises those who through security expertise, operational knowledge, customer service and skilful and innovative leadership, ensure the delivery of services that consistently exceed customer expectations.

Security Supervisors and Operations Managers provide a critical function ensuring service delivery and the recipient will be an inspirational leader and innovator, team focused and committed to delivering exceptional service on a 24 x 7 basis. The finalists were: • Gary Wyatt, Platform 4 Group • Lorraine Jones, Armourguard

Security • Nathan Cray, Global Security

Solutions Ltd • Su Kaur, FIRST Security Guard

Services Ltd

The winner of the Security Supervisor/Operations Manager of the Year is Gary Wyatt.

Gary Wyatt has worked in the New Zealand security industry since 1998 and has been with P4G since 2012. Last year Gary led the service delivery for the first ever concert to be held at Eden Park Stadium – a sold out Six60 show for 60,000 fans.

The planning involved three months of intense meetings with stakeholders including stadium management, promoters and production managers, Auckland Council stakeholders and the very important neighbourhood association.

The outcome was a hugely successful event for the fans, media and stakeholders and from the glowing references it is very obvious that Gary was a critical component to that success.

Ian Dick Memorial Award for Security Professional of the Year The award celebrates the contribution of Ian Dick, a stalwart of the security industry and a significant contributor to improved training and standards across all facets of the security industry. It recognises the individual who has scored highest across all categories and is recognised as the Supreme Award Winner and Security Professional of the Year.

The winner of the Ian Dick Memorial Award for Security Professional of the Year is Keith Forster of Armourguard Security.

Ian Dick Memorial Award for Security Professional of the Year