New Zealand OSPAs recognise the security industry’s finest

The security industry paused on the evening of 27 May to celebrate the winners and finalists for the first-ever New Zealand Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) and, writes the awards organisers, it was a big hit!

The inaugural New Zealand Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) event took place at the Aotea Centre in Auckland on Friday 27th May 2022 as part of the ASIS NZ certification dinner.

Security professionals gathered to celebrate the very best from across the sector with dinner and a presentation. The response to these inaugural awards was overwhelmingly positive and the standard of entries was outstanding. All those that were selected as finalists and winners demonstrated that they really are the absolute best and should feel extremely proud.

New Zealand OSPAs Award Winners 2022

The complete list of awards winners is:

Outstanding In-House Security Manager/Director

In-house security managers/directors can operate in different ways, they may work as advisors to the organisation or be a head of a team or department. Whatever the role, this category recognises those who through security expertise, business acumen and/or skilful and innovative leadership approaches, have led the security portfolio with distinction. Outstanding performers will be leaders and innovators who are setting examples that others will wish to follow.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding In-House Security Manager/Director is: Brent Mirfin – Evotek Technologies.

Brent has led Evotek Technologies for over 30 years – he has developed a customer centric service business that is focused on delivering tangible commercial benefits to its customers via the integration of high-end technology products with core customer systems.

Brent’s commitment to excellence and to supporting his people and workplace safety has been unwavering. His focus on the training and development of employees has resulted in a business with exceptionally low employee turnover, and industry leading technical qualifications and skills.

Outstanding Contract Security Manager/Director

Contract security managers/directors can operate in different ways, they may work as advisors to a client organisation or be the head of a team or department on behalf of a client. Whatever the role, this category recognises those who through security expertise, business acumen and/or skilful and innovative leadership approaches, have led the security portfolio with distinction for both their company and their client organisation. Outstanding performers will be leaders and innovators who are setting examples that others will wish to follow.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding Contract Security Manager/Director is: Pete Mason – Optic Security Group.

Pete Mason is Optic Security Group’s New Zealand Operations Director. He is an inspirational technical delivery leader, team focused and committed to delivering exceptional service on a 24/7 basis. He lives by his personal motto “solutions not problems”.

As Operations Director, Pete leads project delivery teams and large-scale projects across the length and breadth of Aotearoa New Zealand, including the national Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) electronic security enhancement project for the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE).

MC Bruce Couper

Outstanding Contract Security Company (Guarding)

This OSPA recognises those who are outstanding suppliers of manned security guarding. In the modern world the provision of manned guarding services has become a much more skilled task.

Motivating staff, managing resources in an increasingly competitive and price sensitive environment, up-skilling, recognising the distinct importance of front line leadership, making the most of technologies, forging internal and external partnerships and making them work are just some of the trends that are leading to new approaches and thinking about manned guarding. The object of this category is to recognise the outstanding performers in making a positive difference.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding Contract Security Company (Guarding) is: FIRST Security Guard Services.

FIRST Security directly employs 2,200 security personnel across 28 branch offices, 220 patrol vehicles, and hundreds of client sites throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. FIRST Security is a values-driven organisation which has striven to exhibit the highest levels of leadership in the safety, security and care of employees and the communities they serve during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIRST were appointed as the national provider to the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) of security guarding to New Zealand’s 32 Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ).

Outstanding Security Consultant

This OSPA recognises the security consultant – individual, team or company – demonstrating outstanding performance in any aspect of security consulting. Consultants often play a key role in security in offering expertise and insight which can transform the quality of service, product or system that is offered. It recognises the existence of distinct skill sets and crucially the ways these are harnessed and managed to make a difference to security strategy and/or practice.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding Security Consultant is: Lincoln Potter.

A security consultant who transitioned into security training and facilitation before undertaking full time studies in the security sciences. He achieved the highest undergraduate security qualification in the NZ security industry (NZQA L6) and the ASIS International Physical Security Professional (PSP) Board Certification.

Lincoln Potter

A Security professional for 30 years, having been the Chapter Vice Chair and previously treasurer for ASIS NZ. Awarded the NZSA Security Consultant of the year award in 2016 and an ASIS International Meritorious Service Award 2018, in recognition of his work to foster the spirit of goodwill and professionalism within ASIS International.

Outstanding New Security Product

Sponsored by Optic Security Group, this OSPA recognises an outstanding new product that has been designed and implemented to improve any area of security practice, and has been introduced to the security market in the last 12 months. The key point about new products is that they have a marked effect on improving security performance; that is that they add value and have clearly identified benefits.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding New Security Product is: My Vaccine Pass – Gallagher.

Gallagher is supporting customers to keep pace with the ever-changing COVID-19 regulations in New Zealand through their My Vaccine Pass integration, which enables access control customers to link a user’s My Vaccine Pass status and expiry to their access credential – improving site security, by only allowing fully vaccinated people access.

Judges felt this product was a ‘game changer for the government’s nationwide response to managing COVID-19.

Outstanding Security Partnership

This OSPA recognises a successful security partnership that delivers outstanding performance. ‘Partnerships’ is an over-used word in security. Frequently partnerships are identified as crucial to good security but often may involve little more than collaboration, a very different thing.

What is known is that effective partnerships are most often the result of good planning around identifiable objectives designed to deliver specific benefits, and are typically characterised by good management/coordination.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding Security Partnership is: Evotek Technologies and Visual Networks. The partnership between Evotek Technologies and Visual Networks brings together two industry leaders who combine their complimentary skills to design, install, commission and provide on-going support of bespoke, high quality, high value technology integrations that work as per the design brief and operate efficiently on the customers own networks without impacting any core customer services.

Judges felt that there was clear evidence of a longstanding partnership which had district benefits for customers.

Outstanding Security Officer

This OSPA recognises the security officer (up to supervisor level) demonstrating the most outstanding performance. It will be awarded to a security officer who is highly committed to security work, showing enthusiasm, initiative and displaying security competence in different areas including in the development of stakeholder relationships. The officer will have had a beneficial impact on the workplace positively influencing operations and having been recognised for achieving outstanding service.

In 1997 Sione Tusini-Rex was employed as a security guard at Westfield Manukau City. He rose to where he is currently Supervisor of the same site. He has chosen to remain at Manukau as he is an integral part of the wider Polynesian community.

Sione brings family, spiritual, and cultural values to the workplace. These values have propelled him to senior medic, first response coordinator, incident supervisor and health and safety coordinator. Sione has achieved the challenge of integrating a shopping center into a peaceful family and cultural center for the wider Polynesian community in South Auckland. Judges felt he was a stand-out performer in a difficult role.

Outstanding Female Security Professional

This OSPA recognises a female security professional, at any level of an organisation, who has consistently shown outstanding performance over an extended period of time and has had a substantial impact upon defining and driving standards in the security sector.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding Female Security Professional is: Trish Thompson – Gallagher.

Her passion, combined with her security knowledge and ability to clearly articulate her views, drives her influence as a thought leader. Her knowledge and skills are well regarded within Gallagher, where her influence sees her actively helping to shape the future direction of the security business.

Trish Thompson

Over the past decade, Trish has been a driving force behind several of Gallagher’s major product innovations. Trish’s commitment and enthusiasm for her work is praised by her colleagues. Lifetime Achievement This OSPA recognises a senior member of the security community. It recognises an individual who has consistently shown outstanding performance over an extended period of time and has had a substantial impact upon defining and driving standards in the security sector.

Outstanding Young Security Professional

This OSPA recognises a young security professional – that is anyone below the age of forty (there is no restriction on the number of years spent in security) – who has excelled in his/her early career performance.

This OSPA will be awarded to someone who has made an impact in the area of private security, for example as a analyst/researcher, working for a security supplier and/ or corporate security (rather than police/military). This could be in any area of security activity, as a student, in the workplace or a combination, but it will be someone who has made a difference and is laying the basis for an outstanding career in security.

The winner of the OSPA for Outstanding Young Security Professional is: Stella Donachie – Red Badge Group.

Stella joined Red Badge in January 2019 as part of their Graduate programme. Stella was brought in as an intern to support the event security team through the busy summer months. In the 3 years since Stella took on the intern role, she has shown her level of maturity through operational growth and ability.

Red Badge management saw the potential in Stella and toward the end of her internship she was offered a permanent role as Operations Coordinator in the Events and Venues Security team. Excelling in this role and pre pandemic shut down of events Stella was promoted into the Operations Management role within their Events and Venues Security Team.

Lifetime Achievement

This OSPA recognises a senior member of the security community. It recognises an individual who has consistently shown outstanding performance over an extended period of time and has had a substantial impact upon defining and driving standards in the security sector.

The winner of the OSPA for Lifetime Achievement is: Nicholas Dynon.

Nicholas is an international security professional. He is Chief Editor of Defsec Media’s New Zealand Security Magazine, Line of Defence Magazine and Fire NZ Magazine, and a licensed security consultant. With a 14-year government career in immigration and border security, Nicholas has served as a diplomat and a military officer. He has also held senior communications and engagement positions in the border and private security sectors.

Nicholas Dynon

Nicholas galvanises academia, central and local Government and industry. Judges felt Nicholas had been the catalyst for major positive change within the industry, had outstanding leadership and had made a significant contribution to the industry over many years.

The event organisers would like to thank all those who have helped to make the first ever New Zealand OSPAs event such a success including: all the supporting associations and judges; sponsors – TEAM Software (headline sponsor) and Optic Security Group (category sponsor) and media partners – New Zealand Security Magazine (NZSM) and International Security Journal.