Site Safe New Zealand has recognised outstanding leadership, innovation and commitment to health, safety and wellbeing across the construction sector at its Evening of Celebration awards.
Site Safe is the construction industry’s safety organisation – a national, not-for-profit health and safety organisation for the construction sector. It provides practical tools, expert training, and industry advocacy to drive better safety outcomes across every site, every day, representing more than 6,000 member companies and training 78,000 workers annually.
Site Safe Chief Executive Brett Murray said the awards recognise the people, teams and businesses helping shape a safer, stronger construction industry.
“These awards celebrate people and organisations that are making a real difference in construction health, safety and wellbeing. They are leading by example, challenging the status quo, and showing what is possible when safety is approached with genuine care, practical action and a commitment to doing better every day.
“At Site Safe, we believe everyone has the right to be safe at work and deserves to go home safely to their whānau each night. These award winners reflect that mindset in action – not just through compliance, but through leadership, innovation, collaboration and a real commitment to people,” Murray said.
“Site Safe is proud to give its members the opportunity to showcase the great work they are doing to keep people safe at work. These companies recognise that a safe and rewarding workplace is key to boosting productivity and retaining their people,” Murray said.
The Evening of Celebration awards honour rising leaders, onsite champions, mental health advocates, teams, innovators and senior leaders who are improving outcomes for workers, workplaces and the wider industry. This year’s awards recognised those who are not only doing the job, but inspiring others, driving change, and shaping the landscape of safety in construction.
The winners were:
The Dominion Constructors Future Safety Leader Award – Morgan Devere Beets, Icon
After a career pivot that ignited her passion for safety and wellbeing, Morgan has evolved into a high performing Health and Safety Coordinator in a very short time. Joining Icon New Zealand, she has quickly become a catalyst across two significant projects, where her empathy, initiative and determination transformed not just procedures, but also people’s perception of safety. The judges said it was Morgan’s human-centred approach to health and safety and passion to make a difference that really impressed them, noting she makes safety accessible and respected, not feared or avoided.
The Coversure Health and Safety Champion Award – Sam Youngman, Flowerday Homes
While health and safety does not appear in Sam Youngman’s Project Manager title, it is undoubtedly a clear focus in everything he does. Leading the Flowerday Homes team on the Owhata Kohanga Rakau social housing development in Rotorua, Sam has championed safety to achieve a significant culture change. He stepped up to improve health and safety systems, lead initiatives around hazard management and environmental safety, and drive uptake in safety engagement. The judges said Sam’s leadership, commitment and proactive engagement have positively impacted health and safety, driving improvement, inspiring change, and embedding a positive culture of safety and wellbeing into the future.
The MATES in Construction Mental Health and Wellbeing Award – Rafael Caso, Live Well Build Well
Rafael Caso was recognised for making mental health matter onsite and beyond. He leads the Live Well Build Well programme, a national initiative promoting the importance of good mental health to residential builders and tradespeople across Aotearoa. The innovative approach focuses on mental fitness, giving tradies real world tools to positively meet daily mental, physical and relationship challenges. The judges noted that with a small support team and limited budget, Rafael fronts initiatives ranging from onsite Toolbox Talks to supporting and growing Live Well Build Well Champions, while sharing tradies’ stories of resilience to inspire others.
The NZ Chinese Building Industry Association Safety Contribution Award for a Team – Downer Fleet Team, Downer NZ
The Downer Fleet Team was recognised for outstanding collaboration, commitment and results in workplace health and safety. With 4,800 vehicles travelling more than 127 million kilometres annually, driving is the biggest critical risk to Downer’s workforce. The team saw an opportunity to evolve traditional Gate Checks from a compliance tool into an effective platform for education and engagement. Together, they moved the focus from ticking boxes to building a strong safety culture through meaningful conversations with drivers, shared safety campaigns and building driver pride in doing things right. The judges praised the team for inspiring change and making a big difference within Downer and for road users more broadly.
The Vertical Horizonz Safety Innovation Award for a Large Business – Hawkins
Hawkins was recognised for innovative thinking at its Kenepuru Science Centre site, where the team tackled the persistent risk posed by temporary power cables running across active work zones. Through meticulous planning, the team developed and implemented a solution routing temporary power through conduits beneath the ground floor slab, drastically reducing trip hazards and eliminating surface-level cable hazards. Since implementation, there have been zero cable-related incidents, with workers reporting feeling safer and more productive. The judges said the approach provided a safer, smarter way to deliver temporary power, reducing risk, supporting productivity and offering a solution that can be replicated on any multi-level construction site.
The Touchprint Safety Innovation Award for a Small to Medium Business – DroneDraft
DroneDraft was recognised for Mix-o-Matic, an automated chemical mixing system designed and developed to protect operators from splashes, spills and vapour, reduce human error from overmixing and minimise waste. The system measures, mixes and automatically delivers the right spray mix, ratio and volume, while digital chemical and recipe libraries mean every mix is accurate and repeatable at the touch of a button. The judges said the innovation could be easily adapted to uses in commercial property, construction and beyond, reducing operator exposure and making the process controlled, repeatable, safe and recorded.
The Hammertech Safety Leadership Award – Mike Moore, Downer
Mike Moore, Downer’s National Road Marking Manager, was recognised for visible, hands-on leadership in one of the sector’s most dangerous disciplines. The judges said Mike has been the driving force behind many of Downer’s road marking initiatives, from line marking robots to upgrades to marking trucks, as well as current work to reduce the PSI of paint machine systems and drive a major safety transformation from solvent-based paints to waterborne alternatives. They also highlighted Mike’s leadership beyond Downer, including work with road regulators to improve road safety for the wider community in adverse weather conditions.
Murray said the winners reflect what strong health and safety leadership looks like in practice.
“What stands out about these winners is that they are making safety real. They are finding better ways to manage risk, supporting their people, and creating cultures where health, safety and wellbeing are part of how work gets done every day.
“Site Safe is here to support an industry-led approach to safer construction. Our role is to make health and safety practical, clear and achievable, and to champion the people and organisations helping lift the standard across the sector,” Murray said.
About Site Safe
Site Safe is the construction industry’s safety organisation. It is a national, not-for-profit health and safety organisation for the construction sector, providing practical tools, expert training and industry advocacy to drive better safety outcomes across every site, every day. Site Safe represents more than 6,000 member companies and trains 78,000 workers annually.
