‘Mission accomplished’ – dam boss to depart

After six years in the top job, the chief executive of Waimea Water Limited is stepping down now that Tasman’s new dam has been formally opened.

Mike Scott was brought on in 2019 to oversee the construction of the Waimea Community Dam and on Friday he announced his time with Waimea Water would come to an end in June.

“People ask me, ‘are you sad to be going or relieved to be going?’ The answer is neither. I'm just content, it feels like mission accomplished. I'm pleased and proud to have finished the dam and got it up and running,” Mike says.

“It’s taken two years longer than I planned, so this was the right point to leave.”

Prior to joining Waimea Water, Mike had worked for major multinational oil and gas corporations around the world including ExxonMobil and Woodside Energy.

He says shifting from organisations with thousands of people and significant resources to a small team of 10 was “eye-opening”.

“I've enjoyed it. It means I've had to roll up my sleeves and do some of the hard yards and get dirt under my nails.”

The construction of the dam was challenging, with the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated economic impacts, and unforeseen geotechnical problems, driving the cost of the dam to twice its estimated cost when Tasman District Council approved the project.

Mike never regretted taking the job, despite the hurdles.

“Any job comes with curveballs, issues, adversity. I'm used to that, it's my career,” he says.

“In fact, to the opposite, I'm immensely proud of the way that my team and I solved the challenges thrown at us.”

Nevertheless, Mike says the construction of the dam provided several lessons to be learned for future major infrastructure projects around the country.

“I don't think New Zealand is particularly good at doing big projects, or certainly [isn’t] in the same league as the big multinationals.”

The last major dam built in the country was Otago’s Clyde Dam more than three decades ago and, as a result, the industry had to “relearn” how to build one.

“We made mistakes, I think, which are common mistakes, which you wouldn't have made if New Zealand continuously built projects like it used to.”

Specifically, he thought the project wasn’t ready to get underway when it first started and needed more preparation time.

“I mean, on the first day of construction, we had no staff, and we hadn't issued any drawings. I think we were probably overly optimistic on the geology.”

A Tasman ratepayer himself, Mike also acknowledges the cost of the project which was a lot for Tasman to bear.

However, he was still a firm believer in the dam, pointing to last year’s drought when a fifth of the water in the reservoir was released to avoid water restrictions being brought in on the Waimea Plains.

“The dam provides regional water security that benefits our community, river health, our primary sector, exports and economy.”

After Mike leaves in June, he will have a holiday before considering future opportunities on either side of the Ditch.

Waimea Water board chair David Wright says Mike has been an exemplary leader, delivering a high-quality project for shareholders and the community.

“He attracted and retained the right experts for the project, finding innovative solutions to design and construction challenges.

“The board wishes Mike the best for his future endeavours.”