Celebrating the success of incredible women in construction with NAWIC

Beca was honoured to celebrate the success of women in construction at the 2021 National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) New Zealand Excellence Awards, including three of its own – Evie Wallace, Patrycja Bonkowska and Priya Parag.

Held at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Auckland on Friday 7 May, the awards gala brought together many valued members of the construction industry to recognise the success of women in construction in New Zealand. Amongst them was Evie Wallace, Beca Process Engineer, who won the title of Rising Star (Office). Evie is a well-respected figure within Beca and the wider industry for her work in the water and wastewater space, as well as her passion for sustainability and women in engineering initiatives.

On the award win, Evie said, “It was definitely an honour to be recognised among many other incredible women who are doing great things in their fields – from carpenters to grader drivers to consultants. It was also a chance to spotlight the water industry to the audience, who were from a wide range of construction related areas."

"I always enjoy the opportunity to promote the importance of drinking water and wastewater treatment, and hopefully it means we keep getting more women involved in the industry,” she added.

Clive Rundle, Beca Group Director – Utilities, said, “It was a privilege to attend the awards gala. It was quite an inspiring event – through the citations and speeches we heard about some amazing women from all walks of life participating in all aspects of construction from carpenters to crane operators, tradespeople to regional managers and construction administrators that help run the machine that is a construction site.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of Evie for being one of these fantastic women representing the construction industry and winning the Rising Star Award, well done Evie,” said Clive.

Beca was also humbled to have two more of its brilliant women represented at this year’s awards: Patrycja Bonkowska, who was recognised with Special Merit in the Excellence in Construction Administration category and Priya Parag, another finalist for the Rising Star (Office) category.

NAWIC is a voluntary, non-profit association of women who work in construction, founded in 1952. Its vision is to see women successfully pursue, establish and sustain careers in the construction industry. For more information, visit: https://www.nawic.org.nz/