Planning for people: Marihi Kahukura from Aotearoa New Zealand shares her career journey

We caught up with Marihi to find out about the diverse opportunities she has embraced as part of her role on our transport team, and her involvement in our graduate committee.

Tell us about your role and where you are based

I am a transport planner, based in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.

I work on a range of transport projects, from master planning for major precincts, infrastructure recovery works, travel planning for both public and private organisations, and rapid transport planning. I contribute to business case writing, transport modelling, stakeholder engagement, standard compliance evaluation, and GIS.

I have also been appointed as chair for our graduate committee. This has been an amazing opportunity and has allowed me to grow my network with fellow graduates, engage with senior colleagues through workshops and learning opportunities, and establish my internal reputation. I’ve had the chance to organise and run workshops and local programmes, which support our graduates with the development of critical skills like project management.

Why did you choose your career path? Why Mott MacDonald?

I was inspired by my previous work in the healthcare industry. I used to be a support worker, helping and caring for people with disabilities. This experience taught me a lot about how our environment and infrastructure impact those with additional mobility needs. I wanted to be involved in how we, as a society, plan for equity in our infrastructure. So, I went to university to study Urban Planning. After graduating, Mott MacDonald offered me a position in transport planning, and I felt this would be a great space to contribute to the community. The multidisciplinary nature of Mott MacDonald also provided opportunities to work with the urban planning team, which aligned well with my goals.

What does it mean to you to be trusted to do brilliant things at Mott MacDonald?

Being trusted to do brilliant things at Mott MacDonald means a lot to me. It really supports my feeling that my professional skills are actively developing, which drives me to keep pushing myself further. Trust also comes with responsibility, and learning to handle that responsibility has been a huge learning curve. It's been incredibly rewarding to see how much I've grown through this process. Also to be able to see the actual social impact of the work you yourself are delivering.

How do you strive to create an inclusive, collaborative and supportive environment with your colleagues?

To me, it’s a matter of ensuring that your individual behaviours align with an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive environment. That, I think, is the minimum. From there, I try to approach organising from an equity perspective, providing not just equal but equitable space. Regarding collaboration, I think learning effective communication is important. Being able to engage with people who have a diverse range of communication styles means your communication should be adaptable to avoid silos with those who best mirror you.

What does a typical day look like for you at Mott MacDonald, and how do you find opportunities to excel in your role?

My day varies a lot. Typically, I have a number of daily tasks to complete, along with ongoing project work. I make sure to reach out to the people I need to during the day. Learning how to communicate effectively over email and in Teams has been really helpful, and being proactive about this is key. I find that by proactively reaching out to people and making myself visible and contactable, I find new opportunities.

Can you share a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of and explain why it stands out to you?

I am currently supporting a major rapid transit project in Auckland with GIS deliverables, which involves working with geographical information to provide valuable insights and visualisation of the spatial aspects of a project. On this project, I manage Moata Geospatial, which is our proprietary geospatial system. I have helped run large FME models to convert complex designs from AutoCAD into GIS formats, which can then be displayed on the Moata project site.

Having data and information on one site is really helpful. It provides us with a one-stop shop for incoming designs and informs decision-making going forward on the project. It is a great interface for project collaboration and stakeholder workshops, particularly when you have a large team across multiple organisations.

What does being part of a global team mean to you, and how does it influence your work?

Being part of a global team has absolutely impacted my work. I've had the chance to collaborate with teams worldwide, both internally and on various projects. When I need solutions, I can reach out to colleagues across the globe who have tackled similar challenges and bring their learnings and best practice to our work here in Aotearoa New Zealand. For instance, I had a session with a team in Australia about their process for risk registers in an infrastructure project. They walked me through their experience managing this task and the opportunities and limitations involved. These experiences have taught me to adopt a global perspective and to learn from how different teams within our organisation approach their projects.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start their career at Mott MacDonald?

My first piece of advice is to try everything. Get comfortable with working on new things that require you to learn new skills, even if you're not sure you have them. This has been key to my development. The other piece of advice is to talk to everyone. Get to know your colleagues and be genuinely interested in them. Some of the best learnings will come from conversations with the people around you.

What resources or support at Mott MacDonald have been most beneficial to your growth?

The diverse range of projects I've had the chance to work on at Mott MacDonald has been extremely beneficial to my growth. Each project allows me to learn from challenges and in the next project that comes along I can apply those learnings. The large number of training modules you have access to at Mott McDonald has been great. I have good level of choice over what training, from technical training to project management training, to pursue future opportunities I am seeking. Plus, the support from my line manager, mentor, and team has been amazing. They're always available to chat, answer questions, and offer guidance, which has created a really collaborative and supportive work environment. This has been a huge factor in my personal and professional growth.

Can you share an example of how the company culture has helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?

One example is how I've been able to improve my public speaking through opportunities to present at recruitment events, all-staff meetings, and as chair of our graduate committee. This has really helped enhance my professional communication skills for engaging with clients, project partners, and executives. It's been a big step towards achieving my professional goals of increasing direct communication with clients and improving my marketing skills.