Tuesday 20 May 2014

Be Inspired!



On May 27 CECC, in conjunction with KEA and NZTE is hosting INSPIRE Canterbury.

This is a day to hear from inspirational New Zealanders who have made a big impact off-shore and have travelled back to New Zealand to tell their stories.

Previous INSPIRE Events have taught us that  listening to and learning from, New Zealanders that are amongst the most accomplished business people we produce, is extraordinarily valuable.

The event will run from 8.30am to 12.30pm  in the Events Hall at the Air Force Museum, 45 Harvard Ave, Wigram.

It is a (half) day well worth investing in and I can guarantee that you will come  away wiser and better equipped to deal with the challenges facing Canterbury businesses as we rebuild our city.

I strongly recommend attendance.

For further information and registration, go to www.inspirecanterbury.co.nz.

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Opening of the consolidation of the Christchurch Engine Centre



On Friday May 9 I attended the opening of the new facility at 115 Orchard Road that consolidates the Christchurch Engine Centres activities at one location.

This joint venture  between Air New Zealand and Pratt and Whitney is  an impressive and world class undertaking. It specialises maintenance of the V2500 engine that powers the Airbus 320 and maintains V2500 engines from all around the world. Obviously one of its key accounts is Air New Zealand  with its expanding fleet of Airbus 320s.


A few interesting stats emerged during the tour after the formal opening.

  • Each engine costs around $13 million new 
  • There can be up to 20 engines in various stages in maintenance, at the facility, at any one time.
  • It costs around $100,000 to  transport an engine for maintenance, from the northern hemisphere, to Christchurch and back. 
  • Despite this, the Christchurch Engine Centre is internationally competitive and has a well-earned reputation of being world’s best in its field. 
  • A V2500 engine is good for 20,000 take-offs and landings. It is the take-offs/landings that cause engine wear. The actual in-flight wear is minimal. 
  • Every individual engine part has its own serial number and can be traced throughout its life. 
  • New Zealand  flown V2500s wear very well because our air is clear, cool and dense. All good for minimising engine wear. 
  • There are over 200 engineers working at the Christchurch Engine Centre. 
  • The  consolidation of the Maintenance facility cost over $25million. 
  • The consolidation has enabled a marked increase in the number of engines that can be serviced at the facility.  
  • The Christchurch  Engine Centre is an important and highly valued contributor to the Christchurch Economy 


As an a addendum: Some interesting governance and other quotes from Professor Goran Roos presentation 'The Future of Manufacturing' May 8


  • The boards responsibility is to do risk evaluation about strategies bought to the table by management
  • The fundamental role of governance is to ensure risk is minimised.
  • The default answer at board level is always yes until the Board can prove it is no.
  • If the board starts with a no then it has no faith in management.
  • The dynamics of the business environment must be matched by the diversity of the governance team.

  • Our future is all about educating our young in Science, Technology, Mathematics and Manufacturing
  • The world language of business is bad English.
  • In great companies the leadership tenure is long
  • Exceptional management means doing small things better than the competitors every time, all the time.
  • Great companies avoid gaining sales through discounting or aggressive pricing.


Wednesday 7 May 2014

Honorary Doctorate at Lincoln University



It is my turn again to do a bit of blogging on the boss!

On Friday 2 May Peter received his Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln University. I was fortunate enough to get along to the ceremony, with a few fellow CECC team members and Peter’s family, where Peter’s long standing contribution to the business and wider community was acknowledged in a fitting way amongst an auditorium of Lincoln graduates.

The team at CECC are very proud to have Peter as our CEO and feel very fortunate to work with such a strong and inspirational leader. Having a strong leader who stands up for what he believes in and goes forward with clarity, passion and common sense is more important than ever in Canterbury.

Click here to read the official citation that was included in the programme for the graduation.

Leeann Watson
GM, CECC