Toi Ohomai takes out institution of the year award

Tauranga facilities manager Lizzie Reinecke receives the award. Supplied image.

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology has taken out an Institution of the Year award against some tough competition.

The institute was up against some of Australia and New Zealand's biggest tertiary education providers at the 2019 Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association Awards.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner at the annual Tertiary Education Management Conference in Adelaide. The conference is the only one in the tertiary sector that covers the full range of functions in institutions, and is designed to allow participants to build strong networks across Australia and New Zealand.

The award's criteria were based on business best practice, innovation in management and strategic problem-solving, as well as positive impact.

The Toi Ohomai facilities team submitted an entry focused on the challenges of merging 68 sites across the Bay of Plenty and South Waikato regions, and the subsequent impact on the institute's facilities team portfolio, structure and stakeholder engagement.

The submission highlighted the successful merging of the institute's facilities functions, creation and implementation of a space utilisation improvement plan and optimisation of contracts and services across the region to enable the newly-merged organisation to be more sustainable through initiatives like PoolCar. It also referred to the institute's better utilisation of its campus spaces and services.

Toi Ohomai Tauranga facilities manager Lizzie Reinecke says receiving the prestigious award was an honour and that it was all thanks to the amazing collaborative efforts within the Toi Ohomai facilities team.

She says an example of the work that earned the team the award was the project to move Bongard operations to the institute's Windermere Campus.

'Everyone stepped up over and above their normal duties for many weeks, and it was great to see our teams come together and combine forces to make this massive undertaking a success.

'During the Bongard move project, there was also great teamwork between the facilities and IT teams to reach very tight deadlines. While still a work in progress, this project and its outcomes show how a good attitude and willingness to work together in times of change can help you conquer even the biggest challenges.

'We're so proud of our team and hopefully winning this award will just motivate us to strive for continued excellence and collaboration.”

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