Roading award finalists named

The future of New Zealand's roading industry is in good hands, with four exceptional professionals named as finalists for the 2026 New Zealand roading industry Rising Star Award.

Daniel Erard of the Tararua Alliance, Ellie Huang from Auckland Transport, Stephanie Kirk from HEB Construction, and Teinaki Marsters from Auckland Airport have been selected as finalists, with the judges commenting on the high standard of entries received.

Sponsored by Jacobs, the award recognises an outstanding professional aged under 40 who has demonstrated exceptional achievement, leadership, innovation and contribution to the country's roading sector.

This year's finalists represent a diverse range of disciplines across transport planning, asset management, construction, environmental leadership, and infrastructure operations.

The judging panel - made up of Christchurch City Council head of transport and waste management Lynette Ellis; Isaac Construction general manager Scott Ford; and Auckland Airport chief infrastructure officer Murray Burt - said it was a difficult task selecting the finalists.

The panel says the finalists demonstrate leadership, resilience, innovation and commitment to delivering outcomes that benefit communities across the country.

The winner will be announced at the Future Roads conference dinner on 25 November at Claudelands, Hamilton.

Conference tickets are available here.

Finalists

The finalists are:

Teinaki Marsters, Auckland Airport

Marsters has spent more than a decade helping maintain critical infrastructure at Auckland Airport, where he leads civil and underground services teams in a challenging 24/7 operating environment. Known for his technical expertise, commitment to safety and hands-on leadership style, Teinaki has built a reputation as a trusted mentor and effective team leader. His practical innovation, operational knowledge, and commitment to continuous improvement have helped enhance infrastructure reliability while supporting a positive team culture.

Ellie Huang, Auckland Transport

Huang's career trajectory has been remarkable. After arriving in New Zealand as a teenager and beginning her education through ESOL classes, she graduated with first-class honours in engineering and progressed from graduate engineer to programme leadership in just a few years. Today she leads one of Auckland Transport's largest and highest-performing programmes, delivering significant public transport infrastructure outcomes while developing high-performing teams and improving programme governance across the organisation. Judges were particularly impressed by her leadership growth, delivery performance, and contribution to major projects and programmes across Auckland.

Stephanie Kirk, HEB Construction

As environmental manager for the Takitimu North Link project, Kirk has become one of the country's leading infrastructure environmental professionals. Her achievements span award-winning innovation, environmental management, cultural heritage protection, and industry leadership. Her work with NIWA to develop a construction-focused weather forecasting system has gained international recognition, while her practical innovations have delivered better environmental outcomes and significant project efficiencies. Alongside her project work, Stephanie is helping develop the next generation of industry professionals through mentoring, governance roles and advocacy.

Daniel Erard, Tararua Alliance - Tararua District Council and Downer

From beginning his career as a driver to leading the 112-person Tararua Alliance, Erard has built an impressive reputation as one of the industry's emerging infrastructure leaders. Over the past decade, he has progressed through operational and leadership roles while helping deliver Cyclone Gabrielle recovery works and leading New Zealand's first ISO 55001-certified road maintenance contract. Under his leadership, the Alliance has achieved national and international recognition for excellence in asset management, innovation and infrastructure delivery.

See more here, including previous finalists and winners.