Canterbury, New Zealand
Tom is a Principal Engineering Geologist at KiwiRail, providing technical leadership in geotechnical risk, assurance, and compliance across New Zealand’s national rail network. He leads risk‑based strategies to support safe operations and long‑term network resilience. In his current role, Tom is responsible for the development and continual improvement of KiwiRail’s network‑wide geotechnical risk assessment framework (KRL), delivery of independent technical reviews, internal design verification, audits, and compliance oversight. He also plays a key role in advancing KiwiRail’s geotechnical practice through targeted standard development and alignment with national and international best practice. Previously, Tom held senior geotechnical roles within KiwiRail’s Civil Engineering team, providing design, technical assurance, and risk‑based advice across the rail network, with a focus on slope instability, embankment failures, retaining structures, and geohazard response for major renewals and recovery projects. Tom has extensive experience in post‑disaster infrastructure recovery, including significant involvement in projects following the Christchurch Earthquakes and the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) programme after the Kaikōura Earthquake. He is a contributing author of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society’s Slope Stability Geotechnical Guidance, co‑authoring Units 2 and 4, which reflect his expertise in risk‑based slope assessment, mitigation, and design.
Principal for Ground Engineering at KiwiRail, Tom is currently responsible for leading geotechnical risk, assurance, and standards across the national rail network. The role has included the development and continual improvement of network‑wide geotechnical risk assessment framework (KRL). Also encompassing the establishment of LiDAR UAVs, delivery of independent technical reviews, internal design verification, as well as auditing and compliance oversight. Tom leads the ongoing update and evolution of KiwiRail’s geotechnical standards, ensuring alignment with national and international best practice while identifying and progressing areas of new standard development to position KiwiRail as an eminent and influential organisation within the infrastructure and geotechnical industry.
As the South Island Senior Engineering Geologist within KiwiRail’s Civil Engineering team, Tom provided geotechnical design, technical assurance, and risk-based advice across the South Island rail network. Focused on slope instability, embankment failures, retaining structures, and geohazard response. The role also involved delivering engineering design and independent technical reviews for renewals and recovery projects as part of KiwiRail's RNIP programme.
Following the initial emergency response phase of NCTIR to re-open of the State Highway 1 and Main North Line, Tom has continued on the project to rebuild the network making it more resilient in the future. His work has continued to include the development of innovative solutions and structures to mitigate against complex geological hazards. Most notably this includes the design and construction support for a rockfall canopy. This dynamic rockfall canopy is the first to be installed in the Southern Hemisphere and only the 5th in the World. Tom was also involved in the Legacy project ensuring the key lessons learnt were passed on from NCTIR. This work included developing online engagement tools and undertaking a number of facilitation workshops to gather the key learnings from this project.
Tom is one of the slope protection designers within the NCTIR Geotechnical Team assisting with the delivery of rockfall protection systems to enable the highway and rail network to re-open following the Kaikoura Earthquake. The work is extremely varied including hazard assessments, site investigations and designing the appropriate rockfall protection structure. Tom is adaptable and able to apply knowledge across an array of tasks.
Tom formed an integral part of a client facing team involved with several central government projects associated with the Canterbury Recovery and Geohazard management. His skills were utilised in hazard assessments and monitoring of high risk sites with multiple geotechnical hazards including, rockfall, landslides and cliff collapse. Within these projects Tom has been able to lead the use of UAVs within Aurecon and developed the use of the UAVs to include 3D photogrammetry, complex 3D terrain comparison to calculate volumes of material removed and capturing aerial imagery to undertake geomorphological surveys.
Working in the Geohazard team, Tom was involved in monitoring, interpreting, and preparing geological data, collected from a variety of ground investigations both in rural and urban environments. Tom worked on a range of projects within the Canterbury area. Tom also formed a key part of the Geohazards Emergency Response Team for local and national government bodies, assisting with rapid response to landslides and rockfall in residential areas. Aurecon brings ideas to life to design a better future. Imagining what is possible, we turn problems into solutions. We provide advisory, design, delivery and asset management services on projects across a range of markets, in locations worldwide.
Tom worked as part of the research and development team, undertaking investigation and analysis of dynamic rockfall fences. Tom’s role included testing and reporting of the company’s products, along with innovating and developing new devices to solve reoccurring issues. Tom focused his work towards dynamic rockfall fences, attenuation nets, and debris flow barriers. Additionally, Tom was involved in creating a computer program to calculate rockfall protection needs within underground mines.