Colin Ashby

Colin has some 40 years of engineering experience. Starting work as an Engineering Officer Cadet with the Ministry of Works working in Auckland and Whangarei and gaining NZCE, then a BE at Auckland University.

During his 10 years with Works he gained a sound broad experience including Survey, Roading Design, School site development, Bridge Construction, Laboratory work and Structural design.

Colin spent 13 years during his career with local government holding the principal engineering position with 4 different authorities including the former Onehunga Borough and Kaipara District. Again gaining a broad experience inclusive of Town Planning, Water, Stormwater and sewer reticulation, roading etc but also gaining an appreciation and understanding of how Councils function, which has been of assistance in providing service to clients.

Colin also worked for Holmes Consulting Group as a site engineer on high rises and as development engineer on an industrial complex. Colin also worked for TSE group in a structural and development engineering role, before setting up his own practice at Warkworth.

Colin’s interests are; Flying (has own micro-lite, great for aerial photos!), and Vintage Cars. He is involved in the community through Rotary, is on the Mahurangi Presbyterian Church Board of Managers, and teaching with the Bible in Schools program. Colin is happily married and has 3 adult children.
 

Bruce Walters

After completing high school in Gisborne Bruce, as a young man, started serving life's apprenticeship on a ten thousand acre sheep and cattle station on the hill country of the East Cape.

Eventually his young man's need to see how the world turns saw Bruce pack up his Morris 1000 and head north to the vineyards of Te Kauwhata then on to Australia to test the waters abroad.

Returning to New Zealand Bruce had the good fortune of working in several prominent organisations where he continued his education while learning the practical side of managing a company's key assets, its clients and it's staff.

Although management and corporate life provided many opportunities and professional challenges for Bruce he knew one day he would return to a rural setting to settle and raise his family. It is here to Rodney that Bruce and his wife, a local Warkworth girl, moved in 2007 to raise their three boys.

With twenty plus years of working and learning Bruce now takes great pride in being able to provide the customers of Ashby Consulting a balanced mix of corporate professionalism with a down to earth attitude that best suits business in a rural town.

Sheryl Wech

With a move to Warkworth 20 years ago Sheryl married a local Warkworth man and considers herself to be now "local" herself.

After a brief period as a Real Estate salesperson and as coordinator for a major Health organisation in Warkworth, she has now found her niche as Secretary/Receptionist and general "camp mother" for a great group of guys at Ashby Consulting. It is here that you will encounter Sheryl as first point of contact.

Sheryl not only enjoys her job but also keeps busy with 7 grandchildren ranging in age from 19 years to 20 months.

Along with her husband Des, Sheryl is a keen fisho and enjoys nothing more than weekends away in their boat dining on the fruits of the sea.

David Manning

David gained his Bachelor of Engineering from Auckland University in 1992 before spending 4 years of his OE in Europe. Returning to New Zealand David commenced work at Ashby Consulting in 1997.

Most of Davids time has been spent in the field of Structural design, where he was found to have a natural apptitude. Earlier experience included Geotechnical investigations, catchment flooding analysis, surveying and some roading design. David claims he didnt have any grey hairs before signing on, but 10 years of matching client's dreams to local law has given David that "distinguised" look a few grey hairs can bring.

A typical day in the life for David at Ashbys can include the design of reinforced masonry, reinforced concrete, steel and timber structures or combinations of all three.

He may also be found in the field carrying out site inspections specifically requested by the local district councils. These site inspections are for certain elements of a project during construction to ensure compliance with the design or the design is appropriately amended to suit site conditions.

David is also very competent in preparing fire design reports, safe and sanitary reports, pre-purchase house inspections, unauthorised works reports, and site wind speed assessments. (site wind speed assessments are generally required when you are planning to build in a place where site topography, etc falls outside the scope of NZS3604).

Aaron Holland

Aaron finished high school in 1987 and ventured into the vast engineering field by joining the NZ Navy as an engineering apprentice.

Since that time Aaron has expanded his experience in various engineering disciplines including, working on boats, designing and building high speed production machinery and working on civil construction machinery for the mining industry in Australia and returned to New Zealand to complete his NZCE Mechanical before moving into the civil engineering field 6 years ago.

Aaron was given an opportunity by Duffill Watts in Kerikeri to apply his engineering background to the civil engineering field in 2004.

In this time Aaron has gained extensive experience in road design, stormwater design, catchment and hydrological analysis and design, infrastructure design, 3d terrain modelling, traffic engineering, wastewater systems, water systems, project management, sediment control plans, boat ramps and foreshore structures.

Projects have included everything from 250 Lot down to 2 Lot subdivisions, driveways, road upgrades, dams, large scale earthworks for a power station, establishing inundation levels, infrastructure upgrades, water system design, onsite waste design, geotechnical investigations, jetties and design of extensive stormwater systems.

He enjoys a challenge and easily fits into the role of designer or project manager enabling him to manage jobs from start to finish.

Aaron is a family man, happily married with 3 young children, The move from Kerikeri to Warkworth was prompted a year ago by a desire to broaden his civil engineering knowledge by taking additonal courses at Unitech in Auckland, whilst still raising his family in a small rural town, with Warkworth being the ideal choice. The exciting move to Ashby Consulting Engineering was then made in May 2008.

Aaron enjoys all water sports including sailing, boating, fishing, diving, and has a small yacht which he races in the Sandspit Yacht Club race series during the warmer summer months.

Frank "Chip" Babbott

Chip is an American who sailed to New Zealand fifteen years ago with his wife and never left.

He has a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the states and gained his US professional engineering qualifications while working with large structural steel projects including container crane design and miscellaneous port handling equipment. He has also worked for Boeing and a few small aircraft development companies in an engineering capacity while pursuing his passion for aircraft.

On arrival in New Zealand he became involved in the commerical construction industry, specifically with aluminium composite cladding and for the four years prior to joining Ashby Consulting Engineering had his own company importing, manufacturing and installing commercial cladding throughout New Zealand.

Since joining Ashby's, Chip has been developing his expertise in onsite waste water systems design, which is an area of expertise Ashby's have been proud of for many years. The design of stiffened raft flooring systems is also an area of expertise.

As a Warkworth resident he is very happy to live and work locally and be a part of the Ashby team. When he is not busy with design he and his wife are busy corralling children, cows, sheep, chickens and even a donkey or two on their local lifestyle block.

Randy Lineses

After graduating from university in the Philippines as a civil engineer, Randy started his professional career by gaining his professional qualification working for a residential construction company an then with one of the Philippines largest telecommunications companies.

Married with a young family Randy decided to extend his professional experience by moving to New Zealand and taking a position with Ashby Consulting Engineering.

Before long Randy and his family found they had easily settled into a “Kiwi” way of life and Randy was fast becoming a key member of the Ashby geotechnical team producing high quality in-depth geotechnical analysis and reports.

When not in the field up to his elbows in soil samples, Randy enjoys his time with his wife and children while keeping physically and mentally active with basketball and chess.
 

Edward Ashby

Edward has been involved as a geotechnical engineering technician with Ashby Consulting Engineering since 2004 on a part time basis. During this time he has been training in a parallel field as an archaeologist, having gained a BA (Honors) from the University of Auckland in 2008 and an MA in 2009.

Ed contributes to the Ashby Consulting team with high quality, geotechnical reports to a professional standard which are reviewed and countersigned by the company principal for residential and commercial developments throughout the Northshore, Waitakere, Rodney and Kaipara areas.

Augmented by his archaeological training investigative and report writing skills, Edwards has gained good practical insight into geology and geotechnical investigations.