CEO UPDATE
JASON MARAKU
Hi everyone,
On behalf of the EVolocity team, I am thrilled to share this new edition of our magazine with you. Inside, you’ll find stories that shine a light on the design and build processes behind engineering, and the exciting career pathways that STEM can open up
The people we’ve interviewed come from different backgrounds and roles, but what they share is a willingness to dive into challenges, learn through trial and error, and keep pushing boundaries.
Their stories show that engineering is as much about creativity and persistence as it is about technical skill, and that there’s no single path into a rewarding career in STEM.
This feels especially relevant for all EVolocity students, given the incredible tenacity you’ve shown as you bring electric vehicle builds to lifeproblem-solving, testing, rethinking, and trying again until you’ve got it right. These ee
same qualities of curiosity, resilience, and collaboration are echoed in the career stories you’ll discover here, and I hope they may demonstrate what is possible for you too.
Design and build is an important part of engineering and STEM - and through your EVolocity projects, you’ve experienced first-hand how sketching an idea, prototyping, and refining it step-by-step can lead to breakthroughs. As you’ll see, this hands-on process mirrors the same methods engineers and innovators use in their careers, showing that breakthroughs come from persistence and iteration.
At EVolocity, our mission is to create opportunities for young people to explore STEM, and to help you imagine yourselves in these industries.
I hope you’ll come away from this issue inspired, encouraged, and excited for the possibilities that lie ahead.
Jason Maraku EVolocity CEO
You’ve experienced firsthand how sketching an idea, prototyping, and refining it step-by-step can lead to breakthroughs.
I have found EVolocity to be one of the most meaningful, holistic and rewarding learning engagements that I have been involved with. The possibilities and future pathways that EVolocity has opened in the minds of these students as they are about to embark on their high school journeys, makes every minute of the experience totally worthwhile.
FEATURE
SAM RAMLU: FINDING HER METHOD
Sam Ramlu has spent two decades creating games and digital worlds that invite people to play, explore, and connect. We sat down with her to talk about the unexpected places she finds inspiration, the importance of community, and what it takes to build a business.
If you ask Sam Ramlu to describe how she approaches her work, she’ll give you three simple words: “explore, experiment, and play.”
Arguably, it’s a little different to the relentless focus and single-minded grind most of us are told we’ll need to get ahead in STEM careers. But, given that the Auckland-based wāhine is one of New Zealand’s leading creative tech entrepreneurs (she’s cofounded three pioneering tech studios, contributed to multiaward-winning projects, and has established ongoing collaborations with major industry players, including Sony - but we’ll get to that soon), it’s an approach worth paying attention to.
“A lot of the ideas I have are not in front of the screen,” Sam tells us over the phone, taking time out from a family holiday in Fiji, where she’squite literally - putting her philosophy into action.
“I love travelling, and being able to go somewhere new and see something different My ideas come when I go for a walk and think, this environment is really cool, it should be scenery in my game,” she says “I’m writing a game at the moment, and there’s a magpie character in there that came about because I was playing soccer with my son, and this cheeky magpie ee
wandered onto the field I thought he’d be an interesting character in the game. It’s something that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been out and about.”
That’s what Sam does day to day, by the way - creating games and digital experiences that use new and emerging technologies to transport users into immersive, imaginative worlds
She’s been at it since 2003, when she spotted a gap in the New Zealand market to create the kind of story-based content that were captivating audiences overseas Drawing on her background in advertising and marketing, Sam and her partner launched Method - a studio that uses technology to tell storiesalthough the duo have since expanded their creative reach with the launch of Mad Carnival, specialising in familyfriendly games, and Mighty Eyes, which focuses on VR titles.
Curious about what life must look like as a leading innovator in one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing creative industries, we ask Sam to walk us through a typical day at mahi “I wear a few different hats, so it may be a jack of all trades but a master of none situation” she laughs. “I do game, creative, and experience design - so I’m figuring out eeee
what a game experience will be, how an animation will look, what the characters will be like, how the story will unfold, and what the interaction is like. And then I see it through to execution and do the marketing as well ”
By this point, it’s obvious how much Sam loves her workthere’s an enthusiasm and energy that carries in her voice - though it doesn’t quite compare to the warmth with which she speaks about her favourite part of the job.
“I love the joy that comes through when I see people experiencing, engaging, and playing with a game or experience. Day to day, what I’m doing, it’s just what I do, and it doesn’t necessarily feel like a big deal. But having others say ‘hey, this is cool’ makes me proud ”
Day to day, what I’m doing, it’s just what I do, and it doesn’t necessarily feel like a big deal. But having others say ‘hey, this is cool’ makes me proud.
And while Sam may wish that she could spend all day in creative flow, she’s got a business (or three!) to run, staff to look after, and client deliverables to meet - and across the past few decades, she’s had to learn how to balance the joy of creating with the less creativealthough no less importantrealities of keeping a business afloat What’s become clear, she says, is that a lasting career in STEM isn’t built on skills alone, but on the networks and communities you nurture in the process.
“When all you want to do is create, working on the business is definitely hard,” Sam admits. “I’m a person who likes to just get on and do it myself without asking for help. But what’s been good is finding people around me who I can chat to about those eeeeee
things, and to have as a sounding board. When there’s a bunch of great people around you, you know that you’re never alone with anything you’re experiencing, and there’s always someone else going through something similar.”
This, Sam explains, has been especially important for her as a woman of Pacific Island and Indian heritage, working in an industry where she hasn’t always found people she could easily relate to. That’s also why, in recent years, Sam has made a conscious effort to step into mentoring roles - not only to share her own experiences, but also to create the kind of visibility and support she wished she’d had earlier in her career. “I love making sure that other women and brown people can see potential for themselves,” she ee
explains. “I want them to know they’re capable of doing great things.”
At this point, rather fittingly, we move on to talk about legacy - and for Sam, it’s something she encourages every young person in STEM to consider, even as they begin to carve their own paths
“I think it’s important to think about what you want to leave behind,” she reflects. “And it doesn’t have to be a weighty thing. It can just be considering how you want people to talk about you A lot of the experiences we create at our studios aim to elicit joy, so when I work with my teams and clients, I want to bring that fun too. I’d like people to know that I’m fun, caring, and trustworthy, as well as being smart, innovative, and creative.”
When there’s a bunch of great people around you, you know that you’re never alone with anything you’re experiencing, and there’s always someone else going through something similar.”
As for right now though, Sam has a few more days to enjoy some (well-deserved) rest and relaxation in Fiji, before returning to Tāmaki Makaurau - where she’ll no doubt continue to explore, experiment, and play, and in doing so, will be living her philosophy and shaping her legacy in real time
SAM’S ADVICE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN STEM CAREERS:
“STEM is so hands-on, so there’s a great opportunity to learn by playing and mucking around a little bit. With AI, that will become more important. We can use AI to do our busy work, and to help us unleash ideas and bring them to life, but we also need to keep using our hands and brains. So explore the world, let it inspire you, and keep experimenting with things.”
Learn more: Method: method digital/ Mad Carnival: madcarnivalgames com/ Mighty Eyes: mightyeyes.games/
FEATURE
MICHELLE DELVES: THE DATA THAT MAKES
A DIFFERENCE
Michelle Delves has always measured her work by its impact. Now, as an Analytics Engineering Specialist at Air New Zealand, she transforms data into tools that make work easier and decisions smarter. She joins us to chat about problem-solving, collaboration, and making a difference.
Across Tāmaki Makaurau, there are hundreds - if not thousands - of people who’ve felt the impact of Michelle Delves There are those who watched her deliver the inaugural valedictorian address at her university graduation. There are those who saw her leadership in action with student engineers, as president of wellbeing initiatives or as vocal director for their SkyCity Theatre performances. And now, there are those who are lucky eeeeee
enough to work alongside her at Air New Zealand.
Ask Michelle about these experiences, and she’ll happily chat away about her favourite memories from each. But, the point she always comes back to is how they’ve all offered an opportunity to make a difference - and that, she says, is the measure that matters most.
“When you go into a job, especially when it’s in a big eeeeee
company, you can end up questioning what actual, tangible difference you’re making,” Michelle reflects when we connect over the phone. “But, I’ve decided that as long as the actions I’m taking and the work I’m doing is helping people - no matter the scale - then that’s all I could ask for ”
“Recently, for example, I built a data product from scratch, but the instructions I had weren’t very intuitive for a eeeeee
first-time user. So I looked at the mistakes I made and the nuances I would have appreciated knowing, and updated the instructions to reflect them. The following week, I overheard someone say my guide had made the process so much easier. In all the trials and tribulations, it’s worth it to me if somebody else is better off because I used my experience to improve the process."
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As long as the actions I’m taking and the work I’m doing is helping people - no matter the scale - then that’s all I could ask for.
business applications into our modern data platform,” Michelle explains “Once that data is available, I build products that go on to help people make informed decisions - whether that’s about a work roster, a plane, or a business decision. It’s really interesting, each day has a mix of platform work, ingestion, and modelling.”
Michelle’s 18 months into her career now, and speaks with a gracious sense of gratitude about the breadth of her experiences - which, for the record, have also included time as a Data Engineer working on cloud-based systems, and contributing to AI initiatives within the airline - not least because, only a few years prior, she had been unsure how to piece together what her career might eventually look like.
What eventually led me to engineering was that I really liked being able to problemsolve, and wanted to head into a field that would challenge me.”
As an Analytics Engineering Specialist at New Zealand’s leading airline, data, as you’d expect, plays a pretty big role in Michelle’s day-to-day mahi. “I ingest data from different eee
"Something I struggled with in high school was that I was a jack of all trades, but I never did amazingly at any one thing. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do, and applied for about ten different combinations of degrees. eeeeee
I was a jack of all trades, but I never did amazingly at any one thing. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do, and applied for about ten different combinations of degrees.
“Plus,” she adds with a laugh, “my careers counsellor told me I probably wouldn’t survive STEM, and nothing fuels me more than someone telling me I can’t do something!”
Keen to keep her options open, Michelle chose engineering science as her specialisation. Compared to pathways like civil or software
engineering, which tend to funnel graduates into specific careers, engineering science offered a broader base.
“I hoped it would show employers that I was flexible and able to adapt to different kinds of work,” she explainsand as it turns out, her instincts were right. That degree opened doors to several internships, and an honours project, with Fisher and Paykel Healthcare. There, she worked on nasal high-flow technology for premature babies, as well as an educational tool modelling how infectious particles moved through a room during the height of Covid-19. “The degree gave me the chance to try so many different things, and it built the problemsolving skills I still rely on today ”
So, how does all of this compare to life after university? For Michelle, it comes down to problem solving
Going into real work, there isn’t a formula to memorise. Instead, you have to think on your feet, and adapt to different situations. If something breaks, or isn’t working, you have to piece together your existing knowledge like a puzzle.
“In university, a lot of your time is spent memorising content - physics definitions and maths formulas. Going into real work, there isn’t a formula to memorise Instead, you have to think on your feet, and adapt to different situations. If something breaks, or isn’t working, you have to piece together your existing knowledge like a puzzle A lot of the time, it’s relatively straightforward, but sometimes there’s a case where you have no idea what’s wrong, so you’ve got to troubleshoot, think critically, and to some degree, just trust your gut ”
Collaboration, too, has taken on new importance. “There are so many people to work with –domain owners, tribe digital leads, others in the same role Sometimes you’re getting endorsements for solution designs, and sometimes you’re working together to figure out improvements. It’s a very team-driven process.”
And for now, that’s exactly what she’s off to do - working alongside her team to deliver data-driven solutions, building upon the waves of impact that have carried her this far, and setting ripples in motion for others to follow eeeeeeeeeeee
FEATURE
SIMON BICKERTON: COMPOSITES, CREATIVITY, AND CONNECTION
Most of us never think twice about the materials behind a yacht, a satellite, or even a tennis racket. But, for Simon Bickerton, those fibres and resins have defined a career that’s taken him from Delaware to Germany, and now back to Tāmaki Makaurau. We sat down with him to trace that journey - and the lessons he’s passing on to the next generation of engineers.
Most people, it feels safe to assume, rarely stop to think about the carbon fibre foils that help SailGP yachts skim across the water at highway speeds, the protective shells shielding satellites as they blast into orbit, or the carbon fibre frames of elite tennis rackets that make a worldclass serve that much faster.
Simon Bickerton, however, is not “most people” The Tamaki Makaurau-based professor and Department Head has spent the better part of the last two decades advancing research into composite materials - which, for the uninitiated, are the fibres and resins that allow engineers to create structures that are lighter, stronger, and more durable than traditional metals.
“Growing up, I was really good at maths physics and metalwork,” Simon recalls when we meet online, just days before he’s due to head to the US for a conference on the subject. “I didn’t know what professional engineering was in high school, but someone put a brochure in front of me, and it described the things I like, so that’s what I pursued.”
And thank goodness for thatbecause while Simon is quick to downplay his achievements,
he’s gone on to become a leading figure in composite materials research - and the engineering industry at largemaking his mark across both industry and academia in New Zealand and overseas
“I’ve had some great opportunities that have gone on to shape my career,” Simon reflects warmly. “And some of them have come down to a little bit of luck meeting the right people at the right time,” he adds, recalling how a conversation at the end of his undergraduate degree with a visiting academic from the United States led to an offer to complete a funded PhD in composite materials at the University of Delaware - an opportunity that, arguably, set his entire career in motion.
A decade after completing that PhD - and with a stint of lecturing at the University of Auckland now under his beltSimon reconnected with a fellow Delaware graduate - an encounter that then opened the door to a job opportunity with BMW in Germany. There, he joined as a carbon fibre composites specialist on what remains the largest automotive project of its kind - the first attempt by a carmaker to deploy carbon fibre on an industrial scale.
“That was really cool to be part of,” Simon says proudly. “BMW was trying to stretch itself, the project was ramping up, the manufacturing process went all the way around the world, and there were about 300 of us in the department I worked in.”
“I’ve had some great opportunities that have gone
on
to shape my career.
And some of them have come down to a little bit of luck meeting the right people at the right time.
The composites were used in the car’s structure, particularly the chassis, and Simon’s role was to monitor material quality - following polymer fibres as they were carbonised, woven into textiles, layered into stacks, shaped into 3D forms, moulded, and finally injected with resin under immense pressure to cure. “There were a lot of different moulds, shapes, and points where things could potentially go wrong,” he explains “My dayto-day was focused on
studying the quality at each point, feeding data into the system, and helping production teams analyse the issues. And when you’re in early production, and no one in the world has done this before, there are a lot of quality issues that needed to be sorted out It was definitely exciting, but it wasn’t an easy task at all.”
Yet what Simon looks back on with most pride goes beyond keeping production on track At the time, BMW’s testing meant taking a sample, running trials, and destroying it - a rather wasteful (and expensive!) process. By the time Simon left the role, the team - guided by his leadership and expertise - was increasingly using nondestructive testing methods that delivered the same measurements while keeping the material intact, allowing it to remain part of the car “I eee
was proud to use my knowledge to help the business in that way ”
That lesson, he says, is one worth passing on to future engineers. “It’s always good to work to your strengths,” he says “But the real impact comes when you combine that with creativity and thinking outside the box. Having the capability to be creative is so important - it’s not to be undervalued, as it means you can find new approaches, make processes more efficient, or explore the usage of different materials.”
“And,” Simon adds, “communication is really important too - otherwise you’ll have all these great ideas and just end up sitting in an office by yourself not doing anything with them. Engineering is a team game.”
These days, Simon is back in ee
New Zealand, relishing the challenges of leading the University of Auckland’s Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering Department. And as he reflects on what’s clearly been a rich and rewarding career, it’s the teams he’s been part of, and the people he’s guided, that mean the most. “To me, that’s the biggest legacy,” he says. “My students have gone on to do amazing things - some are building rockets, others designing yachts And while I can make an impact in my field or invent a new manufacturing process, what’s most satisfying, when I boil it down, is seeing those I’ve taught go out into the world and succeed ”
And if this conversation - and the sense of possibility it no doubt leaves us all with - is anything to go by, it’s clear Simon is shaping a legacy far larger than his own career eeee
It’s always good to work to your strengths. But the real impact comes when you combine that with creativity and thinking outside the box. Having the capability to be creative is so important - it’s not to be undervalued, as it means you can find new approaches, make processes more efficient, or explore the usage of different materials.
SIMON’S ADVICE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN STEM CAREERS:
“Connections are so important Even for young students, I recommend paying attention to your network, and keeping connected to people, because within that network, you create opportunities.”
Learn more about Simon: profiles auckland ac nz/s-bickerton
MATT BARHAM: ENGINEERING AT THE EDGE
As Engineering Lead at Paddon Racing Group, Matt Barham’s responsible for keeping New Zealand’s top rally cars race-ready. He joins us to chat about life at the front line of New Zealand motorsport, problem-solving under pressure, and the value of teamwork.
If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about living life at full throttle, it’s Matt Barham.
The Otago-based engineer holds the coveted title of Engineering Lead at Paddon Racing Group, and when we speak over the phone, he’s just returned to New Zealand after several weeks shuttling back and forth across the Tasman for events.
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It’s all part of the job when you’re part of New Zealand’s leading motorsport team (founded, of course, by Hayden Paddon - New Zealand’s most successful rally driver on both the national and international stage). And within minutes of talking to Matt, it’s clear that, despite the chaos, he wouldn’t have it any other way
“It’s pretty busy,” he laughs, eee
before explaining how much behind-the-scenes engineering goes into keeping a rally car at peak performance.
First, there’s the prep
“Before a car goes away, I’ll be doing lots of work on the computer,” Matt explains. “I’m usually writing software, simulating algorithms, making sure all control systems are working, and checking that all
the bits are electrically tuned. It’s a team effort - everyone’s specialised in a variety of different jobs, and all of our parts have to work together seamlessly.”
Then, there’s the rally itself.
“When you’re at an event, anything can happen,” Matt shares, recalling a recent rally where a steering component failed. “When something goes wrong, you have maybe an hour to figure out the solution while the car is still competing, and then 20 minutes to implement it. It’s fast-pacedyou have to prioritise what you’re gonna look at, consider the most-likely issue, and have all of your tools ready. In the moment, you’re relying on eeee
your experience, but you also have to trust your gut and act straight away ”
And finally, there’s the aftermath.
“A lot of the things we implement during an event are work-arounds,” Matt admits “You’ve just got to get it working - even if it’s patched up and not pretty, you can sort it out properly later. Once the cars are back, that’s when we make proper, permanent fixes ”
And while Matt certainly values the prestige of working with New Zealand’s top motorsport team - and thrives on the pace and scale of the challenges that come with itee
few moments have matched the significance of project managing the build of the Hyundai Kona EV, one of the world’s first electric rally cars capable of completing a full day of competition.
“That was massive,” Matt shares with a laugh “It was my first project with Hayden, and other than watching it, I’d had no experience with rallying before. I was thrown into 8-9 months of working long hours every single day, helping create this purpose-built vehicle from the ground up ”
And unlike traditional builds, where engineers can adapt or borrow from existing designs, there was no blueprint to follow No wonder, then, that Matt describes the experience as a real “crash course.”
In the moment, you’re relying on your experience, but you also have to trust your gut.
“Take suspension design, for example - that was one of the first things I had to do. I’d never done it before, but we needed it, and I was the one who had to figure it out,” Matt explains. “Everything had to be learned as we went. But it was so worth it. We took it to a national forest rally sprint eee
just outside of Rangiorahistorically, it’s one of the most popular hill climb rally sprints in the country, and has been running for 30 years People bring along really impressive cars, and we competed with the EV as our only car. It was a David and Goliath battle, but we won, and it made everything worthwhile ”
So, what has Matt taken from experiences as unparalleled as these? That you don’t need to be brilliant at everything What matters most, he says, is the willingness to learn and to understand the roles of those around you - and that’s the message he wants anyone following in his footsteps to take with them
“With these kind of projects, it’s often about taking all of the things that are happening, and piecing them together like a puzzle. If you’re in your own world and don’t understand how everything is piecing together, it’s going to be a struggle - for you, and the team.”
And in an environment like this, a “team” can look a little different from what most would expect, often extending e
It’s often about taking all of the things that are happening, and piecing them together like a puzzle. If you don’t understand how everything is coming together, it’s going to be a struggle - for you, and the team.
far beyond the people in the garage.
“You’re solving problems all the time - and sometimes that’s with suppliers, manufacturers, or engineering companies overseas. That might mean you’re awake at midnight trying to troubleshoot, or sitting by your laptop waiting for an email that confirms a diagnosis ”
But, as far as Matt’s concerned, it’s these kind of experiences - in combination with the opportunity to apply the software, CAD, and electrical skills (that many EVolocity students will be familiar with!) that he’s worked so hard to nurture that make his mahi so memorable, especially when applied in such high-pressure, highstakes situations
MATT’S ADVICE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN STEM CAREERS:
“Learn software! To be an engineer, no matter what discipline, you need to understand the basics of software, and I definitely regret not learning that earlier. And if you’re interested in motorsport, look into joining a race team, volunteering your time, or getting involved in Formula SAE - it’s an invaluable stepping stone into a career ”
Learn more about the Hyundai EV rally car: paddonrallysport co nz/hyundai-ev-rally-car/
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON
We hope this magazine gives you real-world insights into engineering and the designbuild process, and inspires you to explore your own possibilities.
Take a moment to reflect on these questions and think about the careers or projects you might want to pursue.
How do you bring creativity into the way you design, build, or solve problems?
What does resilience mean to you, and how might you grow it through your projects?
When have you worked best as part of a team, and what made that experience successful?
How do you stay curious when you’re faced with challenges or things you don’t understand?
What excites you most about designing and building something new?
How do you respond when a design or idea doesn’t work out as planned?
What role does community play in your learning and building journey?
How can you use technology and creativity together to bring your ideas to life?
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
YOU
This magazine was produced by EVolocity. We extend our thanks to Sam Ramlu, for sharing their inspiring stories.
Interviews and words by Chantelle Cobby.
INTERESTED IN TAKING PART IN EVOLOCITY? THANK
Register via www.evolocity.co.nz or contact CEO Jason Maraku via jason@evolocity.co.nz for more details.
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