Published 1 July 2026
Lyttelton Port Company won the Work-related Safety Award for the Best Initiative to address a work-related safety risk at the 2026 Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health & Safety Awards on Tuesday, 23 June.
The award was for LPC’s use of drone technology to remove personnel from critical risks, including working at height and near water and people vs plant , making everyday tasks safer across operations.
Chief Health and Safety Officer, Steve Barclay, said the award reflects a strong team effort across the business.
“This recognition reflects the outstanding work of our workforce and operational teams, who have collaborated closely to eliminate three of our Critical Risks from operations.”
Drones were used for container roof inspections, stockpile monitoring, Container Terminal pavement inspections and Cruise Berth Seawall Rock Surveys.
At MidlandPort thousands of container roof inspections have been completed since November using this technology, eliminating exposure to risk at the same time increasing operational efficiency.
“I would like to acknowledge and thank our teams across MidlandPort, Engineering, Procurement, Coal Operations, Communications, as well as my own Health and Safety team, for their dedication and commitment to continuous improvement. This award is a direct result of your collective effort and focus, ” said Steve.
“The innovative use of drone technology is transforming the way we work and how we approach safety at LPC, providing new perspectives and strengthening our ability to manage risk effectively,” he added.