People of ZQN: Meet Greg Emms
Project manager Greg Emms does not shy from a challenge. In his mid-20s, he headed to the Solomon Islands to take charge of a team rebuilding schools, hospitals, and other public infrastructure. He hadn’t long since graduated with a Bachelor of Building Sciences degree from Victoria University and a postgraduate qualification in project management, but that didn’t faze him.
Another international assignment took Greg to Mongolia, where he was responsible for the construction of the turbine bases for the country’s first wind farm. If you want to know how to set concrete at sub-zero temperatures, he’s your man!
Greg was working in Wellington as a senior project engineer for Downer when he spotted a recruitment ad for a Queenstown Airport Project Manager role. Applications had closed, but he sent in a CV anyway and soon found himself part of the ZQN infrastructure delivery team. Greg and his wife, Kat, are “big into the outdoors” and were already regular visitors to Queenstown. Greg also holds a private pilot’s licence and enjoys the unique perspective of viewing landscapes from above. A day trip through the Marlborough Sounds and lunch on D'Urville Island is a particular highlight. He says his job is the perfect combination of location, aviation, and construction. (The banter isn’t bad, either.)
He has spent the past 18 months grappling with the complexities of the back-of-house project, which will create better offices and operational spaces for airline staff, and setting it up for success. “It is satisfying watching it come to life,” he says. However, already his focus has turned to his next projects – a new two-storey office building and a heavy taxiway parallel to the main runway.