At Burnham Military Camp, Stu Manuel leads a team of more than 50 people delivering essential support services to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). As Downer’s Site Facilities Manager – Southern New Zealand, Stu’s role goes beyond day-to-day operations. He’s a connector – linking departments, partners, and people to ensure Defence sites run smoothly and safely.

One such scenario was at the remote Tekapo Military Training Area, a 1,700-hectare site critical to NZDF training and deployment preparation. When a long-standing local specialist service delivery partner exited the region after more than 25 years, Stu knew he had to act quickly to maintain critical continuity for the customer.

“The site is three hours from Christchurch, so sending teams out for just a couple of hours of work wasn’t sustainable,” Stu explains. “We needed a smart, local solution.”

Stu worked across Downer’s internal network to mobilise capability. Downer Water stepped in to manage water treatment testing and oversee the transition, including onboarding a new local provider. At the same time, a new locally based grounds maintenance provider took over the grounds maintenance; coordinating mowing, weed spraying, and fire break management.

“We understand regional delivery challenges associated with remote sites, and we have strong regional business relationships,” Stu says. “It was just about connecting the dots.”

Importantly, many former employees of the outgoing partner were still based locally. Through new partnerships, Stu and his team retained their knowledge and experience, keeping familiar faces on the ground and ensuring continuity for NZDF.

“In many cases, it was just a matter of people changing shirts – same local knowledge, same commitment, just under a new banner,” Stu says.

The Tekapo mobilisation wasn’t just a logistical success, it was a demonstration of Downer’s scale, agility, and ability to collaborate across business units. Stu believes it’s a model for how Downer can continue to deliver value to customers.

“Downer is such a large organisation, with so many moving parts,” he says. “This was a real opportunity to bridge gaps and define how we work together. It’s exciting to see how deep our capability goes. When we connect the dots, we unlock real potential.”

Stu’s work at Tekapo is a powerful example of how Downer’s internal capability, trusted partnerships, and local knowledge can be mobilised to solve complex challenges.

By retaining local expertise, building new partnerships, and connecting cross-functional teams, we continue to work toward our Purpose of Enabling Communities to Thrive – supporting Defence capability while strengthening the regions we serve.