Talk to us 0800 397 566
Talk to us 0800 397 566 or contact your local office
LDE was first established in Gisborne in 2004. A young bohemian Engineer, Georg Winkler, had grown tired of Auckland’s hustle and bustle and what it had to offer. Yearning for a surf and the pull of the challenging geology, Georg moved to Gisborne and set up LDE.
It was a homecoming of sorts. Georg was born and bred in Wairoa. Georg was a renowned published engineering scholar who had been exposed to some of Aotearoa’s bigger engineering companies.
He knew what he liked and had strong opinions about what worked and didn’t. His working methods resulted in a company culture that we still enjoy today. Gisborne was the home of LDE at the start and remains to this day.
LDE is a proud Gisborne export, which wasn’t achieved by accident. LDE had roughly 12 team members circa 2013 and hadn’t changed much but was bursting with potential ready to be unlocked.
Then came Warkworth, Napier and within 12 months the next major offices came online. Auckland Central grew from Warkworth. Whangārei followed, run by team members from other offices who had decided to move to new locations but were still happy to have a little LDE in their lives.
In 2017 new owners Baden and Lisa Turley were introduced. There were 25 team members at the time, and with the purchase came fresh enthusiasm. Although the recipe was slightly tweaked, the flavour didn’t change much. The clients, projects and team grew.
In 2021 Lander Geotechnical Consultants (Lander) joined LDE. Lander was based in South Auckland and fitted nicely into LDE’s work scope and geographical spread.
In 2024, after 20 years, we are telling our story.
Ours is a land with unparalleled potential for everyone to rise and prosper through the generosity of thoughts and actions. Prosperity for our clients, suppliers, community, company, people, and environment.
Through our Tikanga and Wāhi Mahi Ora, LDE places mutual prosperity at the front of every decision and action.
LDE want to build and nurture relationships, show generosity with our gestures and act with humility and patience when engaging with others so that those around us are heard and respected. Then we can teach from our lessons learned and create prosperity from our knowledge.
Titiro, whakarongo, kōrero: look, listen and then speak
We are experts in our field and are sought after to resolve engineering and scientific challenges that improve people's lives. This is a privileged position that provides our people the opportunity to add value to our clients, communities and the physical world.
By approaching every interaction with a mind to listen and compassion in our words and actions, we gain better understanding and our path becomes clearer.
Accountability is the willingness and obligation to explain, justify and take responsibility for one’s actions. It also denotes the absence of blame, excuses and denial.
This is fundamental to our ethical core, and when appropriate we must always accept culpability with integrity and honesty.
We make choices every day, some successful and others less so. Only by each of us understanding our goal, recognising the risks, owning our contribution and succeeding on our own terms can success truly be ours.
Self-reflection and growing from our experiences are the first steps towards achieving our potential.
Personal responsibility also means owning your actions, choosing your attitude and how you act and interact. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond.
Consistent performance excellence and delivering quality outputs are the backbone of a successful engineering & science consultancy.
This requires strength in communication, collaboration, leadership. It also requires quality information management and continuous process improvement.
LDE’s approach to creating a healthy and safe work environment involves strong leadership, quality systems, consistent messaging, open dialogue, and understanding “the data”.
Through our leadership, systems and data, we are well-placed to recognise the risks to our people as they are presented.
We need to ensure there isn’t a rug to sweep things under.
LDE provides a safe place to express thoughts, beliefs and opinions on LDE’s processes and direction.
The expression of opinion differs from idle gossip and exists only when directed to those who can make a difference.
This doesn’t mean that every idea is agreed to, adopted or mandated but it does mean we will remain open to the conversation.
Continuous professional development is at the heart of our success and the cornerstone of sustainability and prosperity.
Confidence in your knowledge as well as understanding and being open to areas of continued development is shown to greatly improve mental health.
LDE was founded on doing the mahi in a flexible and balanced environment before it became fashionable.
Flexibility is not the absence of commitment to yourself and your team, but it does allow you to balance your commitments within the dynamic of your team while still meeting client and company expectations.
Transparency is the comfort of knowing on a general level what is happening in the company and in your direct work environment.
It doesn’t mean that everything can be shared but anything that directly relates to you will be known to you as soon as it is practical.
It also means accepting the responsibility of knowledge and confidentiality.
Respect for your private life free from discrimination
To be free of discrimination is not a hope or a wish, it is a right and fundamental to a happy and healthy life.
The interpretation of ‘private life’ is very broad. It covers things like your right to determine your sexual orientation, lifestyle, the way you look and dress.
This right also safeguards your autonomy over your body and thoughts, including your social and political beliefs. While these views are respected and encouraged within LDE, it is important to note that they do not represent the views of LDE.
