Oliver Bonner-Hutton

Water Engineer, WSP
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering (First Class)

He loves the variety and flexibility of his work, says Oliver Bonner-Hutton who studied mechanical engineering and now works as a water engineer for WSP.

“I’m working on a variety of water-related projects, involving pipelines, pumping stations and treatment plants. I do design work, which includes calculations, drawings, modelling and report writing, as well as advisory work like condition assessment, construction monitoring and asset management. Water is such a meaningful area to work in. The projects I work on help to reduce pollution in the environment, reduce flooding events and provide safe drinking water to communities. I get a lot of fulfilment from that.

“In this role, many different projects pop up, including some we work on long term, so the workload can fluctuate a lot. I enjoy managing my own time and deciding when and how long to work on something. I also love working on complex engineering projects, learning more and more about this area of engineering, and being able to make a greater impact on the projects I work on, and therefore on the community and the environment.”

The path to engineering
Oliver – who is of New Zealand European and Cook Island Māori descent – says deciding to study engineering was easy.

“I really enjoyed STEM subjects at school, and had a mechatronics class in high school where we built our own electric go-kart, which we were supposed to race. That was a very practical and fun way to experience engineering. I also thought engineering was a good degree to study because I was very interested in the subject and learning physics and maths, and it’s a good career path with lots of job opportunities, a wide range of disciplines to choose from and high-paying career opportunities.”

Because he wanted to stay in Auckland for university and he liked AUT’s vibe, he soon found himself enrolled in AUT’s Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering. It’s a decision he certainly hasn’t regretted.

“The highlights for me were the courses and the knowledge I gained, especially when I learned how things actually worked in the world from a fundamental perspective; things like pressure, buoyancy or wireless communication. I also had some good times with friends, either studying or meeting up between classes and outside of uni, and I loved the Refuel lunches.

“One highlight for me was my final-year project. I was working with Professor Sarat Singamneni who was really good and gave me the opportunity to submit my project as a scientific paper and then present it at a conference. It’s cool to have a scientific paper to my name.”

Advice for other students
Oliver has some great advice for other students who are thinking about university study.

“Enjoy the assignments and projects that you work on at uni, and the learning that comes from those. Try not to stress about getting good grades – focus on simply doing your best and learning as much as you can. And don’t be scared to interact with people and make friends.”

He also has some specific tips around how to choose what to study.

“Find what you enjoy and what gives you a sense of fulfilment. You want to study a subject that you find really interesting and then just enjoy the process of learning.”