Martin Crockford

What’s your role within the Digital Solutions and Data Technology team? To manage enterprise database architecture, data flows, reporting platforms, analytical toolsets and support digital innovation.

What do you love most about your job? The ability to automate many or all parts of a tedious manual task. Taking complex and manual business processes and digitising them to create efficiency, accuracy and report outputs that provide business value is incredibly satisfying!

One memorable project was for our Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) team. We created a unique and customised operations logging system from scratch to help them run daily operations and report more efficiently.

Favourite airport initiative? The proposal to build an airport in Central Otago! This vision takes our company to a new level of the way we support business, travel and tourism in the South Island.

Most exciting moment on the job? Bumping into Tiki Taane in the terminal - what a legend.

Most memorable flying experience? When I was at school, I was a junior cadet in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. At 14 years old I got to fly a small aircraft (not solo of course!) but it was still a very exciting experience.

An interesting fact most people wouldn’t know about you? I co-founded an environmental management and sustainability consultancy business in 1998 (in the UK). Incredibly interesting to see the world’s perspective on this topic 20 years later. It’s fantastic to finally see the desire for environmental change globally.

I’ve also played gigs (as a guitarist) in many pubs/bars in Liverpool and Brighton in the UK and also Nantes in France. I recorded two original albums with aspirational professional vocalists (so no-one famous!)

What are you happiest doing when you’re not working? On a windy day I’m happiest on the water, windsurfing at Lyttelton harbour or Sumner beach. When it’s not windy I enjoy playing guitar. Kayak fishing also makes me very happy.

Biggest life accomplishment? Surviving and successfully completing a year and a half at a French University, when the only French I could speak on arrival was “Où est la gare?” (Where is the train station?).

What’s your favourite travel destination? I like nothing more than going to places I haven’t been, that are wild and generally devoid of humans. In my opinion, New Zealand is the best place in the world for this.  

Go-to South Island spot? I’m a big fan of Kaikoura. It’s not too far from Christchurch and for kayak fishing you only have to paddle a few hundred metres to be in blue cod territory, usually surrounded by dolphins and seals with spectacular mountain views… magical!