Charmian Stone, Asset Planning Engineer Water Services at Waipā District Council, and Eva Cucvarova, Senior Engineer Growth at Waipā District Council, returned to the island of Mauke in October this year with the PacificTA programme. Mauke is a small island in the Cook Islands, covering just 18km2 and with a population under 300.
This was the pair’s second visit to Mauke. Their first trip had laid the foundations, asset registers, early training, and new relationships. This visit was about building on all of that, strengthening the skills of local staff, and deepening their understanding of the “Mauke way.”
Training turned into teamwork
Over five days in October, the pair worked alongside the Mauke Island Government and ICI team, delivering hands-on AssetFinda training, carrying out condition assessments, validating spatial data, and beginning work on a draft Asset Management Plan (AMP) template requested by the island’s Executive Officer.
What could have been a standard software training session quickly transformed into something livelier. The five trainees picked up AssetFinda with enthusiasm, so much so that it became an unofficial competition to see who could find and enter asset information the fastest.
“It was such a good team atmosphere,” Charmian said. “Coming back from our Council meeting on Friday morning and seeing the trainees already doing additional inspections, without being asked, was incredibly encouraging.”
This eagerness underscored the value of the PacificTA partnership, empowering local teams to take ownership of their systems and data long after advisors have departed.
Understanding the ‘Mauke way’
For Eva, the trip offered a powerful personal lesson.
“By the end of the trip, it became apparent to me that understanding the ‘Mauke way’ was important,” she said. “It helped me explain myself better and have constructive discussions with staff and Councillors, challenging things when needed but always respectfully.”
That perspective shift is something she will carry into other areas of her life and career.
Debates, data, and a Hercules
Alongside training and data work, the team inspected new assets installed by the NZDF and spent time validating spatial records for the island’s water and power networks.
Some moments, however, were more unexpected.
The pair were invited to attend the NZDF farewell and watch a Hercules aircraft lift off the tiny Mauke runway. And during one site visit, they found themselves observing a passionate six person debate in Cook Islands Māori about the exact location of a set of assets.
“We only understood the words ‘pillar’ and ‘pole’,” Charmian said “But the determination to get everything absolutely correct was amazing to witness.”
Growing confidence on both sides
Both advisors say the assignment was personally meaningful.
Leading the training pushed Charmian beyond her comfort zone.
“It was tough and tiring, but it gave me confidence in my own skills,” she said. “And it reminded me that many of the challenges we face in New Zealand are shared in other places too.”
For Eva, the experience reframed the pressures of engineering work back home.
“Seeing the same issues, just with a different spin, really put things into perspective,” she said. “I hope our discussions and brainstorming sessions gave staff and Councillors a starting point to tackle some of the challenges ahead.”
Looking ahead
Charmian now has a suite of spatial data updates to upload, and both advisors will continue developing the AMP template from New Zealand so Mauke’s team can customise it and make it their own.
But the heart of the visit was the people, relationships strengthened, confidence built, and skills shared.
Asked what they would tell someone considering joining PacificTA, both advisors did not hesitate.
“It is not easy, but it is incredibly rewarding,” Charmian said.
“You leave exhausted, drained, grateful, and with the satisfaction of knowing your work matters to others,” Eva added.
