Meet the Team

With a background in Mechanical Engineering and an interest in renewable energy, Thomas was the perfect fit for the project manager role seven years ago. Now, he is the manager of the Design & Innovation team. Thomas puts his creative skills in to play. Having the creative freedom to create new products and bespoke solutions is only one of Thomas’s highlights of working at Farra.

Having a mix of both national and international clients, Thomas gets to travel to inspect, strategize and implement product outcomes. This allows him to see the problem needing a solution first hand and ensures the client relationship is an engaged, informed and happy one. One of his most enjoyable products was the High-Riser solution developed for the re-cladding operation on Spencer on Byron Hotel in Auckland. This allowed the team to rethink maintenance systems and create a world-first innovative solution, which is a Best Awards finalist. 

When Thomas isn’t thinking of his next solution to client's problems, you can find him playing squash, out trail riding, and diving.

Terry joined the Farra team 19 years ago and is currently a Senior Design Engineer within the Design and Innovation Team. With a Bachelor of Engineering he has a background in consultancy firms, working as a Systems Engineer, and then a Project Manager for Shell Fuel, before completing a stint with Airbus Industrie and then finding his way to Farra.

Terry is a great part of the Design Team, lending his experience to others when needed and enjoys being able to test out the finished equipment and see the results from his designs come to life.

Outside of work Terry enjoys outdoor activities, including biking, tramping and camping.

Ken has been at Farra for 27 years.  Starting as a Heavy Fabrication Welder he gained five years experience in the fabrication workshop and then moved to Engineering Design as a draughtsman where he excelled and is now an Installation Manager.

His role has a broad job description and involves a range of work from initial proposal with clients to site testing and installation.

Tips from Ken:

• It is not only important to record critical information correctly but ensure that information is able to be communicated effectively.

During his free time Ken likes to work on some DIY around his home. He also enjoys photography and enjoys vacationing around Europe.

Shane is one of Farra’s project engineers in the Engineering Design department.  Initially he was an independent contractor draughtsman and eventually joined the Farra family in 2002. His role is mainly draughting and designing and he loves the fact that all jobs are unique with no two jobs ever being the same.

One of Shane’s favourite projects was a Pit Maintenance Unit in Canada. He enjoyed seeing the project through from the initial concept to installation. Not only that, he also finds enjoyment in site visitations and meeting new people and engineers.

When Shane is outside of the office, he is a group leader of the Opoho Scouts Group where he spends time with his two children.

Shane loves a good debate so come by and say hi.

Nick was a fresh graduate from Otago Polytech majoring in Mechanical Engineering when he started at Farra Engineering Design as an intern. After six months Nick joined the design team as an Engineering Draughtsman. His role at Farra includes producing 3D CAD models, draughting and preparing technical documents for products as well as aiding in the development and design of engineering solutions. 

Nick enjoys the creativity that comes with his work as well as coming up with innovative and creative engineering solutions as all projects are unique and different. This is why the North Shore High-Riser is his favorite project because of the unique solutions implemented on the project.

Nick’s advice is:

• Take inspiration from everyone, use people’s experiences to your advantage and be willing to learn from them.

If you can’t find Nick in the office, you will likely see him at the Pomahaka river near Clinton enjoying the great outdoors and hunting.

Nathan has recently joined the engineering design team as a Design Engineer with expertise in design, engineering calculation and simulation. With his master’s degree in engineering, plus over 10 years of work experience including six years of working in the aerospace industry he is a great addition to our Design and Innovation team. His daily role in Farra is design, hand calculation and simulation as well as participating in project management.

Nathan enjoys not only the challenges that “no two projects are same” brings but also seeing the concept through to the finish. Nathan believes that know-how from both the practical and theoretical side enables the concepts to be implemented better in the real world.

Outside of work Nathan relishes travelling, dancing and photography.

With a background in Industrial Design and creating products for the fire fighting industry, Nathan is a perfect fit in our Design and Innovation Team. As a Design Engineer, Nathan has a hand in a multitude of projects, all varying in size and complexity.

With the variety of projects Nathan has completed in the past, no clear favourite stands out. Any project with the opportunity for creativity, problem solving and helping others in the team is a great project for him. Nathan enjoys his role within the Farra team producing solutions for the many projects that cross his desk.

Fu's role in the Farra family is a draughtsman with the Design & Innovation team and Fu brings with him 7 years of draughting experience. 

Having graduated from Otago Polytechnic majoring in Mechanical Engineering Fu enjoys learning new experiences with Farra, including experiencing the different approaches to draughting.

Tips from Zhengchu is:

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes even little ones because that’s how you learn.

He enjoys doing all kinds of different projects and enjoys every project he has ever worked on.

During his free time Fu enjoys fishing and spending time with his two children playing table tennis.

Starting with Farra full time in December 2018, David is one of our Draftmen working as part of our Design and Innovation team. David has nine year's draftsman experience and has a background in Mechanical Engineering.

David's role entails a wide range of activities from drafting and design to 3D modelling and animation. The variety in his role, new challenges that every day brings, and interesting projects are what David enjoys most about Farra. One such project is the Material Transfer Unit which is to be installed soon, providing a way for construction material to be transported down steep terrain in Queenstown for a hotel refurbishment.

David's top tip is to "tap into the knowledge of those around you", as you never know what experience people have the can be beneficial.

Outside of work it may be difficult to find David as he enjoys travelling and seeing new places.