-Caliber Design

Working inside engineering teams throughout New Zealand gives us a practical view of how the sector is moving. This year we saw steady progress and exciting developments, even with the head winds.

Companies continued to advance capital projects, refine equipment, develop new products, and pursue leading edge innovation in emerging fields. While each sector had its own pressures, the overall feel has been one of steady momentum.

Manufacturers continued to deal with stretched internal resource, long project lists, the need to keep work moving without disrupting production, and uncertain economic times.

Yet across our secondments and conversations, the intent to improve and invest remained consistent, and that intent shaped much of the engineering work carried out this year.

Steady improvements in established industries

In processing, materials handling, dairy, poultry, and food and beverage sites, we saw ongoing investment in practical upgrades.

These were not large transformation programmes, but they mattered. Many involved service layout adjustments, safety improvements, reliability work, and design changes that reduce maintenance effort or improve workflow.

This work is almost always carried out in operational environments, which means planning, communication, and sequencing are as important as the technical solution.

The projects are varied but typically share a common goal of keeping plants running safely and efficiently while making incremental improvements that compound over time.

Emerging technology continued to build momentum

At the other end of the spectrum, 2025 saw significant activity in emerging technology. We set a goal to work with seven emerging technology companies this year and ended up partnering with nineteen.

That growth is a strong indicator of how much innovation and technical development is happening in New Zealand.

Projects spanned aerospace, clean materials, innovative transport, robotics, advanced energy systems, and specialised manufacturing.

These companies move quickly, iterate rapidly, and often need targeted engineering support to bridge gaps during hiring or scale-up phases. For them, the value is speed, clarity, and access to capability without long ramp-up times.

International work and global confidence

We also supported an increasing amount of offshore work this year, with projects in oil and gas, aerospace, and agritech. It provided another reminder of the strength of New Zealand’s engineering capability, from early concept development through to detailed design and on-site delivery.

Project engineering bridges design and delivery

Across the work we supported this year, a recurring theme was the handover between design and delivery.

The design work was often well understood, but progress depended on supplier coordination, installation planning, documentation updates, and working within the constraints of a live site. These tasks require practical engineering judgement as much as organisation.

We saw that mechanical designers who step into project engineering roles bring a useful mix of skills. They understand the intent behind the drawings, the constraints that shaped them, and how to adapt when site realities shift. They bridge design and delivery to keep projects on track.

A milestone year for Caliber

This year also marked Caliber’s tenth birthday. We grew beyond sixty engineers, expanded our customer base around the country, and strengthened our internal leadership while maintaining the culture of excellence, connection, learning, and fun that anchors how we work.

Recruitment remained challenging across the sector, but 2025 was also a year of success. Through our accredited employer programme, we welcomed engineers from South Africa, America, Brazil, and the UK, bringing in new experience and diversity at a time when engineering capability is tight across the country.

It has been rewarding to see overseas engineers choose New Zealand and contribute to the work being done here.

Looking ahead

We expect more of the same in 2026. Established industries will continue refining equipment and processes. Emerging technology will keep moving at pace. International work is growing, and companies are rethinking how they build engineering capability.

Throughout the industry, we see green shoots and genuine opportunity. New Zealand’s ability to combine hands on engineering with advanced technical development continues to produce work of a world-class standard.

We are proud to contribute wherever we can make a difference.