Facilities service technician isn’t a job you would immediately associate with weight loss, but it was how one Kiwi man lost a whopping 17kg in less than two months.

Victor Howe, 57, switched from a high-pressure, high-stress job in the automotive industry, to walking up to 63km while working outside through his new role with Programmed.

All those steps have been life-changing, and Victor has dropped from 113kg to 96kg in around six weeks.

Weight loss isn’t the only benefit either. Victor says spending more time outdoors and seeing tangible results at the end of the day plays a huge role in his life satisfaction.

Victor is one of many who have been employed after facilities management provider Programmed won a major bid to maintain Transpower’s national network of properties.

The deal, which commenced on July 1, includes Transpower’s nearly 180 substation sites and has the potential to become a nine-year contract.

It is a significant win for Programmed which now boasts caretaking custodianship for more than 5800 customer sites across New Zealand.

The highly sought-after Transpower deal was made up of three different contracts tendered late last year to manage the state-owned enterprise's national network of substations, warehouses, plus other properties.

This partnership comes at a time of significant growth for the Programmed business, with 34 new roles created across the country and two new larger offices being established in Wellington and Christchurch alongside the Auckland headquarters.

Karl Ashby, left, Alison Andrews. Matthew Cotterall, Mark Ryall, Blair Upton and Stephen Hall. Supplied photo.

Programmed Head of Facility Management in New Zealand, Matthew Cotterall, says re-investing in local communities with local knowledge via a shared trust model is vital to the company's success.

“These are complicated roles working within an electrical environment so utilising knowledgeable and skilled local workers was incredibly important to us as part of this partnership,” says Matthew.  

"We’re very aware that we couldn't win this scale of business without our vendor partners and that they rely on us too.

“We are thrilled to bring on a highly experienced network of people and organisations who have been working on Transpower infrastructure for years whilst investing back into them with training and safety systems, technology and a modern fleet for ultimate work fulfilment.” 

Matthew says Programmed has introduced and adapted innovative technologies, such as drones, to ensure Transpower’s assets are maintained to the highest possible standard. 

“Transpower provides an essential service to New Zealanders; ensuring the integrity of its buildings and infrastructure services is vital to its success.

“We’re laser focussed on minimising disruption and risk and look forward to bringing our innovation and expertise to its services.”

Transpower EGM Grid Delivery, Mark Ryall says they are looking forward to working with Programmed. 

“We’re entering an exciting and busy period that will ensure our critical infrastructure meets New Zealand's needs for the future. Facilities Maintenance is an important part of that work,” says Mark.  

Programmed has seen exponential success since entering the NZ market in 1986 and through its multiple high-profile contracts with Chorus, Transpower and The Ministry of Education, it is now responsible for over 6,000 different sites from Cape Reinga to Bluff and across to the Chatham Islands. 

Programmed has also developed operations frameworks for customers including KiwiRail, Auckland Council, Te Āhuru Mōwai, and Fonterra.