31 March 2025:

Congratulations to our National Manager Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Jo Prigmore, for winning the diversity champion award at the 2025 Women in Extractives Awards in Christchurch.

Jo won the Kristy Christensen Memorial Award, reflecting her work in helping make quarrying an attractive career option for females. Currently around 14 percent of the 2215 people who work in the quarrying sector in New Zealand are female, a number Jo would like to see increase.

Jo has been recognised for her work in promoting the ‘health’ in ‘health and safety’. This includes fatigue management and recognition of health risks from noise and respirable crystalline silica. Jo has also championed access to clean toilets with bins and measures to ensure people remain well hydrated because of its importance to mental and physical health.

Another recent initiative is new yellow PPE with a two-way zip. This allows a better fit for all shapes and sizes of people, not just the traditional male physique of wide shoulders and narrow hips.

Jo is pictured here with Aggregate and Quarry Association Chief Executive, Wayne Scott, after receiving her award.