Kevin Holland sits in the middle of the control room, surrounded by a mixture of technology past and present.
There are modern computer systems set against the older mimic panels which visually represent the generation equipment and outgoing electricity lines where he works at Arapuni Hydro Station.
Then there’s the low humming sound of the station’s eight turbines being dutifully propelled by the force of the Waikato River.
It’s an environment Kevin loves working in and he was happy to speak about his role as production technician for the Arapuni station, just before he retired from his role with Mercury in August 2025.
When we visited Kevin, it was easy to see his ability to problem solve and make decisions on the spot were key to ensuring the hydro station could continuously supply renewable energy to the country.
From the control room, he could start and stop the turbines, change the megawatt output if needed, detect and respond quickly to any alarms, and control the spillway and weir gates.
Kevin Holland as the production technician for the Arapuni Hydro Station. He retired in mid-2025
His experience and practical knowledge of hydro power was in great demand and critical to the station’s success.
Several times during the interview he had to pause and pivot to come up with solutions for staff popping up to the control room with questions. There were queries from dispatch in Hamilton and more questions coming through the radio from staff working at the other hydro stations on the Waikato River.
“You come to work with a plan, but you never really know what challenges might be ahead for the day. I think that’s what makes this job so interesting, it’s about finding solutions, bringing in the right people with the right skills to help you make the right decisions.
“No two days are the same at Mercury.”
Arapuni is one of nine hydro power stations operated by Mercury on the Waikato River as part of the Waikato Hydro System.
Kevin with one of the four turbines commissioned when the power station began operating in 1929. Four more turbines were added in the 1930s and 1940s.
Mercury has been incrementally upgrading each of its hydro stations since 2012 as part of a long-term refurbishment programme. The upgrades allow the hydro stations to work more efficiently and generate more power from the same volume of water.
Technology allows all the hydro stations to be run remotely from Mercury’s Hamilton office. But experienced station operators, like Kevin, work on site to provide that crucial human link.
Kevin was a maintenance electrician for Hamilton tech company ABB before joining Mercury in 2013. He spent the next five years working across Waipapa, Karāpiro, and Arapuni hydro stations.
He was appointed production technician for Arapuni in 2018, just 20 minutes upstream from his home near Horahora. While he was the only permanent staff member at the station, he reckoned he was never alone.
“We have a lot of technical people from across the industry coming in for inductions almost every day. We also have Mercury staff coming to visit for training, specialist surveillance teams checking the dam, people taking care of our grounds, checking fire systems.”
Kevin with some visitors touring the Arapuni Hydro Station.
Kevin said everyone who spends time working, training, or sharing their skills and experience at Arapuni are committed to making a positive impact on the country by ensuring the power station can continue to supply communities with renewable energy for many years to come.
Arapuni has already been generating electricity for New Zealand since 1929. It has an installed capacity of 196MW with an average annual output of 805MWh, that’s enough to power the equivalent of about 100,600 homes.
Kevin said he felt lucky to step inside the station every day for work. It is an eye-catching structure that draws the attention of those using the nearby Waikato River Trail, or the swing bridge over the Waikato River.