A seminar of smart-grid engineering, sharp questions and a partnership we’re proud to keep building, right on UC’s doorstep in Christchurch.
Community and Careers
Last Friday, the CrescoNet team swapped our Christchurch office for a lecture theatre just up the road at the University of Canterbury (UC). It turned into one of the most rewarding activities we’ve done on campus. Our Graduate and Internship seminar, “Connecting UC Talent to Real-World Utility Solutions,” brought together students from electrical and computer engineering and computer science for an honest look at the problems we solve, the technology we build, and the career pathways waiting for them right here in Christchurch.
A seminar built around real engineering
Our Group Chief Technology Officer, Ashley Johnston, opened the technical half of the session with a candid picture of a power grid in the middle of profound change. Electric vehicles, home batteries, heat pumps and rooftop solar are turning millions of homes into active participants in the grid. For a utility, the smart meter is often the only place that change is actually visible. Ash walked students through how CrescoNet operates the software layer between a utility’s meters and its billing and operations systems: head-end systems holding sessions open to millions of devices, a meter data management platform validating billions of interval reads, and a cloud-native architecture built for the demands of AMI 2.0. They solve global problems for utilities around the world from the close-by Christchurch office.
The scale drew a genuine reaction from the room. CrescoNet processes around 8 billion smart-meter reads every day, manages more than 3.1 million meters, and serves over 80 utilities across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America, all from a team that helped lead the first wave of utility digital transformation worldwide.
Pallavi Anand, our Talent Acquisition Manager, then turned to what all of that means for someone starting out: paid internship and graduate roles based in Christchurch, hands-on work from week one, and mentorship from senior engineers rather than sideline projects.
“The problems we work on don’t have textbook answers: estimating a read you never received or pushing a configuration change to a million meters without breaking the network. It was genuinely energising to talk them through with students who wanted to argue real ideas rather than give a rehearsed response.”
Ashley Johnston, Group Chief Technology Officer, CrescoNet
Interactive by design
We wanted the session to be a conversation, not a lecture. Live polls kept the audience engaged throughout, from guessing our daily read volume to brainstorming the components needed to move data from a home meter all the way to a utility’s billing system. What impressed us most, though, was the calibre of the questions. Students dug straight into the hard problems we openly put on the table: how to estimate a meter read that never arrived, how to push a configuration change to a million meters without taking down the network, and how to tell a genuine outage from a simply quiet radio. These are questions our own engineers deal with every day, and the technical depth in the room was outstanding.
“What stood out most was the calibre of the conversations. The students who joined us didn’t just listen. They presented our engineers with sharp, technically grounded questions. That’s exactly the curiosity we look for, and it’s a real credit to the teaching at UC.”
Pallavi Anand, Talent Acquisition Manager, CrescoNet
Hearing it firsthand
Some of the most valuable moments came when Pallavi interviewed two people who have walked the path themselves. Abner, a UC master’s student currently interning with us, spoke about the jump from coursework to working at scale.
“CrescoNet sits right between the software side, the electrical side and real-world energy infrastructure. I was struck by the scale: the team handles around 8 billion data points a day. I’d never worked with that much data before, so it was amazing to learn how a smart energy metering company manages it.”
Abner, Intern & Master’s Student, University of Canterbury
Joel, who joined us as a graduate data analyst after completing his Bachelor of Data Science at UC in 2025, shared how quickly a new graduate can start contributing real value.
“When I first started at CrescoNet I was a little overwhelmed by the complexity of the systems, but the team was always there to support me. Since then, I’ve learned a lot, not just technically, but in how to work effectively with others. What I enjoy most is being able to contribute real value from day one and see the impact of that work firsthand.”
Joel, Data Analyst & UC Bachelor of Data Science graduate
For students weighing up their options, hearing directly from peers who were recently in their seats made the opportunity tangible.
More than a presentation
After the seminar, we headed outside for a group photo with the wider UC community and staff from the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science, a small but meaningful marker of a partnership we value. Ash also toured UC’s research facilities, and over lunchtime we set up an information booth in the foyer near the cafeteria, where a steady stream of students stopped by to ask about our Christchurch internship and graduate programs.
A partnership on UC’s doorstep
Our Christchurch hub sits just steps from the UC campus. That proximity is more than convenient; it reflects a deliberate, ongoing relationship with the university and its engineering and computer science community. We’re proud to help connect local talent to global-scale engineering work without anyone having to leave Christchurch to find it.
“As solar, batteries and EVs reshape how homes and businesses interact with the grid, the ability to see and manage that change at scale becomes critical. Having a global partner like CrescoNet with a development team right here in Christchurch helps connect our students and researchers to the forefront of these energy transitions. It’s a partnership that opens real pathways for our graduates and keeps our teaching close to problems the industry is solving.”
Dr Jamie Gawith, Senior Lecturer, University of Canterbury
Interested? Here’s how to join us
Applications for our Graduate Program and our 2027 Internships are open now. Both are paid, Christchurch-based roles with dedicated engineering mentorship and training. To apply, submit your CV, academic transcript and a link to a project you’re proud of before 11:59 pm NZST on 25 September 2026 or visit our information page first.
Questions? Reach out to earlycareer@cresconet.com. We can’t wait to see what you’ll build with us.