Spatial Media and KiwiRail have been named finalists in not one but two categories at the 2026 Rail Industry Awards, hosted by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA). The nominations recognise Arahina, a driver training and competency platform developed by the Spatial Media team which converts existing driver-perspective footage and simulates future rail environments into an interactive, competency-based assessment system that scales.
The two categories: Rail Innovation of the Year, which honours the platform's technical ambition and transformative approach to operator training; and the Safety Excellence Award, which recognises the real-world safety outcomes Arahina has made possible.
Those outcomes speak for themselves. Since Arahina launched, KiwiRail has recorded zero Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) incidents — a result that reflects not just what the technology can do, but the depth of commitment that brought it to life. None of this would be possible without the exceptional team at KiwiRail, led by John Gousmett, whose deep knowledge, trust in the collaboration, and unwavering commitment to safety outcomes are what turn great work into meaningful results.
"This is a huge honour for our product to be recognised for innovation and safety and is something we're really proud of but more importantly it's making a difference to our clients and their operations" said James Noble, Rail Training Lead at Spatial Media.
Winners will be announced at the ARA Rail Industry Awards ceremony on 1 September 2026.
Spatial Media and KiwiRail are honoured to be recognised alongside the outstanding organisations and teams driving the future of rail across Australasia. In the meantime, please join us in congratulating them and check out the other finalists on ARA's website: https://ara.net.au/events/rail-industry-awards/.
