“It’s a decade for engineers” Kiwi engineers can play a vital role in the drive to net zero carbon
On the paths less travelled Transport innovations with sustainability cred
Surf, simulation and six strings Juggling a dual career as an engineer and a flamenco guitarist
Resilience requires “revolutionary changes” Engineering our way forward after catastrophic weather events
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6 Resilience requires “revolutionary changes” Engineering our way forward after catastrophic weather events.
14 On the paths less travelled Flying taxis, autonomous shuttles – a round-up of transport innovations with sustainability cred.
34 A generous design The new Wellington Children’s Hospital features unique engineering design that will ensure the world-class healthcare facility is built to last.
52 Secret life of engineers Nancy Jiang MEngNZ goes to great lengths competing at an elite level.
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This issue of EG was published in June 2023.
6 Resilience requires “revolutionary changes” Engineering our way forward after catastrophic weather events.
14 On the paths less travelled Flying taxis, autonomous shuttles –a round-up of transport innovations with sustainability cred.
22 Surf, simulation and six strings Juggling a dual career as an engineer and a flamenco guitarist.
24 “It’s a decade for engineers” How Kiwi engineers can play a vital role in the drive to net zero carbon.
32 Lifting the bar Teresa Poli has never been one to shy away from doing the heavy lifting, at work or beyond.
34 A generous design The new Wellington Children’s Hospital features unique engineering design that will ensure the world-class healthcare facility is built to last.
44 Engineering through natural disasters Engineering has always been at the heart of how New Zealand plans for, and responds to, natural disasters.
46 Improving public safety and confidence Why changes around CPEng and the introduction of occupational regulation will be good for public safety and the profession’s reputation.
48 Storing renewable energy With the push for increased renewable energy, what are New Zealand’s storage options?
49 Design-led thinking Why design-led thinking could be the solution for modern challenges, including climate change.
50 Intersection Crossing paths with engineers.
Sweden, the country known for flat-pack furniture and giving the entire automotive industry free access to its life-saving seat belt patent, still has its engineering spark. This time, it’s making waves in the battery- powered recreational vehicle market, with Radinn Jetboards offering an adrenalinefuelled surfing experience, even when there’s no surf. With three styles of battery powered, jetpack-propelled board to choose from, Radinn’s composite material boards are modular – users can switch jetpacks, power banks and other features. The board is driven by an impeller jetpack, powered by a lithium ion battery, that sends water through a nozzle at the back of the board. It provides enough thrust to move the board forward. The rider controls the speed with a wireless hand controller with a thumb throttle. If only we could have as much fun assembling a flat-packed bookcase.
60kph
maximum speed of the Radinn X-Sport
45 minutes
battery run time
3 seconds
G3 Pro jetpack time from standstill to top speed
2 fins or 4?
rider decides based on preference
Engineering Envy #157
Chosen by Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau staff
I used to surf in Raglan a lot when I was growing up. An electric surfboard lets you surf on any body of water, a simple pleasure made possible by some creative engineering.
– Callum Johns, Cloud Architect and Systems Engineer
University of Auckland’s Dr Doug Wilson CMEngNZ on research into integrating wireless charging pads into New Zealand roads and car parks for EV charging.
University of Auckland PhD student Victor Li on research that has demonstrated wrapping weak spots in concrete walls with carbon fibre straps can strengthen earthquakeprone high-rise buildings well beyond the demands of the building code.
I’m delighted to take on the role of President of Te Ao Rangahau and committed to focusing on some key strategic areas, including how we engage with you, our members.
A civil engineer, I specialised in environmental and stormwater engineering before moving into business leadership. I’m passionate about the environment and ensuring we’re creating healthy, resilient communities. Our recent extreme weather events have again highlighted the importance of resilient infrastructure that supports communities, and that we need to build back better –something highlighted in this edition of EG. I was pleased to see the industry’s response to the weather events, with engineers at the forefront of the initial response and the wider recovery. Thanks to everyone who helped out in any capacity.
beneficial as Chief Executive of Harrison Grierson. There’s great value in less-formal learning, too, including being curious about new ideas, reading widely and being open to new ways of working to improve diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes. There have been a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening Te Ao Rangahau’s Board following an external review of our governance structure. Some would require a change to our Rules. We’ll consult with you on these potential changes throughout June and July, and I encourage you to have your say.
Another focus for me is Te Ao Rangahau’s opportunity to improve standards, accountability and delivery across the sector. See page 46 for an update on CPEng and occupational regulation.
Philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik donates $10 million to establish a mechanical engineering department at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.
I’m also passionate about learning –continued education – and throughout my career I’ve returned to university a number of times, including to obtain a Master’s degree in engineering. I also went back to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration which was
With the ENVI Awards, the 19th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, and our Member Connect events around the country – at which I look forward to meeting many of you – it’s shaping up to be an exciting year ahead.
Glen Cornelius FEngNZ CPEng President Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau Nau mai koutou katoa.“We are hoping to see stationary wireless inroad charging pads soon – probably next year in places like car parks.”
“Rendered me speechless.” American engineer and NASA astronaut Christina Koch on being offered a spot on Artemis II, which will make her the first woman to fly to the Moon.
“Up until now there has been no guidance on how these walls could be strengthened, but our research has shown that with the carbon fibre solution, the wall cannot buckle in the out of plane direction.”
“Engineering gave me my start in life.”
Destruction in Esk Valley, Hawke's Bay, after Cyclone Gabrielle tore through the area.
In the wake of catastrophic weather events in New Zealand, how do we engineer our way forward?
In late January, the Auckland anniversary weekend floods and, just a fortnight later, Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked catastrophic destruction on an already sodden North Island. They came after a summer of storms and Cyclone Hale. Sadly, the wild weather claimed lives, deemed thousands of homes uninhabitable and ruined livelihoods. Flooding, fallen trees and slips saw hundreds of roads closed and communities cut off.
This decade has already seen record-breaking storms. Massive floods caused widespread destruction in NelsonMarlborough and the West Coast – in July 2021 and again in August 2022.
Cyclone repair costs are estimated at $13 billion and it will take years to build back. Post-Cyclone Gabrielle, it is a pivotal time for the country’s infrastructure planning, as New Zealand looks to build back better while preparing our cities and urban areas for future events.
A more resilient future will require “revolutionary changes” – and there’s no better time to make these than straight after a disaster, says University of Auckland senior lecturer in civil and environmental engineering, Dr Sandeeka Mannakkara MEngNZ.
Sandeeka, who specialises in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, city resilience and climate change adaptation, says while the weather events were “absolutely awful”, it’s the best time to make muchneeded change.
“There are resources, there’s interest, there’s motivation – everybody’s on board.”
Sandeeka says to truly prepare, it’s important to “really understand” what it takes to build back better in this era of climate change.
This requires a three-step process.
Acknowledge existing climate change prediction models and utilise them, looking into all possibilities of risk under different emissions scenarios, and updating anticipated risk levels accordingly.
Undertake an extensive stocktake of current infrastructure and the existing built environment, to see what capacity it has in relation to these new risk levels.
Commit to putting resources into upgrading infrastructure to the necessary standards, or “make some tough decisions” about what needs to change.
With the unpredictability resulting from climate change, it is crucial to take a “resilience network approach” to infrastructure and urban planning, as a way of dealing with “unknown unknowns”.
This requires rethinking all options, from road networks to electricity, communications and water.
“If one part of this doesn’t work, then how do we still serve the community? This is a resilient space where you’re no longer trying to completely defend or protect yourself from nature, but rather working in an adaptive way. It’s about figuring out other means of getting by.”
This approach could involve working with urban planners more collaboratively, as well as being open to a Te Ao Māori approach, which is “very adaptive. It doesn’t try to go against nature or try to contain it”.
Post-Cyclone Gabrielle, Sandeeka noticed a wider willingness to acknowledge the urgency of climate change, and ideas of adaptation and risk. She hopes this will translate into more resources where climate adaptation is needed.
“Previously, when certain climate change adaptation solutions were proposed, there has been resistance due to the lack of urgency and allocation of resources. Issues like managed retreat were difficult to discuss because people just didn’t think it was necessary. These events have helped bring those conversations to light. Hopefully, they’re changing everyone’s mindset.”
... you’re no longer trying to completely defend or protect yourself from nature, but rather working in an adaptive way.
– Dr Sandeeka Mannakkara MEngNZ
The Auckland floods in late January were an “extraordinary, out-of-design event”, says civil engineer Allan Leahy FEngNZ, Principal – Growth Planning, for Auckland Council Healthy Waters.
Tāmaki Makaurau saw 249mm of rain fall over 24 hours – well above the previous record of 161.8mm –and groundwater levels reached record highs.
“A bad storm would normally affect just one or a few catchments within the city, but up to 60 percent of the city was affected by extreme rainfall on 27 January, an event greater than a one percent event – a storm that has a onein-100 chance of occurring in any one year.”
Parts of Auckland fared better than others. What didn’t work so well included “non-integrated” developments, both historical and recent, with depressions that filled or floodplains that flooded homes. Older suburbs especially in soakage areas, originally laid out at a time with less emphasis on overland flow path design, which have since undergone intensification, were also affected.
What did perform well were “integrated” developments – those which incorporate water-sensitive design holistically, where water is designed to pond or flow in certain places, away from houses.
The former Air Force base at Hobsonville Point, developed with overland flow paths and floodplains, the old Mount Wellington quarry Stonefields, constructed around a floodable park, and Greenslade Reserve in Northcote combined with downstream naturalisation, all performed well in the event with little or no flooding reported.
Left: Dr Sandeeka Mannakkara MEngNZ. Photo: Tim Hamilton/VisionWorks Above: Greenslade Reserve in Northcote during severe weather on 27 January, and on 28 January once floodwaters had drained away.As older areas of Tāmaki Makaurau come up for redevelopment, it’s “really important” that they’re developed in an integrated way to minimise this risk.
In terms of stormwater management this means, Allan says, “defining how we manage those regular flows – can we still rely on soakage systems, are our pipe systems adequate? How do we manage the secondary flows, do we have secondary flow paths, if not, can we create them? Are we safely managing the risk to the people in and around those depressions?”
As seen in Auckland, the use of nature-based solutions could prove an adaptive and effective way to build resilience, says ecological engineer Stu Farrant MEngNZ. These either “rely on, or mimic, natural processes to mitigate adverse impacts, protect communities and enhance urban ecology," says Stu.
“Nature-based solutions support our human changes in the landscape, while ensuring those landscapes and the people who live in them are resilient; both in terms of the ecosystem function, as well as the community and cultural values that natural systems support.”
Similar to terms such as water-sensitive design, green infrastructure and low-impact design, nature-based solutions can include constructed wetlands, rain gardens, rainwater tanks, green roofs, urban waterways and urban trees.
Stu notes that the term “sponge cities”, which came out of China following Beijing’s deadly 2012 floods, has been somewhat misused recently as a simplification of the challenges with urban water under a changing climate. Rather than a sole focus on permeable land cover, it is intended as a broad term for city-wide integrated water management.
“The name says it all – a sponge has a finite limit to it, at which point the water sheds off.”
Designing parks and sports fields with stormwater treatment and detention capacity during big rainfall events is an example of how infrastructure can serve the community in more than one way.
“It can protect the environment and connect the community with water; it deals with regular rain but then in the very large events, it’s also part of how the landscape responds to that as well.”
For two days in mid-February, Cyclone Gabrielle battered Hawke’s Bay. The following day, a large crew from local civil engineering company Russell Roads was out in force, helping with the clean up, before being moved to the State Highway 2 Napier-Hastings Expressway – one of four major routes into Napier cut off by the cyclone.
Russell Roads Chief Executive Gavin O’Connor CMEngNZ IntPE(NZ) says it was expected that the Expressway could reopen later that day. Then it was discovered part of the road had been washed away below the tarseal, concealing a 6m void.
The team worked a 16-hour day, then a 14-hour day, to repair the road scouring and get the Expressway back open. In between, those from Napier went home to no
electricity and cold water, before returning at 6am.
“The crew was incredible,” Gavin says.
The 80-strong company is still working on road repairs across the region. Gavin ensures the team take rest days, to avoid burnout. For some, the stress and strain is immense. One foreman lost everything when his house was washed away. Yet he’s still been working –overseeing vital repair works on State Highway 2.
One crew was “absolutely astounded” to receive a thank you note and bag of homemade cookies from Kererū School in Hastings.
“Building roads is what we do, but it’s different knowing you’re doing it to reconnect a community.”
Opposite: Te Kukuwai o Toa wetland in Porirua, Wellington, combines water quality with flood protection, amenity and urban biodiversity. Photo: Stu Farrant MEngNZ Above and right: Remedial work on Mangatahi Road in Hastings following damage from severe weather events.Stu, who is the Water Sensitive Design lead at environmental consultancy Morphum, says engineers have a fundamental role to play in building resilience into infrastructure using nature-based solutions. It’s important for designers to step back and look at the project holistically at the start. It is possible to build in resilience retrospectively, but, as with most things it’s easier and more cost effective to do it first.
“Consideration also needs to go into how something will cope with a range of changing climatic conditions.”
Many nature-based solutions take time to establish and thrive so it’s important to recognise where we have got some time on our hands, particularly with issues like urban heat, he says.
“We have an opportunity to start taking action now that will really pay dividends in 30 or 50 years’ time.”
In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, New Zealand has a huge opportunity to advance the types of housing constructed and created, says New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) Director of Market Transformation Sam Archer.
NZGBC provides sustainable residential homes and commercial buildings with independent certification under its respective Homestar and Greenstar schemes. Both require a climate adaptation response and help the building sector drive change as well as mitigate impact and emissions.
Sam says the recovery is a chance to ensure new and retrofitted stock are resilient against floods and the environmental impacts of climate events, while making them energy efficient, sustainable and healthy at the same time. This could include natural drainage and stormwater drainage systems, as well as insulation, double glazing, lifting up buildings, and using the right wall finishes (avoiding plasterboard).
Aotearoa also needs to look at how the built environment copes with higher temperatures and overheating.
To move forward, the engineering community needs to “get on board” with the Government’s Building for Climate Change programme, which Sam says is “both climate change adaptation and resilience”. He would like to see a centralised approach between professionals and government and he urges for more advocacy.
“We need further regulations, and we need the private sector and government to get behind some pretty bold action.”
When EG caught up with Professor Regan Potangaroa CMEngNZ (Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) in March, the Auckland-based academic and structural engineer was desperate for news of his whānau land after Cyclone Gabrielle tore through the Wairarapa, destroying a large section of road and cutting off the remote community of Owāhanga.
The 17,000-acre Aohanga Incorporation farm is owned by Māori shareholders who whakapapa to that area. Based on aerial insurance photos, it seemed the farm had suffered severe damage. A $500,000 suspension bridge collapsed into the river, 7.5km of fencing was destroyed and the flat fertile land was covered in silt.
Regan says isolated rural communities need an early warning system, and better community preparedness for future resilience. That starts, he adds, with restoring road access.
Regan is a humanitarian aid expert, having completed more than 200 deployments in 22 countries since 1996. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, engineers should be prepared to assist people first – “service before survey” – and it’s important to take a holistic approach.
“Resilience folds into social distress, family structures, disruption to education. It is much more complex than just fixing up a road, but fixing it is a huge start.”
Right above: Aerial view of the collapsed Owāhanga Suspension Bridge in the Wairarapa. Photo: Regan Potangaroa CMEngNZ; Right below:The newly reconstructed bridge.
At the last count there were 4.4 million cars on New Zealand roads. The transport sector is responsible for 17 percent of Aotearoa’s gross emissions. But it’s a wider issue – the World Bank Group’s Global Facility to Decarbonize Transport plan calls to avoid motorised transport, shift passengers and freight traffic to cleaner modes, improve efficiency of vehicles and strengthen transport systems to enhance resilience. There are a number of projects underway in Aotearoa aimed at addressing climate change through varied mobility modes.
One company seeking to shift passengers off our overcrowded roads is Holmes Solutions with its new technology, Whoosh. Its alternative point-topoint transport system is a cable-based system of autonomous electric vehicles that integrate with a rail track situated above traffic, difficult terrain and obstacles. The technology to move the vehicles along the combined guideway of cable or track exists within each vehicle, meaning there are no moving parts on the guideway. This allows the vehicles to change direction, switch tracks, and diverge to offline stations.
“The key to our technology is the rail-to-cable and cable-to-rail transition,” says Pete Scott, Technical
Director at Holmes Solutions, who supplies the technology and know-how to Whoosh.
“Because the whole system is supported on the cable and the track is long, it means the vehicle can come in at high speeds and there is time for alignment to the cable. This, in turn, leads to a highcapacity network and great energy efficiencies.”
Pete says the embodied carbon in a Whoosh transportation system is 184T of CO2e/km, significantly lower than rail transportation on the ground, which accounts for 941 (+/-168) T of CO2e/km.
The technology is on the path to certification and will be piloted in Queenstown’s Remarkables Park in the next two years.
Wisk is another business seeking to shape the future of mobility. It’s the developer of a self-flying, all-electric, four-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi. Its sixthgeneration aircraft, currently under development, takes off and lands vertically, but flies like an aeroplane.
“This aircraft represents the firstever candidate for Federal Aviation Administration certification of an autonomous, passenger-carrying eVTOL air taxi,” says Sam Nepia, Product Development and Mechanical Engineer, Energy Storage and Power System at Wisk.
“The thousands of batteries within this technology have enabled us to rethink the future of aerospace.”
The vertical landing negates the need for a runway. Hence highly urbanised areas will lend themselves to vertiports where charging and light maintenance will take place. By combining industryleading autonomous technology and software, these aircraft could set the standard for the future of air travel. Its previous generations have clocked up more than 1,600 successful test flights.
“This is coming and this is real,” says Sam.
“Wisk have partnered with local government in Queensland towards providing a fleet of air taxis in time for the 2032 Olympics.”
Ports of Auckland aims to be carbon neutral by 2040, and in 2022 took ownership of the world’s first full-size fully-electric tugboat, named Sparky. The tug was listed as one of TIME’s best inventions of 2022. The vessel has 2,240 batteries that offer 2,800-kilowatt hours of power (the same as 70 40kW Nissan Leafs). It prevents 465 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The expected cost of operating the tug is less than a third of the cost of running a diesel tug.
Photo: Wisk Aero LLC
The thousands of batteries within this technology have enabled us to rethink the future of aerospace.
– Sam Nepia
Ocean Flyer expects its electric seagliders to be on New Zealand waters by 2026. The seaglider integrates five technologies to operate a few metres off the water’s surface.
“The concept’s technologies are not innovative or new of themselves, but it’s the way they are used together that creates the Ocean Flyer,” explains Operations Manager, John Hamilton CNZM, former Chief of Air Force in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The wing-in-ground effect, the hydrofoil, the use of carbon fibre structures, electric
propulsion and battery capacity, and the use of automation are all crucial elements of this design. Manufactured by US-based Regent, the first manned prototype will be up and running by the end of the year.
“We’ve purchased 25 all-electric seagliders – 15 twelve-seaters and 10 one hundred-seaters – and aim to work with New Zealand engineers to design terminal buildings and pontoons as well as set up reticulated electricity and cabling to the water-based seagliders.”
Kiwi engineering startup ZeroJet has been designing and manufacturing jet pumps powered by electric motors since 2015. Intending to eliminate combustion engines from small marine craft, the company continues to refine its jet system and electric motor to power it.
“For electric boats it all comes down to efficiency and that’s why our team of local engineers have developed our own high output 48-volt electric motor to match our inhouse developed jet pumps,” says Neil Mans, director and co-founder of ZeroJet.
“Together with lithium ion phosphate batteries it puts us in a sweet spot, as it provides a whole system to replace combustion outboards for small boats.
“We have also devised a very innovative way of cooling our motor using a closed-loop cooling system, so we don’t need to pump saltwater through any of our electronics.”
Neil says: “All this bundled together allows us to offer a turn-key solution that’s easy for boat builders to work with.”
The University of Canterbury Motorsport team has built a fully electric car which it hopes will break the land speed E1 record (under 500kg). The team of 16 engineering students aims to contest a 10-year standing record on salt flats in 2024.
The car, with 200kW motor, 12kWh battery pack and Formula 1 spec carbon fibre and kevlar monocoque, also has a parachute deployment system and on-board telemetry.
“It almost feels like a rite of passage for engineers to overcome a really ambitious challenge,” says Ben Robertson, Technical Director of the UC Motorsport Club’s Formula SAE car, and postgraduate electrical engineering student at the University.
“For us, this is quite daunting, but also something we can all fall in love with.”
Photo: MoMac Photo: ZeroJetOn a larger scale, Seachange is developing electric foiling vessel technology aimed at decarbonising marine transportation. A 10-seater foiling electric boat is already in manufacturing stage for Fullers360 at Seachange’s facility in Mt Wellington, Auckland. The concept of foiling is not new, but its application to sustainability is. Foiling technology has the potential to viably replace numerous high speed vessels by significantly extending vessel range, increasing charge times and reducing operators’ expenses.
“The challenge for our engineers is in building a robust flying robot that has to be able to travel for thousands of miles in a 50cm altitude envelope. It is not trivial,” says Eric Laakmann, chief executive of Seachange and ex-Apple employee.
“The carrot though is large – through efficiency gains we can make vessels that can genuinely replace many vessels in high speed applications. Not only that but reduce fuel costs by 89 percent, which is the majority of most operators’ lifetime operating expenses.”
Fullers360 has taken the first order, with more than 10 other operators in New Zealand expressing interest so far. The first vessel is expected to be on the water this year and operating commercially by 2024.
Auckland-based Ohmio Automotion aims to address what it dubs the “first and last mile” for passengers – where public transport cannot go. Its electric autonomous Ohmio shuttle vehicle aims to shift passengers away from using private cars and make public transport more appealing, for example, when travelling from home to the bus depot or from the long-term car park to the airport terminal. And because much of New Zealand’s electricity generation is hydroelectric, the charging points are sustainable.
The technology creates customised autonomous vehicles that run on virtual tracks. With the motor and navigating system contained in the base of the vehicle, the shell can be configured to suit different needs.
Ohmio has demonstration vehicles heading to JFK International Airport in New York for a pilot scheme scheduled for June, where three Ohmio vehicles will work together in a platoon. The airport is looking to implement autonomous vehicles between parking lots and on-airport facilities.
“It’s the first and last mile and sometimes the only mile, where our vehicles come into their own,” says Mahmood Hikmet, Head of Research and Development for Ohmio Automotion, which had demonstration vehicles in Queenstown’s Beach Street earlier this year.
The challenge for our engineers is in building a robust flying robot that has to be able to travel for thousands of miles in a 50cm altitude envelope.
–Eric
LaakmannPhoto: Ohmio
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With a dual career as an engineer and a musician, flamenco guitarist Paul Bosauder CPEng credits his engineering background with teaching him to be patient, methodical and consistent in his approach to music.
While few teenagers probably ponder fluid dynamics while surfing, being on the water piqued Paul Bosauder’s curiosity in the field and led him into a career in engineering.
“Computer modelling also really caught my attention early on, so that, coupled with my general interest in the sea and how water moves, ultimately led to my doing a Bachelor of Engineering Science, with a focus on fluid dynamics and trying to solve people’s problems using mathematical models.”
Based in Napier, Paul recently established a new business, Sequence, and works at the cutting edge of computational fluid dynamics and nonlinear finite element analysis, a field he’s worked in for more than 20 years.
“My key focus areas are in engineering simulation in mechanical and industrial applications. I have specific expertise in a wide range of industries, from power generation and utilities to product design and aerospace, marine, and food processing.”
Modelling software tools have come a long way since he started out.
“These developments and the increased availability of computing resources have meant that more complex problems are now solvable, and fewer simplifications
are required for complex physics. Recent projects I have been involved with have included high-speed compressible flow of steam, multiphase particle transport and thermal comfort, including transport of water vapour. All of these problems can be solved, thanks to improvements in commercial software and cloud computing services.”
But Paul warns that despite the high-tech software, there are a lot of engineers who can use the tools without understanding what they’re doing.
“Computer modelling is everywhere, from simple Excel spreadsheets to advanced computational fluid dynamics
“The more complex the problem, the more experience and expertise is required to be able deliver an engineering result. Experienced analysts will start with simple models that are easily validated and build a complex system slowly out of smaller well-understood sub-systems.”
He advises engineers newer to the field to find an experienced mentor and to seek advice.
“Treat it like an art that has to be learned.”
Paul says computer modelling is key to tackling climate change issues. “There is just an infinite number of things that we could be doing to use energy and
models, and we rely on these tools to make engineering decisions. But the embedded tools have important limitations on the applicable physics, and the art of using these tools to create valid engineering results isn’t always easy to learn.”
He says some engineers are tempted to jump straight into analysis without doing the basic calculations first.
resources more efficiently. Computerbased modelling is really such an integral part of solving the problems that we have.”
Not content with surf and simulations, Paul is also a virtuoso flamenco guitarist, having studied concert flamenco guitar at Escuela Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona, graduating with a matricula of honours.
WRITER | KAITUHI ALEXANDRA JOHNSONExperienced analysts will start with simple models that are easily validated and build a complex system slowly out of smaller well-understood sub-systems.
“I went on an OE and met a Spanish guitarist and when I saw him play, I thought well, you can’t do any more than that with a guitar. So, I went to Spain and bought a book and a guitar.”
He lived in Spain for nearly 12 years and through his dedicated work on the instrument, eventually had the opportunity to study flamenco guitar with some of Spain’s top maestros, while continuing to further his engineering career.
“I spent a lot of time working remotely, I think I was one of the first guys to do the digital nomad thing, before there was fibre, and it was a bit more challenging.
“I worked for customers all over the world,
from Egypt through to Costa Rica and New Zealand, so they were all in different time zones anyway.”
An accomplished flamenco musician, Paul has performed in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, France, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand.
He says a recent highlight was recording and releasing his solo album, Tierra y Mar, which topped the New Zealand independent music charts and was sixth on the New Zealand music charts across all genres.”
He continues to juggle both careers and tours New Zealand annually with sold-out
performances. Paul says his engineering background has taught him to be patient, methodical and consistent in his approach to music.
“Musicians are a mix of mathematicians, athletes and poets – we need knowledge to be able to create, physical stamina and coordination to play our instruments, but also the ability to connect on an emotional level. I think these aspects help me as an engineer.
“Most of what I do is about trust and integrity. As a musician, you must be creative, build trust with your audience and represent yourself honestly. Those aspects are also important in engineering.”
Photo: La Bohème Poesía Visual
“It's a decade
How Kiwi engineers can play a vital role in the drive to net zero
WRITER | KAITUHI MATT PHILP
It’s not easy being green? In fact, it’s a cinch. Walk down any supermarket aisle and items that claim to be eco-friendly, carbon-neutral or zero-waste are legion. Take a flight and you can offset your carbon. Build a factory, offset your carbon. The question is, what’s the impact? Some of these things may move the dial, but there’s plenty of greenwashing out there. Meanwhile, New Zealand is signed up to net zero carbon by 2050, a target that will only be met through genuine and effective emissions-reduction initiatives.
So, what projects are underway here that have depth and value? What role are Kiwi engineers playing in the drive to net zero carbon? And, given that other major goal of building a more resilient Aotearoa, are initiatives to reduce emissions going to be a help or a hindrance?
First, the headline: New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions have been heading in the wrong direction, up by more than a quarter – or 17.2 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide – in the three decades between 1990 and 2019, with cows and cars (that is, road transport) the main offenders. The Climate Change Commission’s 2021 warning was that we’re likely to fall millions of tonnes short of target. Among other things, it stressed the need to prioritise reducing gross emissions within our borders.
The Commission recently began consultation on draft advice for New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan, which will cover the emissions budget from 2026
to 2030. Chairperson Dr Rod Carr describes what some key parts of the transition to a low-emissions Aotearoa looks like and what it will take, starting with the decarbonisation of energy production.
“Only 40 percent of all the energy used in New Zealand comes from renewable sources and we need to decarbonise the other 60 percent if we’re to achieve net zero 2050 and beyond,” says Rod.
How do we make inroads? For a start, by removing coal for generating electricity and process heating –alternatives are available. Also, by reducing our use of liquid fossil fuels for transport, which means accelerating the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), possibly introducing hydrogen for heavy transport, plus electrification of trains and near-shore marine.
“There are known technologies that aren’t yet deployed at scale in New Zealand,” Rod says, adding “this is going to require a significant and sustained multi-year investment in infrastructure.”
What else? The built environment will have to be reconfigured to enable and accommodate a lowemissions lifestyle (and mitigate the effects of a more turbulent climate), which will mean retrofitting buildings and neighbourhoods. In agriculture, the 20 percent of emissions that doesn’t involve biogenic methane –largely, nitrous oxide from fertiliser use and carbon dioxide from farm equipment and food processing – will have to be tackled.
Above: Climate Change Commission Chairperson Dr Rod Carr. Photo: Supplied Left: Dr Rod Carr says only 40 percent of all the energy used in New Zealand comes from renewable sources and we need to decarbonise the other 60 percent if we’re to achieve net zero carbon 2050 and beyond. Opposite left: PhD student Karan Titus' research involves forestry waste being burned to generate electricity, with CO2 emissions captured and injected underground using geothermal wells.“That’s about how we get lower emitting practices in the production of meat and milk protein, and in the processing of that protein for markets.”
None of this requires a new mousetrap. But it does call for a slew of broad-based engineering skills such as mechanical, civil, structural, electrical, chemical, process and software engineering.
“It’s a decade for engineers,” says Rod, noting that our big challenge is sourcing those skills when the rest of the world is also chasing them.
As for resilience: “In reducing emissions, we need to make sure we’re not creating other problems. The classic case is that we’re relying heavily on a path to net zero that requires planting a lot of trees. But we can’t keep it there by planting trees forever. So how do you make sure your pathway is resilient?”
It wouldn’t hurt if we could find some new tools for capturing carbon. At the University of Canterbury, engineering researchers are investigating whether combining geothermal with bioenergy could produce a two-pronged benefit, supercharging the generation of renewable energy while also creating a carbon sink. The project arose from a problem: when geothermal is used to produce electricity, CO2 dissolved in the hot water coming from deep underground is released into the atmosphere. If you want to decarbonise the electricity sector, reducing
geothermal emissions has to be part of the solution.
But engineering PhD student Karan Titus’s work goes further. In a process he has labelled Geothermal-BECCS (Bioenergy and Carbon Capture and Sequestration), forestry waste is burned to generate electricity, and the CO2 emissions are captured and injected underground using geothermal wells. Meanwhile, more electricity is generated than could be achieved by geothermal alone.
Karan says a combined geothermal and bioenergy plant could potentially remove a million tonnes of CO2 a year.
“If we can capture the CO2 after we’re done making the electricity by dissolving it in geothermal fluid for reinjection, then we get a carbon negative process. And that gives us the ability to tackle climate change in those two ways.”
Karan says: “Carbon dioxide from all forms of biomass originates from the atmosphere. Upon combustion, this CO2 would normally be returned to the atmosphere and the process would be carbon neutral. Dissolving the CO2 instead in geothermal reinjection fluid would store it deep beneath the surface of the earth, where it will eventually mineralise into rocks. Thus, a direct line can be drawn from atmosphere to biomass to deep subsurface via geothermal-BECCS.”
University of Canterbury Civil and Natural Resources Engineering Senior Lecturer Dr David Dempsey, who is supervising Karan’s research, says the approach looks achievable technically. Crucially, it also looks promising on the economics. >>
“We have a limited budget to spend on decarbonisation, so you need to be looking at technologies that give you the biggest bang for your buck,” David says.
“This one that Karan is working on is impressive. It could produce renewable energy to displace Huntly coal or Stratford natural gas, and at the same time you pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and put it underground.”
The next step is a pilot study, preferably in New Zealand. If that goes well, then the geothermal industry has shown itself to be quick to adopt new technologies.
“This is a first step for New Zealand into something called carbon dioxide removal,” says David.
“Remember the old forestry credits of the 1990s and 2000s that turned out to be somewhat bogus? It’s like that, but in this case it’s a proper, monitored system for taking out CO2 and incentivising those sorts of activities.”
It could be the real deal, an authentic solution. And those are sorely needed given the urgency of the climate crisis.
It’s something sustainable transport consultancy MRCagney has been grappling with – the importance of genuine accountability, of matching words with action. The firm recently achieved B Corp certification, an independent international standard that evaluates a company’s entire social and environmental impact. MRCagney was scrutinised for its performance, accountability and transparency on a raft of factors ranging from employee benefits to impact on the community.
Managing Director Jenson Varghese MEngNZ says MRCagney had always prided itself on being a values-
oriented company. Undergoing B Corp certification was about testing that assumption, benchmarking against international best practice, and learning where they could lift their game.
“Also, we’re finding that our clients are increasingly looking at the social responsibility and environmental impact of the firms they engage. B Corp certification is a good way to articulate or prove that we actually care.”
In terms of environmental impact, the firm came out well, says Jenson, although the certification process did identify areas for improvement, such as looking more closely at the sustainability practices of some of its suppliers. The process also fed into a wider examination by MRCagney of how it should mitigate its carbon footprint.
“We’re exploring that now: where can we invest to influence change at a greater scale than simply by offsetting our carbon emissions?” He adds that could involve planting trees, but it might be that investing in education to promote behavioural change is more fruitful.
Time to circle back to the resilience question. Since the Canterbury earthquakes there’s been a sharp focus on seismic resilience. Meanwhile, however, the pressure is on to reduce the embodied carbon of new buildings. (With operational carbon declining, the need to tackle emissions associated with materials and construction becomes more urgent.) Is there a conflict there? Does the drive to improve seismic resilience pull us away from building lower carbon structures?
Dr Charlotte Toma MEngNZ of the University of Auckland’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is researching whether the carbon cost of designing seismically resilient medium- to high-density buildings can be justified. Or to put it more positively: is there a sweet spot where the two demands are balanced?
The first phase, to be completed next year, has involved structural modelling analysis and redesign of a group of case study buildings from Christchurch and Wellington, looking for ways to increase resilience and reduce lifecycle embodied carbon.
That sweet spot isn’t yet clear. But, says Charlotte, it definitely won’t be about building everything with engineered timber – concrete is here to stay. Rather, the solution will require better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various materials, choosing materials with lower embodied carbon where possible, and optimising design to reduce carbon intensity. It may also mean designing buildings for longer lifecycles – the next phase of the team’s research.
“Part of it is about getting engineers involved earlier in the programme, working with the architect and client and imparting our knowledge on design decisions to influence the embodied carbon outcome,” says Charlotte, who believes engineers need to take on a greater role in sustainable design.
“Our professional influence is a thousand times greater than whatever we do in our personal lives. We have a responsibility to engage in these conversations.”
The Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Building Performance team is focused on reducing the embodied carbon of buildings, says Katie Symons, Principal Advisor Engineering. Its Building for Climate Change programme looks at reducing emissions of the building sector, which involves reducing the embodied carbon of buildings – the emissions associated with extracting, manufacturing, transporting and disposing of building materials, and constructing buildings – and reducing the operational emissions of buildings (those attributed to the use of a building, such as the energy used to heat and operate it). Following consultation on the Whole-of-Life Embodied Carbon Reduction framework for new buildings, MBIE published a technical methodology for the assessment of embodied carbon of buildings. It is a high-level technical basis for proposed future regulations to reduce buildings’ embodied carbon emission, not a regulatory document.
“The primary objective of publishing this methodology is to establish a consistent method of assessing the embodied carbon emissions within our buildings and ultimately reducing these emissions.”
The programme’s vision is that by 2050, New Zealand’s building-related emissions are near zero, Katie says.
“For embodied emissions, this could be achieved by efficient design of new buildings, refurbishing or repurposing our existing buildings, being efficient with the construction products and materials we use in new buildings, and reducing the carbon associated with those products and materials.”
Opposite: Sustainable transport firm MRCagney recently achieved B Corp certification, an international standard that evaluates a company’s entire social and environmental impact.
Our professional influence is a thousand times greater than whatever we do in our personal lives. We have a responsibility to engage in these conversations.
– Dr Charlotte Toma MEngNZPhoto: MRCagney
$18 billion Engineering generates about per year for New Zealand’s economy
3%
that’s about of our country’s workforce
BUT... we need almost new engineers each year to support our economy
2,500
that’s about of our GDP
5.5%
77,000
We currently have about engineers in New Zealand
Plus, we need to keep the engineers we’ve got (and replace those who retire)
On average, each engineer contributes
$228K to our GDP
We’ve always known engineering is a big deal for New Zealand, and now we’ve got the data to prove it.
We commissioned a report that found engineering plays a vital role in Kiwi life, is worth a lot of money to our economy, and is a key contributor to other industries.
Engineers are awesome. They make our lives better, easier and more connected.
There’s so many types of engineer – possibly more than people realise. With New Zealand needing more engineers, maybe now’s the time to encourage those around you to consider a career change!
Rise in flexible working and opportunities for career progression
A chance to lead the way to a healthier, sustainable Aotearoa
Commitment to diversity and inclusion
Here at Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau we’re immensely proud of our members and the work they do, for this place we call home. So, if you’re a member, why not tell others about our vibrant community?
Community of support
It’s time to be proud of engineering and the impact it has on New Zealanders and other industries. Because engineering is for everyone, and everyone needs engineering.
Find out more at engineeringnz.org/ engineering-for-everyone
Resources, tools and information
Education, training and events
Teresa Poli has never been one to shy away from doing the heavy lifting, in her professional or her personal life.
As a child, Teresa Poli (Ngāi Tūhoe) tackled issues such as poverty and whaling, and she laboured on mines in Australia at the age of 16. Since then, she's focused her career on fighting climate change and advancing Māoritanga. And she tackles weighty issues outside of work too – she was a powerlifting bronze medallist at the 2022 International Powerlifting Federation Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships.
Growing up in Hamilton, Teresa wrote letters to the local newspaper and politicians, urging them to act on social and environmental issues, before moving to Australia with her family when she was 14.
“It wasn’t really until I started working with my dad in the mines and in construction that I realised I really liked building things from scratch and understanding how things work.”
She's always had a connection with the environment and a desire to build her relationship with Māoritanga and Ngāi Tūhoe. While studying engineering at the University of Waikato, she was dismayed to find that in four years, students received one lecture on iwi engagement and another on the Treaty of Waitangi.
“I realised that as an industry we needed to start making changes.”
A Senior Sustainability and Resilience Consultant at Aurecon, Teresa is intent on increasing the knowledge and use of Te Ao Māori in the engineering curriculum and the wider profession. She’s been
working alongside Waikato University lecturer Mahonri Owen MEngNZ on lectures on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Te Ao Māori and iwi engagement practices. Part of her Master’s thesis, Building the Cultural Capacity of Engineers in Aotearoa, New Zealand: A Student’s Perspective, assessed engineering students’ perceptions of Mahonri’s lectures, along with their familiarity with Māori culture and beliefs.
“A lot of the student feedback has been positive, though some students don’t agree with it, saying: ‘This is politics, why do we need to know this?’ which has been quite confronting.”
Teresa presented part of her thesis as a conference paper to the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference in Sydney in 2022.
Through her thesis and advisory work with Te Waihanga New Zealand Infrastructure Commission she is investigating how the engineering profession could work better with and for tangata whenua.
“I see this education piece as understanding the why in the connection between Te Ao Māori and engineering. Māori were engineers and scientists. How did we construct the waka? How did we navigate through using stars and astronomical knowledge?”
She says there are a number of areas where change is needed, but it starts with “understanding the histories, understanding that Māori have different ways of thinking and another set of knowledge that we should access as engineers”.
“It’s about the alignment of Western scientific knowledge and mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga.”
Teresa’s role at Aurecon is to support engineers in understanding climate change and adaptation, reducing carbon output and supporting communities with social outcomes.
Her view of sustainability in infrastructure was influenced by her honours project at university, Pathway to our tīpuna – building culturally inclusive and sustainable roads.
“It was about understanding Māori thinking on road construction and actually asking Māori what we would like to see.”
She continues: “Engineers need to start looking at how their designs have a bigger meaning and purpose than getting from A to B. Our roads and our infrastructure enable us to have access to jobs, healthcare, to feed our children. There’s so much more to it.”
She hopes to see more Māori in engineering and for engineering to better reflect Māori ways.
Outside of work, this competitive powerlifter is likely to be found in the gym. She travelled to South Africa in May to represent New Zealand in the 2023 IPF World Championships in bench press. Her bench press record is 107.5kg.
“I just love competing and to push myself to be as strong as I can. I really enjoy the strategy of it, assessing the mechanics of powerlifting, trying to ensure that my centre of gravity is constant and the leverages are efficient. That probably stems from my engineering mind.”
WRITER | KAITUHI ALEXANDRA JOHNSON
A new children's hospital for the Wellington region.
Newtown, Wellington
$116 million – total construction cost
2018 (mauri stones laid) – 2022
7,500m2 spread over three floors
151 beds (in bedrooms, consult and clinical rooms), 50 inpatient beds, along with social and family areas
Seismic protection makes the building able to withstand a one-in-2,500 year earthquake and be usable after a one-in-500 year event
It was a coup for Wellington when philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik donated $53 million towards building Te Wao Nui, a new children’s hospital for the region. Opened in October 2022, it features unique engineering design that will ensure the world-class healthcare facility is built to last.
Before the first sod was even turned, engineers had their work cut out for them. The site on which the new hospital was to be built had housed numerous buildings over the years, leaving behind a legacy of soil contaminated with asbestos and other construction waste.
Marcus Welby, Buildings Mechanical Practice Leader at Aurecon, oversaw the project’s civil and building services.
“We needed to replace a historic brick culvert buried beneath the footprint of the building with a new, modern polyethylene pipe. But the ground was highly contaminated – we had to find a way to do it with minimal disturbance to the soil.
“It was full suit and boot, bagging the contaminants, removing them safely and carefully from the site to landfill before proper work onsite could even begin.”
Another complexity was that the site lies in an old river gully that acts as a natural flood pathway.
“Obviously we didn’t want the water to go directly through the building, but the concern was if it can’t go through the building it would end up in adjacent sites, also causing issues,” says Marcus.
“We ended up designing the building to purposely flood underneath by diverting water through an underfloor cavity, away from the main part of the hospital.”
The soil contamination also made it difficult to remove the fill to build the foundations, says Jonathan Kearney MEngNZ, a structural engineer at New Zealand Consulting Engineers.
“Usually the fill is removed and goes to landfill, but because of the soil contamination a lot of landfills around the city couldn’t accept it. So we ended up changing the design to have the foundation on top of rather than in the ground.
“There were also a number of reinforced concrete pads in the ground from previous buildings that were on the site and we needed to locate them to make way for the foundations. Aurecon carried out a sonar survey to locate the pads so that the foundations could fit around them.”
We ended up designing the building to purposely flood underneath by diverting water through an underfloor cavity, away from the main part of the hospital.
– Marcus Welby
Opposite: North-facing exterior under construction. Photo: Andy Spain
Top: 45 base isolators were put in place, allowing two-directional, horizontal ground movement of 1.5m. Photo: Wellington Hospitals Foundation
Above: Two-year-old patient Will Winthrop in the waiting room.
Right: Installation of interior services.
The prefabricated glass façade on the link bridge that greets visitors as they enter the hospital campus was recycled from an earthquake-damaged Wellington building. It’s a novel detail that reflects how sustainability was built into the building’s overall design.
“Heat recovery was a key area where we could make sustainability gains,” Marcus says.
“In a hospital, there’s huge demand for domestic hot water. To reduce energy consumption, we designed a system that captures waste heat from the hospital’s chillers and uses it for preheating the domestic hot water. Keeping energy consumption down in this way obviously has benefits from a sustainability perspective but also keeps operational costs down.”
Beneath the building are 45 base isolators designed to allow two-directional, horizontal ground movement of 1.5m. The seismic protection makes the building able to withstand a one-in-2,500-year earthquake, and to be usable after a one-in-500-year event.
“The idea is you can get the building functioning again after 72 hours, getting all the water, all the services, reconnected. To achieve that, you need to limit the accelerations in the building,” Jonathan says.
“[Sir] Mark was very keen on the triple pendulum base isolator and travelled to the California plant where they’re made to take a look.
“The triple pendulum base isolator was selected because it’s very good at reducing accelerations – it’s a very slippy, slidey thing, not as stiff as some lead rubber bearings are. On top of the isolators, there’s a stiff moment-resistant frame that limits the drift when a onein-500-year event strikes. That means not a lot of damage when the rest of Wellington might be levelled.”
A hospital’s services – encompassing everything from water, medical gasses, fire and security systems, call buttons and lighting, to heating, ventilation and air conditioning – are critical to keeping it functioning. Being in a seismically active city, particular care was paid to the design of Te Wao Nui’s services. Ignatius Black CMEngNZ, Regional Manager at Silvester Clark, was responsible for designing the seismic restraints for the services.
“McKee Fehl [the project’s contractor] identified that it was important to consider and allow for seismic restraints early on in the project. The restraint systems used were designed to be efficient. In congested areas suspended cradle frames were used, while in less congested areas services were restrained individually. For the cradle frames we used the Sikla Framo, a metal framing system with componentry that enables ease of connection. These frames were designed to provide both lateral bracing and gravity support.
“An advantage of the cradle frame approach, compared to restraining services individually, is that this frees up space considerably. It also helps future-proof the project by allowing space for additional services to be added later.”
The hospital opened to its first patients in October 2022, bringing together all child health services that were previously located in different parts of Wellington Regional Hospital. Wellington Hospitals Foundation worked with the community to raise $10 million to outfit and equip the hospital’s spacious interior, which includes designs created by Weta Workshop.
“Being a children’s hospital made this a special project to be involved in,” says Jonathan.
“It’s a fresh approach to hospital design, one that makes it feel like a children’s environment rather than a clinical one.”
Born in Germany, Sir Mark Dunajtschik arrived in New Zealand in the 1950s as a toolmaker. He started and ran engineering businesses before moving into property development. He has contributed to a range of philanthropic causes, including a recently announced $10 million to set up a mechanical engineering department at Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington. He was knighted in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to philanthropy.
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Barcode Architects. The project won the Best Residential Development category at the MIPIM Awards 2023 in Cannes, France.
of floating island beside the project. Featuring a combination of aluminium, glass and wood, the 46,000m 2 building was designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels in conjunction with Rotterdam-based
of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With high-performance insulation techniques and triple glazing the building generates more energy than it consumes, including through 2,200m 2 of solar panels on a type
Is it a port? Is it a building? Can small boats dock at the base of the complex? Yes, yes and yes. The Sluishuis residential building with 442 apartments sits on the IJ Waterfront on the outskirts
Photo: Studio Hans Wilschut
Engineering has always been at the heart of how New Zealand plans for, and responds to, natural disasters. But how has our approach changed over the decades and what have we learnt?
Sitting across the Australian and Pacific plates and in the path of the roaring forties, New Zealand has its fair share of natural hazards. Earthquakes, cyclones, flooding, volcanic activity and drought are well-known visitors just waiting to return.
Major earthquakes shook the Wellington region in 1848 and 1855. At magnitude 8.2, the 1855 quake was the most powerful ever recorded in New Zealand. Masonry and brick buildings toppled, but single storey timber buildings remained standing. Based on this experience, many new buildings in the growing city of Wellington were built from timber. But within 30 years, memory of the earthquake risk had faded. Encouraged by council regulations, masonry buildings were favoured for their greater fire resistance.
In 1931, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake left the central business districts of Napier and Hastings in ruins and more than 250 people dead, many killed by falling masonry. This loss of life prompted the development of New Zealand’s first building standard for seismic resilience.
Along with regulatory measures, seismic risk has been tackled with engineering innovation. Now widely used in New Zealand and internationally, base isolation was first developed in the early 1970s by New Zealand scientists Dr Bill Robinson
and Dr Ivan Skinner at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. New Zealand’s first base-isolated building, the William Clayton Building in Wellington, opened in 1982. Many existing buildings, including Parliament, have since been retrofitted with base isolators.
Gabrielle was not the first cyclone to cause widespread flooding in Hawke’s Bay’s Esk Valley. As early as 1920, a report by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research noted deforestation in the area had exacerbated erosion and increased the frequency of flood events.
Major flooding in 1938, referred to as the Esk Valley Disaster, prompted regulatory action. The Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941 promoted reforestation on highly eroded hillsides and the reservation of land unsuited to farming. By the 1980s, however, memories of the 1938 flood had receded and a change in government policy had encouraged previously reserved land to be brought back into farming.
When Cyclone Bola hit Hawke’s Bay in March 1988, the destruction was severe. Flooding damaged houses, and washed out roads, rail lines and bridges. Electricity, drinking and wastewater networks were severed. A government inquiry recommended sustainable land use be placed at the heart of future planning. Where engineering expertise had previously been employed to control and contain rivers, it was now sought to inform hazard mapping and land use management.
Planning for natural hazards took a further step forward in 1989 with the
emergence of lifelines engineering. Lifelines refers to utility networks such as electricity, gas, drinking water, wastewater, telecommunication and transportation – systems badly hit by Cyclone Bola. Lifelines engineering is about assessing and mitigating the vulnerability of these networks to reduce the damage caused by a major event and to reduce the time for lifeline services to be functioning again.
The Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Canterbury led a project to assess the vulnerability of lifelines, using Wellington as its first case study and a major earthquake as the scenario. The case study report and subsequent conference discussed all aspects of planning and recovery.
Environmental engineering as a specialisation began to flourish in New Zealand in the 1990s, signalling a further shift in thinking and an increased emphasis on working within natural systems. The Universities of Auckland and Canterbury developed new courses as part of their existing engineering degrees, and Massey University offered a purposedesigned degree course.
Engineering responses to New Zealand’s natural hazards have included a mix of legislation, technological innovation and a growing acceptance of the need to give nature more space; to reconsider where and how we build and site our infrastructure.
Cindy Jemmett is Heritage Advisor at Te Ao Rangahau.
Volunteer workers come to the rescue of flood-stricken farmers in the silt-covered Esk Valley, Hawke's Bay.
Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau’s new General Manager Regulation, Paul Kirby, explains why changes around CPEng and the introduction of occupational regulation will be good for public safety and the profession’s reputation.
“Imagine if you were a doctor and you worked alongside someone who just called themselves a doctor but had no qualifications or accountability,” says Paul Kirby.
“That puts the profession in disrepute and the public at risk. The thing about being a professional is you’re part of a group of people serving the public and you need to do that job with appropriate care and skill. And you need to know that the people who are doing the job alongside you are doing that as well.”
He says professions are regulated to uphold standards.
“It’s important for the profession. We need to know that people who are registered as engineers are doing the right things and that we’re caring for the future of New Zealand together.
“The current Chartered Professional Engineers Act doesn’t talk about public safety, only protection of title for those who have passed a competency assessment – there’s a strong case we need to do something different.”
That “something different” is a move to a new occupational regulation system, as agreed by Cabinet and announced by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in early 2022. While
there is still some time before the changes will be in place, MBIE is drafting legislation and Te Ao Rangahau supports this move.
“Currently, engineers are part of a profession where peers can’t be removed from practising, even if they cause risk of public harm. There’s nothing Engineering New Zealand can do to hold them to account.”
Paul says that’s not good for public outcomes or the reputation of the profession. Under the new system, there will be increased professional accountability, including the ability to remove people from the register.
He says as the regulator of the building and construction system, MBIE is looking to address risk in that system, and one of the risks is poor performance of professionals.
“MBIE is looking for better quality outcomes. They’re putting through
the legislation, but our role is to make sure it works for everyone, not just the building and construction industry. We know that risk doesn’t only sit in the building and construction industry.”
When the legislation is in place, all practising, professional engineers will need to be registered, something Paul says is likely to be a relatively simple process.
“The current plan is that if you are qualified, commit to a code of ethics and commit to continued professional development, you’ll be registered.”
Engineers working in disciplines with high risk to public safety will need to get a licence. To do so, they will need to demonstrate they’ve got the required skills.
In the meantime, CPEng continues to play an important role and all engineers who are currently applying for CPEng assessments or reassessments, or thinking of applying, should continue do so. Paul says there are a number of reasons why CPEng remains important.
“It’s a legislated quality mark so it means an engineer who is a Chartered Professional Engineer has passed a certain standard and received that quality mark – it’s a signal of an engineer’s professional and technical experience.”
It’s the only cross-discipline register of engineers in the country, and in addition it’s used by councils.
“It’s used in the building system to make sure the individual signing off engineering work is appropriately qualified.”
We need to know that people who are registered as an engineer are doing the right things and that we’re caring for the future of New Zealand together.
– Paul Kirby
And it’s more than just a “nice to have”.
“Structural engineers who are signing off work for councils need to be Chartered Professional Engineers. So our work, providing assurance about those engineers, is very important for the system – it’s the requirement for a lot of jobs.”
Paul acknowledges there have been recent challenges with CPEng, with many members experiencing long delays in getting reassessed. His team has been working hard to address the backlog, while improving the process for all involved – engineers and assessors. He also acknowledges the work of the profession in helping address the backlog.
”Without the profession stepping up to be Lead Assessors and Practice Area Assessors, we would still be facing a huge backlog. We are really grateful for the support of the profession for the CPEng system.”
With current operations now more stabilised, Te Ao Rangahau has been focusing on what Paul calls “some big strategic questions”.
“We’re now working with our Board and industry to address the wider role of Chartered Professional Engineers within systems, the use of practice area descriptions and how, across industry, we’re working together for the good of the public.
“Last year we established the CPEng Board, and the Governing Board delegated all its CPEng functions to the new Board. This separates the governance of regulatory affairs from membership
Paul Kirby says Lead Assessors and Practice Area Assessors “are fundamental to the CPEng system”.
“Assessors are critical to us being able to assess the competency of Chartered Professional Engineers. They do a peer-to-peer check on the work and professionalism of an engineer. They make sure the standard is upheld and maintained.”
Nick Harwood CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ), a Practice Area Assessor for geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists, says the volunteer role helps the industry maintain good standards of practice.
“Also, I find the reviews very interesting to learn what others are doing around the country.”
services. The new Board is helping us drive important changes across the system and holding us to account for our performance.
He adds: “All the work we do on CPEng needs to help us transition to the new system.”
An example is current work with technical groups on Bodies of Knowledge and Skills.
“That’s to help set us up for licensing classes going forward. We’re working to help the profession prepare for the path ahead, so we are ready when the changes come into effect.”
Practice Area Assessors help the Lead Assessor review a candidate’s evidence and lead the technical elements of an hour-long interactive session with a candidate.
“First-time candidates can be nervous or apprehensive, so I try to make them feel comfortable talking about themselves and their work.” He does up to four assessments a year. He says it takes up to two hours to review a candidate’s evidence, followed by the interactive session, then follow up.
“Having been through the initial assessment and re-assessment process myself I know what’s involved in preparing the evidence and I know what to look for.”
He assures members there will be robust transitional arrangements in place. As for the ideal future state with occupational regulation, Paul says it’s not a destination but rather a “continuous iteration” aimed at making things better.
“Professional regulation is about addressing risk to public and supporting the profession to have good outcomes. We’re focused on doing that now within the current system and we will continue to focus on that as we transition to a new system.”
Find out more at engineeringnz.org
With the push for increased renewable energy, what are New Zealand’s storage options?
Many people believe we can massively reduce the use of fossil fuels in power generation by electrifying transport and heating, and developing large scale wind and solar power to cover the resultant 50 percent increase in electricity demand. Because of the low capacity factor of wind and solar, we’d need 12,000MW of new capacity. As the existing installed capacity is about 8,000MW, this represents a major challenge in terms of technology and resources. Emeritus Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge Michael Kelly has costed it at more than $500 billion.
The major problem is that wind and solar will be generating virtually nothing when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. Our existing hydro and geothermal power can’t help because it is already fully committed. As coal and gas are being phased out, our only option is to store the large amounts of surplus energy available when the sun does shine and the wind does blow. This requires technologies that can store surplus energy and release it to back up the largely unpredictable fluctuations of wind and solar power. I believe the proposed 1,200MW Lake Onslow Pumped Hydro project cannot provide this back up because it’s in the wrong place, it’s too small and would need a much larger lower lake.
There’s no available low-cost technology that can store and provide the energy needed to back up wind and solar power over time scales varying from a few hours to several weeks. Without low-cost
storage, large scale wind and solar power cannot provide an economical and reliable supply.
A related problem is the need for extra generation during dry years when hydropower output drops substantially. Traditionally, this has been achieved by storing as much water as possible in our relatively small storage lakes, supplemented by gas and the coal stockpile at Huntly.
In 2020, the Government set up the NZ Battery Project to look at ways of eliminating fossil-fuelled generation during dry years. The Project’s prime objective is to investigate the 1,200MW Lake Onslow scheme that has a large lake in a valley north of the Clutha River that can store the water needed in a dry year. According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, it would take at least 11 years to build, and cost $15 billion – about $12,000/kW. That’s twice the cost of a geothermal station that generates three times as much energy reliably day and night.
In my opinion, the Lake Onslow scheme has many serious problems. Twenty five percent of the pumping energy would be absorbed by losses. Extra pumping would be needed to make up for evaporation losses of about 1m per year. Pumping power would cost at least 5c/kWh and maybe much more because, unless the electricity market is reformed, generators that have surplus power available for pumping would likely increase their price the moment pumping starts.
The scheme’s major source of income would be from generating during a shortage. I’ve calculated that during the four months’ duration of a shortage, it would have to earn enough money to cover
the capital charges of about 1.5 billion pa and operating and other costs of $5 billion accumulated over the previous five years or so. This means it would need to charge about $1.6/kWh ($1,600/MWh – 10 times the current spot price) while generating. But the way the market works, all generators get this $1,600/MWh and this leads to an extra cost of around $20 billion over the four-month period. This would eventually be passed on to consumers, and hydro generators would make huge windfall profits. Every tonne of CO2 saved would cost 80 times the current CO2 price.
Other options available today like hydrogen storage, batteries and compressed air storage are all substantially more expensive than pumped storage hydropower. For instance, sufficient batteries to solve the dry year problem would cost $5 trillion.
I believe there are better and cheaper alternatives to wind and solar power for reducing emissions of CO2 from power generation. More hydropower, more geothermal, substituting gas for coal, and clean, safe and reliable nuclear power would all help.
I believe Engineering New Zealand should recruit a team of suitably experienced power system engineers to investigate the problem, decide whether or not a system dominated by wind and solar power can provide a reliable and economic supply, and advise the government accordingly.
Bryan Leyland DistFEngNZ is an electrical and mechanical consulting engineer with 60 years’ experience in the power industry in New Zealand and overseas. He and his wife are majority owners of a 1MW hydro scheme in Golden Bay.
Why design-led thinking could be part of the solution for modern challenges, including climate change.
Recent cyclones and flooding destroyed roads and bridges and inundated stormwater systems. A concept called cognitive fixedness – the belief there’s only one way of doing things – would involve repair and replacement until the next event. But this one-dimensional strategy inhibits innovation when managing modern challenges such as climate change, with its multiple causes and indeterminate impacts. Approaching the aftermath of the recent devastating weather events with design-led thinking allows the exploration of a range of solutions that look beyond restoration, to develop more resilient infrastructure that keeps New Zealanders safe, connected and mobile before, during and after a crisis.
Design-led thinking identifies optimisation and improvement opportunities through a process where ongoing refinement and testing deliver the best solution for both the engineer and the end user. This approach can reward engineers in many ways: a higher level of innovation, superior solutions to complex problems, increased customer satisfaction, and an enhanced reputation that leads to a stream of high-quality, well-paying projects.
Design-led thinking is collaborative – and in a partnership, you can focus on your goals and constraints while leaving the design details of achieving those aims up to others. You don’t need detailed knowledge of how things work before you can improve them; understanding what others have already done could be a starting point.
Listing all possible solutions in priority makes it easier for team members when
deciding which solution(s) should be implemented first. By reviewing results with stakeholders, it becomes clear early on whether changes will be required before implementation begins. As a result, time isn’t wasted implementing something that won’t work.
Design-led thinking involves: defining your goals – what you want to accomplish defining your constraints – things that won’t allow you to achieve those goals listing possible solutions for each constraint in order of priority selecting one solution from each list based on its relative value reviewing the results with key stakeholders, including customers and team members implementing the chosen solution(s) checking results against expectations.
There are many ways to approach the process depending on the situation and your team’s capabilities. For example, German consumer products company Braun’s goal was to create a point of difference in the competitive electric toothbrush market. They envisioned a new Oral-B toothbrush that would provide data on brushing performance, but market research identified a constraint – consumer resistance. People were anxious about not brushing properly and didn’t want data confirming this was the case. They wanted something to remove the stress from brushing. Potential solutions were tested in the real world and refined until Braun implemented a solution that aligned with the desires of their customers: an Oral-B toothbrush with a USB port for charging and ordering brush heads through an app. Testing
and implementing new solutions is called experimentation. It goes beyond the scientific method because you’re testing not just one hypothesis but many different ones simultaneously. Braun’s experience here encapsulates the most important elements of the design-led process – define your goals, identify constraints, be open to change and act on behalf of the customer, and other stakeholders.
Design thinking has its drawbacks. Ideation, ongoing refinement and testing take time, which might be seen as a drawback of design-led thinking. And because the process is collaborative, it uses significant human resources, meaning the correct allocation of team members across all projects is vital in avoiding staffing issues. Meanwhile, stronger personalities may dominate brainstorming sessions while quieter participants with potentially better concepts go unheard.
Design-led thinking appeals as an alternative to orthodox and potentially outdated methodology. It could help engineers deliver solutions for modern challenges and in doing so, build a reputation as innovators and problemsolvers. This can attract new clients who are prepared to pay a premium for a different approach, making the investment in time and human resources a lucrative one for engineering firms. As such, the benefits of design-led thinking warrant further discussion while acknowledging the rewards for the end user are just as substantial.
MARTIN PRATCHETT MEngNZ Martin Pratchett MEngNZ is Engineering Practice Manager at Te Ao Rangahau.Louise Baker is passionate about helping cities become more liveable and find their place in nature, and improving transport systems to benefit society and the planet. She started her career in the United Kingdom, working for communications company Orange, then joined Royal Bank of Scotland Group as Transportation Manager. In pursuit of a lifestyle offering work, horse riding and surfing all in one city, Louise moved to New Zealand in 2005 and she’s been a consultant ever since, focusing on transport planning, behaviour change and sustainability as well as project controls and governance. She worked for WSP for 16 years and joined multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Vitruvius in 2021.
How do you work with engineers in your role?
I deeply appreciate the work of engineers and the skills they bring to the workforce, especially in the wake of tragic events like the recent cyclones, landslides and flooding. As a transport planner, I might decide how and where we need routes or services to connect people to places, but it’s engineers who design the infrastructure or help it get it back up and running after a disaster.
How does your work impact on engineers?
Until we can get land use right, travel demand management helps us to get the
most out of our infrastructure. Transport planners will be pushing to repurpose roads and kerbsides in ways that enable people to walk, cycle, use micro-modes or public transport instead of driving.
How do engineering decisions impact on your work?
There’s no getting away from the fact we’ve designed our way into the high levels of car dependency we’re seeing in our cities and towns. A well-designed city doesn’t need a mode shift plan or a Vehicle Kms Travelled (VKT) reduction plan – active and shared modes will be the easiest choices. We’re moving in the right direction to change this, but we need to do that faster. Until then, we need to serve the land use we have and work with communities to find ways to make changes.
What are some key observations you’d make after working with engineers?
Sometimes engineering isn’t the answer. The challenges we’re facing with climate change need multiple minds and different backgrounds: we need to shift the system. Shifting the system involves some engineering and a lot of other skills and disciplines. When it comes to transport, we need to move away from predict and provide towards decide and provide.
B ased in: Auckland
Role: Service Lead – Advisory, Vitruvius Ltd
Education: Bachelor of Science (Biology), University of Bristol, United Kingdom 1997; Master of Science (Environmental Science, Policy and Planning), University of Bath, United Kingdom 2003
What do engineers all seem to do so well? Adapt, design and not get fazed by complicated things. I’ll never get my head around electrical engineering, but I sure as heck want to see e-bikes everywhere, so I’m very grateful that engineers can design them!
What do you wish all engineers understood better about your role?
If engineers were all pushing for positive change, we might have a chance of protecting life on this planet as we know it.
Louise BakerNancy Jiang MEngNZ spent the first year of her tertiary education studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts, then switched to engineering. She began her career at Beca in Hamilton, benefiting from their graduate and mentoring programme. After three years she moved to the French Alps, then to Hamilton then Queenstown, before moving to Nelson, which she says “has definitely expanded my retaining wall design knowledge”. Outside of work, Nancy competes at an elite level in trail and mountain running at distances ranging from marathon to 100km, and soon to be 160km. In a typical year, she spends three months overseas training and competing.
What three words sum up ultra-running as a hobby?
Nature, resilience, mindset.
When did you first start mountain running and trail running?
I started running in primary school, but in 2017, when I was living in the French Alps, I changed from focusing on road marathons to trail and mountain running. Travel by foot was the easiest way to explore the Alps and if I ran, I could travel further and see more.
What do you love most about running?
Believe it or not, I find running very relaxing. Maybe not so much for the body but definitely for the mind. I think the human mind is overstimulated in the busy modern world. When I am out on the trails, I am only concerned with how I am feeling
in the moment and where I am in the present.
Where has this sport taken you?
I did a 100km race last year that started in Italy, went through Switzerland at halfway and finished in France. So it has literally taken me through three countries in one day via six mountain passes.
What is your greatest achievement with running?
I recently won the highly competitive 102km Tarawera Ultramarathon against a strong field of women runners. Because the race has recently became a qualifying race for Ultra Trail Mont Blanc and a golden ticket race for Western States, it now attracts a lot of international pro athletes. I am not a sponsored full-time athlete and still work full time, but it is satisfying to see that I can hold my own up against them.
Do you listen to anything while you run? No. I prefer to be in tune with my surroundings and how my body is feeling while I am running, rather than distract myself from it with music or podcasts.
Tell us something about your involvement with running that might surprise people. I stopped running halfway through high school. It was only after working at Beca that I started again, thanks to the social and active ethos of the Hamilton office – I owe a lot to them for reigniting my passion for the sport.
Does being an engineer bring any advantages to the way you approach running?
It requires good problem-solving skills to execute an ultra-race well. Due to the distance and duration, many things can go wrong – especially in the nutrition and hydration side of things – so being able to troubleshoot issues as they arise, rather than panic, is useful.
How much time a week do you devote to running?
In New Zealand, my total running time a week is around 12 hours, plus about three hours of strengthening work and a few hours of mobility work. When I am overseas, it can be as much as 20 hours of running time a week.
How do you juggle your running with work?
I believe if you really want to do something, you make the time for it. I do a lot of my training before work and sometimes incorporate my commute in my training. My work is flexible with when I start or finish and I can take my laptop home or elsewhere to work remotely.
What’s next for you?
I received an entry into the Western States Endurance Run (100 miles/160km) from my win at Tarawera. [As EG goes to print] I'm currently in America preparing for the race. It is my first 100 mile race and first time in the States – an exciting adventure.
Based in: Nelson
Role: Structural Engineer, CGW Consulting Engineers
Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), the University of Auckland, 2014
I describe my role to non-engineers as… developing and managing infrastructure projects in the Pacific alongside our partner countries.
The part of my job that always surprises people is… within my workplace, that I'm an engineer as most of the staff work in international relations. Outside of my work, it’s that I work in a government ministry.
The best emojis to sum up me on a typical workday are…
I admire engineers who… can look at the bigger picture and outside the box, are bold and innovative, and are making a positive impact in their communities, be it the engineering community, their local community or Aotearoa more broadly.
At school, teachers always described me as… a real pleasure to teach and have in class (in primary school). In high school, I was told I was very capable, but could get distracted. Some teachers noticed I was someone who needed a challenge so they’d give me extra work to do during class, which sounded like a punishment, but seems to have been beneficial.
3 things I love about my job: Simultaneously being a representative of Aotearoa in the Pacific and an advocate for the Pacific in Aotearoa. As a person of Tokelauan, Māori and New Zealand European descent, there is a lot of purpose for me in this role. Leading infrastructure projects in the Pacific that work towards achieving the goals of our Pacific partners.
Visiting the Pacific to meet with our Pacific partners and monitor projects.
The best thing I’ve introduced at my workplace is… a combination of infrastructure experience and knowledge of both Te Ao Māori and Pacific culture.
In my role, I always challenge… the status quo. A lot of the time, there’s a perfectly reasonable reason why it's the best way forward, however, it doesn’t hurt to ask if things can be done another way.
At work, I’ve never been afraid to… look at alternative solutions and engage with a wide range of stakeholders within MFAT and from our partner countries to resolve issues to progress projects.
In the past year, I’ve pushed boundaries by… taking on new opportunities while juggling my core responsibilities. Firstly I was working part time and studying full time, taking my baby to class with me and doing school drop-off and pick-ups for my two older sons. Then I started at MFAT, became co-chair for the Board of Trustees of my sons’ school and took on management and coaching duties at my local Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club.
My luckiest break was… not a lucky break as such, but most of my opportunities were created by being prepared and having networks pushing me to do things.
The bravest thing I’ve done to get where I am today… was joining the Māori in Construction discussion panel for the Diversity Agenda and studying te reo Māori full time in a full-immersion environment while working part time.
Best career advice I’ve received… take care of your wellbeing so you can focus and respond better to all the spanners that pop up. If you’re lacking in any of your whare tapawhā wellbeing pillars (physical, spiritual, social, mental and emotional) this will affect your other pillars and your overall wellbeing. Also, health is wealth.
I’d advise other people interested in my type of role to… build your intercultural competency and recognise Aotearoa is part of the Pacific and vice versa, geographically, culturally and historically.
2 reasons why I chose to study engineering:
The problem solving aspect that started with mathematics and physics really intrigued me.
I was advised it would be a rewarding career both for my personal development and earnings.
1 thing I wouldn’t change about my workday:
Being part of a team that’s making a positive impact in the Pacific on behalf of Aotearoa.
Based in: Wellington
Role: Infrastructure Activity Manager, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Hons), University of Auckland, 2015; Heke Reo Māori (Diploma in Te Reo Māori), Te Wānanga o Raukawa, 2022
Photo: Mark Tantrum
Based in: Auckland
Role: Chief Engineer, Auckland Transport
Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), 1996, University of Auckland; Master of Science (Water and Environment), 2012, Loughborough University, United Kingdom; Master of Business Administration, 2017, Edinburgh Business School, Scotland
New Fellow Murray Burt is a Chartered Professional Engineer with 28 years’ experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in design, engineering and asset management. He spent the first decade of his career with engineering consultancies in New Zealand including WSP, MWH Global and Beca. He spent the next 15 years in Asia, Africa and Europe working on humanitarian engineering programmes including those relating to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the Syrian war reconstruction programmes. Before returning to Aotearoa, Murray was a Senior Global Officer with the United Nations in Switzerland. Since 2019, he’s been Chief Engineer at Auckland Transport. His recent focus has been on managing recovery in the aftermath of the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. The Auckland transport network experienced significant damage with more than 1,300 slips, 130 road closures, one bridge destroyed and 358 bridges with scour damage.
What’s on your bedside table?
Lamp, bottle of water, Bose Bluetooth speaker, pile of books.
Tell us more about those books…
Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela’s inspirational biography – he’s one of the great leaders of our time. It’s Our Turn to Eat by Michela Wrong – a true story of tribalism, politics and corruption from Kenya. Mauri Ora: Wisdom From the Māori World by Peter Alsop and Te Rau Kupenga – whakataukī (proverbs) for leaders in Aotearoa. Harvard Business Review Manager’s Handbook, a guidebook for managers to effectively manage themselves, their team and their business.
What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School by Mark H McCormack
– good, practical advice for engineers, managers and leaders. The Ransom Drop by Rob Phayre – a fun read revealing all the technical details behind negotiation and ransom payments for a ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
How do they help you in your role?
Reading widely broadens my outlook on life and better equips me to understand and manage the complex issues I face during the working day. The most challenging and complex issues in any engineering project are often not technical, but rather those issues related to people. This includes people on your engineering team and people within the wider community.
Which group of engineering professionals are these books most helpful for?
I encourage all engineers to read widely, and a good place to start is What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School. It fills the gap between a business school education and the knowledge that comes from day-to-day experience of running a successful business and managing people. It is full of good advice and pithy truths, such as “talk less and listen more”, and includes good advice on how to run efficient meetings.
What is the top book you would recommend to other engineers?
Mauri Ora: Wisdom From the Māori World, which is filled with short, insightful whakataukī, drawing on traditional wisdom to provide a recipe for personal effectiveness and leadership, and a rewarding connection of Māori knowledge to contemporary thinking. Understanding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and successful partnerships with mana whenua are critical for the success of engineering projects in New Zealand.
What book has most influenced the way you work?
The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson is packed full of powerful management advice. One key takeaway that has influenced my style is recognising that each person is an individual. Spending time getting to know and understand the people you work with will enable you as a manager to empower your people and build high performing teams.
What do you read for fun?
Reading is relaxing and can transport you to another world, full of adventure and possibilities. My most recent read for leisure is The Ransom Drop, fiction based on true events.
SPEED READ
Ebook /paper copy?
Borrow/own?
Bookmark/turn down page?
For the past 150 years, the University of Canterbury has been the launching pad for many illustrious careers – Ernest Rutherford OM, Sir John Key GNZM AC, Rita Angus, Gilbert Enoka ONZM and Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE, to name just a few.
As part of this year’s anniversary celebrations, the University is showcasing a snapshot of 150 outstanding graduates over the years, with engineers including Dr Rob Fyfe CNZM DistFEngNZ and Dr Sina Cotter Tait FEngNZ making the cut.
The University began its life in 1873 as the Canterbury Collegiate Union, with 87 students. In 1888, engineering courses were introduced. The University has a fascinating historical timeline on its website tracing notable milestones from its inception through to the present day.
Among the events set out for the rest of the year is a free exhibition at The Art Centre in Christchurch, running from 17 July to 10 September. It will explore the traditions, history and culture that developed in and around the University, from its beginnings on the original town site through to its migration to the Ilam campus. Other events in 2023 include the Faculty of Law’s 150th Anniversary Public Lecture with Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann, a concert by UC Music and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, an alumni reunion weekend, and the launch of a book to celebrate the 150th anniversary.
Find out more at canterbury.ac.nz/uc150
Above: Canterbury College and Canterbury Museum, Christchurch. Royds, John and Thomas Innes album. Ref: PA1-f-032-18. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.Murray Robertson FEngNZ IntPE(NZ) has enjoyed 15 diverse and exciting years with Downer, joining as a Contract Engineer then progressing through the business, motivated by other strong leaders. The company is integrating its Australia and New Zealand functions, creating five integrated trans-Tasman business units. Murray says this transforms how Downer does business, bringing together the best people and technical solutions. He is transitioning from being Downer NZ CEO to Chief Operating Officer – Transport and Infrastructure, operating between Auckland and Melbourne. He’s focused on creating a high-performing team driven to providing world-leading infrastructure solutions.
What attributes make you a good leader?
To me, it’s important to also remain a good follower. By that I mean I enjoy learning from others and believe listening is key. I’ve found that the loudest person in the room is rarely the smartest! I also make sure I’m never far from a work site, as staying hands-on is a priority. And I make sure we celebrate success – we work hard and I’ll always take the time to recognise people’s efforts.
At the end of each day, what tells you whether you’ve been successful?
Success is simple – it’s meeting or beating a target. It feels good and it’s what drives us contractors – we like to get things done, whether it be X many metres trenched, X many metres of steel erected or concrete poured, X tonnes of asphalt laid, or X many graduates trained. If you give it 100 percent, put your heart and soul into it and treat your people the way you want to be treated, then you will be successful.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
My Dad. He always encouraged me to give everything a shot and to seek a career where I was contributing to something practical and real. I was always fascinated by construction and am slightly obsessive.
Who opened a key door for you?
Steve Killeen, Downer NZ’s former CEO. Early on he saw potential in me and drove me hard to broaden my experience, better develop my emotional intelligence and be a more progressive, balanced leader. He was also open to new ideas, allowing me to challenge the status quo.
How do you connect your work with a sense of greater good?
I find this connection comes naturally. When I go to a work site and hear from our people. I’m quickly reminded of the real challenges facing our communities, and the hard-working people that give it everything day in day out. Across New Zealand and Australia we have more 7,000 people in the Transport and Infrastructure business, and then three times as many subcontractors working alongside us. We’re all building and maintaining the communities we live in. This is an important, yet humbling responsibility.
What mistake have you learned the most from?
Early on, I once spent hours devising an overly complex construction methodology without consulting the supervisor. When I shared it with him, he smiled at me, shook his head and said, “Bro you’re dreaming”. In about 10 minutes, he ripped my elaborate plan apart. His solution was significantly better than mine and I could’ve saved hours had I spoken to him first.
Based in: Auckland and Melbourne
Role: CEO Downer NZ; COO – Transport and Infrastructure
Education: Master of Business
Administration, University of Auckland, 2011; Bachelor of Engineering, Unitec, 2000; NZCE (Civil), Unitec, 2006
How do you approach a difficult conversation with someone you lead?
I am honest, upfront and compassionate. Life is too short for games and there is too much work around to not be straight with people.
Who is a leader in New Zealand you admire?
I’m a staunch Blues fan and I have always been a fan of Sir Michael Jones KNZM. He typifies great leadership by remaining true to his morals. He was always the hardest working player on the field, driven yet fair. He supported his captains yet led with conviction (this is important to me). Most of all, he was genuine and humble.
What questions have you been asking yourself lately?
What do I need to do to improve and be a better leader? What do I need to do to make way for my successor? How do I ensure I remain happy, and that I find time to be with my young family, and perhaps even learn the rules of AFL!
Emeritus Professor Jack Woodward DistFEngNZ achieved much in his academic life, but his humanitarian work for many social causes, particularly in developing countries, was outstanding. At Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae, Jack's six years of teaching led to a continued involvement in designing, installing and commissioning micro-hydro schemes in Morobe and East Sepik provinces over the next 50 years. He was a founding member of Engineers for Social Responsibility, and Chair of Water for Survival, a New Zealand charity that helped more than 500,000 people in 17 developing countries get clean water supplies and improved sanitation.
Born in Ohakune in 1926, Jack completed his engineering degree at the University of Canterbury in 1947. After three years at New Zealand State HydroElectric Department, he worked for Ontario Hydro Electric Commission and Canadian General Electric Co. in Toronto, completing a Master of Applied Science at the University of Toronto.
Returning to lecture at the University of Canterbury in 1953, he became acting head of electrical engineering in 1965. In 1966 he was Professor and Head of Department at the University of Adelaide before moving to the Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae in 1971 where he was a Professor and head of electrical and communication engineering. Jack returned to the University of Auckland in 1977 as head of electrical engineering. He was Assistant Vice Chancellor for three terms, served on the University’s council and authored 67 technical papers and reports. He was a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineering and Technology, and Engineers Australia, and an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Papua New Guinea.
Trevor James Williams FEngNZ has been credited with making a significant and lasting contribution to the modernisation and development of Dunedin’s engineering infrastructure during his career as a civil engineer. Born and raised in Dunedin, he graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Engineering in 1953.
During his study, Trevor gained practical experience at the Hillside Railway Workshops and Dunedin City Council, joining the Council as an Assistant Engineer in 1952. He remained there until 1987 in roles including Design Engineer through to City and Drainage Engineer. During this time, he worked on projects that helped modernise many of the city’s utilities and amenities, including the one-way street system, the Deep Creek Pipeline, numerous bridges and many storm- and wastewater projects. Also, Moana Pool, the most ambitious aquatic centre development undertaken in New Zealand up to that time. He’s been described as having a wealth of knowledge about Dunedin’s post-War development.
After taking early retirement from the Council, Trevor was appointed as a senior lecturer in the Department of Surveying at the University of Otago where he stayed from from 1987 until 1995.
Over the years Trevor was also involved in community work, including scouting, singing in the Central Otago Regional Choir, the Wanaka Croquet Club and Wanaka Residents Association, having retired to Wanaka in 1995.
Looking to better support workers who undertake a lot of bending, lifting and repetitive tasks? An exoskeleton might help. Augmented biomechanical organisation Exxovantage has a range of exoskeletons embedded with wearable sensors using artificial intelligence to capture real-time biometric data. This alerts the wearer and their employer of any health and safety risks from repeated movements and bad posture. The spring-loaded HAPO back exoskeleton supports the upper body by partially transferring forces from the upper trunk (via the chest support) to the thighs, without compressing the spine. This system helps with the manual handling of loads, providing support and reducing strain on the lower back. Engineers are involved in ongoing research, design and development, with comfort a continued focus. While the exoskeletons are made in France, the New Zealand business uses insights and data provided by Kiwi users to adjust the technology to meet our workforce demographics and challenges.
Lightweight and easy to handle – takes around 20 seconds to put on and 10 seconds to remove.
Device allows for the body’s natural movement without imposing restraints or limitations.
Sensor provides data about the user and risks to their health.
Can be used indoors and outdoors – breathable, water-repellent fabrics can be wiped clean.
Breathable fabric, composite and 3D printed parts.
Three sizes.
Exoskeleton redistributes the effort of the upper trunk towards the thighs using springs while supporting lumbar region with a belt.
Join us as we celebrate women in STEM who are ‘Shaping the Future’. The Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) and Engineering New Zealand are excited to welcome STEM professionals from across the globe at the 19th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists. Through presentations, discussions, networking, and field trips, we’ll bring together global expertise to discuss key initiatives driven by women in STEM, and hear from keynote speakers including Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard and Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles MNZM.
Get inspired and be part of shaping
