EG 18/2022

Pacific priorities

How engineering in the Defence Force helps the Pacific region Issue | Putanga 18/2022 Bioenergy: a “forgotten giant”?

What role can it play in a netzero carbon future?

Power poles and rugby goals Breaking down stereotypes at work and play Under pressure Behind the scenes of an urgent hospital upgrade

In this issue I roto i tēnei putanga

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08 Pacific priorities How engineering in the Defence Force helps the Pacific region.

14 Bioenergy: a “forgotten giant”? What role can it play in a net-zero carbon future?

32 Power poles and rugby goals Powering down the rugby field and protecting the country’s power supply both mean a lot to this stereotype-busting electrical engineer.

52 Inside job Auckland-based Dr Ashkan Hashemi CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) lifts the lid on his role as a Lecturer in Structural and Earthquake Engineering.

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Features Ngā āhuatanga

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This issue of EG was published in March 2022.

08 Pacific priorities How engineering in the Defence force helps the Pacific region.

14 Bioenergy: a “forgotten giant”?

What role can it play in a net-zero carbon future?

20 Distinguished careers Meet our five new Distinguished Fellows.

24 Under pressure A Covid-19-prompted upgrade to North Shore Hospital’s oxygen delivery system was a race against time.

32 Power poles and rugby goals Powering down the rugby field and protecting the country’s power supply both mean a lot to this stereotype-busting electrical engineer.

34 Building resilience key focus for new role Dr Ken Elwood CMEngNZ’s new dual-agency role focuses on increasing the resilience of Aotearoa’s building stock, plus disaster impact mitigation.

Best practice Ngā mahi papai rawai 39 Inside HMNZS Aotearoa The build of the Navy’s newest ship, which recently provided humanitarian relief in Tonga, benefited from a range of lessons the Navy had learnt.

40 From guru to leader A move into management requires more than strong technical skills.

41 Reflections and resolutions Insights and lessons from the complaints our legal team received in 2021.

42 Aotearoa’s flight path Tracking the history of flight training in New Zealand.

44 Engineering from the ground up Why are hollowcore floors no longer recommended for buildings?

45 Intersection Crossing paths with engineers.

46 Getting onboard with transport equity What could be done to make transport more equitable for women from ethnic minorities?

Shorts

Ngā tūhinga poto me ngā pito kōrero 50 The secret life of engineers Ma’ara Ave juggles two careers – engineering and cricket.

52 Inside job Auckland-based Dr Ashkan Hashemi CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) lifts the lid on his role as a Lecturer in Structural and Earthquake Engineering.

54 Bedside table Sina Cotter-Tait FEngNZ CMEngNZ CPEngNZ talks us through her reading choices.

55 Review 57 Leading questions 58 Obituaries 60 Engineering genius

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Championing diversity

“… in the low seven figures” The New York Times Company buys popular virtual puzzle Wordle, created by software engineer Josh Wardle.

“With the broader context of New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit, investment at this scale is exactly what we need.”

Infrastructure New Zealand CE Claire Edmondson on the Government announcement of Auckland light rail and a second harbour crossing.

Nau mai koutou katoa.

Research by University of Canterbury’s Professor Brendon Bradley MEngNZ into the effects of ground-shaking caused by

Thank you to all the volunteers who facilitate and enhance the work of Te Ao Rangahau – the organisation wouldn’t be as vibrant without the contribution our members make in branches, groups and in initiatives such as the Wonder Project.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata he tāngata.

I sign off as President at the end of March. In the past year, our organisation has leaned into difficult issues – for example occupational regulation and climate change. We’ve made an authentic commitment to understanding and engaging with te ao Māori. The Board has reviewed governance structures and processes to ensure our governance model reflects current best practice.

Serving as President for the past 12 months has been a privilege and a pleasure. I’ll remain on the Board as Past President (from my new base in the Gold Coast) and look forward to supporting the incoming President to continue working with the Board and staff to engineer a better New Zealand.

I’m conscious I may not look like everyone’s stereotype of an engineer or an

earthquakes gets almost $1 million from the 2021 Marsden Fund.

Engineering New Zealand President (hint, I’m not referring to my hair colour).

“I believe it also reflects on the many people that I’ve had the privilege of working with across both engineering and emergency management.”

David Brunsdon DistFEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) on being made a CNZM in the New Year Honours.

“This is a very good encouragement for the volunteers to continue their work and also encourage other newcomers.”

George Arulanantham QSM CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) on being made an ONZM in the New Year Honours for services to the community.

“Basically, the idea is to get to a point where we can provide the same sort of information as a weather forecaster would tell you.”

I have one final request for every member.

Please think about your own unconscious biases. They’re normal and natural, but we can all choose how we manage them. As President, I’ve done my best to chuckle at questions like: “Do you have an engineering background?” I’d like to acknowledge everyone who has championed the Diversity Agenda over recent years (noting that many of those champions do look like stereotypical engineers).

In this issue, we profile a diverse range of engineers and expertise. We celebrate our new Distinguished Fellows and some of our new Fellows. The issue showcases the role of engineering in the Defence Force, in bioenergy, and in earthquake resilience. Bernadette Robertson MEngNZ and Ma’ara Ave share a bit about themselves – their careers and their love of sport. Dr Subeh Chowdhury MEngNZ offers her thoughts on making public transport work well for all. Do enjoy reading this issue of EG. Noho ora mai, Dr Rosalind Archer FEngNZ President, Engineering New Zealand/ Te Ao Rangahau.

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20 Distinguished careers 24 Under pressure 32 Power poles and rugby goals 34 Building resilience key focus for new role

Features

14 Bioenergy: a "forgotten giant"?

Ngā āhuatanga

08 Pacific priorities

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EG 18/2022

Pacific priorities WRITER | KAITUHI RACHEL HELYER DONALDSON When the undersea volcano Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai erupted in January, triggering a tsunami in Tonga and surounding areas, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) was quick to deploy emergency humanitarian assistance. This is in line with a new set of priorities and principles for the NZDF, announced in December, which include a stronger focus on people, infrastructure and the Pacific. EG talks to engineers from the Navy, the Army and the Air Force to find out more about their work with infrastructure, machines, weaponry and other equipment aimed at helping keep the Pacific region secure and stable.

Image: NZDF

Feature | Āhuatanga

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Three days after the volcanic eruption, HMNZS Wellington was on its way to Tonga, carrying Hydrographic Survey and Diving Teams, as well as an SH-2G(I) Seasprite helicopter. The vessel’s engineering officer, Lieutenant Maddy Win, joined the Navy eight years ago for the variety. Just before Christmas she'd found out the ship and its 80 personnel were off to help defuse tensions in the Solomon Islands. And by late January, they were deploying for Tonga.

Wellington is the “workhorse of the fleet” and Lt Win's role is as a “turbo-charged project manager” who oversees a team of up to 25 technicians. They look after all “fight, float and move” components onboard, from weapons and ammunition, to the propulsion system, and the vessel’s stability.

“No part of the ship is left untouched by the technicians. My responsibility is to ensure all that

Army combat engineers: physically tough, mentally resilient, flexible

machinery is running correctly, and if it’s not, then implementing plans to bring it back up to speed.”

The largest part of her role is deployment planning.

She says the biggest engineering challenges take place once the ship has left port, away from its support network of land-based contractors. “A lot of out-of-thebox thinking often needs to happen to get equipment back up and running to its optimum state.”

Many technicians are 18-year-old school leavers.

“I’m sort of camp mum,” she says. “We have to be equipped to deal with welfare issues while at sea.”

The Navy paid Lt Win’s university fees; she’s travelled the world, and she is hoping to be chartered within the year. The opportunities for leadership and working on high-budget projects are “massive”. “It’s unbelievable to be in charge of a team that’s almost 25 strong at the age of 29. Some people see the Navy as engineering-lite. Yet the engineering we do on board is exactly the same as what people do ashore. But it’s a lot more exciting than sitting at a desk.”

humanitarian aid and disaster relief – the same water purification systems used in combat situations have been used in Fiji, Vanuatu, Christchurch and Kaikōura after natural disasters. They ensured there was an alternate traffic route after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake and they helped with Australia’s devastating 2020 bushfires. A small group of combat engineers deployed to Tonga on HMNZS Canterbury as part of the recent Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Task Unit.

Combat engineers learn their trade entirely within the military, says Maj Collings. The minimum joining age is 17.5 years and many arrive straight from school.

They all do the 16 weeks’ basic Army training before they’re posted to the engineer regiment. A four-month practical course gives them an overall grounding in the core skills of their new trade. There are specific courses to complete to rise up the ranks, as well as the “all arms” courses that all soldiers do. There are around 130 combat engineers in the Army’s regular force and

When New Zealand was in Afghanistan, it was combat engineers who went ahead of everyone else to search for roadside bombs or IEDs (improvised explosive devices) using metal detectors and detection dogs. It can be dangerous, but as Major Gareth Collings, from 2 Field Squadron in Linton, lists the 16 different skill sets that military engineers learn, it’s not surprising to learn the Army easily fills the annual intake. It sounds like the stuff of action movies: “We blow bridges up, we do mine warfare and we do assault breaching – placing charges on obstacles, on doorways and to blow holes in walls,” Maj Collings says.

Combat engineers also operate the Army’s small boats, they build bridges and fortifications and they’re experts in chemical warfare. They help with

Feature | Āhuatanga

another 50 or so in the Territorial Force. Approximately 130 are in 2 Field Squadron, of whom six are female.

Self-reliance, communication and flexibility of mind are “invaluable” qualities, says Maj Collings. Even junior combat engineers are sent to support other units, so they need to be self-reliant and be able to communicate with senior people. They need to be able to switch quickly between different tasks. “Flexibility of mind, to do that, is very important.”

It can be difficult to keep skills up when not on deployment, so regular training is important. Otherwise the consequences could be “catastrophic” for high-risk activities like operating small craft and working with explosives. 2021 saw half the squadron away at any given time, on six-week rotations as part of Operation Protect – helping the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment with the Border Security Force and the

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Managed Isolation Quarantine system. But a two-week training exercise in November – in which 50 combat engineers spent one week building fortifications, and another week blowing them up – was great refresher training, he says. “We got a lot out of it and it was good for morale to get out and do our job. Everyone enjoyed the chance to do their job in a climate where training opportunites have been limited.”

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... the engineering we do on board is exactly the same as what people do ashore.

But it’s a lot more exciting than sitting at a desk.

- Lt Maddy Win

Most combat engineers stay in the Army for six to eight years. Many go on to tertiary study. Maj Collings joined the army from school in 1994. He briefly stepped away from the Army a decade ago, but soon realised he wasn’t quite ready to leave. “You have to be in the right mindset.” He describes the combat engineers as “amazing people”.

“They’ve got to be physically tough but, more than that, they have to be mentally resilient and flexible enough to handle the variety of things that they could be called to do at any given time. They take everything in their stride.”

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The NZDF quickly deployed personnel and resources following Tonga’s volcano and tsunami in January.

Lt Maddy Win, engineering officer on HMNZS Wellington.

Army combat engineers carry out a training exercise. Images: NZDF

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A “once-in-a-lifetime” project at Base Ōhakea Keeping New Zealand safe and secure, supporting the future generations of our Defence Force, environmental sustainability, local iwi and the wider Manawatū-Whanganui community were all top of mind with the design and construction of a new $250 million state-of-the-art facilty for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) at Base Ōhakea, says Ministry of Defence Project Infrastructure Director Robin Scott CMEngNZ. When complete, the new aircraft hangars will be the biggest and most complex construction ever undertaken by an integrated project team from the Ministry of Defence and NZDF. “It is also the first purpose-built facility for Number Five (No 5) Squadron,” says Robin.

Part of a wider $2.3 billion Air Surveillance Maritime Patrol capability project, the hangars will house Aotearoa’s new fleet of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft which are scheduled for delivery in 2023.

The RNZAF, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, will use the P-8A Poseidon fleet for more than just military activities, including humanitarian

The four aircraft will replace the six ageing turboprop P-3K2 Orion aircraft. Their arrival means infrastructure is key to the project.

“P-8A Poseidon aircraft will bring new and diverse engineering and maintenance requirements, and the Air Force is refreshing its operations to meet those new requirements.”

The site is named Te Whare Toroa (house of the albatross) after the majestic, powerful seabird that is No 5 Squadron’s crest and an important bird for iwi.

The facility, which has been designed to withstand large seismic events, will be 180m in length and cover 16,000m2 over two storeys, and 30m high. It includes two hangars as well as a workshop and maintenance base, equipment stores, headquarters and administration offices, mission support facilities, and a state-of-the-art training and flight simulation wing.

The parking apron in front of the hangars will cover the equivalent of approximately nine rugby pitches.

Groundworks started on the site in December 2019 and the facility construction began in 2021. The facility’s design consortium, named Team Tangaroa (god of the sea), comprises Aurecon, AECOM, Warren and Mahoney, and Boffa Miskell.

assistance and disaster relief and search and rescue operations.

Fulton Hogan is leading the horizontal works, including the apron construction and runway upgrade,

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Tackling “pretty scary” southern seas The Southern Ocean is arguably the world’s most hostile and hazardous maritime environment. It’s also part of New Zealand’s backyard. The NZDF’s many responsibilities in this remote, icy region include search and rescue, environmental custodianship through fisheries patrols, and supplying the Antarctic bases.

The Defence Technology Agency (DTA), which provides research, science and technology support to the NZDF and the Ministry of Defence, has been studying the region’s wave environment to better understand it.

A lack of historical observations means that the groundbreaking DTA-led research provides useful data that reveals just how inhospitable the region can be.

In 2022, a DTA-led trial is looking at what that means for New Zealand’s naval vessels, and the seakeeping

Construction work at Base Ōhakea.

Image: NZDF

while Hawkins Construction is building the facility. At its peak, the project will see 400 construction workers on site, and up to 50 design engineers.

With the P-8A Poseidon aircraft fleet expected to be in service for at least 30 years, the facility has been designed with environmental sustainability in mind.

Robin says: “We’ve tried to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum via material selection, designed hi-tech ventilation systems to cater for potential temperature rises in the coming decades due to climate change, and installed a rainwater collection system and lowflow water fittings.”

Facility design incorporates aspects of te ao Māori.

The building’s frontage is curved to reflect the toroa’s wingspan. Meanwhile, Te Kāpehu Whetū, or the Māori star compass, will lie at the entrance.

The positive impact of the new facility is already being felt in the local community, with two-thirds of the construction workforce coming from ManawatūWhanganui. The community will get a further boost in 2023, when No 5 Squadron moves from their current base in Whenuapai to Ōhakea, with their families.

“This facility will be pivotal in providing support to these amazing and very capable aircraft, and the

challenges that come with operating in the Southern Ocean. In February, a team of three DTA engineers accompanied the HMNZS Aotearoa on her maiden Antarctic voyage.

DTA research engineer Dr Richard Stubbing says the Southern Ocean’s wave environment is “pretty scary” and in some ways even more extreme than the North Atlantic’s infamous huge waves.

“On an average day in the Southern Ocean, a typical wave is around four metres, and the largest up to eight metres.”

The trial will look at how various technologies, like radar and sonar, used to detect sea ice, lose performance in such potentially rough conditions.

The trial has already received interest from overseas, says Richard.

“As a small nation we tend to be more agile and have much easier access to our frontline platforms and personnel. Trials like this are where we really punch above our weight in international defence science collaborations.”

service personnel who will operate them. It’s a oncein-a-lifetime project.”

Dr Richard Stubbing

EG 18/2022

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WRITER | KAITUHI MATT PHILP In Aotearoa’s journey towards net-zero carbon, electric vehicles and green hydrogen have sometimes hogged the headlines and monopolised government attention. Less notice has been paid to the role that might be played by various forms of biofuel – biogas, liquid biofuels and solid biomass such as forestry residue, but that appears to be changing.

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Bioenergy: a “forgotten giant”?

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In December 2021, the Government announced it will mandate the use of sustainable biofuels to help cut emissions in the transport sector. There have also been some developments with biogas. At Reporoa in the Central North Island, joint venture Ecogas is building New Zealand’s first large-scale food waste-to-bioenergy facility. Meanwhile, some hospitals, schools and commercial users are starting to adopt solid biofuels as an alternative to using coal, diesel or natural gas for heating. Clearly, an opportunity is emerging for biofuel, and engineers are a key part of that future.

A biofuel-friendly future?

Brian Cox, Executive Officer of the Bioenergy Association of New Zealand, says bioenergy already accounts for a greater share of our energy system than

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Residues from harvest on skid site are easy and cheap to recover.

Image: Brian Cox, Bioenergy Association

Brian Cox

we probably realise.

“It’s the forgotten giant in a way – 11 percent of our consumer energy already comes from biomass. Most people don’t know about that because the bulk of it is in the pulp and paper sector. Our prediction is that we could increase that to 27 percent. By 2050, a quarter of our energy could be coming from biomass and waste.”

Brian says solid biofuels are already well-established in the wood processing sector. Despite some challenges of feedstock, “it’s an easy one to do”, he says.

“The technology is easy, the standards are easy, you don’t need any great sophistication.”

However, when it comes to stepping up the use of biomass and liquid biofuel for transport there are more challenges. In terms of biogas plants, we’ve gone backwards since the 1980s, when there were more anaerobic digestors recycling our organic waste into energy than there are today, he remarks. Likewise, there’s been no great momentum for liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, which in this country account for less than 0.1 percent of sales compared with four percent globally. In 2020, Z Energy mothballed its biodiesel plant in Wiri due to climbing feedstock prices, and Gull, the first supplier to bring biofuel to the Kiwi market, halted the import of biodiesel.

The problem is economics: natural gas and petrol have a price advantage, and, unlike countries that are further down the road on biofuels, there’s been no real financial incentive here for doing anything with organic waste (a potential feedstock) other than dumping it.

The new Sustainable Biofuels Mandate will make a difference by focusing fuel suppliers on progressively reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the product they sell. Brian predicts most of the biofuel will be imported, and it won’t be cheap. Longer term, we could build biorefineries here to make renewable diesel, he says.

“We know the technology – but without government subsidising it they don’t work,” he says, adding that the Government needs to commit to biofuel with the

Feature | Āhuatanga

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same enthusiasm it has shown for electric vehicles and hydrogen. Get it right, he says, and he has no doubt that biofuels can play an important role in decarbonising land transport, which is the source of almost half of our carbon dioxide emissions, as well as aviation, shipping and rail.

As an engineer, Brian sees a major role for engineers in this potential biofuel-friendly future. He points to engineers currently working in the oil and gas industry in Taranaki, where he lives.

“They’re process engineers, chemical engineers and they have exactly the right skills to convert to working on bioenergy activities. It’s less about understanding the science, and more about application.”

Decarbonisation and beyond What about biogas? A 2021 joint study by Beca, Firstgas Group and Fonterra, asserts that renewable biogas has the potential to replace 20 percent of New Zealand’s total gas usage by 2050. It also concludes that biogas made using existing organic waste could slash four percent of our energy-related emissions.

Beca’s Industrial Sustainability Lead, Eleanor Grant, co-authored the report.

“You look at a country like Denmark which has replaced 20 percent of its natural gas pipeline with biomethane – using organic waste from agriculture as a primary feedstock – and plans to make it 100 percent,” she says.

“We can take that model and apply it here, albeit with some different challenges. It’s a fuel that could be used in the immediate future to start making a real difference in the decarbonisation space.”

An obvious contender is to use biogas as an alternative to natural gas for hard-to-abate process industries that need high-temperature heat.

“We have a real opportunity to put it in a pipeline and send it off to a Fonterra plant or something similar.”

The benefits go beyond the obvious decarbonisation payoff. The CO2 scrubbed out in the process of converting biogas to biomethane can be used by the food and beverage industry, for instance. There’s also potential to produce biofertiliser, which can help carbon sequestration in the soil and reduce the use of imported chemical fertilisers.

“It’s not just about renewable fuel; there are a whole lot of areas that can affect our emissions.”

Why hasn’t New Zealand done more to tap this? Again, economics. We’ve enjoyed abundant natural gas and no pressure to divert some forms of organic waste from landfill, explains Eleanor. Also, our dairy farming methods make it more challenging to use on-farm waste as a feedstock than somewhere such as Europe, where “indooring” is more common. According to Brian, things are changing here as dairy farms make more use of feeding and stand-off pads, which concentrate the effluent.

Life after coal Fonterra is stepping up its efforts to exit coal. Having converted a milk processing plant at Te Awamutu to forestry byproduct wood pellets in 2020, the co-op is in the throes of replacing a coal boiler with an 11 megawatt biomass boiler at its cheese plant in Stirling, Otago.

Fonterra engineer and Programme Manager Stacey Fellows says electrification was an option at Stirling, but biomass won out because it didn’t require the complex and high-cost changes to milk processing infrastructure.

“You’re switching process heat to be sourced from a new renewable fuel boiler instead of a coal one.”

Stirling is the first of eight Fonterra sites slated for conversion to alternative fuel sources as the co-op works towards exiting coal entirely by 2037. It was a straightforward first-up project, with only one boiler involved. Other sites have multiple boilers, and “we’ll need to do those in a build sequence”, Stacey says.

“We’re learning so much as engineers as we do each project, sharing the good stuff and the things we’d do differently, so the engineers on the next project have the advantage of that knowledge.”

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Eleanor says the biggest challenge is that this is a cross-sector piece of work, with the agricultural, gas and waste industries used to solving their own problems.

“What we need is for the Government to set some strong drivers that would make them all want to work together and for it to provide clear policy direction. If we could get some incentives on diverting food or organic waste from landfill and renewable gas incentives, together those would go a long way towards making a difference.”

Following the announcement of the Sustainable Transport Biofuels Mandate, there have been calls from industry groups to establish a similar mandate for the gas sector to help encourage investment and build a market.

“We celebrate the Government’s drive to increase uptake of biofuels in Aotearoa and reduce transport emissions,” says Brian.

“We say don’t stop there.”

Eleanor sees plenty of scope for engineers in building the biogas plant and infrastructure needed to bring the vision alive.

“It’s the same skills as all heavy industrial processes, really. You need process, mechanical, electrical and civil – a multi-disciplinary approach,” she says.

“Engineers who are working with clients looking to decarbonise are often only considering solid biomass or electricity as options. So, my request is to make sure you think about biogas or biomethane as an option and understand you might need to work across sectors.”

Biomethane into the gas grid The Beca report has been described as a milestone for the gas and agricultural sectors. Another milestone will be the operational launch this year of the Ecogas plant, the first instance of biomethane injected into the New Zealand gas grid. The project is a joint venture with Firstgas Group, which is investing between $6 million and $8 million to

Engineers who are working with clients looking to decarbonise are often only considering solid biomass or electricity as options.

So, my request is to make sure you think about biogas or biomethane as an option and understand you might need to work across sectors.

– Eleanor Grant

(Bio)fuelling the health sector Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) has replaced two coal-fired boilers with a pair of woody biomass boilers as part of a new $44m Energy Centre that will service the main Christchurch Hospital campus as well as the new Waipapa Building when it becomes operational this year. It follows a similar move at Burwood Hospital in 2016 and the replacement of an LPG boiler with a woodchip boiler at Hillmorton in 2013. The DHB is also assessing options for reducing emissions at its Greymouth and Reefton facilities. Canterbury DHB Energy Manager Tim Emson says: “The boilers are a great way to dispose of waste wood, and they emit far less carbon dioxide than conventional fossil fuels.” He adds: “The new Energy Centre for Christchurch Hospital will reduce Canterbury DHB’s emissions by 50 percent alone.”

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connect its distribution network to the facility at Reporoa and supply biogas generated from organic waste – most of it food waste from Auckland – to 9,000 homes and businesses.

Firstgas Engineering and Projects Manager Kevin Stretton CMEngNZ IntPE(NZ) says the company is building an upgraded plant where CO2 will be stripped out and the gas treated so it meets reticulation standards.

The CO2 waste stream will be used to boost yields at a neighbouring T&G Fresh tomato-growing glasshouse.

The project has a number of sustainability benefits, he says.

“Obviously the waste that would have gone to landfill and produced methane is being avoided. We’re displacing natural gas, which is a fossil fuel. And we’re channelling CO2 into production of food, a fair portion of which will go to Auckland, get consumed, make its way into kerbside green bins and start the cycle again.”

Challenges? “It’s the first, so we’re learning a lot as we go, things like setting up renewable gas certification and regulatory hurdles. It’s a proven technology overseas, but we’re building up the skills and understanding in New Zealand, and setting up a market so there’s demand for this,” Kevin says, adding that engineers of all stripes have been involved.

“However, there’s definitely a shortage of engineers with specific knowledge around biogas production, particularly process engineers. The ones available have mostly come from overseas, so we’re drawing on that international experience. We see this as an opportunity to upskill the engineers we have in the specifics of biogas and biomethane upgrading.”

The Ecogas Reporoa site with the foundations ready for the digestors to be built.

Image: Ecogas

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Eleanor Grant

Kevin Stretton

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Distinguished careers Engineering New Zealand/Te Ao Rangahau congratulates all members who were recently promoted to Fellowship and Distinguished Fellowship in recognition of their contribution to the engineering profession. Here, we celebrate our five new Distinguished Fellows.

Geoff Chase DistFEngNZ Professor, Dept of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury

Mike Stannard DistFEngNZ Consultant, Kestrel Group

Geoff Chase is recognised for his contribution to the profession and society. He’s created opportunities to combine engineering, medicine and applied research, leading to the creation of viable products and start-up companies that significantly improve healthcare.

As a Distinguished Professor, Geoff is known for his extraordinary academic leadership and professional contributions, having supervised many students through postgraduate work and producing more than 1,500 peer-reviewed publications and/or patents. His impact is amplified through a legacy of successful graduates pursuing further research and start-up companies.

Geoff exemplifies the ideal of an engineer who has gained industry experience, then returned to academia to forge an illustrious career. One of the co-founders of The Science for Technological Innovation National Science

Mike Stannard’s unique knowledge overlaps geotechnical, structural, seismological, construction and regulatory fields and he’s recognised for his contribution to the engineering profession and to New Zealand’s built environment. As Chief Engineer for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), he represented the profession at the highest level of government. He was MBIE’s lead for technical work relating to Canterbury earthquakes response and recovery. He initiated and participated in the investigations into collapsed buildings in Christchurch and provided significant input to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Building Failure Caused by the Canterbury earthquakes, later leading the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations. He championed both the National Geotechnical Database and the Building

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Challenge he’s the recipient of numerous distinctions and awards, including Fellowship of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi, and a Royal Society of New Zealand MacDiarmid Medal. He’s active in governance, and represents New Zealand engineering internationally as the Technology, Applied Science, and Engineering Convenor for Royal Society Te Apārangi.

How will this recognition help you inspire other engineers?

I hope others can look at my career and what I do, and see that, particularly in New Zealand, where there’s still huge potential and possibilities, you can create your own career and field. When I interviewed at UC, I noted the medical school (Otago) downtown and said it might be

Act amendment that enable investigation of building failures. Mike has worked closely with the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, New Zealand Geotechnical Society and Structural Engineering Society New Zealand, and is a Life Member of all three societies. Post-MBIE, he has advised government agencies and territorial authorities on aspects of interpretation and application of the Building Act, as well as on seismic hazard and risk.

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interesting to work with them. Some on the interview panel didn’t even know there was a medical school there.

What’s surprised you the most about your engineering career?

I never thought I would be doing so much in the way of medicine and physiology. When I started my career at General Motors in the US, engineering, and mechanical engineering in particular, was about making things.

Medicine was nowhere in that picture. Equally, I started my career when you worked for one or two companies and in one area for a career, and have ended up in an era where I’ve had multiple careers in multiple engineering areas, and that’s the “new normal”.

meant you just had to make it work and these lessons probably influenced my later involvement in building regulation.

How do you keep learning as an engineer?

Take all challenging opportunities presented even if you think they’re outside your comfort zone and be curious. Search out others who have greater expertise in the subject, collaborate, listen and learn.

How have you pushed boundaries in your career?

Taking responsibility is a strength (and sometimes a weakness). When there’s clearly an unaddressed need you know you can contribute to solving, it may mean being brave and seizing the moment, even if there is not a formal mandate. My early career in construction

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Dr Bryan P Pidwerbesky DistFEngNZ IntPE(NZ) Technical Director – Pavements & Laboratories, Fulton Hogan

Bryan Pidwerbesky is recognised for his contribution to advancing the science and lifecycle performance of pavements and surfacing materials, and he’s widely known as the country’s “go-to” person for pavements. He was appointed Senior Adjunct Fellow in Civil Engineering at the University of Canterbury, and his participation on numerous national and international technical and advisory committees, working parties and boards reflects his international standing. He’s led and authored many technical papers and is known for his technical leadership and communication abilities. In addition, he has mentored many engineers in all aspects of pavement design and construction Wide variations in substrates and local availability of materials mean Bryan’s technical input is frequently sought at the inception of projects. This sees him working

Dr Charles Clifton DistFEngNZ Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Auckland

Craig Price DistFEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) Chief Technical Officer, Beca

Charles Clifton is recognised for his contribution to earthquake engineering research in structural steel systems, as well as earthquake engineering practice in New Zealand. Since 1983, he’s led the development and implementation of design guidance for using structural steel in buildings in New Zealand. His work has been hugely influential in the paradigm shift in multistorey building design and construction, leading to lighter, safer, more resilient and more repairable buildings. His work has formed the basis for the design of steel-framed buildings for gravity, earthquake, fire and durability used by all New Zealand structural engineers. He established the Structural Division of the New Zealand Heavy Engineering Research Association and was involved in forming Steel Construction New Zealand. Charles’ research into structural steel and steel-concrete composite buildings

Craig Price is recognised for his contribution to leadership, governance and the development of the profession. A past-President of Engineering New Zealand, his technical background is in design of commercial and institutional buildings and, in particular, energy-efficient and green building technologies. He’s Chair of Beca New Zealand and Chair of the Beca Group Management Share Trust.

He has wide experience in leadership and governance, including with the New Zealand Green Building Council.

His extensive involvement with Te Ao Rangahau includes chairing each of the Competence Assessment Board, Governance Board, Registration Authority Board, Standards and Accreditation Board and as a Practice Area Assessor for Chartered Professional Engineer interviews for more than 20 years. He’s strongly committed to the profession and passionate about supporting

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with clients, decision makers and key stakeholders to understand issues and concerns, and to explain complex solutions simply. Bryan’s knowledge and ability has enabled very considerable advances in the construction and performance of the flexible pavements that underpin New Zealand’s transport network.

How have you pushed boundaries in your career?

I’ve always wanted to understand why things are done a certain way, not just follow existing practices blindly.

Because I want to understand, I’ve pushed boundaries to work out the limits of certain practices or designs, and how they can be done better – change what was considered best practice.

to ensure their good performance in severe earthquake and severe fire events has benefited the design and construction industries, and Aotearoa as a whole. He has been a major contributor to the development of new and revised Standards and Codes of engineering practice for structural steel design and fire engineering, and is a Life Member of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering and Structural Engineering Society New Zealand.

What does this recognition mean to you?

My focus for the past 38 years has been understanding the performance of steel and composite steel/ concrete structures in severe events and using that understanding to develop reliable and cost-effective solutions for a wide range of building types. It is

the benchmarking objectives of the International Engineering Alliance. He served on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority Framework Review’s Advisory Group and is Deputy Chair of the International Professional Engineers Agreement. In addition, he’s held a range of advisory roles for central government and universities and has contributed significantly to Christchurch and Canterbury business growth and success, particularly since the 2011 earthquakes. He is a recipient of Te Ao Rangahau's Fulton Downer Gold Medal and President’s Award.

What’s surprised you the most about your engineering career?

I decided to become a roading engineer when I was 10 years old, and after 35 years of practising as a roading engineer, I still love it every day. My career choice has given me such a wide range of experience, including university lecturing, practical staff training, research, designing, construction supervision, engineering staff management and asset management.

extremely gratifying at a personal and professional level, through this award, to see the recognition that the profession has given to that work.

What makes you different from other leaders?

The ability to visualise new, improved engineering solutions for complex building behaviours, to envisage how they might be tested, either experimentally or numerically and to enable this to happen through the support of many talented and creative people from the universities, profession and industry.

developing outcomes that improve our communities.

I’ve been fortunate to be a part of numerous projects that make a significant difference to people and communities, ranging from hospitals to recreation facilities. In more recent years, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute in a range of ways developing, supporting or enabling others in the profession.

What does this recognition mean to you?

I believe engineering offers the most fulfilling career

What's surprised you the most about your engineering career?

While being professionally and technically competent is essential for every engineer, engineers who really make a difference match their sound technical skills with equally strong people skills. The ability to communicate and the capability to connect with people – influencing and leading

of all. Beyond the challenge of problem solving and the enjoyment of creating solutions, it’s rewarding

– is key. I’ve endeavoured to balance striving for technical perfection with the importance of the people dimension.

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Exemplar: engineering better health outcomes

Under pressure WRITER | KAITUHI RACHEL HELYER DONALDSON When the Waitematā District Health Board (WDHB) group upgraded a hospital’s oxygen delivery system in readiness for a potential influx of Covid-19 patients in late 2021, it was a race against time.

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What is it?

— Two North Shore Hospital buildings were earmarked for an oxygen delivery system upgrade – the Elective Surgery Centre (ESC) and Ward 11.

— Both buildings had an existing O2 ringmain, consisting of 28mm pipe.

This was more than doubled by installing a parallel 42mm pipe.

— The existing 54mm pipe running from the main vacuum insulated evaporator (VIE) to the hospital’s pipe network was boosted by the addition of more than 450m of 67mm copper pipe.

— WDHB capacity for Covid-19 patients’ likely oxygen needs increased six-fold, from 12 suitable beds to a possible 72.

— There were up to 28 Covid-19 patients at North Shore Hospital at the peak of the Delta outbreak in Spring 2021.

I’ve never seen such fluidity of change and speed of information adjustment.

- Mark Hildesley

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How did they do it?

— In late August the team worked six long days, including three days around the clock to ensure the first building was ready in time for Covid-19 patients.

— The work involved nearly 100 people from nine companies: engineers, roof cleaners and workers, filter specialists, electricians, sheet metal fabricators, mechanical fabricators, hoarding constructors, scaffolders and airflow specialists.

— They included engineering consulting company Beca; ESP Mechanical who installed the HVAC system with design from 1st Mechanical; and ABC Medical Gas who did the medical gas pipe installation.

— Materials used included galvanised steel and stainless steel for the HVAC system and medical grade copper pipes joined with high silver content solder for the medical gas supply. Glass fibre and synthetics were used for the Hepa filters and PPE. — The permanent oxygen delivery system upgrades to the existing Air Liquide VIE system involved 27 plant upgrades, including upgrades to the pressure regulation, automating the switching system between the evaporators, and replacing some of the original valves.

— Potential flow through the pressure regulation system was increased from 80m per hour to 350m per hour.

— Modifications were needed due to some supply chain issues. When the project started there were no Hepa filtration units available to install in the ESC building. Modifications were made to the HVAC system that could be changed later on. Eventually a New Zealand factory was reopened during lockdown and units were produced specifically for the upgrade at the behest of the Ministry of Health.

Upgrading North Shore Hospital’s oxygen delivery system in 2021.

Mark Hildesley.

The Empire State Building seen on a bare New York street during the coronavirus pandemic. Image: Melissa Hildesley

On 18 August 2021, most Kiwis were bunkered down in their bubbles on the first day of Aotearoa’s second national Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown.

But at Auckland’s North Shore Hospital, a team of engineers and other technicians were starting an ambitious project.

Since the exact arrival time of Covid-19 variants could not be known, the concepts for the project were already in the planning stages, with the Ministry of Health identifying North Shore Hospital as a potential key Covid-19 response site and earmarking it for an upgrade. When the highly contagious Delta variant arrived in New Zealand, “... it became clear we really needed to move ahead and push the button”, says Mark Hildesley, the Project Management Engineer for WDHB’s Facilities Services Group.

Two parallel issues had to be addressed, he says.

Covid-19 patients who are ventilated require significant oxygen supplies but this inevitably puts pressure on the existing oxygen supply for all patients. During the outbreak in the United Kingdom, hospitals there found that when a Covid-19 ward was placed near an oxygen supply the rest of the pressure-based system was quickly starved of supply.

The other challenge was how to ensure the hospital’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system did not spread the virus. Typically pre-Covid 19, hospital HVAC systems operated using a positive-pressure flow.

Globally, hospital planners confirmed that the solution lay in containing the virus in Covid-19 isolation rooms using negative pressure.

The WDHB team, in conjunction with consulting engineers Beca, took all this on board as they executed their plan to upgrade the hospital’s Elective Surgery Centre (ESC) and the older Ward 11. Both sites had an existing ringmain, using 28mm pipe, that provides oxygen to all beds. A parallel ringmain was permanently installed, using 42mm pipes, increasing capacity “significantly”, says Mark.

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Engineer Mark Hildesley is originally from New York City. A number of his family are medical professionals, including his mother who is a hospital planner. They’d seen first-hand how bad things could get during their city’s horrific Covid-19 crisis. All this was at the front of Mark’s mind as he worked to protect his local community in Tāmaki Makaurau. He hopes the system will never need to be used to its full capacity. But if it does, the changes made increase resources for the whole community, ideally improving health outcomes fairly for all. Overseas, a lack of ventilators saw health workers make heartbreaking decisions about who should get to use them. “We are hopefully going to avoid that. There’s now at least 50 extra people who are going to get a bed if we do find ourselves in a worst-case situation. It’s a much better feeling,” Mark says.

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The Elective Surgery Centre

Challenges

Work began first on the ESC, the newer and more straightforward building.

“Within days, we finished the connection and started working on putting the pipes into the building.”

A BOC tanker, containing a horizontal vacuum insulated evaporator (VIE), was then delivered and set up outside the ESC building. The day it arrived, the VIE was providing a temporary, additional oxygen supply system to Covid-19 patients. The best work pace was only possible when a building was empty and workers were unimpeded. “Fortunately this was the case for ESC, albeit a small window of time."

Mark says the work could have been undertaken with patients in the ESC, but not at the same speed or without using more resources. "By the time the system was ready to use, it just happened that they were putting Covid-positive patients in.”

A local kaumātua blessed the ESC. The team followed a similar procedure for Ward 11, but it was a much more complicated installation, with asbestos present in the basement and foundations. Essential personal protective equipment (PPE), worn for both Covid-19 and asbestos conditions, made working more difficult.

Both sites’ HVAC systems were changed over at the same time as the ringmain upgrades. Retrofitting from positive-designed systems in buildings that were never designed to provide negative pressure systems was another big part of the job. “There was a lot of parallel

Making timely decisions was crucial, particularly when a big storm struck Auckland in late August. This meant three days of round-the-clock work for most of the team.

“There was so much time pressure that Beca’s principal engineer was doing significant hands-on, project engineering work because we needed answers for everything then and there. There simply wasn’t the time to go through the normal design processes.

“It was all hands to the pump. We worked the weekend, it was windy and wet and the HVAC was put in during extreme conditions where, normally, you would have postponed. But that wasn’t possible.”

There were plenty of engineering challenges along the way and Mark says the biggest involved coordinating technical and clinical needs, taking into account what was available in the space, what resources were available in the country, and coordinating health and safety requirements such as PPE and social distancing.

The project was like nothing he’s ever worked on.

“I’ve never seen such fluidity of change and speed of information adjustment. We just had to assume things would be needed, and work [fast].

“It was also strange working hard, long hours, when most people had to be sitting at home.”

Engineering has the chance to make a difference to people’s lives, he adds. “It allows people to deliver solutions that wouldn’t necessarily have been imagined, before they were done.”

work. But each time we got something finished, it started getting used.”

Image: Rolls-Royce

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“If you look at the amount of time saved with Synergy, I’d say it’s probably ten percent, overall, per billable staff member”.

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Power poles and rugby goals WRITER | KAITUHI ALEXANDRA JOHNSON

Powering down the rugby field and protecting Aotearoa’s power supply mean a lot to this electrical engineer

“I think the hardest thing I’ve done was coming from South Auckland, a small community and a high school that was

them as quickly as possible.

“With that value of giving, I always try to do it as fast as possible, keep the lights

who likes breaking down stereotypes.

nearly all Pacific Islanders and Māori, to jumping into university with a huge diverse culture, with competition to get the best grades and the best job after uni.”

She says Pacific Islanders are taught to be humble, “… but, in this career, you need to have a big voice to prove yourself. That was a big adjustment for me to make”.

Following graduation, Bernadette was selected to be part of the two-year Transpower Graduate Programme.

“You were given the opportunity to experience different roles and also got to travel around the country, which I loved.”

She appreciates the support she's received throughout her study and career.

“I was part of SPIES [South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students Network] during university and that gave me some confidence as I learnt to lead meetings and panels.”

She’s now a member of South Pacific Professional Engineering Excellence, a network for Pacific Islanders in the engineering workforce.

Bernadette says she is interested in “changing the narrative”. “I’ve always been the kind of person that’s just up for the challenge and believed that you can break down the barriers and change those stereotypes that are associated with where you come from.”

She says: “One of the reasons I chose engineering is because it aligned with my values, with giving back, designing or working with technology that’s going to help the community.”

She works in operational engineering, so if there are any faults she has to analyse

on and avoid power cuts.”

In her role, she looks after protection relays, the smaller control and communication devices in the substation.

“We protect the bigger equipment, tripping it before an explosion or fire occurs. It can be a 24/7 job if you are on call and something happens in the middle of the night. Protection is quite hard, but I enjoy it because every day you don’t know what to expect.”

After gaining more experience, she'd like to go to Europe or Asia and see how their power systems work, “… and I want to give my expertise back to Samoa or anywhere in the Pacific”.

She says there are so few young Pacific Islanders entering engineering because they are not aware of what it actually is.

“I feel like there is a misconception in our culture where engineering is only associated with being a mechanic. Some are unaware of the of the kind of career you can have, that it is so broad.”

To help spread the word, she attends career expos and has been involved with school visits. And when she’s not in the business of power, she’s playing rugby for Oriental Rongotai club in Wellington.

She has also played for Samoa and represented the women’s rugby team Manusina at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France and she's played for Counties Manukau and Wellington in the Farah Palmer Cup competition.

What does she like about rugby?

“Everything. But again, it’s changing the narrative because rugby is a maledominated sport.”

Early on any given weekday morning, Bernadette Robertson MEngNZ can be found at rugby training, getting it in before a full day of work as a Protection and Automation Engineer at Transpower. Then it’s another couple of hours of training.

She chose engineering because it ticked lots of boxes and she really enjoyed maths, science and biology.

“I considered studying medicine but that was a seven-year degree, and I wanted to graduate faster so I could give back to my parents sooner.”

The first person in her family to go to university, she graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Auckland.

“You don’t usually see a female, or a Pacific Islander, pursuing engineering, so I wanted to take on that challenge. I also wanted something that wasn’t an all-day office job, where you can also spend time outdoors on site. I could have that balance with engineering.”

There were some top academics at her high school who had pursued engineering and as they were visible in her community, she could picture herself in the profession.

Her grades won her a scholarship from First Foundation, which supports bright young Kiwis whose circumstances make it harder to attend university.

But while Bernadette wanted to choose challenging paths, the transition from South Auckland schoolgirl to engineer was not easy.

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One of the reasons I chose engineering is because it aligned with my values, with giving back, designing or working with technology that’s going to help the community.

– Bernadette Robertson

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Image: Jonny Knopp

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Building resilience key focus for new role WRITER | KAITUHI ALEXANDRA JOHNSON

Visiting Christchurch when the February 2011 earthquake struck was a life-changing

Upon returning to Canada, Ken continued to work remotely with key

and one of its main purposes is to try and bring the model’s new knowledge into the

experience for Canadian Dr Ken Elwood CMEngNZ, whose new, dual-agency role as Chief Engineer focuses on increasing the resilience of Aotearoa’s building stock and reducing the impact of disasters.

Professor Ken Elwood’s induction into New Zealand was serendipitous to say the least.

A specialist in seismic design of buildings at the University of British Columbia, the Canadian structural engineer was visiting Aotearoa to attend a professional conference when the Christchurch earthquake struck.

“I had been at a conference in Queenstown on masonry buildings, and on 22 February in 2011, I was in Christchurch at a seminar on the seismic assessment of existing buildings,” he says.

“I watched a masonry building on High St partially collapse in front of my eyes.”

Following the big quake, he stayed in New Zealand for a couple of extra weeks to help with building assessments.

“It was a life-changing experience in many different ways and it has definitely impacted me as a researcher. Until then, I’d always been focused on the technical, but when you are faced with an earthquake and the response to it, you realise that a lot of the impacts lie beyond that.”

He says he became much more interested in multidisciplinary work, such as the social sciences and

people within New Zealand’s engineering profession. In 2014 he moved here and was appointed the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Chair of Earthquake Engineering, a professorship at the University of Auckland.

Recently, he was appointed Chief Engineer (Building Resilience), a new role created by the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and MBIE, which will work across both organisations to help increase the resilience of our building stock and reduce the impact of disasters.

Ken says his ultimate goal in the role is to connect policy, research and engineering practice, as the collaboration of these three parties is crucial to improving building resilience.

In recent years, the EQC and MBIE have collaborated and co-founded several projects related to building resilience, including the Low Damage Seismic Design Project and the revision of the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM). The latter calculates the likelihood and strength of future earthquakes and has not been revised since 2010. In the past decade, there has been an explosion of knowledge drawn from the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes, which will be included in the new model.

“This is going to result in a step change in our understanding of earthquakes, and our building standards need to react to that, and, more generally, how we approach the design of buildings. I am

decision making in a post-earthquake environment.

involved, in my role as Chief Engineer, with the Seismic Risk Work Programme

building codes.”

What new clarity will the NSHM provide?

“Ironically, it is not going to bring clarity.

It will explicitly identify and therefore highlight the uncertainty involved in the level of earthquake shaking anticipated in New Zealand centres.”

He adds: “Earthquake engineering is really about designing under uncertainty, but our codes and standards have not been sufficiently explicit about that degree of uncertainty, so sometimes we become complacent or do not fully appreciate the degree of uncertainty we are dealing with.

“The National Hazard model is going to give us a band of values and we, as engineers, are going to have to figure out how we deal with that band.”

The greatest challenge for engineers, he says, and indeed for society in general, will lie with existing buildings.

“We can always adopt the latest design principles in new buildings, but when our understanding of the risks posed by existing buildings suddenly changes, suggesting we need more retrofits to be done, the economics will make that challenging.

“We are therefore constantly juggling our changing understanding of the risk and what is feasible and practical from both an economic and social standpoint.”

That social standpoint is currently being assessed by the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering and EQC’s Resilient Building Project, which is looking at society’s expectations of buildings and earthquakes, “with the idea that it really is societal expectations that should drive the

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performance targets of the building code”.

He says: “Fundamentally, life safety is paramount but there’s always a probability of a larger earthquake that is going to cause greater damage or even collapse, so we still need to accept a degree of risk of fatalities, but how do we set that acceptable level of risk?”

New Zealand really struggles with maintaining building standards and guidelines due to the wealth of documents that need to be kept current, he says.

“I would very much like to establish a sustainable mechanism by which we can maintain and make best use of new knowledge in our standards and guidelines for building assessment.”

Until then, I’d always been focused on the technical, but when you are faced with an earthquake and the response to it, you realise that a lot of the impacts lie beyond that.

– Dr Ken Elwood

Ken says New Zealand has always been very good at collaborating and bringing new research to bear in the way we approach our buildings.

“But we are essentially trying to develop and maintain these documents in a country of five million people, in the same way for example, as the US does with a population of 350 million, and the documents need to cover the same things.

I do think we need to find ways in which we can better leverage the investment by other countries.”

The softly spoken Canadian, who, along with his wife and children became New Zealand citizens during the country’s first lockdown in April 2020, certainly has his work cut out for him in his new role.

So, what comes first?

“Right off the bat, the two big ones are the Seismic Risk Work Programme and the Low Damage Seismic Design project, and so I will be working with industry to bring forward the changes in the NSHM into the design of new buildings and to clarify and support the further implementation of low damage design technologies into our buildings.”

41 Reflections and resolutions 42 Aotearoa’s flight path 44 Engineering from the ground up 45 Intersection 46 Getting onboard with transport equity

Best Practice

40 From guru to leader

Ngā mahi papai rawai

39 Inside HMNZS Aotearoa

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Find out more about Engineering New Zealand’s Lessons to be Learnt project here engineeringnz.org/ programmes/lessons-be-learnt/

MARTIN PRATCHETT MEngNZ

In January, the Navy’s newest ship, HMNZS Aotearoa, set off to provide humanitarian relief to Tonga following a volcanic eruption. The supply vessel was designed for this type of purpose, and to support both our ships and our allies. Its build benefited from a range of lessons the Navy had learnt.

In July 2021, I went on a tour of HMNZS Aotearoa when she visited Wellington.

The Navy spent years researching and planning the ship, taking learnings from our ships and those from other navies and supply ships worldwide over the past 50 years. As a result, they had an excellent idea of what they wanted from the shipbuilder.

The Navy applied lessons learnt to the purchasing and construction of the ship.

Because of Te Ao Rangahau’s Lessons to be Learnt webinar series, I was particularly interested in the subject.

One of the first lessons learnt was, when something with specific capabilities is required, buy it made to order. The Navy had learnt that when applying for budgets for multi-stage projects, the funding is not always available for later stages, leading to the project failing.

At $450 million, the Aotearoa is the most expensive ship the Navy has purchased since the frigates in 1988. In New Zealand, we have a history of trying to spend too little on infrastructure. The Auckland Harbour Bridge is a prime example and Transmission Gully is another. The Navy expects the Aotearoa to have a 50-year service life, and it must be fit for purpose for all of those years.

We gathered for an initial briefing in

the helicopter hangar. It’s an enormous space and larger than required for our current helicopters. After the Canterbury earthquake sequence, we couldn’t service the largest helicopters of our allies. The Navy had learnt that other navies have larger helicopters than we do. For our ship to be used effectively in humanitarian supply efforts both here and abroad, it must be able to service and supply the largest available helicopters now and in the future.

In the hangar I noticed all of the tie-down points on the deck. Our guide said it was imperative to have tie-down hooks wherever needed for tying down helicopters and stores in lousy weather.

Because we don’t know what the Navy will be using in the future, having many tie-down points is sensible for future planning.

At the same time, he pointed out hatches in the deck. A lesson they learnt from past and existing ships is to have easy access to the different sections of the ship, vertically and horizontally. As a result, the corridors are extra wide to accommodate a trolley jack and take full-sized pallets. There are hatches and winches available on all levels to move stores and machinery vertically as required.

In the past, the Navy assumed the engine would last the ship’s life and would not need replacing. As a result, the shipbuilders would install the engine, and major repairs or replacement could be challenging due to access.

However, experience shows the engine may need replacing, and it may not be a conventional diesel power replacement.

Therefore they have ensured there is sufficient room for engines to be replaced.

I noticed they had secured everything moveable. Our guide explained they had to operate in extreme weather conditions, potentially while being shot at. The Navy used to buy their vessels suited for the Atlantic seas. However, research has shown that the Southern Ocean offers a more extreme operating environment, with higher waves and more severe storms.

Encountering waves more than 14m high is not uncommon, and our ships must operate continuously in that environment.

The construction quality of the ship appeared to be excellent. I mentioned this to our guide and asked what quality assurance and quality control processes were in place for the build. It turned out that the Navy had staff in South Korea overseeing the build for the two years it took. They had a construction monitoring schedule, exacting specifications and a team who knew what they were looking for because they were involved in the design process.

While the shipbuilder had an expert team and very good quality assurance programmes, they found that the Navy went to the next level in making sure they built this ship to expectations and specifications. Clear communication between the Navy and the shipbuilder was vital. Overall, the Aotearoa is an example of a project with good planning and construction monitoring.

Martin Pratchett MEngNZ is Engineering Practice Leader at Te Ao Rangahau.

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From guru to leader SIMON BOYS CMEngNZ (ret.)

Engineers are valued for our knowledge

The role of coaching

— setting priorities, being clear about what

and for our ability to solve problems and create lasting solutions. Our success often leads to career advancement and management responsibilities that take us away from the work we love. Sooner or later, we discover that technical skills alone will no longer serve us. Our training hasn't prepared us for leading others.

This is a profound change requiring a whole new way of seeing our path to success, along with new skills to learn.

The coach provides a confidential sounding board for the other person to find their own answers and way forward.

The coach’s focus is on the other person and their needs, ensuring they have a clear purpose, bringing perspective, challenge and encouragement towards an outcome. The coach is a catalyst, triggering insights and confidence in their next steps.

is important and why — reflection, whereby we connect what has happened with what is important and what is planned next — delegation, where we “bring it to the team”. Skills in delegation have a multiplying impact across many aspects of leading a team.

Mindset change The key mindset change is that our success now largely comes down to how well we enable others around us.

David Rooke and William R Torbert’s leadership research, Seven Transformations of Leadership, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2005, showed this transition from “Expert” to (leadership) “Achiever” remains one of the most painful bottlenecks in most organisations.

Encouragingly, the research also shows leadership is learned. We can all learn the skills, provided we approach it with a learner mindset and a desire to grow.

Defining leadership Leadership is about creating the environment for others to succeed.

The transition from being in a knowledge mindset to a leadership one sounds simple, but is at the heart of the challenge for engineering leaders. This shift has led to transformation for many of the leaders I have coached.

Learning to coach I believe coaching is in the top five essential skills for new leaders as it is a terrific leadership enabler. The coach learns to listen and enquire. They gain empathy and awareness and leave the team feeling listened to. Coaching enables the leader to grow the trust, confidence and capability of their team as they extend themselves.

Being coached A leader accelerates their own growth when they engage a coach. Leadership is learned in the heat of actually doing – what we experience, the discomfort of taking risks and trying new things.

Coaching brings clarity and confidence to take steps, to try things and to properly embed the learning from experience.

Leadership 101 Coaching is one of five fundamentals for new leaders. Others include: — getting organised, setting our personal foundations from which we can lead

Project Forward looks forward to partnering with Engineering New Zealand to offer 10 monthly, one-hour “Leadership 101” online sessions to explore these themes further. Register your interest by emailing enquiries@ProjectForward.co.nz Simon Boys CMEngNZ(ret.) is an engineering and project leader, an International Coaching Federation-credentialled leadership coach and founder/owner of ProjectForward.co.nz

Best practice | Ngā mahi papai rawai

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Reflections and resolutions TIFFANY MATSIS

Though 2022 is well underway, it’s

Building consents

reviewer. Respond promptly to requests

never too late to make your New Year’s resolutions when it comes to good practice.

Here are some insights and lessons learnt from the 36 concerns and complaints our Legal Team received in 2021.

Ensure all relevant building and resource consents have been issued before you authorise the start of any work. All building work must have building consent (unless it meets certain exceptions set out in the Building Act 2004).

Due to time pressures, contractors and property owners sometimes want to proceed with building work before building consent has been granted.

This is illegal. Carefully document any advice you give to clients, especially if you suspect it may be ignored. A client may ask you to supervise construction or issue a PS4 for unconsented work. This may be uncomfortable, and your client may place significant pressure on you to proceed. They may even tell you your contract obliges you to sign off work when asked. We have heard from engineers who sometimes feel the most pragmatic thing to do is sign the PS4 and leave it to their client to deal with any consent issues. We understand the desire to keep your client happy, and to keep a project moving, especially if there are delays by the consent authority. However, it is not in your client’s long-term best interest for you to help them undertake illegal work. If you do help them with illegal work, both you and your client could face prosecution and a significant fine of up to $200,000.

for further information and queries. The process is there to help ensure good engineering design work; it is not a challenge of your competency. If you make changes to your design during or after a review, communicate those changes to the reviewer. Do not make design changes after a PS2 has been signed without notifying the reviewer.

Contracts Ensure lay clients aren’t expecting you to project manage other contractors unless you’ve agreed to this. Early educative discussion may help avoid misunderstandings later.

Set out your scope of engagement clearly in a Short Form Agreement.

Don’t rely on handshakes and vague instructions. A written contract will help protect you.

Keep clear written records of discussions and site visits. If a dispute arises, you can always refer back to your records. This will also be useful if you become unwell and someone else needs to contact your clients to ensure a continuation of service.

Communication Communicate clearly, courteously and concisely with clients, especially lay clients who may not have engaged an engineer before and may not fully understand how you are able to help them.

Check before you start that a lay client has realistic expectations of what you are able to do. Be honest and upfront in discussions about fees and timeframes.

Avoid later disputes by ensuring you have a clear written scope of work. Keep your client informed of any unexpected costs or delays.

Peer reviews Adhere to good practice if you’re undertaking a peer review. Ensure any queries you raise are resolved and signed off before you sign the PS2.

If your work is being peer reviewed, engage honestly and openly with the peer

Complaints to Te Ao Rangahau If a client does raise concerns about you with Te Ao Rangahau, don’t panic, but don’t ignore the problem. Do give serious consideration to any offers to try and resolve the problem through Alternative Dispute Resolution. Often a complaint can be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties by taking time to meet and discuss the problem. A well-timed apology may also go a long way towards settling issues at an early stage.

We know that hearing concerns have been raised is stressful and sometimes comes as an unwelcome surprise.

Remember, our process exists to protect the profession and its reputation, not to punish engineers. By upholding the high standards we know you operate to and by maintaining public confidence in the engineering profession, we are here to help. For more information, see the Practice Notes and the Managing Complaints Handbook at engineeringnz.org

Tiffany Matsis is Senior Legal Advisor at Te Ao Rangahau.

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Aotearoa's flight path CINDY JEMMETT

In the first half of the 20th century, serving as an Air Force pilot provided the

a Curtiss seaplane from Canada. They also designed four other seaplanes, and

of 11 administrative and training staff and 100 part-time volunteers, most ex-WWI

impetus and opportunity for many Kiwis to learn to fly. While many completed their training overseas, two schools in New Zealand offered training. Established by individuals with a passion for flight, these schools pioneered pilot training in New Zealand and supported the later establishment of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which celebrates its 85th anniversary in April.

As soon as overseas attempts at flight were making headlines, New Zealanders were keen to try their hand. As early as 1903, inventor Richard Pearse designed and built a high wing monoplane on his Canterbury farm. The frame of the plane was bamboo and the wings were covered with canvas. Special features included wing flaps, rear elevator, a steerable nosewheel and a propeller with variablepitch blades. The plane’s double-acting, horizontally opposed petrol engine was also of his own construction and design. While he did become airborne, it is uncertain whether he achieved controlled, sustained flight.

In Auckland, brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh built their first plane in 1911. The aircraft achieved short demonstration flights of a few hundred metres.

The Walsh brothers’ more successful venture was their pilot training school at Kohimarama. From 1913, they began building a seaplane. They made their first official flight on 1 January 1915 and opened the flying school later that same

the school’s boatbuilders completed the construction.

In a special arrangement, the British Royal Flying Corps issued pilots trained at Kohimarama with an aviator’s certificate.

In Christchurch, aviation enthusiast, Henry Wigram, who was eventually knighted for services to aviation, followed the Walsh brothers' lead. Unable to secure government backing for a flying school, he established his own: the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company, in 1916. Henry imported Caudron biplanes from Britain and had a further 10 aircraft built at the school’s airbase at Sockburn.

By 1919, the two schools had trained more than 250 pilots between them, almost all of whom had gone on to serve in WWI with the Royal Air Force in England.

Celebrated pilots who received their first training at Kohimarama include WWI air ace, Keith Caldwell CBE and prominent New Zealand aviator George Bolt OBE. George was first a mechanic and later Chief Pilot at Kohimarama and went on to a career in civil aviation. He also served during WWII as chief engineer for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Following WWI, the Walsh brothers sought government funding to continue to operate their school and to run an airmail service, but this was denied.

Unable to make the venture financially viable, the brothers closed the school in 1923.

In Canterbury, Henry Wigram contributed much of his own money to

pilots. Henry donated a further £10,000 and the government then agreed to take on the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company’s liabilities and to run Sockburn as its base for the newly formed New Zealand Permanent Air Force.

Henry turned his attention to recreational flying and helped to form the Canterbury Aero Club in 1928. Many aero clubs formed around the country from the late 1920s. In the 1930s, as war in Europe looked increasingly likely, the government supported these clubs with the loan of aircraft and funding to train pilots for the Air Force. The Royal New Zealand Air Force was formally established by an Act of Parliament as an independent military service in 1937.

New Zealand’s first forays into military and civil aviation owe much to the enthusiasm, investment and innovation of these early engineers and pilots who put their energy into teaching others and building local expertise, both through the two schools and later through regional aero clubs.

In the present day, particularly before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, air travel could be described as commonplace, and we face the challenge of carbon emissions. This is the new imperative to which New Zealand engineers can again apply their spirt of innovation and collaboration.

year. The seaplane they had built proved unsuitable for training, so they imported

keep the flying school running. In 1923, the government established a small air force

Cindy Jemmett is Heritage Advisor at Te Ao Rangahau.

Best practice | Ngā mahi papai rawai

43

New Zealand Flying School Curtiss flying boat.

Image: Whites Aviation Limited. 1916. New Zealand Flying School, 15-2627. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).

1916

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EG 18/2022

Engineering from the ground up

O PINIO N K AU PA PA WHAKAARO

PAUL CAMPBELL FEngNZ CPEng

Hollowcore floors, once a popular flooring system, are no longer recommended for buildings. How did this happen?

Hollowcore performance in the

Structural engineering is a learning profession, based in science that enables the art in architecture. When designing for seismic events, our experience of significant earthquakes is thankfully low. Instead, we rely on science and use approximations and experimentation.

This process is not immune to human oversight, commercial pressure or our desire to believe we have the answer.

The hollowcore story starts in the 1960s when units were cast with void formers and had shear reinforcement.

In the mid-1970s, the first hollowcore extrusion machine was introduced, greatly increasing production productivity, but shear reinforcement was not practical.

Manufacturers provided load-span tables, and engineers and architects welcomed the freedom of economical long spans that hollowcore provided. Hollowcore was a popular choice through the 1980s’ construction boom.

Observations after California’s 1994 Northridge earthquake led to research at the University of Canterbury during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Vulnerabilities of hollowcore in earthquakes were identified, new detailing was proposed and codes were amended. Despite this, we still wanted to believe in the performance of hollowcore. In 2010, just before the Christchurch earthquakes, the “purple book” (Fenwick, R C, et al. Assessment

Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes validated the purple book and highlighted other vulnerabilities. Hollowcore use dropped, but it was still being produced and used. In 2021, the Structural Engineering Society of NZ and the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering, supported by Engineering New Zealand, issued industry advice, including not recommending the use of hollowcore for new buildings. This advice also summarised what to do with existing hollowcore buildings.

Why did we want to believe in hollowcore flooring so much? Was it engineering optimism, ego, not wanting to be wrong or defending previous designs? Probably all of these. We need to deal with the legacy of hollowcore buildings. Its impact on building ratings is an issue.

Earthquakes are probabilistic, meaning while we don’t know when they will happen, we do know they will happen. Too many buildings have made the news with an assessment result one day and the building evacuated the next. While acting responsibly is very important, it’s also important that building owners/tenants don’t panic and evacuate out of fear.

The only thing that has changed is our knowledge of the risk – not the risk itself.

Fully understanding the risk, including how likely it is the building could fail and what mitigation measures exist, is important in any decisions around occupancy.

Assessment procedures contain some

of Hollow-Core Floors for Seismic Performance) was published.

precautionary factors –they reflect our concerns about the unreliable and brittle

nature of how hollowcore floor systems fail in significant earthquakes, and the consequences of even one precast unit failing.

It’s now clear the approximations used to validate hollowcore and support its use in Aotearoa were wanting. Testing whole buildings on shake tables in laboratories is often not an option.

Instead, we test components scaled down in size. Engineering judgement is required to know when to stop testing and incorporate findings into codes and buildings. Our research facilities do a fantastic job, but unlike a pure science experiment, repetition is often too difficult, too expensive or not possible.

Vigilance in engineering rigour is important. We must question our motivations and our research findings to ensure we get the outcomes our country deserves. Sometimes we will get it wrong, as ours is a learning profession.

Leadership means we must face these issues head on. Admittedly, there are some buildings with less-than-ideal resilience and robustness, and some people will always be alarmed by this. But we need to make risk-based decisions.

As a profession, we must act with honesty and integrity. This will mean doing what is right, not necessarily what is popular. We must learn the lessons, never get complacent and practise our craft to the very best of our abilities. Find out more at sesoc.org.nz Paul Campbell FEngNZ CPEng is National Technical Leader – Building Structures for WSP NZ.

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Crossing paths with engineers.

Vic Crone is a Chief Executive Officer and director passionate about making meaningful change to New Zealand Inc, but primarily focused on being a results-driven leader. Her 20-year career has spanned strategy, partnerships, product, marketing, channels, business development, customer services, communications and brand. Prior to being CEO at Callaghan Innovation, she was the Managing Director at Xero and held senior management roles at Chorus and Telecom. Recently, she’s held director positions at Contact Energy and Figure NZ and serves on a range of private, social and not-for-profit boards.

Kiwi engineering businesses helping to create new products, approaches and technologies that solve greater societal challenges. More directly, a large part of my role as CEO is informing the policy settings that impact engineers across the science, innovation and technology sectors. Our vision is to help create the best possible environment for New Zealand’s engineers to thrive.

Vic Crone Role: CEO, Callaghan Innovation Based in: Auckland Qualifications: Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, Victoria University of Wellington, 1994; Master of Commerce and Administration (Marketing and Management), Victoria University of Wellington, 1995

How do engineering decisions impact on your work?

I’m constantly learning from engineers who create both practical, hands-on engineering fixes and system-level solutions that can improve how we work and make this country a better place. I’m inspired by engineering businesses that are making real-world solutions to challenges like the housing crisis and climate change, such as Wood Engineering Technology, a Kiwi cleantech engineering firm that converts low-value logs – destined for woodchips – into high-quality timber.

and creating a new approach.

Of course, diversity is an ongoing challenge for the engineering sector, so I hope to play a role in ensuring the future of engineering is one that is inclusive.

How does your work impact on engineers?

We support the development of new engineering technologies by providing grants, testing facilities, networks,

What are three observations you’d make after working with engineers?

Globally, our engineers stand out as being versatile and having a cando attitude. There are a few obvious observations people usually make after working with engineers – be that admiration for their attention to detail, or impressive analytical skills – but the thing that I find strikes me most is the depth of curiosity engineers

What do you wish all engineers understood better about your role?

I am committed to creating the best possible environment for innovation in New Zealand. Engineers can always come to Callaghan Innovation for advice, connections, expertise or even just to provide feedback. As CEO, this means listening to how innovators and entrepreneurs both in the public and

education and expertise to innovative

have for delving into a challenge

How do you work with engineers in your role?

I’m proud to work with some of New Zealand’s leading engineering experts in Callaghan Innovation’s advanced manufacturing solutions team, who specialise in engineering services to solve complex design and manufacturing problems for the new frontier of advanced manufacturers in Aotearoa. I also work with businesses in the broader innovation and technology sector, where many of New Zealand’s engineers use Callaghan Innovation’s services, such as grants and research and development funding, to grow their businesses and develop new ideas.

What do engineers all seem to do so well?

Engineers understand the micro and the macro, they have to understand how each individual component impacts the big picture. This aligns well with how we work at Callaghan Innovation – ensuring that ideas and research are translated into real-world technologies and products that can shape the future of Aotearoa.

private sectors can be best supported – including engineers.

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EG 18/2022

Getting onboard with transport equity

O PINIO N K AU PA PA WHAKAARO

DR SUBEH CHOWDHURY MEngNZ

How are women – particularly those from ethnic minorities – disadvantaged when it comes to using public transport, and what needs to be done to make things more inclusive?

In the 19th century, women could only enter public places with a companion, in part due to concerns about safety.

Remnants of this attitude exist today.

The vulnerability of being a woman mandates the way they use transport modes. They are often limited in their mobility due to the constant worry of making the “wrong” travel choice.

This can constrain their access to basic facilities such as healthcare, education and employment.

The majority of research studies on women’s travel habits have treated women as a homogeneous group. One intersectionality that has received less attention is that between ethnicity and gender relating to public transport use.

In other words, there is little scientific evidence of the lived experiences and struggles women from ethnic minority backgrounds encounter when riding public transport.

Women from ethnic minority backgrounds face greater challenges, on a daily basis, compared to women of

Caucasian ethnicity. In 2020, I conducted a study with my final year students on perceived safety of riding on public transport in Auckland. The study included interviews of 29 young women with an ethnic minority background. The key findings are: — Young women from ethnic minority backgrounds are constantly on very high alert. They continue to employ precautionary measures which were employed in their home country, where transport environments are more adverse.

— From a young age, women from ethnic minority backgrounds are strongly influenced by travel safety perceptions discussed by family members, which reinforces a lasting sense of vulnerability in public transport environments.

— While precautionary measures employed are unique to the situation, the main mechanisms include remaining on high alert, contacting family or friends to reveal location or prearranging pick-ups from the stop/ station at night.

— In fear, young women adapt by avoiding certain stations and routes for nighttime trips. They act confident and try to appear unapproachable and

uninterested in engaging.

In public transport design, the intent by service providers has always been to design for all. However, women’s needs are often secondary objectives and rarely included in policy strategies and design. They are often considered after implementation. For example, a common retrofitting procedure is to improve lighting at bus stops and train stations. Studies (for example Loukaitou-Sideris 2016) have shown that this has an adverse effect if it draws unnecessary attention (known as “spotlighting”). Practitioners rely on the principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) in their design to improve safety through design. The weakness of this process is that the application of CPTED cannot be the only means for how women’s transport needs are addressed.

Principles of transport equity and social justice are required in addition, such that women’s travel needs should be incorporated from policy right through to design and implementation, as shown in Figure 1. The public transport sector will continue to struggle to provide an inclusive system if they do not consider incorporating principles of equity in the early stages of planning.

Best practice | Ngā mahi papai rawai

47

Figure 1: Including gender in policy-making to implementation

Policy

Business

Design

Implementation

Case studies CPTED principles Transport equity and social justice principles

Change only comes when we are able to acknowledge a weakness in the system. As a researcher, I feel a sense of urgency to address the weakness in our transport system. This feeling grew when my daughter, Ayrah, was born. What are the opportunities and burdens we are placing on the next generation? As transport researchers and practitioners, it is our responsibility to lighten the load.

To create change, we must acknowledge the weakness – a lack in policy procedures which currently excludes women’s needs

for safe mobility when using public transport. Furthermore, I encourage the transport sector to also carry out studies which examine intersectionality of women from different socio-economic backgrounds. With more disaggregate data, we can move forward to creating a more inclusive transport system.

Dr Subeh Chowdhury MEngNZ is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Prior to this she worked in the transport sector for WSP and for Beca.

Subeh specialises in transport equity and travel behaviour of public transport riders. Her work on women’s safety riding public transport has been recognised internationally. She is a passionate teacher and encourages upcoming transport graduates to become equity advocates.

Meet Ryan.

Together with his clients, Ryan is driving change by solving some of the most pressing water challenges for communities in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

Join us.

We are recruiting across Aotearoa for Engineers, Technical Directors, Planners, Project Managers and Environmental Scientists.

GHD.com/change-maker

54 Bedside table 55 Review 57 Leading questions 58 Obituaries 60 Engineering genius

Shorts

52 Inside job

Ngā tūhinga poto me ngā pito kōrero

50 The secret life of engineers

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50

The secret life of engineers Image: Photosport

Mea Tangi Me Ma’ara Ave Based in: Palmerston North Role: Fonterra Technical Graduate, Fonterra Research and Development Centre Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Chemical and Bioprocess), Massey University, 2020

Shorts | Ngā tūhinga poto me ngā pito kōrero

Ma’ara Ave moved to Palmerston North from Marlborough in 2017 to chase two separate careers – engineering and cricket. Since then, he’s made his professional cricket debut in both List-A (2018) and first-class (2021) cricket for

Central Districts age group teams gave me valuable tools to propel my career.

the Central Stags, and completed his engineering degree in chemical and bioprocessing engineering with first-class honours. In 2021 he began a technical graduate role with Fonterra while studying towards a Master’s in Dairy Science and Technology. He now works full time in a research role for Fonterra, helping the dairy cooperative develop processing and product solutions. Outside of work, his big focus is cricket.

train together under the guidance and coaching of former New Zealand international cricketer Jacob Oram.

It’s structured to work around study commitments and aims to give up-andcoming cricketers an opportunity to develop their game.

What first sparked your interest in cricket?

As a kid growing up, I enjoyed all things sport. But my love for cricket was probably kick-started when I was around 11 or 12 years old, playing cricket in the backyard with my brother. We always tried to imitate Black Caps like Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum.

What’s the extent of your current involvement?

I’m currently still involved in highperformance cricket playing for Manawatu and Central Districts. When it’s cricket season, I spend around 10 hours training (split between specific skills like batting and physical conditioning) and one to two days playing a week.

What do you credit as the springboard to your sporting success?

I’ve always had a very supportive family who have given up a lot to help me pursue my sporting goals. Alongside that, many of my coaches from Marlborough and

You were a member of Massey’s Academy of Sport – what did this involve?

A group of Massey students who

What’s your dream with cricket?

The dream would be to become a fulltime professional cricketer and play for the Black Caps.

Does being an engineer bring any advantages to the way you approach cricket?

Yes – as an engineer I am analytically minded. This helps me break down game situations and come up with approaches to play and succeed against different opposition. One of the reasons I studied engineering was because I enjoy problem solving and this is something that is also a big part of cricket. Being able to diagnose a situation and come up with the best solution is the type of challenge I enjoy.

In terms of cricket players, who is your inspiration?

I’ve always looked up to players like Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor who have great records for New Zealand and very sound techniques. Internationally, I enjoyed watching Kumar Sangakkara as he makes it look so effortless as a wicket-keeper batsman.

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What impact has Covid-19 had on your cricket?

Covid-19 had a big impact on pre-season training and meant I didn’t pick up a bat and hit balls for majority of the winter in 2021. I had to keep myself on track with plenty of at-home workouts.

What’s your goal with engineering?

Through my studies at Massey and my time with Fonterra I have developed a big interest in the food industry. I would love to continue to develop my knowledge in this area and develop processing and product solutions to address some emerging global nutrition needs.

How does your Cook Islands heritage affect the way you live your life, and the decisions you make?

I’m very proud of my Mangaian heritage.

I guess it makes me appreciate all the opportunities I have been allowed and drives me to make the most of them.

How do you manage to juggle so much at this point in your life – what’s your advice for others?

It’s not always easy, but my advice is to firstly set goals. Once you have some clear goals it’s important to communicate them to those around you and be transparent above all. Most people will help make things work for you if they know your “why”.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people.

I have the same name as my dad and grandad!

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52 Image: Danielle Colvin

Dr Ashkan Hashemi CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) Based in: Auckland Role: Lecturer in Structural and Earthquake Engineering, the University of Auckland; Structural Engineer Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), Azad University, South Tehran Branch, 2006; Master of Engineering (Structural), University of Tehran, 2009; PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Auckland, 2017

Shorts | Ngā tūhinga poto me ngā pito kōrero

53

Inside job I describe my role to non-engineers as…

Someone who tries saving lives, protecting assets, and minimising impact and damage from the next big earthquake.

The part of my job that always surprises people is…

How much a tiny bit of thinking outside of the box can help protect our communities against earthquakes.

The best emoji to sum up me on a typical workday is…

The best thing I’ve introduced in my role is…

Developing design tools and methods to help engineers use and adopt resilient seismic solutions that are developed as research. This is called bridging research to practice and is one thing that the academic world lacks. There are always plenty of brilliant ideas developed by researchers but only a few are actually being implemented. My specialty is to make innovative ideas work in real life and I won the prestigious Earthquake Commission (EQC) and the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Incorporated (NZSEE) Ivan Skinner Award in 2021 in recognition of my research to practice efforts.

In my role, I always challenge…

Myself, my colleagues and my students about the common practice in structural engineering. We as engineers should not be afraid of thinking outside of the box just because others do not.

At work, I’ve never been afraid to…

Challenge, argue and confront when I know something is not right. I always try to

be myself even if I am not fitting into the working environment.

In the past year, I’ve pushed boundaries by…

Demonstrating that innovative resilient seismic solutions actually work well and are easy to implement.

I admire engineers who…

Are not afraid to speak up when something is wrong.

At school, teachers always described me as…

Tall, shy guy at the back of the class!

My luckiest break was…

Getting established as a respected engineer.

The bravest thing I’ve done to get where I am today…

To migrate to another country to study for my PhD after a decade of working as a structural engineer.

Best career advice I’ve received…

Be more vocal and always speak up about your ideas. Push boundaries and do not be afraid of mind blocks.

I’d advise other people interested in my type of role to…

Never let anyone define who you are.

Never be afraid of not fitting into an environment. Never be afraid or disappointed if you are isolated by your peers. Always reach out to people who you think they can help you.

Trust in yourself and pick the right career mentor.

3

things I love about my job: — Learning new things all the time.

Earthquake engineering is a vast field – it’s nearly impossible to run out of things to learn.

— Making it happen. It is nice to see how innovative ideas come to life.

— Teamwork. It Is always nice to be able to work alongside a committed team.

2

reasons why I chose to study engineering: — My passion for creation. I always intended to make a meaningful contribution to the world.

— To take care of my loved ones and the community.

1

thing I wouldn’t change about my workday: — Having the opportunity to challenge myself and push the boundaries of engineering and science.

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B

edside table

With more than 20 years’ experience as a consulting civil engineer, New Engineering New Zealand Fellow Sina Cotter-Tait has woven together a three-strand, non-linear career in engineering, governance and education.

Her consultancy, Collective Success, provides independent engineering expertise and advice. Alongside this, she serves in several governance roles focused on community and infrastructure.

Sina says: “I still write ‘engineer’ as my occupation on official forms – I’m enormously proud to be one. The focus of my career has been to make my children and grandchildren proud of their mama.”

What’s on your bedside table?

Lamp, book, glass of water. My phone is always there too for my e-books and alarm.

Let’s focus on those books, why did you choose them?

These are my most recently-read books.

I’ve just finished reading Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman, which pulls apart some famous studies and accepted wisdom to present a different view of human nature.

How does it help you in your role?

I like to think of myself as a fact-based critical thinker, but this book gave me a bit of a smack. That’s helpful because as an engineer, a business owner and a director I need to be a critical thinker and question assumptions. If I'm getting a bit comfy, it’s probably a sign I need to challenge myself.

My reading choices tend to be quite broad

Sina Cotter-Tait FEngNZ CMEngNZ CPEng Role: Director, Collective Success Based in: Ōtautahi Christchurch Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), University of Canterbury, 2001; MBA (Distinction), University of Canterbury, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Canterbury, 2021

helpful for engineers. The most successful professional engineering and governance leaders I respect are all interested in the wider world beyond their own organisation and industry.

Which group of engineering professionals is this book most helpful for?

It’s important for us to know not just what we’re designing and building, but why

What is the top publication you’d recommend to other engineers?

I could never pick a single book or publication – instead I’d say read heaps and widely. I recently read Under A White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert (awesome book) – she explores how solving one problem with engineering and technology can lead to further problems, while also acknowledging how valuable and important engineering solutions are.

This complexity is the challenge facing engineers today at the frontline of the fight against the existential threat of climate

we’re doing it, and how and for whom. I think economics and sociology are really

change. Mission Economy: A Moonshoot Guide to Changing Capitalism by Mariana

as I like to think about how my work fits into the bigger picture – the wider world and its history.

Shorts | Ngā tūhinga poto me ngā pito kōrero

Mazzucato is a phenomenal book calling for us to be more strategic and united in focusing our technical, political, financial and social efforts at a single main goal: climate change.

What book has most influenced the way you work?

The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky is a really choice book that helped me become a better engineer through self-development and wellbeing.

And David Halliday’s Fundamentals of Physics by David Halliday is a damn treasure: critical to my engineering degree, and 20 years later it was a great

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resource to get my sons through L3 NCEA physics. Sound investment.

What work-related books are on your must-read list?

For engineers and everyone: A Land of Milk and Honey? Edited by Avril Bell, Vivienne Elizabeth and Tracey McIntosh. Along with Michael King’s The Penguin History of New Zealand, this is essential reading for Kiwis, particularly tauiwi and Pākeha. To understand our future and our work today, we need to acknowledge Aotearoa’s past.

The Road to Character by David Brooks; Bowling Alone; The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam; Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari.

Another book I’ve been given is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman – apparently it’s awesome for engineers. It’s currently on loan to another engineer friend but I’m looking forward to reading it when he’s done.

And as a director: The Fish Rots from the Head by Bob Garratt; Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism by Jeff Gramm.

Take me with you!

A Self-Drive Guide to Whanganui’s Engineering Heritage

By Karen Wrigglesworth karenwrigglesworthwriter.com

Speed read

Scooping a Highly Commended at the Engineering New Zealand Heritage Awards 2021, Take Me With You! wants the reader to feel like they have a “real engineer” on hand as they visit 40 engineering and industrial heritage sites in and around Whanganui.

Author Karen Wrigglesworth, a Whanganui-based writer with a degree in mechanical engineering, hopes the book will excite ordinary people about the sites. The target audience is the general public as opposed to technical specialists – anyone with an interest in understanding the “how it works” aspect of sites important to local and national heritage.

A key criteria for a site’s inclusion in the book is that it still offers visitors a tangible experience of the engineering feature being celebrated – for example a tower, a waterwheel, a tunnel or a building. There are also a small number of profiles, such as the Whangaehu Casein Factory, included for their national importance. Each profile includes a people element where possible, aimed at helping bring the stories to life.

This book is the first in a planned series of self-drive/cycle/ walk guidebooks, with the next one focusing on Otago.

Ebook/paper copy Borrow/own I love books Bookmark/turn down page open book face

For more on some great engineering heritage gems, check out the impressive speakers at Engineering Heritage

down (I’m a savage, don’t lend me your paper copies).

Week in March – find out more at engineeringnz.org/ programmes/heritage

What do you read for fun?

The comments section of our local residents’ association Facebook page.

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Shorts | Ngā tūhinga poto me ngā pito kōrero

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eading questions

New Engineering New Zealand Fellow Matt Harris began work at age 16 as a technician in the United Kingdom. He then studied to become an engineer and, after graduating, spent two years as a structural and civil engineer in the Southeast of England before travelling to New Zealand.

In the 25 years since then he’s worked on projects in the Channel Islands, Australia, Singapore and the Maldives plus others throughout Asia and the Middle East, delivering structural, civil and infrastructure projects across a variety of team disciplines and developments.

What attributes make you a good leader?

It’s important to communicate a direction and empower a team to unite in its delivery, while maintaining the strength to challenge ideas and encourage change for continuous improvement.

a career and the many opportunities being an engineering professional could lead to.

Who opened a key door for you?

My first boss, who took a chance on me at 16 and showed me how diverse and rewarding a career in engineering can be.

Matt Harris FEngNZ CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) Role: South Island Business Unit Manager, Babbage Consultants Ltd Based in: Ōtautahi Christchurch Qualifications: Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), University of Plymouth, United Kingdom, 1996

How do you connect your work with a sense of greater good?

By making a difference – whether it’s delivering a successful project, helping a young engineer develop their career or seeing a wider discussion develop across engineering by supporting and being involved with Engineering New Zealand.

How do you start a difficult conversation with someone you lead?

By being across the issue and asking questions beyond the surface answers – be clear about what you’re discussing and why. Always be calm, deliberate and finish the discussion with some identified outcomes or deliverables.

What changes have you made to your leadership style since the onset of Covid-19 in New Zealand?

Change is always a work in progress – hopefully I’m seen to inspire a flexible work culture that has lots of conversations and listens wherever possible. Listening is so important during these difficult times.

What inspired you to become an engineer?

At high school I was interested in how things worked and wanted to do something technical. I was very fortunate to begin work in a small engineering

Who is a leader in New Zealand you admire and why?

Regardless of your political affiliation, I think it’s hard to go past what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has faced in the past four years of government and how she is held in such high international regard. Her response to the Christchurch mosque shootings was extraordinary

What questions have you been asking yourself lately?

The next 20 years is going to bring immense challenges in addressing climate change. How can I prepare and continue to add value across those challenges? What skills do I, and my team, need to develop to provide maximum value and leave a lasting positive legacy?

practice when I was straight out of school, opening my eyes to engineering as

and will always be a lesson in leadership to be remembered.

At the end of each day, what tells you that you’ve been successful?

We face new challenges and changes every day but if, at the end of the day, I've seen our team strategy move forward in some aspect large or small, then I feel I've made headway.

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Obituaries

Robert Ian McGowan (Ian) FEngNZ

Prof Michael John Pender DistFEngNZ

1945-2021

1943-2021

Ian McGowan FEngNZ was born in Canada but came to New Zealand to complete his schooling and to study for a Bachelor of Engineering, graduating in 1969.

While working for the Ministry of Works and Development, he was seconded to Western Samoa as a roading traffic engineer. From there, he worked in Huntly on the power station construction, particularly the chimneys. In 1979, he returned to Auckland as construction engineer with the Ministry. In 1984, he was appointed as Resident Engineer the Ministry in Whanganui and later travelled around the country helping implement changes as the Ministry became a state owned enterprise.

In 1990, he became Director of Works with the Whanganui District Council, then deputy CEO. During his career he was very involved with the Association of Local Government Engineers New Zealand and was a Life Member of the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia. After retiring in 2005 he continued working part time in various roles with the Council and other related organisations, along with community work.

A long-term Rotarian, Ian was also a rugby referee for many years and a keen golfer, recently achieving two “holes in one”.

Professor Michael Pender DistFEngNZ had an illustrious and long career at the Ministry of Works and Development and then the University of Auckland. He was committed to teaching and motivating young engineers for more than 40 years at the University of Auckland.

After completing his PhD at the University of Canterbury, Michael spent 18 months as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cambridge University in England. He worked for the Ministry of Works and Development’s central laboratories in Lower Hutt then joined the University of Auckland in 1977. He became a Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in 1985. He’s noted for his lifelong specialisation in geotechnical engineering, particularly in an earthquake engineering context and he authored many internationally authoritative and highly regarded papers on the topic. He was internationally renowned and respected for his contributions and approach both technically and for his personal qualities.

He made a strong contribution to the development of geotechnical engineering skills in New Zealand, skills that have been at the forefront of the engineering response to the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes.

He was an Honorary Member of the Japanese Geotechnical Society, a Life Member and past President of the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering, a Life Member of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society and of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a member of The Structural Engineering Society of New Zealand. Professor Pender was the recipient of an array of awards, including Engineering New Zealand’s Fulton Downer Gold Medal, once individually and once with others involved in response to the Canterbury earthquakes.

Obituaries | Ngā rārangi ingoa mate

Rambod Amigh CMEngNZ CPEngNZ IntPE(NZ) 1969-2021 Rambod Amigh CMEngNZ CPEngNZ IntPE(NZ) was born in Iran and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Azad University, Tehran. After working professionally in Iran, he moved to New Zealand in 1997, working first for Engineering Design Consultants, before joining Engineering Geology Ltd (EGL) in 2002 as a geotechnical engineer. There, his passion for dams was ignited, and he worked towards a Master in Engineering Studies, gained in 2008 from the University of Auckland. He then moved to Brisbane, working first for Aurecon, then Worley as a principal geotechnical engineer. Projects included water storage and tailings dams in Australia and Mongolia. In 2013 he returned to EGL in 2013 and became a director in 2014. His work covered a wide variety of projects, but his main interests were design, construction monitoring and safety reviews of water and tailings storage dams.

A member of the New Zealand Society on Large Dams, Rambod regularly attended conferences, symposia and workshops, including as a presenter, enthusiastic about sharing his experience and knowledge. His interests included work on his lifestyle block, beekeeping and boating, and helping those less well off through work for his church.

Captain John Westphall OBE 1938-2021 John Westphall was a member of Te Ao Rangahau for 36 years. He grew up in Tekapo and at 15, joined the Royal New Zealand Navy as an Engine Room Artificer Apprentice.

He was sent to train with the Royal Navy at HMS Caledonia in Rosyth, Scotland, and in time was promoted to Chief of the School, with 1,000 apprentices. He later returned to the United Kingdom for officer training at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

In 1959, he served on HMS Tenby patrolling in Iceland during a dispute between Britain and Iceland over fishing rights. John went on to serve aboard HMNZS Royalist during the Malayan Emergency. He was the Marine Engineering Officer (MEO) for HMNZS Lachlan that carried out hydrographic surveying around the coast of New Zealand, from Three Kings down to Stewart Island.

John was the engineer in charge of sailing cargopassenger ship GMV Moana Roa to Greenock in Scotland and oversaw the project to upgrade and convert her to the survey ship Monowai. He served on many Navy ships over the years and twice served on the frigate HMNZS Otago as the MEO. He went on to become the Fleet Engineer responsible for all the ships in the Navy. Later as the Chief of Naval Technical Services, he led the New Zealand technical team in the development of the ANZAC frigate ship project. He retired from the Navy in 1992.

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Engineering genius

Air, there and everywhere

Could this be a breath of fresh air for the transport sector? French based Motor Development International’s (MDI) AirPod 2.0 has a reversible compressed air engine, powered by a renewable energy source or it can be plugged in, compressing air into tanks. When released, the compressed air powers the same engine to drive a vehicle or generate electricity. The lightweight, twoseater vehicles can be customised for different tanks, engine sizes or engine revs. The car has a range of 120km on compressed air alone, or up to 360km as a hybrid model, with a top speed of 80kph. Manufacturing can be decentralised from MDI’s base in France, and Christchurchbased Air Future Ltd is working towards financing demonstration models in New Zealand, with an eye to manufacturing and developing the vehicles in Aotearoa and Australasia.

The AirPod 2.0 can be customised to meet transport and energy storage needs, with standard, pickup and cargo models.

The reversible air engine compresses air into tanks of different capacities at a pressure of 248 bars, with expansion then achieving efficiencies of up to 68 percent between the tank and the engine output.

Vehicle can be recharged at home from an electric plug (depending on local grid) for seven hours, or 3.5 hours at terminals for electric charging, or at the air station in two minutes.

Chassis and bodywork are designed to integrate many functions, meaning fewer materials are used, saving weight and space.

Weighing 300kg, composite materials – fibreglass, vegetable resin, foam polyurethane – create

Compressed air tanks mean no chemical batteries, and stored energy remains available without deterioration,

a light but rigid framework, resistant to stress and sound.

with each tank having an estimated lifespan of 20,000 cycles.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS A REALITY. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION. Te Ao Rangahau challenges engineers to be bold and creative in mitigating, transitioning and adapting to climate change, for a re-imagined and resilient future.

For resources to help you lead the way engineeringclimateaction.nz

Big engineering futures STEM from curious beginnings

Help set kids’ STEM curiosity in motion.

In New Zealand, there’s a huge skills shortfall in STEM. The Wonder Project aims to change this with free hands-on school challenges that take young Kiwis on a creative, dynamic, and awe-inspiring STEM journey.

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