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8 Fanning the wind power sector What bigger part could wind play in meeting New Zealand’s increasing electricity needs and how are engineers helping make this happen?
14 “Our responsibilities are expanding” With engineers playing an increasing role in climate change adaptation, one climate change engineering lecturer says indigenous world views are as valid as science or engineering solutions.
22 Homing in on housing Some innovative, engineeringled developments might help both pick up the pace of building new houses and address the housing crisis.
28 Catching rocks in a hard place An innovative rockfall canopy near the top of the South Island protects road users from a rockfall-prone corner of SH1.
Engineering New Zealand
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Advertising statements and editorial opinions expressed in EG do not reflect the views of Engineering New Zealand/ Te Ao Rangahau, its members, staff, or affiliated organisations unless expressly stated.
This issue of EG was published in December 2022.
8 Fanning the wind power sector What bigger part could wind play in meeting our increasing electricity needs and how are engineers helping make this happen?
14 “Our responsibilities are expanding” With engineers playing an increasing role in climate change adaptation, one climate change engineering lecturer says indigenous world views are as valid as science or engineering solutions. 16 Driving down transport emissions Tracking Aotearoa’s journey.
22 Homing in on housing Some innovative, engineering-led developments might help both pick up the pace of building new houses and address the housing crisis.
28 Catching rocks in a hard place An innovative rockfall canopy near the top of the South Island protects road users from a rockfall-prone corner of SH1.
32 Increasing inclusivity Waldo Posthumus is a passionate advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community in engineering.
38 New year new job? Read this first. CV and cover letter dos and don’ts for 2023.
40 Following Aotearoa’s wind path A short history of wind power in New Zealand.
42 It starts with the shaking With the recent release of the updated National Seismic Hazard Model, the spotlight is back on earthquakes and approaches to the building design and assessment process.
44 Sector changes hold water
Our world-renowned dams industry and community are in an exciting growth phase.
46 Intersection Crossing paths with engineers
47 How to recognise, define and solve complex problems
Ships are a common sight in Singapore, home to the busiest port in the world, but normally you look towards the water to spot them. However, looking up you’ll see the Marina Bay Sands dominating the skyline. Its rooftop structure resembles a ship sitting atop three 55-storey tower blocks with their design based on decks of cards. Extensive 3D modelling helped overcome a number of structural and technically complex challenges. With foundations for the towers constructed in deep marine clay, 500 hydraulic jacks are beneath the rooftop structure to allow for each tower subsiding at different rates. Wind and people movement were factored into the development, and the rooftop structure, which boasts restaurants, infinity pools and landscaped gardens, rests on 17 spherical bearings. A tuned mass damper system takes care of the vertically acting vibrations of the 67m cantilever.
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“It’s not often you build a plane.”
Former Otago Polytechnic engineering student Adam Greer after the successful maiden flight of a kit set plane, built by dozens of students over three years.
“There’s always been a shortage as long as I’ve been practising. We sort-of do get into short supply in these events.”
Dr Sally Hargraves CMEngNZ (PEngGeol) on the shortage of geotechnical engineers available to assess damaged homes after the recent Nelson floods.
“We hope that this can help volcanologists as they grapple with the tricky job of determining the odds of an eruption.”
University of Canterbury Civil and Natural Resources Engineering Senior Lecturer Dr David Dempsey on a new automated system that could provide a warning when an eruption on Whakaari/White Island becomes more likely.
“You don’t go to a restaurant, have a meal and go ‘okay, I’ll pay you next week’. I’m not quite sure why, especially for trades, it’s ‘okay, I’ll pay you next month’.”
Self-employed engineer of 20 years, Matt Peacock CMEngNZ IntPE(NZ) co-founds app iPromise to prevent late payment issues for businesses.
Summer is a great opportunity to enjoy some time off – something that’s especially needed after a challenging third year of Covid-19, and while global economic and political pressures continue to bubble away. The world is different now, with working from home widely accepted and a shortage of engineers stretching everyone a bit thin. However, as a glass-half-full person, I see tremendous opportunities to work differently and smarter, but only if we reflect and learn. As you finish the year, take time to reflect on, and appreciate, what you’ve achieved and learnt in 2022, and what you’ll do differently in 2023.
Reflecting on behalf of Te Ao Rangahau’s Board and staff, we’ve launched our 2022–2030 strategy with its ambitions for engineers to be Professional, Connected, Leading and Thriving. The strategy responded to what you, as members, identified as important, and covers expected changes from occupational regulation in the medium term, plus what engineers need to be in the future. Some strategy-related 2022 highlights include the Member Connect events; and improved processes reducing
the backlog around CPEng and the influence and advancement of occupational regulation, which is approved by the Cabinet of Government for legislation. Also, branch and technical events, including the inaugural joint electrical and mechanical engineering groups’ conference, well-attended webinars on important topics such as climate change and our Sector Programmes work, contributing engineering expertise to Government-level work, such as Christchurch earthquake dispute resolutions and seismic guidelines.
I’d like to thank Te Ao Rangahau staff for their work in 2022 and their support of the recent reorganisation that will more strongly deliver member services and on our regulatory responsibilities.
I hope you, our members and friends, enjoy the December edition of EG – a bumper issue of good, varied feature articles, technical content and people stories that makes an ideal summer read. Have a happy and restful summer break –connect with family and friends, do what you enjoy to unwind, recharge the batteries and take time to reflect.
Dr Tim Fisher FEngNZ President, Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau
What bigger part could wind play in meeting New Zealand’s increasing electricity needs and how are engineers helping make this happen?
As an island nation lying in the path of the Roaring Forties, Aotearoa harnesses the power of its strong prevailing winds to generate clean, renewable energy. Yet wind energy accounts for only about six percent of the country’s yearly electricity supply.
“We need to double our electricity production over the next 30 years, and wind can make a large contribution to that,” says Dr Ian Mason, a renewable energy systems engineer and adjunct senior research fellow at the University of Canterbury’s Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering.
In 2021, electricity generated from wind increased by 15 percent — the highest on record — which was enough to power around 360,000 homes. This boost in generation capacity can be attributed to two new wind farms, one of which is the northern section of Mercury’s Turitea wind farm on the ridges above Palmerston North.
“At Mercury, we recognise the important role of renewable energy in the transition to a sustainable, low-emissions energy system, and the Turitea wind farm is a step in the right direction,” says its project manager, Glen Twining MEngNZ.
The wind farm’s north section, with 33 turbines, was completed in 2021, while the remaining 27 turbines in the south section are due for completion in 2023. Once all 60 turbines are up and running, the Turitea wind farm will be capable of producing approximately 840 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity a year — enough to power 375,000 electric vehicles or 120,000 households.
Aotearoa’s first onshore wind farm was commissioned in 1996 and advances have continued. But Glen notes engineers still have much to contribute in terms of planning, project management, construction management and engineering solutions. He says opportunities abound for civil, electrical, mechanical, structural and IT engineers. Glen supports the further development of onshore wind, but sees the potential of offshore wind as part of our longer term future energy mix, helping to “play a major role in the transition away from fossil fuels”.
Offshore wind farms are located in, or over, bodies of water, so both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind turbines “open up more possibilities of alternative locations, helping increase the spatial diversity of renewable energy generation”, says Ian. Unlike onshore wind farms, they’re not limited by the land surface topography.
“Land is one of the key battlegrounds for renewable energy because we don’t want to take up productive land with wind turbines that could be housed elsewhere,” says Angela Ogier, EY Oceania hydrogen and energy transition director.
“We need that land to be able to feed ourselves or have it planted with forests to sequester carbon.”
Moreover, offshore wind has a capacity factor of up to 50 percent — comparable to gas power plants (up to 60 percent), higher than onshore wind (up to 40 percent) and more than double that of solar (up to 20 percent).
Yet offshore wind is still a nascent field in New Zealand. It’s also a more costly endeavour than onshore wind, so a sizeable project is required for it to be economic. The biggest need, however, “is to have a much clearer and simpler regulatory regime to progress the construction of offshore wind farms”, says Ian. The Government has heeded this call and is starting work on a regulatory framework for offshore renewable energy, which is expected to be in place by 2024.
Despite the challenges and uncertainties, offshore wind holds the promise of “scaling up our renewable electricity production to a very large extent”, Ian says.
“There’s a lot of optimism amongst developers, and there’s a lot of cooperation as well.”
This cooperation is not only local but international, as demonstrated by NZ Super Fund teaming up with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to develop offshore wind energy in the South Taranaki Bight. The project is currently under feasibility evaluation, with a planned generation of 1–2 GW.
Another collaborative effort is the joint venture between New Zealand energy consulting firm Elemental Group, Spanish offshore wind developer BlueFloat Energy and Australian energy transition integrator Energy Estate. The three-party consortium is targeting 5 GW of electricity
Land is one of the key battlegrounds for renewable energy because we don’t want to take up productive land with wind turbines that could be housed elsewhere.
– Angela Ogier
1. Dr Ian Mason. Image: University of Canterbury
2. Angela Ogier. Image: EY
3. Mercury’s Turitea wind farm. Image: Mercury
generation from four offshore wind projects in Waikato, Taranaki and Southland.
“What we aim to do with our joint venture is to help New Zealand reach its renewable energy objectives by developing an offshore wind industry that also provides a pathway for exporting excess energy to other nations,” says Brett Rogers, a director at Elemental Group.
Exporting energy from offshore wind is a significant opportunity for Aotearoa.
“I see the potential for creating an export market for our offshore wind resource because of its large scale,” says Angela.
“We could create value and wealth for New Zealand in terms of exporting the power for data centres or creating synthetic hydrogen fuels and zero-carbon steel.”
Closer to home, Ian says excess wind energy could support the nation’s hydro storage facilities.
“When there’s a surplus of wind energy in the electricity system, it could be stored in a pumped hydro energy storage facility, such as the proposed Lake Onslow scheme, and then run it back down again to the turbine to generate electricity when there’s a deficit.” He adds that this solution could address New Zealand’s dry year problem, which occurs when storage lakes run dry due to lack of rain or snowmelt.
The consortium’s offshore wind projects are currently in the feasibility stage, formulating basic designs and engaging with key stakeholders.
“It is crucial to co-develop our projects to make sure they are perfectly integrated into Māori cultural heritage, but also that iwi communities can benefit from these large developments as true partners,” says Carlos Martin, CEO of BlueFloat Energy.
“Actual engagement is still being discussed but would include training, involvement in the supply chain and more. We are open to co-investment schemes.”
The consortium will also conduct an environmental impact assessment to “understand and characterise the environment we’ll be moving into”, says Brett. “We’ll work out what impacts our activities will have and then plan on mitigating or remediating those impacts.”
For a relatively new industry such as offshore wind, Carlos sees vast potential for engineering innovation — from foundations and turbines to electrical cables. The joint venture will need engineering capabilities in the areas of project development, including site assessment and wind farm layout; project design, including the design and routing of cables and the design and engineering of
1 2
1. 3D render of floating wind farm. Image: GustoMSC
2. Brett Rogers. Image: Supplied
Powerhouse Wind is revolutionising small wind power with its single-blade Thinair 102 turbine. “We can actually get more power out of a single blade than we could out of three,” says mechanical engineer and director of Powerhouse Wind, Bill Currie.
“We use electronics and high-speed control to get the best out of the machine and we’re trying to recover as much as we possibly can from the wind that goes through the area swept by the turbine.”
The company is targeting off-grid people and communities, helping them switch from diesel to a cleaner energy source.
“We would like to see them use a wind turbine instead and become fully renewable, eliminating carbon emissions and saving cost,” Bill says.
Powerhouse Wind has also developed PowerCrate, a stand-alone system that serves as a renewable power station, with a wind turbine, solar panel modules, battery storage, inverters and control equipment all in one package that can be deployed within three hours. Bill cites off-grid construction sites as benefiting from this particular power system.
“We’re making products that are easy to install and
use and reliable enough to mean you don’t need a diesel generator.”
These small-scale wind products could benefit New Zealand’s island communities, such as Aotea/ Great Barrier Island, Chatham Islands and Rakiura/ Stewart Island. On the mainland, Powerhouse Wind is finding opportunities for those on old and uneconomic power lines.
“New Zealand has lots of examples of long supply lines which go over hills and pastures and bodies of water, and they cost a lot of money to maintain,” says Bill. “We would like to provide good solutions so that people can live comfortably off-grid rather than depend on a line which can be unreliable.”
Innovation is paramount to Powerhouse Wind and engineering expertise is vital.
“We need electrical engineers for the control and communication side of the product, mechanical engineers for mechanical design and mechatronics engineers for machine design,” Bill says.
“The design process behind making something different is important to us, and our goal is to make small wind part of any off-grid power site.”
foundations, turbines and substations; construction and installation; and operations and maintenance. He believes the first offshore wind farms could be operational by 2030, following proposed smaller scale demonstration projects.
Wind energy is critical in New Zealand’s efforts to address the climate crisis. As a clean and renewable energy source, wind can play a greater role in achieving the country’s goals of net-zero emissions by 2050, and 100 percent renewable electricity generation by 2030.
“We need to displace the electricity generation we currently have from fossil fuels. Renewable sources such as wind are how we’re going to generate that electricity,” Angela says.
Yet wind farms have some negative climate and environmental effects, including the emissions from manufacturing, transporting and installing wind turbines; the issue of what to do with retired wind turbine blades; and subsea structures that affect the ocean floor and marine life.
So, how do we balance the urgent need to decarbonise our energy system with the climate and environmental impacts of wind energy projects? The key, Angela says, is to minimise these impacts through lower carbon production of steel and other components, capturing carbon from concrete processes, creating marine
– Bill Currieenvironments that support artificial reefs, and working out ways for agriculture and aquaculture to coexist with renewable energy.
“It’s about creating a holistic view of what the shortand long-term impacts will be,” she says. “It’s important to show that we’re offsetting these issues and creating environmental benefits where we can.”
For Ian, wind energy will be at the forefront of a just and sustainable transition away from fossil fuels.
“It’s important that the narrative about the New Zealand energy system of the future is centred around sustainability, climate change adaptation and resilience. Wind energy certainly has a major role to play in creating that narrative.”
We’re making products that are easy to install and use and reliable enough to mean you don’t need a diesel generator.
With engineers playing a vital, increasing role in climate change adaptation, one climate change engineering lecturer says indigenous world views are as valid as science or engineering solutions.
One of Dr Sandeeka Mannakkara’s earliest childhood memories is of her father, a civil engineer, driving her around Colombo, Sri Lanka, showing her the roads and buildings he helped construct. Since then, Sandeeka knew she would follow in his footsteps and become an engineer.
“It was fascinating to see that you could have a part in creating the environment around you and supporting your community.”
Sandeeka began her career as a structural engineer before switching to academia, wanting to focus not only on the technical side of engineering but also on the people element.
“I talked to one of my undergraduate lecturers at the University of Auckland who was doing research in postdisaster recovery and she was doing humanitarian-type work, looking at how communities recover,” she says.
“I thought that’s the kind of work I wanted to do.”
Now a lecturer in climate engineering at the University of Auckland, Sandeeka first specialised in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. In 2014, she developed a framework to implement “Build Back Better”, a concept introduced after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
“There was a notion that the rebuilding needed to go beyond replacing everything
that was lost,” she says.
“We needed to build back the communities better than they were before as a way for them to emerge from the disaster in a positive way.”
Her framework has been used by governments and organisations across the globe to plan for disaster management and assess recovery efforts.
Sandeeka’s new focus is on climate change adaptation, an area where engineers play a vital role.
“Our responsibilities are expanding. Not only do we need to think about climate change mitigation and minimise our emissions when planning and constructing cities, buildings and transport, but we also need to change our design practices to deal with climate change adaptation.”
Changes to design practices must factor in people and the environment.
“We need to make sure that when we respond, our adaptation designs to climate change don’t negatively affect the environment. As engineers, we have a responsibility in trying to restore and help biodiversity and come up with solutions that support nature and ecosystems. We also need to consider the impact on communities and people’s lives, especially their cultural values.”
Through her research, Sandeeka found adapting to a changing climate requires context-specific solutions that incorporate local and indigenous knowledge.
“As engineers, we’ve been trained in a Western world view, but we can get a lot more information to provide better
solutions by consulting locals and integrating indigenous worldviews.”
She says: “While I teach the accepted Western knowledge, I also include indigenous world view-based examples to show that they are just as valid as science or engineering solutions. We need to expose our graduates to acknowledging that indigenous knowledge is important, and hopefully, that cultural shift will take place over time.”
As for climate adaptation planning, Sandeeka suggests using existing tools such as projection models, the National Adaptation Plan, the National Climate Change Risk Assessment and local climate change risk assessments guide, and the Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways approach.
“We need to start using these tools and integrating them into the designs and decisions we make,” she says.
“These tools can give us scenarios we can plan for.”
But she acknowledges the challenges that lie ahead for engineers, including the lack of knowledge in climate adaptation planning. In addition to the University's new climate adaptation design courses, she plans to develop tools to help engineers come up with climate adaptation planning solutions.
“Something tangible that provides them with some best practices for climate adaptation design, working with different world views and incorporating naturebased solutions.”
WRITER | KAITUHI RACHEL HELYER DONALDSON
As 2022 ends, extreme weather events from floods to heatwaves have once more underlined the need for urgent action on climate change, while energy prices soar due to the Ukraine invasion. When it comes to transport, electric vehicles are an increasingly viable option for consumers. So, how far along the road is Aotearoa in the journey to drive down transport emissions and do we have the infrastructure required to get there by 2050?
Launched this year, New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan set the direction for climate action for the next 15 years. It is crucial to our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Transport produces our second-highest amount of emissions after agriculture, so a key priority is decarbonising public and private transport, says sustainability and innovation consultant Kathy Matete, a civil and environmental engineer with significant experience in transport.
“The main climate change mitigation measures New Zealand is taking, or needs to take, include a focus on our fleet and exploring the different fuel type options, such as electric vehicles and hydrogen.”
The aim is to significantly reduce transport-related carbon emissions by 2035, reaching net-zero long-lived emissions by 2050. This, the Government says, will be achieved by reducing reliance on cars, and supporting people to walk, cycle and use public transport; rapidly adopting low-emissions vehicles; and beginning work now to decarbonising heavy transport and freight.
Over the next three years, a host of policies and initiatives will set the wheels rolling. They include continuing the clean vehicle discount and setting out a national EV-charging infrastructure. In May, the Government announced it will commit $50 million to help councils fully decarbonise the public transport bus fleet by 2035.
1. Liz Yeaman FEngNZ. Image: Supplied
2. Kathy Matete. Image: Supplied
It plans to introduce import standards to reduce emissions and is currently trialling an incentive scheme to help lower- and middle-income Kiwis make the switch to clean cars.
Liz Yeaman FEngNZ, managing director of Retyna, a consultancy focusing on EVs, says New Zealand is making “good progress”. While we may not be making the radical changes as some other countries, our uptake is ahead of Australia. This, she says, has taken “a bit of bravery” by Kiwi importers.
Government commitment and our high proportion of renewable electricity generation have helped drive this, as well as “pioneering individuals” like ChargeNet cofounders Steve and Dee West. The early development of a nationwide network of fast chargers “meant we had a big jump ahead on public charging infrastructure”.
Other successes include the Southern Hemisphere’s first fast electric commuter ferry, built in Lower Hutt by the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company.
Greater investment is needed in electrified public transport, says Liz, adding bus companies are doing “really” well, citing Auckland Transport’s 2021 move to phase out its diesel buses and Wellington’s electric double-decker fleet. The capital aims to have 100 percent electric buses by 2027.
Heavy transport contributes 26 percent of the country’s transport emissions. According to the Climate Change Commission, by the end of 2021 there were more than 300 heavy electric vehicles in Aotearoa, and the first electric freighters were on the roads.
1. One of ChargeNet's nationwide EV charging stations. Image: ChargeNet
2. Wellington's electric commuter ferry Ika Rere.
Image: Simon Hoyle, Southlight Studio
As demand for EVs picks up pace, there’s a growing need for more upskilled automotive engineers and technicians to maintain and repair them. Otago Polytechnic has run courses in high voltage systems and safety for around five years. In 2019, it became the first institution to offer the New Zealand Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5). Principal Lecturer of automotive engineering, Kevin O’Neill, says the course is split into three components and constantly adapts. It caters for electric and hybrid technologies in vehicles and other new technologies.
The programme is “still fairly small” but growing all the time – from 30 students in the first intake to the current (third) intake comprising around 60. The course is offered through several other providers across New Zealand.
With 80 percent of teaching delivered online, the course is already accessible to many, but the hope is to roll it out nationwide in 2023. Kevin says New Zealand already has a really good network of technicians.
“It’s more about upskilling people, ensuring they can work on high voltage safely.”
A lot of industrial electricians are keen to learn, too.
“It’s not just about repairs, it’s about infrastructure – there’s a host of other new opportunities to support the EV network.”
The pandemic briefly stifled some advances in EV battery technology across the world, says Liz. But the arrival of new megawatt standard chargers – unveiled this year in Norway and set to go into commercial production by 2023 – will be “transformational”, she says. The technology is designed for buses, trucks, lorries, longdistance coaches and even short-haul aircraft.
“With the MegaWatt charging system, New Zealand could electrify its entire heavy road fleet.”
Liz believes developments in battery technology and a move towards a circular economy for battery materials, should eventually solve the pressure on extra minerals needed for EVs.
The big challenge, she says, is electricity infrastructure and ensuring it keeps pace – not just with the rate of EV growth but with the demands on the network. In the past decade, technology use has increased but, with energy usage more efficient, electricity demand has remained stable. The downside, says Liz, was that industry investment in new generation idled.
“However, we’re now starting to see industry respond, with new wind farms, and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels generation at grid scale, coming in.”
Liz says there’s also “a significant electricity sector skills capacity” needed, particularly as older electrical engineers retire. She notes schemes such as Northpower’s cadetship programme should help bring in new people.
Both Liz and Kathy agree decarbonisation of the fleet isn’t just about cars. Broader aspects, says Kathy, include changing the way we live and how we design our cities, achieve urban and transport integration, and design lowcarbon developments. She says there’s a lot of partnering needed. Bigger conversations, focusing on sustainability and social value, are required, while weaving “regenerative
design into the decarbonisation conversation links really well to mātauranga Maori, such as planning ahead for generations”.
Dr Sulo Shanmuganathan FEngNZ CPEng, Chief Engineer at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, says In addition to their focus on emissions reduction initiatives such as shifting how people move around, the rapid adoption of low-emission vehicles and work to decarbonise heavy transport and freight, the Crown agent is looking at emissions from the construction of transport network infrastructure. This means measures such as requiring suppliers on NZ Upgrade Programme projects to come up with innovations that reduce carbon emissions by at least 10 percent. Waka Kotahi is also due to release its climate adaptation plan, Tiro Rangi, before the end of 2022 in response to the Government’s National Adaptation Plan.
“We’re not waiting to adapt – many of the projects we’re designing and building now have climate change resilience factored into them with culverts, bridges and stormwater management systems designed to accommodate the forecast climate changes during the next 100 years.”
Electric vehicles and their unique mix of mechanical, electrical and software components led then first-year-student Harvey Merton to sign up for Auckland University’s 2018 team for the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (F-SAE) Australasia competition. University students design, build and compete in their very own Formula-style race car.
In 2019, Harvey won Auckland University’s annual Bruce McLaren Scholarship, giving him a 12-week internship at McLaren Automotive Technology Centre in Woking, United Kingdom. Back in Aotearoa, he progressed through the University’s F-SAE team, becoming chief engineer for the 2020 campaign.
After graduating, Harvey worked as a control systems engineer for Auckland "new generation" energy storage start-up, EnergyBank. He’s recently started a two-year Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
If you truly want mass adoption, it’s got to be as convenient as a petrol car, or people won’t make that switch.
– Ron Smits
When materials and chemical engineer Ron Smits, his wife Stephanie Smits O’Callaghan, and friend Lawrence Muijlwijk returned from living overseas during the pandemic, they saw a gap in the local market for public smart-charging AC units.
Around 90 percent of public charge points around Europe are AC. It’s better for battery life, says Ron, and more convenient. As EV owners who’d lived in Britain and driven across Europe, the trio were used to this model. They created Hikotron to offer public AC charging, that’s “easy-to-use, instantly accessible, convenient and reliable”. Hikotron’s blue charging units launched late last year and there are around 40 charge points in Waikato and Auckland.
In mature EV markets, “range anxiety” has been replaced by “charger anxiety” because “reliability, in most markets, isn’t great… there’s an increasing risk you’ll have to queue”. Hikotron plans to solve this by staying locally designed and built, using its own hardware and software and partnering with companies and councils, as well as leasing units, rather than selling them. It aims to have another 60 AC charging units up and running by end of 2023. In addition, a deal with Mercury will see 500 Hikotron charge points installed across New Zealand by 2026.
In future, Ron hopes to develop more products in the AC space.
Built-in smart technology means Hikotron’s chargers can automatically adjust the amount of power going into the car to avoid peak load on the grid. In the future, power companies could control charging rates, or incentivise users to charge when power is cheaper, as is happening overseas.
New Zealand’s EV infrastructure is adequate, but the country needs to keep pace with uptake.
“Overseas, EV ownership builds exponentially, outstripping infrastructure really quickly.” An “eco-system of chargers” – a greater number, both slow and fast and the ability to charge your car where it’s normally parked – is needed, says Ron.
“If you truly want mass adoption, it’s got to be as convenient as a petrol car, or people won’t make that switch.”
Below: Hikotron founders Ron Smits, Stephanie Smits O'Callaghan and Lawrence Muijlwijk. Image: Hikotron
Flexi House, Mount Pisa.
New Zealand’s housing story has been described as both tragedy and farce, but recently it may have tipped into something more like horror. However, some innovative, engineering-led developments might help pick up the pace of building new houses and go some way to addressing the housing crisis.
We’ve watched the affordability metrics head off a cliff; heard the stories of people living in their cars; lived through the skills shortage and the plasterboard crisis, and experienced Waiting for Godot-like interregnums between consenting and the first shovel hitting soil. News of a major slump in new house build enquiries doesn’t constitute a solution to the issues that plague the construction industry, from boom-and-bust cycles that discourage investing in technology and training, to lack of competition in the materials supply chain, to snail’s-pace consenting and apparently intractable customer demand for one-off bespoke dwellings.
The Government has attacked the problem with a raft of measures that include legislation to compel more intensive urban housing, an infrastructure acceleration fund, a plasterboard taskforce, and inventive approaches to the preconstruction phase by the likes of Kāinga Ora. But the fact remains that we continue to build homes pretty much as we did 50 years ago, using the same methods and trades, in a cottage industry dominated by “one-man-band” operators. Whatever happens at the front end, you can bet your house on a new home taking five to six months to build.
But some people are challenging those default industry settings with innovative, engineering-led alternatives that could help pick up the pace. Advocates for prefabricated solutions, for instance, finally have some wind in their sails. A handful of ventures offering at least partial prefabrication have arrived in the market, touting quicker, more efficient, and more affordable builds that also have
baked-in sustainability advantages (less waste, for one thing). Admittedly, some are focused on servicing the upscale bach market, but not all of them.
In September, a one-bedroom, two-bathroom worker's dwelling materialised on an orchard near Cromwell, Central Otago. Consisting of prefabricated components that arrived on site already clad and glazed, it went up in 13 hours, from bare foundations to a fully weathertight structure ready for fit-out. The building is a prototyping exercise by Flexi House, a Lower Hutt-based start-up that wants to bring a product approach to house building, based on repeatable, scalable components manufactured in a factory and shipped to site.
Founder and CEO André Heller distinguishes Flexi House from both traditional “one-off” builders and more recent volumetric, modular-based, transportable ventures.
“We’re trying to create a system that delivers unique design outcomes that isn’t a small home solution, but something that is scalable to 200 or 300 square metres,” he says.
“Adopting a product approach means you break the house down into repeatable, standardised elements, and create a library of components that are interchangeable throughout the building.”
As the name suggests, the emphasis is on flexibility – “Your Flexi House is designed to grow with you”. In the case of the Cromwell dwelling, it will eventually be
2. Construction of a one-bedroom dwelling on an orchard near Cromwell, Otago. Image: Flexi House
1. Architectual graduate Ricky Frost and Flexi House founder André Heller. Image: Flexi House
The Flexi House system is built around screws, bolts and plywood panels – no nails, glue or plasterboard.
– André Hellerextended – seamlessly – into a four-bedroom home. There are no nails, no glue or plasterboard; rather the system is built around screws, bolts and plywood panels. Materials include shiplap timber cladding, laminated veneer lumber framing, a wool-polyester insulation and cork floors, with an emphasis on sustainable or renewable sources. Within the parameters of the standardised elements, customers can customise their home using an online tool that will one day include live pricing.
It’s flexible – and it’s quick. The prototype Central home was constructed in seven weeks by manufacturing partner Makers Fabrication in its Lower Hutt factory. André, whose background is in product design, says that will get faster as the company shifts into production runs, starting in 2023.
“It all comes down to process and repeatability. We’d be easily able to extract 20 or 30 percent out of the process by building just five or 10 houses. But we want to scale this nationwide across multiple factories, which creates significant manufacturing efficiencies. We’ll be able to cut 50 percent off each project based on those numbers.”
It’s still early days, of course. But Flexi House has already cracked a number of gnarly problems.
“This is a panelised build, and all the structure is effectively contained within those panels. Once they’re installed, it’s done – no trusses, no additional framing,” he says, adding that we’re talking here about a 6.5-metrewide structure with a raked open cathedral ceiling.
“To build something of that size and volume without steel portals, you’d have a lot of engineers scratching their heads.”
The key, he says, was to engage the talents of Alistair Cattanach FEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ), the Dunning Thornton Director who, among other notable projects, led the structural engineering team responsible for Scion’s groundbreaking timber innovation hub in Rotorua, Te Whare Nui o Tuteata.
Next steps? Currently, Flexi House is trying to secure investment to build 15 or so homes to “nail down the system”, then hopes to partner with manufacturers and local builders around the country to go commercial.
Whatever happens, André reckons offsite manufacturing is the future. Not only is it faster and potentially cheaper, it delivers better performing homes for a lower carbon footprint.
“Delivering materials to site and building onsite is old technology. We need to be working towards offsite.”
To build something of that size and volume without steel portals, you’d have a lot of engineers scratching their heads.
One recently launched innovation to have successfully navigated the plasterboard compliance pathway is saveBOARD. Its Te Rapa factory upcycles everyday packaging waste such as construction soft plastics and liquid paperboard into construction boards, as well as internal linings and rigid air barriers – essentially, they turn your coffee cup into wall lining. It’s an exemplar of closed-loop, low-carbon footprint thinking, but it also may have a small role to play in speeding up builds.
Co-founder Paul Charteris CMEngNZ says they haven’t revolutionised how a board is used. But saveBOARD does have the benefit of exceptional bracing and impact performance, which opens up more options for how you build – he cites using Structural Insulated Panels or panelisation of the building envelope without the need for nogs or dwangs.
“Ultimately, the best use of our boards is in any type of prefabricated factorybuild system where you can put a rigid air barrier along with bracing elements in place without worrying about transport damage to plasterboard, so that when you stand up the building envelope it’s ready to go.”
1. saveBOARD co-founder Paul Charteris CMEngNZ.
2. saveBOARD turns everyday packaging waste into construction boards.
Images: saveBOARD
At the University of Canterbury, a team of engineers is coming at the problem of pace from another angle.
Led by earthquake engineering expert Professor Rajesh Dhakal CPEng IntPE(NZ) the project aims to develop a novel building system that would speed up the delivery of concrete buildings by obviating the need for any onsite concreting for connecting beams, columns and floors.
Traditionally, says Rajesh, those connections have required preparing a watertight framework, followed by an onsite pour, followed by perhaps a fortnight of curing before work can proceed. By contrast, the Canterbury innovation – christened the Rapid, Reduced-carbon, Resilient and Recylable Modular Building System, or R4MBS for short – involves standardised prefabricated concrete modules that are yoked together using novel, low-damage, detachable steel connections. It’s all steel plates, bolts and holes, a system that not only theoretically allows for quicker construction – the “Rapid” part of the formula – but also reduces the amount of resources and waste involved.
Should it pan out, Rajesh stresses its game-changing implications.
“We use the word ‘monolithic’ for how we currently build. Although the components are modular, after we build they all become one integrated unit. Whereas with this system, we want to keep that modularity intact. You don’t need that extra concrete; all you need are the concrete components,
From
the beams and columns, and standardised holes to take bolts at certain locations. Then you put in the steel plates and tighten.”
There are other potential benefits to R4MBS, including seismic performance – the “Resilient” part. Hit by a severe earthquake, damaged connections could be repaired or replaced to quickly restore the building. And rather than having to demolish a building at the end of its life, its elements could be recycled – a major win for its lifecycle carbon footprint.
“This will be the first building system in the world where we have gathered together the different features of prefabricated modular building construction and lowdamage seismic technologies to come up with something so potentially impactful.”
That’s the theory, at least. Again, there’s plenty of water to flow under the bridge, with proof-of-concept lab testing the next step, according to Rajesh, who adds that the system is ideally geared to mid-rise buildings – including for medium density housing.
Rajesh’s team has homed in on one element of the ponderously paced and costly nature of building in this country. But that larger problem is going to have to be tackled from a variety of angles – including addressing the supply of critical building materials. This year’s plasterboard shortage, albeit Covid-19-related, highlighted longstanding issues, not least how difficult it can be to get alternative products into the pipeline.
Canopy construction team members celebrate the successful completion of the structure after the last night shift. Image: Tonkin + Taylor/NCTIR
A high-tensile mesh supported by cables with energy-absorbing brake elements, connected to rock anchorages and 14 custom-made posts, approximately 8–15m long.
NCTIR – North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery, an alliance created to restore the road and rail networks damaged in the 2016 7.8 magnitude Kaikōura earthquake. (Formed by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and KiwiRail with Fulton Hogan, Downer, Higgins, and HEB Construction and a professional services sub-alliance team of Tonkin + Taylor, Aurecon and WSP.)
2km south of Peketā, SH1 June 2020 – June 2021 2022 ACE Awards Silver Award winner
An innovative rockfall canopy near the top of the South Island protects road users from a rockfall-prone corner of State Highway 1.
Hanging from ropes pinned to a 90m greywacke cliff face might not be every engineer’s idea of a good day at work, but that was Engineering Geologist Dan Ashfield’s reality for almost a year.
Dan, who is from Tonkin + Taylor, part of the NCTIR professional services sub-alliance team, was intrinsic to the construction of a unique rockfall canopy, installed above State Highway 1 south of Kaikōura on a near-vertical cliff, with an 8m seawall on the other side of the road.
While the construction of the canopy was far from easy, the premise is simple: a high-tensile mesh “trampoline” that allows any rocks that descend from the cliff above to bounce and tumble into the sea below, thus protecting the narrow highway and its motorists.
The canopy is a Southern Hemisphere first and the longest in the world. It is one of just three of its kind, and the only one constructed over a state highway.
The structure was designed by Swiss company Geobrugg, but the Kaikōura site required significant modifications by the NCTIR Alliance team during construction.
Dan says the innovative use of digital design modelling for the canopy structure facilitated fast-tracking of the canopy’s construction, with NCTIR’s designers and Construction Phase Services (CPS) collaborating with Geobrugg in Switzerland and its New Zealand representative, Stu Mason.
“We were working on a curved site with a complex rock face geometry. The Kaikōura structure had to be designed in such a way that the system would still work as the designers had intended,” says Dan.
“It had to fit the site conditions and the geotechnical nature of the materials we were dealing with. So, it was very challenging and involved a process of ongoing development, from the initial digital design to making it work on the site, the tolerances we were working with were very tight.”
Dan was the only CPS engineer working on the canopy with IRATA rope access training and was regularly up on the cliff face at night with contractor Rock Control Ltd, working by floodlights and a head torch.
“The project required a lot of problem solving at the construction stage. Professionally and technically, it was very challenging, but also physically of course, because climbing around the site for long periods of time was quite demanding.”
Dan says the culture of the NCTIR alliance meant everyone involved worked collaboratively as a team “… and to have so many different organisations involved who were able to bring particular points of view and specialisms, both in terms of the design and during its construction, was a real benefit”.
“Building such a complex rockfall protection structure successfully and safely, mostly in the dark and in a challenging coastal location, is something quite special for New Zealand that had not been achieved before. Everyone involved made that project something special, they put their hearts and souls into it.”
NCTIR Project Manager Jessica Pritchard who is from HEB Construction led the planning, design and construction integration and construction delivery of the project. She was supported by a team of talented personnel from the NCTIR alliance.
“Initially we looked at building a temporary tunnel over the highway, which would have given us a clear working platform and allowed the traffic to go through, but that was quickly discounted because of cost.”
In addition to shipping delays caused by Covid-19, traffic management was a key construction challenge, including working through the night and responding to ferry timetables.
“Truck convoys would come through late at night, which meant we’d have to close and open the highway in about three-hour stints.”
Jessica says local iwi, Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura (TROK), was heavily engaged throughout the infrastructure
recovery programme and unearthed Māori archaeological artifacts such as carvings and pounamu chopping blades were given back to the iwi.
Initially, Jessica says the project faced multiple challenges.
“It was taking us significantly longer than expected to do the scaling of the rock than we anticipated, there were material delays and our temporary works took a lot longer.”
However, when drilling the rock wall, the team discovered a large cavern behind it and asked TROK if they knew of it. TROK representative Darran Kerei-Keepa says they became aware of the cave when the road went through in the late 1930s.
“We believe it was used for wāhi tapu ceremonies, because this was a common practice by Māori, especially along the Kaikōura coastline,” he says.
“It was the role of TROK to support the canopy teams to lift any tapu and clear the path for them to continue
1. The outside lane of SH1 was kept open to allow traffic through.
Photo: Tonkin + Taylor/NCTIR
2. Many of the canopy's critical anchorages went through several cycles of load testing and data analysis. Image: Dan Ashfield
3. A member of the night shift secures bracing ropes to the primary ring mesh. Image: Dan Ashfield
working. The process is called whakawātea – a clearing or cleansing process. Rawiri Manawatu performed the ceremony in conjunction with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura whānau members, along with the engineering and abseiling teams.”
Jessica describes the ceremony as powerful, and says: “The following week everything started going like clockwork.”
In the three years leading up to construction, there were approximately 80 rockfall events from the cliff, including one significant enough to close the road for two days.
Both Dan Ashfield and Jessica agree this engineering feat assuages the risk of this critical highway being blocked in future.
“This project has meant the local community can remain connected to the rest of the country,” says Jessica.
“The canopy ensures the resilience of the road infrastructure.”
Professionally and technically, it was very challenging, but also physically…– Dan Ashfield
While Waldo Posthumus is a passionate advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, (questioning), intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) community in the engineering profession, his ultimate dream is for the diversity and inclusion roles he holds, and for groups in which he is active, to become unnecessary.
When Tauranga-based civil engineer Waldo Posthumus and his husband of five years moved to New Zealand from South Africa three years ago, they found their new country to be very different from their homeland.
“I hadn’t come out at all during my high school years, because although there are pockets of more liberal thinking in the cities, South Africa is very religious, as are my parents.”
Waldo completed a Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Pretoria where he felt freer to experiment with his sexuality and understand how he identified.
“I initially wanted to become a doctor and engineering was my backup degree. It was only after I started studying engineering that I realised how much I loved it, the problem solving and overcoming challenges.”
When Waldo entered the engineering profession, he did not come out “but my employers found out through social media. It was a religious company and a fellow staff member bluntly told me that her beliefs did not align with mine”.
On arriving in New Zealand however, and during an interview with Aurecon, Waldo was told the company was Rainbow Tick accredited, but he didn’t then know what that meant. Rainbow Tick is a certification mark for organisations that complete
a diversity and inclusion assessment process and embrace the diversity of sexual and gender identities.
Since then, Waldo has filled roles within Aurecon’s diversity, inclusion and equity programme, including as co-coordinator of the programme and more recently, the strategy lead for the LGBTQIA+ pillar, which is one of five, along with Te Ao Māori, gender, accessibility/disability and cultural pillars.
He’s a Te Ao Rangahau Young Engineers committee member and a former Tauranga Moana Pride committee member. He recently organised a multiparty workplace discussion focusing on transgender and gender diversity.
Waldo believes diversity and inclusion practices are progressing in the engineering profession.
“There is a wide spectrum of change happening. The driver of change was gender – women and men – which led to all these other pockets of change coming through, and one of those elements that played a significant role, particularly for Aurecon, was the Rainbow Tick. Beca and Stantec have also become rainbow accredited recently.”
He says: “For the rainbow community, we are getting there, but we still don’t have prominent leaders that are LGBTQIA+. When we were arranging the panel discussion for example, finding a leader to be on the panel was challenging. There are LBGTQIA+ industry leaders of course, but they are not necessarily very vocal about it.”
He says the overarching aim is for these advocacy groups to no longer be necessary, and that a key strategy is through storytelling.
“It is about resonating with shared
experiences. Knowing that someone before you did it, and it is okay for you to do the same.”
Waldo says: “We need to get to a point where we don’t need to ask people to identify their preferred pronouns, or ask people if they are male or female, because they don’t have to be either. And to achieve this, education is really important.”
“We also need to attract more rainbow young people into engineering by getting LGBTQIA+ embedded into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) at university and school levels. There are not yet LGBTQIA+ groups going into schools to encourage people into STEM, as there are for women and Māori.”
He would like to see Te Ao Rangahau establish an LGBTQIA+ group that focuses on wider education.
“The Diversity Accord is a real step forward in helping create a more diverse and inclusive industry, but we could take this even further by establishing a group focused specifically on LGBTQIA+ inclusion.”
He advises LGBTQIA+ people who work in engineering to be vocal.
“There are a lot of people out there still hiding, and also people whose children are LGBTQIA+. Join a support group where you can meet people who have similar experiences.”
And how can engineering companies make their workplaces more inclusive?
“Start the conversation – you don’t have to get a Rainbow Tick to do that. You can celebrate special events, such as Wear it Purple Day, nonbinary day, international pride month. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to use people’s pronouns, make mistakes. If it is coming from a good place in your heart, that’s ok.”
It is about resonating with shared experiences. Knowing that someone before you did it, and it is okay for you to do the same.
than 5m in the air and dive to a depth of 1.5m.
Image: Hydro Attack
–with F16 fighter jet-grade viewing glass –the X model has a 230hp or 400hp supercharged engine. Two people can travel on the water at speeds of up to 80kph, jump more
will be hoping attractions like Hydro Attack’s submersible watercraft Seabreacher X continue to draw visitors. With a shark style body and drag boat style wraparound windows
Snapshot Queenstown has been credited with leading Aotearoa’s tourism recovery this year, buoyed by a strong ski season. And as we head into summer, the resort town
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It’s a good time to be looking for a job, but if you haven’t done so for a few years, you might be surprised how much has changed. Here’s how to market yourself in 2023.
With the unemployment rate at just 3.3 percent in the September 2022 quarter, there’s not a lot of talent on the market right now. Companies are struggling to find good people, because these workers are settling in where they are. This war for talent means candidates have more negotiating power than five or so years ago. However, this doesn’t mean strong personal branding isn’t important. When companies are searching for talented people, you want to stand out as a high performer from the outset. Many recruiters
are proactively seeking and headhunting talent on LinkedIn, for example, so if you’re not confident with how you’re selling yourself in your LinkedIn profile, you might want to change it.
Personal branding is an intentional marketing strategy focused on your most important product: you. There’s no competition when you have a strong personal brand. This should reflect the specific things you want people to say about you. A successful brand creates a consistent, targeted impression that helps you achieve your goals. It allows you to live authentically because a great brand is always honest – you can’t fake your
way into a successful brand. You get to shape how others perceive you by being intentional with your personal brand, but it ultimately reflects who you truly are (personality, strengths, values, passions) and what you bring to the table.
Old school CV templates summarised the “what” of a person’s career, listing facts, job duties, and little more.
This isn’t enough to stand out. A powerful personal brand covers: your what: the actions you take (job title and duties) your how: your unique talents your why: the purposes, causes or beliefs that drive you. Most people know their what, some people know their how, but very few know their why. If you can uncover and communicate yours in your personal branding, you’ll be streets ahead of the competition.
In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of sleek, succinct, powerfully worded CVs (that look good too) and cover letters that really work to sell an applicant’s story, establish a human connection to the company or mission, and show off the candidate’s personality. It’s all about quality over quantity.
If you’re thinking about looking for a new job, you need to do the groundwork. Uncover and learn how to communicate your personal brand. Start by creating a master document with all the things
you’ve ever done or accomplished, personally and professionally, organised by competency (eg communication; project management) so you can pick and choose from there when applying for a role. Having all of your career history in one place is also helpful for interview preparation, salary negotiation and performance reviews. With this ready, customising an application for a role could take anywhere from two to six hours. It’s about quality over quantity – your time is better spent applying for a couple of roles a week rather than sending out many generic applications.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. While you can job hunt without it, you’re missing potential opportunities to connect with recruiters who, with an optimised profile, will be coming to you. If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on incredible opportunities to network, meet a new mentor, or contribute to discussions in your field. It’s like being at the world’s biggest career networking event and sitting alone quietly in the corner.
With the shift towards remote working, candidates are also leveraging LinkedIn to score virtual coffees and career conversations with industry peers and decision makers. This increases their chances of landing the holy grail of the job search – an internal referral – to accompany their application.
Make your entire document a response to the job advertisement. Analyse the job description to understand the company’s needs, why they’re hiring, what problems they’re trying to solve and what you can do about it. Then use every section of your CV to provide examples that show you have the skills and experience they require.
Fill your experience section with accomplishment statements, not job duties. Your future employer understands enough about the duties in your past role from your job title. Tell them about the result /impact of the actions you’ve taken and back up your statements with
quantifiable data where possible. Go all in on each application. Show how you’ll tackle the problems the company is trying to solve with this role and do so in a beautifully cohesive set of marketing documents that stand out.
There’s no need to include information like your age, marital status, full address, licence number (unless essential for the role), or a photo on your CV in New Zealand. Just include your full name, contact number, email address, location (town/city is all that’s needed) and your LinkedIn profile. On your LinkedIn profile, include a professional photo, your general location (so you come up in the right search results) and your email address.
Your cover letter is where you get to really show your personality – it allows you to explain why you want the role, along with your personal connection to their mission that’ll have you showing up as your best self every day. You want to sound like a real person, so it doesn’t need to sound like you’re writing a formal letter. Instead, match the tone of the company. If they’re a fresh, new start up, you can be a bit more casual. If they’re more traditional, be more reserved, but always be authentic.
It’s vital to nail the hook of your cover letter. You want to show them you connect with their company on a deeper level. How can you say something genuine, something human, to entice them to keep on listening? What’s the big link between you and their company? Do you share the same convictions or values? Are you a customer? Did you grow up with this brand? Do you “get it” – the big problem they’re trying to solve? Are you on a personal mission that relates to their mission? Did you work for a competitor? Did you spend your childhood playing with products related to their industry? Based on your analysis of the job ad, choose only the most relevant career stories to highlight, to showcase yourself as a standout candidate for the role.
Customise your CV for every role. Using one template with small tweaks for each role isn’t going to help the recruiter or hiring manager understand why you’re right for the position and it’s immediately clear no effort has gone in. Your application will be passed over for those top 10 percent of candidates who have taken the time to connect the dots for the reader.
Provide evidence for every claim you make. Anyone can say they’re a great communicator, but not everyone can prove it.
Get the basics right so information is consistent. Ensure there are no typos and that you’ve addressed the cover letter to the right company.
Double check spelling, grammar and key details – get someone else to look over it with fresh eyes.
Always customise your cover letter. Avoid cliches and generic language – studies have shown more than 30 percent of cover letters use the words “uniquely qualified”. This way of writing comes from outdated and overused templates found online, offered by career advisors in schools, universities and elsewhere for more than 20 years.
Don’t just rehash your career story, which can be found on your CV. This is a waste of important marketing real estate.
Career fulfilment coach Rosie McCarthy is founder of Badass Careers and her special sauce is helping you find yours. She's a Master's-qualified, corporate HR manager-turned-entrepreneur focused on helping people reach the height of their career potential. Go to badasscareers.com/dreamjob for a free 90-minute personal branding workshop.
is centuries old, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that New Zealand engineers began considering the possibilities of wind turbines to contribute to local electricity networks and ultimately to the national grid.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, windmills here often provided an effective way to drive machinery, such as for milling flour and occasionally to generate electricity. In the 1970s, with an eye on the potential of wind turbines, the first step was gathering accurate, detailed data.
Keith Dawber, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Otago, and Neil Cherry, Environmental Scientist at Lincoln University, took leading roles in this research. They worked to better understand the characteristics of the wind at different locations around the country and to map the best locations for wind farms.
It was soon clear that New Zealand, astride the Roaring Forties, has a worldclass wind resource. Annual mean wind speeds of 10 metres per second at potential wind farm sites, are speeds that the United States and Europe, with typically seven metres per second, can only dream of. The data also challenged the perception of wind as an unpredictable resource. While wind can vary greatly hour by hour, the annual variation is only 10 percent. By comparison, the rainfall feeding our hydro schemes varies 20 percent year on year.
New Zealand’s entry into commercial turbines began in 1993 with the trial of a single 225 kW Danish-built turbine on the Brooklyn hill in Wellington, which excited huge public interest. Between 8,000 and 10,000 people visited on the open day. In its first six months of operation, the turbine achieved a world record output for its capacity. It also proved that pitchcontrolled turbines could survive New Zealand’s gusty and turbulent conditions with minimal maintenance.
In 1996, Hau Nui, New Zealand’s first commercial wind farm, began operating in the hills south of Martinborough in the Wairarapa. It had seven 550 kW turbines feeding power into the local network. Tararua wind farm in the Manawatū followed in 1999 with 48, 660 kW turbines.
Despite these successes, further development stalled until the mid2000s. Major electricity sector reforms in 1998 meant that lines companies, who had been active players in early wind generation development, were no longer able to be both distributors and generators. The growth of gas and geothermal generation during this time also reduced development opportunities for wind.
Another challenge was the absence of policy in district and regional plans, meaning there was no strategic overview to guide the development of wind energy in a region. When wind farm projects began to regain momentum, a number faced community opposition and were
denied resource consents. It was a reminder to both energy companies and local authorities of the need for early community buy-in and for a clear regional and national vision.
By the mid-2000s, momentum was once again building and New Zealand’s third wind farm, Te Āpiti, astride the hills of the Manawatū, was commisisoned in 2004. This was the country’s first farm to use the new, large 1.65 MW turbines and was the first to be connected to the national grid.
Extensions to Tararua and Hau Nui wind farms soon followed. Another significant development was Te Rere Hau wind farm, also in the Manawatū, the first to use New Zealand-made turbines.
The future’s a breeze..?
Currently around six percent of New Zealand’s electricity is generated by wind. The New Zealand Wind Energy Association’s objective is to grow this to 20 percent by 2035. Wind is well-placed to complement our existing renewable energy sources and will be a useful tool in our transition away from fossil fuels. If our story of wind energy so far is anything to go by, to reach this goal we’ll need good data, engineering know-how, a clear vision backed by policy and the support of our communities.
Cindy Jemmett is Heritage Advisor at Te Ao Rangahau.
The recent release of the updated National Seismic Hazard Model has thrown the spotlight back on earthquakes and approaches to the building design and assessment process. But there’s been a lot going on under the surface for a while to get to this point.
Since the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, there’s been ever-growing recognition of earthquake risk in New Zealand, says Dr Ken Elwood CMEngNZ, who experienced the quake firsthand while visiting from Canada. The now New Zealand-based Chief Engineer (Building Resilience) for the Toka Tū Ake EQC and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says there’s wideranging recognition of the need to address earthquake risks across many different sectors now as a result of recent seismic activity.
He says while shaking hazard is just one part of the story when it comes to building performance and earthquakes, it’s the fundamental basis on which everything else is determined. October saw the release of the updated National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), which calculates the likelihood and strength of earthquake shaking that may occur in different parts of the country over specified periods. It was released by GNS Science, MBIE and Toka Tū Ake EQC.
“Without any shaking there’s no damage, so it really starts with the shaking. When a new hazard model like
this comes out, it gives us an opportunity to think about how we approach the rest of the building design and assessment process.”
Ken says the NSHM is used very broadly by many different organisations and decision makers who need to estimate the likely impact of earthquakes on Aotearoa’s land, buildings and infrastructure, from civil defence planning through to helping insurance companies assess risk.
“It helps in the management of government-owned assets and in determining how buildings and structures need to be designed and built. Furthermore, the NSHM informs the risk settings of our building regulations and requirements in relation to earthquake loadings.”
So, what impact does the updated model have on the way engineers work?
“The NSHM on its own does not change anything, however, it will lead to eventual changes in standards and guidelines that will have an impact on how engineers approach design and assessment in the future.”
But he says it will take some time to understand the results of the updated NSHM and what it really means for the design of new buildings and the assessment of existing buildings.
“The NSHM provides an assessment of the likelihood of earthquake shaking. On its own it does not predict the likely performance of a building. It cannot fully capture the risk to a building and its
occupants during an earthquake.”
It’s critical to have an up-to-date understanding of the seismic hazards facing New Zealand, and to ensure the risks from earthquakes to the built environment can be appropriately managed. Developed in the 1980s and last updated in 2010, Ken says the NSHM was out of date.
“The primary science behind the 2010 model came from 2002. This 2022 revision reflects international best practice and, significantly, the learnings from recent seismic activity in New Zealand.”
He says the Canterbury earthquake sequence and the Kaikōura earthquake provided “a tremendous amount of data, both from an earth science perspective and from a building performance perspective”.
“Considering how these regions were impacted by the earthquakes helps us better prepare New Zealand so we can reduce risks we face from earthquake events in the future.”
But the updated model does not automatically change the way buildings should be designed. Ken says building professionals should continue to use the existing building standards to demonstrate that their work complies with the Building Code.
MBIE is now considering what this update to the NSHM means for new building design standards and working with Te Ao Rangahau to assess what changes are required, and how to include
the results of the NSHM into regulatory settings for new buildings.
MBIE aims to consult on proposed changes to building standards in late 2023.
Aotearoa is not alone in the time it takes it to convert from the outputs of the NSHM to design provisions – Ken says in the USA it typically takes two to four years for NSHM updates to be incorporated into seismic design provisions.
MBIE encourages the use of the recent advisory Earthquake Design for Uncertainty, jointly prepared by New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineers (NZSEE), Structural Engineering Society New Zealand (SESOC) and New Zealand Geotechnical Society (NZGS). It recommends approaches engineers can take to help ensure reliable performance of a building, regardless of the uncertainty in the seismic hazard. It recognises that shaking hazard is just one component of what controls the performance of a building in earthquakes.
“This guidance helps an engineer recognise all of those other aspects to building design, how one lays out the structural system and the detailing one puts into the design of the building. It will help ensure reliable seismic performance regardless of the fact that there’s uncertainty in what level of shaking the building is going to face in the future.”
When Ken started in his role at MBIE in December 2021, he also took on the responsibility as convenor of the Joint Committee for Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings which includes members from SESOC, NZSEE, NZGS, Toka Tū Ake EQC and MBIE.
With the decision to close and vacate some high-profile buildings earlier this year, including Hutt Hospital, it seemed suddenly everyone was talking about percent New Building Standard, or %NBS, an assessment of how well an existing building fares against today’s building standards. Ken says this brought forward MBIE’s plans to provide guidance to building owners, users and tenants about
how to interpret their seismic assessments in order to make more informed, riskbased decisions about their buildings.
The Joint Committee found people were thinking too much about the %NBS and needed better ways to make risk-based decisions on their buildings based on more than just the %NBS rating. Ken believes the use of plain English was a key factor behind the success of MBIE’s ensuing Seismic Risk Guidance for Buildings, released in July. It explains what %NBS is, and what it isn’t, and the information a seismic assessment actually provides, and offers language tools for better communication between engineers and tenants and building owners. While a low %NBS rating does indicate a high life safety risk in the event of an earthquake, it doesn't mean that a building is imminently dangerous. And it is not a predictor of building failure. Ken says understanding
particular the earthquake-prone building system,” Ken says. He adds that the strategy also needs to consider that the guidelines are used outside of the earthquake-prone building system for all forms of buildings. He expects the Joint Committee will start a broader discussion on that strategy by mid-2023. Other priority topics for future work programmes include case studies of seismic assessments, the development of retrofit guidance, and the development of resilience assessment guidance.
New challenges ahead Ken says there’s a lot of talk right now in engineering circles about the need to better consider post-earthquake functionality and the repairability of buildings. This would require engineers to “think beyond the life-safety performance objectives that currently dominate the way
the vulnerability of different building elements, and the consequences of their failure, will always be more important than a building's %NBS rating.
The Joint Committee is currently providing input on a strategy to determine how, when and why the Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings Guidelines should be updated.
“This strategy needs to carefully balance the need to regularly update the guidelines based on new research and engineering practices, while at the same time provide certainty for the regulatory systems that use the guidelines, in
we design, integrate better non-structural and structural design, and consider the constraints in a post-earthquake environment”.
“These are things that engineers have not been forced to deal with in the past. This is not just a challenge for the engineer, but rather the whole design team – the architect, the engineer, through to the contractor building the structure. I see this as coming in the future, maybe not next year, maybe not the year after, but coming in the future.”
Jennifer Black is the editor of EG at Te Ao Rangahau.
When a new hazard model like this comes out, it gives us an opportunity to think about how we approach the rest of the building design and assessment process.
– Dr Ken Elwood CMEngNZ
Dams fulfil an increasingly vital role in the wellbeing of all New Zealanders, serving water supply, renewable energy production, flood mitigation, recreation, irrigation and process industries. Our world-renowned dams industry and community is in an exciting growth phase, responding to water demand, decarbonisation, climate conditions and natural hazards, society’s safety, environmental and cultural expectations, and regulatory change.
While dams provide significant benefits, they must also be designed, constructed and operated safely, commensurate to the potential impacts of failure. They must perform under a range of conditions including reservoir load, flood passage and earthquake ground motions. In May 2022, the Government set out new regulations to improve the safety and resilience of Aotearoa’s dams in the operational (post-construction) phase of the dam lifecycle.
Dams are defined in the Building Act as an artificial barrier, and appurtenant structures, that are constructed to hold back water, or other fluid, under constant pressure, to form a reservoir, and are used for storage, control or diversion of water or other fluid. Stopbanks designed to control floodwaters are not included in the definition of a dam.
The Building (Dam Safety) Regulations 2022 have been created because while
Aotearoa has well-developed industryrecommended practices, unlike almost all other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries, it doesn’t have a consistent regulatory dam safety framework. This absence puts people, property and the environment at unnecessary risk of the potential impacts of dam failure.
The new regulations will commence in 2024 and ensure classifiable dams are well-operated, maintained and regularly monitored. The new operational phase dam safety regulations will supplement the well-established regulation of dam design and construction in the Building Act, both of which have benefited from strong industry guidelines produced by the New Zealand Society on Large Dams (a Te Ao Rangahau technical industry group) for almost three decades.
While many dam owners voluntarily follow the industry’s recommended dam safety practices in the New Zealand Dam Safety Guidelines, the new regulations specify minimum requirements that must be fulfilled by all owners of dams that are classified as high and medium potential impact classification. Low potential impact classification dams will not have requirements under the new dam safety regulations. Potential impact classification is a measure of the potential impacts of a hypothetical dam failure on people, property and the environment.
The regulations also include definitions of dangerous dams, earthquake-prone dams and flood-prone dams, as well
as actions their owners must take to notify the regional authority and follow the regional authority’s dangerous and prone dams policy. Dangerous and prone dams are those that fall significantly short of recommended design performance criteria for normal, flood and earthquake loads.
Classifiable dams are those meeting either of the following height and stored volume screening thresholds: 4m height and 20,000m3 stored volume, or 1m height and 40,000m3 stored volume. Classifiable dams must be assigned a potential impact classification (high, medium, low) and have it certified by a Recognised Engineer.
The new regulations include requirements for owners of medium and high potential impact classification dams to prepare and implement an ongoing Dam Safety Assurance Programme (DSAP). The DSAP will include procedures for dam operation, maintenance, monitoring, inspections, testing, engineering reviews, emergency preparedness and managing issues and deficiencies. The DSAP will need to be certified for use, then audited for completion annually, by a Recognised Engineer (Chartered Professional Engineer with dam safety competencies). Te Ao Rangahau is working with NZ Society on Large Dams (NZSOLD) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to develop the Recognised Engineering assessment framework
and assess new Recognised Engineers. The assessment framework will align with the Chartered Professional Engineer assessment process.
MBIE’s Building Performance owns the dam safety regulations and will co-regulate their implementation with New Zealand’s regional authorities, who will administer the regulations for dams and dam owners in their region. Dam owners, technical practitioners and regional authorities can learn more about how to fulfil the regulations and can utilise support resources at
building.govt.nz/managing-buildings/ dam-safety Further tools and educational resources will be developed to support regulations understanding and implementation.
NZSOLD continues to provide vital support to its industry, members and the public with advocacy, recommended practice guidelines, events and training that advance the state of practice for dam design, construction, operation, and management. The internationally benchmarked New Zealand Dam Safety Guidelines are the pseudo-standard
and body of knowledge that allow New Zealand’s existing dam design and construction regulatory system, and upcoming dam safety regulations, to function. The New Zealand Dam Safety Guidelines provide New Zealand-specific recommended practice that cascades from international practices and bulletins published by the International Commission on Large Dams and other countries with reputable dams practice.
Dan Forster CMEngNZ CPEng IntPE(NZ) is General Manager/ Principal Dam Safety Engineer at Dam Safety Intelligence and Chair of NZSOLD.
Louisa Bloomer discovered a passion for geospatial analysis while studying at Victoria University of Wellington and went into engineering consultancy after graduation. Working with a range of clients across a variety of fields, her focus evolved to leading teams and pursuing innovative approaches to engineering, digital, data and organisational problems. In her current role as Asia Pacific Digital Practice Leader, Louisa leads a digital and innovation team of 33, soon to be 60, and sets the strategic direction for Stantec’s Australia and New Zealand digital community and technical staff. She won the ACE New Zealand Emerging Leader Award in 2022 and will use the scholarship to attend an executive course in digital strategy.
My entire role is about supporting engineers to do what they do best, by ensuring they have the digital services and tools to do so. Therefore, I need to ensure that I, and my team, have trusted relationships with engineers and nonengineers within our organisation, so we can collaborate and get the best from both digital and engineering expertise.
A big aim of my role is to remove the mundane, repetitive, low-value tasks from an engineer’s day. This means tasks such as data entry, repetitive analytics, design quality assurance checking and data-conversions can be much faster,
or completely automated and removed from day-to-day work. This frees them up to spend more time on what they enjoy, to be more innovative and to focus on the work that only they have the expertise to do. For example, an engineer likely doesn’t become an engineer to copy and paste numbers into a spreadsheet – they want to do innovative design work that makes a difference to our communities. A good digital practice gives them the time and tools to do that.
How do engineering decisions impact on your work?
Engineering decisions, and the realities of the work our engineers do, set the parameters for our digital practice. Our tools, support and services enable engineers to do their jobs, so we shape these to reflect what engineers need, the decisions they make and the change they want to see. Importantly, we learn from past engineering decisions and our teams re-use expertise and designs to develop and improve the tools we deliver.
What are three observations you’d make after working with engineers?
They are very quick at problem solving on the fly; they work fantastically in
Role: Regional Digital Practice Lead (Asia Pacific), Stantec Based in: Wellington
Qualifications: Bachelor of Science, Victoria University of Wellington, 2011
collaborative environments, working towards the same outcome; and a lot of them know how to brew a good beer.
What do engineers all seem to do so well? They are all driven to deliver – to finish projects and to make material, tangible change.
What do you wish all engineers knew/ understood better about your role? The way we undertake traditional engineering is going to change – and is changing – in the digital space. The best way to do this is in a partnership between engineering and digital disciplines, not in competition. Ultimately, roles like mine can make the work of engineers more fun, more interesting and less frustrating – and that’s what I love about my role.
A big aim of my role is to remove the mundane, repetitive, low-value tasks from an engineer’s day.
We expect Chartered Professional Engineers to be able to solve complex problems. But what is a complex problem, and how do you solve it?
A problem doesn’t need to be large to be complex. For a problem to be complex, it must be a system, have multiple possible solutions and unclear boundaries. There can’t be a linear solution and there must be multiple, potentially conflicting, priorities and constraints. Also, a lack of transparency about the involved variables and their current values. There will be unknown unknowns.
Complex problems have multiple interacting issues at play. With conflicting goals, there’s uncertainty and you must make judgements based on the information available. It may not be immediately apparent, but a complex problem involves a system. A system comprises at least two parts that work together to form a whole. You cannot alter one part without influencing the others.
Defining a complex problem is key to starting to solve it, as you then ensure you’re solving the right problem. The ability to define a complex problem is crucial to being a Chartered Professional Engineer. If you can’t demonstrate you're doing so, you’re unlikely to be working at the required level.
A problem is when there’s a difference between the current state and the ideal future state – the ideality. To define the ideality, you must start by identifying the need for the system. The best solution may
not be exactly what your client is iniitally asking for. Our role can be to step back, define the problem and come up with the best solution.
Step 1. Define the problem
Step back and frame the problem as a problem statement. What's happening and what does it mean? State relevant goals and clarify the scope and timelines. Use a conceptual model (not a computer model) to show how the system is working or needs to work. Write down the different factors at play and how they interact. Make your statement clear and ensure you are specific about requirements. For a problem statement to be valid, it must be actionable. Write it so others can immediately understand and contribute to solving the problem if required. Be clear about the constraints. Complex problems often involve multiple parties. How are you communicating with them, what compromises and agreements need to be made?
Detail your plan for solving the problem. What resources, knowledge and other parties are required? Consider, also, the next step, and how you’re making sure you’re working within defined constraints. Ensure you can clearly explain your decisions. Also, determine the timeframe or required level of accuracy to consider the problem solved.
you can share and solve it. This is often a team effort, so ensure everyone understands the system and agrees with your definition.
Step 3: Define your bounds of competence
Start by recognising that you don’t know what you don’t know. Is solving this problem within your bounds of competence, or do you need to bring on others to complement your knowledge?
Our assessment team are seeing a growing trend of engineers presenting a computer model and screeds of calculations to prove they’re CPEng ready. However, this doesn’t demonstrate competence in solving complex problems, or that the problem was complex. You must show how you went through the problem-solving process and how, at the minimum, you answered these questions: What was your starting point?
How did you define the ideal future state?
How did you define the parameters of the problem?
What different options did you evaluate for the overall system?
What conflicts were there?
How did you resolve the conflicts?
How have you shown your decisionmaking process around parameters and conflicts?
Step
Once you've articulated the problem,
Pratchett MEngNZ is Engineering Practice Leader at Te Ao Rangahau.
Based
Role: Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Atkins
Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Otago, 2010; Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Civil), University of Canterbury, 2014
Jane Rendall CMEngNZ CPEng
in: London, United Kingdom
I describe my role to non-engineers as… A ground engineer. I do work to prevent buildings sinking into the ground, basements caving in and hillsides slipping away.
The part of my job that always surprises people is… that it’s not just about earthquakes. In the UK, people think New Zealand must have more exciting geotechnical projects (because of the seismic risk). But this is one cool thing about geotechnical engineering: geohazards vary a lot across the globe. London has a lot of work related to ground movements (settlement/heave) of the prevalence of clay, which isn’t so common at home. I’ve also worked on projects in the Middle East where collapsible soils were the big issue.
The best emoji to sum up me on a typical workday is…
The best thing I’ve introduced at my workplace is… rocscience Settle3 software into the work IT systems and I’m now the software lead/champion for it.
In my role, I always challenge… people (colleagues, clients, anyone really) when I think they are being unfair, whether demonstrating bias of some kind, or if I feel people in my team are being overlooked for promotion or recognition.
At work, I’ve never been afraid to… say what I really think.
In the past year, I’ve pushed boundaries by… saying what I really thought, and challenging unfairness no matter the seniority of the person I was talking to.
I admire engineers who… love what they do, are innovative and get excited by projects they are contributing to. Technical directors and other subject matter experts who make time to help and guide the graduates. Also, engineers who aren’t afraid of thinking outside the boundaries set by conventional design.
At school, teachers always described me as… talkative (wouldn’t shut up) and bold.
My luckiest break was… being the geotechnical lead and project manager on a multidisciplinary project for remediation of an embankment failure on the M25 motorway near London. I was essentially thrown in at the deep end by someone who knew I would succeed (although at first I wasn’t so self-assured). I had a steep learning curve but gained so much knowledge and experience in a short space of time.
The bravest thing I’ve done to get where I am today… deciding after five years of university that I needed to study some more and find something I was really passionate about doing for a career.
Best career advice I’ve received… do something you enjoy doing (thanks Dad).
I’d advise other people interested in my type of role to… ask questions and be inquisitive. There are no dumb questions. No one knows everything, even technical directors have areas of weaker knowledge. And get used to playing with dirt – geotech engineering isn’t a tidy job.
3 things I love about my job:
The uncertainty of geotechnical engineering – there’s no single answer to any problem and no single value to attribute to materials. There’s a lot of judgement and risk evaluation. No two projects are the same. At any one point I could be working on a mixture of projects comprising: foundations for a new building, remediation of landslips or sinkholes, modifications to existing earthworks on highways to increase capacity, or undertaking ground movement assessments for developments. Almost all aspects of civil engineering have some interaction with the ground so my work covers multiple markets and industries.
I get to do aspects of design, project and stakeholder management, plus people management and interacting with contractors, clients and colleagues.
reasons why I chose to study engineering:
I got a lot of satisfaction out of solving physics and mathematics problems at school and university. I also loved new buildings and houses so I thought I would study to be a structural engineer. I didn’t discover geotechnical engineering until I was already at university but was hooked from the first paper.
thing I wouldn’t change about my workday:
The variety of work, and the people.
Based in: Auckland Role: Water Engineer at WSP
Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Environmental) (Hons), the University of Auckland, 2019
At university, Sam Hiha leant towards the general civil side of his Civil and Environmental Engineering degree, as opposed to structural engineering, and had some internships in geotechnical engineering. Post-university, he switched disciplines, joining the water team at WSP as a graduate in 2020. Since then, he’s worked primarily within stormwater engineering, gaining experience in design, flood risk, stormwater treatment and asset management. Outside of work you’ll find this Commonwealth Games Black Stick on the hockey turf.
When did you first get involved with hockey?
My first experience with hockey was when I was very young, hitting a ball on a tennis court with my grandmother, Margaret Hiha MNZM, who played hockey for New Zealand and was later the national women’s hockey team coach and a selector. I started taking hockey more seriously in high school when I realised that I wasn’t going to be an All Black!
How old were you when people realised you had a real talent for the sport?
I made regional representative teams in Hawke’s Bay and Central throughout U15–U18s, as well as being involved in development programmes within the region. I was first recognised nationally in my last year of high school, making the NZ U19 team.
What do you love most about the game?
I love the competitive side of it and the camaraderie – there’s no better feeling than celebrating in the changing rooms with the team after a big win.
Where has hockey taken you?
I’ve been lucky enough for hockey to have taken me all over the world. I’ve travelled most of New Zealand through hockey tournaments and I’ve been to Asia, Australia, and most recently, Europe.
You played for the Black Sticks at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, how was that experience?
The Games had an unbelievable atmosphere. Being in a village with so many world class athletes and competing in front of large crowds against some of the best teams in the world was awesome. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results we wanted but the experience was invaluable.
Tell us something about your involvement with hockey that might surprise people. Even competing at a national level, most players also work part/full time or are studying.
What’s your best advice for young hockey players?
Keep working hard, nail the basics, know your strengths and trust the value you bring. On the hockey field, it’s important to perform the basic skills at a high level fatigued and under pressure. Even though it’s sometimes boring training the same thing over and over again, it can be the most important thing you do.
Does being an engineer bring any advantages to the way you approach hockey?
Being able to problem solve quickly is a big part of the game of hockey. Being analytically minded, I can assess various situations on the field and find the best
solution. With the game played at such a fast pace, you’re always going to get some calls wrong though.
do you juggle hockey training with your day job?
It’s quite difficult as the season is mostly year-round with the odd break. During the season we’ll have hockey sessions five times per week on top of strength and conditioning sessions. A lot of this overlaps with work so I’m lucky WSP allows me to have flexible hours. When we go into camp for international games or tournaments I focus fully on the hockey.
The Black Sticks are competing in the Hockey World Cup in India in January. This is a pinnacle event for us with all the top teams in the world attending, so I’m super excited to have the opportunity to play, if selected!
Role: Associate Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, the University of Canterbury
Based in: Christchurch
Education: Bachelor of Computer Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia, 1990; Master of Computer Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia, 1997: PhD (Electrical and Electronic Engineering), the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 2010
Associate Professor Stephen Weddell’s life’s work has been in electronics, from sales and marketing to engineering and management, then academia. He joined the University of Canterbury as a research engineer, received the Vice Chancellor’s award in 2003, completed a part-time PhD and was offered a Lectureship in 2010. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013 and Associate Professor in 2021. Stephen secured a Marsden grant in 2018 to improve spacecraft images through turbulence, which helped him establish a research group focused on computational design and adaptation. In 2022, the group signed an agreement with NASA to confirm the location of a capsule in cislunar space using special instrumentation the group is developing.
A lamp, a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, a glass of water, reading glasses and three stacks of both fiction and non-fiction books.
Let’s focus on those books, why did you choose them?
Next to electronics and photography, I enjoy reading cosmology. Authors such as Barlow, Penrose, Nolan and Togmark provide insight into our universe and what may lie beyond. I’m currently learning Spanish, so I have some easy-to-digest books I can practise with. My Spanish colleagues have perfect English, but knowing the Spanish language adds another dimension to our discussions. A stack of science fiction books compete for space; some classics, some new. Top of the non-fiction stack is a biography, William H. Pickering, America’s Deep Space Pioneer by Douglas J Mudgway, given to me by a retiring colleague.
How do they help you in your role?
Well, you know Albert Einstein’s famous quote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and
understand.” This just about covers both ends of the spectrum.
Which group of engineering professionals is this type of publication most helpful for?
Aerospace engineering, but arguably, all of our more classical engineering disciplines feed into this. If you read Mudgway’s book on William Pickering (who is originally from Havelock in Marlborough) you learn about his career at NASA and JPL and his countless contributions to space exploration.
What is the top book you would recommend to other engineers?
As a general reference, particularly for software engineers, I recommend Design Patterns, Elements of Reusable ObjectOriented Software, by Erich Gamma et al. Since its original release in 1994, many themes in this book are still used and taught, and this is a recommended text in one of my Honours courses in teaching object-orientated design for embedded systems.
What book has most influenced your career?
During my career in engineering, I was perhaps most influenced by the book by Deborah Cadbury (and associated BBC TV series and DVD), Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
What work-related books are on your mustread list?
I like to skim through journals relating to my work, such as IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems and Spectrum, and share relevant articles with members of my research group and colleagues.
Physical science, chaos, and science fiction novels, such as The Emperor’s New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds and The Laws of Physics by Roger Penrose, the Culture series by Iain M Banks and more recent authors, such as Dan Simmons’ Ilium and Stephen Fry’s Troy
Ebook /paper copy
Borrow/own Bookmark/turn down page
The podcast interview-based series, Māori in Engineering, is Alyce Lysaght’s (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Pākehā) response to the underrepresentation of Māori in the industry. An Emerging Professional Member of Te Ao Rangahau, the Graduate Water Engineer at WSP showcases Māori who elevate the engineering world. The series is described as “a space for inspiration, learning and tautoko”.
Alyce is a warm, genuine interviewer who connects with her interviewees, and her audience, resulting in insightful conversations. She gives interviewees time to think and reflect, and she doesn’t shy away from answering questions when the tables are turned. Interviewees range from school leavers and students, through to Fellows of Te Ao Rangahau, such as Sina Cotter-Tait.
Alyce has said in a Diversity Agenda Big Interview she created the podcast after learning there were amazing Māori in the engineering industry across Aotearoa, “but there wasn’t really an accessible platform to learn about their journey, why they became who they are now and how they did it”.
She says: “The podcast isn’t a be-all-end-all solution to solve the underrepresentation of Māori in the engineering world. It’s a platform to shine a light on the amazing engineers in Aotearoa. And ultimately to inspire tauira Māori to pursue study and a career in engineering.
She adds it’s also space for people to learn and to emphasise the importance of having Māori in engineering. The podcast is available at maori-in-engineering.com and on Apple and Spotify.
Grant Maxwell MEngNZ’s role in Stantec’s New Zealand business is to connect and champion the company’s geoprofessionals. He provides strategic direction to the group and ensures they’re well-positioned to contribute and respond to Stantec’s strategy. He has operated in similar roles for most of his career, connecting people, assisting clients and leading projects. Grant has a special interest in emergency management and resilience, and has been involved in many disaster responses and recovery programmes across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. He was the geotechnical lead for the Civil Defence storm response in Nelson in August 2022, leading the local geotechnical community in assessing damage, liaising with Civil Defence Emergency Management and speaking at public briefings.
What attributes make you a good leader?
I describe my leadership style as collaborative and coaching. I get a lot of enjoyment out of facilitating team and project outcomes by bringing people together and inspiring people to be the best version of themselves. Life is too short to be boring, so I make it my daily mission to encourage my teams and be a purposed cheerleader to champion people I can influence.
At the end of each day, what tells you whether you’ve been successful?
To me, success is measured by group achievement as opposed to anything I can do individually. In our engineering
world this means striving for happy client, consultant, contractor and community. This can often be achieved with welldefined intent and a well-developed plan that everyone engages with.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
As a teenager I met my local Member of Parliament who had completed a PhD in civil engineering prior to moving into politics. He explained the vastness of engineering and the opportunities within the industry and all my childhood Lego building dreams were realised – I was going to be an engineer!
Who opened a key door for you?
I’ve had the privilege of working under some great leaders. I worked for, then with, Don Clifford for many years. He showed me the difference between being an engineer and a consultant and that our clients want a trusted advisor who understands their business.
How do you connect your work with a sense of greater good?
I love taking the opportunity to teach. My greater good is leaving a footprint of influence and value by helping those with less experience bypass the mistakes made along my career – of which there are a few!
What mistake have you learned from most? Making mistakes feels like a regular occurrence. Sometimes the key is to be humble enough to put your hand up and own them and learn from them – every time.
Role: NZ Geotechnical Leader, Stantec Based in: Nelson Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), University of Canterbury, 1998
How do you approach a difficult conversation with someone you lead?
I grew up trying to avoid conflict, so difficult conversations are not a natural thing for me to deal with. I've developed some good tools over the years, including always treating people the way you'd like to be treated. People normally act with good intentions, so often the difficulties are due to misinterpretations. Also, always be kind and constructive.
Who is a leader in New Zealand you admire?
I admire a number of Kiwi leaders, each for very different qualities. Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw ONZ always impressed me by striving to lead with passion and influence, inspiring people around him to be the best they could be.
What questions have you been asking yourself lately?
I recently had a lightbulb moment and realised that I am more than half-way through my career! As a response, this year I set myself a task of researching and defining the goals I want to set myself for the next half, and how I can influence the next generation of leaders in our industry.
Highly respected and much loved by his students, Emeritus Professor Arved Jaan Raudkivi FEngNZ has been described as one of the most influential professors at Ardmore School of Engineering and later at Symonds Street. Arved was born in Estonia in the 1920s, but with occupations by Russian and German forces devastating Estonia in the 1940s, he fled to a United Nations (UN) refugee camp in West Germany. With UN refugee agency assistance, Arved studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig, graduating in 1946.
Wishing to get as far away from Europe as possible, Arved applied to come to New Zealand where he accepted a job in the hydro design section of the Ministry of Works and was instrumental in setting up a new hydraulics testing laboratory. He was offered a lectureship at Ardmore and relocated there with his wife and three children in 1956.
Many of his former students, particularly those completing doctorates under his guidance, later became significant engineering and academic leaders.
Arved always had an interest in rivers and coastlines, becoming an internationally recognised expert in loose boundary hydraulics and the scour effect at bridge piers. He published many technical papers in the journals of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the International Association for Hydro-environmental Engineering and Research. He was scientific advisor and visiting professor to many European organisations.
Bob Blyth was a proud Scotsman who found his second home in Christchurch. He’s been described as softly spoken but with a steely determination to overcome problems on projects. Recognising that everyone needed to be in the room, talking, to find solutions, he was often part project director, part confidant and part coach.
A retired Principal in Beca’s Southern Project, Strategy and Delivery team, Bob had expertise in project management, particularly in the construction phase. A “go-to” person for construction management and Engineer to the Contract advice, he was part of some major Christchurch projects including Christchurch City Council’s major sewer upgrade. During and after the Canterbury earthquake sequence, he was instrumental in helping deliver major projects, including the Cardboard Cathedral.
He recognised the social impact Beca could make to the culture and heritage fabric of Christchurch and is credited with being “almost singlehandedly responsible” for Beca’s support of Christchurch Heritage Week and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade, and SCAPE Public Art.
Bob will be remembered for his passion and advocacy for clients and communities, his ability to connect people, his communication skills, and for being a “mover and shaker” in Christchurch.
He was a Fellow of Te Ao Rangahau and was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), United Kingdom for more than 50 years.
Graeme Shadwell trained in civil engineering at the University of Canterbury, obtaining a Master of Engineering degree in 1955, followed by a Master of Engineering Science in Traffic Engineering from the University of New South Wales in 1960.
He had a long engineering career, employed by the Ministry of Works and Development from 1952 to 1988, and rose to head the Department as Commissioner of Works from 1985 to 1988. At that time, the Ministry of Works and Development had about 12,000 employees and also employed about 4,000 contractors. During his career, he was involved in a number of large projects including construction of Wellington’s Johnsonville bypass and Thorndon overbridge, and he was Project Manager for the Kapuni and Maui gas pipeline projects. He later became Director of Roading at head office, before moving to the Assistant Commissioner and Commissioner roles. In 1988, when the Government disestablished the Department, Graeme worked with the staff and politicians through that difficult process.
After retirement from the Ministry, he was Project Director for the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa's construction, from 1988–1998. He later worked as a Commissioner under the Resource Management Act for various projects, including the recently completed Transmission Gully, north of Wellington.
Graeme was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1989.
Image: Upper Hutt Libraries heritage collection
When industrial designer Jillian Miller noticed that a gap in animal anaesthesia masks meant potentially dangerous gas was leaking out and being inhaled by vet staff, she also noticed a gap in the market. She set out to fill this gap by designing a mask that would create a comfortable seal around an animal’s face while anaesthetic gases are administered. She created Somnum, a series of differentsized anaesthesia masks for use on animal patients at veterinary clinics, providing an adequate seal that prevents waste gas leaks. Two prototype masks fit dogs, cats and rabbits. Jillian plans to continue working on different sizes, and seal shapes, and would like to expand the range into exotic species and birds. In 2022, Somnum made it through to the International Top 20 in the James Dyson Award competition and was awarded gold at the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards in 2022.
Clear polymer plastic dome features hand indents for better grip and has a recessed ridge that seal attaches to
Ear decals on top represent different styles of seals
The bottom is squared to stop the mask from rolling on the table, reducing the risk of patient neck trauma
Seal is made of soft-touch, medical-grade silicone, providing flex, and is detachable for easy cleaning and storage
Connector valve at the top makes Somnum compatible with standard anaesthesia machines
Collapsible top is designed to address dead space (any areas in the mask that are empty) – if patient has a long snout, mask can be extended
It’s mission critical for the engineering profession’s largest Kiwi schools programme, the Wonder Project. The programme is calling on the support of Aotearoa’s engineering community so it can continue inspiring over 30,000 rangatahi with STEM year after year.
If you’ve ever wondered if you should volunteer for the Wonder Project, the time to do so is now. The magic of the programme is its volunteer industry ambassadors, who inspire and help to build confidence in students and teachers as they work through hands-on STEM challenges. Ambassadors leave a lasting impact on rangatahi, by connecting what they’re learning in the classroom, with the world around them – encouraging them to consider a STEM career in the process.
The Wonder Project was designed in response to industry concerns, to address the current and forecasted skills shortage across the Aotearoa engineering profession. It does this by encouraging Kiwi kids across the country, and especially girls, Māori, and Pacific Peoples, to get curious about STEM and ultimately consider pursuing an engineering career. In doing so, the programme aims to shift the dial on under-represented demographics in STEM fields.
Our engineering industry continues to rely on incoming talent, to bring Aotearoa closer to closing the skills and diversity gap, and ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation. This makes
the mahi of the Wonder Project especially critical to the future of the profession. And our impact is much greater when rangatahi are exposed to industry role models who help bring STEM to life in the classroom.
Ambassadors are the Wonder Project’s key point of difference amongst the huge range of STEM initiatives available in Aotearoa. Your support is mission critical in 2023, to ensure we can continue to upscale the programme and its massive impact for years to come. To help make the good stuff happen, and maintain our growth trajectory, we need around 1000 new volunteer ambassadors.
Since 2018 the Wonder Project has been well supported by a community of ambassadors who have helped to inspire almost 70,000 students to date. And the stats speak for themselves:
• 77% of students feel more confident in STEM subjects after participating
• 58% of students are more interested in STEM jobs after participating
• 97% of ambassadors say they would recommend the experience
Visit Wonderproject.nz to join our mission. Or, if you’d like to learn more, drop us an email and we’ll call you for a friendly kōrero wonder@engineeringnz.org
Join the mission to spark Kiwi kids’ curiosity today, so we have enough engineers tomorrow.
Volunteer to support a class to participate in the Rocket Challenge, in 2023.
Sign up now wonderproject.nz
Peyroux Wonder Project AmbassadorAOTEA CENTRE, AUCKLAND
Join us as we celebrate women in STEM who are ‘Shaping the Future’. The Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) and Engineering New Zealand are excited to welcome STEM professionals from across the globe at the 19th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists.
Through presentations, discussions, networking, and field trips, we’ll bring together global expertise to discuss key initiatives driven by women in STEM, and hear from keynote speakers including Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard and Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles MNZM.
