I am pleased to announce that former NZ Geotechnical Society Chair Gavin Alexander has been nominated for Life Membership of the NZGS to recognise his service to the Society in leadership roles over an extended period of time. Gavin has invested a considerable amount of his personal time in the NZGS, having served on the NZGS management committee for a decade. In that he took on the roles of treasurer, chair and more recently the ISSMGE Vice President for Australasia.
During Gavin’s tenure as Chair the NZGS was awarded the Outstanding Member Society of the International Society for Soil mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in recognition of the impact that the society was having under his stewardship. He also took a leading role in managing the Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering Practice Modules, guiding their delivery in a way that has resulted in a very significant improvement in performance across the whole geotechnical industry.
He has led and contributed to numerous professional events, the highlights of which include:
- 19th NZGS Symposium, Hanging by a thread. Lifelines, infrastructure and natural disasters (Queenstown, 2013)
- 12th Australia New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Changing the face of the earth (Wellington, 2015)
- 6th International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (Christchurch, 2015), and
- 20th NZGS Symposium, What In Earth Is Going On. Balancing Risk, Reward, Regulation and Reality (Napier, 2017)
These events have been hugely successful for the NZGS and our members, and brought international best practice to New Zealand.
During his time on the NZGS management committee Gavin has focused on making sure that it is an active society that is sought out for and presents views on current events that touch its sphere, provides industry guidance and supports the education and growth of its members. It is clear that through the period of Gavin’s governance the Society has grown hugely in its status and contribution to society.
On behalf of the NZGS management committee, I would like to congratulate Gavin and to thank him for his ongoing support, collaborative leadership and wise counsel.
Ross Roberts
NZGS Chair
