Kia ora koutou
At the NZGS Management Committee Meeting on 21 September 2023, I was honoured to be elected to the position as Chair. I have taken over the role from Eleni Gkeli, who has moved on to the immediate past Chair. Eleni, has kindly offered to support me through a transition period for the next few months.
As the NZGS Chair for the next two years, I intend to continue the hard work of Eleni and her Management Committee and focus on these services we have delivered to our members, including:
- training and CPD opportunities, through presentations, webinars, workshops, and mini-Symposia,
- continue and progress our technical projects that include developing and supporting guidance documents and geotechnical information databases,
- liaise and collaborate with the other Technical Societies (SESOC and NZSEE) in New Zealand and internationally through our representatives (ISRM, ISSMGE and IAEG), and other professional organisations such as Engineering New Zealand and the Australian Geomechanics Society.
In addition, I would like the Management Committee to focus on a few other things including; engaging with our YGPs, Branches, and smaller consultant groups, contractors, and specialist material suppliers. We will also need to be focused on the new occupational regulatory regime for professional engineers, which, with the recent change of Government, means an ever-changing landscape.
As you are aware, the inclusion of Engineering Geologists was not mentioned in the Cabinet paper, and the status on this is currently uncertain. NZGS believes that it will be a huge step backwards if Engineering Geologists are not included in the new registration and licensing regime, in a manner equivalent to the Geotechnical Engineers. Your NZGS Management Committee will continue monitoring the situation.
Your new Management Committee consists of the following elected representatives and Secretary:
- Ioannis Antonopoulos – Vice-Chair and NZGS Awards, Grants and NZGS Scholarship
- Emilia Stocks -Treasurer and Short Courses, Climate Change Symposium
- Richard Justice – Slope Stability Module lead
- Liam Wotherspoon – Short Courses, Climate Change Symposium
- Martin Larisch – Climate Change Focus Group
- Jesse Beetham – Local Branch Coordinator
- Teresa Roetman – Management Secretary
The following NZGS are co-opted onto the NZGS Management Committee:
- Eleni Gkeli – Immediate Past-Chair, 15th ANZ Conference in Geomechanics Convenor
- Ross Roberts – IAEG NZ Liaison, NZGD Coordinator
- Paul Horrey – ISRM NZ Liaison
- Rolando Orense – ISSMGE NZ liaison
- Camilla Gibbons and Robert Kamuhangire – NZ Geomechanics News Editors
- Christoph Krauss – YGP Coordinator
- Jordan Moll and Wendy Weng – Website Managers
Sadly, we must farewell some of our hard-working committee members. Jen Smith, Sam Glue and Ayoub Riman. We would like to thank them for their efforts and contribution to the Society.
We are pleased to report that NZGS is in a healthy financial position, and we have delivered and will continue to deliver a program of activities to fulfill the NZGS core role as defined in the aims of the Society:
- To advance the education and application of soil mechanics, rock mechanics and engineering geology among engineers and scientists.
- To advance the practice and application of these disciplines in engineering.
- To implement the statutes of the respective international societies in so far as they are applicable in New Zealand.
- To ensure that the learning achieved through the above objectives is passed on to the public as is appropriate.
Highlights for the NZGS in the past year included training programs and short courses. Delivered both in-person and as online seminars. The local branches have also revived their activities, with interesting presentations from local and international experts. We have continued to develop guidance documents and provided support to Engineering New Zealand, MBIE, Councils, ACENZ, Waka Kotahi, EQC and other national and local bodies. We continued the close collaboration with our sister technical societies, SESOC and NZSEE. We have continued to produce NZ Geomechanics News with high quality content.
This year, I was pleased to attend the 14th ANZ Conference on Geomechanics in Cairns, Australia. It was a very successful and well attended event with over 470 delegates, of which about 80 were from New Zealand. A very successful sundowner event was also organised as part of the conference, where the contribution of Women in the Geo-profession, the AGS and the NZGS was celebrated. The profiles of the women from NZ recognized in this event are included in this issue of NZ Geomechanics News.
NZGS participated in a panel discussion on the education of future generations of geo-professionals in ANZ, organised jointly by Academics and industry professionals from both countries. Liam Wotherspoon representing NZ Academia, Eleni Gkeli representing experienced industry professionals and Christoph Kraus, representing young industry professionals. More opportunities will be sought to continue this discussion and develop actions for both parts of the equation, to improve the situation. This initiative is part of the ISSMGE Heritage Time Capsule project.
Speaking of the ISSMGE, we have just received from the Secretary General the draft Articles of Association as well as draft Regulations that will be needed to allow the ISSMGE to become Incorporated and thereby establish itself as a legal entity. The aim is to convene a Council meeting soon after 24th November in which Member Societies will be able to vote on a motion to proceed with Incorporation.
Conclusion
If you would like to become involved in the NZGS activities or have suggestions on services we can provide our Members, please get in touch with me or the Management Secretary or any other member of the Committee. Email us at chair@nzgs.org or secretary@nzgs.org.
This year has been marked by the extreme weather events. Again, the geotechnical industry has been called upon to help in the response and recovery. Our profession was under significant pressure this year with available resources stretched beyond capacity.
We hope that you take the time in the next few months to relax, spend time with family and friends and enjoy the fine summer weather.
Ngā mihi
Philip Robins
Chair 2024-2025
Mobile: +64 27 707 9390
Philip Robins is a Principal Geotechnical Engineer and Technical Director at Beca. Philip is an acknowledged specialist in geotechnical engineering, high-seismicity engineering and design development, and is recognised by his peers as a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand. Trained as a civil engineer with a broad range of experience, locally and internationally, Philip brings outstanding technical expertise in geotechnical engineering leadership that spans all sectors of civil infrastructure. Over the past 30 years, he has consistently shown his ability to lead geotechnical design and the development of geotechnical designs for numerous projects while developing key client relationships. Philip is a Nominated Member of the ISSMGE Technical Committee (TC104) – Physical Modelling in Geotechnics and (T220) – Field Monitoring in Geomechanics and was the ISSMGE Vice President – Australasia 2019 – 2021. Philip served on the NZGS Management Committee in 2009 and 2010 and was on the organizing committee for the NZGS Symposium in Dunedin, March 2021. Philip is now based in Palmerston North, where he moved with his family at the end of 202
