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David Bell Obituary

David Bell Obituary

David Bell, Senior Lecturer in Engineering Geology at the University of Canterbury for more than 50 years, passed away peacefully in Christchurch on January 11, 2026. David taught and mentored generations of engineering geologists across Australasia and collaborated widely through his consulting work, leaving a…

2025 GEOMECHANICS LECTURE

2025 GEOMECHANICS LECTURE

SOIL LIQUEFACTION MITIGATION USINGSUSTAINABLE ADDITIVES AND RECYCLED MATERIALS by ROLANDO ORENSE Dear Members, Join us for a special evening presentation by Rolando Orense, who in 2025 received the Geomechanics Lecture Award in recognition of his long-standing contributions to the geotechnical profession in New Zealand.The NZ Geomechanics…

Join the NZGS Management Committee – Website Coordinator

Join the NZGS Management Committee – Website Coordinator

The NZGS is seeking passionate and proactive member to join our Management Committee in co-opted role. This is a unique opportunity to influence how the Society connects, grows, and supports our geotechnical community across Aotearoa and beyond. Website Coordinator Are you organised, detail-oriented, and passionate about…

Join the NZGS Management Committee – Young Geo-Professionals Representative

Join the NZGS Management Committee – Young Geo-Professionals Representative

The NZGS is seeking passionate and proactive member to join our Management Committee in co-opted role. This is a unique opportunity to influence how the Society connects, grows, and supports our geotechnical community across Aotearoa and beyond. Young Geo-Professionals (YGP) Representative Are you an early-career geotechnical…

Obituary: Professor W. D. Liam Finn (1933–2025)

Obituary: Professor W. D. Liam Finn (1933–2025)

Professor W. D. Liam Finn, after a long and distinguished career that shaped generations of engineers and advanced the field of earthquake geotechnical engineering, passed away on 24 December 2025 at the age of 92.Professor Finn received his undergraduate education in civil engineering in Ireland…

Obituary: Professor Shamsher Prakash (1933 – 2025)

Obituary: Professor Shamsher Prakash (1933 – 2025)

Prof. Shamsher Prakash, an exemplary human being, a very able administrator and an academic stalwart in Soil Dynamics and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering has left all of us for his eternal abode on December 2, 2025 in Roorkee, India after long illness. His sudden demise left…

Obituary: Professor Kenji Ishihara (1934 – 2025)

Obituary: Professor Kenji Ishihara (1934 – 2025)

Professor Kenji Ishihara, Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo and one of the world’s foremost authorities in geotechnical engineering, passed away on December 26, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at the age of 91. His passing marks the end of an era in earthquake geotechnical…

Rock slopes design: how to choose the “right” values

Rock slopes design: how to choose the “right” values

by Muriel Gasc-Barbier, GeoCoD, Cerema – Vice-President for Europe of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) This lecture will focus on stability studies of medium-height rock slopes (a few dozen meters). We will focus on slides or wedges in rock slopes, insisting on the…

Special General Meeting of NZGS

Special General Meeting of NZGS

Dear Members, Join us for a Special General Meeting to confirm the NZGS Management Committee for 2026/27. Date: Tuesday, 13 January 2026 Time: 5pm Location: Online Register here: Webinar Registration – Zoom Background The affairs of the NZ Geotechnical Society are managed by the Management…