Symposium hubs in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch; the four hubs were connected via zoom link
Wednesday 23 October 2024, NZGS Branches
The New Zealand Geotechnical Society (NZGS) in partnership with Engineering New Zealand and MBIE hosted the second ‘NZGS Climate Change Symposium’ to discuss the role of geoprofessionals in climate change.
In order to minimize travel, four regional hubs were set-up in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch, where participants and presenters could meet and connect in person. All hubs were also connected with each other via an online link for an engaging day of inspiring presentations and discussions across the regions.
Registrations for the event were free and catering was provided at each hub to keep the attendees nourished and energised (thank you to the NZGS Branches for sponsoring the catering).
There were twelve presentations in general, which were delivered in 3 blocks. There was only one stream of presentations and each presenter had a timeslot of 30 minutes. The last block in the afternoon included a panel discussion, which provided great insights how representatives from councils, asset owners, consultants and geotechnical contractors include the challenges of climate change in their current and future work.
The first block of four presentations provided fantastic insights from the Natural Hazards Commission, Auckland Council, National Emergency Management Agency and Kiwi Rail.
The second and third block included several case studies, practical research into re-use of recycled concrete and how Teaching and Research in New Zealand include Climate Change related topics in their curriculum.
It was encouraging to see the vast knowledge, skills and passion in the Geo-professional industry to actively promote and ‘do’ Climate Change impact assessments and mitigation works. Geoprofessionals will play a key role in the mitigation and adaptation work in years to come and there were so many positive examples highlighted during the day of how individuals and companies have already made an impact on building a more sustainable future for New Zealand and the globe.
Thak you again to all presenters and panellists for delivering a range of diverse presentations, all relating to Climate Change. All presenters were highly engaging, and the content and quality of the presentations were excellent. It was a fantastic event, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Thank you to the organizing committee for putting all the hard work into this event and for making it a success.
Martin Larisch (Larisch Consulting Ltd)
