It has been a whirlwind getting this issue together with many changes and updates at government and professional level that affect our profession. Keep your eye out for these items in the Chair’s report and in notices in this issue.
As I indicated last issue, this issue contains a special feature focussing on the early geotechnical response to the Kaikōura earthquake. Given the time frame for this special feature, we focussed mostly on short technical items with plenty of photos providing an update of what has been happening. In reading these contributions it is interesting for us to reflect on how the natural, engineered and built environment performed and what kind of field work have we done. We should be asking ourselves questions about how resilient we are, how the response is proceeding and what we have learned so far. We are keen to receive your thoughts and feedback that are generated by these earthquake updates.
We are also publicising the 20th NZGS Symposium in Napier on 23-26 November 2017. Pierre Malan and the organisation committee have put a tremendous amount of work into organising key note speakers and trialling a new, single stream format aimed at generating discussion amongst the attendees and experts. Keep your eye out for the MBIE Masterclass on the 23rd November and the field trip on 26th November.
For the first time the NZGS has organised a 2-day short course in engineering geology in late August – early September in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. This course is aimed at early career practitioners with 3-5 years’ experience. NZGS have worked closely with senior engineering geologists from New Zealand and Australia to develop a curriculum that addresses the practical application of engineering geology. This is a great opportunity to upskill and we hope to see many of you there!
Finally, we have several Society announcements in this issue, including announcements for student awards, professional awards and the AGM later this year. Take a close look at these so you know how and when to participate in the activities of the society.
