After questions were raised about six buildings in Masterton by one of our members, IPENZ alerted the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). This resulted in initial seismic assessments of these six buildings, followed by more detailed assessments, which raised questions about the engineering of the buildings.. There have also been assessments of a number of other buildings.
IPENZ is commencing an own-motion inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the engineering design and construction of these six buildings in Masterton. IPENZ cares deeply about public trust and confidence in our engineers and we need to get to the bottom of what has happened here. The best way to do this is to investigate what has happened.
Own-motion inquiries are best reserved for matters with broader systemic implications. They are different from own-motion complaints. They allow us to look into the circumstances before determining whether any action needs to be taken in relation to individual engineers.
Our responsibility is to investigate matters as they relate to individual engineers. But engineers are part of a system. Everything happens within a context and it is important that we understand context at an individual, systemic and sector-wide level. This will form part of the Inquiry.
The Inquiry will look at what happened, why and what we can learn. This could include the adequacy of oversight, supervision, and quality assurance processes; and broader issues involved in the engineering review of those designs and construction monitoring.
The first step of the process is to gather facts and identify issues to determine whether any individual engineers need to be investigated further. It’s also to consider whether there are any systemic or contextual factors that may require a response from IPENZ.
The Inquiry will take a neutral, deliberate approach and is likely to take some months.
| An IPENZ release | Dec 01,206 |
IPENZ | Our finalists for the Young Engineer of the Year 2017 have been chosen from an incredibly high-calibre group of candidates! Congratulations to Lachlan Matchett, Oliver Whalley and Virginie Lacrosse on becoming our finalists.
Our entrants are judged in six areas:
They will give a ten minute presentation to support their application at an event hosted by the IPENZ Auckland branch in February.
| Continue to full article | IPENZ | Dec 08, 2016 |
How do you clean efficiently and cost effectively when water pressure is low or clean water supplies are limited? This is a dilemma many businesses face. But there is a solution – a Hose Gun that combines low pressure water with compressed air.
Air Water Gun1 260x300 Use 50% less water every time you cleanTecpro Australia’s Air/Water Cleaning Gun allows you to run 2 supply hoses into it – one for air and one for water. The air propels the water inside the Gun so when you pull the trigger a more powerful jet of water is released.
This has the effect of increasing the impact force of the water stream so your cleaning teams can work more efficiently. At the same time, it decreases the amount of water required. In fact tests have found the Air/Water Cleaning Gun uses 50% less water than a water only hose gun when used in the same cleaning applications.
The Tecpro Air/Water Cleaning Gun also has the power to save you money as air is cheaper than water in most locations. Plus lower water usage contributes to greater worker safety with reduced water pooling and floors drying faster resulting in fewer potential slip hazards.
The Air/Water Cleaning Gun is made from heavy duty aluminium with a heat and chemical resistant EPDM cover. The Cleaning Gun is suitable for hot water usage up to 50°C, and the air and water inlets both handle a maximum inlet pressure of 5 Bar (or 72psi).
Tecpro’s Air/Water Cleaning Gun is perfect for heavy duty cleaning applications when both air and water supplies are available. It is a popular choice for food manufacturers, abattoirs and for cleaning greasy engines and equipment.
| A Tecpro release |
Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to New York tomorrow for UN Security Council meetings.
“This will be my final visit to New York during our two years on the United Nations Security Council,” Mr McCully says.
“We are focused on working right up to the last day and while in New York I will participate in the quarterly Open Debate on the Middle East, which will include a briefing from outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and a Ministerial-level debate on Non-Proliferation hosted by the new Foreign Minister of Spain.
“I will also meet with incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the head of UN Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous.
“While New Zealand’s tenure on the Council is drawing to a close, many of the issues we have championed during our term will continue to be a focus for our foreign policy effort in the coming years.
“This visit is about ensuring that New Zealand is well positioned to continue pushing for top-level UN reform and other issues that matter to small states as we transition off the Security Council,” Mr McCully says.
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242