Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury, Dr Brian Guo lists three adjectives that will shape the future of engineering: digital, sustainable, and resilient. “It’s a pretty awesome time to be in the field!” he exclaims. “In a nutshell, the future of engineering is all about […]

Government Introduces Self-Certification Scheme for Trusted Builders The Government has gone ahead with their new scheme to allow trusted builders to sign off on their own work. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced that, in turn, the government would also set a mandatory target to tackle building inspection wait times. Inspection targets will come […]

Government Takes Action to Protect Power Lines The government has now agreed to amendments to the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003, which will lower the risk of power lines from trees that are close to but aren’t immediately beside the line. Energy Minister Hon Simon Watts says improving the current system to better protect […]

New home consents down overall, but South Island bucks the trend There were 34,062 new homes consented in Aotearoa New Zealand in the year ended March 2025, down 3.3% compared with the year ended March 2024, according to new figures released by Stats NZ. In the year ended March 2025, the North Island recorded 23,570 […]

A tragic reminder of rooftop dangers WorkSafe is urging businesses whose employees work at height to take the risks seriously after a tragic workplace accident left a Wellington man permanently injured. The incident, which happened in April 2023, has prompted renewed scrutiny over the safety practices of companies working on rooftops and in other elevated […]

Carbon farms are permanently locking up New Zealand landscapes and could land us with more carbon costs, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. With the aim of sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide through tree growth, pine carbon farms are a common approach to carbon farming. Typically consisting of fast-growing radiata pine, carbon farms are a […]