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Engineering in changing times: Reminiscences of a New Zealand civil engineer

by Graham Ramsay

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In 1966 engineers had a mainly technical role. Fast forward to 2016 and advancing technology had revolutionised the profession, allowing more comprehensive and sophisticated investigations, testing and analyses. In addition, changes in legislation and the expectations of society have meant that civil engineers are now expected to become involved in public consultation and consider the environmental impacts of projects.This book describes a wide range of projects Graham Ramsay was involved in with the Ministry of Works and Development between 1973 and 1988 and with Beca Consultants from 1988 to 2016. Using these projects, the author has shown how engineering has changed over those years and discusses ongoing challenges facing the profession. He comments on the changing political and bureaucratic processes for selecting and procuring infrastructure projects that he observed during his career, expresses his views on the reasons for the mixed success of those processes, and reports his experiences with and views on the RMA consenting process. He notes the challenges New Zealand seems to be facing in finding and agreeing the solutions for some serious infrastructure deficiencies, and suggests that professional engineers should be engaged more in those decisions.

About the Author

Graham Ramsay was born in Papakura in 1948 and educated at Kings College, Otahuhu and the University of Auckland School of Engineering. After graduating in 1973 with a PhD, Graham joined the Ministry of Works and Development in Auckland. In 1975 he and his wife, Virginia, relocated to Wellington and settled in Paremata. In 1988 he moved to Beca Consultants, retiring in 2016.

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