Programme

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Draft Programme as at 6 October 2026

Day 1: Understanding Legacy Risk – Built by the Past, Assessed for the Future

Sponsored by

Time
9.00 AM – 9.15 AM	Mihi whakatau
9.15 AM – 9.30 AM	Chair’s Welcome *Andrew Balme*, Genesis
9.30 AM – 9.35 AM	Day 1 Sponsor *Rebecca Polvere*, Damwatch Engineering
9.35 AM – 10.20 AM	Keynote Presentation Systems approaches to dam safety to build resilience *Dr Lianne Lefsurd,* University of Alberta, Canada
10.20 AM – 10.40 AM	Managing Dams Legacy Risks in New Zealand *Brian Benson*, Damwatch Engineering
10.40 AM – 11.10 AM	Morning Tea *Sponsored by Genesis*
11.10 AM – 12.10 PM	Flood hazard, adaptation, and resilience
11.10 AM – 11.30 AM	Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi – Stopbank Design Challenges *Sharyn Westlake*, GWRC *Bill Veale &* Margela Andrews, Damwatch Engineering
11.30 AM – 11.50 AM	Back to the Future for Probable Maximum Precipitation *David Payne,* Mercury
11.50 AM – 12.10 PM	The Importance of Stopbank Breach Modelling for Assessing Legacy Flood Risk in the Hawkes Bay *Cameron Paintin & Thomas Wallace,* Tonkin & Taylor
12.10 PM – 1.10 PM	Lunch *Sponsored by Genesis*
1.10 PM – 2.45 PM	Concurrent session 1a: Seismic hazard assessment	Concurrent session 1b: Surveillance and monitoring
1.10 PM – 1.30 PM	Seismic Stability Assessment of the Mangamahoe Dams *Dave Heard,* Riley Consultants	Managing a dam from construction through to operations *Andrew Kilby,* Damwatch Engineering
1.35 PM – 1.55 PM	Comparing on-fault seismicity and probabilistic seismic hazard from inversion *Govinda Niroula,* Damwatch Engineering	From Uplift Risk to Resilience: Drain Rehabilitation and Smart Monitoring at Moawhango Dam *Andrew Balme,* Genesis & Daniel Bardsley, Damwatch Engineering
2.00 PM – 2.20 PM	Enhancing Seismic Risk Understanding for High-Impact Dams through Site-Specific Investigations *Vis Chen,* Engineering Geology *Shreesh Basnyat* , Watercare	Using InSAR to monitor landslides *Joe Wheeler,* Contact Energy
2.25 PM – 2.45 PM	Managing Legacy Risk in Existing Concrete Dams Using Advanced Seismic Assessment Methods *Mojtaba Farrokh,* Abuild	Do you know your limits *Tim Mills,* Meridian
2.45 PM – 3.25 PM	Afternoon tea *Sponsored by Genesis*
3.25 PM – 3.45 PM	Built to Yesterday’s Knowledge, Managed to Today’s Standards: The Growing Challenge of Legacy Dam Safety Deficiencies *Imteaz Bhuiyan,* Mercury
3.45 PM – 4.35 PM	Panel discussion: The Growing Challenge of Legacy Dam Safety Deficiencies
	Facilitator: *Imteaz Bhuiyan,* Mercury
4.35 PM – 4.50 PM	Social Function details, summary of the day, and closing
6.00 PM – 10.00 PM	Social Function – Terrace Kitchen Sponsored by Riley Consultancy

Day 2: Managing Legacy Risk – Turning Insight into Action

Sponsored by

Time
9.00 AM – 9.15 AM	Day 2 Welcome *Dewi Knappstein,* Tonkin & Taylor
9.15 AM – 9.20 AM	Day 2 Sponsor *Dan Forster,* Dam Safety Intelligence
9.20 AM – 10.05 AM	Keynote Presentation Ten Tenets of Legacy Risk Reduction: Resilience through Prioritisation *Chris Topham,* GHD
10.05 AM – 10.35 AM	Morning Tea
10.35 AM – 11.45 AM	Concurrent session 2a: Risk-Informed Decision^–Making	Concurrent session 2b: Broader considerations for legacy risk – governance, contractual, and infrastructure
10.35 AM – 10.55 AM	Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment: First Time Learnings *Peter Fox & Jim Walker,* Meridian, Miguel Rocha, Dam Safety Intelligence	Monitoring and Maintenance Matter: contractual arrangements that reduce legacy risk *Steve O’Dea,* Anderson Lloyd
11.00 AM – 11.20 AM	Managing Legacy Spillway Gate Risk: A System Level Functional Safety Approach to Optimising Safety Upgrades *Chris Bonner,* Mercury	Building Consents and existing dams *Danielle Hooper,* Waikato Regional Council
11.25 AM – 11.45 AM	New South Wales Risk Assessment Process – a tool for managing legacy risk in NZ? *Joanna Petheram,* Beca	Towards a Unified Language for Risk: A Proposal for a National New Zealand Potential Failure Mode (PFM) Schema *Miguel Rocha,* Dam Safety Intelligence
11.45 AM – 1.00 PM	Lunch
1.00 PM – 2.35 PM	Concurrent session 3a: Compliance with the Building (Dam Safety) Regulations 2022 for legacy assets	Concurrent session 3b: Rehabilitation and upgrade projects
1.00 PM – 1.20 PM	Inherited Risk, Deliberate Action: Lessons from Managing a Legacy Dam Portfolio at Scale *Kevin Ng, Xavier Bradley* Tonkin & Taylor *Jessan Revalde, Jayesh* *Solanki* Auckland Council	KPO Intake Gate – Go to Whoa Joselito Villena & *Bede Geoghegan,* Mercury
1.25 PM – 1.45 PM	Speed, Rigour and Scale: Implementing and Managing Dam Safety Programmes Across a Diverse Portfolio of Dams in Wellington Water *Alexi Duque & Tung Hoang,* Tonkin & Taylor	Evaluation of Jet Grouting Trials for treating erodible sediments at Arapuni Dam: Design and Dam Safety Implications *Etaoin Friel,* Damwatch Engineering
1.50 PM – 2.10 PM	Implementing the Building (Dam Safety) Regulations 2022: Dual Perspectives from Practice and Ownership *Rebecca Polvere,* Damwatch Engineering & Brendan *Sheehan,* Mt Arum Engineering	Restoring a Resilient Future: The Journey from an Incomplete Construction to A Functional Dam *Kurt Davies,* Engineering Geology
2.15 PM – 2.35 PM	The journey to compliance for existing medium PIC water supply dams *Rebecca Polvere,* Damwatch Engineering & Judith *Robertson,* Gisborne District Council	Managing Legacy Risk in an Ageing Dam Appurtenant Structure: Lessons from the Senanayake Samudraya Reservoir Sluice Tower Crack Repair Project, Sri Lanka *Sanath Gunasena*
2.35 PM – 3.05 PM	Afternoon Tea
3.05 PM – 3.25 PM	Large Scale Laboratory Testing of Cobb Dam materials *Don Tate,* Riley Consultants & *Kaley Crawford Flett*
3.25 PM – 3.45 PM	Managing Legacy Risk through People: Growing the pipeline of capability for our future *Katy Cottingham,* Dam Safety Intelligence
3.45 PM – 4.30PM	Panel discussion: Building next generation of dam engineers Facilitator: *Katy Cottingham,* Dam Safety Intelligence
4.30 PM – 4.45 PM	Reflection, summary of the day, and closing
4.45 PM – 6.00 PM	Network – drinks and nibbles

The final programme may differ from the above and can be amended by the Organising Committee before final programme announcement.