NZSOLD SYMPOSIUM ‘ADVANCES IN NEW ZEALAND AND INTERNATIONAL DAM PRACTICE’

22 & 23 March 2022, Online event

It is my pleasure to invite NZSOLD members, as well as the wider dams community, to join us for our Symposium ‘Advances in New Zealand and International Dam Practice’.

Instead of a deep dive into an individual topic, we have decided this year to explore several different areas of advancing dams practice. These are some topical areas of practice in which we expect to see significant changes in the coming years and are therefore important for our industry to think about.

We’re also excited to introduce our international keynote speaker, Lianne Lefsrud. Lianne is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management, University of Alberta. She brings a wealth of experience in systems, process safety, human and organisational factors, and risk management, from her work in the rail transport and mining sectors (including tailings dams).

Areas of advancing practice that will be considered at the symposium include:

Dams as a system – broadening our understanding of the dam system, not just thinking of the dam and its physical components, but also human and organisational components of the system, and the many interdependencies that exist.
Public safety around dams and reservoirs.
Implications of climate change for dams.
Dams and levees as part of integrated catchment management.
Lessons to be learned from recent dam court cases in New Zealand, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

The objectives of the symposium are to:

Share knowledge and provide a forum for dialogue on these advancing areas of dam practice.
Understand what current international practice is for these advancing areas of practice and where New Zealand fits in this context.
Explore how these advancing areas of practice could be addressed in updates to the NZ Dam Safety Guidelines (2015).

We believe the symposium is shaping up to be a great event, with something for everyone involved in the wider dams industry.

We look forward to your involvement in the symposium.

Dan Forster,
NZSOLD Chair

SYMPOSIUM ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Dewi Knappstein, Convenor (Tonkin + Taylor)
Shreesh Basnyat (Watercare)
Andrew Balme (Genesis Energy)
Brian Benson (Damwatch Engineering)
Petra O’Bery (Stantec)
Kaley Crawford-Flett (University of Canterbury)
Dan Forster (Dam Safety Intelligence)
Peter Mulvihill (Independent)
Paul Rivett (Riley Consultants)
Matt Shore (Geological Consulting)
Jim Walker (Meridian Energy)

SYMPOSIUM ORGANISER
Cheryll Wagener (CW Events – +64 21 022 53896)