NZ Cycling Conference 2005

15 October 2005

Steve Abley presented a paper at the biannual NZ Cycling Conference in Wellington on 15 October. He talked about the results of his world tour in May and June 2005 visiting eight countries and thirteen cites meeting the world’s leading transport professionals on sustainable transport. His journey included Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Lima, Bogota, Boulder, Portland, Amsterdam, Delft, Houten, Drachten, London, Singapore and Perth.

He observed both mainstream transport modes, including cycling and non mainstream modes, also including cycling. Why is it then that such major differences exist in transport planning policies that cycling can be accepted, safe, cheap, healthy and sustainable and within a fairly short plane trip it can be perceived as unacceptable, unsafe and expensive?

Steve Abley developed these themes and offered experiences on how some cities are changing common perceptions about transport planning; including moving cycling into a mainstream transportation mode.

This presentation is available on request, please contact Steve

Big Christchurch Presence in Engineering Excellence Awards

Thursday, 13 October 2005

The Chairman of the Canterbury Branch of the Institution of Professional Engineers, Steve Abley is rightfully proud of Canterbury’s engineering companies.

“We have to celebrate our successes and triumph our engineering leaders” says Abley. He goes on to explain that New Zealand must up its productivity to remain competitive. “New Zealand comes 24th out of 29 similar economies sampled by the OECD in terms of productivity. Australia in contrast comes in fifth in the same survey”.

“Canterbury is leading the way in New Zealand in terms of innovative thinking and production” says Abley. He points out that Christchurch Women’s Hospital, and the South Christchurch Library and Service Centre are among the finalists in the inaugural New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards.

The awards are sponsored by the Institution of Professional Engineers in association with a number of partners including Ingenium, the Centre for Advanced Engineering, and Electrical Engineers’ Association of NZ.

The list of Canterbury nominees is impressive. It includes the Holmes Consulting group, Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner, City Solutions of the Christchurch City Council, machinery manufacturer Wyma Engineering and domestic power-use conservationists Energy Mad.

“These awards are important so the achievements that engineers accomplish are publicised and engineering careers encouraged”. “If we don’t continue to push boundaries and ask questions, then we won’t be able to have the lifestyle we want in the future”.

Abley explains that engineers add value and increase productivity. “The Engineering Excellence Awards are a way of shining the spotlight on the skilled individuals who by their example are productively using engineering to shape the world we live in”.

The awards are staged in Wellington on Wednesday, November 23 2005.

NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year

Tuesday, 20 September 2005

Reg Garters, CEO of the Southern Regional Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Management congratulated Steve Abley for being a Southern Region Finalist in the NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year 2005. Steve attended the awards dinner held at the Copthorne Hotel Commodore along with Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand Board Member, Ross Major.

Blast off as hundreds of school children descend on Christchurch’s Town Hall

Tuesday, 2 August 2005

coincidentally [Jack Bacon] will be in Christchurch speaking to primary and secondary school students at the Christchurch Town Hall the same day as the space shuttle Discovery’s returns to Earth on Monday, 8 August 2005. “It should be a blast” says Steve Abley, Chairman of the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ) Canterbury Branch, who invited Jack to come to New Zealand to inspire and encourage a new generation of technologists and engineers on a viable career path by exploring just how far imagination and vision can take them.

For more information see:
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/media_comm/2005/blast_off.cfm

Engineering Canterbury's Economic Boom

Thursday, 7 July 2005

The Canterbury economy can be far more successful says Steve Abley, Chairman of the Canterbury Branch of the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ). “Why doesn’t NZ produce enough technologists when we have a world class research and engineering school right here in Christchurch?” Steve says that according to the most recent data New Zealand has the lowest percentage of engineering graduates in the OECD and compared to the so called ‘tiger’ economies we need about 4,000 first year engineering students per year, not the 1,000 that are currently split between Auckland and Christchurch.

Look overseas to solve congestion problems says engineer

Monday, 11 April 2005

A proposal to travel for over two months to study nine cities’ transportation solutions, and bring home suggestions for New Zealand’s increasing congestion and transportation problems has won Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ) member Steve Abley the 2005 Hume Fellowship worth $25,000 - one of the premier awards available to the engineering profession in New Zealand.

For more information see:
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/media_comm/2005/hume.cfm

Unpleasant Environment Fails Elderly, Says Engineer

IPENZ Convention - March 2005

"We have failed a large section of our community by providing an environment that is unpleasant, and provides low accessibility to an increasing proportion of the community - the elderly", says Steve Abley, Chairman of the Canterbury Branch of the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ). Steve's presentation is available on request, please contact Steve Abley.

For more on this article see:
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/media_comm/2004/elderly_fail.cfm