The Wellington and South Island Local Network is led by local volunteers who come together to organise lectures and technical visits that provide opportunities to learn and meet new people. All events are open to the public and most are free of charge.
The Local Network aims to raise awareness of science, engineering and technology in the local area, and promote membership of the IET.
Visit the events page filtered by Wellington and South Island Local Network to find out about our upcoming events.
Contact us: WellingtonSouthIsland@ietvolunteer.org.
Our Committee:
Chair: Mr Chris Lambell (Wellington)
Deputy Chair: Dr Amal Punchihewa (IPRA Assessor & Examiner, CPD Advisor/ CCAP) (Manawatu)
Treasurer: Mr Neil Haydon (Wellington)
IEEE/IET Liaison: Dr Murray Milner (Wellington)
Committee Member: Mr Darren Baxter (South Island - Westport)
Committee Member: Mr Andrew Linney (Wellington)
Committee Member: Mr Kosala Samarakoon (Wellington)
Committee Member: EUR ING. Lakmal Senanayake (Sri Lanka)
Committee Member: Dr Farzeen Faiz (South Island - Christchurch)
Committee Member: Mr Ruwinda Herath (South Island - Christchurch)
Committee Member: Mr Paul Bagg (Manawatu)
Committee Member: EUR ING. Maarten In 't Veld (South Island - Christchurch)
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/iet-newzealand
Recent updates
Date: 18/03/2025
IET Best 2024 UCOL 2nd Year Student Award!
As part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)'s commitment to supporting the next generation of New Zealand's Engineers, Scientists and Technologists, we are delighted to award this year’s award to NZDE L6 Year 2 Universal College of Learning (UCOL) student to Michael Coughey. Michael is specialising in Electrical Engineering.
The award certificate, together with $500, was presented to Michael by IET New Zealand Wellington & South Island Committee Member and Deputy Chairperson Dr. Amal Punchihewa during the UCOL Graduation Ceremony held at the Regent on Broadway Theatre on the 18th of March 2025.
Michael was selected based on his sustained performance, high academic grades, and his enthusiastic work ethic. He obtained the highest grades for all the subjects he has taken at Level 6.
Michael is very much deserving of this award, and we do not doubt that he will have a great career ahead of him.
A few pictures of the proceedings are included below.
Date: 05/09/2024
An Evening of Fusion
A massive thanks to OpenStar Technologies (Al Simpson, Alaina Pitt and Eleanor Chambers) for hosting our IET New Zealand members and other industry professionals at the cool facility here in Wellington for an evening of fusion!
Whilst it was amazing to hear about the journey taken to develop their technology, it was mind blowing to then walk out and actually see it!
Following a walkthrough of the facility, and after refueling ourselves on pizza, we dialed in to join the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) presentation from the UK on fusion control systems.
The presentation from the UK introduced us fusion energy generation, together with the challenges and opportunities associated with that area of technology and their plans for the UKAEA’s first of a kind fusion power plant, known to its friends as Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP).
Presenting from the UK we were delighted to have:
- Dr Adam Stephen, Head of Advanced Controls Unit - UKAEA
- Terry Thompson, Control System Lead, STEP, UKAEA
A special thanks to IET member and OpenStar supporter Bill Heaps for reaching out to the IET Wellington & South Island Chair Chris Lambell to make this happen!
We must also give a big thanks to Alison Siu, Deborah McKenzie and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) team for doing their magic behind the scenes to make this event the success it was! Hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities to connect NZ and the UK together over a shared interest in engineering!
Date: 13/08/2024
Project X in Newlands Intermediate School, Wellington
As part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)'s commitment to supporting the next generation of New Zealand’s engineers, scientists, and technologists, the IET New Zealand funds a number of ‘Project X’ electronics workshops across New Zealand to teach basic electronics skills to intermediate-age school children.
Project X allows each child to construct their very own interactive robot by soldering electronic components onto a pre-made circuit board. Each child learns to identify each component that makes up their robot along with learning the art of soldering and programming .
This week the IET Wellington & South Island committee partnered with the Rotary Club of Wellington to provide a workshop for twenty students at Newlands Intermediate school in Wellington. The day was a great success with each child coming away with a working robot and.... the very minimum of soldering related injuries.
A big thanks to all who volunteered including Wellington & South Island Committee Chair Chris Lambell, Treasurer Neil Haydon and Committee Member Norbert Nziramasanga. A big thanks to Beca for supporting Wilson Chu, Abela McBride-Wilson, Thomas Vollmer and Chris Lambell as part of their community volunteer program.
Date: 07/08/2024
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) membership was promoted at UCOL Open day
Amal Punchihewa, Deputy Chair of IET Wellington and South Island Network, participated at the Open Day of UCOL, Universal College of Learning, in Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand on the 7th of August 2024. Amal shared various options for school leavers after finishing NCEA at different stages of their learning to explore a wide range of entry points to an Engineering Career. Amal holds so many volunteer positions supporting emerging and established engineers in navigating their engineering careers as an International Professional Registration Advisor (IPRA) and an Examiner (PRI), Fellowship Advisor, CPD Mentor, CPD Advisor as well as a STEM ambassador in addition to his governance contributions at the Communities Committee – Asia-Pacific (CC-AP). During his career spanning over four decades, he has been an active volunteer of IET for more than three decades. In 2012, he was the only scholar from outside the United Kingdom chosen to edit the document “Delivering London 2012: ICT Enabling the Games”. He also shares his knowledge with other Broadcast Engineers globally when the occasion permits.
Date: 25/06/2024
As part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)'s commitment to support the next generation of New Zealand's Engineers, Scientists and Technologists, we are delighted to award this year’s best Massey University Third Year Engineering student award to Adam Carlisle. Adam is specialising in Mechatronics.
The award certificate, together with $500, was presented to Adam by IET New Zealand Wellington & South Island Committee Member and Deputy Chairperson Amal Punchihewa.
Adam was selected based on his sustained performance, high academic grades, and his enthusiastic work ethic. Currently, Adam is in his fourth and final year of study and participating, along with his team, in his capstone project.
Adam is very much deserving of this award, and we do not doubt that he will have a great career ahead of him.
A few pictures of the proceedings are included below.
Photography Credit: Sashini Punchihewa
Date: 12/06/2024
Amal Punchihewa, Deputy Chair of IET New Zealand Wellington and South Island Network presented at IET Sri Lanka Network on the 12th of June 2024. The presentation was titled “Engineering the Future of Broadcast and Media Landscape.”
He informed the audience that technologies are advancing at a rapid pace, not only broadcast and media technologies but also many other technologies that are directly related to broadcasting creating disruptions to the ecosystem. He highlighted that all those technologies could not offer immediate benefits, especially to the broadcast and media (B&M) sector. Further, he said “even if they do offer, every technology cannot be embraced due to cost and other social implications such as the inability to change access devices.” The presentation also addressed challenges that the B&M sector faces serving the audiences either as a public service broadcaster (PSB) or as a commercial B&M operator. Some analysis was provided based on publically available research, on how some broadcasters are adapting those changes to sustain and provide continued services by offering trusted information, entertainment and education. The presentation highlighted the inevitability of meeting sustainability and universality access requirements as governed by international treaties.
The event was well attended by IET Sri Lanka Network members and it was held at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 5.30 PM. The talk was followed by a networking event.
Date: 08/05/2024
IET Student Awards
As part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)'s commitment to support the next generation of New Zealand's Engineers and Technologists we are delighted to award this years best Victoria University of Wellington third Year Engineering student award to Georgia Barrand! Georgia is currently in her fourth year of studying Software Engineering.
The award certificate together with $500, was presented to Georgia by IET New Zealand Wellington & South Island Committee Chair Chris Lambell.
When asked why Georgia was selected Stuart Marshall, Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Victoria University of Wellington, responded: “Georgia Barrand is currently a fourth-year software engineering student. She got straight A+s across her courses as a third-year student in 2023, seven of which were at 300-level and one of which was at 400-level.”
Wow! It's fair to say that Georgia is more than deserving of this award!
Joining us to celebrate Georgia's award was James Araci, Lead Advisor for Science and Innovation at the British High Commission (UK in New Zealand) who was presenting to our members that evening on the opportunities available for increased collaboration between UK and New Zealand science, engineering and technology organisations.
Date: 08/05/2024
British High Commission - NZ-UK Science & Innovation Opportunities
A huge thanks to James Araci, Lead Advisor for Science and Innovation at the British High Commission (UK in New Zealand), for presenting to our IET New Zealand and Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau members last night.
It was fascinating to hear about James's role with the British High commission (UK in New Zealand) and the opportunities available for increased collaboration between UK and New Zealand science, engineering and technology organisations.
Of particular interest were the opportunities available through the Horizon Europe Programme, which turns out to be world's largest research and innovation fund! With both New Zealand and the UK having direct access to this fund the opportunities for investment have never been better.
A big thanks to Hugh E., Adrian Ferguson and Yogesh Kumar from the Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau Wellington Branch for cohosting this event with us.
As always a big thanks to Alison Siu from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Caitlin Oliver from Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau along with their teams for doing their magic behind the scenes to organise and promote these events to our members.
And... a final shout out to Cedric Williams Chapter President of the IESANZ NZ for joining us and taking a few photographs. Thanks.
Date: 06/03/2024
UK and New Zealand science and innovation
It was great to have the IET Wellington & South Island Network committee members at this evening's UK and New Zealand science and innovation networking event as guests of the British High Commission in Wellington.
As well as the amazing mix of scientists, engineers, academics, researchers and STEM facilitators to network with, it was great to hear of the collaborative ventures being undertaken by New Zealand and the UK. Of particular interest was the announcement of the innovative world leading earthquake detection system based on the use of existing sub-sea fiberoptic cable networks.
A big thanks to James Araci for inviting us all to such a great evening of networking and to the British High Commission in Wellington (UK in New Zealand) for hosting us. It really was a great night of networking!
The event was thoroughly enjoyed by Wellington & South Island Network Chair Chris Lambell, Deputy Chair Amal Punchihewa and Committee member Darren Baxter who was also attending in his role as Chair of the Engineering NZ Electrical Engineering Group. Also joining us for the evening was Cedric Williams the current New Zealand Chapter President of the IESANZ - The Lighting Society, Tania Williams as General Manager of Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau and Adrian Ferguson representing the Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau Wellington Branch Committee.
Date: 15/02/2024
How can we make New Zealand more resilient?
One of the societal challenges of Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is to contribute to the design and building of people-centric Infrastructure by championing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure.
On 15 February, the IET New Zealand Wellington and South Island Local Network Deputy Chair Amal Punchihewa organised a presentation to Engineers from IET, IEEE and Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau members in the Manawatu region. Members from IET New Zealand, IEEE and Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau Manawatū branch attended the talk given by Professor Bob Hodgson entitled “How can we make New Zealand more resilient?” It was a very timely presentation and the audience actively engaged in the discussion at the end. Professor Hodgson explained, that as engineers, those most able to improve the resilience of national New Zealand infrastructure, we need to recognise that past practices have been found wanting and in need of systematic improvement. In some areas, the fundamentals of reliable design have not been fully respected and in others, they have been ignored.
About the Presenter:
R M (Bob) Hodgson is an Emeritus Professor of Massey University, a Fellow of the IET and Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, who is a recognised expert in image processing, human factors, and systems engineering. His very full academia career includes a strong record in scholarship, teaching and administration with about forty masters and PhD degrees supervised to completion. He has published widely.
Date: 29/01/2024
The importance of teaching STEM to our nation's children.
According to a report by Engineering New Zealand, engineering contributes between $14.6 and $18.1 billion a year to New Zealand’s GDP.
The report also highlights that New Zealand needs almost 2,500 more engineers every year just to keep up with demand. We have noted in New Zealand like in the UK, a decline in rangatahi (students) embarking on STEM education.
IET New Zealand Wellington and South Island Local Network Deputy Chair Amal Punchihewa presented to the Whanau (families) in the Whanganui region on 29th of January 2024. The aim was to raise awareness to parents, teachers, and grandparents on the need for students taking STEM studies to meet the needs of the country and the world at large.
Amal was hosted at the request of the Rotary Club of Whanganui where he shared some of the work that IET New Zealand has been doing under it's New Zealand wide IET ProjectX initiative in Wellington schools.
For more information, please visit here.
Date: 12/12/2022
IET Wellington & South Island Network Annual General Meeting 2022
We had a Short Presentation: Offshore Windfarms – Science and Applications by Darren Baxter
Also, congratulations to Emanuel Evans from Victoria University Wellington, who received the Final Year Student Awards.
Date: 12/10/2022
New Zealand’s Progress Towards a Dark Sky Nation (Hybrid event)
A big thanks to all who attended this evening’s IET New Zealand presentation on ‘New Zealand’s Progress Towards a Dark Skies Nation’. As expected John Hearnshaw, Emeritus Professor - University of Canterbury, provided a fascinating presentation on the health, environmental, and tourism benefits of becoming a dark skies nation. It was great to see so many people in the flesh again.
Date: 05/07/2022
Are you aware of the IET’s New Zealand LinkedIn Page?
You may not be aware, but we recently set up a New Zealand focused IET LinkedIn page:
www.linkedin.com/company/iet-newzealand
If you’ve not done so please visit and follow us.
The purpose of setting up an IET New Zealand LinkedIn page was to:
- Promote local IET Network events and activities
- Promote IET Regional and Asia Pacific events and activities
- Provide a hub for new Zealand based IET members
- Promote collaboration between New Zealand based IET members.
With the world opening up again we’re keen to start organising and supporting in person IET events again.
As such we see our New Zealand LinkedIn page as a great way to engage and understand the needs of our members.
Date: 17/06/2022
A big thanks to IET Fellow Professor Bob Hodgson (FIET, DistFEngNZ, SMIEEE) of Massey University for presenting to our Palmerston North IET members last night.
It was both fascinating and inspirational to hear how Bob started as a Schoolboy Electronics Enthusiast to becoming a Professional Engineer and Senior Engineering Educator.
His career journey from working in the aircraft avionics Industry on Concord, the Harrier Jump Jet, and the DC10 through to his PhD study with the UK Ministry of Defence was fascinating.
In 2013 his academic and professional achievements were rewarded by winning the Supreme New Zealand Engineering Excellence award.
In more recent times Bob went on to establish the Massey University spin-off and award-winning company VERITAXA LIMITED.
A big thanks to IET New Zealand Wellington and South Island Deputy Chair and Engineering New Zealand : : Te Ao Rangahau Manawatu Chair Amal Punchihewa for organsining an amazing presentation from a truly inspirational Engineer.
This event was another great collaboration between Engineering New Zealand : : Te Ao Rangahau, IET New Zealand , and the IEEE New Zealand.
Our committee were delighted to award the 2021 best Massey University third year engineering student award to Ben Orwin-Higgs.
We wish Ben all the best with his studies and in his career ahead. As part of the IET New Zealand's commitment to support the next generation of Engineers, Scientists and Technologists we annually award a prize to the best Massey University third year engineering student participating in a four year degree programme.
Our IET Wellington & South Island Deputy Chair Amal Punchihewa was proud to celebrate Ben’s success in person and present him with his well-deserved certificate.
We were also privileged to award Ben his certificate alongside IET Fellow Professor Bob Hodgson (FIET, DistFEngNZ, SMIEEE) of Massey University who provided an excellent presentation on his amazing career journey.
Date: 25/05/2022
The Best Award 2020 in WelTec
Last night the IET Wellington & South Island committee were delighted to finally award the 2020 best WelTec third year engineering student award to Chris Eley.
The certificate should have been awarded last year, however due to covid we’ve only just managed to present the certificate in person.
We wish Chris all the best in his career as an electrical engineer with Norman Disney & Young.
As part of the IET New Zealand's commitment to support the next generation of Engineers, Scientists and Technologists we annually award a $500 prize to the best WelTec third year student participating in a four year degree programme.
To celebrate Chris's success and present his certificate were Chris Lambell (Chair), Neil Haydon (Treasurer) and Darren Baxter (Committee Member and Former Chair).
Unfortunately Chris's former WelTec Tutor, Adrian Ferguson, was unable to join us but wished Chris every success in his career ahead.
Date: July 2021
IET 150th Anniversary: Westport Robotics Workshop
Roll-up your sleeves and support our future engineers!!
Robotics Workshops 2022 hosted by IET Wellington & South Island Network
Will you create the next life-saving device? Or the next iteration of search and rescue robot? Help companies automate their manufacturing processes?
All these things are possible if you become a mechatronics engineer.
STUDENT MEMBERSHIPS of the IET
https://www.theiet.org/membership/
FOLLOW US AT: www.linkedin.com/company/iet-newzealand
If you are interested in participating the workshop, please feel free to contact Mr. Darren Baxter at darren.baxter@ietvolunteer.org
