15 Jun 2018
The Week of Engineering showcases the amazing things engineers do. It’s all about growing our pipeline and inspiring tomorrow’s engineers. We want you to get involved!
New Zealand desperately needs more engineers. Engineers are behind every technology that makes our lives better. They’re creative problem solvers and they make a difference. It’s an amazing career.
We also need a more diverse range of engineers in order to better represent New Zealanders. At the moment, our membership is just under 13% women. Māori make up 5.5% of engineers, and Pasifika 2.4%.
Events like Week of Engineering aim to inspire future generations of engineers and show kids just how amazing engineering can be.
This year’s Week of Engineering runs from 13-18 August, and features public engineering expos and school visits.
Expos
Our engineering expos are free public events where everyone can learn about real-world engineering. These free expos give Kiwis of all ages a chance to play, touch and wonder at the latest engineering technologies and innovations.
This year, they’re being held on Saturday 18 August in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Last year, 5000 people came to our free public expos. This year, we’re looking to double that number.
More than 40 organisations will be hosting exciting, interactive stands. Stands last year included an interactive chocolate-welding workshop, a virtual reality headset to explore 3D models of construction projects and programming a robot to go around a mini-assault course.
Schools programme
Our Schools Programme, which runs during school hours, gives Year 10-13 students an opportunity to learn about some of New Zealand’s most interesting engineering projects. Companies host students at their offices or take them on a site tour.
Last year, 1700 students took part in our schools programme. This year, we’ve expanded the programme, with 68 organisations taking part with 95 visits. A diverse range of engineering organisations are taking part, including City Rail Link, where students will visit the largest infrastructure project in New Zealand and meet Jenny Chu – Young Engineer of the Year 2018. Jenny will run an activity, given them an insight into the project and how to get into engineering.
Xero is offering students a chance to see their software engineers at work, hear how they got from school to one of New Zealand's most successful software companies, and have a go at writing their own software to control robots.
It's sure to be another great year for the Week of Engineering. We hope you'll be a part of it!
