Board elections – nominations open

We welcome nominations for any candidate for election to the Governing Board. The only prerequisite to serving on the Board as an elected member is being a financial member of Engineering New Zealand.

Being on the Board means:

• a chance to give back to the profession
• guiding Engineering New Zealand’s strategy and providing strong governance
• a chance to contribute your unique perspective.

A good board needs strong governing skills, alongside a mix of other strengths and perspectives, with each member contributing something unique and valuable to the culture and vision of the board.

Because senior office holders now serve a two-year term, the current President and Deputy President will serve until the election after this one, in 2026.

As a result, this election is for:

• One elected Board member seat (three-year term).
• One Emerging Professional seat (up to two-year term). While this seat can be appointed via an expression of interest (EOI) process, as was done last year, this year the board would prefer that the non-winning candidate with the most votes under the age of 35 be considered for appointment to the board before the possibility of an EOI process is considered.

Nominations close at 5pm on Monday 27 January 2025.

Information for candidates

All candidates must be nominated by another Engineering New Zealand member. Candidates are asked to provide information about:

• engineering experience and areas of expertise
• particular skills and knowledge relating to governance
• their unique contribution or perspective
• any Engineering New Zealand-related positions held
• commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi
• why you want to be on the Board and what you hope to get out of this opportunity.

If you’re a member who is being nominated, you will need to create a short video about yourself. We will support candidates in creating their videos.

Voting

Voting will be held between Wednesday 12 February and 12 noon Tuesday 11 March 2025.

Voting will be administered by electionz.com, an independent voting services provider. All financial members will receive a voting email on Wednesday 12 February from iro@electionz.com – please add this email address to your safe senders list to ensure you are able to vote. If you’re a financial member and have not received a voting email by Thursday 13 February, please contact the board secretary.

We will use Single Transferable Vote. With this voting system, candidates are ranked in order of the voter’s preference, rather than voters simply picking their most preferred candidate for each vacancy. This tends to result in more proportional representation.

The results of the elections will be announced at the Annual General Meeting on Friday 28 March 2025.

About the Board 

The Board is responsible for Engineering New Zealand’s strategy and for monitoring its performance. Being on the Board is your chance to influence the direction of our professional body. The only prerequisite to becoming a Board member is being a financial member of Engineering New Zealand.

Board meetings are held six times a year, for one day. As well as attending meetings, Board members are expected to engage directly with branches and groups, attend events and be champions for Engineering New Zealand.

The role of elected Board member is voluntary, with Engineering New Zealand covering expenses.

Board members need to be able to:

• take a strategic view, while understanding key operational matters
• be well prepared and informed – and ready to constructively engage
• have respect for others, and see others’ points of view
• solve problems creatively
• appreciate commercial issues and risk
• focus on accountability and transparency in monitoring compliance and performance
• act in good faith and in the best interests of the organisation.

What makes a good board?

The board needs members with strong governance skills, diverse backgrounds, and a vision for how to improve and advance Engineering New Zealand and the profession.

A good board debates issues from a range of perspectives. It needs a mix of strengths, with each member contributing something unique and valuable to the culture and vision of the board. Board members also bring their individual experience and networks. Having a diverse board means we capture a range of viewpoints and make better decisions – we’re looking for diversity of thought, disciplines, ages and career stages – as well as gender and ethnicity.

You can learn more about what’s expected of Board members by reading the Board Charter and our Diversity and Skills document.

Our current Board 

If you are considering standing for the Board next year, take a look at the profiles of our current Board members. Think about what you might add to that mix in taking a governance role in the future direction and success of Engineering New Zealand.