Keep up to date with the latest webinars from our Lessons to be learnt 2024 series.

Lessons to be learnt | 1 – Legacy documents from the Canterbury earthquakes informing future events

In 2023, Engineering New Zealand developed legacy documentation to capture lessons learnt from the work of the Engineering New Zealand Expert Panel in helping to resolve insurance claims related to the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. This webinar will introduce these documents and provide an opportunity to discuss how the lessons can be applied to addressing residential damage resulting from current and future natural disaster events.

Read the legacy documentation

Case study – Canterbury Earthquake


Lessons to be learnt | 2 – Learning from the US experience with floods and flood mitigation

In this webinar, The New Zealand Coastal Society presents a discussion with Dr David L Kriebel looking at learnings from the United States' experience with floods and flood mitigation. Learn from Dr Kriebel, Professor Emeritus at the United States Naval Academy, about what the United States has learnt from continued record-setting flood disasters.

Case study – US floods and flood mitigation


Lessons to be learnt | 3 – Top five geotechnical RFIs & how to avoid them

This webinar explores the top five geotechnical-related Requests for Information (RFIs) commonly encountered by Christchurch City Council’s Engineering Services Team during the building consent process. It covers key issues like discrepancies between design drawings and geotechnical recommendations, incomplete designs and insufficient geotechnical parameters. The webinar offers practical advice for engineers and regulators on how to proactively avoid these RFIs through better communication and documentation. It also addresses less common geotechnical challenges, such as boundary excavations and managing peat soils, with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing project delays.

Case study – Top five common geotechnical RFIs


Lessons to be learnt | 4 – Mass Timber Construction – A disaster about to happen?

This presentation highlights the potential consequences of overlooking the fundamentals of timber design. It explores how a lack of understanding among any stakeholder – from designer to builder to owner – regarding timber's inherent properties, good design principles and clear communication can lead to serious issues. Through three real-world examples, we'll see how moisture damage, inadequate load paths, and flawed design execution can result in costly repairs or, in the worst-case scenario, complete structural collapse. It also explores best practices and key considerations to ensure safe and successful timber structures.

Case study – Engineering failures in modern timber design