Reaching out online to Maori and Pacific engineers

9 September 2009
Media release –for general release

Reaching out online to Maori and Pacific engineers

Maori and Pacific engineers are being encouraged to become part of a global network when a new website launches as part of the 5th anniversary of the South Pacific Professional Engineering Excellence (SPPEEx).

SPPEEx goes Global will be held next Thursday 17 September 2009 at the University of Auckland Fale Pasifika, 6-8pm.

The Pacific Islands Trade & Investment Commission NZ and the University of Auckland Engineering School will also be supporting the event.

The guest speaker is Brian Jacob, a director the Engineering consulting firm of HLK Jacob Ltd and has worked extensively in the Pacific with projects in Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. Two recent large projects on behalf of the Fiji National Provident Fund, were the 275 room Intercontinental Resort and the Chanpuoship Golf course at Natadola – the single largest tourism project in the Pacific. HLK Jacob was also the engineers for the award winning Auckland University Fale Pasifika.
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SPPEEx was set up in 2004 as a not for profit organisation to support the advancement of Maori and Pacific people in engineering and the promotion of indigenous technologies in the profession.

President Randall Ah Mu says although there are approximately 100 registered SPPEEx members, exact numbers of Maori and Pacific working in engineering or engineering related fields is not known. The website is one way to increase membership, strengthen and promote the profession and offer networking opportunities.

Ah Mu says although Maori and Pacific people do well in the profession there’s not much support out there for them. Being part of SPPEEx, they can help each other. One engineer redundant through the recession found a possible work opportunity in Fiji through the SPPEEx network. There’s also an advantage for Maori and Pacific engineers working in the Pacific as they know the systems and facilities and can offer appropriate solutions.

PITIC NZ Trade Manager Louisa Sifakula says PITIC NZ values its strategic alliance with SPPEEx through the opportunity to link Maori and Pacific engineers in New Zealand with engineers in the Pacific and for mentoring students considering a possible career profession.

SPPEEx wants to inspire more young Maori and Pacific students to enter engineering fields. Marcia Murray, Maori External Liaison Officer for University of Auckland Engineering Faculty says the numbers of enrolled Maori and Pasifika engineering students was stable over the past few years, making up approximately 160-180 of the 2,500 engineering students. The university has a programme called SPIES, or South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students aimed at recruiting and supporting Maori and Pacific engineering students at university.

Ah Mu says that people were unsure about engineering and often Pacific parents steer their children towards becoming doctors and lawyers. But engineering has many different aspects and opportunities for a variety of work such as electronic and electrical engineering as well as civil engineering. “It’s more than building roads and bridges....there’s a variety of interesting work and the pay is good.”
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