Dr Burt Look completed his master’s degree at Imperial College, London, and his PhD part time at The University of Queensland while also working at Queensland Main Roads. He also has a Graduate Certificate in Philosophy. Burt has over 42 years professional Engineering experience. He was previously the Global Practice Leader in SKM (now Jacobs), and also at Aurecon. He was a previous director at FSG – Geotechnics + Foundations. Burt is the 2014 Queensland Professional Engineer of the year and the Australian Geomechanics Society (AGS) Practitioner 2018. Burt was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2020. Burt has published 4 geotechnical engineering books and over 100 technical publications focused on industry practice developments. His latest book is Earthworks: Theory to Practice - Design and Construction.

Kyle Rollins received his BS degree from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. After working as a geotechnical consultant, he joined the Civil Engineering faculty at BYU in 1987 following his father who was previously a geotechnical professor. His research has involved deep foundation behavior, geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil improvement techniques, gravel liquefaction, bridge abutment resistance, and collapsible soils. He pioneered the use of blast-induced liquefaction testing to evaluate ground improvement effectiveness and pile performance in full-scale field tests. ASCE has recognized his work with the Huber research award, the Wellington prize, the Wallace Hayward Baker award, and the H. Bolton Seed Medal. He was Cross-Canada Geotechnical lecturer for the Canadian Geotechnical Society in 2009 and Cross-USA lecturer for the ASCE Geo-Institute in 2023-24.

Nu'uali'i Eteroa Lafaele hails from the breathtaking islands of Samoa, with roots in the villages of Fogapoa, Leulumoega Tuai, and Tafagamanu Lefaga. Born and raised in Cannons Creek, Porirua, Eteroa has always been driven by a passion for service, which has guided her throughout her career. 

This dedication to serving her community led to the creation of DigiTautua, an initiative where Eteroa and her team refurbished and fundraised for devices to bridge the digital divide. Building on this mission, she co-founded Fibre Fale in 2022, a purpose-driven collective aimed at creating pathways for Pacific people in tech. 

Her leadership and contributions to the community and tech industry have earned her significant recognition, including the Young Nzder of the Year, Hi-Tech NZ Awards for Young Achiever, Young IT Professional of the Year 2021, Prime Minister's Award recipient, MacDiarmid Institute Discovery Award, and being named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for social impact. 

Fibre Fale is a purpose-led collective co-founded by Eteroa and Julia Arnott-Neenee. Together, they design and deliver programs and platforms that build skills, foster belonging, and offer support to Pacific people at every stage of their tech journey. Their work ranges from immersive tech experiences to sharing the stories of Pacific tech trailblazers, all while creating spaces for connection, learning, and growth. 

As young Pacific leaders, Eteroa and Julia are on a mission to ensure Pacific people achieve digital equity, confidently pursue pathways in technology, and see themselves as future creators in the digital landscape.  

In November 2021 Ken started a multi-year secondment to the New Zealand Government to serve as the MBIE/NHC Chief Engineer (Building Resilience). Through this role, Ken champions the resilience of New Zealand's built environment, by establishing strong stakeholder connections and promoting collaboration between relevant research, policy, and practice player. Ken received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002, M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1995, and BASc from the University of British Columbia in 1993.

He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and active member of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society. He has contributed to national guidance and supported responses to major seismic and flooding events. At the NZGS Symposium he will share insights from MBIE's current work programme and contribute to discussions at the intersection of engineering, policy and resilience. 

Jo is passionate about making complex science usable - whether that means advising policymakers, supporting local planners, or helping everyday New Zealanders understand the risks around them. Her focus is on ensuring research has real-world impact, by getting it into the hands of those who need it most. 

His focus as Auckland Council's Chief Engineer is on natural hazards, resilience and engineering efficiency. He works part-time in Auckland Emergency Management as a Lifeline Utility Coordinator, and leads teams responsible for natural hazard risk and asset management. Ross is a past chair of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society and represents New Zealand on the Council of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment. He has recently completed two years leading the geotechnical response to the 2023 North Island Severe Weather Events, which included the categorisation and purchase of over a thousand homes at intolerable risk from flooding and landslides.

Kiran Saligame will be giving a high-level overview of the various pieces of work that are currently on-going within Building System Performance branch of MBIE. The update encompasses wide ranging topics such as addressing integrating seismic risk for new building design (how is MBIE translating new science information to regulation and compliance), seismic risk for existing buildings (considers both earthquake prone and non-earthquake prone buildings), New Zealand Geotechnical Database (NZGD), Standards Development (Timber, Steel and Concrete), Dam Safety Regulations and so on. 

Ann is a Past Chair and Life Member of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society Inc., past Vice President (Australasia) and Honorary Member of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) and was recently reappointed to the IAEG board in a role representing women in Engineering Geology, which she is passionate about! She completed a term on the Board of Engineering New Zealand and is a member of the editorial boards of a number of international journals, contributing to industry guidelines locally and internationally in the areas of soil and rock description, passive rockfall protection, dewatering, engineering geological models and landslide nomenclature. Ann was the recipient of the 2022 NZGS Geomechanics Lecture Award.

She is the lead author for the MBIE document Rockfall: Design Considerations for Passive Protection Structures, and is currently working with MBIE to update the Geotechnical Rapid Building Assessment procedures and Field Guide. Rori previously co-delivered the Geotechnical RBA training in 2018.  She is a Tier 1 Geotechnical Rapid Building Assessor.

Rori earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arizona in 1993 and a Master of Science from the University of Minnesota in 2000, both in Geological Engineering.  She is based in Christchurch, where she has lived since 2004. 

Richard developed a passion for landslides under the tutelage of Don McFarlane, Dick Beetham, Gary Smith and many others as a student on the Clyde Damn Landslides Remediation Project in the early 1990's. More recently, Richard was involved with the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCITR) following the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake. He held key roles such as Geotechnical Principal for Kaikōura South and Geotechnical Lead for Transport Corridor Resilience, coordinating geotechnical teams, rockfall modelling, and designing risk mitigation works along the coastal corridor.

Richard's work with KiwiRail on various geotechnical hazard assessments and slope stabilisation measures has been crucial in ensuring the safety and resilience of railway infrastructure. Beyond project work, Richard has been actively involved over the last few years in developing the slope stability guidance documents under the New Zealand Geotechnical Society.

Jeremy's experience with response and recovery to events includes the August 2022 weather event affecting Nelson, Buller, Tasman, and Marlborough, Auckland anniversary rain event and Cyclone Gabrielle in Hastings and area. He has dealt with the effects of flooding, inundation, land movement, rockfall, etc. in all of these events through both response and longer-term recovery periods. 

She has worked on major infrastructure projects in Singapore and Vietnam between 2003 and 2012, and since 2012 has been involved in projects across New Zealand and Australia. Her recent work includes the Mount Messenger Bypass in Taranaki, the Bridgewater Bridge in Tasmania, the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway in Wellington, and the Mordialloc Freeway in Melbourne. 

Razel is the lead author of Unit 4: Mitigation and Design Principles which focuses on mitigation strategies for managing slope instability. At Tonkin & Taylor, she holds a national leadership role, overseeing a technical group dedicated to groundwater and settlement.  

With over 10 years of prior experience as a Senior Engineering Geologist, Tom has worked on complex infrastructure projects, including significant involvement in the Christchurch and Kaikoura Earthquake Recovery efforts, as well as various local and central government projects. Drawing on experience from the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) project, Tom has recently been involved in the development of Waka Kotahi's Rockfall Protection Design and Maintenance guidance and the NZGS Units 2 and 4. 

Tom's primary expertise lies in the assessment and mitigation of geological hazards, alongside detailed slope stability analysis and ground investigations. Tom is also passionate in implementing the use of UAVs, digital capture and geomodelling for use in ground engineering and risk analysis. 

Branching out into what was then a small yet promising firm, Geoscience Consulting, now the more sizable ENGEO, Alan developed his experience in the exulted company of Richard Justice and Ayoub Ryman, et a great many al. 

Alan now claims experience in retaining walls, foundations, ground anchors and slope stability and hopes to entertain you on these last two topics at this year's symposium. Alan is an award-winning speaker, having won the coveted "Most jokes told in a single session" prize at the NZGS 2021 symposium.