From the Chair
John Cunningham FIPENZ

The Foundation welcomes the two new Trustees; Gretchen Kivell and Bob Hodgson and thanks the retiring Trustees; Brian Cashin and Carolyn Thomas-Lewis for their inputs. The Trustees will continue to pursue the same objectives while pursuing funds and projects that are in line with the Foundation goals.

The Foundation continues the work of the Benevolent Society in looking after engineers whose circumstances have deteriorated, but the bigger picture is to look after the promotion of a wider scope of the engineering profession, including those who are Members of IPENZ.

Specific areas of the Foundation’s work are:

Profile: The IPENZ Foundation will be a Contributing Organisation in the National Engineering Excellence Awards. The Foundation will sponsor the William Pickering Engineering Leadership Medal and the New Zealand Engineering Journalist of the Year Award.

Careers: IPENZ Foundation scholarships are again being promoted with a view to encouraging secondary school students in years 12 and 13 (sixth and seventh formers) to choose careers in professional engineering. The IPENZ Foundation Taranaki scholarship has been awarded for the third year and the inaugural IPENZ Foundation together with Nelson-Marlborough and Hawkes Bay scholarships have also been awarded this year.

Heritage: The Foundation is working with the Heritage committee to identify projects that can be supported to promote engineering heritage.

Research: The Foundation has yet to develop a full policy in this area.

Rehabilitation: The Foundation is keen to assist Members in financial difficulty as a result of illness or accident. Support in this area is available at the same level as undertaken by the Benevolent Society.

The Foundation is now in a strong position to build on the initial creative work and to accumulate and direct funding to areas which are critical to growing the profession. Working alongside IPENZ, the Foundation will have an independent impact in which all IPENZ Members can participate. With your help and donations, the Foundation will continue to build on and advance the work of growing the engineering profession.

Fill in the donation form and return it, to continue to help promote the engineering profession and look after needy members.

Remember, the IPENZ Foundation is a Charitable Foundation and that all donations are tax deductible.

Act now to help the IPENZ Foundation, and in so doing help yourself, your colleagues, and the engineering profession to build a better New Zealand.