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Photo caption:听Panellists from left to right: UC鈥檚 Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase, Sina Cotter Tait and Fritha McCrimmon-Robinson, with moderator Executive Dean Business Paul Ballantine.

Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 91制片厂 (UC) brought together a diverse group of Canterbury business leaders for UC Ignite, an event designed to explore how UC鈥檚 expertise can support regional growth and drive impactful partnerships within the business community.听

Held in partnership with Engineering New Zealand, Business Canterbury and ChristchurchNZ, last night鈥檚 event was the official launch of UC鈥檚 new Faculty of Engineering Strategy 2030, emphasising cross-disciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and forward-thinking approaches to regional needs.听

Developed alongside UC鈥檚 Office of Treaty Partnership, the strategy aligns with the aspirations of Ng膩i Tahu and acknowledges the importance of Indigenous knowledge and wisdom.听

Professor Saurabh Sinha, Amo Matua P奴hanga | Executive Dean Engineering, introduced the strategy, highlighting its focus on applied research, sustainable development, and innovation that benefits the wider community.

鈥淥ur new strategy reflects our vision of engineering as an enabler of growth across multiple sectors,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o realise our vision, we need strong impactful partnerships so we can drive solutions that strengthen New Zealand鈥檚 position in the global landscape.鈥澨�

The event also featured a panel discussion with UC鈥檚 Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase, engineering consultant and KiwiRail Director Sina Cotter Tait, and water systems expert Fritha McCrimmon-Robinson, who all touched on the need to understand the world around them in greater context to be good engineers, and that people are central to this concept.听

Cotter Tait reflected that 鈥淚nfrastructure is not just about engineering; it鈥檚 about people, about Indigenous ways of seeing the world, and about social factors.鈥�

The purpose of the panel was to extend the themes of UC鈥檚 Engineering Strategy鈥攕uch as sustainable development, equitable growth, and cross-disciplinary collaboration鈥攂eyond engineering to a wider business context.听

Drawing on their experiences in local and international projects, the panellists discussed how these principles can drive positive outcomes across all industries, from integrating Indigenous knowledge to prioritising human-centred design in both public and private sectors.

You can read UC鈥檚 full Faculty of Engineering Strategy 2030 .