Minutes
Canterbury/Westland
Branch Training and Networking Meeting
Held on
Saturday 22nd September 2018
at
The Civic Centre, Kaikoura District Council, Kaikoura
Welcome:
Secretary Jennifer Clark Welcome members to Kaikoura, and thanked Mark Mitchell (Kaikoura Building Manager) for hosting the event.
Chairperson Richard Lorgelly then welcome guests DR Chris Henry, Stephanie Lange and BOINZ President Kerry Walsh
Attendance & Apologies:
Members were thanked for all their emails and RSVP's are noted on the attendance register
Richard requested members RSVP for future events within 48hours to ensure accurate catering and that they also sign the attendance register on arrival.
Post meeting note: If members want to attend the meeting remotely via skype or Cisco please contact Jennifer.clarke@ccc.govt in advance of the next meeting.
Previous Minutes:
Minutes of the previous meeting was circulated via the BOINZ website. These were accepted as a true and correct record:
Moved by: John Blanken Seconded by: Eddie Newman
Correspondence In/Out:
None
Board Representative Update:
Kerry Walsh:
Kerry advised he was the Board liaison for the Canterbury/Westland Branch and overviewed the Institute's activities. He invited members to contact him with any thoughts or ideas to raise to the Board. You can find out more about new training initiatives provided by the Institute on the BOINZ website here
Overview of the Event:
The meeting was held in the auditorium within the museum in the Kaikoura Civic Centre Building or as it is affectionately known - 'The Craypot'. The museum currently exhibits a long-term award-winning exhibition called 'New Normal - The Kaikoura earthquake exhibition'
Guest speaker was Dr Chris Henry. Chris is a Kaikoura based GP. He was in Christchurch for a meeting on the day of the February 2011 earthquake, and his actions on that day lead to him being awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal. He has since been recognised for his contribution to rural health following the November 2016 earthquake that affected the Kaikoura community.
Chris detailed his experiences during and after the Christchurch earthquake. It was a shocking account of what he and other first responders witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. He went on to explain how he reacted on the day, but also what happened in the weeks and months following the event and how his work and health was affected.
Chris's daughter Chessie Henry subsequently wrote a book "We Can Make a Life" about his experience and the family's experience during this time. Chris read a few excerpts from Chessies book, and it is indeed a riveting read!
Following Dr Chris's talk, Kaikoura Museum Manager Stephanie Lange took members on a tour of the main museum, which is a gem of a place with lots to look at. The museum is home to numerous interesting, quirky and uniquely Kaikoura exhibits, including a fully-restored cabin from the Taiaroa ship that sank off the Kaikoura coast in 1886. The favorite item was definitely 'The Old Dunga' a vintage surfboard used in an annual surf competition.
Members were then treated to a fine array of sandwiches, cookies and cups of tea, in what is got to be the most scenic Council tea room in New Zealand, if not in the world! We donned our PPE gear and headed off on the site visit.
Due to the NCTIR (North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery) engineer having an unexpected double booking it looked like the site visit was going to be cancelled, however at the last-minute, Will Doughty from NCTIR stepped in complete with jandles, shorts and his daughter in tow and was immediately hailed as hero of the day. Apparently, he was only going on an errand to the supermarket when we hijacked him to be our tour guide!
Will took everyone on a tour to Oahu Point, on the way he pointed out the new road and the newly incorporated rock fall prevention structures. Members saw the new Irongate bridge, which set a record for the fastest delivery of a seven span bridge built in New Zealand to date.
Will entertained us with an account of his role in the project, the scope and scale of the project and how NCTIR came into existence and how they operate to deliver the objectives.
The day was topped off by a dinner at the Pier Hotel. The food was delicious, the staff were great, and after a long day, the beers went down easily.
A Special Thank you to: Mark Mitchell, Dr Chris Henry, Stephanie Lange, Will Doughty
The Next Branch Meeting will take place on 6th November at Ferrymead Park, Christchurch.
Jennifer Clarke
Canterbury/Westland Branch Secretary
