NZSSES Annual Report, 1 October 2007 – 30 September 2008
19 December 2008
This report covers the period 1 October 2007 until 30 September 2008. During that time NZSSES has hosted six sessions in our series of Friday Forums; two in Christchurch on Water Storage and Supply, and Future Strategies for Canterbury Water, and four in Auckland. Beginning in February with one on Future Thinking and Frontier Design, one on Biofuels, then one on Sustainable Electricity and the last one on Sustainable Housing. Our speakers often stirred up interesting debate.
We took advantage of the fact that Dr Paul Weaver was in the country and organised a Public Lecture on the European Union MATISSE programme, which attracted an audience of around 45.
In addition to the Forums, this year we also ran several one-day workshops and seminars, which drew good audiences, and, in conjunction, with Ingenium ran a series of Sustainability for Practitioners courses around the country.
The balance of the year’s activities were centred around the planning and organisation for The Society’s 3rd International Conference Blueprints for Sustainable Infrastructure held last week. The outcome of the conference will officially form part of the 2009 report.
The conference featured nine national and international experts, fourteen additional speakers in six interactive workshops, and eighty parallel papers. Speakers and delegates alike congratulated the Society on another excellent and well organised conference.
Following on from the previous connections made with the National Science Foundation in attending the conference in 2007 and the post conference international workshop, NZSSES was pleased to welcome another contingent from the United States. Some of those attending were back for the second time, others were first time attendees.
In conjunction with, and immediately prior to the conference, The Society sponsored the University of Auckland Students for Sustainability Group, NEXUS, who organised a one day seminar on Sustainability Fundamentals.
Dr Carol Boyle
Chair, NZSSES
19 December 2008