You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Meet Nathan Hickman
Job:
Geotechnical Engineer.
Job description:
I am responsible for undertaking site investigations to work out what the ground conditions are, carrying out analyses to predict how the ground will respond to various loads and monitoring of construction to ensure things are built as designed.
Work background:
Working at Tonkin and Taylor for five years.
Favourite part of job:
The mix of inside (in the office) and outside (on site) work. Travelling to exciting places for work (I’ve been to Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Kiribati).
Least favourite part of job:
Fieldwork in the middle of winter..brrr!
What I am working on now:
Right now, I am working on a range of ground improvement schemes (to hopefully) prevent damage to structures if a big earthquake was to occur in Hawkes Bay. I am also designing foundations for a few multi-storey buildings around the country.
A quick story about a job well done:
I recently flew up to Fiji to undertake investigations and foundation design for a new convention centre. I got to travel in style (free upgrade to Business Class), stay in luxury (the 5 star Mariott Momi Bay) and the job was completed on time, and on budget.
A (humorous) story about a job that went badly and what you learned:
Fortunately I haven’t had anything fall over… as yet.
Qualifications:
- BE(Hons) – Civil
- Bcom
Interests outside work:
Outside of work, I enjoy watching and playing sport (mainly soccer).
Nathan Hickman is a Geotechnical Engineer at Tonkin and Taylor. Image: Tonkin and Taylor.