NZGS YGP Symposium

The Young Geotechnical Professionals (YGP) Symposium is a one-day event bringing together emerging professionals from across the local geotechnical industry to share experiences, exchange ideas and learn from one another. Bring a topic. Share your experience. Ask questions and meet your peers.

Held regionally across New Zealand, the symposium provides a relaxed and supportive environment for early-career geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, contractors and other geotechnical professionals to connect with their peers and showcase the work they have been involved in.

The format is deliberately informal and accessible. You don’t need to be an experienced presenter or have a major research project to share. The focus is on interesting projects, technical challenges, lessons learned, innovative approaches, unexpected outcomes, or simply something from your day-to-day work that you think others would find valuable.

Each participant will give a 10-minute presentation, followed by a short question and discussion session. Two experienced senior geotechnical professionals will also attend as mentors, providing constructive feedback, advice and insights throughout the day.

Whether you are presenting for the first time or looking to build your confidence and communication skills, the symposium is a great opportunity to step outside your usual work environment, meet other young professionals and learn from the experiences of people working across the industry. Most importantly, we hope you leave the day with new connections, new ideas and renewed enthusiasm for your career in geotechnics.

The regional YGP Symposium is a shorter, more local and less formal version of the highly successful ANZ Young Geotechnical Professionals Conference, providing an accessible opportunity to experience the same spirit of sharing and collaboration closer to home.

What do I need to present?

To register, you will need to submit a 100–200 word summary of a geotechnical topic that you can commit to presenting at the symposium.

Your topic could cover almost anything relevant to geotechnics, engineering geology or your professional experience. For example, you might present:

• A project you have worked on and the challenges you encountered

• A particularly interesting ground condition or geological setting

• A new technique, tool or technology you have used

• Fieldwork, site investigation or construction experiences

• A case study or unusual geotechnical problem

• Research, university work or an area of professional interest

Your presentation should be 10 minutes long, followed by a short period for questions. There is no requirement to prepare or submit a written paper. Don’t worry if you haven’t presented at a conference before – the symposium is intended to be a friendly and supportive environment where you can develop your presentation skills and share your experience with others.