David Bishop, Associate

Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) 1981 - New Zealand (Auckland University). New Zealand Certificate of Engineering (Civil) 1976 – Auckland Technical Institute). Member of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (1996 - ). Chartered Professional Engineer Australia (1990 to 1995).

Currently based in the Waikato region, David is an associate with CLIMsystems; 'decision making in a climate changed world' and a practicing civil and structural engineer.

After nearly 30 years of experience and dedication to the civil engineering industry, and having worked nationally and internationally solving Civil and Structural design and Construction problems David is looking for new challenges within Climate Change Verification and Adaptation scenarios for Pacific Peoples.

David continues informal studies on the effects of climate change on occupied atolls in the Cook Islands with the hope of more effectively helping vulnerable South Pacific Island communities prepare for predicted climate change induced sea level changes.

In early March 2010 and after over three years of negotiations the launch of the South Pacific Engineers Association (SPEA) was achieved in Suva. David was pleased to be asked to represent the Cook Islands at this important occasion. SPEA is an IPENZ supported initiative that currently represents the island nations of Cook Islands, Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. David is actively assisting the CEO of IPENZ to help SPEA formulate a sustainable future for all member communities and is actively pursuing membership from French Polynesia and other Pacific communities .

A Short Work History:

David was educated on the North Shore in Auckland and worked as a Technician for six years in the Ministry of Works Auckland and completed studies at Auckland Technical Institute and BE studies at Auckland University.

Prior to Graduating David traveled to London, England and worked on designs for water retaining structures and large bridge structures before traveling to Melbourne, Australia to design bridges for Vic. Roads for a further two years. A five year period working with Ove Arup and Partners (Melbourne) followed where he was part of a team for High Rise Building Design and Construction supervision in Melbourne and smaller buildings including the National War Museum in Canberra, ACT. In 1989 David was engaged by Ove Arup in the Construction Supervision of the large Australian Embassy in Beijing (10 months) and the smaller Tokyo Embassy (briefly).

In 1990 a two year period working with Melbourne's leading builder; Grocon as the facade construction co manager on the prestigious Melbourne based World Headquarters for the ANZ Bank and the 65 level Governor Philip Tower in Sydney completed a busy period in the early 1990's. This construction-based period was followed by eighteen months as marketing engineer with innovative steel products designer and manufacturer Palmer Tube Mills, Melbourne. David traveled extensively in New Zealand, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria and occasionally Western Australia talking to users and lecturing to engineering groups.

The mid nineties saw David as a contracted engineer working for Kinhill and Fraser Worley Engineers on a wide variety of design, construction and supervision / contract management projects in Melbourne, Western Australia, Malaysia and Thailand before returning to New Zealand in 1996.

Since his return to Aotearoa David has lived and worked on Great Barrier Island, Waiheke Island, Java (Island); as a geothermal power station engineer and on Pukapuka Island (NW Cook Islands), Rarotonga and the Southern Cook Islands as an infrastructure engineer.

David continues to have a strong interest in sustainable electrical energy generation and is helping communities identify ways of being more effectively involved in geothermal resources within the central and northeastern regions of Aotearoa.

David is passionate about traditional sea voyaging and native forest restoration. David is a keen amateur glider pilot, cyclist, tramper, a life member of the Kerikeri based New Zealand Kiwi Foundation and a keen advocate for the QE II National Trust and the Tane's Tree Trust.

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