History
The organisation was founded in early 2008 from the merging of several student groups based at the University of Auckland and the University of Cantebury with similar goals of community development . The foundations of EWBNZ were laid in 2006 when a group of eight engineering students called PULSE, led by student Holly Corbett and engineer Craig Omundsen, undertook a water scheme design for World Vision in Vanuatu. The PULSE group then completed an assessment programme of village-managed water schemes in Samoa in 2007. These trips inspired another group to form in 2007 called CREW, led by student Haydn Luckman. Their work in Samoa included collaboration with the local community to install water tanks, and design and construct a new wharf. These two groups, based in Auckland, merged along with a group from the University of Canterbury, led by student Sofian Irsheid, to come under the name ”Engineers Without Borders New Zealand” (EWBNZ). “Engineers Without Borders” is a well recognised name that has been adopted by similar organisations in Australia (Engineers without Borders Australia), Canada (Engineers Without Borders Canada) and worldwide.
EWB NZ works to achieve its mission using a three pronged approach:
1.Projects - coordinating student and professional skills in the implementation of environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable projects.
2.Awareness - raising awareness about global development issues and the roles and responsibilities of engineers.
3.Education – encouraging far-reaching education on topics related to sustainable development, appropriate technology and poverty alleviation.
EWBNZ is an incorporated society and is a registered charitable trust. It has been granted provisional registration by NZAid to its KOHA-PICD funding scheme
Read more about this topic: Engineers Without Borders (New Zealand)
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