Citation on the award of Life Membership, April 2023
Graeme Beattie is awarded a Life membership of NZSEE for his services to earthquake and structural engineering in New Zealand.
Graeme was brought up in rural Hawkes Bay, where his practical approach to engineering and problem solving and a willingness to roll his sleeves up was first nurtured and developed. After his university studies, Graeme joined the Ministry of Works, working on power station construction, and on structural design of a range of government buildings.
In the mid-1980’s Graeme left the Structural Engineering office at the MWD Head Office in Wellington and moved to the Central Laboratories, where he became Section Head for structural engineering. During this time, he was responsible for laboratory and field testing of full-sized structural assemblies, bridge piers and power station components. There were also research projects funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology and structural testing for commercial clients.
The next step in Graeme’s professional journey was to join BRANZ, where he became team leader of structural engineering. At BRANZ, in addition to commercial testing and research, Graeme had the opportunity to contribute to the wider engineering and building community through his work on NZ, Australian, and international standards as varied as masonry, glass, timber, and building. In this arena his in-depth technical knowledge and leadership skills have been greatly valued, and this standards involvement continues to this day.
At BRANZ Graeme also took the opportunity to pass on his engineering knowledge to the engineering, building and construction industries with seminar presentations, magazine articles and technical research papers. Along the way, he authored a manual for the design of multi-storey timber buildings, and guidance documents for the seismic design of slender precast panels and high-level storage racking systems.
Graeme was a member of NZSEE Learning from Earthquake missions to Washington State following the Nisqually earthquake, 2001; and to Chile, after the Maule earthquake in 2010. He subsequently contributed to reports, technical papers, and public presentations on the findings of those missions that collectively improved our understanding of how structures perform in earthquakes. Following the Darfield 2010 and Christchurch 2011 earthquakes Graeme was heavily involved in the safety evaluation of houses and commercial buildings. This contribution continued in the immediate aftermath of the events, and for years afterwards as a member of the Engineering Advisory Group shaping MBIE’s response in the development of repair strategies for a range of damage states. Currently, Graeme heads up the structural division in an engineering consultancy firm in the Bay of Plenty.
Graeme has been a member of the Society for many years and has served on the management committee, and as President, from 2008 to 2010. His contribution was recognised with his elevation to Fellow.
This lifelong commitment to structural and seismic engineering makes Graeme a worthy recipient of Life Membership of the Society.