| 37 Geotago REGIONAL ƛɴʇ̓ ʇ̓ NJȁ˗ǹlzǹ ǹ̓ ʇ͔ ͣ̓Ʉȳ ͔˧ ȠɄ Ÿ̥˧ͣȳ Ƞͣ̓ʇ˗Ʉ̓̓ ̛ǹ̥͔˗Ʉ̥̓ ˧ɥ Ʉ˧͔ǹɪ˧ ), ŭ#( )Ňŭ0#-#.ŭ), " , * ,%ņ(4 #0 , (%ŭ & - Ňŭ I( % ŭ CLARK FORTUNE McDONALD LAND SURVEYORS - LAND DEVELOPMENT - PLANNING CONSULTANTS QUEENSTOWN | DUNEDIN | CHRISTCHURCH | GORE www.cmfa.co.nz Award Winning Queenstown Builders www.benniebuilders.co.nz (021) 152 8067 james@benniebuilders.co.nz T T Emma Bailey Professional input key to risk reduction Geotago covers the Lakes District, Central and North Otago and out to the West Coast and northern Southland. Knowing what is underfoot and below the surface is crucial to the success of any construction project. Ready to carry out crucial geotech investigations is Geotago, a Queenstown-based consultancy specialising in engineering geology and geotechnical engineering services. Geotago’s director and principal engineering geologist, Peter Forrest, has 30 years’ consultancy experience from the UK and New Zealand. “In 2015, after my daughter was born, I moved to a small consultancy in Auckland focusing on residential development,” says Peter. “In 2016, I took the opportunity to relocate to Queenstown and set up a new office for the firm, which I ran for five years. In 2021, post-Covid, I formed Geotago and went out by myself.” Geotago covers the Lakes District, Central and North Otago and out to the West Coast and northern Southland. Peter worked in Christchurch during and after the earthquakes and witnessed how this changed the industry. “Pre-earthquakes there was very little regard to ground conditions or natural hazards, but after the events everyone became familiar with rockfall, landslide, liquefaction and their associated risks. “Geotech investigation reduces the risk when you are building what will be a significant investment. Due diligence can provide significant financial gain early in what is an ever- increasingly expensive undertaking.” Peter cannot stress enough the importance of getting a geo-professional involved at the start of a project. “We often get called in retrospectively because of unforeseen ground conditions that could have easily been identified and mitigated before contractors start moving dirt. Often, it can lead to major issues and quite significant re-engineering or design.” Peter studied in Bristol, where he gained an honours degree in geology and a PhD in engineering geology. He is a UK Chartered Geologist and a Chartered Member of Engineering New Zealand practising as a professional engineering geologist. These qualifications and professional status allows Geotago to provide professional certification to the work it undertakes. Peter has been involved in some exciting projects since opening Geotago, including Treespace, a low-density residential subdivision on the slopes of Mt Dewar Queenstown, which has challenging ground conditions with large-scale reforestation and ecological restoration. “It is part of the old Coronet Peak landslide, so we have been working with civil and structural engineers as well as the earthworks contractors to ensure the roads are stable and the building platforms and infrastructure secure.” He was also involved with Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust project, Tewa Banks, from the beginning, providing a mixed tenure of the trust’s housing programmes. “I was there from the get-go until the completion and official opening of the subdivision.” In Wanaka, he has been heavily involved in Orchard Park, for Quartz Development. “We are now up to stage 3 of the subdivision; this has given Geotago the opportunity to work with the new individual lot owners as they plan their homes.” Peter enjoys the variety of his work and also the people he meets along the way. “I enjoy the people and working with them to provide cost-efficient and pragmatic solutions. It can be extremely rewarding when you can solve some of their problems early in the build process.” “Geotech investigation reduces the risk when you are building what will be a significant investment.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=