Rainbow Engineering UoA

And that’s a wrap! 🎉 It has been an absolute privilege to have been the President of Rainbow Engineering UoA, a club and organisation that I have put my heart and soul into. ❤️ On Monday, I had the chance to present to our supporters and sponsors about the impact of Rainbow Engineering. From over 20 events, 11 sponsors, Runner up New Club of the Year, and connections built with Rainbow and Engineering clubs across campus and with Industry, the network has achieved a lot over the last few years. 🌟 The highlight of the year has to be our Rainbow Stein, held in collaboration with 5 other Rainbow Clubs. It was an amazing time where we packed out over 400 people at Family Bar, turning into our very own Pink Pony Club, and strengthening our Rainbow community on campus. 🦄 I want to say thank you to all our members, our supporters in the Faculty and University, and our Sponsors and Industry supporters, we would not have been able to do it without your support. I also want to shout out my executive team, who have dedicated their time and energy to making Rainbow Engineering a success. 🙏 Lastly, I want to thank Eros Knight for being the best Vice President I could have ever asked for, thank you for sharing in my passion for this club, and I look forward to seeing how you take the club forward as the 2025 President! 💫 Rainbow Engineering has meant so much to me, and I have been honoured to have played a significant part in its growth. The club has provided me with amazing opportunities, connections, and I have enjoyed meeting so many new people over the years. 🌈 I am incredibly proud of seeing what we have achieved as a community and a driving force for change in not just Engineering at the University of Auckland but at the wider sector. 🔥 Ka kite Rainbow Engineering and Stay Slaying! 💅

✨New Club of the Year - Runner Up ✨ We are honoured to have received the award for “New Club of the Year - Runner Up” at the 2024 Club Awards! This award recognises Rainbow Engineering’s growth and success over the last year, and the impact we have had for our Rainbow community in Engineering at the University of Auckland and at The University of Auckland. We want to thank all of our allies and supporters, and we look forward to taking the top award next year 😤💪

Something new for Queer students at UoA! Rainbow Engineering is proud to support and help establish the UoA Queer Students Association. We believe that a wider and more collective effort is needed to support rainbow students at the University. If you are interested, be sure to sign up, link in Artie Ho’s post below!

A first for our sector, but we need you! As part of RSIG (Rainbow Special Interest Group), we are setting out to support our rainbow communities and one of the first steps we are undertaking is a survey to understand where our industry is at in support for the rainbow communities and how effective the support is. This will be a first of a kind for our sector and we are excited to be able to use the outcome of the survey to produce industry guidance for Rainbow Community support. This will be formally produced as part of the RSIG committee through Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau and will also be made available through The Diversity Agenda as RSIG represents the Rainbow communities in both these organisations. The survey is open to everyone comfortable sharing about their Rainbow Identity as well as ALLIES. Survey Link: https://lnkd.in/gTA878um Aryan Karan, Kha Pham Nguyen, Chad Selbert, Caitlin Rains, Isabelle M., Josephine Graham, Leliel Trethowen #rainbowinclusion #engineering #architecture #diversity #inclusion #rainbow #diversityagenda #engineeringnz

Thank you to WSP in New Zealand for joining us on campus for our first Tea & Talks of semester 2! 🌈 It was great to learn more about WSP as a company, the work they do, and how they support queer people in their workplace. We heard from Sam Learmonth and Matthew Carey who spoke on their experiences at WSP, and we even learnt about their involvement in the Rainbow Games! Internships for WSP close soon! Be sure to check those out here: https://lnkd.in/gzAu_9yy

Rainbow Engineering is excited to (finally) announce our 2024 Sponsors!🎉 Rainbow Engineering strives to provide plenty of opportunities for queer engineers to develop and connect. We are glad to bring back four returning sponsors and seven new sponsors into the ever-growing Rainbow Engineering community! 🏳️🌈🤝 A Special thanks to our 2024 Sponsors: 💛 Gold: Marshall Day Acoustics, Tonkin + Taylor, Downer, and Xero 🤍 Silver: Beca, WSP in New Zealand, and Honeywell 💜 Amythest: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Jane Street, Aurecon, and Holmes Aus & NZ Be sure to look out for any internship opportunities that our sponsors will be sharing, and catch them at some of our events! 🚀

✨It was amazing to attend The Diversity Agenda Summit again as well as the DEI leads collective workshop the next day.✨ An action-packed two days, we covered a lot! It was wonderful hearing Josie FitzGerald announce that we had achieved closing the Gender Pay Equity Gap, and setting the next milestone - 40:40:20 (40% Women, 40% Men, and 40% any gender) in Senior Leadership. 💪 I also enjoyed hearing from Charlotte Toma and Annie Scott on their AWEC NZ White Paper; it was quite confronting and a reminder of the reality of being a woman in the industry and why what we do matters. It was great to also hear from Dr Ellen Joan Ford on leadership, and also from Minister Tama Potaka. I also learned a lot from the DEI collective workshop, led by Annie Ualesi. I had the opportunity to talk on the Rainbow Special Interest Group and its achievements as the official Pride Rōpū of the Diversity Agenda. We also reflected and strategized on how we can work together through collective action. 🤝 It’s always a pleasure to participate in these conversations as a student soon to be entering the workforce, and I encourage more students to get involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion conversations at university, especially our allies. 🌈 I want to thank Waldo Posthumus and Kelly Blincoe for supporting me in attending, and I want to thank Charlotte Downes and Holly Rausch for their amazing māhi in this space. Lastly, I want to thank all those who I met over the two days, I truly felt like I belonged in this space and it was a pleasure to meet so many amazing and interesting people. 💖 I feel energized and refreshed with some new ideas which I look forward to bringing to the Faculty of Engineering. 🚀

We’re still buzzing from our best Diversity Agenda Accord Summit yet! Last week at Parliament, amazing speakers and passionate discussions helped us reflect on our progress and align on actions for sustainable and impactful change. Can you spot anyone you know below? Give them some kudos! 🏆 We celebrated closing the pay equity gap to 0.4%—a testament to our members' commitment to equal pay for equal work. While we're proud of this achievement, we know there’s more mahi ahead to increase participation of Māori, women, and underrepresented groups and to ensure everyone has a thriving career working in our industries. Our Chair, Josie FitzGerald, left us with a call to action: How will you contribute to our 40:40:20 goal (40% women, 40% men, 20% any gender) in senior leadership by 2030? A big thank you to our inspiring speakers for their invaluable insights and to everyone who joined and contributed to these vital conversations. The summit was a safe space for sharing and learning, reinforcing that we’re stronger together. As we celebrate progress, we recognise that determined, consistent efforts are crucial for meaningful change. Let’s keep the momentum going and strive for an inclusive, equitable industry for all! #DiversityAgenda #AccordSummit2024 #Inclusion #Equity #CollectiveAction #IndustryImpact Dr Ellen Joan Ford | Annie Scott | Charlotte Toma | Jehan Casinader | Tama Potaka |

📢2025 Graduate Opportunities🎓 Are you graduating with a degree in Electrical or Mechatronics Engineering this year? We're seeking talented Graduate Electrical Engineers to join our team in Hamilton and Tauranga! Develop your skills alongside industry leaders and work on innovative projects that make an impact in our communities. Learn more and apply now: https://lnkd.in/gXAfes86

Big Announcement 😁 We have the incredible Miss Geena hosting our RSIG Pride Month Quiz next week all thanks to Downer!! If you haven't registered yet please do using this link: https://lnkd.in/guFMwvfW We are excited to connect accross NZ and bring our rainbow communities together for the sector. Event sponsors Aurecon, GHD, WSP in New Zealand, Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau Kha Pham Nguyen, Chad Selbert, Leliel Trethowen, Caitlin Rains, Josephine Graham, Isabelle M., Aryan Karan #engineer #arhitecture #rainbow #pridemonth #🌈 #🏳️🌈 #🏳️⚧️

This global #PrideMonth (and every month) we celebrate the perspectives of our Rainbow whanau in Aotearoa New Zealand. 🌈 Today we shine a light on Brendon Schicker in our Ōtautahi Christchurch office. Make sure to follow WSP as they share the perspectives from our global rainbow community for #PrideMonth. #PrideatWSP #WeAreWSP

Need a break from exams? Check out this fabulous Pride Month Quiz with the Rainbow Special Interest Group next week! A wonderful chance to connect with queer engineers in the industry!

Rainbow Engineering recently hosted the slayest event of the semester, our very first Sponsor Drag Bingo Night! ✨ This unique event gave students the chance to network with our sponsors and Faculty staff in a fun and engaging setting. Hosted by the fabulous Shavorn Aborealis, who not only ran the bingo games but also delivered a stunning performance, it was an evening to remember. A special thanks to our sponsors who attended with representatives from Xero, Downer, Beca, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Holmes Aus & NZ, Aurecon, Jane Street and Engineering at the University of Auckland. 🌟 Thank you to everyone who attended; we hope you enjoyed playing with our balls at Sponsor Drag Bingo Night! 🌈

Thank you to Beca for joining us on campus for another fabulous Tea & Talks of the year! 🌈 It was great to learn more about Beca as a company, the work they do, and how they support queer people in their workplace. We heard from James Mortimer and Daniel Fortin who spoke on their experiences at Beca. We also had Lipe Latu who spoke on Beca’s graduate/internship programme. If you would like to see more of Beca, be sure to check out our Instagram for other events with them in Semester 2, and be sure to keep an eye out for their Internship applications. 👀

Thank you to Xero for joining us on campus for our very first Tea & Talks of the year! It was great to learn more about Xero as a company, and how they support queer people in their workplace. We heard from Matthew Coons, the Global DIB Lead who spoke on Xero’s journey in Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. We also had Rochelle Heale speak on Xero’s graduate/internship programme and heard stories from some recent Graduates! If you would like to see more of Xero, be sure to check out our Instagram for other events with them, including our upcoming Sponsor Drag Bingo!

🌈Another successful Queer&A with WEN (Women in Engineering Network) 🌈 Thank you to everyone who attended. It was super amazing to hear different perspectives from queer representatives from Rainbow Engineering and WEN sponsors Aurecon, Downer, Tonkin + Taylor, Xero and Engineering at the University of Auckland Special thanks to Cara Fisher, Arlo Peters, Scylla Sundheim, Layton Rumble, Zephyr Zhang and Em Watters for sharing your insights into being queer in industry. If you’re interested in learning more about our sponsors be sure to follow both WEN and REng on our socials! And stay tuned for an exciting REng event with our sponsors coming soon 👀

🌈 WOW! We we're extremely proud, humbled, and honored at this years Rainbow Parade, with over 100 allies marching the streets of Auckland to show our united industry support for the rainbow community of Aotearoa. 'Reflecting on the last 12months it’s pretty incredible to see how much we’ve grown, more people and more companies uniting to prove #engineeringandarchitectureisforeveryone' - Talia Ritchie 'It was an amazing day joining the The Diversity Agenda and our partner engineering and architecture firms on celebrating diversity and inclusion in our industry!' - Christopher Maguire 'It was a fun-filled, colourful, positive vibe to be part of the Auckland Rainbow Parade in Ponsonby' - Rupert Hodson 'It was truly inspiring to see the community come together to champion diversity and inclusion in our industry.' - Ben Greenhaf 'Who would have thought that a bunch of engineers and architects would make up the biggest group in the parade? 😱' - Waldo Posthumus 'We believe engineering should be a place for everyone ✨🌈' - Holmes Aus & NZ Thanks to our members who sponsored, individuals that marched and everyone that honored the late David McDonald, who we know marched along side us in spirit. A special thanks to the Engineering New Zealand Rainbow Special Interest Group for coordinating such a fabulous event - if you're looking to further support the rainbow community, or find your home in our industry, you can join them for free - head over to the Engineering New Zealand website, groups page! AECOM / Rainbow Engineering UoA / Aurecon / Beca / Currie Construction (2012) LTD / Downer / GHD / Harrison Grierson / Holmes Aus & NZ / Jasmax / Stantec / Tonkin + Taylor / Geotechnics Ltd / Vista Group / WSP in New Zealand

Our friends at UC have set up their own group! Be sure to check out UC Rainbow Engineering Society and chuck em a follow! We're thrilled to no longer be the only tertiary group for queer engineers and are super excited to see what's to come down at UC!

We're excited to share the launch of the Rainbow Special Interest Group of Engineering New Zealand 🌈 The Rainbow Special Interest Group advocates for and improves the representation of rainbow communities across the engineering profession. It is the place for organisations and individuals who are passionate about diversity, to connect, collaborate and empower the engineering and architecture of New Zealand to be a more inclusive space. The Rainbow SIG committee have done an outstanding job creating this community, and have some very exciting plans ahead for 2024 - join them! 🌟 Membership is NOW OPEN and free to join for 2024. 🌟 You'll be first to know about the nationwide events taking place, support the work the committee are doing to advocate the representation and rights of rainbow community in the profession, connect with like-minded professionals in our industry and more! Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gAUNVf-s

We’ve got an exciting opportunity to help inspire the next generation of engineers as a Women in Engineering Outreach Ambassador! These are paid casual roles ($25/hour) to support our Women in Engineering Project – which has a goal to increase our numbers of part one women in engineering students. This role might be for you if: You enjoy speaking to high school students and talking about all the possibilities related to engineering You are passionate about getting more women into STEM You are committed to attend training (Feb 24 & 25)* You are available to go on school visits fortnightly during school terms You have the ability to sign up for visits as they suit your schedule and we don’t expect you to go on visits during busy weeks or exams *If you can’t make training dates but are experienced with WEN activities from previous years we may be able to make an exception What is the role: Delivering workshops for high school students including sharing your story about how you got into engineering, running a pre-designed engineering activity, collecting feedback and photos Promoting further opportunities to engage with WEN and the faculty of engineering after the visits May include representing the faculty at expos and events Potential for out of Auckland travel for visits Applications open today and will be reviewed on a rolling basis, closing on Sunday Feb 11th at 11:59pm. If this sounds like something you’re interested in – please complete this form to apply! We’ll then be in touch about next steps. https://lnkd.in/gTjV7vqy