Home | Interviews and Articles

Growing and strengthening pathways into engineering for Māori and Pasifika students is at the heart of a new partnership between Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) and the South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students (SPIES) association at the University of Auckland.

Joining SPIES this year as Waka Ariki (Platinum) partner, PDP will work alongside the student-led association to support academic achievement, professional development, and the diversity of perspectives, experiences, and cultural knowledge within the engineering profession.

The partnership was formally marked this week at our Auckland office, where SPIES representatives and our team came together to share kai, connect kanohi ki te kanohi, and look ahead to the opportunities this collaboration will create.

“Partnering with SPIES is about investing in capability, confidence, and connection. Engineering shapes the communities we live in, and supporting Māori and Pasifika students through SPIES helps ensure those communities are represented in the decisions that shape their future. If we want a profession that truly reflects Aotearoa, we need to help create the pathways that make that possible,” says Phil Hook, Technical Director – Hydrology, and SPIES partnership lead, at PDP.

Planned activities include a joint mentoring programme, employment workshops, and networking events with our own graduates and senior leaders at PDP.

At its heart, SPIES is about creating a place where our tauira Māori and Pasifika can come into engineering as themselves, not having to leave their identity at the door. Our kaupapa is grounded in manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, and in supporting each other to succeed together.

We are very grateful to PDP for the trust they have placed in a student-led rōpū. Partnerships like this allow our members to build relationships kanohi ki te kanohi, learn from practicing engineers, and begin to see a real pathway into the profession. Support like this strengthens our confidence and reminds our students that they belong in the spaces where decisions are made about our whenua, our wai, and our communities.” – 2026 SPIES Presidential Team – Ariana George, Lorive Saena, Ebony-Jean Lafotanoa-Ta’avili.

At PDP, our purpose, Today shapes tomorrow, reflects a simple belief – that the decisions and actions taken now have enduring consequences for people, place, and the environment. The whakataukī Te piko o te māhuri, tērā te tupu o te rākau / How we shape the sapling determines how the tree will grow, highlights the importance of actively supporting and shaping future generations.

Across Aotearoa, we partner with clients and communities to deliver lasting solutions through a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, planners, and advisors. Backing the next generation of engineers is a natural extension of that commitment.

About SPIES

​SPIES is a University of Auckland, student-led association dedicated to supporting engineering students of Māori and Pacific Island descent by promoting academic excellence, cultural identity, wellbeing, and professional development.

SPIES represents students across all engineering disciplines and maintains strong connections within the University and the wider Māori and Pasifika communities.

Find out more at spiesuoa.co.nz