KEY POINTS:
Qualification: Bachelor of Surveying
Where: University of Otago
Contact: Ph 03 479 7585 or 0800 80 12 12, Email: surveying@otago.ac.nz, Web: otago.ac.nz/surveying
Entry Requirements: NCEA University Entrance or equivalent. Year 13 calculus preferred but statistics acceptable. English and physics recommended.
2008 tertiary fees: $6400
Starting Salary: $45,000-$53,000 in New Zealand. AU$S60,000-$65,000 in Brisbane, up to AU$S100,000-$120,000 in remote Australia.
Surveyors in New Zealand are involved in five main activities; resource management and land development, cadastral studies (legal description of land boundaries), measurement science, spatial information processing and hydrographic surveying.
Otago University's four-year degree is New Zealand's only surveying degree. Students must do well in the first year to win one of the 50 to 60 places available for the second year. The first year includes five compulsory papers, including a maths paper. Some students are required to do a second maths paper as a prerequisite.
The remaining three years are specialised professional years covering 16 core papers on measurement technology and processes, civil engineering, professional practice and project management. Other subjects include valuation of land, land boundaries, land administration, resource management and planning.
Students also pick electives such as property investment and management, advanced land tenure studies, marine law, hydrographic surveying, environmental engineering, and spatial information management.
As well as Otago University's degree, there is two-year diploma in surveying offered at Unitec that leads to technician roles.
GRADUATE
Stu Greer, 23
Wood & Partners Consultants Ltd
Graduate Surveyor
Graduated in 2006
Wood & Partners do a lot of large greenfield subdivisions in areas such as Botany Downs and Silverdale. There are 10 surveyors and six or seven chainmen. It is a fun job and worth the study.
I first worked at Wood & Partners during a semester break as part of the compulsory 100 days employment requirement of our degree. I found the work experience invaluable because I learned so much more on the job than learning from a text book.
I spend roughly two days in the field for every day in the office, depending on the job. In the office I am calculating boundary positions, checking the surveying data observed in the field, then processing the data and producing survey plans.
Field work involves anything from placing property boundary pegs to topographical surveys; surveying of prominent features of a property and obtaining the contours of the land. We also do as-built surveys; surveying the position of newly constructed manholes and street services such as water valves, telecom plinths and power boxes for new subdivisions.
Engineering is important in surveying. We did two engineering papers in both our second and third years, including road and drainage design and subdivision design. This covered things such as how to design a road at different design speeds, practical ways to design subdivisions and designing drainage systems.
You have to really work hard to grasp the maths in the first year. Maths is important because there are a lot of calculations required in the field.
We learned a lot more law than I expected; such as the cadastral survey act, unit titles act, property management act, Maori land act.
We also had to do road safety courses, because surveying can involve working on roads.
Now I'm a graduate surveyor I can do survey work but I can't sign off or deposit plans with council until I'm licensed, which takes around two years. This involves doing projects on engineering, surveying and planning (resource consents) for the licensing board, then sitting exams.
EMPLOYER
Director Wood & Partners
Mark Williams
Stu came to us over the holidays as an undergraduate. We liked his work ethic and aptitude, and offered him a fulltime position when he finished his degree.
We want graduates who are focused, know how to get a job done and see projects through to the finish. They also have to be able to manage others and have good interpersonal skills.
Otago surveying school is churning out graduates and yet the employment market is still tight and Australia is snapping a lot of them up.
As well as physical surveying, surveyors need to deal with local councils and authorities and work with the Resource Management Act, and Land Transfer Act and NZ building standards. They are also involved in construction work, designing pipes and roads.
When graduates start we get them to do a lot of field work, so they get experience of land form and literally develop their ability to survey.
Like any graduate, the qualification can be good but it is up to the individual. Stu is a great worker. We've thrown him a few curly things and he has knuckled down and sorted them out.
