About ICS

Paul Durkin

President

Paul is a Licenced Cadastral Surveyor and Registered Surveyor and Director of Christchurch surveying firm 43below Ltd, which has been operating for over 18 years. He has an extensive resume of experience in cadastral survey, engineering, and precise positioning projects both throughout New Zealand and offshore. Paul has a vast technical understanding of many facets of land surveying areas, and has never been afraid to be ahead of the curve in terms of various professional matters – for example operating a paperless office long before it became de-rigueur. Paul joined the ICS committee in 2019 and was elected president in 2020.

Brent George

Secretary

Brent is a Registered Professional Surveyor and Licensed Cadastral Surveyor at Mainland Surveying in Christchurch. Over an incredibly diverse surveying career of more than 30 years he has worked in Government, an SOE and private practices. Brent has undertaken surveys in all regions throughout NZ, including the Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Islands, Fiordland, and also on the Chatham, Pitt and Auckland Islands, as well as in Antarctica. Brent is married to Jacqui, and has two children (now adults). Other than armchair interests in rugby and most other sports, Brent enjoys walking and biking the Port Hills tracks, watching off-beat TV drama series, and adding to a growing collection of Antarctic history books. Brent has been a stalwart of the Institute since its early years and has been the secretary and powerhouse of the organisation since 2017.

Phil Conway

Treasurer

Alex Liggett

Committee

Alex graduated from the University of Otago in 2005 and moved to Christchurch to join the hard core of former Lands and Survey/DoSLI/Terralink surveyors at Andersen & Associates Ltd. The job took him all over NZ and on one memorable project to the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Alex became a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor in 2008 and now works for Fox & Associates Ltd, a small firm that has a strong focus on quality and innovation.
Alex is married to UC Antarctic researcher Associate Professor Daniela Liggett, and outside of work he spends his weekends working on the restoration of a WW2 fighter-bomber aircraft. He also enjoys tramping, fishing and motorcycling. Alex has been an ICS committee member since 2016 and was treasurer from 2017 to 2022.

Mark Geddes

Committee

Mark started his career at TL Survey Services Ltd in 1999, a mere 9 months after the company started following the sale of the regional branches of Terralink Survey Services. After finishing a BSurv at Otago University in 2000, he went on to get Licensed in 2005. During this time, he worked on a range of Crown land, land transfer, planning and engineering projects.
In 2007 Mark and his wife, Anita, took their two small children to the UK where Anita started post-doctoral breast cancer research work. They spent a number of years there where Mark worked as a contract engineer/surveyor on projects such as the East London Railway, and 2012 London Olympics Site. Mark maintained his NZ cadastral survey license through this period working as a consultant to TL Survey Services, and spending holidays working back in Dunedin and surrounds.
When the opportunity arose to re-join the TL Survey Services in a full-time capacity in 2015, Mark took this chance and is now the Company Manager.

Pat Sole

Committee

Pat started work in 1976 in his home town New Plymouth, as a Civil Engineering cadet for the City Council, and then the Taranaki County Council and completed a NZCE(Civil) at night school.
After belatedly attending the University of Otago he worked in the private sector and for Lands and Survey in Taranaki, obtaining his registration in 1986. His career with Lands and Survey/DOSLI/LINZ was hugely diverse and included work in Antarctica and on the Iraq/Kuwait border. From 1995 until the 2002 closure of the New Plymouth LINZ office Pat was Chief Surveyor for Taranaki. Since then his own firm Pat Sole Surveyors has kept him busy on a wide range of cadastral surveying work.
Outside of work, Pat and his wife Cheryl, who have three grownup children both have a love of the mountains both in NZ and more recently travelling overseas. Pat has been a ICS committee member since 2016 and was the President from 2017 to 2020.

Ian Gillespie

Committee

Ian is a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor who has practiced in the Northland area for the last 30 years.
He graduated from Otago University in 1986, and started work as a Surveyor with the government. After that, and following a year spent on a touring/working OE in the United Kingdom, he has worked in private practice in Whangarei. Most of the work during this time being spent undertaking rural and urban subdivisions.
Ian has tended to mainly concentrate on the cadastral surveying side of private practice. He was a Director and part Owner of Whangarei practice Lands & Survey from 2000 to 2015. Since then he has disposed of his shares but stayed on as an employee in the firm. Ian has also helped the local polytechnic by tutoring the surveying papers of the NZ Diploma in Engineering (Civil).
Outside of work Ian has spent the last couple of years with his wife Chris renovating their house which is on a very small farm in Springfield, south of Whangarei. Ian tends to spend a lot of time in his shed and doesn’t always accomplish much there. Ian has been an ICS Committee member since 2018.

Stephen Koning

Committee

Stephen is a Registered Professional Surveyor and Licenced Cadastral Surveyor, and is currently a Director of McKinlay Surveyors in New Plymouth.
Stephen became a Registered Surveyor in 1996, and began working for Hugh Gilberd in Hawera, then moved on to Works Consultancy and TSE Group in Auckland, followed by a period with CKL Surveys in Hamilton. Stephen joined McKinlay Surveyors in New Plymouth in 2004, and became a Director in 2010.
He has served the surveying community as NZIS Branch Secretary, Chairman and Conference Delegate for Waikato, and then Chairman for the Taranaki Branch. Stephen has also served three years on NZIS Council between 2009 and 2011, and has been an ICS committee member since 2018.
Originally from Whanganui, Stephen now lives in New Plymouth with wife Leonie and 14-year-old twins Sophie and Ethan.

Jo Johnston

Committee