Where Specialists Shape the Profession
Two of IEPNG's technical chapters driving change in Papua New Guinea's engineering community — Women in Engineering and the PNG Tunnelling Society.
About Women in Engineering
IEPNG's Women in Engineering (WIE) chapter recognises the commitment, merit, and distinguished service of women contributing to the engineering fraternity in Papua New Guinea — and encourages more women to consider careers in engineering and other male-dominated professions.
The chapter is chaired by Finkewe Zurecnuoc, a trailblazer for female engineers in PNG for more than three decades and a board member of PNG Power, whose focus has included improving accessibility to power in remote areas.
The First Women in Engineering Awards
IEPNG held its first-ever Women in Engineering Awards presentation at the Port Moresby chapter's annual dinner at Dynasty Restaurant, recognising three outstanding female engineers in front of hundreds of engineering technicians and associates.
Why It Matters
The introduction of the Women in Engineering chapter encourages more women to consider career opportunities in engineering and other male-dominated professions — recognising that PNG's female engineers are increasingly making their mark in traditionally male-dominated environments.
IEPNG Women in EngineeringAbout the PNG Tunnelling Society
The PNG Tunnelling Society is one of IEPNG's technical chapters, formed to advance underground infrastructure and tunnelling expertise as Papua New Guinea's demanding terrain drives an increasing need for tunnelled transport corridors.
In May 2025, this work reached a historic milestone: Papua New Guinea was admitted as the 81st member nation of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) — the global authority on underground infrastructure and tunnelling technologies — during the General Assembly of the 51st World Tunnelling Congress (WTC 2025) in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Milestone, By the Numbers
Why Tunnelling, Why Now
Minister for Works and Highways Late Hon. Solan Mirisim, MP, who was responsible for the Professional Engineers Registration Act and its technical chapters including the PNG Tunnelling Society, tied the milestone directly to the country's infrastructure ambitions.
"With PNG's tough topography, tunnelling will be vital to the successful implementation of highway corridors and the future national railway network under Connect PNG."
Late Hon. Solan Mirisim, MP — Minister for Works & HighwaysThe membership aligns with the government's key development blueprints — Vision 2050, the Medium-Term Development Plan IV, the National Transport Strategy, and the Connect PNG Infrastructure Program.