The Construction Sector Accord was launched in April 2019 to create a platform for industry and government to work together to meet some of the key challenges facing the construction and infrastructure sector including skills and labour shortages, unclear regulations, a lack of coordinated leadership, an uncertain pipeline of work and a culture of shifting risk.

Our 2022 industry survey highlights the Accord is not well understood by our industry. It is clear that whilst the Accord may have been established to enable collaboration and cooperation, it has largely been disconnected from industry associations and the members they represent.

The Accord has now gone through a refresh, and a new strategy developed. While (again) we had little input into the strategy, we now have an opportunity for genuine industry engagement, and to influence the direction of the Accord work and investment programme.

The “new” Accord has established a number of Reference Groups, and I have been appointed to the Infrastructure Reference Group. The role of the Group is to support the Accord Transformation plan by:

• Creating a mechanism by which industry can provide information, feedback, and data to help inform decisions and investment relating to infrastructure and construction
• Creating a mechanism by which considerations, thoughts, ideas being considered by the Accord can be “tested” with industry and feedback provided
• To connect asset owners, operators, contractors, and designers to support construction and maintenance of NZ infrastructure
• Develop and build a picture of what “a thriving, fair and sustainable construction sector for a better Aotearoa New Zealand” may look like through an infrastructure lens to 2025 and beyond to 2030
• Understand and help coordinate the activities across the sector that will support a thriving, fair and sustainable sector
• Where appropriate provide leadership for programmes of work, funding for initiatives that will support transformation, support initiatives led by others, and lobbing to ensure that the voice of industry is considered by government and its agencies in the development and implementation of legislation and supporting activities
  

I would like to establish a civil construction specific industry reference group to help frame up our priorities in the construction and infrastructure space, to help identify the barriers to successful project delivery, to use as a sounding board for ideas and initiatives, and to have input in any other meaningful way we can.

I anticipate the commitment would require a monthly online meeting of no more than an hour, offline reading, and responding to email feedback requests as they arise.

Ideally, I would like to have representation from small, medium, and large contractors on the group.

If you are interested in joining this group, or have further questions about it, please contact me at alan@civilcontractors.co.nz or phone me on 021 576 109

Thanks,

Alan Pollard
Chief Executive
CCNZ