We hope you enjoyed The Civil Contractors Conference 2024 in Invercargill.
For those of you who made it along and want to re-live the highlights, we’ve got you covered! And for those who couldn’t make it along and want to see what it was all about, we have put together a handy recap.
The speakers and presentations
This year’s speakers and presentations explored the work ahead for the hundreds of civil contractors attending conference sessions.
Outgoing CCNZ President Bailey Gair addressed the conference with a rousing welcome speech that spoke to the contributions of everyone involved in the association.
Sir Ian Taylor set the event alight with his inspirational conference keynote, urging delegates to achieve based on his personal career delivering world-first projects using technology. He encouraged contractors to focus on the opportunities ahead rather than be daunted by challenges, and showed them what was possible with vision, inspiration and motivation.
His presentation was incredibly popular with the audience, following a warm and heartfelt welcome from local iwi, Kai Tahu, and a pre-recorded Ministerial address from Hon Simeon Brown.
History took centre stage afterward, with CCNZ Past Presidents and Life Members sharing their lifetimes of expertise and former CCNZ Chief Executive Peter Tritt providing a preview of his 80-year history of the organisation.
Later, Edward Husband of the Kā Huanui a Tāhuna Queenstown Lakes Alliance shared his learnings from the project, how these would inform the work ahead, and what future alliances could take from the experience. Water contractors featured with Hugh Goddard and Dave Neru taking the stage to cover off what's happening with water.
Economist Brad Olsen followed, showing the state of the economy, and then testing his thoughts with Damian Pedreschi of Ventia, Gavin O’Connor of Tupore and Cindy Chambers of Chambers and Jackett, who formed a panel of industry leaders from small, medium and large companies across New Zealand - one of the engaging panel sessions alongside local government infrastructure managers who shared their thoughts on how contractors and local government could better collaborate around infrastructure construction.
Forward works were front and centre at conference, with updates from the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, New Zealand Forward Works Viewer team and an update on water reforms and where they may land from Water NZ President Lorraine Kendrick. Road safety and health and safety also featured heavily given reforms, with Greg Murphy, Dave Tilton and WorkSafe's Rachel Bowen taking to the stage to explore how many road cones is too many - and why.
The young leaders
CCNZ Branches sent young leaders from around the country to conference for them to find solutions to the challenges their companies face, from an industry perspective. These up and coming stars of civil construction could then network with other young civil construction workers, project managers and business owners, as well as hearing from knowledgeable and experienced leaders.
The Young Leaders programme was ably supported by CCNZ Branch Chairs and Regional Managers, and it was viewed as a huge success.
Adam Millward of Downer wrote to his local CCNZ Branch to say thanks afterwards, commenting:
"I wanted to formally thank you and the rest of the Civil Contractors NZ - Manawatu-Whanganui Branch team for the opportunity to attend the CCNZ Conference in Invercargill last week. It was a great opportunity and experience to attend an event with so many like-minded people from the civil industry who were friendly and open to providing insight into experiences.
"One of the highlights for me was the social function with young professionals from all over New Zealand. This was a chance to discuss the opportunities and experience we have all had to date. This gathering not only facilitated the exchange of insights but also helped build connections that I am sure will be beneficial for my future career.
"Another memorable moment was attending the Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards. Listening to all the speakers showed how much passion everyone has for the industry and the joy people showed for others success. All the finalist projects were very impressive, one that particularly caught my eye was the 106m long suspension bridge across the Manganui Gorge, especially given the low cost of the project!
"Thank you once again for this opportunity. It was a great success, and I hope future events will continue to offer such valuable experiences for young professionals in the industry."
The young leaders also contributed to this year's EPIC Schools Visit, providing their perspectives around what it meant to work in the civil construction industry to students who visited conference from across Southland schools and explored the tools of the civil trades first hand on the expo floor.
Outstanding leadership and commitment to personal development was also recognised at the CCNZ Z People Awards, with Dylan Fraser of Fulton Hogan taking home the Z Emerging Leader Award, and Jethro Staite of Brian Perry Civil winning the Z Personal Improvement Award.
Recognition for outstanding teams, projects and individuals
The CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards, Connexis Civil Training and Development Awards and Z People Awards are a real highlight of the year. So much hard work, time and effort goes into getting NZ's civil infrastructure built.
This year’s award-winning projects showed what's possible, and the teams, companies and people that work to construct them deserve recognition for the benefits their work will bring the country for decades to come.
The Bill Richardson Transport Museum provided a fitting venue for the 2024 awards ceremony, which was MC'd by Sacha McNeil. This year's awards saw 33 finalists recognised on stage from more than 50 entries, and are covered in more detail in the 2024 Awards Book.
Winning teams celebrated long into the night (including the team from Youngman Richardson, which was awarded this year's CCNZ Major Associate Award).
But outstanding individuals were also recognised for their contributions, including current Civil Contractors NZ - Manawatu-Whanganui Branch Chair Greg Lumsden, who received a CCNZ Service Award for his tireless efforts over decades to bring young people into the industry, give them the skills they need to succeed, and run NZ's National Excavator Operator Competition.
Most recently, Greg has helped the branch raise tens of thousands of dollars for Hawke's Bay East Coast recovery following Cyclone Gabrielle and helped lead efforts to bring young leaders from around the country to CCNZ Conference - a well deserving recipient of this year's Service Award.
Life Membership is a big deal at CCNZ. It is not every year we have a deserving recipient. And this year, there were two!
Congratulations to John and Leonie Hynds, founders of Hynds, who were made CCNZ Life Members at the awards for the incomparable contribution they have made to NZ's civil construction industry, communities, and CCNZ.
CCNZ congratulates all of this year's award winners in the CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards, Z People Awards and Connexis Civil Training and Development Awards.
The masterclasses
Pre-conference masterclasses focussed on upgrading capability and giving attendees need-to-know information on tendering, contract administration, sustainability and minimizing waste prior to conference. Not to mention the Invercargill edition of the Temporary Traffic Management Roadshow, which was co-hosted with the Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group and featured on the morning of Wednesday 14 August!
Masterclass presenters included industry stalwart John Bryant, lean construction expert Stephanie Pretorius, procurement and tendering experts Caroline Boot and Nick Cowan, contract management specialists Cathy Forrest and Gavin Shaw alongside legal expert Paul Buetow, TTM Industry Steering Group Chair Dave Tilton and more.
The expo floor
Contractors flocked to the expo floor to make connections, meet suppliers and get information on the products and services that can help them get the job done.
Highlights on the expo floor included excavator simulators, awesome contests and the level of discussion amongst contractors and suppliers facing addressing opportunities, together.
CCNZ Southland Branch took its role as conference host to heart, and Branch Chair Regan McRandle provided a heartfelt welcome to attendees from around the country, showing everyone that attended what southern hospitality at its best meant.
The awesome venues
With venues ranging from ILT Stadium Southland and P&F Global HQ to Bill Richardson Transport World and the Langlands Hotel, many conferencegoers commented that Invercargill provided a fantastic venue for civil construction's event of the year.
Hosting the Brian Perry Civil 1950s Themed Dinner at Motorcycle Mecca, surrounded by classic motorbikes, was a popular choice.
Contractors donned 1950's costumes and took to the dance floor surrounded by classic motorcycles for one of the social highlights of the year
Bringing NZ's civil construction industry together
Bringing the civil construction industry together once again to focus on how to best approach the opportunities the year to come has to offer was a huge privilege for CCNZ.
We thank the hundreds of contractors, suppliers, sponsors and industry supporters who attended this amazing event.
Photos from The Civil Contractors Conference 2024 are now available on the CCNZ Facebook page - so take a look and tag your friends.
High resolution photos will be sent to all delegates shortly.
