Civil Contractors New Zealand’s conference – known as ‘The Civil Contractors Conference’, was held at venues across Auckland from 30 August to 1 September 2023.
New Zealand's civil contractors met to discuss pivotal issues, and build good working relationships with others, including distinguished guests Civil Contractors Federation of Australia Chief Executive Chris Melham and Chair Mick Boyle.
‘Venues across Auckland’ was the first challenge the conference had to address. The successful CCNZ Auckland Branch Welcome Function (sponsored by Boss Attachments) was hosted at Ellerslie Events Centre, the main conference at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau, the Brian Perry Civil Themed Dinner at Shed 10 at the Viaduct Harbour and the CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards at the Cordis Hotel.
The Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau offered an arena, a theatre, meeting rooms and huge outdoor expo spaces filled with all things civil construction. With over 80 expo stands at the ready, the rooms were packed out with technology and equipment, various products, speakers and ample seating to accommodate the many conference goers.
The venue was full of the latest equipment and services to give businesses the edge, although challenges were posed by the ‘pea-soup’ fog blanketing the venue on opening morning, and the shocking Auckland traffic. At least the buses were comfortable!
A massive civil construction expo
There was a great buzz in the exhibition hall. With so many contractors and suppliers in one place, this was a great opportunity to network with people and gain valuable knowledge. Handshakes and conversations over coffee at the booths and rest areas meant the room was a constant hum. The outdoor space had the big gear, even including new generation electric trucks and the latest model excavators entering the NZ market.
CCNZ Office and Civil Trades Administrator Heather Clayton shared her experience:
“Walking around as a relative newcomer to the industry, I was conscious to soak up the energy of so many passionate people talking civil construction, seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter amongst some serious conversations was a nice balance. Conference reminded me of just how connected the industry needs to be.”
Tenby Powell – keynote speaker
Former Hirepool owner and Chief Executive Tenby Powell founded Kiwi K.A.R.E (Kiwi Aid & Refugee Evacuation) in June 2022 to support those Ukrainians in most need. He has delivered many hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian and medical aid to civilians impacted in the war-torn country.
After conducting numerous evacuations, Kiwi K.A.R.E. is a highly respected organisation in that they operate almost exclusively in the ‘red zones’ (the newly liberated areas and those towns and villages behind the Zero Line), delivering directly to front line hospitals and medical centres.
Tenby shared his stories of support in the war-torn country with conference delegates, answering questions live from the warzone and reminding people of how uncontrollable life events can set you back – and how they can take action to support people in need.
Insightful conference sessions
Conference opened with a mihi Whakatau from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the CCNZ President’s Welcome speech from Bailey Gair, who looked back over the 79 years of history behind the association, and the event.
Real and relatable was the intention for sessions this year. Contractors directly involved in responding to Cyclone Gabrielle spoke alongside councils and first responders. Business resilience, risk management, growing businesses, overcoming project challenges, legislative change and riding the wave of water reforms were amongst the themes and the sessions on offer.
Two days of conference sessions provided knowledge for first time delegates to conference and veterans. As with any good conversation there were questions asked and differing views shared whilst tackling the big issues and helping to set the direction for the industry.
Sessions ended on September 1, with a "State of the Civil Construction Industry" panel to discuss insights from the recent Construction Industry Survey from CCNZ and Teletrac Navman. Panellists were Bailey Gair from SCL Civil Works (also the CCNZ President), Paul Bisset, Chief Executive of Whitestone Contracting, Fulton Hogan Chief Operations Officer Simon Dyne and construction industry technology specialist James French of Teletrac Navman.
When asked what they expected from the next government, panellists agreed on the critical need for pipeline certainty – a consistent theme. Even in the political flux of an election year, a clear vision for the future is needed. The industry wants government to instil much-needed confidence in work continuity and financial security.
Simon Dyne explained, "The most frustrating aspect for contractors is completing a job with exceptional people, only to face a lack of future work. With pipeline certainty, we can expect improved productivity, better job opportunities, and a thriving industry."
Curious career seekers
CCNZ hosted around 200 career seekers from Auckland schools and trades academies to see the equipment and work they could be doing if they took up the tools of the civil trades. The AWF Civil Trades Visit and Ventia EPIC Schools Visit aimed to inspire them to join the industry and see what civil construction had to offer, touring the expo hall and machinery area.
This crew engaged with varying levels of understanding and interest in the civil construction industry. With smart conversation starters and questions, some seized the opportunity to listen and gather knowledge of civil contractors and their work. Taking these young career seekers through the conference expo showed them the industry’s products from technical expertise to large machinery.
The conversations and information processing will extend beyond the 60-minute visit and hopefully these young people have been inspired to join the civil construction industry and build their skills in preparation for work. A whirlwind visit to set the stage for potentially lifelong careers!
‘Around the World’ Themed Dinner
Forget boardrooms and Teams meetings, the Brian Perry Civil 'Around the World' Themed Dinner was all about networking with contractors dressed up as aliens, astronauts, pilots, Romans and Grecian royalty, at the character-filled Shed 10 on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour.
The Themed Dinner was an opportunity to cut loose and connect. New networks were created and existing ones extended with a chance to have a bit of fun and relaxation. The evening’s band ‘Two Many Chiefs’ and MC Greg Ward (in Germanic guise and garb) set the mood for laugh-out-loud moments and an excuse to release some energy on the dance floor.
A highlight for CCNZ staff was Isaac Construction’s Tom Kettell taking the stage alongside the band for a memorable (and very competent) performance of Van Morrison’s ‘Moondance’, performed on the legendary Irish blues musician’s birthday. Those who saw it are still humming the tune.
Awesome Awards
Inspiring career journeys of people like Anju Kurian of Acciona, a young civil engineer who had migrated from Dubai to work on the new Puhoi to Warkworth motorway were presented at the Z People Awards, which recognised emerging leaders and those who had shown great dedication to their careers, alongside the Connexis Civil Training Awards, which recognised excellence in company training.
Winners, Emerging Leader Ryan Thom of Utilities Infrastructure New Zealand and Personal Improvement Award Winner Jacob Walmsley of Brian Perry Civil showed outstanding leadership and determination, with Ryan leading large-scale projects at the age of just 27 and Jacob also receiving commendation on the big stage at the CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards for the complex project he led at the Titahi Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. Topline Contracting, Pipeline & Civil and HEB Construction were this year’s standout trainers.
The CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards are a prestigious event, recognising NZ's top civil construction projects and maintenance initiatives from across the country (and the people and teams behind the work), with a grand history going back to 1978. This year's event was a black-tie dinner at the Cordis Hotel on 1 September.
Miriama Kamo was Master of Ceremonies and charismatically introduced the many different people and projects that made a great difference in 2023, as well as the Major Associate Award for Core Associate Dentons and an Industry Service Award for longstanding supporter of the CCNZ CablePrice Excavator Operator Competitions Marty McCardle.
It was an amazing evening to recognise the standout people and projects from across New Zealand’s civil construction industry – and despite the enthusiasm of the crowd drowning out the MC on occasion, the presentation of Life Membership to CCNZ Past President Tim Ford was a great way to finish to civil construction’s event of the year.
Check out this year's photos on the CCNZ Facebook page>>
See and download the full set of high-resolution photos>>
Watch: CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards 2023