The recent Construction Forum led by Registered Master Builders Association (RMBA) in Christchurch, named Constructive, brought leaders from across the whole industry together with representatives from central government. The presence of acting Prime Minister, Bill English and Labour’s Building and Housing Spokesperson Phil Twyford was welcomed by all involved and gave a sense of purpose and excitement to the proceedings. The main focus of this forum was to bring the building and construction industry together to explore exciting initiatives and to find solutions to commonly faced, industry-wide issues.
Constructive broke with tradition as the first gathering of its type – instead of the usual junket it was a genuinely industry-led and industry-wide forum, bringing together builders, engineers, architects, funders, developers, planners, subcontractors and everybody in-between. This was also the first time central government met together with construction industry leaders to discuss the pressing issues – and has been hailed as a roaring success.
Constructive marks a shift in focus within the industry. It’s clear that current and future demands placed on construction companies require a more collaborative, transparent and forward-thinking approach – across the whole industry. Presentations and panel sessions focussed on improved Government procurement, skills shortages, migration and poor planning and were well received by those attending.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) were two hot topics which received a lot of positive attention. ECI is fundamental to ‘The Trigg Way’, as it adds value to each project by enabling all parties to have a say and provides transparency every step of the way. Naturally, we at Trigg were enthusiastic about the industry response to this discussion and we look forward to seeing the impact of this across the industry in the future.
One crucial problem currently facing the construction industry is a lack of collaboration – across the sector and with local and central government. Constructive gave industry leaders the valuable opportunity to begin discussions on how to find practical solutions to this lack of collaboration.
Two key figures were raised during the forum which have significant ramifications for construction industry. Over the next 25 years, 400,000 homes will be needed to accommodate an extra million residents in Auckland. The second key figure is that, due to a change in residential housing profile, 40% of consents by 2021 will be for higher density housing.
These startling figures injected everyone with a sense of urgency – and we’re pleased that the robust discussions at Constructive have resulted in a number of positive outcomes. Working groups have already been formed to deal with the following challenges:
- Skills and capacity
- New business models and procurement
- Establishing industry-wide standard for health and safety
As a result of the Constructive forum, the whole constructive industry is filled with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. We now feel that the industry is moving forward as one, unified entity, with a clear sense of what we need to do in order to meet the challenges of construction in New Zealand.
If you have any questions about Constructive or if you would like to talk to us about how we can add value to your next commercial construction project, contact the friendly team at Trigg today.
