Chief Executive's Upfront
New Government - Focus On Resilient Infrastructure

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent conference at Claudelands. It was an outstanding success with fantastic feedback from attendees, particularly on the technical programme, which included international and local speakers covering topics relating to concrete construction, design and materials.

Rob Gaimster, Chief Executive

I also extend our gratitude to all the conference Patrons and Sponsors, along with those who took trade stands - your support is greatly appreciated.

We are already looking forward to next year, when the Concrete NZ Learned Society is hosting the fib Symposium at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre 11-13 November. The Symposium is an annual international event that facilitates the dissemination of research and practice across concrete and innovative materials, structural performance & design, construction methods & management, as well as outstanding structures.

Titled ReConStruct - Resilient Concrete Structures, the Symposium will focus on the seismic designs and innovative construction technologies implemented in the Christchurch rebuilt. Sustainability will also be a key theme of the Symposium, with the New Zealand concrete industry having just released its 2050 Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon. The event will be followed by a one-day Concrete NZ conference on 14 November in the same Te Pae space.

At the time of writing, we are awaiting the makeup of the new Government, following an election that clearly signalled New Zealanders' appetite for change. The incoming National-led administration has outlined a strong focus on infrastructure, with plans for a National Infrastructure Agency to coordinate government funding, connect domestic and offshore investors with New Zealand infrastructure, and improve funding, procurement and delivery. National has promised:

• Innovative funding and financing tools to boost investment in infrastructure, and create investment opportunities for ACC, the NZ Super Fund and KiwiSaver funds.
• National, city and regional deals to partner with local Government to create long-term pipelines of regional projects.
• A fast-track consents process to make it easier to build the infrastructure New Zealand needs for the future.
• A 30-year infrastructure pipeline to deliver long-term certainty, enable more effective planning, and reduce project costs.

Regarding infrastructure, the 2023 Future Roads conference takes place in Hamilton next week. This is an important event in the context of the change of Government, offering the New Zealand roading sector a forum for strategy, discussion and execution. As a Gold sponsor, Concrete NZ will be promoting the benefits of concrete roads – a key way to bring longevity and resilience to our transport network and avoid the huge number of potholes we’re seeing!

As we progress through coming weeks and the newly formed Government settles in, Concrete NZ will be delivering a Briefing for Incoming Ministers that highlights key opportunities and challenges for the construction and infrastructure sectors, as well as stating how the concrete industry can help achieve policy objectives. I will be sure to share this with members as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we hope the last few weeks in the lead-up to Christmas are as productive as possible, following what has been a huge year.