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Concrete NZ - Advocacy

Concrete NZ represents a membership of more than 600 corporates and individuals who make a significant contribution to the New Zealand construction and infrastructure sectors.

 

 

 

Members of Concrete NZ believe the following proposals are crucial to improving outcomes for the construction and infrastructure sectors, and the overall betterment of New Zealanders. Government is urged to enact pragmatic intervention when required to enable their implementation.

 


Resilience & Sustainability
Climate change regulation and government procurement must treat all building materials equitably. Government should articulate a building’s required performance and sustainability criteria through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from an approved third-party. This should allow structural engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and contractors to select the most suitable materials.

Building Regulatory System Improvement
Through suitable funding and meaningful consultation, Government must ensure the building regulatory system is continually reviewed to improve productivity and quality, keep pace with modern construction methods and avoid unintended consequences of efforts to reduce emissions. Key construction Standards must also be adequately funded through the public purse.

Construction & Infrastructure Covid-19 Recovery
New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery is contingent on Government stimulus in the construction and infrastructure sectors. Job creation through fast-tracked, large-scale ‘shovel-ready’ projects, and addressing deferred maintenance across infrastructure, schools and hospitals, will be crucial to helping New Zealand emerge from recession.

Investment in Concrete Roads
Concrete NZ urges Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to partner with industry and undertake research (including building a trial section of road) as a  step in realising the cost competitive and durable solutions concrete road pavements can offer New Zealand’s key transport routes.

Construction & Infrastructure Capability & Capacity
Ensuring people capability and capacity will be key to the construction and infrastructure sectors supporting New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery. Across both sectors proficiency must be enhanced, immigration policy tailored to address skill shortages, and the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) provide outcomes that build on current strengths and listen to all stakeholders.

MOVING FORWARD
There is much Government can do, in partnership with industry, to ensure New Zealand has quality infrastructure and housing, which will be key to economic success and enhanced wellbeing in a world impacted by COVID-19.

Concrete NZ is available to help on any building and construction or concrete matter, whether it is material, design or structurally related; and looks forward to discussing with Ministers and MPs the proposals outlined in the 2020 briefing.