Leadership in construction

QOROX's innovative 3D printing technology can be adapted to improve productivity in the construction sector.

It can be difficult for suppliers with new and innovative products to enter the construction market. There are barriers to innovation, such as getting funding and growing to the scale, that’s required to achieve similar costs to traditional methods of construction. Construction is also an industry that is notoriously resistant to change – particularly in moving away from tested methods and adopting new technologies. However, innovation has an important part to play in increasing productivity in the sector.

One innovative supplier, QOROX, has proven how 3D printing technology can be adapted to improve productivity in the construction sector – including building the first hybrid timber and concrete house with 3D printed concrete walls in New Zealand. Key to this achievement is hard work, determination and having clients who are willing to adopt new technologies and work together to create new solutions to challenges in the sector.

Beacon case studies showcase examples of good practice and innovation in the construction sector.

Read the case study

Naylor Love reduces operational costs by diverting over 90% of its construction waste away from landfill.

Over the 19 years that she has been at Naylor Love, Annie Day has seen first-hand the negative impact that construction can have on the environment. It is estimated that construction and demolition waste makes up to 50 percent of New Zealand's total waste going to landfill 1. As one of Naylor Love's environment managers, Annie was passionate about making a real difference and wanted to reduce the amount of waste the company was sending to landfill.

In collaboration with Auckland Council and others, Naylor Love carried out a waste trial at its construction site on Auckland University of Technology' (AUT) North Campus. The trial involved separation of resources on site and making changes to how Naylor Love used and disposed of its leftover building products and materials. At the end of the trial period, over 90 percent of Naylor Love's construction waste had been diverted away from landfill. This new approach allowed the company to make a saving of 40 percent on their usual landfill costs.

Beacon case studies showcase examples of good practice and innovation in the construction sector.

Read the case study

Scafit changed its business model and approach, to focus on staff wellbeing and development with excellent results for the staff, the business, and the wider community.

A few years ago, the owners of Scafit, a medium-sized scaffolding business operating in Palmerston North and Whanganui, had to take an unexpected month off. When they came back, they found their business was on the brink of collapse. A mixture of poor management, staffing retention issues and bad advice had nearly brought the company to its knees during the owners' absence.

This was a major turning point for Scafit, as the owners realised they had to change the way the company worked. They decided they needed to work on creating a business focussed on developing a high-performing, well-trained, loyal and happy team that could contribute to the growth and longevity of the company.

Beacon case studies showcase examples of good practice and innovation in the construction sector.

Read the case study

In the next 10 years the Government is planning to invest $10 billion in health infrastructure across the Northern Region to support the health needs of a growing and ageing population. However, there is a critical shortage of project managers with the specialised health knowledge and skills required to help deliver on this investment.

The four Northern Region District Health Boards have partnered with Northern Regional Alliance (NRA) and the University of Auckland to establish a new master’s qualification and training programme. With a mix of classroom learning and on-the job training, the programme will develop specialised project managers who will play a critical role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s future health infrastructure.

Beacon case studies showcase examples of good practice and innovation in the construction sector.

Read the case study

Where do our emissions come from? What is embodied carbon and how is it shown in an Environmental Product Declaration or EPD? Find out what Fletcher Building is doing about embodied carbon in this Lunch and Learn session.

We hosted a kōrero with the AUT School of Future Environments about how infrastructure providers and Mana Whenua can build positive relationships.

It’s an area where many of us have a lot to learn, so this was a great opportunity for our people, partners and customers to listen to the wisdom of Rawiri Faulkner (Mana Whenua Partnerships Manager, Te Arana Alliance), Otene Reweti (Pou Hononga, Watercare), and Val Panui (Kaitohutohu Ahurea Matua, Fletcher Building) – facilitated by AUT professor Tania Ka’ai.

We discussed what we can all do on an individual level as well as what we can do better as businesses. Take a look at the video to learn more. 

Technology helped facilitate closer collaboration between all teams involved in the successful installation of a temporary electrical supply for our Snells Beach site facility.

Watercare joins our Engineering Services team to talk about facilitation and online collaboration tools, with a focus on Miro.

Drone photogrammetry and laser scanning were used to create a representation of the finished Papakura Water Treatment Plant, ensured minimum impact on the quality of life of residents in the area.

When our teams want to eat lunch or enjoy a cuppa on a site where there are no facilities, ‘port-a-smoko’ has them covered.

Brian Perry Civil’s southern wellbeing trailer, a self-contained, lunch-room-cum-office-on-wheels, provides the kitchen and comfort facilities they need when they are working on construction sites with no amenities.

The trailer includes a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, fresh water and a dining table for six. There’s also an office desk with shelves and a white board for facilitating meetings, a first aid kit, fire extinguisher and a heat pump. The front deck is designed to house a port-a-loo and there are external hand-washing facilities.

Brian Perry Civil Works Manager Brian Tunnell says the trailer concept is ideal for short-duration projects where there isn’t time to establish a port-a-com unit onsite, or for the early stages of projects before kitchen facilities are set up.

While there are similar welfare vans available to hire, it was BPC’s initiative to create its own unit in 2019.

Brian describes the wellbeing trailer as a modern-day site caravan that can be towed where it’s needed for immediate use.

“It’s a super-positive initiative. Our teams appreciate somewhere to get out of the cold in winter, or the heat in summer to take their work breaks.

“It means they can sit down to enjoy their time out, rather than sitting on the side of the highway in their vehicles.”

The facility is secure so they can lock their personal items in it. Teams also benefit from having somewhere warm, dry and clean for their team meetings or complete paperwork.”

“Good facilities are important to support good planning and help start the day right,” Brian says. “It’s not ideal to be sitting hunched over in your ute trying to complete your paperwork.”

The welfare trailer is in hot demand, and is often booked out 3-4 months at time and is in use more than 80 per cent of the year. That sort of use supports the possibility of future investment in additional welfare vans. The Higgins team has been watching this development with interest too, They’re cooking up plans for something similar for their sites at the moment.

We have a partnership with Groov, which is seeing a passionate team led by Sir John Kirwan deeply embedding a culture of wellbeing across the business.

This starts with developing wellness leaders to understand and prioritise their own wellbeing, who then help their teams to do the same.

MATES in Construction is a charity that exists to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide in the construction industry.

Our New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) and Snells Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant teams are proud to be accredited with MATES.

To become accredited, at least 80% of site workers had to receive MATES’ General Awareness training. The sites also have to maintain a minimum number of people who’ve gone through the next stage of MATES training and become a ‘Connector’.

For the NZICC team, all of this means working to foster an environment where anyone can openly have a korero with their mates on how they’re going.

At the Snells Beach project, project manager Paul Ashcroft says he constantly sees evidence of the empathy and keenness to look out for each other when someone is in troubled times. “Achieving this recognition and support means we are stronger together to prevent suicide.”

We offer a Safety Leadership Programme which works on a set of concrete principles, delivered by our operational line leaders in an interactive, engaging two day workshop.

Once leaders have completed the safety leadership programme and exhibit leadership behaviours and mindsets, they are ready to deliver the Power Up Frontline Programme to our workers and regular contractors.

Our Auckland International Airport Limited project team introduced smart Bluetooth sensors to measure concrete strength shortly after the pavement has been poured.

Kāinga Ora's Bader Ventura development reduces energy costs and carbon emissions through the Passive House standard.

New Zealand's building and construction sector contributes to around 15-20% of New Zealand's overall carbon emissions. It's critical for the construction industry to play a significant part in reducing carbon emissions for the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities is tackling this challenge through its Carbon Neutral Housing Programme, including committing to reducing carbon in its residential developments by 2030. One of Kāinga Ora's key carbon reduction projects is its new development, Bader Ventura, located in Māngere, Auckland. It's the state housing provider's first residential development using the Passive House standard.

Beacon case studies showcase examples of good practice and innovation in the construction sector.

Read the case study

Higgins Taupo branch practises circular economy thinking by creating a valued product out of asphalt/roading waste which would otherwise be sent to landfill.

Waka Kotahi, HEB Construction and BECA focus on delivering safety outcomes in the quickest possible time using a different procurement strategy.

The section of State Highway 2 (SH2) between Waihi and Omokoroa is one of the country’s most dangerous roads, and the SH2 Waihi to Omokoroa (W2O) project sought to deliver much needed safety improvements as quickly as possible, for the benefit of the local community, wider Bay of Plenty, and those passing through.

This procurement strategy focussed on delivering safety outcomes in the quickest possible time within the funding constraints, which required a delivery partner with shared values and an energised approach to delivery.

Beacon case studies showcase examples of good practice and innovation in the construction sector.

Read the case study

Brian Perry Civil introduced Virtual Reality as part of our drive to be smarter in the training and development space. VR provides contextualised learning experience and saves time as the training method is completely portable.