Leadership in construction

Looking after our people is about more than just their physical safety. Increasingly, we are focused on how we can support the overall wellbeing of our teams, which has led us to partner with Groov and MATES in Construction.

To explore the idea of wellbeing in construction even further, we held an event with the AUT School of Future Environments. We hosted a panel discussion to look at what we can do to support the wellbeing of our teams, and what we can do as individuals too. Thanks to Kent Johns, Carla Tonks, Fiona Crichton and facilitator Charles Walker for sharing their insights.

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.

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.

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’re using a remote control roller in our work to repair one of the major slips in Coromandel (McBeth-Opoutere). We’ve built a retaining wall to support the road above, backfilled it, and the roller has just finished levelling.

The remote control roller is used in areas where we need to flatten ground near any steep drop-offs. This means if something did go wrong and the roller tipped off the edge, none of our people would be hurt in the process.

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.

Fletcher Morobe Construction's Joinery Workshop has found ways to reuse the wood waste they produce. In 2012 the manager of the workshop received a sustainability award from Fletcher Building for their innovation around reusing wood waste, saving cost and decreasing their environmental impact. Over 11 years later, the team at the Joinery Workshop is still doing amazing, sustainable work.

Winstone Aggregates is committed to kaitiakitanga - and being excellent custodians of the planet - both now and for generations to come.

Winstone Aggregates has bold ambitions for rehabilitating the environments and ecosystems they work in, supporting local people and communities, and constantly resetting the standard for sustainability that others will aspire to.

Winstone Aggregates' goal is to positively impact our environment, through restoring our already existing forest ecosystems around Aotearoa. To do this they've developed a framework with Nature Positive that is consistent with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and have adopted the Biodiversity Indicator & Reporting System (BIRS). They’re also working with Mana Whenua to weave in Mātauranga Māori frameworks, which will further strengthen the strategy.

Design Community of Practise quickfire presentation: A presentation from our BIM Manager Joyal Jerry and SPE Ryan Clifton on the use of 4D design at the Eastern Busway Project. Joyal and Ryan discuss how they have used 4D planning in the development of the installation methodology for the Reeves Road Flyover.

Icon and Kāinga Ora's commitment to supplier diversity, supports and enables targeted businesses to increase their participation in the supply chain.

In 2020 Icon was appointed by Kāinga Ora as the Main Contractor on the 139 Greys Ave project. Located in central Auckland, the development will provide 276 new homes with at least 200 being state homes. It will also offer 24/7 on-site support services, a concierge service; and around 3,000 sqm of shared space including retail and commercial space, communal areas for community building and medical spaces for health-related services.

A key requirement for the 139 Greys Ave project, was the inclusion of broader outcomes in the tender process and contract. The introduction of Broader Outcomes recognises that through procurement, Government agencies have the opportunity to achieve better cultural, economic, environmental, and social outcomes when procuring goods, services or works.

Integral to Icon's appointment as Main Contractor, was its commitment to six targeted broader outcomes initiatives. This Beacon case study focuses on one of Icon's key commitments: 'Supplier Diversity'.

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

Read the case study

MJH Engineering developed a unique in-house training programme to train skilled welders that met the businesses unique needs. The training programme was launched as a pilot in 2022 and is now currently complete with 100% success/pass rate.

The Construction sector has a chronic skills shortage which has been exacerbated further in current times. MJH Engineering has taken matters into their own hands by developing an inhouse training programme to recruit, train, and employ skilled welders.

The Accord is partnering, supporting, and working with the sector towards the big vision of a 'Thriving, fair and sustainable construction sector for a better Aotearoa New Zealand'. With construction contributing to the economy by representing 10.7% of the current workforce (302,800) year ending March 2022 and being responsible for around 6.7% of GDP ($18.1 bil) year ending March 2022, addressing the skilled labour shortage through initiatives like this and others in the sector will be an essential part of the solution and way forward.

Despite the changes to the Immigration settings, to date there remains a national, and international, skilled labour shortage in some specialised areas of the sector.

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

Read the case study

Te Ao Māori values support successful outcomes for the Client, project team and the planet through The Te Wānanga o Raukawa Living Building Project in Ōtaki.

Four new buildings were recently completed at the Ōtaki campus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa. Led by tohunga, the buildings were named and dedicated in May 2023 by members of Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. They were joined by workers and contractors from McMillan Lockwood, Pritchards Civil Engineers, Tennent Brown Architects, and students, kaiāwhina and staff.

The buildings are named Waitapu, Rangataua, Miria te Kakara, and Te Moana o Raukawa. The names are taken from the whakatauki (saying): "Mai i Waitapu ki Rangataua, mai i Miria te Kakara ki Whitireia, whakawhitia Te Moana o Raukawa ki Wairau ki Whakatū," which describes the rohe of the three iwi.

The naming of these buildings is the culmination of a project which began prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and has faced all the challenges that have arisen since then. From early fears of recession through to cost escalations and supply chain issues, the client, architect, quantity surveyor, contractor and sub-contractors have worked collaboratively to achieve an outcome which they all agree has been a huge success on many levels.

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

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

Design Community of Practise quickfire presentation:  short version of a presentation by principal geotechnical engineer Natasha Jokhan at the NZ Geotechnical Society Symposium on Climate Change. Natasha talks about a range of ground improvement options and the embodied carbon associated with those options.

This research by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission provides the first comprehensive baseline analysis of New Zealand’s infrastructure workforce. It looks at how many people work in the infrastructure sector and what sort of work they’re doing. The research also investigates who is working in infrastructure, looking at factors like age, ethnicity, gender, training, and migration. The findings shed light on who is working in infrastructure and the pathways that they follow into the workforce.

Read the report