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A packed Customs House saw members and guests gather for this morning’s QMCA monthly breakfast.
In partnership with event sponsor, Futon Hogan, the theme of the event was Auckland and the opportunities that exist for the construction sector to partner, grow and work in the booming construction sector that will see the southern hemisphere’s largest council invest billions of dollars in a major series of works that will redefine New Zealand’s largest city.
Opening the event, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Graham Quirk, outlined the special relationship that has existed between both cities since the signing of a Sister City Agreement at Expo ’88. With regular trade delegations, shared values and over 1 million trips between Brisbane and Auckland taking place each year, the Lord Mayor reinforced Brisbane City Council’s commitment to partnering in New Zealand endorsing the value that such relationships have to both cities.
And then it was onto Auckland. Many describe New Zealand as one city and lots of small towns, and firmly at the top of the tree is Auckland, largest city and major driver of economic growth. With an exploding population and infrastructure in need of investment and reconfiguration, Peter Cunningham, compete with friendly jibes about Bledisloe and sporting an Warriors shirt took us through the scale of work being undertaken by council, the driver of activity.
As the city heads towards hosting the America’s Cup in 2021 and facing the global spotlight of the world’s leaders descending for APEC, it is safe to say that Peter is under pressure to deliver major projects on time and in line with the positioning of Auckland on the global stage. With a 3 yr. NZ$1bn investment in Americas Cup facilities, the rejuvenation of the Downtown, Midtown and Uptown precincts, a NZ$3.5bn City Rail Link, NZ$2bn Airport Upgrade and NZ$700m SkyCity Convention Centre Upgrade, its understandable that if you need a crane in New Zealand its likely that’s it is in Auckland.
And the market forces being seen in NZ are driving the way business is done.
Collaboration – a key focus of QMCA – is essential. The projects that need to be delivered simply cannot be done without all parties working together. This has meant new ventures, partnerships, procurement strategies, contractual frameworks and a major shift in culture to turn the model upside down. And the collaborative model is working and is leading to a far less adversarial approach to doing business.
Gavin Shaw then outlined how Queensland’s Major Contractors can benefit from the book and it all comes down to one thing – don’t spook the cautious Kiwis.
Be honest, invest in people, set up a real local presence and look at how your firm can add value to the supply chain, knowledge, skill sets and resource base that is available in Auckland. There are significant opportunities to be had and to be created by firms who are genuinely committed to working in a different way and being a real part of the industry. Don’t fly in and fly out – be present.
The overriding message was loud and clear. There are opportunities throughout the construction markets in Auckland, bit to be successful we need to make sure that collaboration is genuine and meaningful. With billions of dollars of investment being made, maybe its time to shift the way we work and explore the possibilities in the land of the long white cloud.