The Government’s plans to bring projects forward and lift spending on significant infrastructure projects in the short to medium term is welcome news for Kiwi civil contractors and communities, says Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s weekend announcement to “significantly increase spending on infrastructure” was welcome news for communities, contractors and their employees, and recognised infrastructure’s importance in boosting the economy and improving living standards. Continue →

Yesterday’s update of the Infrastructure Pipeline is a sign that the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission – Te Waihanga is making good progress and we look forward to more government agencies, councils, and council-controlled organisations contributing to the pipeline over time, says Paul Blair, CEO of Infrastructure New Zealand The Commission has launched its first update of the Infrastructure Pipeline, a tool which catalogues proposed and underway infrastructure projects across the country. Continue →

The way projects are being delivered in Australia is rapidly changing with the emergence of mass timber, an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional structural systems The Urban Developer Mass timber encompasses a suite of building elements that transform relatively low value timber feedstock into structural elements that have superior weight-to-strength performance than steel or concrete. Continue →

The contracting relationship between government and the construction industry is set to be redefined, with new construction-specific guidelines created to accompany new government procurement rules coming into force tomorrow, says Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock If the new Construction Procurement Guidelines and the new Government Procurement Rules 4th Edition were properly implemented with agencies held accountable, it could signal a new era. Continue →

The announcement of a $2.4 billion, 10-year construction partnership between Watercare and Fulton Hogan and Fletcher Construction is a positive development for the wider infrastructure industry that will lead to better outcomes for all parties, says Infrastructure New Zealand CEO Paul Blair By committing to a long-term programme of work rather than one-off projects, Watercare is giving the certainty that construction companies like Fulton Hogan and Fletcher Construction need to be able to invest in skills, drive efficiencies, and innovate. Continue →

The infrastructure sector sees a major role for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga in lifting the nation’s sagging infrastructure performance The procurement performance in New Zealand has fallen in the last two years, both in the public and private sector. Continue →

The civil construction industry is eagerly awaiting ‘record spending’ on three waters, public transport and road safety improvements to bring financial certainty and stability so it can work towards overcoming New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit Results from the 2019 Construction Industry Survey, a joint research project commissioned by Teletrac Navman and Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ), reveal uncertainty in the pipeline of new projects is severely impacting the civil construction workforce. Continue →

The draft New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga Bill is a positive step towards better and more efficient infrastructure planning and investment on a national scale but needs fine-tuning to be successful in its objectives, say New Zealand’s civil contractors Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock said the national association for civil contractors strongly supported the creation of the Infrastructure Commission and its mission to improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders through quality infrastructure. Continue →

The release of a prototype Infrastructure Pipeline to forecast major projects being delivered by Central Government agencies has been welcomed by key associations “Better forecasting of the forward work programme means greater certainty about the specific needs of future work,” says Peter Silcock who heads up Civil Contractors New Zealand which represents the interests of more than 600 organisations. Continue →

A New Zealand Construction Sector Accord was announced by five ministers, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, signalling long-term commitment between government and industry to collaborate on key work areas for a healthy construction sector Government and construction industry leaders have signalled a shared commitment to transform New Zealand’s construction sector. Continue →

The world’s best unbuilt or incomplete projects have been celebrated at the 2019 MIPIM Architectural Review future project awards By Ted Tabet first published by The Urban Developer Now in its 18th year, the awards are the only competition exclusively celebrating excellence in unbuilt or incomplete projects across a range of different categories. Continue →

The voluntary administration of Arrow International (NZ) will impact not just on the employees of the company and its clients, but the wider network of contractors and subcontractors who supported its construction projects Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock said Arrow’s collapse was yet another demonstration of what is wrong with the construction industry in New Zealand at present, and unless the root causes were dealt with it would continue to be a major issue. Continue →

Despite promises of ‘record investment’ and a ‘year of action’ from the Government, poor visibility over new projects coming to market was starting to have a serious impact, says Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock Short-term gaps in the infrastructure pipeline are causing long-term headaches for the country’s civil infrastructure contractors, who have criticised a vague forward work programme that sees roading projects down nearly three billion dollars in the next two years. Continue →

After a decade of construction, the world’s first “underground” hotel looks set to open its doors The $210 million Shimao Wonderland InterContinental, located 30 kilometres from Shanghai, has been built in an abandoned quarry that plunges 80 metres below ground level. Continue →

The City Rail Link (CRL) has busted through construction and infrastructure industry norms to win New Zealand’s highest sustainability accolade By winning the NZI Transforming New Zealand Award that is the Sustainable Business Network’s Supreme Award CRL has proven the infrastructure industry can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its environmental impact while developing Auckland’s much-needed public transport infrastructure. Continue →

Education and technology integration are holding the construction industry back from getting the full value of invested in technology The 2018 Construction Industry Survey: Technology and Skills Edition conducted by Teletrac Navman and Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) indicates that Kiwi construction businesses already employ a range of jobsite and measurement technology; from plant, machine and asset monitoring to GPS-based survey equipment. Continue →

The City Rail Link tunnel is steadily taking shape underneath Auckland’s CBD The largest infrastructure project ever to be undertaken in New Zealand, the link will create a 3.45km twin-tunnel rail link up to 42 metres below Auckland’s city centre. Continue →

A North Island bridge that was the first in the world to feature innovative seismic strengthening technology has been named one of the country’s outstanding concrete structures KiwiRail’s South Rangitikei Viaduct, one of the North Island’s tallest and longest rail bridges, on Saturday received the NZ Concrete Society’s Enduring Concrete Award. Continue →

Auckland could have an iconic waterfront stadium within 10 years at zero cost to ratepayers and taxpayers if a proposal from some of the city’s leading companies is adopted The Auckland Waterfront Consortium has launched an ambitious proposal that would see a spectacular 50,000 seat fully enclosed stadium, built alongside a redeveloped Bledisloe Wharf. Continue →

The private sector, as well as federal and state government, have a unique opportunity to leverage opportunities associated with Australia’s $70 billion infrastructure spend over the next decade, Grant Bowery believes This year, the federal government budget outlined additional funding for new projects including $9.3 billion for the Inland Rail, $3.5 billion allocated for roads of strategic importance and expenditure of $5 billion to $6 billion toward smaller road projects. Continue →