The RMBA is delighted to be hosting the second all-of-industry Constructive Forum taking place in Auckland on August 2-4, just six weeks out from the general election.
Following the success of the inaugural event last year, Constructive is the leading forum for the sector to come together to understand new opportunities in construction, which is constantly being shaped by trends and developments globally.
This year our focus is on collaboration and transformation in the sector, positioning the industry better to respond meaningfully to New Zealand’s construction needs.
It is an opportunity to understand how taking a more contemporary approach to the way we operate and engage might address the challenges facing the sector in New Zealand.
It is important we understand that the issues we are facing here in New Zealand are, in fact, global issues. Across the world we are seeing rapid population growth in urban areas which is putting pressure on housing and infrastructure.
Worldwide, the industry has been very slow to transform and embrace the latest technological opportunities.
This year Boston Consulting Group managing director Simon Miller will present findings from their work with the World Economic Forum, which identifies Best Practice emerging overseas and how the construction sector might look in the future.
A quote from one of the reports that Boston Consulting Group, with the World Economic Forum, has produced, I believe, rings true: “Construction projects today are conducted in a very similar way to those of several decades ago — the bulk of work is still done on-site, with little automation and process optimisation. The sector has not fully entered the third industrial revolution, let alone the fourth”.
This year’s forum brings the sector together to discuss these issues and learnings from overseas which can be applied here to help us respond more quickly.
We need to discuss how New Zealand and the sector can take advantage of the breadth of opportunities that are sweeping across the industry globally.
These include prefabrication, modularisation, automated building techniques, Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and Business Information Modelling (BIM).
These are gaining in popularity in New Zealand and overseas as organisations realise they can help solve many of the industry’s challenges.
Constructive will provide the opportunity for the wider industry to collaborate with Government and leaders from New Zealand’s major construction, architectural, engineering and property development firms.
The industry’s future success, in New Zealand and globally, relies heavily on effective collaboration among all stakeholders.
Our transformation is reliant on measures taken by individual businesses, as well as the sector working together.
The Government, in its role as a regulator and major project owner, also needs to be part of this.
Last year’s forum identified and built consensus around the key priority issues of certainty, capacity, quality and timeliness of building.
We have made progress across each of these areas, and are excited to pick up the conversation with all stakeholders.
We look forward to seeing you there.
