Industry news and Institute of Building insights

Member Spotlight: Nick Clements

Posted on Wednesday 05 February, 2025

Over 20 years ago, driven by frustration with existing technology and its integration challenges, Nick Clements embarked on creating a groundbreaking digital solution tailored to industry needs.

Despite facing setbacks, such as the challenges of his previous business, BISCO, Nick demonstrated resilience by pivoting to a service model as Managing Director of YourQS. This shift has enabled the company to grow from a one-person operation to a team of 12, serving over 300 builders nationwide and expanding into Australia.

Nick was recognised for his years of dedication and innovation by winning the Revizto Digital Technology | Matihiko Award at the 2024 NZ Building People Awards.

We asked Nick a few questions to get to know him better.

Home Team ChChChCh Changes

Posted on Tuesday 04 February, 2025

Things are looking different around the Institute’s Home Team office with a couple of new faces having joined us and a familiar one returning.

Welcome to Kelly Dawson, who joins us as Administration Lead and Hayden Blucher our new Engagement Lead. 

Chloe Stephen has also returned to her role as Regional Events Lead, and we farewell Floriana Medina who has been keeping our Regional Events running while Chloe was on parental leave. 

Haere mai Kelly, Hayden, and Chloe and haere rā Floriana!

Read a bit more about them and what they do at the Institute. 

Member Spotlight: Michaela Murray

Posted on Monday 13 January, 2025

Michaela Murray is the National Health, Safety, Sustainability & Quality Manager at Cook Brothers Construction, based in Ōtautahi | Christchurch.

Michaela won the Health, Safety and Wellbeing | Wairuatanga category at the 2024 NZ Building People Awards. She was awarded for her successful implementation of the ‘RESET’ programme at Cook Brothers which engaged workers with health and safety in a fun, game show style.

Michaela is a former nurse and has brought those skills over to help improve health and safety outcomes in the Construction Industry.

We wanted to get to know Michaela better, so we asked her some questions about her life a work.

Member spotlight: Joe Burke

Posted on Wednesday 04 December, 2024

Joe Burke is a Project Manager at Hawkins based in Tāmaki | Auckland. At this year’s NZ Building People Awards Joe took out the BCITO Emerging Leader Award and received a grant from the Institute’s Charitable Education Trust.

In his awards citation we heard about Joe’s thoughtful and collaborative leadership style, his enthusiasm and willingness to get his hands dirty, and his exception crisis management skills.

As his referee said, “Joe is one of the brightest young talents in the construction industry.”

We wanted to get to know this talented Institute member a little better, so we asked him a few questions.

Access to New Zealand’s public buildings for people with disability

Posted on Friday 29 November, 2024

A quarter of all New Zealanders have some type of disability that affects their mobility, vision, hearing and/or awareness. Nearly two-thirds of people with disability are aged 65 or older, so many of us will become a “person with disability”, or PWD, as we age.

New Zealand signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability which states that PWDs should be able to live independently and be included in the community.

Dr Claire Flemmer explains what this means for us in the construction industry, and some simple ways we can make our public buildings more inclusive. 

Farewell and thank you to Hannah Keir-Smith

Posted on Monday 25 November, 2024

The Institute is announcing that this Friday 29 November will be the last day for long-time Home Team member Hannah Nansett nee. Keir-Smith. We are sad to see Hannah go but also happy for her to be moving on to a new work challenge. Given Hannah’s nine years of mahi at the Institute we wanted to make sure we recognise her and thank her for all she’s done. It’s hard to sum up a person’s contribution in a few words but we’ve had a go.

Hannah has been at the Institute for nine years and in that time has performed just about every role in the organisation. Her contribution to the Institute, and in turn the construction industry, has been huge.

Tēnā rawa atu koe. Waimaria!
Thank you so much. Good luck!

Member Spotlight: Yu Li

Posted on Tuesday 29 October, 2024

This year our Resene Next Gen Supreme Award was taken out by Yu Li, a Civil Engineering PhD candidate studying at the University of Canterbury. 

To enter the Next Gen Awards nominees had to submit their 'big idea' to shake up the industry. Yu Li's idea submitted for this award is taken from the work she is completing towards her PhD thesis. Her study focuses on collecting data on how and where roads are used by using a newly developed and cost-effective Internet of Things (IoT) proptotype. The data collected can be used to automatically predict traffic positioning in difference scenarios.

Since being presented with the Award at the NZ Building People Awards on 30 August Yu Li has gotten more involved with the Institute and is now an enthusiastic member of the Young Professional Advisors group. 

She's also currently on the lookout for work which makes the most of her considerable expertise so get in touch with her to snap her up!

We asked her a few questions to get to know Yu Li a little better. 

Member Spotlight: Isaac Kett

Posted on Tuesday 01 October, 2024

On 30 August at the 2024 NZ Building People Awards Isaac Kett was named as the GIB Supreme Winner! Earlier in the evening Isaac had won the Keystone Trust Consultants | Matanga Award category.

He was nominated for his work as Delivery, Interface and Design Manager on the Pukekohe to Papakura (P2P) Project in Tāmaki | Auckland. Isaac is a Senior Associate at Frequency.

While we heard about Issac’s project on the night and in his citation we asked him a few questions to get to know the person behind the project.

Read on to find out more about Isaac including what he’d like to see change in the industry, who inspires him, and his Salsa habit.

Honouring our Institute Members

Posted on Tuesday 03 September, 2024

On Friday 30 August we celebrated excellence in the construction industry at the 2024 NZ Building People Awards. Along with honouring our fantastic finalists and winners we also took the opportunity to honour some of our outstanding Institute volunteers with Member Honour Awards.

The NZ Institute of Building relies heavily on the generosity of time, energy and care from its members. There are so many fantastic people giving their dedication and passion to the Institute – four of those people were honoured at the Awards.

Terry Buchan, Hayley Groves and Guy Marriage received Regional Member Honour Awards and Graeme Birkhead was awarded an Institute Service Medal. 

NZ Building People Awards 2024 Winners Announced

Posted on Monday 02 September, 2024

More than 600 construction industry professionals came together on Friday 30 August to celebrate the winners of the 2024 NZ Building People Awards. The gala dinner celebrating the excellence of the people behind the projects took place at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki | Auckland.

Winners and highly commended finalists, along with a couple of special mentions, were announced across ten categories with a Supreme Winner named to top the evening off. The Resene Next Gen Awards were also announced as part of the evening with three winners and one supreme winner named.

 Congratulations to all the finalists, special mentions, highly commended and winners of the 2024 NZ Building People Awards.