We commonly hear that the construction sector is fragmented and suffering from a lack of collaboration, however collaborating organisations are working hard to change that. The New Zealand Construction Industry Council (NZCIC), the NZ Institute of Building (NZIOB), and Te Waihanga | NZ Infrastructure Commission are all leaders of change responding to the Construction Sector Accord’s Transformation Plan.

The NZCIC is comprised of 34 Industry associations covering every aspect of the sector from design and professional services, through constructors, materials, research and wellbeing health and safety. The Council does not try to replicate the work of its members but rather seeks to build collaboration across common issues and initiatives.

The NZ Institute of Building is a pan-industry membership organisation for 1,300 individuals in Aotearoa's commercial construction industry. The Institute is focused on innovation in the industry, inclusion of a range of roles and people, and encouraging the next generation. Roles represented by the Institute include site, construction, design, digital and project management.

Te Waihanga helps government and others to shape Aotearoa’s infrastructure system, to grow wellbeing and drive a strong economy.

This month sees the launch of three guidelines that have all been revised and better digitised to improve productivity, mitigate and fairly allocate risk, and future proofing the built environment. These projects are the culmination of years of effort from across the sector, representing strong collaboration between Government and Industry groups.

• The digitisation of the NZCIC Guidelines allows for users to create bespoke schedules of responsibilities that clarifies roles in any construction project, public or private, reducing errors and increasing productivity. The Construction Sector Accord and Masterspec, industry owned by Institute of Architects and Master Builders, co-funded the 2023 digitisation of the Guidelines.
• The Digital Guidance Suite, or DigiGuide, project has created a ‘Value Case for Digital First’, updated the NZ Building Information Modelling (BIM) Handbook, and associated procurement related Appendices, to ensure they are current with relevant international standards, consider industry led process changes, and include new terminology.  The New Zealand Institute of Building (NZIOB) and the BIMinNZ Steering Group worked with subject matter experts and industry consultation on this project with funding from the Construction Sector Accord. These documents will be available in early December 2023 at BIMinNZ.co.nz
• NZS 3910:2023 Conditions of contract for building and civil engineering construction (NZS 3910) review and re-publication. The Construction Sector Accord and the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, are the joint commissioners and appointed Standards New Zealand to lead and manage the process for the comprehensive revision of NZS 3910. David Wilkie, John Malthus and Natasha Possenniskie represented the NZ Institute of Building on the review committee. 

The three tools are about agreeing consistent and clarified starting points so that construction and infrastructure projects can start on the right footing and be set up for success. 

These three diverse projects have the common element of being influential on most or all parts of the sector. Input from the collaborating organisations and broad industry stakeholder engagement has been critical in establishing and progressing these projects and ensuring collaboration across the diverse stakeholders that make up the sector. This collaboration is absolutely vital to lift the productivity and wellbeing needed to ensure a thriving sector.