One of the tests of success for an industry organisation like ours is often not that easy to achieve or measure. I’m talking about getting results from a government. By Jayden Ellis, Chair, AQA.
For years, it’s felt like we were banging our heads against a brick wall with successive administrations.
But as you read this edition of Aggregate News, you’ll see three more areas where our work with ministers and officials is paying dividends.
One clear example is Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds’s confirmation that industries like ours will lead in the work-based training we tend to favour.
We were hearing disturbing signals that Government officials were steering things to where they’ve always had control. Some blunt messaging to Simmonds and some of her more senior colleagues from the AQA and other organisations was that this would go down like a bucket of the proverbial. To their credit, they have listened.
Similarly, our industry’s wish to play more of a role in developing Codes of Practice has been heeded in reforms of the Health & Safety at Work Act 2015.
We also applaud the Government’s rapid-fire legislation to clarify that major projects can impact wildlife. A High Court decision put infrastructure projects at risk if wildlife were harmed, even though the Department of Conservation had approved this as a potential outcome.
No one sets out to harm fauna like kiwi – quite the opposite – but you can’t have a project at risk of being halted because an unfortunate accidental animal death occurs.
Like most of you, I always enjoy profiles of our industry pioneers, so it’s a delight to read about Bob Pearson, who at 85 is likely our oldest holder of a CoC. Well done, Bob, on a lifetime in our sector.
Of course, we are just a few weeks away from our annual conference, which is a highlight for many of us in our working year. It’s great to see a new initiative with MIMICO and J Swaps hosting a couple of busloads in Matamata on the opening morning. The first afternoon also includes a technical session, which I, for one, greatly value.
Our Hamilton conference also looks set to break some records, including there being a total of 125 exhibitors both inside and outside the excellent Claudelands venue.
Space is so tight (and perhaps budget) that some Government departments missed out on getting a booth. We will offer the NZTA, and possibly others, the chance to be based at the AQA/MinEx stand.
That will give a chance to engage on issues like the new spec for M03, which comes out just before the conference. It’s also a measurable signal of our improved relationship with the government and its officials, which is seeing the brick walls come down.