By CCNZ Chief Executive Alan Pollard.
Welcome to 2026. I trust that our members have managed to get some rest and relaxation over the summer break.
We all know that the past 18 months to two years has been tough for the industry but toward the end of 2025 we started to see some positive signs that things may be starting to turn, with projects finally coming to market.
Our forward works briefings have been well received, and indicate that, along with the government’s infrastructure programme, there is potentially a lot of work that could come to market – the challenge is enabling that to occur and being ready for it when it does.
CCNZ has another large work programme planned for 2026. This year, we will be focused on the core objectives in our strategic plan. These include a pipeline of work we can have confidence in regardless of which political party (or coalition) holds the Treasury benches; access to a skilled and reliable workforce as work volumes increase; enhancing the technical capability of our membership; and engaging with our membership in a consistent way nationally and regionally – adding value to and supporting our members whether large or small contractors or our associate partners.
To that end we have some immediate priorities that we will be focusing on.
This year is election year, so during the first quarter we will be developing our election manifesto, a document that will identify our current and prospective challenges, offer solutions to those challenges, and set out our expectations of an incoming government.
We intend presenting this document to the respective political parties, stressing the need for a more partisan approach to infrastructure investment. Member input into that process will be critical, and you will hear more about this shortly.
We anticipate that 2026 will be a busy legislative year, as the Government seeks to lock in its policy positions before the election. The replacements for the Resource Management Act (the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill) have been out for consultation.
We have all experienced the handbrake to progress that the current RMA has been, so we welcome the efforts being made to streamline the legislation, remove the barriers, and provide clarity to clients and contractors alike.
But the Planning Bill is about 450 pages, and the Natural Environment Bill about 300 pages. They were released just prior to Christmas with a 13 February submission deadline. This is completely inadequate for such important yet complex pieces of legislation. We will be seeking industry input into our submission but apologise in advance that timing will be tight. Fraser May very capably leads our advocacy work.
On the workforce front, there is a lot happening as we work to ensure that our members can access enough skilled labour to resource the project uplift.
Rebecca is working on a project – funded by the Infrastructure Education and Training Charitable Trust – looking to build a forecasting tool to help understand the impact of various types of projects on workforce capacity. This will also be invaluable in providing robust data to support training investment and outcomes.
Watch out for an announcement soon about a new and unique partnership with MSD, creating opportunities to support employers to take on MSD clients as we build and train our future workforce.
And the new vocational education system is now ‘live’. I sit on the board of the Energy and Infrastructure Industry Skills Board (the entity that has replaced the Waihanga Ara Rau Workforce Development Council), tasked with doing everything that Waihanga Ara Rau did (qualification design and quality assurance and more) but with a fraction of the budget. Connexis moves into this structure temporarily before becoming a private training enterprise (PTE) as soon as practically possible. Our priority is to ensure that work-based training can continue uninterrupted, and that our learners and employers are well supported.
Last year I advised that our new technical committee structure had been finalised, with three new steering groups established – Roading; Earthworks and Underground; and Member Support.
The Roading Steering Group was officially launched in December. Stacy Goldsworthy (Hiway) will Chair that group, and he is joined by Regan McRandle (Site Civil), Tim Clark (HEB), Doug Carasco (Downer), Gordon Inglis (Fulton Hogan), and Victoria Lord (Isaacs).
The steering group will be supported by a number of working groups who will be tasked with implementing the Roading work programme.
We are in the process of establishing the remaining two steering groups. Our Technical Manager, Arne Corrie-Johnston, retains overall responsibility for the technical portfolio, but I am also grateful to the members who have volunteered to participate in this very important work.
Member engagement
For member engagement, we are working to ensure consistency of approach to how we engage with and service our member needs across our branch network. I appreciate and value the work that our branch teams do on behalf of CCNZ and our members.
Actively participating in branch events is a great way to stay up to date with what is happening within CCNZ, and to network with colleagues and peers.
Our Association has many national and regional events to choose from, including branch meetings and AGMs, excavator operator competitions, awards nights, conference, Black Art, webinars and targeted meetings such as forward works briefings, workshops, and much, much more.
I encourage all members to make the most of their membership by participating in these events in your region. Our three regional managers (Eve, Grant and Calum) do a great job connecting with branches and members, so feel free to reach out to them if they can be of help to you.
I’m cautiously optimistic about 2026, and my team and I look forward to working with you, and for you, as we emerge from the challenges of the past couple of years.
Election date consequences