The October issue of Contractor will be winging its way to you soon. Meanwhile, over this long Auckland confinement, it has been interesting comparing the Delta L4 lockdown with that of last year. The difference has been less united jingoism (‘stay home, be kind,’) and more resentful ‘self-preservation’ in committing (or not) to the Government’s containment campaign. By Alan Titchall.
Not sure if this is the influence of overseas news and lockdown protestors, natural lockdown fatigue, or the lack of hard discipline and policing in a woke western world where academic civil liberties can have priority over basic national security.
More importantly is whether it works in the long-term for both our national health and economy. Let’s hope it does, and we can settle down to what other countries have already accepted – another virus floating around in ‘vaccination-protected’ normality.
One thing that does bother me is the number of young folks who think social media baloney is more believable than medical science over Covid vaccinations (then yell at us that climate change science is final and unchallengeable!).
The reason many of them are in the good health to drivel on with this nonsense is that a previous generation got vaccinated for them. From polio and smallpox to TB and diphtheria – so many jabs for so many national health threats that I haven’t got room here to list them. And it wasn’t long ago that you couldn’t travel far outside our country without a yellow passport supplement with a list of those vaccinations, and still can’t in many regions of the third world. Card-carrying proof of Covid vaccination is also the future and already mandatory in some countries. Move on, please, when was the last time you saw a polio or smallpox victim in this country?
Meantime, the October issue is another issue loaded with thoughtful industry discussion.
Both Richard Silcock and I paid a visit to those stalwarts of civil contracting in Taranaki – the Burnsides. Netta and Gordon are so inseparable as the founders of Brand-X and make such an … engaging … couple that it took a while to agree on a profile. I would have liked to have also featured their passion for fast, luxury automobiles, but there was no room left. Perhaps another time, and if you ever get to take up an invitation to go for a car ride with Gordon, take a change of underwear.
Ariana Stuart and Anna Cho in the Dentons Kensington Swan’s Construction and Major Projects team say this is a good time for contractors to review their practices on making claims (other than for Covid) for additional time and cost and provide good tips for making effective claims under NZS3910:2013.
Peter Silcock explains the association’s important submission on the proposed Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA) – the first tranche of the RMA reform.
His full comment is online now and you can read it through a link in this newsletter
I will only add. This magazine was founded the 1970s as a discussion and voice for civil contracting to be heard in the Capital’s corridors of power. Back in those days, the major issue was a state monopoly over major project construction.
Today, your voice is no less important in political decision-making in any legislation concerning your area of expertise and needs to be heard. If you have any industry concerns and opinions to discuss in future pages, ring me anytime.
Parting words from Jeremy Sole- a final column