Auckland makes the most of lockdown

AROUND THE REGIONS —

Barbara MacGregor NZCB President Auckland

Auckland makes the most of lockdown AUCKLAND

Due to the various COVID-19 lockdowns, New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Auckland has had a tough time with event planning this year. So, when the event management company running the ASB Showgrounds went into liquidation in July, our planning for the Auckland LBP Training Day was once again left in tatters. Thankfully, we managed to salvage most of our plans and re-booked for September. The list of presenters and trade exhibitors was looking strong and then it all came to a grinding halt with the words “A positive case of COVID-19 has been identified in the Auckland community…”

From left to right: NZCB Board Vice Chairperson, Nick Farrelly, NZCB President Auckland Barbara MacGregor, and Dr Siouxsie Wiles at one of the daily Auckland ‘Smoko Sessions’.

Disappointed but not defeated, the committee swung into action and reached out to the presenters we had lined up to see if there was an appetite for moving the LBP Training Day online, just as we had done in 2020.

There was, and the online LBP Training Day was a resounding success with close to 500 participants from around the country attending on both mornings. It involved running two simultaneous Zoom meetings with over 200 attendees on each and organising of 12 presenters covering a wide variety of products and topics.

Thank you to all the presenters who stepped up at short notice to provide six hours of high-quality content for members from across the country. An enormous thank you also needs to be extended to NZCB Auckland committee member Chris Boyle for his organisation and Zoom skills, and to past NZCB President Auckland, now NZCB Board Vice Chairperson, Nick Farrelly for helping current NZCB President Auckland Barbara MacGregor with the hosting. The feedback received on the quality of the content and presentations was positive. So, when Auckland’s Level 4 lockdown was extended further, the committee decided to continue the online learning with daily ‘Smoko Sessions’ for 10 days until Auckland members could return to building sites. These sessions included presentations from more industry suppliers as well as Dr. Siouxsie Wiles on the Delta variant and vaccine and Jeff Fahrensohn from the Auckland Council. The Auckland committee enjoyed connecting our members and topic experts during lockdown. We hope you found the training beneficial and have a few LBP points stored away.

Auckland Charity Golf Day 2022

Back by popular demand, the NZCB Auckland Committee will be holding its Annual Charity Golf Day on Thursday 3rd March 2022 at the Akarana Golf Club, with proceeds going to the Cancer Society of New Zealand. Providing alert level restrictions are lifted, we are sure the event will be great fun for all those who attend.

The format will be similar to previous years and limited to 100 golfers in teams of four. Registrations for teams and individuals are welcome with singles being placed to make up a team. Sign in is from 10:00am with a shotgun start at 12:30pm and the day is expected to wind up around 7:30pm. Holes are sponsored by suppliers ensuring fun activities and giveaways on your way around the course. Once playing wraps up, everyone can enjoy the food and a drink provided while watching the auction and prizegiving. We hope to see you all there for a day of fun and sun!

Registrations are open now. For more information check out the Events Calendar on the NZCB members’ only Toolshed www.nzcb.nz or contact Trelawne on auckland@nzcb.nz.