Planning for Success

NZCB NEWS —

Renee Jaine NZCB Board Member

Planning for Success

Many of you run your own building business, and at some point I’m sure you’ve wondered, “Who will take the reins from me, when I’m ready to move on?”.

It’s a question we also ask, as Board members. We want to ensure the Association is well led, and that there’s a good bunch of candidates putting themselves forward, come election time. With that goal in mind, I thought I’d take a few moments to ‘de-mystify’ the work we do as a Board, and to answer some questions I know I had, when I started this role.

Board vs Chief Executive – what’s the difference?

I read a good analogy the other day, which compared the relationship between the Board and Chief Executive to that of a bicycle and its tyres.

The Board is like the front tyre, which steers the bike and provides direction. This direction is set out in the strategic plan.

The CE is like the back tyre, powering the bike towards its destination. So Grant uses his skills, his team and the resources of the Association, to achieve the goals set out in the Strategic Plan.

What’s the direction then?

There are six focus areas in the Strategic Plan, which we review every year.

1) Brand. We want to grow and enhance the NZCB brand, so homeowners know us, trust us, and hire us – and so upand-coming builders want to join us. That’s why we’ve got a Digital Marketing Strategy, so more homeowners hear about us and see our great work. It’s why we have the Halo guarantee, so people have peace of mind when they build with us. It’s also why we have strict membership criteria as to who gets in and who needs to leave – because our brand is worth protecting.

2) Membership services. We want to keep offering building and business support services that you all value. Like Halo, contracts, and helplines you can call to get fast, quality answers to your burning questions.

3) Membership growth. We want to grow – because with more members, we can have more influence over policy and the direction the industry is heading in.

The Board is like the front tyre, which steers the bike and provides direction. This direction is set out in the Strategic Plan.

4) Training and pathways. We want to upskill our current members, through events like the Building Trade Professionals series run by Jason and his team. This also covers ITAB, and our focus on upskilling the next generation of builders.

5) Advocacy – or ways of advancing our members’ interests by engaging with key stakeholders, like Building Consent Authorities, MBIE and the Minister for Building and Construction.

6) Finally, the sustainability of NZCB. So are we financially in good shape, is NSO performing well, and is the Board governing well?

We discuss topics like this at our Board meetings, with the aim of identifying risks to the Association, and opportunities we could take. For instance, KiwiBuild is on our minds at the moment – as we work out what this could mean for our members, and how we can make the most of it.

It may look like a big job, but I’ve found being a Board member really worthwhile. It’s a chance to ‘zoom out’ and look at the big-picture issues, weigh up the options, and find a way forward. And you can take that kind of strategic thinking back into your business, to improve what you do day-to-day.

That’s my 2 cents – and I hope to see some of your names on the election ballot sheet, next year!

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