Industrial Safety News: June - July 2020

STAYING SAFE AND COMPLIANT UNDER A NEW NORMAL INFRASTRUCTUREBUILD.COM YEARBOOK 2018

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June - July 2020

Content Partners

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Hand sanitisers: Beware the invisible flame Psychological first aid: Free four-step webinar

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Government budgets billions to create the new normal Where they got it right and where they missed the mark

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Red Cross: Free booklet on psychological first aid

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Red Cross courses: Essential First Aid, How To Save A Life, Workplace First Aid, Comprehensive First Aid and more

14 Get your First Aid and Lone Workers' revalidations from Red Cross 15 Small business transition to a speculative new economy

Barry Dyer Chief Executive Responsible Care New Zealand

17 WorkSafe's quick guide to first aid in the workplace 18 First Aid Kits - workplaces must have at least one 23 The Responsible Care guide to keeping chemicals, hazardous material and your team safe in the workplace

27 Tolling New Zealand roads Looking at the big picture

41 The pandemic's effect on coworking centres and serviced offices 42 Hardest hit property markets

Hamish Glenn Policy Director Infrastructure New Zealand

45 Private sector development plummets - opportunity for social housing construction

30 What's polluting waterways and destroying eco systems 34 Covid-19 is NOT a one-off Recognising sustainable cures for pandemics

48 How Covid-19 has forever changed office design

38 Waste incineration generates energy and destroys viruses

49 RICS guide to confidence in the construction and infrastructure sector

Dr Mike Joy Lecturer Massey University

Published by Media Solutions Ltd PO Box 503, Whangaparaoa Auckland 0943 09 428 7456 Original material published online and in this magazine is copyright,

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but may be reproduced providing permission is obtained from the editor and acknowledgement given to Media Solutions. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and may not necessarily be those of Media Solutions Ltd. Publisher ISSN 2624-0572 (Print) ISSN 2624-0580 (Online)

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Kelvin Davidson Senior Property Economist CoreLogic

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June - July 2020

Psychological first aid A free four step set of webinars on psychological first aid

Safe practice An employee using an approved, alcohol-based sanitiser was seriously burned when he touched a metal surface before the product had dried

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t discharged built-up static electricity and the ethanol flame is invisible while burning on the skin.

To avoid accidental ignition, ensure hands are completely dry after using sanitiser, before touching any source of ignition such as cigarette lighters or naked flames,’ says Barry Dyer, chief executive of Responsible Care NZ, a global association of chemical suppliers and end users which focuses on the safe use of chemicals.

“We applaud the commitment of our members and partners who not only con-

tinue to safely manage their chemical inventories during these uncertain times, but also demonstrate innovative changes to new products helping to safeguard the public during the COVID-19 response.

An example is a leading manufacturer of performance coating sytems and RCNZ member UROXSYS. The company quickly switched to manufacturing a hand sanitiser which not only met the WHO specifications, but also obtained NZ Food Safety Authority certification.

Hand sanitisers In order to be effective, hand sanitisers must contain at least 60 percent alcohol. Hand sanitisers are convenient but just as important, wherever possible, hand washing with soap and water, hot or cold, for at least 20 seconds (sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice!) provides adequate protection against the Covid-19 virus.

Use a moisturizer afterwards to maintain healthy skin.

This is particularly important for those frequent users of alcohol-based santisers.

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What PFA is and isn't and who it's for within psychosocial support Learning distress responses and the effects on the body

The five essential elements and Look in action

Listen with active listening and Link.

Consider your wellbeing

Part 1

Click to watch Part 2

Click to watch Part 3

Click to watch Part 4

Click to watch

June - July 2020

Budget billions to create the new normal What the government got right and where they missed the mark Top five budget intiatives 1) A $50 billion COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund; $20 billion left unspent.

2) $3 billion to fund (unnamed )infrastructure projects across the country, in addition to the $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme.

3) $1.1 billion to create 11,000 jobs in environmental initiatives.

4) $3.2 billion to extend the wage subsidy.

5) $5 billion to create 8,000 new public or transitional housing places.

Focus on job creation short term and low-waged

Construction jobs provide short term employment – when the building is finished, the job ceases. The tourism and hospitality industries are low waged, continuing the cycle of poverty.

Over 22,000 long term jobs throughout the country can be created if we reuse or recycle our waste that we send to landfill each year. International experience has shown that these jobs can pay above the national average.

Initiatives in the waste sector will require building

onshore processing facilities (creating extra short-term employment for the building sector) and developing internal markets for the goods we now discard. The results will be reduced imports, less pillaging of the earth’s scarce resources and skills development for lowto non-skilled people employed in this area. That is a strategy to build a more resilient economy by not relying on globalisation to succeed.

Dr Jeff Seadon - Auckland University of Technology safetynews.co.nz

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June - July 2020

Recovery spending a welcome first step

The Government’s budget has made prudent investment in some no-regrets infrastructure sectors, which will get the sector going while we plan the transformational investment needed to build back better.

The budget includes over $6 billion in infrastructure capital expenditure, the bulk of which is a $3 billion fund to go towards shovel-ready projects.

This $3 billion spend will be informed by the Infrastructure Industry Reference Group and Crown Infrastructure Partner’s hard work but will not be exclusive to it. We expect to see detailed project announcements in the coming weeks and months.

An additional $1.1 billion is being spent to upgrade and maintain transport infrastructure, including $400 million to replace the Interislander ferries, $250 million on the national rail network, and $420 million on new locomotives, mechanical facilities, and signalling for KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail networks.

Social infrastructure rounds out the total with $750 million allocated to health capital expenditure, $115 million for school capital expenditure, and $5 billion from Kāinga Ora’s debt allowance to build another 2,000 social houses per annum for the next four years.

Also pleasing is the ongoing funding announced to

How will NZ repay the debt?

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retrain workers for critical industries such as construction, which will be needed to build industry capacity for more work to come.

These no-regrets investments are a welcome first step to addressing our country’s severe infrastructure deficit, but more will need to be done.

Major investment in addition to Budget 2020 will be required for our aging and inadequate water, urban development, and transport infrastructure.

But we also have the chance to build back better. This is our chance to reposition New Zealand’s economy for coming decades so that it is more productive, inclusive and sustainable.

What does that economy look like? Who should pay for the infrastructure which enables it? What’s the role of local government and the private sector?

We have the opportunity now to address these big questions. Doing so will tell us where to prioritise the transformational strategic investments which New Zealand will need to emerge from this crisis stronger than before.

Paul Blair - Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive

Increased state spending to ease the pain

In the months and years to come, government debt will have increased by more than $150 billion.

Much of what has been announced by the Government for new spending cannot be faulted in terms of what is needed to rebuild the economy. What may be questioned is whether all decisions should be made by the government, or that more opportunity be given to New Zealanders (especially NZ businesses) to make decisions and advise where support is most needed.

The gap to be made up through increased government revenue should in part come from economic growth leading to an increased tax take. This will be far too little to bridge the gap, so the future for New Zealnd must be increased taxes. The mix of these tax changes and associated variations in tax burdens, including potentially the introduction of new taxes (such as a capital gains tax or some form of wealth tax), is yet to be revealed.

There is Increasing state spending to offset the contraction in private sector investment and lower consumer confidence.

Those countries that did this in the wake of the previous economic crisis had a shorter and less severe recession than those who used the false analogy of household spending and cut spending as income dropped. Even if we were more isolated than most countries from the effects of the GFC, it is clear we have learned the lessons. This is the rainy day.

Turning to specifics, the COVID Response and Recovery Fund to invest in infrastructure seems much lower than many may have suspected. It is an initial $3 billion, but the total of the ‘shovel-ready’ projects submitted was $136 billion. There are going to be many disappointed people, and, if it is spread around the nation as previously indicated, that figure will not go very far at all.

Professor Adrian Sawyer - University of Canterbury

Professor Iain White - University of Waikato

safetynews.co.nz

June - July 2020

Investment in public housing and income-related rent funding

Our homes are where we spend most of our time, even when we’re not in lockdown. It’s hard to stay healthy when our rent takes up too much of our income; we struggle to stay warm and dry; and we’re worried we might have to move. Building new public housing is a good way to address all three of these problems, since new public housing is a higher standard and more affordable than cheap private rentals, and tenants know their tenure is safe. That makes investment in public housing a health investment as well as a social investment, targeted at those who need it most.

Along with the government’s increased spending on retrofitting insulation under the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme, this budget allocation is another step towards warmer, drier and safer homes for all New Zealanders. The allocation for urban papakāinga and other

Māori housing initiatives is particularly welcome.

However, there will be challenges. As with KiwiBuild, there’s the question of where to find land, or how to free up existing public housing land without disruption to current tenants.

There’s also a clear gap in the spending allocation: new public housing will mean those who get to the top of the public housing list have warm, dry, secure homes.

Additional spending in the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme will help people insulate if they own their own homes. But I don’t see anything in this budget to help improve the standard of people in poor quality rental homes, where our most vulnerable households live. New healthy housing legislation can only do so much.

Dr Lucy Telfar Barnard - University of Otago

Infrastructure investment will benefit average Kiwis

The announcements were a win for everyday Kiwis as well as contractors because they would enable the country to upgrade and improve community infrastructure such as roads and water networks.

The increased investment was a great opportunity, not just to build new roading and water networks, but also to catch up on the country’s deferred maintenance and upgrade existing infrastructure to be fit for purpose in the present day.

Upgrading New Zealand’s infrastructure will serve the country well in the long term. It will also enable the civil construction industry to provide meaningful employment for those who may have lost their jobs, as well as retaining the skills in our current workforce.

Helping people upskill would require close attention to enable people to transition smoothly. While skills such as abseiling or heavy vehicle driving would be transferable, considerable re-training would be needed.

To be truly effective, this investment would also need to reach the regions and the many small to medium employers in the industry, who worked on regional works as well as being employed as subcontractors on

big-ticket projects.

While it’s important to give the economy a boost, this needs to be sustainable. The last thing we want to do is create a boom/bust situation. To create sustainable employment and better community outcomes, investment needs to be well-planned and phased over time.

The NZ Infrastructure Commission was established to help take a planned approach and manage the infrastructure work pipeline, and dialog between government and industry had been vastly improved since the creation of the Construction Sector Accord.

Infrastructure investment is not just about building roads. It’s about building better public infrastructure for liveable communities. It’s about improving water and wastewater networks to make sure rivers and lakes aren’t polluted, and about making our roads safer.

One issue that could be problematic following COVID-19 was the availability of specialist civil construction experts like geotechnical engineers or project managers.

Peter Silcock - Civil Contractors NZ Chief Executive safetynews.co.nz

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Psychological First Aid HE WHAKARAUORA HINENGARO

for COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand

Click here to read the booklet

June - July 2020

Essential First Aid Perfect for low risk workplaces, Essential First Aid prepares your team to respond to the most common emergency situations.

Recommended for: people who work in low risk workplaces and clubs. It's a great course if you want to use first aid at home, and if you want to learn the basic essentials of first aid.

What this 8 hour course covers: The course is run over one day, and covers how to respond to common first aid scenarios. Being able to respond first, while waiting for medical professionals to arrive, is essential to helping others and saving lives. This course meets NZQA standards and requirements of the “First Aid for Workplaces – A Good Practice Guide 2011” for low risk workplaces.

You will learn: - safe scene management

- cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) - airway obstruction - control of severe bleeding - safe side positioning - common first aid conditions and how to respond to them - assessment of emergency situations - adult/child/infant resuscitation and choking (CPRL2) - bleeding, shock, fractures, sprains, burns, poisoning Choose how to complete your training - Classroom: Complete all training in the classroom - Online: Complete your pre-course learning online, reducing your classroom session by four hours - App: Complete your pre-course learning using the First Aid and Emergency App, reducing your classroom session by four hours Click here to book a course

Save a Life Perfect for low risk workplaces. Save a Life is focused on CPR skills.

Recommended for: People who want to learn CPR skills. This course will teach you the basics of CPR and put you in a better position to save someone's life.

What this 4 hour course covers: Covering first aid basics such as cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the use of an AED, airway obstruction and control of severe bleeding, this course will teach you to be prepared to act in an emergency situation.

You will learn: - safe scene management

- cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) - the use of an AED - airway obstruction - control of severe bleeding - safe side positioning Choose how to complete your training - Classroom: Complete all training in the classroom - Online: Complete your pre-course learning online, reducing your classroom session by four hours - App: Complete your pre-course learning using the First Aid and Emergency App, reducing your classroom session by four hours Click here to book a course safetynews.co.nz

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June - July 2020

Comprehensive First Aid Our most popular courses keep you and your team safe in the workplace, and keep your family safe at home.

Comprehensive First Aid is a minimum requirement for most workplaces.

Recommended for: All workplaces including industry, sports, education centres, and construction.

What this 12 hour course covers: Comprehensive First Aid is our most popular course designed to meet the requirements of workplace first aid for many industries and a prerequisite for further advanced training. Whatever industry you are working in, such as construction, tourism or education, a Comprehensive First Aid course will help you know what to do in an emergency or at the scene of an accident.

Being able to respond first, while waiting for medical professionals to arrive, is essential to helping others and saving lives. It's a great course for first aid at home too, so you can look out for your family. This course meets NZQA standards and requirements of the “First Aid for Workplaces – A Good Practice Guide 2011” for the majority of workplaces.

You will learn: - assessing emergency situations - adult, child and infant resuscitation and choking - bleeding, shock, fractures, sprains and head injuries - hypothermia, burns and poisoning - medical emergencies, including asthma, diabetes and epilepsy - how to manage complex medical and traumatic emergency care situations.

Choose how to complete your training - Classroom: Complete all training in the classroom - Online: Complete your pre-course learning online, reducing your classroom session by four hours - App: Complete your pre-course learning using the First Aid and Emergency App, reducing your classroom session by four hours A 16-hour Comprehensive First Aid PLUS course is also available which covers all of the content from Comprehensive First Aid, with some additional extras.

Click here to book a course

Workplace First Aid Choose your NZQA accredited Workplace First Aid course relative to your workplace risk with 3 course options.

Workplace - Medium to high risk: Comprehensive First Aid is our most popular course designed to meet the requirements of workplace first aid for many industries and a prerequisite for further advanced training.

Workplace - Low risk: Essential First Aid is for people who work in low risk workplaces and clubs. It's a great course if you want to use first aid at home, and if you want to learn the basic essentials of first aid.

First Aid Revalidation: Revalidation is for people who have a first aid certificate issued by an accredited training provider, who need to revalidate their certificate.

Choose how to complete your training - Classroom: Complete all training in the classroom - Online: Complete your pre-course learning online, reducing your classroom session by four hours - App: Complete your pre-course learning using the First Aid and Emergency App, reducing your classroom session by four hours Or choose from a range of industry specific courses.

Click here to book a course 10

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June - July 2020

FIRST AID CATALOGUE

Need a first aid kit or training? An AED? New Zealand Red Cross will have something you’ll want to see!

Brand new catalogue

OUT NOW!

redcrossshop.org.nz safetynews.co.nz

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June - July 2020

First Aid Revalidation This one day course is a refresher of your first aid skills, keeping your knowledge up to date and relevant. First aid certificates should be revalidated every two years.

Recommended for: People who have a first aid certificate issued by an accredited training provider, who need to revalidate their certificate.

What this 6 hour course covers: Revalidate your first aid certificate every two years. Take the time to refresh your first aid skills and keep up to date with any changes to best practice, so you're ready to help in an emergency or accident. This course meets the requirements of the “First Aid for Workplaces – A Good Practice Guide 2011” to revalidate workplace first aid.

First aid certificates must be revalidated every two years, to keep them from expiring. We are able to revalidate your certificate if it is three months, or less, past the expiry of your two year certificate.

Choose how to complete your training - Classroom: Complete all training in the classroom - Online: Complete your pre-course learning online, reducing your classroom session by four hours - App: Complete your pre-course learning using the First Aid and Emergency App, reducing your classroom session by four hours Click here to book a course

Lone Workers First Aid Revalidation This one day course is a refresher of your first aid skills, keeping your knowledge up to date and relevant. First aid certificates should be revalidated every two years.

Recommended for: People who work in a rural environment, and who are often alone in medium to high risk roles. Farmers, DOC staff, rangers & rural pest control workers have benefited from this training.

What this 8 hour course covers: Farmers and other workers in the agricultural sector, or people that work alone, may not always find conventional first aid courses useful. Some courses don't cover strategies for people who work alone.

Developed in conjunction with OSPRI, the course is designed as an alternative to our First Aid Revalidation course, and is generally run for groups.

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You will learn: - Standard first aid revalidation on CPR and choking - Infection and disease control in a rural setting - Extended options for bleeding and shock - Management of soft tissue injuries and fractures when alone - Dealing with burns, poisons and allergic reactions.

Choose how to complete your training - Classroom: Complete all training in the classroom - Online: Complete your pre-course learning online, reducing your classroom session by four hours - App: Complete your pre-course learning using the First Aid and Emergency App, reducing your classroom session by four hours Click here to book a course

June - July 2020

Basic First Aid A short, practical first aid course that is tailored to your groups requirements and time available.

Recommended for: Community groups, clubs, sports teams. This course covers the basic skills to help in an emergency until medical professionals arrive. You could even safe someone's life.

What this 2-4 hour course covers: Learn the basics of CPR, choking and first aid skills with your own exclusive group course.

This practical course can be tailored to your group's requirements and is a great way to learn lifesaving skills. There are no assessments in this course, with time spent building the confidence and skills of your group.

Click here to book a course

Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Extend your first aid skills. Gain knowledge to provide immediate first aid assistance, at an advanced level.

Recommended for: People who are frequently called on to provide first aid to members of the public. This course is also ideal for people who live or work in remote locations and in risky occupations.

What this 3 day course covers: Pre-Hospital Emergency Care is an intensive training course which will you give the confidence to apply your knowledge and skills, to deliver advanced first aid.

You will learn: - providing extended first aid - using enhanced basic life support - providing oxygen therapy - carrying out shock advisory defibrillation - moving and positioning patients in preparation for transport.

Prerequisite: You must have a valid Comprehensive First Aid certificate and pre-course reading is required.

Click here to book a course

Electrical Workers Basic First Aid & CPR Ensure your team is safety compliant. This 2 hour course is required under the Electricity Regulations covered by the Rules of the Board, as per the Amended Electricity Act, 1 April 2010.

Recommended for: Electrical workers, who need to keep first aid skills up to date. This course will ensure your team and workplace is safety compliant, as required under the Electricity Regulations, covered by the Rules of the Board as per the amended Electricity Act 1

April 2010.

What this 2 hour course covers: - adult CPR and choking - bleeding - burns - fractures Click here to book a course

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June - July 2020

AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Training Review your action plan to deal with a heart attack with our AED training course.

Recommended for: All workplaces, communities and individuals.

Psychological First Aid Psychological first aid (PFA) provides initial emotional and practical support to someone who has experienced a traumatic event – either a large-scale disaster or a personal traumatic incident.

Why do Psychological first aid?

Psychological first aid (PFA) is the mental and emotional equivalent of medical first aid. It can be provided by both members of the public and professional helpers. PFA builds organisational and community resilience, and people's capacity to respond well to traumatic events.

Recommended for: Anyone who may have a role in supporting staff, colleagues, community members or whanau, in particular: - Workplace managers and supervisors - Health, safety and well-being teams - Peer supporters - Emergency management first responders - Organisations and groups with psychosocial support responsibilities under NZ Civil Defence legislation.

What this 7 hour course covers: - The scope of PFA – what it is, and what it isn’t - The 5 elements of PFA - WHO Action Framework for PFA - Look, Listen, Link - Understanding and recognising distress - Active listening and calming techniques - Referral to more specialised support - Adapting PFA to social and cultural context - Wellbeing – looking after yourself The New Zealand Red Cross Psychological First Aid Training Handout is provided as a participant manual along with additional tools and handouts. The Full Red Cross Psychological First Aid Training Manual is available for purchase at our online shop here.

What this 1-2 hour course covers: Knowing how to operate an AED could save a life. During cardiac arrest every minute defibrillation is delayed, chances of survival drop by 10%. AEDs are easy to use and some include voice prompts to guide the rescuer through every step. However nothing can replace hands-on training to increase confidence in using a defibrillator, and help you use one as quickly as possible. Choose from our 1 or 2 hour training sessions, which can be held at your workplace or another site.

You will learn: - How to recognise early symptoms of a heart attack - How to use a defibrillator and why they're important - Hands-on CPR with a qualified instructor (2 hour course only).

Click here to book a course

Outdoor Emergency Management Assess and manage an emergency care situation during an outdoor activity.

Recommended for: People who manage emergency care during an outdoor recreation activity. The course is ideal for those managing outdoor activities for extended periods, including overnight trips and events, where emergency help might be further away.

What this 8 hour course covers: Outdoor First Aid recognises that emergency situations outdoors can differ dramatically, especially when help can take a while to arrive. Being able to respond first is essential to helping others and saving lives. Gain the skills and knowledge to confidently take care of people until further assistance arrives.

Participants receive a New Zealand Red Cross PFA certificate on course completion.

You will learn: - how to provide emergency care for an extended period in an outdoor recreation environment - how to assess and manage a patient’s condition long term in an outdoor recreation environment

Click here to book a course

Click here to book a course

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June - July 2020

T

ragic deaths notwithstanding, those most affected by the Covid-19 virus are arguably the 500,000 small businesses representing 40 percent of the New Zealand economy.

Small business is a major employer which will need significant ongoing support to successfully transition to a new operational environment.

The government has done an excellent job of mobilising public opinion in support of the measures deemed necessary to minimise the presence of the virus throughout the community.

It is already apparent New Zealand is successfully controlling the spread of the virus, giving more time to improve our capability and the resources not present when the first infected visitors entered our borders.

Having confidence in the science and the measured advice of our world class health professionals, we

Where to from here for small business?

Facing the inexorable rise in the numbers of unemployed and beneficiaries, a successful transition to the largely speculative new economy requires a pragmatic plan have thus far avoided the political confusion and misinformation undermining efforts to protect communities, even in well-resourced countries.

Excellent oversight Establishing the Epidemic Response Committee (ERC) chaired by the then Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges leading a majority of non government members is intended to ensure appropriate scrutiny of government while Parliament is suspended.

Public servants have wide-ranging decision-making powers. The ERC is empowered to ques-

tion decisions and require comprehensive explanations arguably far more effectively than parliament’s ineffectual “Question Time” or the increasingly timid reporters during the daily Covid-19 media briefings.

The ERC is responsible for obtaining an inquiry into the suitability and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) after claims it was not reaching the front line despite assurances there was no shortage.

The independent ERC is vital in determining our future. This includes championing pragmatic measures to enable small businesses,

not presently a government priority.

Treasonable acts Critical analysis of the government’s performance is increasingly portrayed as tantamount to treason, leading to virulent personal attacks through the ubiquitous and increasingly influential social media.

They, sadly, are supported by biased mainstream media commentators desperate to create the news rather than report it.

Thus far, trustworthy and scientifically sound healthcare information, delivered by health professionals, enjoys a high level of public safetynews.co.nz

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June - July 2020 trust, enabling compliance with the severe control measures we accept as necessary if community transmission of the virus is to be avoided.

Small business backed by community support Having secured the support of the community, enabling easing of some constraints, the challenge now must be to successfully engage with the business community to restore confidence and provide the certainty essential to any reformed economic environment.

Government is more comfortable dealing with the larger companies, “too big to fail” finance, infrastructure, energy, utilities, an airline and food producers, with guaranteed customers, substantial resources and effective lobbyists.

In comparison, thousands of small business operators closed up with minimal warning.

They are struggling to survive without customers and are reliant on the limited wage subsidies.

The business survival plan Rather than income tax deferrals for businesses with no income and facing rent and utility demands, any financial assistance must be flexible to enable business operators to meet their most pressing needs.

As people return to work, attention will shift to the government’s sound plan to rebuild and later reshape our social and economic circumstances.

Government’s belief in the ‘Power of the State to do Good’ heralding greater government involvement is to be launched in the May Budget.

A strategy to enable business to survive and prosper 16

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is best developed by a committee of business experts (CBE) to complement the success of the ERC and able to restore confidence and certainty throughout the business community.

Roadblocks or stumbling blocks Meanwhile, social media and increasingly irresponsible media outlets are breathlessly reporting various idiotic ideas are facts, a recent example being injecting yourself with a disinfectant.

If you thought for a nanosecond this suggestion would not be taken seriously, then why report it in our mainstream media?

As the reported Covid-19 death toll passes 200,00, scientists pursuing a Covid 19 vaccine are calling on the embattled World Health Organisation to develop an international protocol for sharing information and ultimately ensuring approved vaccines are freely available.

the resilience of the global economy.

As well as considering the added cost involved which New Zealand consumers have been consistently relucatant to pay.

It will likely be years before a proven vaccine enables widespread international travel to restore our lucrative tourism and foreign student markets.

Lucrative foreign students are all the more reason for offering them a safe haven.

We will focus on supplying high quality food for a hungry world, requiring more expensive, dedicated freight aircraft to supply our most important markets.

No doubt our national airline is investigating the conversion of aircraft to meet the demand.

Chemistry the ultimate safe solution Chemistry will provide the answer, though probably nor as quickly as we would

wish.

Chemical suppliers are playing their part in helping to safeguard the community in response to the Covid-19 challenge.

They are providing members and entrepreneurs seeking to diversify into importing or switching production to meet the burgeoning demand for hand sanitisers and disinfectants with guidance through complex and often confusing compliance requirements.

Increased production can mean exceeding safe storage thresholds and the capability of equipment, increasing the risk to employees and highlighting the responsibility of a business operator to safeguard people and the environment.

If in doubt about your chemical management requirements, speak to your suppliers or industry associations.

The views expressed by Media Solutions Ltd Content Partner, Responsible Care chief executive Barry Dyer, may not necessarily be those of Responsible Care New Zealand

Short on detail and a false sense of reality Calls for greater local production to replace lost imports are bereft of detail but underestimate

Chemical Safety for SMEs Chemical safety is paramount, especially within small businesses when compliance information and helpful enforcement is not readily available.

If in doubt, please ask. This helps ensure everyone continues to enjoy the benefits chemistry delivers.

We need to avoid strenuously a situation where the cure becomes as bad or worse than the disease.

In the first instance, if you have any questions about the chemicals you are using or safe storage requirements, call your supplier.

If you do not get the answers you are looking for you should call the chemical industry organisations like Responsible Care NZ. 04 499 4311.

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First aid at work February 2020

Click here to read the booklet

June - July 2020

First aid kits You must provide at least one first aid kit for each workplace and ensure workers know where it is.

Kits should contain basic equipment for attending to injuries, such as: - cuts, scratches, punctures, grazes and splinters - soft tissue sprains and strains - minor burns - broken bones - eye injuries, and - shock.

What you put in the kit should be based on the particular risks of the work carried out at your workplace. For

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example, there is likely to be a higher risk of eye injuries and a need for eye pads if your workers: - handle chemical liquids or powders in open containers - carry out spraying, hosing or abrasive blasting - are at risk of particles flying into their eyes - are at risk of being splashed or sprayed with infectious materials, or - carry out welding, cutting or machining operations.

The below image shows the suggested contents of a work first aid kit. You may also want to consider including a small notebook and pen to record things such as dates, times, observations, equipment used.

June - July 2020

Number and composition of workers and other people at work Consider the maximum number of workers you could have, including contractors and volunteer workers. Generally, a large workforce needs more first aid resources.

Also think about: - the needs of workers with a disability or known health - concern (for example, asthma, allergies) - ensuring you have enough first aiders rostered on

each shift - ensuring all workers including those working outside - daylight hours can access first aid kits, facilities and other equipment - ensuring you have enough first aiders to cover periods of annual or sick leave - other people at work (for example, clients, visitors, couriers, casual volunteers).

Medication in first aid kits

Design of kits

If you choose to provide pain relief medication like aspirin or paracetamol in first aid kits, be aware that these can make certain people (such as pregnant women) ill.

First aid kits can be any size, shape or type, but each kit should: - be clearly labelled ‘First Aid Kit’. Most kits have a white cross on a green background - have a list of what is in the kit, and - be made of material that will protect the contents from dust, moisture and contamination.

Pain relief medicine in a work first aid kit should only be in pack sizes which are available when purchased over the counter as General Sale or Pharmacy Only medicines. Keep pain relief medicine in the manufacturer’s original pack as this will have all the relevant information about correct dose, precautions/warnings, batch number and expiry date.

This medicine can only be given by someone who is medically trained to do so, otherwise it should only be self-administered by the worker. (That is, they choose to take it themselves.)

Communication equipment For remote or isolated workers, you must provide a plan for how they will get help if injured or ill. See our Interpretive guidelines General Risk and Workplace Management – Part 2 for more information.

Location of kits, including in vehicles First aid equipment should be easy for all workers to access, ideally within minutes in an emergency or when doing work with a high risk of injuries. For example, a school with a science laboratory or carpentry workshop should have a first aid kit in each.

building) there should be a first aid kit in each area.

Where there are separate work areas (for example, more than one building on a site or more than one floor in a

Use first aid signs to clearly show the location of first aid equipment and first aid rooms.

Emergency floor plans or site maps displayed in the workplace should show where the first aid kits are located.

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June - July 2020

Remote workers If you have workers in remote or isolated locations, you must provide them with a basic first aid kit (described on the previous page) as well as extra first aid equipment if required.

The image below shows some extra contents for a first

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aid kit for remote or isolated workers. You may also want to consider including a small notebook and pen to record things such as dates, times, observations, equipment used. This is a suggestion only – the actual contents will depend on the nature of the work carried out and its risks.

June - July 2020

Physical size and location of the workplace First aid equipment and facilities (for example, a first aid room - pictured below) should be easy for all workers to access, ideally within minutes in an emergency.

Consider: - the distance between different work areas - response times for emergency services - if you have remote or isolated workers.

You may need to provide first aid equipment and facilities in more than one part of your workplace if: - the workplace is a long way from emergency services, a medical centre or hospital - workers are scattered over a wide area in the workplace - the workplace has more than one floor or level.

Maintaining and restocking first aid kits It is good practice to nominate a person at your work, perhaps a first aider, to maintain the first aid kits. The person should: - monitor usage of the kit and ensure items are replaced as soon as practicable after use - at least once every 12 months, ensure the kit contains

a complete set of the required items. An inventory list should be kept in the kit and signed and dated after each check - ensure items are in working order, are within their expiry dates, and sterile products are still sealed.

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June - July 2020

Nature of the work and risks

Overlapping duties

Some work environments have a greater risk of injury and illness due to the nature of the work. For example, workers in factories, motor vehicle workshops, and forestry operations have a high risk of injuries requiring immediate medical treatment and require different first aid arrangements than, say, workers in offices or libraries. See Appendix A for a table of common injuries.

When the work of two or more PCBUs overlaps, they must communicate, consult, cooperate and coordinate activities to meet their health and safety responsibilities to workers and others.

Information about previous injuries or near misses at your workplace, their frequency and the amount of harm caused, may also be useful in helping you decide what kind of first aid facilities or equipment you need to make available.

For example, as part of their duty to provide first aid, a group of PCBUs working in the same shopping centre complex could work together to provide trained first aiders and a first aid room for all workers in the complex.

By consulting with each other, they can avoid duplicating their efforts and prevent any gaps in managing work health and safety risks.

First aid and the risk management process

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June - July 2020

Chemical industry leads by example

Sponsored Article

The chemical industry continues to lead by example, helping to ensure essential chemicals encountered at work and at home are safely managed - safeguarding employees, communities and our environment

W

hile 130,000 businesses are reportedly captured by the Hazardous Substances and Major Hazard Facilities regulations, the official mantra of “600-900 persons seriously harmed each year by unwanted exposure to chemicals in their workplace” presumably applies to all of the country’s 530,000 workplaces.

Downgrading the flawed but effective HSNO Certified Handler requirement has inadvertently undermined an invaluable capability.

The action deprived businesses, particularly SMEs, of an immediate and recognisable source of workplace chemical safety and compliance advice -a safe chemical handling capability and emergency response knowledge – critical when a chemical incident occurs.

PCBUs and SMEs must now devise their own solutions to ensure employees are competent to safely handle the chemicals with which they work.

So where to from here?

Responsible Care is a global voluntary chemical industry initiative developed autonomously by the chemical industry for the chemical industry.

Chemical suppliers continue to help customers achieve workplace chemical safety aspirations through product stewardship initiatives.

To help solve the in-house chemical compliance dilemma in New Zealand, Responsible Care NZ (www. responsiblecarenz.com) delivers specialist and costeffective Certified Handler

standard training, complete with a certificate.

Internationally, chemical industry leaders are moving away from relying on lagging indicators of safety performance in favour of identifying safer work practices and workplaces, by responding to workers’ suggestions about improvements.

WorkSafe NZ has warned against business operators falling victim to uninformed and always expensive ‘consultants’.

Responsible Care NZ site compliance assessments are non-threatening, effectively capturing and assessing chemical safety performance in a variety of workplaces.

Conscientious business operators can add value by sourcing accurate, cost-effective workplace chemical safety advice and compliance tools from their suppliers, industry partners and Responsible Care NZ. The core problem Hundreds of business operators turned out for a free Responsible Care NZ compliance workshop, eager for accurate and practical advice, indicating an unsatisfied demand for assistance and education.

Attendance highlighted the need to provide SMEs and others with the ability to access, correctly interpret and successfully implement complex regulations with clear and concise compliance advice.

Inviting enquirers to “read the regulations” is falling well short of the industry educational expectations arising from WorkSafe’s Statement of Intent 2016-2020.

A proven strategy is government agencies collaborating with proactive safetynews.co.nz

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June - July 2020 industry associations to best achieve workplace safety aspirations.

The problem is that SMEs rarely join associations.

However they all obtain their chemical requirements from suppliers and can benefit from product stewardship advice and cost-effective industry compliance initiatives.

Responsible Care NZ extols less regulation in favour of enabling business operators to be increasingly self-sufficient, using cost-effective products and services such as site compliance assessments and specialist training.

The focus is keeping people safe around the chemicals we encounter every day, by once again adding value to businesses.

Proven, collaborative and cost-effective initiatives to raise awareness and improve workplace chemical safety performance include: • Joint agency and industry-focused local compliance workshops at times convenient to SME operators.

• WorkSafe NZ inspectors distributing free copies of user-friendly ‘compliance tools’ such as the Storage of Hazardous Substances HSNO Approved Code of Practice and posters explaining GHS pictogrammes • Supporting industry initiatives such as product stewardship • Referencing industry ‘compliance tools’ • Upskilling workplace

inspectors in chemical safety.

• Encouraging ‘no blame’ reporting of incidents • Acknowledging successful, proactive industry compliance initiatives • Restoring the status of Approved Industry Codes of Practice A refreshed and energized government strategy for improving workplace chemical safety is both welcome and essential if we

are to significantly improve sub-standard performance and learn from our successes and shortfalls.

Expanding mutually beneficial governmentindustry partnerships helping business operators ‘do the right thing’ with minimal fuss and expense should be ‘a no brainer’.

Chemical suppliers are ‘Impatient optimists’. They know we can all collectively do better through continuous improvement.

Responsible Care NZ provides practical products and services to enable compliance with New Zealand’s world class chemical management regime. Talk to us today about your compliance requirements.

Phone: +64 4 499 4311 Email: info@responsiblecarenz.com Website: www.responsiblecarenz.com

Responsible Care NZ

If this was your chemical consignment, what would you do?

Let’s discuss how our 0800 CHEMCALL® 24/7 ERS can help Call 04 499 4311 24

safetynews.co.nz

Road toll alternatives

Water reform

Waste-to-energy incineration

June - July 2020

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hile the Infrastructure New Zealand submission to the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) supports users and other beneficiaries paying for services from which they benefit, it says a toll on the proposed Puhoi to Warkworth (P2W) highway does not appear to strengthen the relationship between beneficiaries and funders and is instead focused on general revenue improvement.

“A direct link between beneficiaries and funding for services means not only that revenue is available to pay for services which meet needs, but that future demand can be anticipated, and investment may occur in a timely and efficient manner.

“The absence of efficient and effective linkages between the beneficiaries and funders of transport investment is what stresses networks, leading to excessive demand for services which are too cheap, lower demand for services which are priced too high and

Big picture pricing efficiencies offer nationwide benefits Infrastructure New Zealand urges the Transport Agency to examine pricing over the whole of the Northern Motorway to create a national model rather than confine its examination to the Puhoi to Warkworth extension problems with the timely application of capital,” the report says.

mental tolls along select new sections of Auckland’s northern motorway.

Targeted toll solutions “We consider materially superior transport outcomes could be achieved with an expanded, but more targeted, toll solution focused on a minimum level of service provision for the whole Auckland northern motorway corridor”.

Infrastructure NZ (INZ) suggests that the NZTA investigate dynamically charged express lanes between Warkworth and Auckland in place of incre-

Purpose of the toll “It is not clear in the information provided that the purpose for establishing a toll on P2W is to strengthen the link between beneficiaries and funders of P2W, thereby providing a sustainable revenue stream from which to operate, maintain and, in time, invest in transport services along the route,” The submission accepts there will be significant costs to operate and

maintain P2W over its lifetime, but says there is no evidence to suggest that ongoing toll revenue will be ringfenced for this purpose and used to support services along the P2W corridor.

“On the contrary, our impression is that the operation, maintenance and future development of the P2W corridor will occur independent of tolling revenue.”

Catering to demand management Without a direct link between beneficiaries and infrastructurenews.co.nz

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June - July 2020 funders of P2W, the reason to implement tolling might otherwise be for demand management purposes.

“However, as noted in the tolling report included with discussion documents, demand management benefits are “modest”, and the proposal excludes dynamic charging which could otherwise be effective during high demand periods,” the report says.

The absence of strategic reasons for implementing a tolling regime on P2W leaves the question of tolling as less one of achieving transport outcomes and more one of general revenue gain.

Improve transport incomes “It is our strong view that transport has been severely underfunded across New Zealand for many years and, to the extent that tolling of P2W increases and broadens transport revenues, we support the addition of a new revenue stream.

“Our strong preference, however, is that NZTA takes this opportunity to not just increase revenue, but to improve transport outcomes.

A new approach to transport funding and service provision which does link beneficiaries and funders and which supports a resilient, efficient, effective and safe transport corridor north of Auckland is possible and should be promoted in place of tolling for revenue purposes.

Auckland’s Northern Motorway congested.

Although the P2W section of Auckland’s northern motorway is not expected to reach its capacity on a regular basis in the foreseeable future, the situation further south is quite different.

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Travel demand for sections of SH1 between Albany and Takapuna has exceeded the capacity of the corridor through much of the day since the early 2010s, has intensified over the last decade and is projected to worsen into the future.

sion says, is that none of these initiatives has been signalled for tolling except Penlink.

“Auckland’s northern corridor is therefore confronted with a scenario where some new projects are paid for largely by beneficiaries, but others largely by taxpayers,

NZTA should investigate dynamically charged express lanes between Warkworth and Auckland in place of incremental tolls along select new sections of Auckland’s northern motorway Rationale for corridor planning There is a lack of clear rationale for corridor planning in the north and “it is notable that congestion along the northern motorway is expected to worsen in spite of planned new investment, including the upgrade of the intersection of SH18 and SH1, Penlink, expansion of the northern busway and sections of motorway widening.”

Also notable, the submis-

and none will result in levels of service which sustain even the unacceptable conditions of 2016.

Selective tolling is unfair In addition, it appears that projects serving communities closer to Auckland are not being considered for tolling, meaning these projects will receive higher levels of subsidy than those serving more distant communities, the submission contends.

“Such an approach is highly likely to be regressive, penalising those who cannot afford costly urban land closer to Auckland CBD. INZ says it is unclear what transport planning and investment is trying to achieve along the northern corridor and does tolling P2W support this objective?

What INZ would like to see “We would like NZTA to prioritise a corridor approach to SH1 between Auckland and Whangarei.

P2W is part of this corridor.

It is an individual project for the purposes of design, construction and, due to the form of contract, long term maintenance, but should otherwise not be considered independent of the remaining route.

“Thus, we would like to see P2W, and any consideration of it tolling, advance the strategic priorities for the wider corridor. The route north of a completed P2W will continue to be challenged by safety and

For whom the tolls benefit A direct link between beneficiaries and funding for services means not only that revenue is available to pay for services which meet needs, but that future demand can be anticipated and investment may occur in a timely and efficient manner.

The absence of efficient and effective linkages between the beneficiaries and funders of transport investment is what stresses networks, leading to excessive demand for services which are too cheap, lower demand for services which are priced too high and problems with the timely application of capital.

To the extent that tolling will strengthen the link between users and funders of the new Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway (P2W), Infrastructure

NZ supports tolling.

However, we observe that the proposed P2W toll does not appear to strengthen the relationship between beneficiaries and funders of P2W and is instead focused on general revenue improvement.

We consider materially superior transport outcomes could be achieved with an expanded, but more targeted, toll solution focused on a minimum level of service provision for the whole Auckland northern motorway corridor.

We consider NZTA should investigate dynamically charged express lanes between Warkworth and Auckland in place of incremental tolls along select new sections of Auckland’s northern motorway.

June - July 2020 resilience issues, the route south by congestion.

Puhoi to Warkworth motorway construction

Can tolling P2W be used to address these strategic challenges?

INZ says it can. “The completion of P2W presents an early opportunity to trial dynamic road pricing on a congested corridor, which already has tolling in place, and use that revenue to link beneficiaries and funders, helping to balance supply of road capacity with demand.”

Dynamic express lanes on the LBJ Texpress “With the completion of P2W, we would like to see at least one priced express lane in each direction between Warkworth and the Auckland CBD.” The report says that based on similar successful projects overseas, including the LBJ ‘Texpress” in Dallas, dynamic time-of-day pricing could be applied to one or more lanes to ensure a minimum agreed level of service.

Experience of the LBJ Texpress, is that such a solution will enhance mobility for not just users of the express lanes, but for general traffic as well.

Northern busway express lanes If pricing can be successfully applied to ensure flows, the northern busway can be repurposed as express lanes (with buses travelling free), the submission says.

“This could allow either for one or two express lanes to operate in conjunction with at least two general traffic lanes, providing the same level of free service as today for both public transport and private vehicles plus the additional expressway option.

“Repurposing the busway to a dynamically priced expressway will increase capacity of the northern motorway, helping to address known constraints without unlocking latent demand (and thus undermining benefits) or impeding public transport flows.”

Ring fenced development finance If the revenue from the express lanes was ringfenced, it could be used to finance and fund works needed to repurpose the busway as well as support ongoing expansion of the corridor to meet demand.

“Alternatively, a concession for tolling the express-

way could be sold to private investor and the proceeds used to invest in transport services in the north (where this concession did not compromise future implementation of a national road pricing system).

“Such technology is available, proven and can be rapidly implemented. It will achieve transport outcomes by strengthening the relationship between the funders and beneficiaries of corridor improvements at the same time as broadening revenue streams. “ National road pricing rollout And it will provide a bridge between convention-

al tolling and the eventual roll out of a comprehensive national road pricing system to replace fuel excise and better manage the network, the report says.

Extracted from Infrastructure New Zealand’s submission to NZ Transport Agency on tolling for the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway.

The submission represents the views of Infrastructure New Zealand as a collective whole and may not necessarily represent the views of individual members.

Read Infrastructure NZ's full submission to NZ Transport Agency here.

Hamish Glenn Policy Director Infrastructure New Zealand hamish.glenn@infrastructure.org.nz Infrastructure New Zealand is the peak industry body for the infrastructure sector and promotes best practice in national infrastructure development through research, advocacy and public and private sector collaboration. infrastructurenews.co.nz

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New direction for freshwater management Population growth and urban and rural land use intensification are polluting waterways and harming ecosystems

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ur freshwater system is under severe threat. We have lost 90 percent of our valuable wetlands, 75 percent of our freshwater fish are endangered and 94 percent of urban streams and 82 percent of streams in pastoral areas are not suitable for swimming at least some of the time. “Action for heathy waterways� sets out a new national direction for freshwa-

ter management. It consists of actions to quickly stop further freshwater degradation and sets us on a path to healthier freshwater within a generation.

The new national direction sets ambitious targets for regional councils, the primary sector and other land managers, and will support a genuine step change in farming practice.

In urban areas, the environmental impacts of three

June - July 2020 waters (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater) is also addressed.

Wastewater and stormwater systems are the key causes of pollution in urban waterways. This review also aims to improve the quality and reliability of safe drinking water for our communities.

Natural wetlands and streams The changes include restrictions on any activ-

ities leading to the loss of streams and natural wetlands with the aim of promoting restoration.

Activities such as clearing vegetation, earthworks and changes to the water levels in wetlands will generally not be allowed.

There are provisions to allow for some activities, for example in relation to significant infrastructure or flood control; and for streams it is possible to obtain a consent for reclamation.

Restoration and maintenance activities can still go ahead without a consent as long as the effects are no more than minor, but will otherwise need a consent to ensure adverse effects are managed.

Preserve habitats of fish species Many fish require access between and within their habitats to complete their life cycles. In-stream structures such as dams, culverts and tide gates can obstruct this passage and this has led to the decline of many native freshwater fish.

The new regulations permit construction of weirs and culverts provided they meet design requirements, discourage use of flap gates (making them a non-complying activity requiring a consent), and require any person constructing instream structures to provide councils with information related to the structure’s ability to provide for fish passage.

The new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) requires councils to gain information on current instream structures and establish a work programme to address barriers to fish migration.

The Action for healthy

waterways package will benefit native fish species, as well as valued introduced species such as trout and salmon, by improving the way we manage the habitat of these species, the quality of water they live in, and their access to and from the sea.

Exclude stock from waterways Stock entering our waterways, rivers and streams leads to sediment and water contamination issues, with many rivers and lakes not able to be swum in safely.

To mitigate this, dairy and beef cattle, deer and pigs farmed in low-slope areas (less than a 10 degree slope) are not permitted in any wetland, lake, or river or stream more than a metre wide (bank-to-bank).

Stock must be restricted from grazing within three metres from the banks of these waterways. Hill country stock exclusion applies for all dairy cattle and pigs. It also applies to deer and beef cattle for some wetlands and where intensive farming practices are undertaken. Sheep are not included in these regulations. Compliance with these regulations will be required from 1 July 2023 or 1 July 2025 depending on the stock type, activities, and location.

Stronger controls for feedlots and stockholding areas Feedlots and stockholding areas where large numbers of animals are kept in small areas impacts the environment through loss of vegetative ground-cover and contaminant and effluent runoff if not managed properly.

New controls on intensive winter grazing Intensive winter grazing of forage crops can result in serious soil erosion and contaminant runoff. It also increases the likelihood of pugging, which impacts the soil and impedes pasture growth.

New consenting thresholds for intensive winter grazing will require a consent under the following circumstances: where the activity occurs over 50 ha or 10 percent of the property, whichever is the greater, and where it occurs on slopes 10 degrees or steeper. These regulations will come into effect from winter 2021.

Restrictions on agricultural intensification Agricultural intensification refers to increases in agricultural inputs such as fertiliser, stocking rates, or irrigation. These all can impact freshwater bodies negatively through increased contaminant discharges (eg, nutrients, sediment, and microbial pathogens).

The package introduces restrictions on certain intensification activities until regional councils have implemented their new longterm plans for freshwater management to comply with the new NPS-FM or by the end of 2024, whichever is sooner.

Reduce excessive nitrogen Current levels of nitrogen in many catchments exceed what will be permitted in the new NPS-FM. Reducing the excessive application of fertiliser which contributes to nitrogen discharges into stream and aquifers is one way to quickly address the high nitrogen loads, and to help these catchments move towards meeting the infrastructurenews.co.nz

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June - July 2020 new bottoms lines.

A national synthetic nitrogen fertiliser cap of 190kg/N/ha/year will apply to all pastoral sectors with dairy farmers being required to report annually to councils the weight of nitrogen applied per hectare. www.mfe.govt.nz/action-for-healthy-waterways.

Amend the Resource Management Act 1991 A new planning process for freshwater will be added to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to help councils expedite the plan making required to implement the new NPSFM, the content of which is described below.

Central government has recognised that local government and iwi will face challenges meeting the original deadline of 31 December 2023 for notifying (and bringing into effect) the new regional freshwater plans, especially with the pressure of responding to the COVID-19 response.

The notification date has been extended by one year to 31 December 2024 with final decisions made by 2026/27.

Mandatory freshwater modules New freshwater modules as part of Farm Plans (FW-FPs) document the actions farmers and growers will take to reduce risks and mitigate the impacts their businesses have on freshwater environments.

They enable risk-based, tailored mitigations for a farm, based on its unique environmental context. This approach provides more flexibility than traditional resource management regulations.

The Government intends to amend the RMA to establish a regime for devel32

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Current requirements have meant councils can permit quality to decline within a defined range and potentially lock in recent declines oping freshwater modules of farm plans. This would make the plans mandatory and enforceable for pastoral farms of 20 hectares or more, arable farms of 20 hectares or more and horticultural farms of 5 hectares for more.

Councils to maintain or improve water quality Current requirements for councils to maintain or improve the quality of freshwater have meant the regional councils can permit quality to decline within a defined range and potentially lock in recent declines.

The new NPS-FM includes specific requirements to maintain or improve water quality from its current state. Councils are required to regularly assess and report on whether freshwater quality has been maintained and consider a range of matters to ensure this is done in a meaningful way, recognising the complexities involved and keeping the community informed about progress.

Preserve hydropower security New Zealand’s hydro-electricity generation capacity is needed to achieve our greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets and maintain security of electricity supply.

The new NPS-FM allows regional councils to maintain freshwater quality below national bottom lines where it is necessary to secure the benefits of New Zealand’s five largest hydropower

schemes – the Waikato; Tongariro; Waitaki; Manapouri and Clutha schemes.

These schemes represent about 86 percent of New Zealand’s hydro-electricity generation capacity.

National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management To address long-standing issues, the new NPS-FM will clarify requirements to set limits on resource use; include more specific direction for managing water quantity and environment flows; better provide for the whole freshwater ecosystem not just the water quality and quantity (more on this below); clarify the role territorial authorities have in supporting the integrated management of land and water; and generally improve its structure and readability.

Te Mana o te Wai is a fundamental concept that underpins the new NPSFM. It clarifies how councils engage with tangata whenua and give effect to Te Mana o te Wai and the long-term vision for freshwater management.

Broaden the focus of national direction and planning to manage all aspects of ecosystem health The new NPS-FM recognises five components of ecosystem health that must be managed and reported on: 1) water quality (chemical, physical, biological) 2) water quantity (water flows and levels)

3) physical habitat (available for plants and animals) 4) aquatic life (animals, plants and algae present) 5) functioning ecosystem (interactions between them all).

Regional councils must report on the overall ecosystem health and provide a threatened species value.

Water quality in summer The new NPS-FM directs regional councils to improve water quality at places where people swim and recreate.

Regional councils are required to measure, manage and monitor a wider range of ecosystem health attributes for aquatic life, water quality and ecosystem functioning. Some attributes can be managed through an adaptive action plan and others are managed through setting limits.

This better recognises the complex nature of ecosystem health where a single stressor is rarely solely responsible for degradation.

The new NPS-FM includes new attributes for sediment, and dissolved oxygen among other things.

Requirements to manage nutrients have also been strengthened.

Move to real-time measuring and reporting data on water use The regulations make real-time reporting of water use to councils mandatory for consented farmers and growers. This requires water users to electronically record water use and transit the data directly to council.

Extracted from Ministry for the Environment. 2020. Action for healthy waterways – Decisions on the national direction for freshwater. www.mfe.govt.nz/action-for-healthy-waterways

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Sustainable Covid cures are ours to toss away or take notice It is clear to ecologists that this COVID-19 pandemic is not a one off ‘bolt from the blue’, says Dr Mike Joy, a lecturer in ecology and environmental science at Massey University

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R

ather it is a symptom of our over-exploitation of the life-supporting-capacity of the planet. It is a warning sign of our overshoot in the same way as are climate change, biodiversity loss, antimicrobial resistance and many more incipient crises.

It is crucial to understand that as bad as this pandemic is, it could have been so much worse. The only way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to radically change how we live.

This is our wake-up call, a real-life manifestation of the limits to growth we were warned about decades ago.

We need a post Covid-19 paradigm that switches from wealth-affirming to life-affirming. This is our only chance for a flourishing future for humanity and a living Earth.

Viruses have always been around, but we have created ideal conditions for their emergence through excessive growth and through globalisation we have given them ideal conditions to spread.

We human beings and the domestic animals we farm to eat now make up more than 96 percent the biomass of all animals on the planet.

Humans alone are 10 times the biomass of all wild animals, but our true ecological footprint is larger: our domesticated animals make up 20 times the biomass of humans.

This human domination has happened in just a few centuries but mostly since the middle of last century.

Go back a few hundred years and humans and domesticated animals were a tiny proportion of wild animal biomass, but even by 1900 the biomass of domesticated animals was

June - July 2020 three times that of all wild mammals.

Now their mass is 25 times that of all wild animals. Knowing that wild animals are just a few percent of the biomass of all animals and humans on the planet it’s not hard to imagine why we have a biodiversity crisis.

During the 20th century, the world human population increased nearly four-fold.

Crop area grew by only 40 percent, but we increased the harvest of food six-fold.

The catch was that to achieve this six-fold output we used ninety times more energy. Instead of using just sunlight to produce food we used fossil energy. We are now literally eating oil.

This mind-blowing human population growth is the result of our recently found ability to exploit cheap fossil fuel, which is just solar energy captured by plants over millennia.

In a mad rush over less than two centuries we squandered this irre-

placeable endowment of high-density energy.

This energy boost enabled the incredible population growth and an even faster growth in consumption. It also enabled climate change, globalisation, and the rapid spread of Covid-19.

In the last few months, government responses to COVID-19 have drastically slowed economic growth.

Hopefully we will take the opportunity to make a sustainable new world that will

give a hope of a future for humanity.

Here in New Zealand if we get the response right we can have much better lives than we would have had without this wake-upcall, crucially we must make the right changes because if we go back to how we were, we are doomed to something much worse than this pandemic, like the extreme harm predicted from climate change and more viruses.

There will clearly be a

World's land mammals by weight

A blueprint, based on simple and obvious principles Ecological economist Herman Daly’s three principles of sustainable resource management: > resources must not be used at a pace faster than the rate at which they regenerate > use of non-renewable resources must not be used faster than the rate at which their renewable substitutes can be put in place > the emission of pollution and wastes must not be faster than the rate at which natural systems can absorb them, recycle them, or render them harmless. infrastructurenews.co.nz

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June - July 2020 need for government job creation on a massive scale, but we must ensure that the projects we choose increase our resilience and avoid those that make us more vulnerable.

Using Herman Daly’s three principles of sustainable resource management blueprint, alongside a wealth of indigenous knowledge known as MÄ tauranga MÄ ori I have some suggestions for our future: The major new government funded infrastructure projects must only include those that strengthen our resilience.

For example, we need to massively upgrade and renew drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.

Also, projects to retrofit all existing housing stock to much higher energy conservation standards requiring the use of locally grown materials.

Then require all new building construction to use locally grown timber and be built to much higher energy conservation standards.

Our reliance on globalisation must be drastically reduced, while ramping up our local food and energy production and supply systems would radically

CO2 output

improve our situation.

In the short term just keeping this virus out must be a priority but long term to keep new ones away.

We must relearn how to produce food without fossil fuel-derived fertilisers. We must match the food we grow to climatic conditions and not vice versa avoiding large scale irrigation, and to once again match our eating choices with natural seasonal growth peaks.

Any large-scale water storage must for drought use only not to ramp up water use and intensification leading to fragility in drought.

We must boost local engineering and manufacturing, in the process building our capability to repurpose what we have, to build things with long product life and make them repairable, built-in obsolescence prohibited.

Dr Mike Joy has developed bio-assessment tools used by regional councils and consultants and has published scientific papers in fields from artificial intelligence and data mining to the freshwater ecology of sub-Antarctic islands.

Dr Joy is a lecturer in Ecology at Massey University and has received a number of awards for this work. He was a semi-finalist for the 2018 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.

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Waste-stream diversion and responsibility for packaging products must be that of the producer for everything sold.

Transport of freight and people must be based only on renewable energy, electrified local and long-distance rail.

We need to stop spending money on upgrading and expanding roads, only maintaining what we have.

New transport spending must be reserved for public transport, local shipping and rail.

Finally, we need to rethink education, with an emphasis on how to create a sustainable world. This will mean accentuating the importance of deep and wide learning. We must make a long overdue move away from seeing schools as daycare for children and universities as degree-granting businesses.

Abridged from Pure Advantage. See also Our Regenerative Future

June - July 2020

Champions of green growth – ensuring a climate positive, economically thriving and socially just New Zealand. P U R E A D V A N T A G E . O R G infrastructurenews.co.nz

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June - July 2020

Clean energy, incinerating waste and destroying viruses New Zealand lags far behind in recognising that high temperature waste incineration can provide efficient and clean energy, with the added bonus of destroying pathogens and viruses with minimal effect on the environment

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he latest acceptance comes with the European Environment Minister’s recognition of waste management as a sector providing an essential service at the launch of a guidance publication on waste shipment in a Covid-19 environment It emphasised the ability of incineration to safely destroy viruses and pathogens.

Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP) welcomed the milestone and noted the importance of Article 13 of the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, which it said takes on even greater significance in the current circumstances.

It requires member states to take the necessary measures to ensure that waste management is carried out without endangering human health, which should have the highest priority.

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) incineration safely destroys viruses and other pathogens at high temperature.

The waste is put directly into the bunker, and then discharged into the furnace through the feeding chute by an overhead crane, thus avoiding human contact with the contaminated waste.

“In order to protect the public health in general and ensure workers’ safety in particular in these pandemic times, waste incineration is part of the 38

infrastructurenews.co.nz

The Spittelau waste to energy facility in Vienna Photo: domeckopol

critical infrastructure in the member states to ensure the best possible treatment of contaminated waste that cannot be recycled,” says CEWEP President Paul de Bruycker.

“Given its hygienic task for the society, it must be ensured that waste incineration can continue to provide this essential service to our citizens.

“Furthermore, govern-

mental virology institutes like the German Robert-Koch-Institute state that for infectious waste thermal treatment is mandatory.

“This crisis demonstrates once again how important the integrated approach to waste management is where every waste stream needs to find the most sustainable way of treatment without endangering human health or the envi-

ronment.

“Additionally, during these extraordinary times, it is important that non-contaminated waste streams, like paper, continue to be separated and recycled as much as possible following the recommendations of virology institutes. WtE capacities must be saved for the non-recyclable or contaminated waste,” he says.

SLUG

NEW PROBLEMS OLD SOLUTIONS Lessons from the 1930s Markets hit hardest

by COVID-19 Construction bounces back INFRASTRUCTUREBUILD.COM YEARBOOK 2018

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Yearbook 2020

Maxmise opportunity across the construction sector New Zealand Construction Sector Training Programme launched The RICS Construction and Infrastructure Surveys show that construction and infrastructure workloads continue to increase across New Zealand, however, acute skills and labour shortages persist. To meet the growing demand for skills and ensure the industry is prepared for what the future will bring, industry professionals must play their part in developing and upskilling their workforce.

Quantity surveying and construction professionals can adapt and remain proactive in this market by attending this new suite of training. Gain the critical knowledge and skills required to build commercial expertise, reduce risk, increase capacity and maximise opportunity across the construction sector.

For more information, visit rics.org/constructionsectornz

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safetynews.co.nz

infrastructurenews.co.nz propertyandbuild.com

rics.org

June - July 2020

Adjustments for remote and flexible workplaces Both coworking centres and serviced offices have not been spared the effects of the pandemic, says CBRE

A

lthough the COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on aggressive operator growth and ushered in a phase of consolidation in what is an already crowded marketplace, the flexible space market remains resilient.

The long-term drivers of flexible space demand are intact, with smaller users continuing to seek cost-effective, fully furnished space and large multinationals looking to build more agility into their office portfolio.

Larger occupiers seeking to maximise real estate

portfolio agility can embed options in lease contracts, adopt a hub-and-spoke model to ensure locational dexterity and make greater use of flexible space and workplace design solutions.

In the medium to longterm, large occupiers could end up utilising a mixture of leased space, flexible space and remote-working. This model would consist of a core office in a traditional office district combined with several satellite offices providing ‘drop in’ flexible space across different business districts and fringe areas for office-based staff to use at a time of their

Total size of flexible space market in Asia Pacific

choosing.

However, there will inevitably be some failures among operators. One of the most visible impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak has been an immediate drop in occupancy levels at coworking centres and serviced offices as well as a slowdown in membership growth – especially from start-ups and smaller enterprises - as potential users suspend inspections and trim operational expendi-

ture to cut costs.

As of late-May, with the number of daily new COVID-19 cases either at zero or in the low single digits, occupancy in several major coworking centres in China and Hong Kong has recovered considerably – a trend expected to be replicated in other markets as restrictions are gradually lifted.

The inventory of flexible office space in Asia Pacific has risen threefold over the past five years, supported by the shared economic boom and a flood of venture capital.

The rate of growth slowed to 20 percent year on year in 2019, and fell further to just five percent in the first quarter 2020 The total inventory of flexible space in the 18 major cities tracked by CBRE had reached 71 million sq. ft. by the end of March, equivalent to four percent of total Asia Pacific office stock and just under three percent of Grade A office stock.

The latest ViewPoint by CBRE explains how the flexible space sector in Asia Pacific has been impacted in 18 Asia Pacific markets. propertyandbuild.com

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June - July 2020

Property markets hit hardest by COVID-19 In the coming months, all parts of the country are likely to feel some degree of property pain

By Kelvin Davidson Senior Property Economist Corelogic

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June - July 2020

C

learly there is a tough period ahead for the economy, with GDP set to fall sharply amid rising unemployment.

Based on a simple ranking across a range of indicators, Queenstown’s property market looks the shakiest. By contrast, Whangarei, Hamilton, and Invercargill appear to be a bit less risky.

Factors in favour of these ‘safer’ areas include less tourism reliance and not as big a surge in investor activity in their property markets of late.

Unfortunately for Queenstown, it has nearly 20 percent of its output coming from accommodation and food services and this is a sector set to be hit hard by the various stages of lockdown and the tourism downturn.

The Reserve Bank has estimated that accommodation and food services were only operating at 11 percent of pre-coronavirus norms during alert level four, rising to only 19 percent during level three.

For context, the government sector was estimated to be operating at 90 percent at both alert levels.

Accommodation & food services sector % of economy in selected areas (Source: Infometrics)

Elsewhere around the country, Tauranga or Wellington for example, accommodation and food services account for a much smaller share of the economy.

Wellington also has a high share of activity in relatively ‘safe’ sectors such as professional services, central government, and healthcare.

In other words, areas of the country with more diverse economies (and less concentration in tourism) should fare a little better.

We have also looked at areas where investors have recently had high shares of property purchases, as these could now be the

markets most vulnerable to an investor reversal (perhaps as their tenants start to struggle and the rental returns suffer).

Napier has recently had a very high investor market share (relative to average), but Kapiti Coast and Hamilton have been lower, and hence are possibly more stable.

Another potential fault line for property markets is the penetration of Airbnb – a previously high presence for holiday lets could now see a big switch of property into the traditional longterm rental sector (suppressing rents) and/or more owners of these properties

Difference in investors’ % share of purchases Q1 2020 vs. average (Source: CoreLogic)

deciding to sell.

On this measure, Queenstown again stands out as a ‘risky’ area, with around 20 percent of its dwelling stock listed on Airbnb.

Rotorua and Nelson also have relatively large Airbnb markets, although proportionally still far smaller than Queenstown.

Related to all of this is also the share of tourism in each area accounted for by domestic versus international visitors. With the border likely to be closed for many months to come (although potentially opened up to Australians at an earlier date), areas with a greater reliance on international visitors will tend to suffer the most, both in terms of their economic performance but also the impact on Airbnb demand and property investor confidence.

Unfortunately, Stats NZ has stopped collecting guest nights data, but while the figures were actually being collected, they highlighted once again the vulnerability of Queenstown – over the first nine months of last year, 70 percent of guest nights were from international visitors. By contrast, Palmerston North was just 12 percent.

So where does this leave propertyandbuild.com

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June - July 2020 us? To bring it all together, we’ve ranked a range of areas of the country across these four indicators (and applied a weighting system) – with the idea being to give an indicative guide to how vulnerable each area’s property market might be to a sales and/or price downturn. Areas to the left of the fifth chart are ‘riskier’, and those to the right are less vulnerable.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Queenstown doesn’t look good on this system, and that supports the popular perception amongst commentators that its property market could be in for some major problems.

Rotorua is another candidate often suggested as being vulnerable, but on our measure it does not look any worse than some other parts of the country (such as Christchurch, Auckland, and Dunedin), because it is not entirely dependent on tourism; other sectors such as healthcare and professional services also matter in Rotorua.

Elsewhere, most of the main centres (and a number of other main urban areas) look to be on a par in terms of their vulnerability to a property market downturn.

Invercargill, Hamilton, and Whangarei stand out as more resilient property markets on our basic weighting system.

It’s important to note that

this is not an exact science – our weighting system is subjective and others may choose a different balance.

On top of that, a range of other factors matter too.

For example, some parts of the country (such as Dunedin) entered the lockdown with a tighter listings supply and more momentum in prices than others.

This could be a factor in

their favour post-lockdown and will also play a role in relative performance over the coming months and years.

Christchurch looks more affordable than has been the case for several years, potentially making it more resilient than our rankings imply. corelogic.co.nz

Weighted average ranking for economy/property ‘risk’ (higher=riskier) (Source: CoreLogic)

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propertyandbuild.com

June - July 2020

State houses being constructed on Kaihuia Street, Northland, Wellington (1938)

A 1930s solution to a 1930s-style problem With private sector development forecast to plummet during this period of economic uncertainty, the government has a clear opportunity to support the residential construction industry and address New Zealand’s shortage of social housing, says economics consultancy Infometrics

T

he waiting list for state houses has more than quadrupled over the last four years, but high levels of construction have limited the government’s ability to respond to this burgeoning need.

With private sector development likely to be slashed during the rest of 2020 and 2021, Infometrics believes now is the ideal time for the continued shrinkage of New Zealand’s state housing stock to be reversed.

A commitment from the government to build

an additional 9,400 state houses over the next two years would mitigate the construction sector’s downturn, helping to prevent a repeat of the massive loss of capacity that occurred following the Global Financial Crisis.

It is also an opportunity for the government to make a real difference in housing outcomes for some of society’s most vulnerable people, contributing to better wellbeing in a way that KiwiBuild was never going to do.

The scale of the state house shortage Rents have consistently risen faster than incomes, leaving more people in vulnerable housing situations and requiring assistance. With a massive spike in unemployment coming between now and the end of 2021, this waiting list is only likely to get longer.

The number of applicants on the waiting list for a state house has blown out since mid-2015, from 3,352 to 14,869 by the end of last

year. Chart 1 shows that this increase is extremely unusual, with the number of applicants never previously getting above 5,200 in the last two decades. Virtually all the increase in the waiting list since 2015 has been for Priority A applicants, deemed to have a severe or urgent housing need.

We are not aware of any policy changes regarding the state house waiting list as shown by the Ministry of Social Development’s Housing Register. The fact that growth in the waiting list has continued for over four years, including through a change of government, suggests that there is a genuine crisis in social housing needs.

Increasing rents are likely to have played a role in this unfolding crisis – and not just in Auckland. Rents have continually risen faster than incomes since 2011, and the nationwide ratio of rents to personal incomes is well above its previous high recorded in 2008 (see Chart 2). Auckland’s ratio is also high, although it is at a similar level to where it was in 1997.

Although there is a logical connection between rising rents and increasing demand for social housing, the areas with the largest lifts in rents relative to incomes do not fully correlate with the areas that have recorded the biggest jumps in the waiting list for state houses. The latter areas are typically a mix of lower socioeconomic areas across the North Island, with areas down the east coast of the Island and around Wellington overrepresented (see Chart 3).

An ideal time to support construction activity Whatever the drivers, let’s turn our attention to the propertyandbuild.com

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June - July 2020 extent of the response required by the government.

Chart 4 (page 52) compares the state house waiting lists by region in 2014/15 and 2019 with the residential build rate over the last year.

Two points stand out: • All regions have recorded a substantial increase in the waiting list.

• The additions to the state housing stock required to meet demand is substantial in some regions, representing between 62% and 102% of a year’s worth of residential construction activity in Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, and “Other North Island” (the latter is primarily caused by Gisborne).

This file provides a full breakdown of possible state housing requirements by city and district council area and Auckland local board, compared to the most recent residential build rate for each area.

Reducing the state house waiting list to the “normal” levels that prevailed in 2014/15 would require about 9,400 additions to the state housing stock.

Our latest residential construction forecasts predict that residential consent numbers will drop from a peak of 37,882pa in the year to February 2020 to around 24,000pa by mid-2021 and 18,400 by mid-2022.

This plunge represents a massive amount of spare capacity that will emerge in the residential construction industry, even recognising how stretched the industry had previously been by strong demand, as well as the potential disruption to the supply of workers from overseas caused by the current border closures.

The lack of spare capacity in the construction industry was one of the reasons behind the failure of KiwiBuild.

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Chart 1: State house waiting list

Chart 2: Average weekly rent as a % of weekly income

Chart 3: Applicants on state house waiting list per 1,000 houses

June - July 2020 Chart 4: State house waiting list v residential build rate

Instead of boosting the supply of housing as it was supposed to do, the policy ended up taking work that was planned by the private sector and simply adding a “Kiwibuild” sticker on.

But our forecasts show the government now has scope to announce a major state housing initiative that would support the residential construction industry as well as addressing a significant aspect of the housing crisis. The government might be wary of numerical targets, but if it could successfully commit to building even an additional 4,700 state houses over each of the next two years, it would help avoid a repeat of the major loss of workers and capacity in the industry that occurred in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis.

Furthermore, this lift in the number of state houses would not unduly increase the government’s role in housing provision. Increasing the stock of state houses by 9,400 would only push the proportion of state houses up to about 4% of the total dwelling stock – the same level as it

Chart 5: State houses as a % of total dwelling stock

was back in 2012, and lower than any figure recorded between 1947 and 2000 (see Chart 5).

Indeed, the rise in state housing in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s highlights the increased need for additional state housing capacity. With twin aims of providing housing for those who cannot afford it and keeping more people in employment, the opportunity to boost state housing volumes is a clear area of investigation.

We recognise there are other factors to consider regarding the government’s ability to deliver such a large building programme, not least of which is the availability of land. Even if more land becomes available as private sector development dries up, the government will be keen to avoid the early model of state houses being built en masse in one area, which created entire suburbs with poor socioeconomic outcomes. The Tāmaki Regeneration and Porirua Development projects shape as models that can potentially be applied in other areas where large numbers of new state houses are required.

Finally, we note that the surge in unemployment during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath has the potential to significantly add to demand for state houses. If the waiting list has increased by almost 10,000 applicants since mid-2015, how much worse might it look by the end of 2021? Bearing that in mind, the current economic downturn is an ideal opportunity for the government to revisit the role it plays in housing New Zealand’s most vulnerable. propertyandbuild.com

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June - July 2020

Office procedures and design standards set to change The coronavirus pandemic could have some long-term effects on the way we design our offices, reports INC

A

s companies look to incorporate better sanitation and implement some of the things they’ve learned during the crisis, many aspects of the office could change–from the materials used for upholstery to the overall layouts.

“People are asking existential questions like, ‘What is the purpose of an office?’ ” says Nabil Sabet, architect and group director at international design firm M Moser. “Some of the habits that we thought would take years to overcome are changing overnight.”

The office as a whole Keeping the office as germ-free as possible will require some material changes. Surfaces like unfinished wood, soft stone, and stainless steel can be breeding grounds for germs and bacteria, says Nina Etnier, co-founder of New York-based interior designer Float Studio. Offices might turn to furniture made of antimicrobial synthetic materials like Crypton, plus metals like copper and brass for door handles and other high-touch surfaces, she adds.

Other touchpoints, like keypads and control panels for lighting, climate control, and A/V systems, might be replaced with apps on employees’ personal phones, says Kim Heartwell, senior vice president at architectural firm CallisonRTKL. Ultraviolet lights installed in ducts could purify air

before it’s blown out onto the office floor, says Sabet.

Architects might even make tweaks like curving the place where the floor meets the wall. This can eliminate corners that collect filth and germs, a practice that some hospitals have been using for decades.

Larger-scale changes may also be coming. With more employees working remotely, some desk space could be converted into more thoughtfully designed open spaces, says Melissa Shelton, president of Swiss design firm Vitra’s North American operations. And companies will seek out offices with more access to outdoor space, says Etnier, both as a means of social distancing and a way of making them more inviting to employees whose alternative is to stay home.

“The office will be purposely designed to be more than just a workplace,” says Shelton. “It will be a

community place, a cultural place, a place of learning.”

The workstation Adding more separation between workstations– something being done out of necessity in the short term–might become a longterm trend meant to give employees more privacy.

A more extreme measure: Rapt Studio co-founder David Galullo says the firm is working with a client to design enclosed pods to replace traditional workspaces. The structures will have four walls, some made of glass and some opaque.

The remote-friendly workplace Many companies are considering alternating work schedules when they return to the office to help enforce social distancing. That fact, combined with the realization that employees can be just as effective while working from home, might

make remote work much more common in the long term, says Galullo.

“For the longest time we’ve been talking about choice in the office: You can sit in a lounge space or small huddle room or the outdoor patio, depending on what allows you to do your best work,” Galullo says. “I think in the future, we add the home workplace to that list.” That might mean employees come into the office on days when they have collaborative work and stay home on days when they’ll mostly be operating on their own.

Making that transition might require some technological changes. Companies are likely to move their systems to a centralized location or the cloud so that work can be seamlessly picked right up from home, says Sabet. It’s an undertaking that for many companies has been sped up given the current crisis. propertyandbuild.com

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June - July 2020

T

he recovery of New Zealand’s construction and infrastructure sector from the impacts of COVID-19 is expected to extend through the remainder of this year and beyond.

Non-infrastructure workloads, headcounts and profit margins are all predicted to decline The recently released RICS Q1 2020 New Zealand Construction and Infrastructure Survey found that the local construction and infrastructure sector has contracted significantly following the implementation of a blanket lockdown to contain COVID-19.

The results from RICS’ quarterly guide to the trends in the construction and infrastructure market also paint a clear picture of the support required to help the sector navigate its way out of the pandemic.

Unsurprisingly, the performance of the sector over 2020 has now been entirely dominated by the impact of COVID-19. Despite governments not mandating construction work stoppages, the robust expansion in activity levels recorded over the course of 2019 have contracted significantly in the first quarter of 2020.

As workplace and social distancing restrictions continue to ease, long-term support will be critical to keep the financial position of many companies healthy and limit the negative impact on profit margins that many professionals have forecast through this survey.

Firms have been placed under increasing financial stress as social measures to tackle the virus became stricter and the seismic shock to the global economy has become starker.

Funding the delivery of 48

propertyandbuild.com

Guide to confidence in the construction and infrastructure sector The support needed to create an environment that gives investors greater certainty over timelines and delivery of projects and make procurement processes more efficient infrastructure has been high on the global political agenda, and New Zealand is no exception as evident in the infrastructure funding quarantined in the recent Budget 2020.

The importance placed on investing in big-ticket infrastructure projects is set to become even more apparent as governments continue to take action to bolster economic recovery from COVID-19 or improve social infrastructure. However, a lack of investible projects has already meant that billions of dollars of potential funding has been sitting idle.

Analysis of global Preqin data shows there is currently over $220 billion of dry power within unlisted infrastructure funds worldwide - capital that has yet to be committed to a project, with a further $203 billion being raised.

Assuming a typical 40:60 equity-debt structure, combined with leverage, this

would support the acquisition or development of more than $1 trillion of infrastructure. Based on current execution rates it could take 7-8 years for all this capital to be invested, before we account for the additional impact of COVID-19.

Infrastructure investment will inevitably occupy a pivotal role in a global post-pandemic economic recovery. However, governments’ spending during the crisis will take its toll on their long-term capital budgets. Unlocking private capital is therefore even more important now than it was before the onset of the virus.

The COVID-19 response has reaffirmed the capacity of the public and private sectors to work harmoniously and effectively.

Perhaps most prudently, however, the pandemic has emphasised the need for New Zealand’s policy makers to make clear, decisive and impactful decisions and to enlist and enable the support of the private sector.

An effective response also rests on the ability of the construction workforce to have the knowledge and capability to adjust to new ways of working that will inevitably come once the pandemic passes.

RICS offers a range of tailored, live and interactive online training courses. NZS 3910 Construction Contract and NZS 3910 Construction Contract Masterclass, NEC4, Delay and Disruption, Valuation for non-Valuers, CESMM4 - Measurement and Contract Administration and the inaugural CPD Days and are amongst the industry-leading courses www.rics.org/oceania/training-events

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Accommodation and home visits are just two of the ways we support New Zealanders affected by cancer.

Visit cancer.org.nz to find ways to make a difference by volunteering, donating or taking part in our events.