Passing over the reins

Hello and welcome to the Spring edition of Civil Matters. This edition is bittersweet for me because it’s my last as Chair. While I’m excited about my new role as President of Civil Contractors New Zealand, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time leading Civil Trades and witnessing the progress we've made together.

Strengthening our partnership with Connexis has ensured everyone completing a Level 4 civil infrastructure qualification is made aware of the opportunity for Civil Trades certification as they gain experience in the industry. Strides have been made in building relationships with central and local government, with the goal of ensuring certification is considered during their procurement processes. And importantly, we have grown the number of civil trades certifications in New Zealand to more than 950.

With recent Government announcements signalling investment and plans to progress transport, water and other substantial civil infrastructure projects in New Zealand, I believe there has never been a better time to become Civil Trades certified.

I’m pleased to confirm that Jeremy Dixon, Vice President of CCNZ and CEO of Isaac Construction, will be taking over the reins as Chair of Civil Trades. With more than 20 years of experience in our industry and an unrivalled enthusiasm for the difference our growing civil construction certification scheme can make, I know he will be a safe pair of hands to steer Civil Trades into the future.

Thank you for your support. It’s been an honour to be a part of the Civil Trades journey.

Best regards, David Howard Chair, Civil Trades

Civil Trades provides recognition like no other, says HEB's David Hall

David Hall is a man wholeheartedly dedicated to training. Not only has he worked in the civil industry for 35 years and training and assessment for more than 10 years, but he’s gained a raft of trade qualifications and has recently been recertified to ensure his Civil Trades certification remains up to date.

Last month he accepted a national award presented to his employer HEB Construction for its dedication to staff development – something he modestly says he has played “just one small part in” as the company’s Training Manager.

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Has Civil Trades changed your life?

Would your life be different without your Civil Trades certification? We’d love to know how certification has changed your life so we can understand the impact Civil Trades is making. Any ideas you provide on how we can improve the certification process will help us to help others better. Share your story or feedback with us by email.

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EPIC photo competition: ‘Your Latest Project’

Want to highlight the epicness of the people in your team and the civil infrastructure projects they work on? Fancy winning some epic prizes? Why not kill two birds with one stone by entering your best pics in the latest round of the EPIC Photo Competition? The theme for this round is ‘Your Latest Project’ – a perfect fit for many of our busy certified Civil Tradespeople.

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Regional Excavator Operator Competition season underway

The spring season of regional excavator operator competitions has arrived, with the Canterbury Westland and Hawke’s Bay East Coast regionals kicking off on 5 October and 12 October respectively. If you’re Civil Trades certified you may well have the excavator operating skills to take care of business, but you’ve got to be in it to win it, so enter the competition! Regional crowns are out there for the taking.

FIND OUT HOW TO ENTER

Photo of the quarter

Certified Civil Tradesperson Chris Moore (award in hand) and members of the Isaac Construction team receiving highly commended in Category 1 for civil construction projects valued up to $1 million at the Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards in Invercargill last month.

Chris was site foreman on the project, which saw Isaac Construction build a temporary bypass road while an underpass was installed below State Highway 1 near Waihola, on a section of road that sees thousands of vehicle movements a day. The project was also recognised at the Civil Contractors New Zealand Otago Branch Hynds Construction Awards in Dunedin earlier this year, where it took top spot for projects valued up to $1 million.

Recertification just got easier

We’re running a promotion to encourage people to recertify if their Civil Trades certifications have lapsed. All you need to do is email us with a letter from your employer, on letterhead, detailing your roles and responsibilities and confirming your employment in the civil construction industry has been continuous.

Pay a small fee of $375 (excl GST) and you’re back in the system and recertified for another three years, with access to our alumni resources and exciting improvements coming up in 2025.

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One for the road