With shared members and common challenges, Consult Australia and ACE New Zealand are deepening our collaboration. “As our members and workforces become increasingly trans-Tasman, it is critical that we solve our collective challenges and leverage our collective opportunities together,” says ACE New Zealand’s Chief Executive Helen Davidson.

ACE New Zealand, the “consultant’s champion”, amplifies the voices of more than 260 professional services consulting businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand’s built and natural environments.

In August, ACE’s  leadership team, including Helen Davidson, President Ceinwen McNeil and General Manager of Strategy and Government Relations Julia Byers, travelled to Sydney for the Australian Constructors Association Foundations and Frontiers conference.

During their visit, the ACE team engaged with counterparts at Consult Australia, Engineers Australia, Infrastructure Australia and Infrastructure New South Wales. Discussions were productive and set the stage for stronger trans-Tasman collaboration.

Aligning pipelines and procurement

Both nations are struggling with similar challenges, but pipeline visibility, procurement and culture stand out as central themes, Helen says.

Pipeline uncertainty affects both markets for different reasons. In Australia, outcomes of the Infrastructure Investment Program Strategic Review have dampened confidence. In New Zealand, the 2023 change of government shifted priorities and slowed the market.

“We know there is a huge amount of work ahead for both nations, and strong businesses and workforces will be critical to delivery. We need to iron out uncertainties so businesses can plan for the future” Helen notes.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was also in Sydney this month, paying a visit to Beca's Sydney office to discuss trans-Tasman collaboration. Beca, with 4,300 employees in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, hosted the Prime Minister, who emphasised the collaborative opportunities across the energy, water and defence sectors.

“Prime Minister Luxon was clear about the need for a bipartisan approach to infrastructure planning, which we welcome,” Helen notes.

Rising costs of professional indemnity insurance are also common ground. “We must take a healthy market perspective. It’s not healthy when smaller players can’t compete.”

One key area of divergence is procurement. While both nations can better leverage procurement for greater efficiency, productivity and sustainability, New Zealand offers valuable lessons for Australia. 

“Australia operates in a much more litigious environment than us, which serves as a reminder of the importance of our work to sustain the use of standard form contracts and collaborative and non-defensive environments. We have commitments from government to use standard contracts and we hold agencies to that.”

Elevating diversity, equity and inclusion

Culture is another area where lessons can be shared. “Culture is the key to unlocking a wide range of issues – innovation, sustainability and financial success,” Helen observes. With people “constantly on the move” between projects, companies, and even countries, a unified industry-wide approach to culture can elevate diversity, equity and inclusion.

“We need to start seeing cultural issues the way we do health and safety. It’s a standard expectation, not a competitive advantage.”

ACE’s leadership through initiatives like The Diversity Agenda and Mindspace are exemplars, Helen suggests, as is the Australian Constructors Association Culture Standard.

New Zealand is further advanced on its diversity and inclusion agenda than Australia. “We have a strong focus on gender, which is really important, but our conversations are wider, covering ethnicity, culture and neurodivergence.” For instance, many ACE members have embraced te reo Māori (the Māori language) and te ao Māori (the Māori world). “Our members are at a point where they are demonstrating their leadership by putting a stake in the ground and showing where they stand.”

Looking ahead, ACE will host Futurespace 2024 in Christchurch from 23-24 October. The two-day conference will feature international and local speakers, mini masterclasses, rapid-fire discussions and ample networking, all centred around the theme of ‘courageous change’.

“I’m in awe of the work of the members of both ACE New Zealand and Consult Australia,” Helen says. “Their work should be celebrated and valued far more than it is. It’s an honour to champion people and businesses making a big difference in the lives of communities and to the futures of our nations.”

Find out more about ACE New Zealand’s Futurespace 2024 in Christchurch from 23-24 October 2024. Register today.

Image caption:

Trans-Tasman collaboration in action (from left to right) featuring Julia Byers, ACE General Manager of Strategy and Government Relations; Damian Ogden, Engineers Australia Group Executive Policy and Public Affairs; Helen Davidson, ACE Chief Executive; Kristy Eulenstein, Consult Australia Head of Policy and Government Relations; Romilly Madew, Engineers Australia CEO; Jonathan Cartledge, Consult Australia CEO; Ceinwen McNeil, ACE President; Simon Santow, Engineers Australia Head of Government Relations; and Ricky Pena, Engineers Australia Group Executive People and Strategy.