Engineering New Zealand has continued to advocate for engineers this year – standing up for our members and the profession when it matters most.  

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The past year has been tough – with a prolonged economic downturn hitting engineers, consultancies and contractors hard. Many members have experienced uncertainty as the infrastructure pipeline and work slowed – and while there are early signs of recovery, the reality is that many in our profession are still struggling.

 

This context has shaped our advocacy this year and we have kept these challenges front of mind in every interaction with Government. We have contributed to the debate on the Government’s proposed changes to the science, vocational, university and environmental systems. Of highest importance has been our work offering solutions and highlighting the real-world impacts of stalled investment, the broken standards system and building reforms.

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Pushing for infrastructure certainty

Our engagement with Ministers and senior officials intensified this year as we pressed for stable infrastructure spend to give engineers and firms clarity and certainty. We have consistently called for renewal and maintenance work to be prioritised and brought forward and for Government to be innovative in procurement. We have also advocated for and got traction in Government measuring and reporting on project spend against the planned infrastructure pipeline to better understand the flow of money into the sector.

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Driving change in the national standards system  

One of the most significant advocacy efforts this year has been collaboration across the sector to call for an overhaul of the standards system. More than 30 leading organisations from engineering, construction, manufacturing and trades joined us in calling for an urgent overhaul of New Zealand’s standards system. Together, we wrote to key Ministers to highlight the outdated, expensive and inefficient model that requires industry to fund and volunteer to develop standards – and then pay again to access them. The collective message was strong: the current system is slowing progress, adding cost, creating risk and holding back innovation.

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Ambitious reform of the building system is required to protect the public

While we have been generally supportive of the direction of Government reforms – they have been piece meal and disconnected, with no clear roadmap. We have work underway with members ahead of the next tranche of earthquake building reforms, changes to liability and a raft of other changes to ensure engineering technical expertise is front and centre.

 

Advocacy remains a top priority for Engineering New Zealand.  As we approach the 2026 election, we will continue to highlight how much the engineering profession can assist address the challenges New Zealand is facing.

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