by Andrew Eagles
I’m very proud to work in the building and construction industry. Together, we do important – vital, even – work, that is often complex and difficult. We’re responsible for creating the places where people spend most of their lives, and that’s an awesome responsibility. From the productivity and efficiency of New Zealand businesses, to the warmth of our homes, our buildings reach deep into every single organisation and every single person in our country.
Our sector’s work is also important because we form a cornerstone of the economy. Hundreds of thousands of people are employed by the New Zealand building and construction sector, and we generate billions of dollars.
And our sector gets noticed. There’s always a news story – every single day – directly about our buildings, and at least one more about construction. And, by their very nature, building projects are visible in our cities. Well over 100 cranes are at work in New Zealand right now. Auckland alone is bulging with around 80 cranes – that’s about four times as many as in New York right now. A dozen of them swing far above my cycle helmet every morning as I pedal in to the NZGBC offices.
Our industry is important, vital and visible – and that alone brings more responsibility, and great opportunities. By making our industry better, we will also make Aotearoa better.
Every week, I see one important shift we should take to make our industry better. Every week, I attend some great industry events, and listen to clever, innovative, interesting men talk on panels and deliver presentations. I am often invited to speak myself at these events, so I guess some people think I’m clever or interesting or innovative(!) Those qualities (ahem) aside, the other common feature I share with most other speakers at events is that I’m a man. And therein lies the point.
There is a clear gender bias at industry events, heavily in favour of men. That’s not acceptable, and it’s got to change. At the New Zealand Green Building Council, we hold events and we hold our hands up here. In the past, we could and should have done more to have a more diverse and equitable lineup of speakers. It’s something we’ve tried hard to address in recent events, and we’ll continue to work on. At our Housing Summit, held in June, we were very pleased that female speakers outnumbered male speakers. Beyond our events, we’re proud to have women make up 50 percent of our directors, and nearly 40 percent of our board.
Personally, I have made a commitment in this space too. I will no longer agree to appear on any all-male panel.
And as an organisation, the New Zealand Green Building Council has made a key commitment to be more inclusive. We have recently signed up as a founding partner to the Diversity Agenda. Over 50 organisations have now joined this important initiative, which is aiming to achieve a goal of 20 percent more women architects and engineers by 2021. The campaign, which was kicked off by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Engineering New Zealand and the Association of Consulting Engineers, will target issues including pay equity and the promotion of women to leadership roles.
We have also played an early role in establishing a local arm of the C40 Women4Climate Initiative, a program that champions women leadership in the fight against climate change.
Diversity is about more than gender. Encouraging diversity also means embracing all varieties of age, religion, sexuality and ethnicity, and disability. And at the New Zealand Green Building Council, we’re committed to inclusivity across the board.
Supporting diversity is good for New Zealand, and good for our environment. It’s also good for our industry. We all know that we’re facing a skills shortage. We need tens of thousands of skilled people, and encouraging diversity will help us to train and employ the people we need. I’m looking forward to seeing our industry become more diverse, and welcoming thousands of talented tradies, architects and engineers.
I always welcome your feedback, thoughts and questions, so do please feel free to contact me.