Dr Sean Sweeney, Chief Executive, City Rail Link Ltd
25 May 2022
I was in Sydney recently as one of the guest speakers at the Australian Tunnellers Conference.
My presentation to the 100 or so delegates was a little unconventional. Not so much about CRL’s construction methodology - the Aussies have a lot more under way in terms of tunnelling projects than we do on this side of the Tasman – but more about what I consider to be CRL’s significant point of difference with big ticket construction projects here and in Australia.
Mega projects have a huge opportunity to do more – grow the infrastructure industry for sure – but along the way take a further step and break new ground.
CRL’s point of difference, I explained, involves setting ambitious targets for sustainability, the environment and diversity and making sure that we “walk the talk” - completing a project that will leave Auckland in a better place than when we started.
Our achievements so far give us plenty to celebrate: we’ve diverted 100 percent of spoil from our construction sites away from landfill – in fact, we’ve recycled 97 percent of that spoil; we’ve reduced the use of water by 58 percent and can look at substantial savings in energy-related greenhouse emissions and operational carbon emissions.
We’ve got a wee way to go yet, but I think we’re on track to lift the sustainability bar to new levels. If I can use a word from my Gaelic ancestry, both CRL Ltd and our contractors have a “slewful” of awards and acknowledgements that show we’re heading in the right direction. One area that gave me great pride to share with the Aussies was our commitment to diversity and our relationship with mana whenua in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Eight of the city’s iwi are represented on our Mana Whenua Forum, a group that was established in the early days of the project ten years ago. Since then, the relationship between project and mana whenua has flourished and continues to grow stronger.
It is a leading example of genuine collaboration. The Mana Whenua Forum is a very active and welcome participant in the life of the project.
Two great examples of our relationship occurred earlier this month when we made public te reo Māori names for the CRL stations and the final design renders showing what the new CRL stations will look like.
The Mana Whenua Forum gifted the te reo Māori names that more accurately reflect the geography and history of the stations, and it worked closely with mana whenua artists and designers on how the buildings will reflect the city’s cultural heritage and Māori story telling.
I’ve talked about CRL’s point of difference but be assured that the completed CRL stations will be Tāmaki Makaurau’s point of difference bringing cultural vibrancy to the city unmatched anywhere in New Zealand or Australia or the wider world for that matter.
There is much more to say about the Mana Whenua Forum. Its supportive work extends to health and safety and wellbeing on site – it was a big champion of our drive to get all workers vaccinated against Covid-19. The Forum ensures workers are informed of Māori historic and cultural ties to the land. It leads karakia (blessings) that acknowledge cultural values and a safe working place, supports employment initiatives for young Māori and Pasifika, and backs contract opportunities for Māori and Pasifika businesses.
Our collaboration continues to strengthen. In fact, a detailed case study, the first of its kind in NewZealand, will investigate the Mana Whenua Forum’s role from day one in the project, the lessons learned and where improvements can be made. It is hoped the study’s outcomes will be used to encourage other big projects to adopt similar strategies.
After my presentation, I spoke to a lot of Kiwis now living and working in Australia. Their feedback was one of pride about the workplace developments we’re adopting.
I’ve worked on big engineering projects both sides of the Tasman and I’m not aware of anything like we are trying to achieve with CRL happening over there.
My one hope is that my presentation and our significant point of difference will, at least, give our Aussies cousins some ideas to think about as they grapple with similar challenges.