Advocating for a better built environment

The building sector has been plagued by the boom-and-bust cycle for decades. This has resulted in the housing and infrastructure crisis we have today. We began working with Master Builders on a long-term programme to create system change, encompassing Government and the sector’s members.

Our first initiative was to conceptualise and deliver the first ever all-of-sector forum on Construction. This annual Forum, Constructive, is the only event to bring the wider sector and Government together to discuss the issues and the initiatives needed from all parties to create change. Constructive has been a significant success for Master Builders, positioning them as leaders across both residential and commercial construction.

This includes the Construction Sector Accord, the new Government procurement guidelines for Construction, improvements in immigration settings, better-informed regulatory outcomes, Kainga Ora’s new contract approach and achieving new health and safety procedures during Covid-19.

Outside of Constructive we have also supported Master Builders with Government engagement including its positioning on public policy initiatives and the engagement and communications plan to communicate these initiatives. This includes supporting them with Government meetings, developing thought leadership and creating sponsored content to help the wider sector and public to understand their recommendations. As a result of this engagement, the Master Builders CEO is now part of every key conversation between Government and the sector, including being a leader on the Accord and a member of the Government GIB taskforce.

Each year we also support Master Builders to conduct a far-reaching survey of the sector to understand the key issues and opportunities that need to be addressed. This provides strong insights into both the supply and demand side of the market to strengthen Master Builders’ thought leadership position.

Central to our approach is supporting Master Builders to understand the best way to gain support and traction on key initiatives. There are some issues where the discussion is all via face-to-face meetings, while other issues may require more public facing campaigns where we use earned media, advertising and digital channels to drive more widespread discussion and engagement.