ISSUE
105
MOVING TO NEW ZEALAND?
May 2018
In this issue... State of the nation P.1 Scentre Group’s largest project in Australasia P.2 Timber high-rise tower mooted for Auckland P.3 Floating home community planned for Coromandel P.4 NZ Super Fund wants to own light rail projects P.5 Christchurch convention centre now known as Te Pae P.6 Franklincoutry.wordpress.com
Get in touch There are many ways to keep in touch with us at Catalyst. Obviously this monthly newsletter is one but we are very active on Linked In and would encourage those not already there to join our groups and link to our company page in order to receive the latest news. If that’s not enough we also have our blog pages, job board and Facebook pages to keep you in the loop. Having your details is only the first step in making the move to New Zealand a reality so get in touch now to discuss your plans and aspirations and we’ll do all we can to help. Follow us via the links below; linkedin.com/company/ catalyst-recruitment catalystrecruit.wordpress.com/ catalystjobs.co.nz/ christchurchrebuild.co.nz/ facebook.com/CatalystRecNZ
State of the nation Welcome to the Catalyst state of the nation for May 2018. As the UK and Europe move into the summer months and enjoy a lift in temperatures New Zealand enters winter and all that comes with it. In Auckland that tends to mean a drop in temperature (but very rarely below 5° at night) but further south it does mean the likelihood of ice and snow. Of course a bit of weather doesn’t stop Kiwis, all it means is an extra layer of clothing required and you carry on as normal. Many were distracted from the weather a few weekends back with the Royal wedding. As much as some flirt with the idea of New Zealand becoming a republic one day there was still a great deal of interest in the event with many Royal wedding parties being held in celebration. In terms of the country as a whole, the new government now seems to be getting on with things and we’ve moved from a wish list to plans been formulated, especially in the infrastructure and construction sectors. One of the big items on the list is light rail in Auckland and an article later in the newsletter covers the two projects that have been announced and how we intend to pay for them. Bottom line is after a slow first half of the year it looks like New Zealand is open for business again and we’re hoping to see a significant lift in activity, in all sectors, over the next few months. Construction The construction sector remains much the same as last month, a buoyant sector with more to come. A number of clients who Catalyst has been speaking to for a while are now realising that they will have to go overseas for the right people and so as they get busier we will be advertising their positions. A number of major projects are still pending but it’s clear that there will be a significant need for site managers, project managers, site engineers, foremen, quantity surveyors and other related roles in the near future. If you’re keen to discuss those opportunities contact Phil via email at pponder@catalystrecruitment.co.nz Civil and Infrastructure With winter comes of slowing down of the civil sector but already companies are talking about August and September when the new season starts. Although a little quiet there are still key positions that need to be filled including drainage foreman and supervisors, a drainage engineer for a major
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project and a number of estimators or estimating engineers. This list of requirements will only increase as we get closer to the new season and so I would encourage anyone interested in making the move to get in touch and start the conversation is now. Email Phil at pponder@catalystrecruitment.co.nz Engineering Much the same as last month and the engineering sector but there does appear to be significant movement ahead and so I need to start talking to interested candidates now. Road, geotechnical, structural, rail, water, bridges, buildings... it us all full on. You will see a number of adverts on ICErecruit over the coming months. Exciting times ahead! Send me an email to stay in touch and update me of your plans. Andy. ahopkins@catalystrecruitment.co.nz As you know there are various ways to keep in touch with Catalyst and at the moment we are making significant efforts to improve those lines of communication. LinkedIn is one of those formats and I am regularly posting articles and job vacancies on our company page. To make sure that you see those regular updates click this link, https://www.linkedin.com/ company/catalyst-recruitment and click the follow button on the company page. We look forward to seeing you there. Also keep an eye on our job board www.catalystjobs.co.nz where we will regularly place vacancies we are currently working on. Finally, I know many of you are on Twitter so please use this link, https://twitter.com/CatalystRecNZ, to follow us.
Auckland’s $790 million Westfield Newmarket project Scentre Group’s largest in Australasia The $790 million redevelopment of Westfield Newmarket is by far the largest scheme undertaken in Australasia by giant shopping centre owner Scentre Group. Justin Krzywokulski, Scentre’s general manager of development and strategic asset management, said nothing in Australia came close to the scale of the Auckland project, now in full swing, with demolition taking place at 277 Broadway and construction at the neighbouring 309 Broadway. The two sites will be linked via an air-bridge over Mortimer Pass and Smith Crane and Construction tower cranes are up at 309 Broadway. Krzywokulski said Westfield Carousel in Perth was undergoing an A$350m ($382m) upgrade “so Newmarket is still the largest for us. This is the biggest project we’ve undertaken”. Scentre, listed on the ASX, manages A$47.4 billion of assets here and in Australia and owns assets valued at A$33.6b. It was created in 2014 through the demerger of Westfield Group, and the merger of its businesses here and in Australia with Westfield Retail Trust. Krzywokulski said new retailers would be announced in the next few months. Many would not have traded in New Zealand before and he cited Scentre’s “ability to leverage new retailers”, in reference to its size. The business has 39 centres worth A$51b with 11,600 retailers in more than 3.6m square metres of retail space. “We’ve been doing a lot of work with a lot of groups and over the next few months, we will come out with some of the names but at the moment, it’s too early,” he said of Newmarket leasing, citing fashion, food and international brands. Chris Wilkinson, First Retail Group managing director, said: “Scentre will be looking in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia for new tenants in Newmarket because consumers are tiring of the sameness of retail.” Krzywokulski said the new centre’s design would be far more open than the now-demolished hub “and although we can’t have street frontages all the way up but we have been cognisant of sitting within the broader Newmarket context, so we want to provide links”. The old 277 got about 5 million annual shopper visits “so we would expect to see that increase significantly.” Excavations are well under way for new David Jones department store, to be at the Gilles Ave/Mortimer Pass end of the existing 277 building. Much of the existing structure is being retained and Scentre staff are still working from there, while building works take place around them. Volcanic rock in the Gilles Ave/Mortimer Pass corner is being blasted or fractured with explosives at 10am and 2.30pm, then trucked off the site. About 10,000 workers would be involved in the two-year
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construction project, Krzywokulski said. The steel form work for the new Farmers is visible across Mortimer Pass at 309 Broadway. The new Event Cinema multiplex will be at the Broadway/Clovernook Rd intersection. The 2770 new car parking spaces will be spread across seven levels on both sites. Scentre now brands its assets as ‘living centres’, emphasising that an offer far wider than just shopping. Movies, dining and entertainment, restaurants and gyms are included in its centres, it says. “These spaces are extensions of people’s homes,” he said, telling of an end to “the days of bringing people in one end and coming out the other and not giving them an opportunity to pause and enjoy.” Calling the properties living centres changed perceptions about shopping centres, he said. “It’s a real shift. From a development perspective, it creates an exciting opportunity. When people talk about a mall, people have visions of a very closed, lifeless spaces housing retailers. We’re moving away from that,” he said. Westfield Newmarket facts • Bulk excavation: 81,584 cu m or about 33 Olympic-sized swimming pools. • Structural steel weight in new buildings: 7100 tonnes, or about 12 times the amount used in the Sky Tower. • Concrete floor area being built: 186,766sq m.That is about 13 times the area of the Eden Park. • Plasterboard wall lining area : 86,436sq m or 8.6ha. • Green wall façade: 2700sq m or just over the size of five America’s Cup yacht sails. • $790m project set to open in stages next year. • Project on 4.5ha site area. • First David Jones for Auckland. • New format Farmers department store. • Countdown supermarket, 230 new specialty stores. • Event Cinemas including Gold Class. Source: Anne Gibson, NZ Herald Photo / Michael Craig
Timber high-rise tower mooted for Auckland: suggestions on a number of sites A building expert wants the Auckland waterfront area to get this country’s first timber high-rise, saying the Wynyard Quarter or Britomart areas would be ideal for a significant wood tower. Damian Otto, director of design and digital construction at Takapuna-based Tallwood, called for Auckland to go green and build a timber tower of up to 15 levels. That would showcase what could be achieved after technical advancements in timber construction, he said. “I’ve heard suggestions of wood towers on a number of sites,” he said, naming the Quay Park area as well as the central business district but said nothing was definite and discussions only centred on plans, not finished design. New Auckland towers are all being built in steel (the 39-level Commercial Bay) and concrete (The Pacifica at 57 levels). But Otto said that could change. “Wynyard is the best candidate for a wood building because it’s reclaimed land and above the water. Wood buildings are lighter, so you can build more for less. Timber buildings also perform well in earthquakes. It’s only recently that the timber technology has caught up with materials and availability. There’s going to be a doubling of demand,” Otto said of the type of materials needed to build wood high-rises. He saw Lendlease’s new wood International House in Sydney during its construction in 2016 and said that had led the way in Australasia. It was now time for us to follow. “International House is a seven-storey office building manufactured predominantly from engineered timber. It is a great example of the benefits of building tall with timber. There is no reason why we can’t follow in our neighbour’s footsteps and build beautiful, quality, timber buildings such as this one,” Otto said. Last year, property mogul Sir Bob Jones said he planned to take the timber industry to new heights by erecting the world’s tallest wooden office building in central Wellington on the Leader’s Building on Featherston St: a 12-storey 52m block due to be completed later this year. Otto said wooden building offered advantages over concrete and steel high-rises because not only were they lighter,
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making them ideal for reclaimed land, but they could be dismantled and the materials recycled. Lendlease had designed and built International House with longevity in mind, he said. “In the words of architect, Alec Tzannes, they reached for a design that would weather well, be long lasting and attractive because ‘buildings that are not considered beautiful tend to be demolished, so beauty is at the essence of our concerns about a lower carbon future’,” Otto said. International House, although a relatively small project by Lendlease standards, had huge significance in this part of the world, Otto said. A Tokyo skyscraper is set to become the world’s tallest wooden building. Sumitomo Forestry is planning W350, a 70-storey block made 90 per cent of wooden materials, due to be completed in 2041 and to mark 350 years of that business. Source: Anne Gibson, NZ Herald
First NZ floating home community planned for Coromandel New Zealand’s first floating home community is being proposed for the Coromandel but plans for a Gulf Harbour project promoted three years ago are yet to become a reality. Kerry Martin of Waterside Sustainable Developments of Selwyn St in Onehunga said the business is planning the country’s first floating community at Whitianga Waterways where 12 residences would be priced from $1.6 million and could have up to six bedrooms each. “I think we have found an ideal partner to deliver the first floating homes community in New Zealand. It will be part of a new marine district at the Whitianga Waterways. This unique location will allow each house to have its own 18m berth, offering the opportunity to step from your house right onto your boat,” Martin told the Herald. Images showed one- and two-level homes with wide areas of glass and decks, sunken pools, boats moored alongside the flat-roof residences placed alongside a boardwalk. But Michael Webb-Speight says no work has yet begun on the Gulf Harbour floating homes which he announced three years ago. “We’re still battling to get building consent. We got resource consent. It very much remains our intention to do this. We’re trying to comply with the Building Act as it pertains to a residential dwelling. It’s really hard and very, very complicated,” he said of getting approval for his project, The Boat Sheds. Those were planned for Fairway Bay in the Whangaparaoa area and the business is still asking for expressions of interest. “I’m optimistic I can see something in three to six months. But we’ve been buried in paper and we’ve been through mediation process with MBIE,” Webb-Speight said, referring to taking matters to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. When the Herald published his plans for the Gulf Harbour floating home estate, he said interest was high and he received calls from overseas. But at the time, the then-deputy mayor of Auckland Council Penny Hulse expressed reservations: “The idea of floating houses could have a negative impact on our coastal areas and will have to be carefully considered,” she said.
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Mark McGuinness, managing director of Willis Bond which is developing luxury Wynyard Quarter apartments, said at the time that the late Sir Ian Athfield had suggested “branches” of floating houses off Wellington’s former Overseas Passenger Terminal - now the Clyde Quay Wharf where Willis Bond developed 76 apartments in a $170 million project. But that idea was rejected. “In practice, it would not work because there were shipping and navigation issues,” McGuinness said in 2015. Martin said his Whitianga Waterways concept was planned for canal areas not yet built. “The new canal has not yet been cut,” he said of the area where the floating homes would go, offering a hot tub, jet ski ramp or “miniature lawn with your favourite tree.” His business is “looking for interested individuals who can envision themselves living in such a floating home in Whitianga, with all the natural wonders of Coromandel at their doorstep.” The interested individuals will have the opportunity to actively work with the development team and as such can tailor the project to their needs,” Martin said. Sustainable Waterside Developments said concrete floating structures were used en masse during the invasion of Normandy in World War Two, built in England and shipped to France. Source: Anne Gibson, NZ Herald
NZ Super Fund wants to own and operate two of Auckland’s light rail projects Work is about to start in Auckland on two light rail lines, not one - and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund wants to build, own and operate both of them. Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Finance Minister Grant Robertson made the surprise announcement today. The ministers said Cabinet has agreed that work should start on both lines straight away, with an open tender process for the funding, construction and operation of the lines. One light rail line will run from the central city to Māngere and the airport. The City to Māngere light rail line will run from Wynyard Quarter, up Queen St, across to Dominion Rd and down to Mt Roskill, then to Onehunga and across the Manukau harbour to Māngere, on through the industrial airport zone to a terminal at the airport. It will be a commuter line connecting the 55,000 households already located on the route with the city’s two-fastest growing employment centres – the city centre and the airport precinct. Tens of thousands more homes will be built along the route in the coming decades. The line will also provide a frequent and reliable public transport link for airline passengers. The second light rail line will be a northwest line, running from the central city in parallel with the Northwest Motorway to Westgate and eventually to Kumeu. The Northwestern line is also a commuter route, linking the central city to existing suburbs like Te Atatu and the fast-growing new suburbs of the outer northwest, including West Harbour and Hobsonville. In time the route will be extended to Kumeu and perhaps Waimauku. This line is expected to follow the route of the Northwest Motorway, in a similar way to the Northern Busway on the Northern Motorway. Both light rail lines should be in use well within the next 10 years. The Government had previously indicated that the city-toMāngere line would get an early start but the timetable for the Northwestern line was not clear. The Government and Auckland Council listed both projects in their transport funding
plan announced last month. The plan allocated $1.8 billion as “seed money” to these projects but their combined cost was estimated at around $6 billion. The balance seems unlikely to come from either Government or council. The tender process will be led by the NZ Transport Agency with support from Treasury and the Ministry of Transport. That effectively means the council’s transport arm, Auckland Transport, will not have a significant role in developing the lines. The revelation that the Super Fund is interested in the project is a big surprise. The ministers said the fund’s approach to the Government was unsolicited. The Super Fund proposes to put together a consortium of overseas pension funds, to take on all aspects of the project. It would raise the money and then take charge of construction and operation. The lines would be owned by the Super Fund. The NZ Super Fund is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Crown. Its purpose is to accumulate funds that will be used to help pay for National Superannuation. The fund has had a very strong investment record in recent years, with average annual returns (after costs and before tax) of 15 per cent. At March this year the fund’s value stood at $37.91 billion. The NZ Super Fund is an active investor in the New Zealand market, although not in the infrastructure sector. It has $5.3 billion invested here, a third of which is in Kaingaroa Timberlands and other timber investments, and another third in listed New Zealand equities, including Metlifecare and Z Energy. Only 1.81 per cent of the local portfolio, or less than $100 million, is invested in infrastructure. Because the Super Fund is publicly owned, the arrangement would not be a public-private partnership. But it is expected to operate in a similar way, with the government retaining at least some of the risk. Asked if the Super Fund would expect a guaranteed income from the lines, Twyford said it was “all to be negotiated” but he expected there would be some kind of agreement on “an annual revenue stream”. “Any investor will require a commercial return and that will be determined during the procurement process,” he said. The Government has not agreed to accept the Super Fund’s proposal. Twyford said it would be invited to make its bid as part of the tendering process. The two light rail lines are key components of the Government’s plan to build a rapid transit network in Auckland. This will also involve new rapid bus routes, especially in the southeast, as well as an extended Northern Busway, the existing electric rail lines and the new City Rail Link that will double the capacity of those rail lines. Source: Simon Wilson, NZ Herald
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Christchurch convention centre now known as Te Pae
Christchurch’s under construction convention centre has been given an official name and brand. The $475 million central city building, due to be finished in early 2020, will be known as Te Pae, which references a gathering place. Ōtākaro strategy and property opportunities general manager Keith Beal said the name was a “unique yet simple way” for people to identify the venue. “We have worked with local cultural advisers Matapopore on a name that reflects not only what this facility is, but also what makes it different from any other.” A spokesman said development of the name, logo and associated branding had cost $30,000, of which about $380 had gone to Matapopore. Beal said the exterior design of the building came from the Ngāi Tahu creation story of the Southern Alps in New Zealand’s South Island. “The 429,000 individual panels that make up the facade will resemble the colours and curves of Canterbury’s iconic braided rivers that flow down from the mountains.” Several events are already confirmed for 2021, including the five-day 900-delegate Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists conference and 350-delegate the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research biology symposium.
The build is well under way. On Tuesday, a 50-tonne steel truss that runs the 45-metre length of the auditorium was craned into place. It will support the roof. About 10,000 cubic metres of concrete has been poured and 150 tonnes of steel placed for the build to date. The building – which will span two blocks bounded by Armagh St, Oxford Terrace, Cathedral Square and Colombo St – will have capacity for up to 2000 guests and will include a 1400-seat auditorium, a 200-booth exhibition hall, banquet hall and 24 meeting rooms. The foyer and main entrance will face the Avon River, while administration and retail space will go on the Colombo St side of the building. Source: Michael Hayward, stuff.co.nz Alden Williams: photo
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The Catalyst Team
Construction Andy Hopkins
ahopkins@catalystrecruitment.co.nz
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