Smart Business Marlborough Macro Forum

MACRO Forum: Marlborough-Christchurch Rebuild Opportunities

A forum where Marlborough businesses can learn more about the opportunities which are being generated by the rebuild of earthquake-damaged Canterbury will be held in Blenheim next month.

The Marlborough District Council and the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce have arranged the forum to help local businesses better understand the growing range of opportunities that are emerging in and around Christchurch.

The speakers will be some of the major project managers handling the rebuild and a Marlborough-based builder who has expanded into Christchurch.

Mayor Alistair Sowman says while some Marlborough-based businesses are already participating in the rebuild work, others may not yet have grasped the size and scale of the prospects.

“This is going to be a chance for us all to hear first-hand what the big picture for business opportunity looks like. With up to $30B to be spent over the next decade or two, the impact on the whole South Island economy should be enormous and I want to make sure that our firms fully appreciate how they can best participate in what will undoubtedly become a construction boom.”

Mr Sowman noted that some Marlborough firms had already established operations in Canterbury with employees commuting each week but he said the opportunities went well beyond sending local tradespeople into Christchurch.

One of the key opportunities for Marlborough, he said, was as a supply point for goods and services; construction goods and other materials as well as draughting, design and landscaping services.

“We want to ensure that our local firms have every chance to play as large a part as they wish in the rebuild. To do that, they need to make the right connections; to hear what is needed and to make the contacts and I hope this Forum can help to achieve that,” he said.

Canterbury was going to provide a source of employment and skills development for a good few years ahead so anyone in Marlborough involved with youth education and employment was also invited to attend said the Mayor.

The forum will include a series of short presentations from people with practical knowledge of the way the building and construction industry is working in Christchurch, focusing on the wide range of opportunities that will soon be available as well as issues such as transport and accommodation and the working environment. There will be opportunities for questions and time set aside for informal discussions with the speakers after the presentations.

Speakers at the forum are

• Anthony Leighs, CEO Leighs Construction
• Ernest Duval, director of Fortis Construction and Equity Trust Pacific
• Tom McBrearty, CEO of Salcom and chair of the Canterbury Communities Earthquake Recovery Network
• Ian Smith, director of Arrow International (NZ) Ltd based in Christchurch
• Andrew Lawson, of Andrew Lawson Builder Ltd.
• Carl Pascoe, a Christchurch-based facilitator who has handled accreditation requirements for Fletchers Construction and the EQC.

 

Mr Sowman stressed that the Council’s role in setting up the forum was as a facilitator only. Any recruitment or contracts were up to individual employers or businesses to negotiate.

The MACRO Forum will be held from 2pm-5pm on Friday 10 August at the Marlborough Convention Centre.

The Forum is open to any business or individual from Marlborough. There is no charge but people are urged to register, as soon as possible, with the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, phone 577 9575 or email enquiries@mcoc.org.nz