Education workshop held for budding Quantity Surveyors as part of national conference

An interactive and informative education workshop has been announced as a key part of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS) conference to be held in Queenstown on June 13 and 14 2013.

For the first time, part of the conference will be dedicated to education and training in an effort to increase the number of people looking to become Quantity Surveying professionals.

The free workshop will be held at Hilton Queenstown on June 14 June and is open to school age students considering a career in Quantity Surveying and those in the construction industry keen on a change of vocation or looking to up-skill.

The one and half hour seminar will include an introduction to quantity surveying, question and answer sessions with influential leaders in the industry and an informal element where attendees can spend one-on-one time with exhibitors and businesses.

Presentations by lecturers and students from Otago Polytechnic and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology will also outline education opportunities available.

Refreshments will be provided and attendees are asked to RSVP by emailing James Young at j.young@rawlinsons.co.nz or call 03 477 6369 before 10am Monday 10 June 2013.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson, the keynote speaker at the main event, said Quantity Surveyors played an ‘increasingly important’ role in building and construction.

“The Canterbury rebuild is a massive undertaking, and large numbers of Quantity Surveyors will be needed to ensure the rebuild is cost effective and accurately accounted for,” Mr Williamson said.

NZIQS conference committee chair and Registered Quantity Surveyor Mick Moffatt said it was important “now more than ever” for the industry to come together and promote the profession as a career.

“It’s a great learning opportunity for students in Years 11-13 to ‘pick the brains’ of some of the industry’s best Quantity Surveying professionals and education providers,” said Mr Moffatt.

“There may also be carpenters and others working in construction who would like to find out more about re-training or who’d like to become formally qualified.

“A career in construction is an exciting opportunity and can lead to a successful lifelong occupation which may lead to travel and prospects.”

The national symposium at Hilton Queenstown will attract over 150 professionals working in all areas of the construction industry -- not just Quantity Surveying -- and Queenstown is hosting the event for the first time since 2003.

As a ‘nod’ to the Christchurch earthquakes and the subsequent changing nature of construction in New Zealand, the theme of the conference is ‘Shaken Not Stirred – A Solid Foundation for the Future’.

Other prominent keynote speakers include former head of the Serious Fraud Office and current Queenstown Lakes District Council CEO Adam Feeley, Peter Degerholm, an expert in the Construction Contracts Act, Bruce Collins QC, and Paula Hugens, managing director of sustainable and passive house design company Green Being.

Former New Zealand Olympic Chef de Mission Dave Currie will also be a major drawcard at the event.
Ex-New Zealand cricketer Sir Richard Hadlee, regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers and all-rounders in cricketing history, will attend the James Bond-themed Gala Dinner on the final night and regale guests with anecdotes from his extensive international career spanning four decades.

About the NZIQS

The New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors, based in Wellington, is run by a national committee of elected Quantity Surveyors who provide support to its members, and promote the highest ethical and educational standards for the profession of quantity surveying. The organisation also acts as an advocate for all quantity surveyors on construction industry and quantity surveying education issues nationwide.