Shaping our future - call for abstracts extended
Are you a thought leader in climate change, sustainability, social responsibility, people and culture, digital and infrastructure innovations or risk? We're on the hunt for inspiring presenters to our national conference, Future-Fit Aotearoa.
The 2021 joint ACE New Zealand and IPWEA NZ conference will attract around 350 consultants and engineers to Auckland in September. These people are professionals who are at the forefront of delivering critical infrastructure for our communities. They work alongside key influencers and decision-makers from central and local government who are involved in policy development and implementation.
The conference will shed light on our role in building strong resilient communities. We’ll explore how we can respond to the historical under-investment in infrastructure and the significant demands of climate change. We also need to understand the pressures of population growth, the ever-increasing expectations on the performance of our utilities, the opportunities of digital enhancement, and the significant gaps that have developed in our talent capacity and capability.
Preparing ourselves for the challenges of tomorrow means we need to ensure our workforce has the environment and skills to successfully deliver innovative solutions that advance Aotearoa as an enviable nation on the global stage.
IPWEA NZ CEO Murray Pugh says participants come away from the conference feeling energised, inspired and informed.
''Past participants have told us they've made business decisions and taken action as a result of the presentations and discussion at the conference.
They've taken something away from each session, and this year will be no different. We want participants to connect with the messages from our presenters and then use that knowledge to enhance the services they provide to Aotearoa now and in the future."
ACE New Zealand CE, Helen Davidson says the conference will explore how our members and the sector can survive and thrive through today and tomorrow's disruptions.
She says, "Business disruption can come in many different forms, from a worldwide pandemic to climate change, global financial crises, or digital disruption. We need to be ready to face the challenges head-on by building a strong, agile and productive workforce, by developing bold and innovative solutions, while building an awareness of our broader social responsibilities to Aotearoa New Zealand."
The key conference themes are:
- Climate adaptation, mitigation and sustainability – meeting our commitments front-on,
- Social responsibility – delivering a better future together,
- People and culture – building a thriving workforce,
- Digital innovations and disruption – emerging technologies that will shape our solutions,
- Infrastructure innovations – new methods to slay the challenge,
- Risk, contracts and insurance – making barriers from the past for our building blocks of the future,
- Overcoming infrastructure bottlenecks – enhancing productivity and efficiency.
If you or someone you know would be interested in presenting at Future-Fit Aotearoa in Auckland, 7-9 September, submit an abstract
Submissions have extended and now close Friday, 23 April.