At ISCA, we’re proud of being a relatively small not-fit-profit which packs a punch.
Everyday our work is really making a difference. In fact we contribute directly to 15 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals – the global blueprint for making the world a better place.
We need your help in addressing the two which are not strongly addressed by our tools and services – SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
Our CEO, Ainsley is taking one for the team and spending a night on the streets – a night no different to the 116,000 people in Australian who are experiencing homelessness.
For you, it might mean the equivalent of a weeks’ worth of lunch or one night’s dining-out. The positive effect for the most vulnerable in our community – will be so much more.
Help us create a little shift in our progress toward to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and also perhaps a shift in the social stigma, discrimination, violence and criminalisation of people who are homeless.
With just under 4 weeks to go, we would greatly appreciate your help in reaching our teams target.
City Rail Link Ltd (CRLL) which came into being on 1 July 2017, has full governance, operational and financial responsibility for the City Rail Link Project (CRL), which is integral to meeting Auckland’s growth and subsequent transport demands. CRL is the largest transport infrastructure project in New Zealand and is jointly funded by the Government and Auckland Council who have stipulated that the project must “provide a sustainable transport solution that minimises environmental impacts”. The project is due for completion in late 2024.
About the Project
The CRL is a 3.45km twin-tunnel underground rail link up to 42 metres below the city centre transforming the downtown Britomart Transport Centre into a two-way through-station that better connects the Auckland rail network. The CRL will extend the existing rail line underground through Britomart, to Albert, Vincent and Pitt Streets, and then cross beneath Karangahape Road and the Central Motorway Junction to Symonds Street before rising to join the Western Line at Mount Eden Station. It includes a significant redevelopment of the existing Mount Eden Station and new underground stations – one mid-town at Wellesley and Victoria Streets provisionally named Aotea and one at Karangahape Road. This will improve travel options and journey times and double the number of Aucklanders within 30 minutes travel of the CBD. From Mt Eden Station it will take only three minutes to get to the uptown Karangahape Station, six minutes to the mid-town Aotea Station and nine minutes to the downtown Britomart Station. CRL will double the peak capacity of the rail network which will ensure faster, more frequent travel as well as significantly reduced travel times. The choice of travelling by train will become much more accessible and appealing.
Why did CRL decide to partner with ISCA for #ConnectNZ?
Part of CRL’s sustainability vision is to not only achieve high sustainability standards on our own project, but to work with the wider industry to improve standards across the board. We believe that the ISCA framework helps achieve that goal, which is why we acted as a pilot project to bring the tool to New Zealand. Supporting the summit helps further that goal.
About CRL and the IS Rating Tool
CRL has adopted the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating framework as a basis to externally evaluate, improve and verify sustainability performance.
CRL has worked with Mana Whenua and ISCA to identify opportunities to respond to New Zealand’s cultural context and it is important to CRL that Mana Whenua values are embedded within the IS framework. Working closely with Mana Whenua and building understanding with the ISCA team has allowed for a custom-made CRL Technical Manual, titled Mahi Rauora Aratohu, to be created and this will be implemented on the next stage of the CRL project.
Partnering with Mana Whenua has helped push the project to do more. Mana Whenua’s stance on caring for water, for instance, encouraged our contractors to instigate water re-use on-site, which has resulted in much more effective and efficient water use.
What are you most looking forward to at the Summit?
Spending time with like-minded people and discovering what kinds of amazing activities others have been involved in. It also provides CRL with an opportunity to share what’s happening behind the scenes. We are proud of the sustainability initiatives that we have implemented and hope that others can learn from us and we can learn from them. We are, of course, also looking forward to taking attendees on our site tour and participating in the Climate Panel!
Which sustainability achievements are you most proud of on your project?
There are a lot of individual achievements, from reducing our carbon footprint to finding alternatives to landfill for our waste, but I think the most important thing we’ve achieved is making sure that sustainable thinking is included at all levels and stages of the project. That means that everyone involved – designers, contractors, sub-contractors and individual workers are all pulling in the same direction and hopefully achieving better outcomes for the project, the industry, the wider community and the environment.
We were also very proud to achieve “Leading” IS design ratings for Contracts 1 and 2 and are working hard to build on that success for the rest of the project and the As-built ratings!
What is CRL’s approach to sustainability, environmentally and socially?
Our focus at the start of the project was predominately environmental sustainability, particularly focussing on carbon reduction and waste minimisation. As the project has evolved, and with particular encouragement from Mana Whenua, we have broadened out our focus to include social outcomes. We are aiming to create greater diversity in our supply chain by generating opportunities for Maori and Pasifika businesses as well as social enterprises and socially innovative businesses while building capacity and capability in the workforce through upskilling and reskilling.
What next for CRL?
It’s a very exciting time for the CRL. We are in the midst of construction for the early works at Britomart and in Albert St, and recently announced the Link Alliance* as our preferred alliance partner to build the remainder of the project. This means we can get on with the detailed design and construction of the rest of the project including the development of the two new stations (Aotea and Karangahape), redeveloping the existing Mt Eden Station, tunnel boring the remaining tunnels and installing the rail systems. For all of this work this work we will be using the custom-made IS CRL Technical Manual (Mahi Rauora Aratohu) and will be looking to build on the sustainability work implemented to date on the contracts already in construction.
*The Link Aliance is Vinci Construction Grands Projets S.A.S, Downer NZ Ltd, Soletanche Bachy International NZ Limited, WSP Opus (NZ) Limited, AECOM NZ Ltd and Tonkin + Taylor Ltd.
Driving Sustainability in New Zealand: Mott MacDonald
“Opening opportunities with connected thinking. Turning the obstacles you face into sustainable infrastructure and development solutions. We’re a global engineering, management and development consultancy focused on guiding our clients through many of the planet’s most intricate challenges.
The needs of the world’s population are changing fast. Our network of experts, active in 150 countries, finds opportunities in complexity, turning obstacles into elegant, sustainable solutions. By looking at problems from a fresh angle, we aim to add value at every stage, for our clients and our clients’ clients.
Improvement is at the heart of what we offer: better economic development, better social and environmental outcomes, better businesses and a better return on your investment.
In partnership with you, we establish the steps to meet your strategic ambitions, using analytical front-end advice that helps you fund, plan, design, deliver and sustain your goals. Our engineers, project and programme managers have taken lead roles in the world’s highest profile infrastructure and development projects. Yet design and management are just the tip of a deep iceberg. Our clients have access to the vast knowledge of internationally recognised environmentalists, planners, economists, project finance advisors, cost consultants, business strategists and more. They work with each other and with you to save money and time, reduce risks, increase efficiency and advance best practice. Whatever you need, you can be confident that Mott MacDonald will find efficient and creative ways of meeting your ambitions, and beyond.”
“A core aim is to make a sustainable difference to the world we live in. That translates into a focus on understanding our clients and their customers, to deliver outcomes that add value.” Keith Howells – Group chairman.
Why did Mott MacDonald decide to partner with ISCA for #ConnectNZ?
ISCA shares our common values that seek sustainable outcomes for both society and the environment. In sponsoring the Summit, we are showing solidarity in our common cause for achieving truly sustainable outcomes for the planet.
What are you most looking forward to at the Summit?
Sharing ideas with our peers in the sustainability space is invaluable for delivering continued value to the community. We look forward to listening, learning and discussing innovations, challenges and robust infrastructure solutions.
Which project are you most proud of and why?
Mott MacDonald have a strong track record of delivering technical advice to clients on the implementation of sustainability and IS ratings on large infrastructure projects in Australia. Our staff work in a range of capacities on projects, including client’s technical advisor roles, ISAPs delivering projects, technical discipline input and ISCA verification.
This includes acting as client’s technical advisor for multiple transport agencies including working on the first v2.0 IS Planning Rating proposed in NSW.
We have practical on-ground implementation experience with Design and As-built ratings also, the first of which was achieving a ‘Leading’ rating on the Torrens Road to River Torrens project, the first Design rating to be awarded in South Australia, in October 2016. The project included a 3.7km upgrade of South Road incorporating a 1.4km long non-stop lowered road (8m below ground level) and aimed to improve travel efficiency for north-south traffic through Adelaide’s metropolitan area. It also included a rail overpass, improving pedestrian and cycling facilities and other intersection upgrades.
We are currently working on the Tender Design for the first v2.0 Design and As-built rating in South Australia.
Here in New Zealand we are proud of our sustainability credentials also.
The Moata – Safe Swim project is a joint project with Auckland Council and won the International Data Corporation 2018 Smart Water Category, in the Smart Cities Asia Pacific Awards. Auckland’s beaches and waterways are usually clean enough for swimmers, but after heavy rain, the wastewater network can be overwhelmed, leading to sewer overflows into the city’s rivers and harbours. Moata connects real-time sensors across the wastewater network and global weather data, processing over 1 billion data points each day to deliver high quality forecasts on water quality at over 100 beaches around Auckland. This allows swimmers and beach goers to make informed decisions about when and where to swim.
What is Mott MacDonald’s approach to sustainability, environmentally and socially?
No matter how big or small the project we embed sustainability, environmental, social and cultural best practice principles into all of our projects. The links between sustainability, the environment, economics and social development are clear, albeit there are issues to resolve – not least around inequality. It’s true that the world is a more fragile place when it leaves large sections of society behind in the pursuit of growth. But the link between economic sustainability and inclusive social outcomes is even more crucial when you think of the importance of maintaining an environment in which we can enjoy healthy and prosperous lives. Climate change, air pollution, water quality, ecosystem fragility and species loss all impact society at large. What’s becoming increasingly evident is that infrastructure companies like our own have an obligation to provide solutions that are more inclusive. We must play our part in addressing inequalities. The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) provide a framework for more equal and sustainable global development everywhere. Infrastructure is explicitly present in UNSDG ‘nine’, which notes that investment in transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology is crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities. But what we do as an industry has a significant impact on many, if not all, of the other 16 goals. Planned and delivered with thought, infrastructure can provide outcomes that are both environmentally sensitive and socially inclusive and it can help resolve many of the challenges we face as a society.
What next for Mott Mac?
As a professional services provider, our role is to help individuals and communities get to their destination as skilfully as we can. Only by understanding what they experience, believe and desire can we truly deliver the services they want. That’s the connection we make in delivering the projects we are involved in, and that’s the connection we always keep in mind at Mott MacDonald. As an employee owned firm, our owners are also custodians of the company for the future. Our decisions do have an impact and we experience that. We understand that our company, our clients and our communities are all interconnected. Getting projects right, to leave positive lasting legacies, is important for us all. Projects always talk about leaving a legacy of change. The best way to bring that to life is by asking the people whose lives have been altered. We’ll keep talking to the community, creating a legacy and strive for inter-generational equity.
Each day, Watercare provides lifeline services in the form of water and wastewater to 1.5 million Aucklanders. Watercare currently deliver 365 million litres per day of Aa-graded potable water and collect, treat, and dispose of 460 million litres of wastewater including trade waste daily. This ensures we protect Auckland’s environment and maintain public health. Watercare pride themselves on being trusted by their communities for exceptional performance, every day.
Why did Watercare decide to partner with ISCA for #ConnectNZ?
Watercare is committed to providing leadership in the sustainability space in New Zealand. Recently we have turned our attention to the impact of our infrastructure programme and we are keen to work with industry to improve our performance. We decided to partner with ISCA not only to show our commitment to building our infrastructure more sustainably but also to engage with the topics of climate, culture, and community which are in focus this year. Watercare have become ISCA members alongside our Council family and have registered our first project, the Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel.
What are you most looking forward to at the Summit?
It’s an exciting time to be looking at sustainability within infrastructure and this event is a great opportunity to engage with others in this space. We are looking forward to the Innovations and Impacts workshop to see what is new in the industry and how it could be applicable to our projects. This is also a great chance to delve deeper into other IS rated projects and we will be keeping our eyes open for highlights and lessons learnt. Of course, everyone is also excited for the CRL site tour and to be among the first to see the work they have done.
Which project are you most proud of and why?
We really pleased to be piloting the ISCA tool with our Central Interceptor (CI) Project. Sustainability is one of the core values on the CI, which is our largest infrastructure project. It is a 13 km long wastewater tunnel that will help clean up combined wastewater and stormwater overflows in our waterways, replace a section of ageing infrastructure, and provide capacity for growth in an ever expanding city.
We recently released our climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy and our 40/20/20 vision to achieve wins in sustainability, safety, and costs and we look forward to seeing more sustainably delivered infrastructure in the years to come. 40-20-20 will be discussed in more detail during Steve Webster’s keynote presentation on the 16th May at #ConnectNZ. We are immensely proud to be setting ambitious targets for both our capital infrastructure and the operational processes associated with delivering Aa-grade water and wastewater services.
What is Watercare’s approach to sustainability, environmentally and socially?
Water is a resource that connects Auckland. It is part of our identity and is an integral resource that Watercare has a responsibility to protect. We continually seek ways of working with our communities (including community liaison groups and environmental advisory committees) that benefits our local waterways and help our local areas to flourish. We work in partnership with Auckland’s Kaitiaki forum to establish values relating to healthy waterways and to challenge our thinking. In terms of construction of assets and delivering water and wastewater services, we are excited about ambitious emissions reduction targets and looking to improve the BAU standards around materials and waste, using our influence to improve the market which would have long-term positive impacts for sustainable growth.
What next for Watercare?
While we work to deliver sustainable outcomes on the Central Interceptor project which breaks ground in August 2019, we are also working to embed sustainable principles across our business to deliver our 40/20/20 vision. The vision looks at all of our infrastructure projects aiming for a 40% reduction in infrastructure carbon, a 20% reduction in cost and 20% year on year improvement in health and safety outcomes by 2024. This will require us to re-evaluate how we deliver infrastructure and will include partnerships to achieve these goals. We are also working towards goals for our two largest wastewater treatment plants (Mangere & Rosedale) to become energy neutral by 2025 and to reduce operational GHG emissions by 45% by the year 2030 which is really exciting.
Green Building Day is the Green Building Council of Australia’s annual conference for members and the wider industry to talk about major trends, upcoming changes and innovations enabling sustainability outcomes. They will highlight leading Green Star projects and discuss sustainability benefits, learnings, challenges and opportunities.
Green Star expert or new to the rating tools, Green Building Day is your perfect opportunity to hear from a variety of projects. Ranging from commercial, industrial, social infrastructure, and residential, get insights from leading experts, and appreciate the fundamental drivers transforming the built environment.
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is leading the sustainable transformation of Australia’s buildings, cities and communities with the vision to create healthy, resilient and positive places for people. Join us to hear the latest details of work, including our Green Star Future Focus and Homes as well as discussing our carbon positive future during the conference.
Leading questions to this year’s discussions include:
Where will innovation take sustainability?
How is Green Star changing with Future Focus?
What Future Focus means for communities?
What does future sustainable procurement look like?
How Green Star applies to social infrastructure projects? Discover a range of case study examples.
What is the research we need to drive innovation in the built environment?
What are the technologies increasing sustainability outcomes?
The one day program features a choice of sessions, including focused and interactive breakout sessions.
Last but not least, this year Green Building Day will open with a Local Government breakfast featuring local government representatives to explore the potential of Green Star for councils and governments and provide a platform to grow your network of peers. If you are a local government representative and would like to attend please contact Rebecca.
Who attends?
Developers, Owners, Architects, Contractors, Builders, Sustainability Managers, ESD Consultants, Manufacturers, Planners, Suppliers, Engineers, Project Managers, Designers, Communications, Procurement, Facility Managers, Building managers, and anyone interested in our sustainable future.
Every year, GBCA representatives are pleased to take this opportunity to catch up with our members and meet new members and industry representatives.
Register
16 May – Perth
6 June – Melbourne
18 June – Brisbane
26 June – Sydney
To register, or find out more information, visit the GBCA’s website.
What To Expect At The 2019 NZ IS Summit – #ConnectNZ
Join ISCA and the kiwi Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) community in Auckland on 15th-16th May 2019.
After the success of 2018’s inaugural IS Summit, the renamed #ConnectNZ returns for an extended two days.
The theme for #ConnectNZ is Culture, Climate and Community – three areas being explored and challenged throughout the Summit’s discussions.
Day 1
The summit kicks off with a behind-the-scenes site tour of New Zealand’s largest under-construction transport project, City Rail Link. The project has unique challenges and demanding conditions, not only immediately adjacent to a live railway station but also excavating below sea level with the Waitemata Harbour only a few metres away. On top of that, some remarkable skills and innovation have been used to protect the heritage-listed Chief Post Office (CPO) building in lower Queen Street so that the tunnel boxes could be constructed beneath the building. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
After the site tour, delegates will return to Grid AKL to eat delicious Sri-Lankan food prepared by social enterprise, WISE Catering. WISE is umbrellaed by Belong Aotearoa (formally known as Auckland Regional Migrant Services) and has a partnership with ARCC (Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition) Out of that partnership the WISE project was born and focuses on supporting women who have an isolated refugee background. WISE has helped them gain new skills, experience and information whilst enabling them to build relationships with others in similar situations and within their wider community. Despite lacking English language skills and often formal education, these women have plenty to offer their communities.
The afternoon of Day 1 is aimed at Infrastructure Sustainability practitioners, those either implementing sustainability on infrastructure projects on the ground, or people wishing to learn more about it. There will be presentations from sustainability managers on a variety of projects at different stages of their life cycle. The IS Rating Scheme will be explored in its entirety, and attendees have the opportunity to ask questions to some of New Zealand’s and Australia’s most experienced professionals.
The afternoon kicks off with Perspektiv’s Pat Ilott, who unpacks in simple terms how exactly to carry out an IS Rating successfully. Pat speaks from experience, having been part of the team who achieved the highest ever IS Rating score – NorthLink WA.
After that, there will be knowledge sharing from Ken Lunty, who has worked across a myriad of projects including the Paramatta and Newcastle Light Rails, on how sustainability should be implemented in the planning phase, followed by Auckland Council and Jacobs’ tag-team presentation on how they have incorporated sustainability throughout the design of Auckland’s Scott Point Park.
Glenn Hedges will then share a cost-benefit analysis of the successful implementation of the IS Rating Scheme on Adelaide’s Torrens-to-Torrens – demonstrating how well-executed sustainability can save money.
Metro Trains Melbourne achieved the first ever IS Operations rating, and sustainability manager Audra Liubinas is coming to Auckland to discuss learnings, challenges and solutions involved in running Melbourne’s train network sustainably.
A verifier panel follows, lining up some of infrastructure’s most experienced personnel, involved in verifying IS Rating scores. This is a chance for the audience to ask those curly questions – to dive deep into credits, to ask for advice in preparing better submissions, and to shape the discussion around sustainability.
Day 2
Day 2, the Summit’s main day, explores the theme of Culture, Climate and Community. With community in mind, the day kicks off with a Mihi whakatau from local Iwi leaders, before a keynote address from Infrastructure Minister, Hon. Shane Jones.
Steve Webster, Chief Infrastructure Officer at platinum summit partners Watercare, will be sharing their 40-20-20 goals – by 2025, they aim to reduce build carbon by 40%, reduce year on year health and safety incidents by 20%, and reduce costs by 20%. Following Steve, Arihia Bennett, CEO of Ngai Tahu, will share the story of recovery as a Ti Tiriti Partner, and how this can be translated into the BAU operation of transport, tourism and social infrastructure assets.
The construction industry can learn a lot from other industries, and as such, there will be a keynote presentation from the Warehouse Group’s David Benattar, who has been instrumental in the group’s strides towards carbon neutrality.
There will be a climate panel, which gathers four experts, each achieving unique climate-related wins. Sara Templeton, of Christchurch City Council will share how the city is driving towards a carbon neutral 2030, Nick Braxton explains how climate change resilience has been incorporated throughout City Rail Link, and Kirk Archibald will be sharing how Auckland Council are driving distributed infrastructure in New Zealand’s largest City. Dr Rob Bell, climate change scientist, offers his experience on coastal engineering, risk from natural hazards, and the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and infrastructure.
Culture is, deliberately, a broad topic which encompasses multiple elements. Brandi Hudson will be speaking on behalf of the Independent Maori Statutory Board on demonstrating the Treaty of Waitangi principles in action by integrating Maori Values into the Built Environment, Louise Aitken will be sharing an Akina Foundation perspective on social procurement, and Hawkin’s Nancy McConnell will be sharing how Downer is engaging and creating employment opportunities for the young and disadvantaged. Simon Carter will be delivering a presentation on sustainable digitalisation – which touches on how there must be a societal culture shift to embrace a new digital age.
The final session for the Summit is the ever-popular Innovations and Impacts workshop – which sees six experts showcasing their latest trend or technology with delegates. In this session, the audience get an up close and personal encounter, as they break away into workshops to learn more about the innovations of most interest to them. From biomimicry to biofuels, hydrogen to recycled plastic, this session is a taste of the future.
To close the Summit there will be networking drinks in celebration of the ISupply Directory – ISCA’s new website to connect sustainable suppliers with projects and organisations looking to achieve sustainable supply chain outcomes.
Feedback
Please provide us with any feedback on the IS Rating Scheme
