8 Apr 2020
Last week we provided background on our approach to advocating for engineers during this ongoing Covid-19 situation. Since then, we’ve a developed a significant plan of work to help guide our response.
We’re collecting intelligence – and lots of it. We’re hearing from you, firms, industry partners and other stakeholders, including the Government. We need to understand exactly what’s happening across our range of touchpoints, so we can exert the right influence in the right way.
Our advocacy is all about using our voice, and the collective expertise of our membership, to support both the Government’s Covid-19 response and its response to economic disruption to stimulate the economy. We’re working in tandem with the Association of Consulting and Engineering New Zealand (ACE New Zealand) to execute this strategy.
All the intelligence we’ve gathered (and will continue to gather) will inform clear messages about what the profession wants and needs. We’re feeding those back to decision makers, including the Government, so that they’re very clear on what the profession wants and needs to support the economic recovery, as well as protect public health. As we mentioned last week, this work is our key priority today, alongside supporting our members.
We’ll make sure to keep you, and other stakeholders, well briefed about what we’re doing. We’ll let you know those key themes we hear and the messages we’re delivering. At the moment these include things like understanding exactly what it will mean to move from level 4 to level 3, in terms of site work and how this can be carried out – as well as talk about the Government’s programme of shovel-ready projects and what’s needed for these to be primed to go as soon as possible, including possible road blocks. Please watch this space for further updates.
We’re keen to hear from you, to understand from you what matters most right now. Let us know what you think we should be saying, and how you think engineers can get us through the days and months ahead – and how the Government can best make a difference. Please contact our Public Affairs Manager, Amanda Wells, with any thoughts.
