“Parts of the East Coast have seen four major weather events this year. And with each one of those events, the compounding factors damaging infrastructure get worse and worse. That’s why we need to build back smarter.”
That is from Downer’s Craig West, who wants to see more resilience built into the nation’s networks when the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery gets underway.
West is Downer’s executive general manager of transport today; at the start of July, he will become the company’s New Zealand Country Lead.
For now, Downer and the others dealing with the effects of the cyclone are still in the response phase.
“It’s about making sure we have a roading network that can function through winter before we move to the recovery and rebuild phases.
“The work means ensuring drainage areas are opened and slips are under control.
“We are starting to transition and prepare for the recovery alliance.
“We will be working with Waka Kotahi, KiwiRail, Fulton Hogan and Higgins to establish an industry response. And, of course, we will be working with the local authorities.
“At first it will be for the state highways, bridges and rail corridors.”
Building back smart is about getting the best value for the money spent on the recovery programme.
West says that includes getting the consistency of design.
Work at the Hikuwai River Bridge, north of Gisborne. Photo / Supplied
“That way we can get efficiencies and benefits from procurement and equipment, but also from the installation of the work whether it is retaining walls, drainage, culverts or bridges. We’re looking for consistency in the structures.”
Downer has had teams in the field constructing Bailey bridges. West says there have never been as many bridges built before as a response to a single event.
Lessons from the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes have been invaluable. West says it means there was a fast industry-wide response and the formation of the alliance.
“We all recognise this is too big for any one company or organisation. It’s also where we learnt the benefits of consistent design and ways to speed up the response process.
“There is a time to step back, to be well-planned and efficient, but there is also a need to deploy and meet the needs of the local communities quickly. Then there is the shift to a three-phase approach: response, recovery and rebuild.”
One of the challenges involves moving the resources to where they are needed most at a time when transport networks are themselves damaged.
“The roads and rail were out; the weather conditions were such that you couldn’t fly at times. That’s when you rely on your regional-based people”,” says West.
He explains there is a balance to be had in terms of using local people, local suppliers and working with a local supply chain. Many of the local people who went through the worst of the cyclone are exhausted and many Downer workers lost their own houses.
“They keep turning up to work because they are dedicated and want to serve the community, but they also need time to deal with their own things at home and support their families.”
Downer is able to call on its large workforce with specialist teams in areas such as engineering management and digital engineering design spread across the country.
West says at a time when there is a huge focus on what technology can do for a business, it is easy to undervalue the role people play.
Downer workforce at Awapuni Rd, Gisborne. Photo / Supplied
“I know that technology has such a role in how we work now, and it’s going to continue to play a big part in the future. But sometimes we think that technology is going to replace the role that people play. It can’t.
“It is an ‘and’ conversation. It’s not one or the other. Having people with skills or capabilities in the regions is important to the future of New Zealand. They come to the fore at times like this with their knowledge and their relationships.”
West says there is a need to make better choices about maintaining skills capability in regional New Zealand and that means ensuring there is a continuity of work for skilled people in their regions.
Once the weather settled, Downer flew staff to cell towers to try to re-establish basic communications.
“We were in a lucky position where one of our construction managers is a pilot. He was flying food, generators and other supplies from Wanganui into Gisborne. That was the quickest way we could get things to people.”
It’s still early days, but West counts the role people played and the structured approach to doing things as successes.
He says harnessing the power of local contractors and suppliers has also been critical.
The next step is to take these lessons and apply them in the future.
There’s a precedent for this. He says a heightened focus on safety came out of the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes; a culture that has continued since.
As a trans-Tasman business, Downer was also able to call on expertise from Australia where the company had recent experience of dealing with widespread flooding. West said colleagues were able to help with structures, how to quickly establish communications networks and deal with people’s welfare, and understanding the wider pressures on workers.
It’s one thing for Downer to use what it has learnt, but West is keen to see this extends beyond the company to contractors, partners and the rest of the industry. “That’s the great thing about the collaborative industry response: we lift everybody’s capability. We’ve had some great tier two and three contractors across the regions that have been working closely with our teams and they continue to learn. That will help make them better businesses and has helped us in terms of our supply chain.”
As part of this, Downer aims to ensure there is a pipeline of work to provide contractors with opportunities. That way the nation can maintain a level of regional capability to meet future challenges.
For West, this is the positive effect to come out of Cyclone Gabrielle. The cross-industry response has a clear purpose, which provides clarity and makes the alignment between different organisations clear. He says this will make it easier to respond to future adverse weather events.
At the same time, the organisations have been able to work closely with local communities which he says will leave behind a positive legacy.
