Record numbers expected at Certified Builders Conference

24 June 2014

Record numbers expected at Certified Builders Annual Conference reflects growth

On its 16th anniversary, the Certified Builders’ Association of New Zealand will host its largest ever Annual Conference & Expo with over 500 attendees and 70 trade stalls expected at the Claudelands Conference and Exhibition Centre in Hamilton from 26-28 June.

The record number of attendees reflects the growth of Certified Builders, which currently has its highest ever number of members, as well as growth in building activity in New Zealand.

Minister for Building and Construction, and Minister of Housing, Hon Nick Smith, will give a speech to open the conference, and Labour Spokesperson for Building and Construction, Hon Clayton Cosgrove will close the conference.

Certified Builders Chief Executive, Grant Florence, said the association was very pleased to have Mr Smith and Mr Cosgrove speaking. “The construction and housing sectors are highly topical at the moment, and attendees will be interested in their perspectives in election year.”

A highlight of the conference will be the final of the NZ Carpentry Apprentice Challenge, featuring regional finalist apprentices building outdoor bench chairs and presenting to the conference, among other tasks, as they compete for the top honour.

The hand-crafted chairs will be donated to organisations in the Waikato region where the conference is being held including the True Colours Children’s Health Trust, Hospice Waikato and Alandale Retirement Village.

“Our members are involved in a wide range of community initiatives up and down the country, so we thought it was appropriate that the chairs built by the apprentices be donated to deserving local organisations to encourage the same community-minded spirit in the next generation of our members,” said Mr Florence.

An entertaining new addition to the NZ Carpentry Apprentice Challenge will be The Great Apprentice Race, which will see finalists teamed-up with Regional Presidents in building-related challenges.

The conference will also cover a wide range of topics including best practice benchmarking, the voice of the customer, mobile technology and cloud computing, building law developments, and hearing health. Free hearing checks will be provided for members throughout the conference.

“We’re delighted with this year’s programme – its quality befits the record attendance at the conference and the coming of age of Certified Builders.

“We believe our growth reflects an increased understanding of the association’s benefits as industry participants seeking continuous improvement and ongoing professional development to help them to take best advantage of an increased demand for high quality building.

“Certified Builders has the most stringent membership requirements of any building trade association in New Zealand – all members must be trade-qualified.

“Certified Builders’ objective is to foster best practice among its members so consumers can have trust and confidence in them. With the high quality programme, our Annual Conference is one of the most effective tools in our box for achieving this,” said Mr Florence.

Certified Builders is New Zealand’s largest association of trade-qualified builders in terms of membership – which is mostly comprised of smaller building companies. Approximately one third of all builders in New Zealand are members of Certified Builders.

ENDS

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