InfraTrain News

National Diploma Scholarship winners announced.  Read more

New Demolition Guidelines launched in Christchurch.  Read more

NZRMCA Concrete Truck Driver Hand Signals.  Read more 

Road Maintenance Task Force.  Read more

Review of Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) qualifications.  Read more

Review of industry contribution.  Read more 

Industry training review.  Read more

National Diploma Scholarship winners announced
16 December 2011

InfraTrain has announced the winners in the latest round of National Diploma Scholarships for Māori. 

They are:

• Ngatepaeru Gardiner, Downer NZ, Auckland
• Brendon Haenga, Fulton Hogan, Gisborne
• David Hemi, Te Rapa Alliance, Hamilton
• Bry-Anne Morunga, Downer NZ, Auckland
• Jack Park, Downer NZ, Auckland
• Willie Popata, Fulton Hogan, Whangarei
• Jae Rapihana, Rockhard Civil and Drainage Ltd, Auckland
• Darryl Robson, Downer NZ, Tauranga
• Geddes Ruka, Construction Contracts Ltd, Lower Hutt
• Kim Tukaki, Fulton Hogan, Auckland

Each Scholarship is worth $5,000, and will be paid to the employer to support the Scholarship winner in their studies towards an InfraTrain National Diploma of their choice.

The Scholarships have been awarded by InfraTrain in partnership with Te Puni Kōkiri, through the
Te Poutama Kaiahumahi programme. One of the aims of the programme is to increase professional opportunities for Māori, and enhance the wider capability of the civil infrastructure sector.

Te Poutama Kaiahumahi Project Manager Robbie Paul, says, “InfraTrain congratulates all of the Scholarship winners. The applications were of an extremely high standard yet again, and we were impressed by their motivation and commitment to their chosen careers.”

Robbie continues, “Since InfraTrain started working with Te Puni Kōkiri at the end of 2008, we have awarded a total of 28 National Diploma Scholarships to Māori working in the industry. The Scholarships will enable them to develop the skills and knowledge they need to reach their full potential in their professional lives.”

Find out more about Te Poutama Kaiahumahi 

NZRMCA Concrete Truck Driver Hand Signals
12 December 2011

The New Zealand Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NZRMCA) has developed a set of hand signals that enable clear communication with concrete truck drivers while on the job.

Over the coming months the NZRMCA Council will be promoting the new signals with the aim of having them recognised as standard New Zealand hand signals.

The NZRMCA has close to 50 member companies, and nearly 180 plants across the country, and the majority of construction jobs involving ready mixed concrete delivery will be serviced by an NZRMCA member. For this reason, the NZRMCA recommends that all those working in the wider building industry adopt one common set of hand signals.

A poster of the hand signals can be downloaded at the NZRMCA website

The NZRMCA Council encourages you to print and distribute the poster to all concrete truck drivers, plant staff, contractors, concrete placers, concrete pumpers, construction site workers and ask them to use this one set of hand signals when working with concrete truck drivers. 

The government has established the Road Maintenance Task Force, convened by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), which could lead to important changes in the way the industry works. 

The Task Force will identify opportunities for efficiencies in delivery of operations, road maintenance and renewals.  It will also focus on providing innovative services, products and methods of procurement. 

The Task Force will be convened by Jim Harland, Regional Director, Southern Region NZTA, and includes representatives from local government, Roading New Zealand, the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation, the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand, and NZTA. 

The Task Force has set up Technical Working Groups to provide technical expertise and idea generation around maintenance, best practices, planning and delivery. 

Have your say
You can now provide feedback to the Task Force through an online forum, which will set the direction for the Technical Working Groups.  The forum has been set up by NZTA and will be managed via the Department of Internal Affairs i-govt service. 

To access the forum, please email your name, email address and workplace details to: roadmaintenance.taskforce@nzta.govt.nz  

NZTA will then forward your details to the Department of Internal Affairs, who email you with a unique login. 

The next Technical Working Group meeting will be held on 12 December.  The closing date for feedback for this meeting is 5 December.  However, the forum will remain open and NZTA welcomes contributions to future meetings. 

InfraTrain is seeking feedback on the structure of OSH qualifications, on behalf of the New Zealand Industry Training Organisation (NZITO). 

The review will involve a number of Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) including InfraTrain, Training Providers and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). 

If you or your staff are involved in OSH training and/or OSH qualifications then please take a few minutes to complete our online survey. 

Your thoughts are important, and will help to ensure that these qualifications continue to meet industry needs.

Take the survey 

Thank you for your time 

InfraTrain is reviewing the amount of money which industry contributes towards the cost of training.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) requires that industry contribution should be a minimum of 30%, while the Government makes up the remaining 70% of the total cost.   

All Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) are required by the TEC to demonstrate their level of industry contribution.  To do this, we need to collect evidence to prove that industry is contributing at least 30% at the end of each year. 

Industry contribution includes fees paid to InfraTrain for qualifications, as well as additional fees paid to Training Providers and assessors. 

We need some information about these additional fees, and will be talking to our top 50 companies.  These are the companies who have had the most trainees go through, and who have probably paid the most for this to happen. 

We will be writing to these companies in early December and asking them to provide further details.

If you have any questions in the meantime please contact Tina Van Dijk, InfraTrain Corporate Services Manager, email: tina@infratrain.co.nz

The Ministry of Education (MoE) is carrying out a review of industry training.  

The review will look at the extent to which industry training contributes to:

• Skills which are needed to maximise the productive potential of New Zealand industries

• Employment and earnings of people in the workforce

The review will provide advice on possible directions for change to improve the value of Government’s investment in industry training

The MoE has published two documents, which provide useful background to the review:

Terms of Reference

History of Industry Training

The review will involve consultation with industry, and you may be approached to participate in a survey.  The survey is being conducted by Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL) on behalf of the Industry Training Federation (ITF).