Programme - day two 2025

REGISTRATION, TEA AND COFFEE

TRADE EXHIBITION OPEN

DAY TWO WELCOME FROM THE MC AND RE-CAP DAY ONE

Adrienne Miller - chief executive, UDINZ

USING AI IN ROADING APPLICATIONS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AS THE CO-ENGINEER: ENABLING TRANSPORT SYSTEM PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH AI-ENHANCED ASSET MANAGEMENT

As road networks grow more complex and funding pressures intensify, the need for smarter, data-driven asset management has never been greater. Auckland Transport is leveraging AI to transform how its transport network is monitored, maintained, and optimised. Discover the tools, the data, and the thinking behind a new era of asset management:

• how Auckland Transport is using AI to enhance asset condition assessment, predictive maintenance, and lifecycle planning
• the integration of AI tools with geospatial data, sensor networks, and historical performance records
• early results from pilot programs and what they reveal about cost savings, risk reduction, and service improvements
• the cultural and organisational shifts needed to embed AI into everyday decision-making
• how you can right-size the use of AI for your organisation

Myles Lind – chief engineer, Auckland Transport

IMPLEMENTING AI IN ROADING MAINTENANCE

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept—it’s a practical tool councils can use today to transform how they manage and maintain roading infrastructure. This session from EY Parthenon offers a strategic roadmap for implementing AI in roading maintenance, from foundational frameworks to real-world applications.

• AI implementation frameworks tailored for infrastructure and asset-heavy organisations
• opportunities for councils to leverage AI for predictive maintenance, lifecycle cost optimisation, and risk-based asset prioritisation
• key steps in the AI adoption journey, including data readiness, stakeholder engagement, and integration with existing asset management systems
• opportunities for cross-council collaboration to drive costs down
• a case study on EY’s Space Tech platform, which uses satellite imagery and machine learning to monitor land movement, vegetation encroachment, and asset condition at scale. Learn how Watercare trialled this technology to enhance visibility across its network—and how similar approaches can be applied to roading assets

Chris Money – NZ economics lead, EY Parthenon

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER: AI IN ACTION - VINCI’S TOOLS FOR SMARTER ROAD MAINTENANCE AND DECISION-MAKING

For several years, VINCI has been investing in AI to support the transformation of their operations. These efforts, led by internal teams, have resulted in practical tools that are already deployed and used across multiple countries.

In the roading industry, several AI applications have been developed to address key operational challenges. This session will explore:

• how VINCI designs and implements AI tools in close collaboration with operational teams.
• a case study on a predictive road maintenance application that helps local authorities better plan and prioritize their infrastructure projects.
• an overview of the VINCI SELECT tool, which enhances the structuring and analysis of infrastructure project data to support decision-making

Victorien Melot - AI lead, VINCI Construction

MAINTENANCE. ASSET MANAGEMENT

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER: BRIDGING THE GAP – ALIGNING ASSET MANAGEMENT WITH LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING

Effective transport infrastructure requires strategic long-term investment, yet many asset management plans fail to align with the financial planning task. This misalignment leads to funding gaps, deferred maintenance, increased life cycle costs, and reactive decision-making, jeopardising asset sustainability and service reliability.

This presentation explores the what, why, and how of asset-financial misalignment, focusing on key structural, financial, and data-related barriers. It highlights best practices for integrating asset renewal forecasts with financial models, leveraging predictive analytics, and fostering cross-department collaboration.

A real-world case study will illustrate how a transport authority overcame misalignment by shifting to an integrated planning approach. The results: improved funding predictability, extended asset lifespans, and cost savings.

• understanding the risks of misalignment in asset and financial planning
• best practices for integrating asset performance data with financial forecasting
• lessons from a case study on achieving better funding and maintenance outcomes
• actionable steps for implementing smarter planning frameworks in transport agencies

Steve Verity – principal advisor asset management, IPWEA  Australia

MORNING TEA AND NETWORKING

Sponsored by 

ROUND TABLES

Main Plenary

EXHIBITION HALL PRESENTATIONS

Policy, Delivery & Reform: Rethinking how we build and maintain roads

Expo Stage 1

INTRODUCTION FROM THE MC AROUND HOW THE ROUND TABLES WORK

INTRODUCTION FROM THE CHAIR

Lynette Ellis - head of transport, Christchurch City Council

THE GROUND LEVEL ALLIANCE - SUSTAINABILITY IN CIVIL CONSTRUCTION 

How to make sustainability a daily practice and how this can help your organisation’s bottom line. 

Robin Power – founding chair, The Ground Level Alliance

ROAD MARKING CONTRACT ADVICE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES

A discussion around contract term, inclusions and rollover options for road marking services. 
How these should be considered alongside other service providers, and how to effectively engage your road marking
contractor.

Bruce Goodall – general manager, New Zealand Roadmarking Federation

PANEL DISCUSSION: TTM - CLARITY AROUND THE RISK-BASED APPROACH AND HOW FUNDING IS LINKED TO ADOPTION

Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) practices are expected to have transitioned to the new risk-based approach by 2026.

Councils and contractors that adopt the risk-based approach and demonstrate alignment with government priorities are more likely to receive support through the National Land Transport Fund, especially when their investment proposals reflect fit-for-purpose planning and value for money. 

• who has adopted it thus far and what have the findings been 
• training available 
• procurement advice 

Andrew Clark – NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
Ashley Green – Corridor Solutions
Ketan Chandu - WorkSafe
Michael Ballard - NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

Facilitator:
Darren Wu – TTM Industry Steering Group

EXCESS SOIL DISPOSAL: EXCESSIVE COST?!

Excavating soils to landfill can cost hundreds of dollars a tonne. Yet it is happening at a huge scale: soil is now 45 % of waste going to our major municipal landfills and 78 % of waste going to our construction and demolition landfills. Excessive soil disposal costs are project killers and in many cases soil disposal is an unnecessary waste of money, time, landfill space and road space, which could be avoided by better planning, design and management. We discuss issues such as:

• getting a grip on soil contaminant levels and regulatory settings
• designing and planning for soil retention
• pushing for local and national change

Dave Bull – director, site contamination specialist, HAIL Environmental

Fraser May – communications and advocacy manager, Civil Contractors New Zealand

THE FUTURE OF TRAFFIC COUNT DATA ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

From data to decisions: using evidence to shape smarter infrastructure

A new magnetometer-based technology is transforming traffic data collection – especially in remote, disaster-affected, and high-risk environments. It uses solar-powered autonomy, and real-time cloud transmission. 

• lessons from the Kimberley flood response in Australia 
• council use cases: how small councils in New South Wales are using MetroCount systems to identify speeding hotspots, classify heavy vehicles, and support road design 
• future-proofing road networks: What councils and agencies can learn from emergency deployments to build smarter, more adaptive traffic monitoring frameworks 

Mike Kenny - MetroCount

PROMISES REGISTERS FOR COUNCIL ROADING CONTRACTS  

Promises Registers are being hailed as the holy grail to address the disjoint between procurement and contract management. Too often, what is promised in tender responses has not been monitored or managed, (and sometimes not delivered!) by the successful contractor.  But there’s a gap between this emerging practice and the ideal solution. This roundtable discussion will explore:

• what issues should Promises Registers address? 
• how will they work – what inputs are needed, what process must be followed, what outputs are expected?
• what issues might constrain success – for client agencies? For contractors? 
• how can those issues be resolved and what are the next steps towards implementation?

Caroline Boot – director, NZ Procurement and Probity Services

UNDERSTANDING THE NEW M/3 SUB-BASE SPEC

The development of M/3 has continued with the introduction of classes of aggregates. In the absence of a clear national specification many councils have developed their own. Quarries may look to adapt to the additional requirements where asset owners’ specifications are different.

• how asset owners should specify sub-base aggregate
• what does this mean for aggregate supply

Stacy Goldsworthy – customer solutions manager, HIWAY Group

AI-POWERED FOOTPATH CONDITION MONITORING AT CHRISTCHURCH CITY

• deployment of two footpath buggies equipped with mobile devices running the Vaisala Road AI app
• video capture and automated condition rating of over 1,200 km of footpaths in the Christchurch City Council contract area
• integrated outputs into the AWM Footpath Condition UDT
• benefits for proactive maintenance, renewal planning, and funding support

Carol Ma – national maintenance assets lead, HEB Construction

3D PREDICTIVE TOOL PROGRESS

This Round Table is a follow-on from the Day One presentation - CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL: DE-RISKING ROADING PROJECTS THROUGH HOLISTIC DATA MODELLING AND MANAGEMENT

David Edge – team leader transport asset management, Christchurch City Council

WE CAN DELIVER WORLD CLASS ROADING PROJECTS IN NEW ZEALAND

Delivery of world class roading infrastructure, on time, on budget and meeting environmental expectations is possible and deliverable in New Zealand. What we need to do is strip out current specification, resource management and regulatory requirements that add no value to these projects and constrain contractors and suppliers from delivering projects productively.

This is not just excessive road cones and political rhetoric but working out what actually delivers good road projects. This presentation will give some examples of where current specifications and requirements constrain innovation and productivity, adding unnecessary cost and time.

Wayne Scott – chief executive, Aggregate & Quarry Association

UNDERSTANDING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS OF ROADING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS 

Life cycle assessments (LCAs) of construction materials took a lift in the last year. The Aggregate and Quarry Association (AQA) commissioned a LCA for the New Zealand aggregate and sand products sector, delivering an average carbon footprint. The AQA is now offering low-cost LCAs to quarry companies. This will make it easier for the roading industry to work out the carbon footprint of their input products, and for those seeking a sustainability edge to their business.

Bernie Napp – director, Prospect Consulting

CARBON ACCOUNTING FOR ROADING PROJECTS 

• what are the different types of emissions to consider in roading projects
• how did AT set its embodied emissions target, report embodied carbon for roading and infrastructure projects, and use these for climate financial disclosures or other reporting
• how to engage contractors to obtain data for Scope 3 reporting
• what are Green Bonds and Sustainability Linked Loans, and can they be used to fund public transport and roading

Dr Manoj Pokhrel – principal energy & emissions specialist, Auckland Transport

Sandra Murray – manager – climate transition, Auckland Transport

FORWARD PLANNING AND PIPELINE VISIBILITY – ALIGNING INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY ACROSS LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Effective infrastructure delivery begins with clear, coordinated forward planning. In this roundtable session explore how local authorities can improve visibility and certainty around their pipeline of work—across roading, Three Waters, and other critical infrastructure sectors.

• the importance of pipeline visibility for contractors, suppliers, and consultants, and how better forecasting can support market readiness and investment
• the challenge of pipeline horizons versus election cycles, and how to maintain continuity and strategic direction across political transitions
• integrating climate adaptation into forward planning, and how resilience goals are reshaping infrastructure priorities
• financing and delivery model options
• pipeline certainty and available resources in the market to deliver

Chris Perks - sector director transportation and delivery partners, Tonkin + Taylor

RECOGNISING BAD CONTRACT PRACTICE IN A RECESSION: WHY KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND BAD HABITS HURT MORE THAN EVER
 

When margins are tight, poor commercial practices can quickly erode cashflow and relationships on both the client and contractor side. This roundtable will explore how knowledge gaps and entrenched bad habits in contract administration lead to payment disputes and unnecessary conflict. Together we will ask how poor practice can be spotted earlier what simple changes could prevent disputes and how the industry can strengthen capability without defaulting to legal escalation.

Stuart Bailey – managing director, Seven Rivers

USING RUBBER IN THE ROADING CORRIDOR 

Using recycled rubber materials in spray sealing and asphalt has the potential to improve resource efficiency and durability, as well as reduce embodied carbon and road noise. Further applications in rubber sound barriers and concrete impact barriers offer similar opportunities. This roundtable will discuss the roadmap for the Aotearoa New Zealand supply chain to realise these benefits. 

• costs and comparisons to alternatives 

Trevor Tutt - operations and R&D, Tyrewise

NETWORKING LUNCH IN THE EXHIBITION HALL

Sponsored by 

FINAL SESSIONS

Main Plenary

EXHIBITION HALL PRESENTATIONS

Expo Stage 1

STATE HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE IN THE IDM ERA: AN UPDATE AND EXTENDED Q&A

Fourteen new maintenance contracts will be announced by year-end in the rollout of NZTA’s new Integrated Delivery Model (IDM) - the most significant change in road maintenance procurement since early last decade. Is the sector ready to meet ambitious targets for resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance? 

• how did the contestable funding trial work and what are the next steps here 
• professional services tenders including road marking and street lighting 
• full road maintenance closures: lessons learned from the bold Desert Road closure and an update on phase 2 – what's next? 

Andrew Clark – national manager maintenance and operations, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

DELIVERING ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET: LEARNINGS FROM A SUCCESSFUL PERIOD OF PROJECT DELIVERY

Auckland Transport shares learnings from a successful period of project delivery —bringing roading projects in ahead of time, under budget, and with great feedback from local communities.

This session explores how AT has achieved this through a disciplined and innovative approach to contracting and delivery. Including:

• innovative technology and smart engineering
• best in class community engagement
• building strong delivery partnerships
• strategic use of contract models (Alliances, Incentivised Target Cost, ECI, 3917, 3910)

Murray Burt – director of infrastructure and place, Auckland Transport

THE ROAD LESS MAINTAINED: RETHINKING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES

New Zealand’s infrastructure challenges are not a secret—but what’s less discussed is the quiet crisis unfolding beneath our wheels. Despite billions in capital investment, road maintenance has lagged, leading to deteriorating networks, rising repair costs, and growing safety concerns.

Historically, our road networks were fully funded through user charges (for example, through fuel excise duty and road user charges). Over the last decade, however, spending on land transport has significantly exceeded current revenues from user charges. Crown grants and loans, plus long-term borrowing like public-private partnerships, have filled the gap.

So, is our land transport system at a crossroads?

Peter Nunns – general manager – strategy, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission

THE NEXT GENERATION: YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND THE FUTURE OF THE SECTOR 

As the roading sector faces mounting challenges — from climate resilience to funding pressures — one of the most urgent is talent. How can the industry attract, retain, and empower the next generation of leaders? 

This dynamic youth leadership panel brings together early-career professionals, apprentices, and rising stars in the New Zealand roading and transport sector to explore what it takes to make the industry a destination of choice for young talent. 

• are young people choosing roading over competing sectors like tech, construction, and the environment — and why or why not? 
• what career pathways exist for school leavers, graduates, and tradespeople — and are they visible enough? 
• diversity and inclusion and the next generation of workers 
• how can employers better support training, mentoring, and professional development? 
• the uptake of technology and the use of AI 

Jack Whittle – Isaac Construction
Vi Hausia – Auckland System Management
Kylie Bourke – Higgins
Fatima Leung-Wai – Auckland Transport
Jahnaka McIntyre - Quality Roading and Services
Facilitator:
Rebecca Fox – Civil Contractors New Zealand

PRIZE DRAWS

CONFERENCE WRAP-UP AND CLOSE 

Adrienne Miller - chief executive, UDINZ