A defining feature of the new government is its Kiwibuild programme. Andre de Groot will outline a vision for Kiwibuild where there is co-operation between government, civil society and the private sector. A focus will be on redeveloping town centre sites, with an open invitation to civil society and land owners for co-operation to agree on sites and building form.
For the design and construction stages the alliance model will be presented as a way to include the private sector. The downsides to the private sector’s constant precariousness will form an argument for the government to directly hire a significant portion of designers, construction managers and tradespeople.
In terms of construction methods, there will be discussion of design templates, mid-rise timber buildings and exterior wall panels.
Andre de Groot is a structural engineer with a wide variety of experience across New Zealand and Canada. He has wide interests including urban design, sustainability, seismic engineering, religion, organisational form and social democracy.