At SPM Assets, we were honoured to be a silver sponsor of the Āpōpō Congress 2024 which took place in Wellington from 21-23 May 2024. This an event dedicated to exploring the critical issues facing infrastructure asset management. Supporting Āpōpō underscores our commitment to industry excellence and innovation. This year's event was particularly significant, marking the first congress hosted under the Āpōpō banner and hosted at Wellington City Council’s new premiere venue, the Takina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The role of infrastructure in resilience and adaptation
One of the standout themes was the role infrastructure plays in resilience and adaptation. This was impactfully highlighted on day one with the local government panel, where Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst (Hastings DC) shared her reflections on dealing with the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, paraphrasing, ‘it has taken a crisis to make asset management top of the agenda’.
This sentiment was echoed during the infrastructure panel on the second day, where the need for accountability at the highest levels of the organisation was discussed. The panel highlighted the introduction of CO 23 (9), which places the spotlight on Chief Executives of government agencies. Under this directive, Chief Executives are now required to attest that asset management requirements are being met – this will fill the void of ICR process which was not delivering fully on its intent.
SPM Customers - Personal stories, case studies and awards
Tracy Massam from Tāmaki Regeneration shared her story and journey into a STEM career. She posed some sobering statistics which show the lack of representation of wāhine Māori in the sector and professional services generally. She discussed how we as asset owners, managers and decision makers can play our part in enabling intergenerational wealth and equity – through what we do, and how we do it.
The challenge was set: “let’s use our influence as a catalyst for change to unlock long term sustainable independence to build a better Aotearoa now and Āpōpō”.
John Jiang outlined how Hastings District Council has integrated Māori culture and customs to transform modern infrastructure asset management. John reflected on the Havelock North contamination crisis in 2016 and how lessons were embraced in the Te Hā o Waiaroha Project – building a water treatment plant. He discussed how recognising the value of Mātauranga Māori is important to the success of infrastructure asset management in New Zealand and that adopting Māori culture and custom is more than just putting a tag on what we do. Asset managers should take the opportunity to weave key principles into decision-making and asset management practices.
Kaggwa Abdul from Waikato District Council was presented runner up in the poster competition at the awards gala for his ‘Building a Thriving Community” creation – congratulations, Kaggwa.
Final thoughts on Āpōpō Congress 2024
Āpōpō Congress 2024 presented an important opportunity to connect and discuss the big challenges facing our industry. As we reflect on the discussions, one thing was abundantly clear - asset management is now more crucial than ever, presenting significant opportunities for the industry to innovate and lead on.