Sarah Toase delves into the first New Zealand feature in Cranes and Lifting magazine.
Sarah Toase
Chief Executive Officer Crane Association ofNew Zealand
ceo@cranes.org.nz
This inaugural New Zealand feature in Cranes & Lifting magazine speaks to the strength of the crane industry here in New Zealand. The words and pictures on these well laid-out pages are a superb snapshot of the sector.
We are comparatively small when looking at industries across the world, but in true Kiwi fashion we are big on ingenuity and problem solving. This along with a healthy dose of collaboration helps to drive great solutions for the end client, and an industry that successfully delivers on big projects.
To have both Australia and New Zealand featured on these pages is a great way to learn and understand our respective neighbours and the challenges faced in their industry. From what I learned at the CICA Conference in Adelaide last year, the challenges are similar. The key issue being the labour shortages which are being felt on both sides of the ditch.
I look forward to seeing what a closer relationship between our two countries brings in the way of opportunities and solutions to those shared challenges.
The start of 2023 has again tested the resilience of the crane industry in New Zealand with flooding leading to a State of Emergency being declared in Auckland, Waikato and Northland at the end of January. This was preceded by damage due to cyclone Hale.
Road maintenance is now a key issue as a result, with significant repairs needed to parts of the local and national roading networks. This is exacerbated by wet weather in general, which sees the summer maintenance and repair programme already delayed.
The Crane Association of NZ has been able to help our members navigate the recent flooding event in Auckland, through its advocacy with Auckland Transport. We helped navigate the roading restrictions for our members to ensure they could continue to operate.
In December 2022, New Zealand’s government announce that “skilled crane operators” would be added to the immigration “green list” meaning they could access the work to residence visa category. This was a big win for the industry following a lengthy period of lobbying by CANZ. Crane companies can now offer the big ticket of New Zealand residency to prospective overseas candidates.
The MyCANZ app we launched at the 2022 conference is getting an update soon. New incident management guidance will be added to it. The guidance is being written at present and will be designed to align with company-specific health and safety guidance. 
The app puts the resources offered by CANZ into the hands of all crane operators. It includes a range of lifting calculators, lifting planning advice, rigging charts and other key resources. Being an app, it is accessible and user friendly. It’s free to download (but not on the app store) and you can do this by scanning the QR code.
You’ll see that the CANZ logo has been refreshed and we’re pleased that this feature is its first outing. This refresh is part of the on-going work to present the crane industry’s peak body in New Zealand with a modern, fresh and professional brand.
We are looking forward to what 2023 brings including the opportunity to gather again at our national conference which is being held in Christchurch from 24-26 July. There is an open invitation to our Aussie neighbours to attend.
I hope you enjoy this fantastic feature put together by the team at Cranes and Lifting. The celebration and recognition of the New Zealand crane industry is something I try to bring into all aspects of my work and it’s fantastic to see your faces, your machines and your stories spread across these pages.