Speakers & panellists

More to be announced soon!

Alex Waldren

Alex is the National Director of Industry Policy for the Master Builders Australia. She leads industry, skills and housing policy work, as National Director Industry Policy for Master Builders Australia.

Key areas of focus for Master Builders include building quality, education and training initiatives, housing and energy policy. Alex represents Master Builders on the board of Livable Housing Australia (LHA) and the Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Fund both delivering training and best practice resources for accessible housing construction and to support bricklaying apprentices.

Alex has extensive experience in government as chief of staff and senior adviser to Commonwealth Government ministers and the Prime Minister.

Andrew Bayly

Elected in 2014, Andrew Bayly as the National Party Member of Parliament for the Hunua electorate. Andrew is currently Opposition Spokesperson for Building and Construction, Revenue, and Associate Spokesperson for Finance. He is also a Member of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. 

Previous parliamentary roles include Chair of the Environment and Local Government Committee, Deputy Chair of the Regulations Review Committee and a member of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, as well as the Finance and Expenditure committee. 

Andrew Field

Andrew is the Digital Delivery Leader within Beca’s Advisory Practice and a long-standing member of the BIM Acceleration Committee. Andrew is passionate about driving collaborative behaviours in the construction industry and the role that digital technologies can play to enable coordination and cooperation across the construction value chain.

Andrew draws his experience of working with key clients like Precinct Properties, the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington and the Auckland District Health Board to understand the drivers of such long-term asset owners. Andrew partners with clients and advises them on how to procure, manage and maintain digital information to enhance the operation of their built assets.

Chelydra Percy

Chelydra Percy took up the role of Chief Executive at BRANZ in 2013. Prior to joining BRANZ, Chelydra held a range of leadership roles with science and innovation organisations such as Callaghan Innovation, KiwiStar Optics, and Scion. Chelydra has also worked in the electricity supply and telecommunication industries. 

She is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, a Companion of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand and Vice-Chair of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction(CIB).She is also a member of  the New Zealand industry organisations the Construction Strategy Group, Construction Industry Council and the Business Leaders Health & Safety Forum.

Chris Alderson

Chris is the Chief Executive at Construction Health and Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ). Chris has over 30 years’ experience across several industries including aviation, the dairy industry, professional services, and construction. He joined CHASNZ in October last year from PwC where he headed up the national health and safety consultancy business.

Previously he drove Fonterra’s global health and safety transformation programme and has spent time working in many different countries on major transformation projects. CHASNZ, a charitable trust, is the construction industry’s lead body for health and safety, working to drive a world class construction health and safety environment through clarity, consistency, and consistency.

Chris Bunny

Chris leads MBIE’s Building, Resources and Markets Group. The Group supports a fair, competitive business environment and well-functioning telecommunications, building and construction, and energy and resources markets. It also serves as the New Zealand Government's Procurement and Property Functional Leader. 

Chris is MBIE’s signatory on the Construction Sector Accord and one of his teams supports the Accord’s policy work. Other priorities under Chris’ leadership to drive sector change include the Construction Skills Action Plan, the Building System Legislative Reform Programme, the Building Code Delivery Framework, and the Building System Strategy.

Chris has held various public sector policy roles in New Zealand and abroad including The Treasury (New Zealand and United Kingdom) and the Ministry of Social Development. He also spent time in the UK supporting government procurement of infrastructure.

Chris Hunter

Chris Hunter is Managing Director of NZ Strong, an Auckland based commercial construction company. With over 35 years construction experience in New Zealand and overseas, Chris has overseen a significant number of both large and complex projects across a range of industry sectors including Rail, Geothermal, Process and Government projects.

Chris has also been an independent director on several NZX listed companies and is involved in many industry-wide bodies, promoting innovation within the wider construction industry. 

David Kelly

David Kelly is Chief Executive of the Registered Master Builders Association. Prior to talking up his current role, David was a Deputy Chief Executive for the Department of Building and Housing and subsequently Director of the Canterbury Recovery Programme for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

In those roles, David was extensively involved in the Government’s response to the Canterbury earthquakes from day one, including establishing the technical investigation into major building collapses, which provided key technical information to the Royal Commission. He also led the Building Act changes that were part of a package of reforms in the construction sector. Going back further, David held a number of senior roles in local government including that of Chief Executive of South Waikato District Council.

Doug Johnson

Based in Auckland, Doug Johnson is Tonkin + Taylor's Managing Director and an engineering geologist with more than 30 years’ experience. Doug is one of the construction sector leaders involved in the Construction Sector Accord Steering Group. Doug has worked on many large civil engineering, mining and quarry projects throughout New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and the South Pacific.

In his spare time Doug enjoys spending time walking, gardening and with his wife and daughter and splitting time between Auckland and Rotorua.

Graham Burke

Graham has worked in construction for 35 years, the last 20 years specialising in scaffolding. Since 2015, Graham has been the CEO of Scaffolding Access and Rigging NZ (SARNZ) and now provides consulting services to construction businesses and organisations.

Graham is president of NZ Specialist Trade Contractors Federation, is a member of Construction Health and Safety NZ, NZ Construction Industry Council, Building Research Advisory Council, and the Construction Sector Accord Steering Group.

Jason Howden 

Jason is an internationally sought-after expert on technology in the built environment, and all things BIM (Building Information Modelling). For 25 years he has been at the forefront in his field of expertise, leading its development, promotion, and education around the world.

Jason is a complex-project specialist who has consulted on some of the world’s largest public service facilities, including hospitals, laboratories, prisons and airports, projects with values ranging from $100 million to over $1.5 billion. A strategic thinker with an extraordinary ability to navigate intricate multi-layered, many-party projects, designing both effective technological frameworks and the strategic pathways to realise them. His skill in digitally aligning procurement, design and construction processes is informed by a lifelong immersion in the construction industry.

Hon Jenny Salesa

Hon Jenny Salesa is New Zealand’s first Tongan born, Tongan speaking Member of Parliament and the first Tongan born Cabinet Minister of the Crown. In 2014 she was elected in as the Member of Parliament for Manukau East and was subsequently re-elected in 2017. Following her re-election, Jenny was sworn into Cabinet as a Minister of the Crown with portfolio responsibilities for Building and Construction and Ethnic Communities, and with Associate responsibilities for Education, Health, Housing and Urban Development.

Jenny came to Parliament with over 20 years’ Public Sector experience, having worked across the breadth of the public service. This includes being a Project Manager at the Ministry of Health, Senior Policy Analyst at the Ministry for Pacific Island Affairs, and Principal Advisor (Pacific) at the Tertiary Education Commission.

Karen Mitchell

Karen Mitchell is the Interim Head of the Infrastructure Transactions Unit at the Treasury. She has held senior and executive level positions within the public and private sectors. Karen is a well-respected leader in complex, high profile infrastructure procurement and negotiation. She has led work on pathfinder transactions including PPPs for Transmission Gully State Highway and two Auckland prisons.

Karen has an in-depth understanding of the government and infrastructure sectors. She represents the Infrastructure Transaction Unit, the Construction Sector Accord, PPP Governance Groups, and in various market forums locally and internationally.

Mary Haggie

Mary Haggie is a barrister with in-depth knowledge and experience in construction law. She is a Construction Contracts Act adjudicator under both the AMINZ and BDT panels. She has also acted for clients in multiple adjudications under the Act, and she advises clients on all aspects of the Act.   

Mary worked for Kensington Swan from 2000 – 2016. She was a partner and leader of the successful construction law team at Kensington Swan from 2007 – 2016.  In 2016, she decided to practice as an independent barrister with a focus on strategic advice for construction projects.   
As well as adjudication, she is experienced in negotiation, mediation, and litigation. She also drafts construction contracts, consultant conditions of contract, development agreements, funding agreements and bonds, and is highly experienced with all New Zealand’s standard form construction contracts.

Hon Phil Twyford

Minister for Transport and Urban Development
Hon Phil Twyford was born and raised in Auckland. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Te Atatu, where he lives. Phil’s vision is for New Zealand to deliver hope and opportunity to all people. He is committed to fixing the housing and transport problems that affect our biggest city, as well as much of the rest of the country.

Phil was elected to Parliament for the Labour Party in 2008. In Opposition, he held the portfolios of Housing, Transport, Auckland Issues, and Disarmament and Arms Control. As Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Transport, Phil is leading the Government’s comprehensive plan to build New Zealand out of the housing crisis and is working with communities to create a safer and sustainable transport network.

Quin Henderson

Quin’s 35-year career has included the executive leadership of many of New Zealand’s most significant and complex construction projects. He has extensive experience governing and directing project teams to deliver outstanding results.

Quin established Southbase Construction in 2013 with an aim to grow the best commercial and residential construction company in New Zealand.  Having already established an impressive portfolio of projects around Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland, Southbase has earned its reputation as one of the most forward-thinking construction companies in New Zealand.  With the backing of a strong governance Board they are leading the way with innovative thinking and smart building practices.   

Steve Killeen

Steve was appointed CEO of Downer New Zealand in January 2017. He has over 25 years’ experience in the delivery of social infrastructure including transportation, water, energy, and communications. Steve holds qualifications in business, management and engineering including a Master’s Degree in Engineering Studies from Auckland University.

Steve joined Downer in 2004 and he has held several senior operational roles including Executive General Manager, Northern Region and Executive General Manager, Infrastructure. He was a member of the New Zealand leadership team for eight years. Prior to his appointment as New Zealand's CEO, he was Downer’s Group Executive Manager, Strategy and Development. Before joining Downer, Steve held senior positions in both consulting and contracting businesses in the UK.

Teena Hale Pennington

Teena Hale Pennington is chief executive officer of New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) and a current Director of Construction Information Limited, a company jointly owned by the NZIA and Registered Master Builders.  

She joined the NZIA in 2013, bringing more than 15 years of building and construction industry knowledge and executive management experience to her role with the NZIA.  She is Deputy Chair, Construction Industry Council and Chair, Ministerial Advisory Group, Housing & Urban Development and has been a former Director of the New Zealand Green Building Council.

She is keen to see design and architecture valued by Clients, industry and the public and is proud of the progress being made in recognising the Diversity Agenda, health, safety and wellness in the construction industry and the change envisaged by the Construction Sector Accord.

Dr. Vicente Gonzales

Vicente works within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland. His research focusses on construction management, civil engineering and computing applications.

He is also a member of scientific boards, and an editor and reviewer of international journals and conferences. Vicente has secured US$2.7 million in research funds over his career in different research roles and is also director of the Engineering VR/AR Lab and the Advanced Computing and Virtual Technologies in Construction (ACVTC) Research Group.