550 Construction Workers Retrained And Ready To Return To Work On Auckland’s Piritahi Project

The 550-strong construction team working on Auckland’s state housing civil infrastructure project have undergone training, completed inductions and will have health and temperature checks before returning to work, tomorrow.

Over 700 people work in the Piritahi Alliance, the majority are constructors who will be returning to site tomorrow, after Auckland moves to Alert Level 3.

On behalf of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, the Piritahi Alliance is removing 7,000 old state houses across Auckland, remediating the land and upgrading the infrastructure, to enable 25,000 new homes to be constructed.

“Our programme of work is huge, we operate multiple sites across nine neighbourhoods in Auckland. Our work area stretches across 52 square kilometres – that’s half the size of Hamilton. This is the largest urban regeneration project in NZ’s history, says Piritahi Alliance General Manager Mat Tucker.

Given the scale and size of the project and the importance of the work we are doing, it’s vital that we do everything possible to keep our people and communities safe at Level 3.

We have had a dedicated team reviewing and developing Delta-ready COVID-19 safety plans and best practice protocols, in conjunction with Construction Health and Safety New Zealand, during lockdown.

The measures we have implemented include a daily screening process and temperature check, that aims to identify anyone who is unwell, before they even step onto site.

On top of that we will be controlling access to site, operating small work bubbles, restricting movement and limiting close contact work, wearing full PPE including masks at all times, amongst a number of other measures.

During lockdown, our construction team undertook daily online training programmes to increase their health and safety awareness, literacy, numeracy and computer skills.

They really get that the best, and only, way to keep their families safe at home, is by taking responsibility for their own health and being safe, at work.

I’m really happy with where we have landed, our team has been re-inducted, is well trained and looking forward to getting back to their important work”.

Background:

Piritahi operates multiple sites across Māngere, Aorere, Waikōwhai, Roskill South, Ōwairaka, Oranga, Tāmaki, Northcote and Catalina Bay at Hobsonville.

The Piritahi Alliance was established in late 2018 and comprises engineering consultancies; Harrison Grierson, Tonkin + Taylor and Woods, and construction companies; Dempsey Wood and Hick Bros (constructors) as well as the Alliance’s sole client – Kāinga Ora.

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