How to Change the World. Clare Feeney
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Industry engagement was seen as crucial to the success of the training. A focus group, comprising representatives from the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand, consultants, contractors, developers, environmental interest groups and local councils in the region, was set up to assess the options for upskilling the industry.
On the focus group’s advice, and with their input, an introductory seminar and two training workshops were developed for the ARC by two external consultants, of whom I was one. Brian Handyside, who is still my co-trainer, was the other.
The introductory seminar launched the training program to senior managers in the development, consulting and contracting sectors. It aimed to raise their awareness of the need for better environmental performance and the availability of training to help deliver it, in the hope that they would encourage senior management to release their staff to attend the workshops.
In June 1996, together with key staff from the ARC and the focus group, we trialled the content and delivery of a one-day workshop for contractors (constructors) and a two-day workshop for consultants (designers) and selected a study site for the two-day workshop. The pilot was a lot of fun, and generated immensely helpful feedback. It allowed key players to promote the training to their constituencies, and improved both content and delivery before the first workshops began in July 1996.
The training objectives were to improve:
As a result of this, the ARC hoped that:
In March 1999, the ARC released a new technical publication, ‘TP90’, a much more comprehensive erosion and sediment control guideline. TP9030 was a significant step change for the industry and gave an added boost to the training program.
The industry was widely consulted during the preparation of the TP90 guideline. The ARC gave notice that it had made a significant investment in helping the industry meet the new standards by preparing a new guideline, delivering training and providing ongoing annual workshops and newsletters – and that it would be up to the industry to perform, or appropriate enforcement would follow. Over the following years, vigorous enforcement action by the Council sent a clear signal to the industry about the desired performance standard.
Several thousand contractors and consultants have now attended their respective one- and two-day workshops since TP90 training began in 1995.
By the time Auckland’s TP2 erosion and sediment control guideline had been published in 1992, a number of key elements of today’s program had developed – not with 20:20 foresight and a detailed plan, but as a natural development over the years.
The key elements were:
With the introduction in 1999 of TP90, the more detailed technical guideline to help people comply with the policy and regulations, the Auckland erosion and sediment control program progressively added new elements, including:
