Steel industry’s contribution to NZ – A Case Study
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Air New Zealand’s logistics building at Auckland Airport is a showcase of how buying local contributes to the wellbeing of New Zealand.
That’s the result of analysing the project using the first draft of the Framework for Case Studies, measuring how it delivers to the New Zealand’s Living Standards Framework (LSF) and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
About the project
The Air New Zealand logistic centre is a portal-framed building with optimised steel beams, a reinforced concrete foundation as well as steel cladding and roofing.
All of the steel was produced in New Zealand by New Zealand Steel and locally manufactured into the structural, reinforcing, cladding and roofing products used in the building. With the exception of one supplier, all others were located within 50km of the building location.
The building structure was designed and built with optimised steel beams, specifically engineered for the loadings expected for this building, using on average 28% less steel than conventional commodity parallel sections.
The reinforcing was produced by Pacific Steel and fabricated by Taranaki Reinforcing. The cladding and roofing for the project was ColorSteel Maxx, produced by New Zealand Steel and fabricated by Dimond Roofing.
The project directly employed 340 people, supporting companies that employ many more. The suppliers to this project in total employ over 2,000 people in New Zealand, and provide safety and skills training, all of which have health and wellness benefits.
It had an excellent record for such a large project with only two lost-time injuries. None of the manufacturers involved in the project have had any WorkSafe violations over the past five years, meaning that the safety record surrounding this project is exemplary.
In total, 44.2 tonnes of construction waste was generated, equivalent to 6.8 kilograms per square metre of floor. Over 79% of this waste was diverted from landfill, either going to cleanfill/hardfill or recycling. Less than 10 tonnes of waste from the project went to landfill (approximately 4.5 typical 9m3 skip bins).
Results as Contribution to LSF and SDG Frameworks
Combining project-level and supplier-level data highlights certain areas where the companies involved contribute strongly to both frameworks.
For a detailed look at how the companies involved deliver to the LSF and the SDGS see the full case study here.
However, as an overarching summary, the case study shows that through selecting New Zealand suppliers of steel products for this building, the project has contributed to wellbeing in New Zealand through:
- Strong health and safety processes, including the mental wellbeing of staff
- Workplaces that encourage wellbeing, diversity and inclusion
- Good jobs that provide opportunities for upskilling and career advancement
- Companies that give back to local communities through donations
- Waste reduction through detailed tracking and transparent reporting
- Environmental stewardship through a commitment to use responsibly-sourced products, minimise energy and water use, and abide by all of New Zealand’s environmental regulations