Research into the importance of the cement and concrete industry to New Zealand’s economy has found it contributes nearly $3 billion towards the country’s GDP.
A New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) report shows that for the year ending March 2006, the value of the industry’s output was $7.4 billion.
This activity supported 24,000 jobs and created a value add of $2.8 billion — about 2% of New Zealand’s GDP.
The report was commissioned by the Cement & Concrete Association of New Zealand (CCANZ). Chief executive Patrick McGuire says the research shows just how significant the cement and concrete industry is to the nation’s economy.
“A primary aim for us is to ensure that cement and concrete are truly sustainable — environmentally, socially and economically.
“The NZIER research proves the industry is more than meeting the economic part of this objective,” Mr McGuire says.
The report was released at the first birthday of Concrete3 – an initiative launched by CCANZ to raise awareness about cement and concrete’s contribution to sustainable development.
Construction representatives gathered in central Wellington for the recent event, which also marked the launch of Concrete for a Sustainable World, a short film about concrete’s contribution to the built environment in New Zealand.
The event also reflected on the inaugural Concrete3 sustainability award, launched recently to recognise and celebrate concrete’s contribution to sustainable development.
The award was won by Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd and Mainzeal Property and Construction Ltd for Project Century, an Auckland brewery under construction which uses recycled glass as aggregate in the concrete parts of the structure.
