A message from our president Ceinwen McNeil
Looking back on the past year, I feel great pride in the achievements of our ACE members. It’s an honour to collaborate with a dedicated board, our Chief Executive, and an organisation that strongly advocates for consultants in the built and natural environment. I’d also like to recognise the significant contributions from our Regional Chairs and volunteers.
In 2022, our members displayed resilience and tenacity, focusing on client engagement, refining business operations, and planning for the future. Our members’ commitment to innovations like the four-day work week shows their adaptability to an ever-changing world. This approach was highlighted when Perpetual Guardian, the New Zealand firm leading this initiative, was named one of Time magazine’s top 100 most influential companies.
At ACE, we understand that we must adapt and evolve to keep pace with the changing demands of the market, our clients, and the regulatory environment. This means we’re keeping an eye on future trends, where automation, digitisation, and innovation continue to reshape our work as consultants.
The importance of a tertiary degree and technical excellence in business success is evolving. Today, tasks once performed by humans can be automated. This shift brings both challenges and opportunities, allowing us to focus more on strategic solutions in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world.
Our membership and our advocacy efforts for our professions continue to grow. We’re playing an active role in discussions with the government and key decision-makers on decisions affecting the future of communities in Aotearoa. We’re also leading in areas like diversity and inclusion, mental health, and wellbeing in the workplace. Our work with the Diversity Agenda is being recognised and used in global forums to improve representation at all levels in our professions.
We couldn’t have achieved all of this without our industry partners, who share our vision of a world where net zero emissions are achieved and our communities are thriving, in line with the Kaupapa Māori values.