2020 Property and Construction Honours — Construction Company of the Year

Selected company: Changda Construction NZ Limited

Reasons for selection: With technological innovation at its core, Changda Construction NZ Limited continually introduces new technologies, models, systems and ideas to New Zealand’s construction market.

Changda Construction NZ Limited was established in New Zealand in February 2018, with its headquarters in Albany, Auckland. Its parent company, Weifang Changda Construction Group, was founded in 1949 and is an industry-leading, large-scale integrated construction group. The group regards technological innovation as its core competitive strength and maintains research institutions including a Chinese Academy of Engineering academician workstation, a national building product industrialisation base and a provincial technology centre. It has also undertaken construction projects in countries and regions including New Zealand, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Guinea-Bissau, Thailand and Hong Kong, China, accumulating extensive experience in BT, BOT, EPC and PPP projects.

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After several years of establishing itself in the New Zealand market, Changda Construction NZ Limited has achieved impressive results. The company has undertaken several major property projects, including the Marriott hotel, Pacific Gardens and the Albany apartments, covering medium- and high-density housing, hotels and supporting public facilities.

Technology at its core: a pioneer in applying modular construction locally

Drawing on its parent company’s leading technological capabilities and methods, Changda Construction NZ Limited has consistently pursued technological innovation, with particularly notable achievements in modular construction. Combining technical and resource support from its parent and specialist subsidiaries with years of local development and construction experience in New Zealand, the company has become a pioneer in applying this technology locally. The Marriott hotel it is building will become New Zealand’s first commercial property project to use modular construction technology.

The Marriott hotel is located on Wakefield. Street in Auckland’s CBD, with a total floor area of approximately 10000 square metres across 17 storeys and a total construction cost of around NZ$48,000,000. The project officially began in December 2019 and is expected to be completed in May 2022.

Large-scale developments: a leader in specialist construction across diverse property types

Most projects undertaken by Changda Construction NZ Limited are large-scale developments, spanning property types including townhouses, apartments and hotels. One example is Pacific Gardens (Pacific. Gardens), located in central Manukau in South Auckland. Covering 9.4 hectares with total investment of around NZ$750,000,000, the development is planned to include 1600 homes, with a range of property types including townhouses, apartments and hotels.

Another project the company is building, the Albany development, is located in central Albany on Auckland’s North Shore. It covers approximately 4 hectares, with a total floor area of around 150,000 square metres and 2000 apartments planned. Its rare experience in large-scale local developments has given Changda Construction NZ Limited extensive expertise in managing design, costs and schedules on major projects, as well as the ability to develop and build complex properties of various types.

Operations first: putting systematic business management into practice

Changda Construction NZ Limited has consistently worked to create a locally adapted management model. Combining the strengths of Chinese and Western management approaches, it has established a comprehensive business management system, with its design and cost management models set to become industry benchmarks. Refining its systems and empowering its organisation have strengthened the company’s modern management capabilities, laying a solid foundation for expansion and improved quality.