Property Matters newsletter | March 2023

In this edition of the Government Property Group newsletter – we give you an update on the universal design guidelines; celebrate our colleague, Bruce Kenning; discuss the new policy for management of cultural heritage places; and find out more about training and events in 2023.

Bruce Kenning honoured with Te Tohu Amorangi a Te Kawa Mataaho

General Manager NZ Government Property, Angela Xygalas (left), Manager of Property Planning and Advisory, Bruce Kenning (centre) and Chief Executive, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Carolyn Tremain (right).

An enormous congratulations to our Manager of Property Planning and Advisory, Bruce Kenning, who received the Te Tohu Amorangi a Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commissioner's Commendation for Excellence late last year.

The commendation recipients demonstrate exceptional care to New Zealanders, display the highest standard of integrity, kaitiakitanga, and generate pride in the Public Service.

Bruce is a shining example of someone driven by a spirit of service to the community. In his 44 years of public service, Bruce has supported numerous initiatives, including the government property response to the earthquakes in Christchurch and Kaikōura, and the COVID-19 response.

Bruce shares his knowledge and makes time to mentor staff, and advocates to enact change in the property space. We are very fortunate to have Bruce as a member of our Government Property Group (GPG) team.

Universal design guidelines

Late last year, we reached out to agencies asking for feedback on the draft universal design guidelines, previously known as accessibility and inclusion guidance. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. These guidelines support the vision of diversity and inclusion being at the heart of the public service.

Overall feedback was positive and supportive of a universal design approach.

Key themes that came up in the feedback include:

The difference between new builds and major refurbishments, when considering the need for government workplaces to provide inclusive facilities.
A need for flexibility in how to apply the guidelines.
A need for better understanding of demographics in the public sector, to inform decisions about inclusive facilities required.

We recognise the challenges agencies could face when incorporating these guidelines into their building and refurbishment projects and will be there to support you.

We expect to publish the final guidelines on our website in the first half of the year. If you’d like to use the guidelines for any ongoing projects, email the Project team.

Government office accommodation programme

Regional hubs

Agency working groups, including those who have expressed an interest in the hubs, are working with us towards office hubs in Manukau and Porirua. We will have an update for you about them later in the year.

Interest in the Blue Mountains Campus in Upper Hutt is growing with plans for a co-working space opportunity is under development. The new space will address a growing demand from public servants to have workspaces closer to home.

If your agency is interested in co-locating in any of the hubs, email the Programme team.

Bowen House

The strengthening and fit-out of Bowen House on Lambton Quay in Wellington is progressing well. We are partnering with Te Kawa Mataaho, the Public Service Commission, on the project design and occupancy model, which will provide a basis for ongoing design thinking in relation to our other hub projects.

We look forward to sharing more about the vision being developed for this site with you in the next newsletter. If you are interested in finding out more about Bowen House, email the Programme team.

New policy for government management of cultural heritage places

Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage has refreshed the policy on how state sector agencies manage cultural heritage places.

The government is the steward of many cultural heritage places on behalf of all New Zealanders. Cultural heritage places can take many forms, from government buildings in metropolitan areas to sacred and historic sites across the motu. This policy will enable agencies to identify, protect and conserve cultural heritage places in their property portfolio.

Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry for Culture and Heritage Kirsty de Jong says, “The policy has been updated to align with the property management cycle and reflect developments in best practice heritage management. People can dive into the policy and guidance on our website”.

Policy for Government Management of Cultural Heritage Places (2022) – Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage

New policy and guidance for managing cultural heritage places

Government Property Portal updates

The Government Property Portal (GPP) is a valuable tool for agencies to help manage their property portfolios. To ensure you get the best use of the tool we encourage everyone to keep their property information up to date. We will be proactively engaging with agencies in the near future to improve the accuracy and completeness of the Portal data.

If you need help with using the portal, email the Government Property Portal team.

Register for a training session:

New Zealand Government Property Portal training

The GPP comes complete with modules to support every aspect of property: facilities, space and asset management, and desk booking. We expect to add more options later this year, including energy management and carbon tracking.

Our regular cycle of training for GPP kicks off this month. If you are a user, you should already have received registration details.

Quickfire property updates

Building capability across government property system

Our capability project team are finalising their evaluation of the reporting gathered last year. This will assess what is required to support the capability needs across our property system, for example, appropriate resources and training modules.

Property Knowledge Hours

We are excited about the Knowledge Hours lined up for the first half of 2023. Featured topics include asset management, assurance, property intelligence with GPP and more. Keep an eye out on our website for registration.

We’re always looking for agencies to share their projects or learnings. If you’re interested in sharing what your agency is working on, email the Property team.

Workplace and classroom furniture contract (formerly known as office furniture)

The new contract is now live. We have changed the scope of service of this contract to create more value for agencies and we have made it easier for agencies to purchase furniture regardless of scale and approach.

The updated contract includes:

New categories: classroom furniture, design layout services, planning and installation, and furniture hire.
A new commodity furniture category has been added, allowing additional furniture to be bought outside of large fit out projects.
The supplier panel has grown from 5 to 11 suppliers to provide agencies with a wider range of options and pricing.

A briefing session for agencies and schools was held in late January. If you couldn’t attend the briefing, a copy of the presentation is available on Hīkina.

Hīkina – Learning for Government Procurement and Property

If you would like to join the workplace and classroom furniture contract, or have further questions, email the Furniture team.

Supporting broader outcomes through new workplace and classroom furniture contract

Property consultancy services

The current property consultancy services contract expires in March next year. We are discussing potential solutions for a return to market.

We welcome any feedback or insights you may have from using this contract to help us shape the new solution.

Look out for further updates about the return to market exercise in the Contract Bulletin.

If you would like to know more, email the Professional services team.