For almost two decades both IPWEA in Australia and IPWEA New Zealand (formerly INGENIUM), have maintained vibrant asset management engineering communities through their respective National Asset Management Strategy (NAMS) committees.
The mutual respect and collaboration between both countries' NAMS entities has enabled joint production of the highly respected International Infrastructure Management Manual (IIMM), now in its fifth edition. Work is almost complete on another joint project, Asset Management 101 (working title) which will be deployed with additional training tools as a package for senior asset managers to explain the importance of asset management across their organisations.
Given the close working relationship between the key people on the respective NAMS committees, it was considered important to enter into a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) between IPWEA Australasia and IPWEA New Zealand Division regarding NAMS. The MoU outlines “the roles and responsibilities of each party as they work together to achieve best practice for asset management and related activities in Australasia and New Zealand.”
NAMS, in both countries, has evolved and is now coordinated and managed through the IPWEA NAMS Council. In recognition of the expertise, history and being respectful of separate country status, the NAMS Council recently adopted, and the IPWEA Board approved in February, the request from IPWEA NZ that it have two representatives on the NAMS Council, whereas every other IPWEA Division has one representative. New Zealand’s two highly regarded representatives are Alastair Monro (GHD) and Kathy Dever-Tod (Xtra).
In addition to this important MoU, the NAMS Council presented its 2017 Annual Report, Strategic Plan 2017-2020, and its Terms of Reference, all of which were approved by the IPWEA Australasia Board. To assist members who are interested, these documents, or their summaries, will be posted shortly on the IPWEA website under the Asset Management section.
Image: IPWEA Australasia President Mat Greskie and IPWEA NZ President Samantha Gain sign the MoU.