Building for the Pacific Workshop

Are you involved in policy development or implementation in the Pacific Islands? Do you want to strengthen your country’s capability in standardisation and support resilient infrastructure?

Standards New Zealand, in collaboration with New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, invites you to apply for a fully funded opportunity to attend a dynamic, hands-on workshop focused on improving building quality through standards. This four-day in person programme is designed to support long-term capability development in the Pacific and will bring together experts and practitioners to share knowledge, tools, and strategies for impactful change.

Standards have a huge role to help ensure buildings and other structures are safe, fit for purpose and sustainable. Standards also support change and how we adapt to account for climate change, demographic and social changes.

The Building in the Pacific Workshop will focus on how building and construction related standards can be used in effective infrastructure planning, development, management and maintenance in the Pacific. This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with like-minded participants, share insights on challenges and best practices, and build your knowledge and understanding of standards and infrastructure. 

Benefits of attending

By participating in this workshop, you will:

• Enhance your technical knowledge of building and construction standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Gain practical tools to improve infrastructure quality and resilience in your country.
• Learn from New Zealand’s experience in managing building codes and natural hazard risks.
• Strengthen your ability to influence policy and stakeholder engagement through effective communication.
• Network with regional peers and build lasting professional connections.
• Receive full funding for travel, accommodation, meals, and participation.

Tentative agenda

Tuesday 14 October

Welcome & Workshop Kick-off.

Building Regulatory Framework 

• How NZ manages the Building Code.
• The role of standards in regulation. 
• Key challenges and lessons learned. 

Wednesday 15 October

Natural Hazards Resilience 

• Risk assessments and testing.
• Designing for resilience: wind, floods, earthquakes, fire.
• How standards contribute to safer structures. 

Thursday 16 October

Building & Construction Contracts (half Day) 

• Contracting for quality infrastructure.
• Practical insights and case studies. 

Offsite activity (half Day – TBC) 

Friday 17 October

Influence & Engage 

• Interactive session on presentation and communication skills.
• Strategies to influence stakeholders and promote standards adoption. 
• How to promote and market the value and benefits of standards within your industry and sectors.

Reflection & Closing

Who can apply?

We are inviting applications from quality infrastructure and policy decision makers from the Pacific Islands who are involved in standards development, conformance and implementation. We are seeking those practitioners within agencies who will develop, adopt and apply standards and regulatory building systems that use standards, within their jurisdictions. Applicants should be those best able to apply the knowledge learnt into their day-to-day work. 

The four-day program will be held in Wellington, New Zealand. Funding for successful applicants will cover flights, accommodation, meals and a travel allowance for the four-day program.

Applicants must be available to travel to New Zealand in October 2025 to attend the workshop. They must also meet all legal requirements for entry into New Zealand. It is the applicant’s sole responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport and obtain any necessary visas or travel authorisations prior to departure.

Limited spaces available

We are offering funding for up a very limited number of participants to attend this workshop. If you are passionate about standards and improving building quality and resilience in the Pacific, we encourage you to put your application through as soon as possible. 

Download and complete the application form and instructions available here:

Application form for Building for the Pacific Workshop 2025 [DOCX, 578 KB]

Building for the Pacific Workshop information [PDF, 251 KB]

Applications close 11 July 2025. 

Let’s work together to build stronger, safer, and more resilient communities across the Pacific.