ICOMIA complemented the line-up of speakers at the one-day NZ Marine Conference held on 8th August, where members from far and wide gathered at NZ Marine HQ in Auckland. Newly elected NZ Marine President Tracey Stevenson welcomed Darren Vaux, Australian-based President of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), and UK-based Joe Lynch, CEO of ICOMIA, who provided delegates with valuable insights into the global marine industry and its future outlook. Darren Vaux also gave an impressive overview of ICOMIA’s Pathways to Decarbonisation Study.
Peter Busfield, CEO of NZ Marine, expressed his enthusiasm at the opportunity for members to gain a global perspective on the marine industry from Joe Lynch, plus ensuring key topics such as sustainability and the crucial need to adopt AI to stay competitive. Alongside these pivotal discussions, the conference also featured presentations on current immigration laws, cyber security insurance, business mentoring services, free trade agreements, and guidance on navigating the current economic climate, ensuring that delegates derived maximum value from their time.
Maryanne Edwards, GMBA Consultant, spoke with Joe Lynch about his visit to New Zealand and the conference’s take-outs.
Joe stated, “I was impressed by the broad spectrum of industry players represented at the conference. I felt the key topics discussed were the same key topics that are of interest to all global players with Sustainability at the heart of the industry and how ICOMIA’s ‘Propelling our Future’ research can provide impartial data and insights. Marine NZ and their members are committed to training and the importance of ensuring we can recruit the talent and skills we need to grow our industry. Finally, the conference discussed a range of examples where technology is unlocking new opportunities and challenges – not just purely in the boat building or technical aspects, but in the wider sense of the disruption and opportunities offered by the growing use of AI technologies and the world of ‘big data’. The New Zealand Industry is certainly at the forefront of these issues; they have been ICOMIA members for many years, and New Zealand, with their skills, expertise, ingenuity and can-do attitude, have cemented a significant place within the global marine industry for years.”
This was the first time Joe had visited NZ, and he was disappointed that, given the time pressures to return to the UK, he only had two days to soak up the fantastic array of natural resources and experience the solid boating culture that is an integral part of the culture and lifestyle of NZ.
He added, “This has just whetted my appetite and given me an excuse to arrange a return visit.”
Written by MaryAnne Edwards, GMBA Australia and New Zealand
