Chris Kane was appointed to this new position in December 2011 and is responsible
for managing the Productivity Partnership’s secretariat, based in Wellington at the
Department of Building and Housing.
He is on secondment from BRANZ where he set BRANZ’s research and information agenda as part of the executive team.
“What attracted me to the Partnership is the vast leadership opportunity to help
the industry lift its game,” says Chris.
Chris began his career in the building industry at age 17, as a labourer for Hawkins Construction during university holidays. He later became a fitter’s mate for the Electric Construction Company installing elevators, before eventually graduating with a postgraduate degree in Chemistry and Materials Science.
He then worked at BRANZ, firstly as a corrosion scientist, responsible for research and failure investigations for metals in use on buildings.
His best-known work during that time is the corrosion map that was introduced in NZS3604 in 1999, and the detailed specifications in the standard that supported its use. MFAT contracted BRANZ to run a multilateral aid project to reduce the cost of corrosion in infrastructure in ASEAN nations, and for four years Chris was
project manager.
He then held various management roles in BRANZ, including running technical/science business units, until joining the Productivity Partnership last year.