A Milestone Under Pressure
The Crane Association of New Zealand (CANZ) marked its 50th anniversary in 2025 — a significant milestone for an industry that has been a constant presence in New Zealand’s skyline and construction projects for half a century. The anniversary came during the most sustained economic downturn the sector has experienced since the Global Financial Crisis, and by several accounts, harder than that.
CEO Sarah Toase was direct in describing the severity: the current slowdown has been “longer and harder than the GFC.” Yet the sector’s response has been one of the more remarkable stories in New Zealand construction — as of mid-2025, not a single CANZ member company had failed during the downturn.
How Firms Adapted
The key to survival for most firms has been diversification. Companies that had historically focused on high-rise residential and commercial construction pivoted to work in utilities maintenance, infrastructure projects, energy installations, and agricultural lifting — sectors with more stable demand profiles than the residential market. Some firms expanded into specialist work they had not previously pursued: wind turbine maintenance, industrial plant servicing, and roading infrastructure support.
That diversification required flexibility in how firms structured their fleets, how they priced work, and how they trained their operators. Companies that had built rigid operational models around a specific market segment found the transition more difficult than those that had maintained broad operational capability across crane types and applications.
Early Signs of Recovery
By mid-2025, early indicators of recovery were appearing. Toase noted that one member firm had recently listed five job vacancies — a level of recruitment activity that had been absent for the better part of two years. International recruitment activity, which typically lags domestic hiring by several months, was also picking up, suggesting that firms were thinking beyond the immediate horizon.
Government entities engaged with the crane sector during the downturn, implementing targeted measures to stimulate construction and infrastructure work. The Roads of National Significance programme, the infrastructure pipeline published by Te Waihanga, and the housing acceleration measures all have implications for crane demand as they move from planning to delivery.
What 50 Years Looks Like
For an industry that operates heavy equipment, manages significant workplace safety obligations, and depends on a skilled and certified workforce, 50 years of organised representation matters. CANZ has built relationships with WorkSafe, MBIE, territorial authorities, and the infrastructure sector that give it genuine standing in policy discussions. The anniversary reinforced the industry’s historical contribution and its capacity to weather difficult conditions — while reinforcing the collaborative relationships that keep the sector functioning when individual firms are under pressure.
