Retiree agent of change for tradesmen

Retirement has not stopped Taupo's Bill Irvine from contributing to the industry he says has been good to him.
Bill was recently appointed to the national Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, where he hopes his experience will help younger members of the trade and his "outside" view will help more established tradesmen adapt to change.
"Retirement has permitted me to see more clearly that the sector does not handle change well."
He says the "that's the way we have always done it" mentality does not cut it in a sector where systems and materials constantly change.
"The sector needs to keep up. About the only thing that has not changed is that water only runs downhill."
Bill has seen plenty of changes during 40 years in the industry. He started out as a drainlayer on Waiheke Island, before leaving to join H Barnes & Son to gain experience in commercial drainage.
After qualifying, he returned to the island, eventually taking on the role of a construction and drainage inspector. This role took him to Rodney district as a senior inspector. Bill went back to managerial roles within the industry for awhile then came to the Bay of Plenty as the chief building inspector for Tauranga city. A year later, he became the chief inspector.
Bill also spent time as a technical adviser with the Building Research Association of New Zealand before retiring in 2007.
He hopes the experience and skills he has built up during that time will be put to good use in his new role with the board.
"I want to put something back into the industry and I feel my experience can offer that. I want to help the sector really come to terms with modern, legislative thinking and to help build a future for our young tradespeople."
Helping the older tradesmen adapt is also a focus. "They tend to resist change, but my career path has helped me come to terms with how to deal with it," he said.
Bill's experience with change is not restricted to the construction sector. Just before he retired, he trained in dispute resolution, focusing on arbitration and mediation - an area he continues to work in through his company, Arbitration New Zealand Ltd.
"A successful mediation allows people to move on to the next stage of their life on the basis that the parties have resolved their own dispute by mutual negotiation. While they may not be completely happy, they can get on," he says.
But construction remains at the front of his mind.
"My primary focus is currently on providing the industry that has been good to me with educational services."
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